Chapter 29: Dekan Masters the Art of Humility
"Both you and your sacrificed comrade were tier 4?" Dekan led the challenger to the infirmary, helped him with his wounds, and asked.
"Yes," the challenger replied.
Afterward, he timidly glanced at Dekan and Cornelia and asked, "Are both of you tier 4... or maybe tier 5?"
"We're tier 4, all of us."
Dekan shook his head and replied casually.
The challenger, though filled with questions, didn't dare to inquire further. He strongly suspected that either Dekan or Cornelia was at least tier 5. Even if they weren't tier 5, they were geniuses capable of fighting at tier 5 levels with their tier 4 status. The mess in the infirmary was probably related to them. If they didn't possess terrifying combat abilities, it wouldn't be possible to damage the infirmary to such an extent and even make the school doctor disappear into thin air.
What baffled him even more was that these two individuals appeared unscathed.
Dekan continued to ask, "Was the classroom where you failed really that difficult?"
"Well, at first, we didn't think it was particularly hard, but when we discovered its mechanics, it was truly disgusting."
"Oh? Tell me about the mechanics. Maybe I can help you clear it."
Dekan seemed more interested now, and his eyes even lit up a bit. This could be an elite-level room. Since it was challenging, it likely had higher exploration points and possibly information about boss rooms.
"Or you could bypass that classroom. I really can't see any hope of clearing it... I don't want to endanger you."
"You tell me about the mechanics. I'll judge the difficulty myself."
Dekan confidently responded, exuding an air of absolute authority. By his side, Cornelia remained calm, her expression icy, showing no signs of being affected by any formidable opponent. Observing them closely, the challenger found himself slightly stunned, and his heartbeat quickened unconsciously. For a moment, he even had the illusion that these two were the true rulers of this demon academy. They exude an aura of absolute strength!
Maybe... they could truly help him and his comrade seek revenge!
Taking a deep breath, the challenger hesitated, then gently touched his chest and spoke solemnly to Dekan and Cornelia, "That classroom is a music room with a mechanism called 'Demon Choir.'"
"The music teacher plays instruments, and students are required to participate in the Demon Choir's singing."
"When you first enter the classroom, you can listen to the Demon Choir sing up to three times, with fifteen minutes of free practice time."
"Next, you have to join them in singing. If you make three mistakes, it triggers the teacher's kill mechanism."
"Attacking other students will also result in the demon teacher attacking."
Dekan furrowed his brows slightly. He found this mechanism to be rather mundane, not something that should have caused tier 4 challengers to fail unless they were both tone-deaf.
"Are there any other traps in this game apart from the surface rules?"
"Yes! Actually, the demon teacher isn't particularly tricky, but the damned demon students in the Demon Choir will ostracize new students. They seem to have a secret code among themselves, and if a new student joins the choir, they collectively change certain aspects of the singing."
The challenger answered with some frustration.
"Then the teacher judges you based on these changes?"
"Yes, 'right or wrong is relative, not absolute.' We only realized this rule trap after being fooled. Even if you use up all three chances, you won't be able to decipher the variations in the demon students' signals."
The challenger's face was filled with pain and regret, and his eyes turned red.
Dekan touched his chin, pondering. If that was the mechanism, the classroom was indeed a bit tricky. The previous rooms had been about outsmarting the teachers, but now, the students themselves dared to play tricks? He thought that all those demon students were pure-hearted. He didn't expect some of them to have such terrible character!
This behavior of bullying fellow students was strictly prohibited in their school!
Dekan intended to stop such behavior from happening.
"Cornelia, let's go!"
"All right."
"Wait, aren't you going to listen to the known information I have?"
The challenger, who saw Dekan and Cornelia about to leave the infirmary without hesitation, asked anxiously.
"No need. The viewers outside don't want to hear complex analysis of mechanisms. They just want to see me reform the Demon Choir."
"Do you have the spectator program with you?"
"I'm a new streamer."
With these words, Dekan and Cornelia left the infirmary, leaving behind a bewildered challenger...
"I haven't even told them the location of the music room..."
"Could they have obtained the school map too?!"
"Why haven't I heard of such a godlike figure..."
The challenger sat in the infirmary, murmuring to himself in disbelief.
...
Dekan and Cornelia walked toward the music room.
The hallways of the Demon Academy had now become Dekan and Cornelia's backyard. However, they found it bothersome when there were so many idle demon students walking around. School had resumed, and later, when they challenged the music room, they would need to set the school back to its normal state.
"Cornelia, this classroom is more suitable for solo challenges. Wait for me outside the door."
"Okay."
When they were close to the music room, Dekan took out a demon pass from his pocket and handed it to Cornelia. They had retrieved it from the teachers' bodies in the two classrooms they had previously cleared. While the broadcasting room and the infirmary didn't have demon passes, the other two classrooms' teachers had them. Originally, each of them had taken one, but now both passes were in Cornelia's possession.
Each pass provided half an hour of safety. A music class lasted only an hour, so even with the principal standing by Cornelia's side waiting outside the door, she wouldn't be in danger.
"Cornelia, I'm going in."
"Okay, stay safe."
Then Dekan pushed open the door to the music room and walked in.
Light flooded his vision as he entered the room.
The music room resembled a classical concert hall. Unlike the dimly lit hallways, the music room was very bright, with pillars adorned with lifelike carvings and walls seemingly constructed from pure, flawless white jade. At the front of the hall was a round stage covered with a thick, soft carpet. Various musical instruments were placed on both sides, and in the center, two rows of steps held twenty demon students.
It seemed to be the Demon Choir.
The most conspicuous figure in the room was the male demon standing in front of the Demon Choir, wearing a black suit, golden-rimmed glasses, looking refined yet somewhat stern.
"Welcome to the music room."
It seemed that the music teacher had noticed Dekan's arrival and turned around, calmly smiling as he spoke.