binnovel Chapter 809 Challenge Dungeon 64
Chapter 809 Challenge Dungeon 64
The next day, at seven o'clock in the morning.
Yun Chu pushed open the dormitory door, and the corridor was filled with a stronger smell of disinfectant than usual.
She was wearing her school uniform, her ponytail tied neatly, and she walked slowly and steadily toward the playground.
A makeshift platform had been erected on the playground, and a red banner fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, bearing the large white characters: Xingyao Middle School 47th Autumn Sports Meet.
Five colorful flags were planted on each side of the rostrum.
On the lawn of the playground, each class had marked out their area, and students gathered in twos and threes. Some were warming up in sportswear, some were holding small flags and acting as cheerleaders, and some were just standing there in a daze.
Yun Chu found the area for Class 7 of Senior Three and stood still.
The NPC students around them were whispering about topics related to the sports meet—who ran the fastest, who jumped the highest, and which class might win first place.
Everything was so normal it was almost absurd.
At 7:45, the players began to appear one after another.
Yun Chu's gaze swept across the crowd as she silently counted.
Twenty-three people.
There were thirty players when we entered the instance, and now there are nineteen left.
Of the seven who disappeared, two were sent to the disciplinary room, and the remaining nine...
She looked away and stopped thinking about it.
At 7:55, the noise on the playground gradually quieted down.
Everyone was looking at the podium.
A figure walked out from the passage behind the stage and stood in front of the microphone.
headmaster.
He was a male NPC in his sixties, with gray hair, a kind face, wearing a dark gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses. A gentle smile played on his lips as his gaze swept over the teachers and students on the playground, like any respected old principal.
He cleared his throat.
The microphone emitted a slight electrical hum.
"Students and teachers," his voice was gentle yet magnetic, "on this crisp autumn day, we welcome the 47th Autumn Sports Meet of Guangming Middle School..."
He began to speak.
The content is normal, perfectly normal.
He spoke of the Olympic spirit and the importance of sports, from the all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor to the collectivist spirit of unity and hard work. His speech was rich in classical allusions and delivered in a captivating and engaging manner, much like an opening address for any sporting event.
But Yun Chu noticed that when he spoke, his gaze would occasionally sweep in a certain direction—
The direction in which those players gathered.
His smile remained kind, but something was stirring deep within his eyes.
"...Finally," he raised his voice slightly, "I wish all students to demonstrate their style and skill, and achieve excellent results!"
applause.
The NPC students clapped, and the players mechanically followed suit.
“Now,” the principal nodded slightly, “the sports meet officially begins. All participants, please get ready. The first event is the 100-meter sprint. Check-in will be at the track in ten minutes.”
He turned and left the podium.
The playground became lively again.
Players with registration forms began moving towards the check-in area.
Yun Chu also took a step.
The check-in area was located near the starting line of the track, where two NPC teachers sat behind a long table, checking the list.
Players arrived one after another and took their respective groups.
Check-in begins.
The NPC teacher held the list and checked the names and groups one by one.
"Boys' Group, Group 1: Zhang Wei, Li Muyuan, Wang Ming..."
"Group Two: Zhou Jierui...Xia Wanqi..."
"Group Three:..."
Grouping complete.
Eight male players participated, along with twenty-two male NPCs, making a total of thirty people, divided into three groups of ten.
The top three teams from each group advance to the finals, and the top three teams in the finals receive the Bright Badge.
"Girls' group." The NPC teacher raised her eyelids and glanced at the girls in front of her. "Group one: Liu Fang... Sun Tingting... Xu Yani..."
"Group Two: Bai Yunchu, Qin Lele, Zhou Xiaoya, Chen Lu..."
"Group Three:..."
Check-in complete.
Eight minutes later, the first group of men's matches began.
At the starting line, ten people crouched down, assuming a starting position.
One of them is a player named Li Muyuan.
Gunshots rang out.
Ten people rushed out of the starting line.
For the first thirty meters, everything was normal.
Thirty meters later, a sudden change occurred.
The NPC running at the front—a tall, thin boy—suddenly twisted his body.
His limbs stretched out, his bones cracking and splintering, his skin splitting open to reveal a writhing black substance beneath. His head was twisted 180 degrees, his face—if it could even be called a face—facing the people running behind him, his mouth wide open, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
monster.
It lunged at another NPC behind it.
A scream rang out.
Blood splattered.
Li Muyuan's expression changed drastically, but he didn't stop and rushed forward desperately.
After the monster finished off the two NPCs, it turned around and pounced on him.
Li Muyuan staggered, but didn't fall. He had used his defensive items beforehand, gritted his teeth, and continued charging forward.
The monster continued its fierce attack.
Li Muyuan could feel his defensive items being depleted! He had to cross the finish line before they ran out! He couldn't afford to die at the hands of this monster.
Eighty meters.
Ninety meters.
One hundred meters —
He crossed the finish line.
With a "thud," Li Muyuan fell to the ground, his back scratched by the monster's claws.
Behind them, the monster stood still and did not give chase.
It glanced at him, then turned and disappeared into thin air.
A brief silence fell over the playground.
Then, cheers erupted—the NPC students cheered for the runners who crossed the finish line as if nothing had happened.
Li Muyuan lay on the ground, trembling all over. It took him a long time to get up, his face pale.
He survived.
The surrounding players watched this scene with extremely complex expressions on their faces.
Some people breathed a sigh of relief—it turned out that they could make it to the finish line alive, as long as they were fast enough and could withstand the monster's attacks.
Some people's expressions grew even more serious—that player had a C-grade defensive item, and if they didn't have a similar one…
But in any case, the game has already begun.
There is no way out.
Men's Group 2.
Xia Wanqi stood calmly at the starting line.
Gunshots rang out.
He rushed out.
Thirty meters away, an NPC transformed into a monster and pounced on him.
Xia Wanqi didn't even lift his eyelids.
He simply raised his hand and casually waved it (using an attack tool).
An invisible force surged from his palm, and the monster was struck as if by a heavy hammer, flying backward and crashing onto the runway. After struggling for a few moments, it turned into black smoke and dissipated.
Xia Wanqi didn't stop and continued rushing forward.
First place, no doubt about it.
He glanced back as he crossed the finish line.
His gaze swept over the players with their varied expressions, and a faint smile curved his lips.
Then he turned and walked toward the rest area.
Behind them, the NPC teacher was announcing the results:
"First place goes to Xia Wanqi!"
Tai Lele and Zhou Muyang went to greet them, their faces beaming with joy.
"Brother Wanqi, you're amazing!"
Xia Wanqi smiled but didn't say anything.
Soon the third group of boys took the stage... The first three were all players, and the boy in first place had quite a few items and killed two monsters.
After the boys' competition ended, the girls' competition began.
The first group of girls went on stage. A tall and thin female player disappeared from the track after the gunshot, using some kind of item. She reappeared at the finish line a few seconds later!
This move left the other players completely dumbfounded.
The tall, thin female player went to rest on the side without any expression.
……
……
The first group's match has ended, and the second group is preparing to take the stage.
Yun Chu stood calmly at the starting line.
Tai Lele also walked to the starting line and stood to Yun Chu's left.
On the right is Zhou Xiaoya, a round-faced girl, one of the players who traded sports meet registration forms with Yun Chu.
Further to the right are several female NPCs.
Tai Lele was still warming up her hands and feet, her gaze sweeping over the several opposing NPCs, who were not a threat; the round-faced girl was a player, and she needed to be careful; as for the one with the ponytail…
She glanced at Yun Chu.
It's still an NPC.
There is nothing to fear.
Gunshots rang out.
Ten people rushed out of the starting line.
Yun Chu's steps were steady, her pace neither too fast nor too slow, maintaining her third position.
At the front, Tai Lele was at the very front, with Zhou Xiaoya close behind.
Twenty meters.
Thirty meters.
A mutation occurred.
The NPC girl who was running in fourth place suddenly twisted her body.
Limbs elongated, bones misaligned, skin cracked—exactly like those monsters in the male group.
It turned around and pounced on the nearest person.
The most recent one is Zhou Xiaoya.
Zhou Xiaoya's expression changed drastically, and she instinctively reached for her props—but it was too late. The monster pounced too fast, its claws already upon her.
Then it stopped.
It just hung there in mid-air, motionless.
It was like the pause button had been pressed.
Zhou Xiaoya was stunned.
Tai Lele was also stunned.
She turned around and saw the monster frozen in mid-air, its body beginning to be covered with a thin layer of—
Frost.
From the inside out, from the core to the surface, it is rapidly freezing.
next second.
Click.
The monster shattered into ice shards, scattered across the runway, shimmering in the sunlight.
Then, the ice shards turned into black smoke and dissipated into the air.
Nothing was left.
Zhou Xiaoya stood there dumbfounded, her mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
Tai Lele was also stunned.
She mechanically turned her head to look at the girl she had always thought was an NPC—
Yun Chu was still running.
His steps were steady, his breathing even, as if nothing had happened.
She had already overtaken Zhou Xiaoya and was running towards the finish line.
Tai Lele's mind went completely blank.
That girl...
That girl with the ponytail, so quiet she was like a background figure...
Is it a player?
And he's a top-tier player—the kind who can instantly kill monsters??
How come she didn't know?
How could she not have noticed?
Run!!!
Behind her, Zhou Xiaoya finally came to her senses and screamed as she rushed forward.
Tai Lele shuddered and ran forward as fast as she could.
But Yun Chu had already crossed the finish line.
First place.
She stood outside the finish line, turned around, and looked at the two people chasing each other in a disheveled manner on the track, her gray pupils devoid of any emotion.
When Tai Lele crossed the finish line, her legs went weak and she almost knelt on the ground.
She gasped for breath, looked up at Yun Chu.
In that gaze, there was shock, lingering fear, disbelief, and—
Deep regret.
How come she didn't notice?
She actually treated this big shot like an NPC and ignored him for two whole days?!
Behind them, the NPC teacher was announcing the results:
"Girls' Group 2: First place, Bai Yun Chu! Second place, Qin Le Le! Third place, Zhou Xiao Ya!"
Zhou Xiaoya crossed the finish line, collapsed to the ground, and took a while to get up.
She watched Yun Chu's departing figure, a complex light flashing in her eyes—
gratitude.
If it weren't for that powerful figure's intervention, she would be dead by now.
Tai Lele also looked at that back, her eyes filled with regret and awe.
In the distance, the boys' rest area.
Xia Wanqi's gaze finally fell on Yun Chu.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
That girl...
Is it a player?
How could he not have noticed?
He stared at Yun Chu's retreating figure, his brows gradually furrowing.
That feeling is back again.
That vague, inexplicable... unease.
That girl has a problem.
But he couldn't figure out what the problem was.
He took a deep breath and looked away.
It's okay. There's still a chance.
If she is also a player, there are still matches to be played, and there will be opportunities to observe her.
even……
A faint smile curved at the corners of his lips.
If she really has a problem, then—solve it.
Yun Chu walked to the edge of the rest area and sat down on the lawn.
The sun was shining brightly, and the breeze was warm.
She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sunlight.