Chapter 28: Ghost

Xueqiu was stunned.

What was that?

Wasn’t she supposed to be alone in a top-floor room of the Spiritual Academy’s library, taking the final part of the entrance exam—the Contract test?

Why was she suddenly in a strange forest?

Across from her, the figure in a black cloak stood motionless, as if waiting for her to grasp the situation.

The figure was nearly two meters tall, their imposing frame barely concealed by the tattered, loose-fitting hooded cloak.

Their face was hidden behind a glowing Halloween mask, with fluorescent “X” marks over the eyes and an exaggerated grin at the mouth, making it impossible to see their features.

Who were they?

In a daze, Xueqiu felt she’d seen this person before—or been to this place.

Qingtan City’s suburbs, near the mountains, did have a forest in reality, but she had no memory of visiting such a remote spot in her eighteen years.

It was a dream.

She recalled the dream from days ago, where she was indeed in a strange forest.

But the dream had more—long, melodious chimes, a misty, blood-stained blade, and…

What about now? Was she dreaming again?

As if in response, a chime rang in her ears, ancient and distant.

One toll, then a series of them.

The sound grew closer, solemn yet eerie, sending a chill through her.

At the same time, thick black mist poured from the figure’s body, their masked face unreadable.

Calling them a shadow felt right.

Without warning, the shadow took two steps forward, closing the gap to less than two meters.

Xueqiu didn’t step back or run—not because she didn’t want to, but because her body wouldn’t move an inch.

An invisible force pinned her in place.

The shadow kept advancing, the distance shrinking—two meters, one meter…

At half a meter, the shadow stopped abruptly, like a robot out of power.

Xueqiu had no time to process why she was here.

No one could figure out in seconds why they’d been whisked from the Academy to a strange forest.

Then she noticed the shadow held something.

A silver-white naginata, its blade over half a meter long, unsheathed—or perhaps never sheathed—emitting wisps of mist.

The shadow gripped its handle firmly, as if it belonged to them.

Xueqiu realized the shadow’s face wasn’t the only thing covered.

Their hand and forearm, holding the blade, were wrapped in white bandages.

She hadn’t noticed earlier, as the shadow hadn’t raised their hand.

They looked like a mummy—or the bandaged culprit from some Detective Conan episode, a childhood nightmare.

The shadow gave her no time to think.

She saw the silver blade raised high, aimed at her, immobile.

Unlike the terror of the tentacle monster’s attack, she felt no fear this time.

She didn’t even make a sound, just stared at the blade.

There was no pain—the shadow’s swing never landed.

The blade stopped 20 centimeters above her head.

It vanished from the tip, along with the shadow and everything around her.

A flash of white light.

When Xueqiu came to, the eerie forest was gone.

She stood alone in the empty room she’d entered minutes ago.

Now, she could finally see its layout.

It was bare—no windows, no desks, no chairs, just lights embedded in the walls.

She was free, no restraints on her small frame.

Recalling the experience, she felt an unplaceable familiarity.

“Test complete, Xueqiu. You may leave,” a voice said from above.

No speaker was visible, but the door behind her slid open.

That was it? Her mind blank, she walked stiffly, stumbling into a boy’s arms outside.

It was Xia Yin, waiting in the corridor, though she didn’t know when he’d arrived.

“Wow, didn’t expect you to be the slowest. Most finish in five minutes—like those two—but you took nearly twenty. Shame,” he said.

Twenty minutes? Xueqiu looked around—no clocks, no devices, her phone with Carlos.

“Don’t believe me?” Xia Yin, reading her mind, pulled out his phone.

“Exam’s over, time for families to pick up their kids… Kidding, I’m not your family, and you’ve gotta stay till your rank’s announced.”

His words were dense, mixed with pointless chatter, but Xueqiu was used to sifting through for useful bits, like a reading comprehension exercise.

“Have to stay here?” she asked.

This floor differed from the others—no glass railings, no metal benches for students, just a corridor and numbered rooms.

The only “decoration” was the three others nearby.

Chang Mu, not far off, was ruffling his hair, muttering nonsense.

Chisaki, the Japanese girl, listened intently to his ramblings.

Closer, Carlos approached her and Xia Yin.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Carlos said, expressionless, though not shooing Xia Yin away.

“I know, I know. This is for Contract testing, right? Arcane Arts and that AI’s algorithm for rankings, then blah blah…” Xia Yin said.

“But the exam’s done. Even a college entrance exam site’s just a classroom after it’s over, right?” He flashed a cheeky grin.

Carlos, uninterested in arguing, called over Chang Mu and Chisaki.

Xia Yin stepped aside, theatrically covering his ears as if to say, “Go ahead, I hear nothing.”

“Rank evaluations complete,” a voice said—not Carlos, but from the corridor.

Chang Yi’s tone was warm, like a caring older sister, unlike earlier.

“Student ID L200702142024003, Chisaki Takanotsume, final rank: S.”

Chisaki’s eyes sparkled at the announcement.

“Student ID L200601022024001, Chang Mu, final rank: B.”

Chang Mu said nothing, but his glum face suggested the rank wasn’t great.

“Student ID X200603162024002, Xueqiu, final rank: E.”