The patrolmen were not living humans, but guardian spirits manifested by higher-ranked Dreamweavers. Clad in full suits of metal armor, they walked without making a sound, drifting ghost-like through the academy. Few students who wandered at night could escape their pursuit.

However, for an expert in stealth, evading these guardians’ patrols was a breeze. William Carter had spent only half a night to figure out most of the guardians’ patrol routes and search patterns within the academy. Now, roaming the academy at night felt like walking through an uninhabited realm.

Besides, there was something to be done tonight.

Following the path outside the dormitory castle, William Carter skirted around the academy’s Dreamlight Lake and, on the outskirts of the buildings near the teaching area, found the small bungalow designated as a forbidden zone. The bungalow stood within a courtyard, its nearly three-meter-high walls blocking all outside view. The gate was tightly shut, but William Carter simply gave a light leap, gripped the top of the wall with his fingers, and flipped over with the agility of a cat.

Pushing open the door, he found the bungalow’s interior small and empty, with only a set of doors and windows as decoration. William Carter couldn’t figure out what this room was used for, but that didn’t stop him from liking it. It was simply a perfect chess room.

The only problem was the dust. Judging by the thick layer of dust on the floor, the room had been abandoned for years. If you pushed the door open too hard, clouds of dust would fill the air, making it hard to breathe. In such a filthy place, it was impossible to play chess.

That’s why William Carter had come in the middle of the night… to clean.

Setting down his backpack and broom, William Carter wrapped a damp towel around his nose and mouth, then clenched his fist with determination. “Alright! The battle begins!” …Two hours later, the room was completely transformed.

As a professional golden finger, what William Carter had learned in the underground labyrinth went far beyond the scope of golden finger skills. Cleaning, laundry, cooking—he was quite accomplished in all of them. In fact, if not for these skills, he would have had a hard time surviving in the labyrinth, since his guardian, Old One-Eye, was utterly hopeless at daily life… With just a small backpack of cleaning tools, William Carter managed to tidy up the entire room until it was spotless, and he felt quite proud of himself.

“Hmm, looks like I haven’t lost my touch. This way, I can bring Kelly here to play chess tomorrow~”

Looking around the room, although there were still some imperfect details, he figured Kelly wouldn’t be too picky. Just as William Carter was about to pack up his tools and return to the dorm to sleep, he noticed what seemed to be a huge pattern faintly imprinted on the floor.

“…Is it the texture of the bricks? It kind of looks like a kneeling cat. I do like cats—maybe I can make a rubbing and use it as wallpaper.”

But before William Carter could take a closer look, darkness suddenly descended, enveloping him without warning. In the next instant, the freshly cleaned room had completely lost all trace of its cleaner.

————

“…What’s going on?”

After a few seconds to gather his thoughts, William Carter could only remember that a moment ago he was cleaning the bungalow, and the next, he had inexplicably ended up in a… very strange place.

Looking around, he saw nothing but fiery red mountains and an equally fiery red sky. The distance was shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to tell where the horizon was. William Carter had no memory of any place like this in Yangcheng Academy or its surroundings.

“How odd…”

This sudden turn of events didn’t frighten him, but being in a completely unfamiliar environment, William Carter couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. This crimson world was so out of place, it hardly seemed real—there wasn’t the slightest sign of life. The cracked earth was lifeless, as if it were the ruins forgotten by the creator for countless ages.

And the distant fog looked strange too. Rather than mist, it seemed more like an impenetrable prison.

This place felt like a prison.

Just as William Carter was about to look around and get familiar with his new surroundings, a dark shadow fell from the sky.

When it landed, it was as if the entire earth trembled.

Then, William Carter realized he was shrouded by a mass of dark clouds, engulfed in a huge shadow. In front of him stood a monster over four meters tall, staring at him with glowing red eyes.

It was a massive gray-black skeleton. Each bone was unusually thick, making the creature, which should have looked gaunt, appear especially burly and terrifying. The skeleton held a rough long blade in one hand and a round shield made of stone in the other. Beneath the golden crown atop its head, a pair of deep eyes radiated a bloody light.

“……”

Under that blood-red gaze, William Carter felt his whole body stiffen, his mouth half open but unable to utter a single sound… Even the most dangerous magical beasts he’d encountered in the forbidden zones of Yangcheng Academy had never given him such overwhelming pressure.

In that instant, William Carter suddenly recalled the rare serious expression of Old One-Eye in the underground labyrinth… So, after a brief moment of paralysis, William Carter began to tremble uncontrollably.

Half from fear, half from excitement.