Chapter 52: Gaoyi Academy (Part Seventeen)

Chapter 52: Gaoyi Academy (Part Seventeen)

Although the atmosphere around Jie Fangcheng and his group was light-hearted, the death of two teachers in the school left even Director Wei somewhat perturbed.

It was just too troublesome.

The school has a fixed interval between each teacher recruitment, and having just hired fifteen teachers in the last round, it was not possible to bring in another two at this moment.

Of course, there was a simple solution to this problem.

After the evening study session, Director Wei announced the new teaching arrangements.

"The teacher of Class One will temporarily take over the classes of Class Four, and the teacher of Class Nine will cover for Class Twenty-seven."

While this was stated, it was clear from Director Wei's demeanor that there were no plans to adjust the schedules for the two affected classes.

Given that all second-year Chinese language classes were conducted simultaneously, how was a single teacher expected to handle two classes at once?

But soon, the players found out the truth.

Class one had thirty students, while class four housed forty-five. The teacher moved the top fifteen students from class four's test rankings to class one, after which class four began holding study sessions.

The teacher of class nine implemented the same strategy.

The players exchanged glances, their expressions varied.

Another method to pass the level had emerged.

If a teacher perishes, the school will arrange for another teacher to take over the classes. If one's own class has less than forty-five students, they can incorporate students from another class into their own.

Class One boasted the highest average score in Chinese language in the last major examination, while Class Nine secured the second position.

Although the players currently have relatively low average scores, the scenario might change drastically if the teachers ahead were to meet a grim fate...

This kind of situation was not entirely unexpected.

Because at noon, a third dead teacher appeared -

the math teacher for Class 17, who was also Xi Xi's math teacher, was killed.

The teacher did not return for lunch break. He was only discovered in the bathroom in the afternoon when it was time for class. The fatal wound was a pencil sharpener's knife stabbed into his throat, but his body was covered in wounds, his flesh shredded bit by bit by the knife, internal organs and blood splattered all over the floor. The entire bathroom was especially sinister and terrifying.

This was no longer just killing him, but seeking vengeance.

After examining the scene, Xi Xi's expression was somewhat ugly.

"Not one person's handiwork."

Lunch break was not long, yet the teacher had nearly a thousand wounds on him, face and organs all cut out - clearly the work of more than one person during the break.

An Dao'an also squatted down and pried open the corpse's mouth to look inside, then stood up.

"He was gagged with a rag before death. It seems they likely shredded his flesh first before finally killing him."

No need to ask who would kill this teacher - certainly students.

What deep hatred and resentment, to make these usually well-behaved students kill the teacher in such a cruel, bloody way?

Supervisor Wei soon reappeared, frowning as he called over An Dao'an, who had placed first in the previous exam.

But just in the brief moment Superintendent Wei called him away, a commotion unlike anything that should happen at Gaoxiao Academy came from upstairs. Then a shadow flashed by the corridor windows, followed by a "bang" as something was thrown down from above.

The players quickly crowded to the windows to see.

"It's the language teacher from Class 29..."

In less than two days, three teacher NPCs and one player had died.

Moreover, it's evident that this is just the beginning.

"What on earth has happened…"

The commotion upstairs was quickly explained. It was said that during the Chinese language class in class twenty-nine, a student in the front row suddenly raised their hand to ask a question.

These teacher NPCs spend their days only studying student profiles and at most memorizing the content of the lectures. Expecting them to actually ponder on how to effectively teach students is a pipe dream. At this moment, a diligent student posed a question, and the teacher was unable to answer promptly. This diligent student, along with a few others, demanded a teacher change.

The method for changing teachers at the High Achievement Academy is rather straightforward — they simply threw the teacher out of the building.

【Teacher Management Regulation 3. The teaching proficiency of a teacher must be acknowledged by the top ten students in terms of exam scores; otherwise, students have the right to request a teacher change】

This rule became known to the players not long after entering the instance, as it was documented in the manual distributed by Director Wei.

However, anyone who read it would have assumed that this "change" probably referred to being transferred to a class with slightly lower performance; nobody expected that "change" meant death.

No one else died after two teachers were killed today; after evening study, everyone returned to their dormitories in silence, the players weren't overly panicked.

After all, everyone was a player who had cleared the level more than ten times; they had many tricks up their sleeves.

These living student NPCs appeared to be of average strength, at most slightly more resilient than average people. Any player could easily handle more than ten of them.

However, Zhang An scrutinized the students in the class a bit more. It was only when everyone silently returned to the dormitory that he spoke.

"I suspect... the student NPCs are becoming stronger."

Tong Xinxin swiftly turned her head.

He quickly explained: "The first student to resist the teacher and the second who pushed the teacher out of the corridor were both underperformers. We are not yet clear who killed the third deceased teacher, but clearly, it must have also been an underachiever, because only students with poor academic performance would harbor such deep hatred and resentment towards a teacher in this school. But the last time, it was good students who suddenly believed that the teacher's teaching level was inadequate, hence several of them threw the teacher off the building together."

"Regardless of whether this reason is true or false, in this school where everything is based on academic performance, the relationship between good students and teachers should be the most harmonious. These good students didn't act out before but suddenly did so after three teachers were killed. Doesn't it seem like they were dissatisfied with this teacher for a long time, but lacked the strength before, and were thus waiting for the right moment?"

"So what happened today that made these students believe their power had increased?"

Zhang An looked back at the teaching building.

Tong Xinxin quickly realized: "Do the students gain strength... after a teacher dies?"

"Yes."

Understanding this, Tong Xinxin felt her hair stand on end instantaneously.

Had Zhang An not pointed it out, the events of the past two days would have easily led to a different strategy for clearing the level.

—— Kill off other teachers, take over their classes, and then transfer the good students from those classes into your own.

If it weren't for Zhang An and Jie Fangcheng, Tong Xinxin could already imagine what average players would do at this stage.

The number of players is in the minority; distributed amongst fifteen out of thirty classes. As long as they kill all other teacher NPCs, there will always be a class available for substitution.

At that time, bringing the excellent students into their own class would elevate the class's average score.

This method doesn't seem too difficult to implement, since the ones being killed are NPCs, not players killing each other. The power levels of these teacher NPCs are not particularly high; those who have cleared the dungeon once or twice can easily control the situation, making the killings rather simple.

But once every player blissfully attains their substitute class, they'll quickly realize that managing the students is no easy feat.

Throughout this dungeon, although every rule and guideline stresses "teachers must instruct diligently," all the clues provided seem to lead to deceitful and deadly paths.

Initially, players are enticed to kill the underperforming students to raise the average score.

Then, they are urged to utilize the information to specifically insult a portion of the students.

Now, they are being encouraged to kill the teacher NPCs.

"High Achievements Academy," Zhang An murmured the name of the school lightly.

Tong Xinxin seemed to have a realization.

"The school is supposed to prioritize education. In fact, from the moment we entered this school, the most straightforward way to clear the level has been presented to us... focus on good teaching."

The detailed lecture notes, almost wanting each sentence to be marked, the thick textbooks resembling bricks, the accessible library... For a teacher, imparting knowledge diligently and being a role model are the fundamental expectations.

There's indeed something amiss with this school, but every dungeon surely has a route to a perfect clearance.

"But..." Tong Xinxin glanced at Jie Fangcheng.

Zhang An understood what she wanted to say.

"Teacher Jie treats the students well, and I believe that his teaching level won't be inferior to ours, yet his language score is at the bottom. This indicates that just being a good teacher is insufficient."

"So, what should be done?"

Zhang An looked towards Jie Fangcheng.

"Teacher Jie, do you have any thoughts?"

Jie Fangcheng hesitated for a moment, then sincerely said, "No, if I must say something, the school's ethos is not right; it might as well be dismantled."

Zhang An smiled, "I think so too."

Tong Xinxin: "..."

No matter how many times she heard it, this nonchalant talk about demolishing the school seemed utterly absurd!

She looked perplexed and speechless, "Guys, what exactly are you planning?"

Jie Fangcheng boldly proposed, "If we are to do it, let's do it grandly. Kill the principal directly, let Teacher Zhang take over as the principal, reform the school ethos, and bring education back to its essence, how about that?"

"..."

This bold plan left everyone momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond.

However, "restructuring the school's ethos to restore the essence of education" sounded less like something Jie Fangcheng would say, and more of something Zhang An would utter.

Tong Xinxin turned her head to look at Zhang An, a man who, in her perception, harbored deep schemes and a sinister mind.

It's really hard to accept and believe in Brother Jie's bold style!

The man known for his deep machinations and venomous nature nodded slightly, "Thank you, Teacher Jie."

"Ah, it's a piece of cake!" Jie Fangcheng gestured dismissively with his hand.

Tong Xinxin: "..."

Yue Haiyang, standing beside them, looked bewildered, "Is this for real? You guys are joking, right?"

"What joke are you talking about?"

Yue Haiyang gestured frantically, "Planning to kill the principal?"

"Yes, exactly."

"How would we even go about that??"

The principal seems to be the most powerful NPC in this dungeon, how could they possibly...

Jie Fangcheng paused for a moment, "How do I explain this to you..."

Before he could finish, Director Wei, who was looking at some documents in his hands, was heading their way.

Jie Fangcheng nodded, "Let me demonstrate for you."

Having said that, he greeted first, "Hey, Little Wei."

Director Wei lifted his head rigidly.

Jie Fangcheng lifted the stick that was grounded, before he could speak, Director Wei turned and sprinted away.

"Eh? Quite alert, aren't we?" Jie Fangcheng murmured to himself, then exclaimed in realization, "Ah, seems like I can't demonstrate it for you now."

Yue Haiyang: "..."

Yue Haiyang: "!!!"

Tan Chen also raised a new question from the side, "Brother Jie, we all know you're strong and I have no doubts about you beating the principal, but how do we intend to rectify the school's ethos? This school has been established for many years, hasn't it?"

"At least fifteen years. It seems to have transformed into its current state around seven years ago," Zhang An had visited the computer lab on his first day at the school.

There wasn't much information available on the computers, but according to them, the batch of computers were manufactured fifteen years ago. Seven years ago, the computer startup times were regular, indicating scheduled classes on every Thursday and Saturday, clearly showcasing that the school still offered computer science classes at the time.

However, one day seven years ago, these records abruptly ceased.

The library's borrowing cards told a similar tale. Up until seven years ago, students could borrow extracurricular books from the library, but from that specific day onwards, there were no more lending records to be found on the cards.

The current principal began his tenure at this school seven years ago.

"But would killing the principal necessarily lead to an immediate transformation in the school's ethos?" Xu Xiuxiu quietly questioned from the side.

The formation of a school's culture isn't an overnight process. Could eliminating one NPC truly result in a sudden improvement in the school environment? This seems somewhat implausible.

Zhang An nodded in agreement, "Yes, which is why we are counting on Teacher Jie."

Jie Fangcheng maintained his nonchalant demeanor, waving a hand, "Ah, a mere trifle."

Xu Xiuxiu looked bewildered, "So... what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"Oh, we'll just educate the disobedient NPCs a bit more rigorously. I believe this should swiftly turn the school's ethos around," Zhang An asserted.

Everyone was convinced that this "education" wasn't going to be as straightforward as it sounded, especially when Jie Fangcheng waved his hand once again, saying, "Ah, a simple task."

Is this what they call hands-on education??

The crowd was stunned.

Tan Chen had a blank expression, feeling that something was amiss.

"Is... is this really permissible?"

She had cleared this instance many times, but no one had ever told her that NPCs could be dealt with in such a manner!

Since when could players casually talk about "educating" NPCs like this!!

"What's not to allow?" Jie Fangcheng said indifferently, "If they can be killed, then kill them."

Damn!

Such audacity, yet so reassuring!!

Everyone started exchanging sidelong glances.

Tong Xinxin hesitated, "So what do we do now? Students are killing teacher NPCs, should we intervene?"

These teacher NPCs would still need to resume their duties after the school culture shifts, and the students' power might increase due to the decrease in the number of teachers.

Tong Xinxin couldn't help but recall the scene in the student dormitory that day.

The strength of those deceased students was truly terrifying, and their power seemed to grow over time.

How eerily similar is this to the current situation?

Although everyone feels confident looking at the student NPCs now, each player including Tong Xinxin believes they can handle a classroom full of students single-handedly.

But if the number of teacher NPCs continues to decline, might the students eventually surpass these players in strength?

However, the thought of assisting those teachers made Tong Xinxin utterly reluctant deep down.

She was well aware of the kind of lives these students were leading, and she had seen firsthand the true colors of those teacher NPCs.

"It's alright," Jie Fangcheng began, "the students will be quite obedient as well."

Unable to restrain herself, Tong Xinxin asked, "Why is that?"

Jie Fangcheng offered a slight smile, "Because educating the students is, after all, a teacher's fundamental duty!"