“Lucifer, 8 points!!”
With the math teacher Dai Wei announcing this, the whole class erupted in laughter.
Almost everyone turned to look at the black-haired boy sitting at the back of the classroom, and he was Lucifer, the guy who scored a bizarre single-digit number.
“Lucifer, you should learn from William. Others managed to score 98 on such a difficult exam, how did you end up with a score that’s barely a fraction? Don’t let your first-place admission go to waste,” Dai Wei sighed.
How did such a problematic student emerge from his class? He had been first in the entrance exam, but once he got to high school, he fell into a downward spiral, producing grades that were utterly dismal and dragging down the class average.
“Teacher, he’s already living up to his entrance score; being last in the class is still being first!” said a student named William.
“Hahahahaha~~~~”
“Well said!”
“William is truly something; he can insult someone without using any foul language. He really is first, last in the class!”
Laughter filled the classroom until Dai Wei began the lesson, at which point everyone quieted down.
……
“That William is so annoying, thinking he’s impressive just because he’s good-looking, has good grades, and can play music!” said a student named Guan Gu, sitting next to Lucifer.
“Just a childish brat,” Lucifer scoffed.
“Are you going to play games after school?”
“Got something to do, not going.”
“Going to help that old man Ying again? Only you would dare go to that rundown hut on the back mountain. By the way, I got a few good movies to watch; want to borrow one?”
“Just put it in my backpack, but you should watch fewer of those DVDs; you’re getting obsessed,” Lucifer replied.
……
For students, the most wonderful sound is the school bell signaling the end of class. After a whole day of tedious lessons, Lucifer yawned and headed toward the back mountain with his backpack.
The back mountain is the rear entrance of the academy, and hardly anyone goes there.
The old man Ying, mentioned by his deskmate Guan Gu, is the guard at the back mountain. The school assigned him there to ensure student safety and to prevent boarding students from sneaking out to skip classes.
The old man had no relatives, and when he passed away recently, no one cared; the school hastily buried him.
Lucifer was quite familiar with old man Ying. Before he passed, the old man mentioned he had left some things for Lucifer. Today, Lucifer finally remembered the old man’s kindness and decided to check his hut.
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Old man Ying often claimed to be a descendant of a great historical figure, possessing a thousand-year-old heirloom ring…
Lucifer had seen that ring; it was pitch black and didn’t look like an antique at all. More importantly, Lucifer had already taken the ring to be appraised, and the shop owner impatiently kicked him out, saying that a copper ring made from a coal furnace was hardly worthy of being sold as an antique. So, Lucifer never believed the old man’s boasts again.
He accepted the old man’s goodwill as a keepsake.
Old man Ying was an open-minded old guard who viewed life and death quite lightly. Lucifer wished him a good journey, thinking that death might just be like switching servers in a game and starting anew.
“Do you believe that in this science-respecting dimension, there exists a parallel magical dimension where what is studied is not science but magic…”
This was something old man Ying often said to Lucifer, so after seeing him off, Lucifer firmly believed he had gone to another server to start a new character, thriving there.
The ring was easy to find, tucked away in a wooden box under the bamboo bed.
Lucifer opened the box and vaguely felt a murky aura emanating from it, which seemed quite mysterious. However, being fifteen or sixteen, he wouldn’t believe that magic truly existed in this world, nor would he buy into the idea that wearing the old man’s ring could allow him to learn magic and save the universe.
The black ring was just an ordinary band; if it had to be considered special, it had eight tiny nesting holes inside, something any ordinary craftsman could make.
The black ring felt icy cold, and when Lucifer put it on, he immediately felt a chill run through him, making him shiver in the summer heat. It was a bit strange!
“What a strange thought.” After a moment of contemplation, Lucifer dismissed the silly idea.
He had work to do later, and just as a wave of drowsiness hit him, he arranged the bamboo mat and lay down in the hut, planning to take a nap before heading to the 24-hour supermarket to work as a cashier until 6 AM.
……
The drowsiness was overwhelming, and Lucifer quickly fell asleep.
The setting sun cast a blood-red light through the mountain crevices, staining the woods of the back mountain and the small hut crimson.
It was as if a giant door in the darkness was slowly closing, with the light spilling into the darkness gradually being drawn inside. When the sun completely sank below the mountain and everything was engulfed in dimness, the back mountain appeared to be shrouded in a strange hue.
From a distance, this area seemed ethereal, like a hazy reflection in the water, a mirage under the blood-red sun!
The boy sleeping in the hut continued to snore, unaware that the ring on his finger was emitting a piercing wail, as if responding to the call of the real world reflected in that mirage.
“Buzz~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~”
It trembled, and the entire space began to shake!
Nobu High School is located on the southern side of Nobu Mountain, which towers over the city.
The city was already ablaze with lights, with streets, shops, and tall buildings all shining in vibrant colors. Elderly people strolled after dinner, young people danced in the square, children chased each other in alleys, and couples met in the park…
The night brought no unease or fear to the people; instead, they enjoyed the leisurely comfort of after-school, after-work, and post-dinner relaxation. However, if someone were to gaze at the southern side of Nobu Mountain, where Nobu High School is located, they would surely notice that the campus, which should also be lit, was shrouded in a layer of chaos!
The space, once as calm as a still surface, was now being violently consumed by a suddenly appearing temporal void, escalating silently!
On one side was the peaceful, brightly lit city!
On the other side was a black vortex that swallowed half the mountain!
In this newly darkened city, an incredibly shocking scene was formed!!!
All of this temporal anomaly originated from a void that could not be explained by science.
And the center of this temporal void was precisely the hut on the back mountain…
The massive vortex suddenly expanded, and then, just as quickly, it dissipated, as if nothing had ever happened.
A certain boy, still deep in sleep and dreaming sweetly, remained oblivious to the fact that everything had undergone a tremendous change, having fallen into another parallel dimension.
