Su Nan was dumbfounded as he watched from the sidelines.
It was only now that he got a clear look at the people involved—and to his surprise, they were all the female members of his own team.
Five beautiful girls turned to Su Nan in unison, offering shy yet elegant smiles.
Their fists still dripped with the lingering black mist left behind by the vanquished evil spirits.
What a picturesque scene.
Just then—
Before Su Nan could say anything, four other male students—who had long been sidelined—couldn’t help but interrupt.
“There’s limited time for the mission!”
“We need to eliminate all the ghosts inside the haunted mansion as soon as possible!”
One of them quickly turned to leave after speaking, but none of the girls paid him any attention.
Talk about awkward.
The attractive girls instead enthusiastically introduced themselves:
“Su Nan, don’t be scared~ I’m super strong!”
“Su Nan, I’ll protect you! Here, take my hand!”
***
Before Su Nan could even encounter any ghosts, he was nearly torn apart by this passionate pack of fangirls.
The scene was enough to make the other guys grind their teeth in jealousy.
“Just because he’s good-looking? Seriously?!”
From then on—
Before Su Nan could even say yes, the six girls in the group had already formed a mutual agreement: surround and protect him at all costs.
They grouped tightly around him, acting like a personal escort.
Su Nan wanted to protest, but seeing their earnest faces, he opened his mouth—only to be drowned out by their excited chatter.
‘Is this going to be my life from now on?’
‘Do I really look like the kind of guy who needs to be spoiled?’
Meanwhile, the other guys in the team could only watch in envy.
Under the crescent moon, the group made their way through dense shrubbery.
A few minor ghosts popped up along the way, but posed no real threat.
Then, after emerging from the thicket, the cloudy sky above suddenly turned blood-red.
Su Nan looked up and saw that the once white crescent moon had transformed into a full crimson moon.
The air grew damp and chilly, a bone-deep coldness creeping into everyone’s heart.
Up ahead, the gates of the haunted mansion slowly creaked open, releasing an ominous chill that hit them like a wall.
The eeriness of the scene made everyone feel a bit on edge.
“Let’s go.”
Su Nan said softly.
Just as he stepped forward—he was once again blocked.
“How could we let you take on something so dangerous?”
***
The moment they stepped into the haunted mansion, a chilling sensation wrapped around them.
The interior was cloaked in gloom, lit only by a strange green glow that filled the grand hall.
As soon as they entered, everyone grew more tense—none of them had ever experienced such a creepy atmosphere before.
Then suddenly, a loud thud came from behind.
Everyone turned around just in time to see the mansion doors slowly closing shut.
At that exact moment, two shadowy figures appeared in the center of the hall.
The shadows quickly merged into one, forming a hideous D-rank ghost.
The ghost towered over three meters tall, with a hulking body, glowing red eyes sunk deep into its skull, and a mouth full of jagged fangs.
Before it could even attack, its terrifying appearance already struck fear into the group.
Just as they hesitated, the ghost let out a shrill shriek and lunged straight toward them.
Su Nan felt this was his moment.
He was just about to step forward—when a girl behind him pulled him back.
“Leave it to us. If you get hurt, it’s a loss for all humanity.”
Before he could react, several girls launched forward ahead of him.
Despite the D-rank ghost’s ferocious appearance, Chang Xinxin landed a clean punch that sent it flying.
The rest quickly followed, surrounding and pummeling it.
“Su Nan, big sister will protect you!”
“Begone, demon! Take this!”
The ghost didn’t even last more than a few punches before disintegrating into a puff of smoke—no resistance at all.
As the ghost dissipated, Su Nan stood on the outskirts, his face filled with helplessness and resignation.
He was being too well protected.
Just as he tried to say something, another D-rank ghost materialized and rushed at them.
Same result—before Su Nan could lift a finger, the girls had already taken it out.
Meanwhile, Su Nan’s point counter projected on the light screen over his chest kept ticking up: 40… 54… 78…
Every ghost that appeared was immediately eliminated by the team. Su Nan never got the chance to act.
By the time his score reached 103, the room had brightened, and no more ghosts appeared.
“Trial complete. Awaiting teleportation.”
An icy voice echoed through the hall.
Everyone visibly relaxed.
“That was too easy,” someone commented.
Su Nan, like everyone else, felt the same.
But just as the tension lifted, the light in the room suddenly brightened further—and a staircase appeared at the far end, extending upward.
A bizarre aura drifted down from the stairs.
Bathed in the strange light, the staircase seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
Everyone, including Su Nan, was stunned.
Su Nan furrowed his brow and took a step forward to inspect it—but was immediately encircled again by the girls.
“I’m just looking…”
He muttered, voice full of frustration.
These beautiful girls had protected him so well that he hadn’t had a single opportunity to fight.
He wasn’t even sure how his own strength measured up.
Throughout the trial—
The girls would occasionally steal glances at him, blushing slightly, as if eager to impress.
Meanwhile, the boys in the back threw Su Nan a few disdainful looks as they watched him being guarded by a gaggle of girls.
Su Nan could only helplessly accept his “protection.”
That staircase surely led to the second floor of the haunted mansion.
Although it was brightly lit, Su Nan couldn’t shake a strange feeling about it.
“Barrier detected upgrading. Continue the trial?”
The cold voice rang out again, surprising everyone.
“Barrier upgrade? The trial’s difficulty is increasing?”
One male student immediately asked, excited.
“I knew it—this freshman trial was way too easy. If it stayed like this, how could Tianlan Academy call itself the best?”
“Let’s keep going! It was over before we even got started. What kind of trial is that?!”
The boys, desperate to show off in front of the girls, couldn’t let this chance slip away.
“Continue!”
“Continue!”
Without hesitation, everyone—Su Nan included—chose to proceed.
Instantly, the eerie light enveloped them all once more.