CHAPTER 664: LITTLE SKELETON AND BLACK CAT (8)

Their luck turned out to be pretty bad, because for the next consecutive active periods, there had always been a few survivors left each time.

In hindsight, a total wipe out was quite rare since this was a low-level Cycle where most newbies entered for the first time.

This kind of Cycles provided a lot of leeway. As long as the players obediently followed the rules and didn’t seek death on their own or plot against each other, the survival rate would usually be higher than sixty percent. And that didn’t count the presence of the so-called Veteran players, who had ample experience to guide the newbies through the Cycle.

The little skeleton had been observing the players for a long time, hence it knew that this kind of thing could not be rushed. Besides, it was not in a hurry. It had stayed in this haunted school for so long that three or four more active periods didn’t make a difference.

But it was different for the black cat, Lucius.

Lucius was not an original resident of this Cycle. Based on its recount, it had come from a higher realm, though the reason why it had stranded here remained unknown, partly because the little skeleton had not bothered to ask and partly because Lucius seemed reluctant to share its past.

The little skeleton didn’t mind the secrecy all; if Lucius wanted to share, it would gladly listen. If not, no problem. The little skeleton would just wait for that day to come. Either way, they would always be together.

However, with more and more active periods that passed and the lost chances to escape from this place, Lucius grew visibly upset and frustrated.

The black cat was akin to an overinflated balloon—a single poke, and it would explode into a flurry of sharp hissing and furious clawing.

The little skeleton could attest to the black cat’s increasingly severe grumpiness.

As they watched yet another batch of players successfully boarding the bus and vanishing into the night, Lucius spoke up, its voice low and dejected, simmering with an underlying frustration on the verge of exploding, "Next time... next time for sure!"

The little skeleton wanted to say that things were not yet certain and they might still not be able to leave next time around, but it sensibly refrained from speaking because it knew it would only incur the black cat’s wrath, which would result in more scratch marks on its skeletal body.

Although it couldn’t feel any pain and the marks would vanish once the Cycle restarted, it did not mean it couldn’t perceive the sensation of sharp claws scraping its bones. It was precisely because it couldn’t feel pain that the sensation became twice as odd.

After hearing this familiar grumble a couple of times, the little skeleton had learned to maneuver around the black cat’s anger and was careful not to step on any landmines.

Alas, the dormant period was getting increasingly boring—as the little skeleton had explored every nook and cranny of the Cycle and could no longer think of anything to do—that it did not mind pulling the black cat into a heart-to-heart chat.

"Why..." it slowly asked, "...so anxious?"

With the lack of entertainment, Lucius had resorted to teaching the little skeleton basic characters and that included speaking. By now, the little skeleton’s speech had become much, much smoother than it first started, though its pronunciation remained stiff and slow.

"How can I not?" Lucius scraped its sharp claws on the pavement below its paws, leaving behind a set of white marks. It fumed, "I’ve been waiting for this chance for so long! Previously, I couldn’t escape on my own so I’ve been laying low, but now that the exit is right in front of me, how can I continue to wait?! Ahhh, this is driving me crazy!" It rolled around and kicked the air with its four paws to express its boiling frustration.

The little skeleton tilted its head slightly, still confused, "Why... can’t... escape?"

At this question, the frenzied black cat suddenly turned quiet and—ah, the little skeleton realized. This must have something to do with the past it was unwilling to share.

Turning on its stomach, Lucius cast the little skeleton a faint glance, speaking vaguely, "Well, you will know why when we manage to escape later."

The little skeleton wisely stopped asking after that, though it couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity scratching at its nonexistent heart.

Why is Lucius acting all mysterious? Makes a skeleton curious to death...

By the time the next active period arrived, Lucius had been tortured by anxiety to the point of being obsessed. Just before everything restarted, the little skeleton heard it mutter in a small voice, "If there’s still survivors this time, it’s not like I can’t get rid of them all..."

...What?

The little skeleton’s neck bone almost cracked from how fast it turned its head. Surprise was not enough to describe its current feeling. It was utterly caught off guard, baffled, and a little... uneasy. For the Lucius it knew was not a cat who would say something like that.

But before the little skeleton could confirm whether the black cat truly harbored ill intention toward the players, the view before it flickered and the next thing it knew, it was back inside the bottom compartment of the cabinet in the art room.

In the distance, the faint hum of the engine approached.

The Cycle had restarted once more.

Curled up in the darkness, the little skeleton suppressed its urge to crawl out and seek the black cat at once.

It had never known that it could be so impatient.

***

In the end, the little skeleton’s ominous premonition came true.

Lucius did plan to eliminate all the remaining players in this Cycle. And worse still, one of them turned out to be quite a powerful Veteran player!

The little skeleton had no idea where Lucius got its confidence from, that it would be able to handle all the remaining survivors, but something had clearly gone wrong in the middle. As a result, Lucius was captured by the Veteran player!