Chapter 74: The Father of Curses is the Challenger. 【Partial Forum】
Chapter 74: The Father of Curses is the Challenger. 【Partial Forum】
Chapter 74: The Cursed Nightmare Father Is the True Challenger. "Forum Excerpt"
Yi Fengchu started posting notices from the bulletin board on the first floor, methodically completing the tasks assigned by the academic dean.
Under the cover of posting notices, countless phantom silver snakes slithered out from beneath "Teacher Zheng's" sleeves, multiplying endlessly.
These snakes were extremely slender and tiny, only as thick as a finger, making them nearly invisible to the naked eye as they climbed to the ceiling and streaked swiftly along the corners where the white walls met.
They slithered through the corridors of every floor, patiently visiting every classroom.
No one noticed the faint silvery-white hue that briefly flickered in the eyes of countless students before quickly fading away, like early spring snowmelt.
The students only paused for a barely noticeable moment before resuming their activities as usual—some diligently writing homework, others laughing loudly with their peers, and some carrying books as they hurried through the corridors...
The classroom chatter remained unchanged.
The playful laughter effectively masked all anomalies, making the school appear as if it were still under the rule of the Cursed Nightmare Father.
"Whew—"
After finishing the notices, Yi Fengchu exhaled softly. Standing before the bulletin board, He surveyed His handiwork with satisfaction.
Not only had He dutifully completed every task without cutting corners, but He had also made a point to "check in on" every student, deeply understanding their mental states—
*Who wouldn’t call this "dedication"?*
Phone: "...No, I doubt the Cursed Nightmare Father would appreciate this kind of dedication."
"But seriously, can you even still function after splitting yourself into so many pieces?"
Even though it knew Yi Fengchu’s true form consisted of innumerable tiny snakes, the phone couldn’t help but worry about His current sanity—was He developing an addiction to impersonating NPCs?
"It’s fine," Yi Fengchu waved a hand and explained, "I’ve just split off many fragments of consciousness, covertly nesting within the minds of those student NPCs to gradually reshape their perceptions and actions. I’m not personally controlling every single word and action of so many individuals—that would be exhausting."
"For now, I’m just sowing seeds. When the time comes..."
He didn’t finish the sentence, only breaking into a radiant grin.
Seeing that smile, the phone buzzed involuntarily, a cold shudder running through its components.
It was certain—the Cursed Nightmare Father was in for a world of hurt. Here's to His terrible luck.
Besides posting notices, the dean had also instructed that one copy be delivered to the PA room.
From the building’s floor plan in the hallway, Yi Fengchu learned that the PA room was located at the end of the seventh-floor hallway, opposite the principal’s office on the same level.
Though intrigued by the principal’s identity, Yi Fengchu decided to visit the PA room first—after all, the "Teacher Zheng" He was impersonating wouldn’t abandon His task to storm into the principal’s office without reason. He wouldn’t risk such a blatant move that might tip off the enemy.
Unlike the six floors below filled with classrooms, the seventh floor contained only a handful of administrative offices. The moment Yi Fengchu stepped onto this floor, the surroundings fell noticeably silent.
The sounds of students playing and running faded away, leaving only His footsteps echoing down the empty corridor.
Yi Fengchu stopped in front of the PA room. The door was tightly shut, with an old desk placed beside it. On the desk was an A4 paper scrawled in red marker:
"1. Place all broadcasting materials inside the desk drawer and leave immediately (*CIRCLED IN CAPS*);"
"2. No one is permitted to loiter near the PA room or enter without authorization;"
"3. All broadcasted content is correct and absolute. All faculty and students must comply without exception;"
"Violators of the above rules will be dealt with according to school regulations."
Yi Fengchu scrutinized the PA room door for a moment, appearing to deliberate, before finally tucking the notice into the desk drawer and leaving as instructed.
As He reached the stairwell, the phone expected Him to head straight for the principal’s office. To its surprise, He actually descended the stairs, behaving like a by-the-book model teacher.
"..."
The phone held back for as long as it could before finally giving in to curiosity. "Knowing your usual MO, I’m surprised you’re not going to scope out the principal’s true identity."
"I am curious," Yi Fengchu admitted regretfully, shaking His head. "But I doubt our enemy is foolish enough to be a total moron."
"From the very beginning, I’ve been trying to put myself in His shoes—"
He deliberately drew out the last syllable, clearly enjoying the phone’s bewildered irritation before continuing leisurely just before it flew off the handle:
"Let’s hypothesize: If you were Him—cautious, paranoid, and currently under pursuit by several True Gods due to disputes over the scepter..."
Under the guise of "hypothesis," Yi Fengchu listed a series of less-than-flattering descriptors, making the phone suspect He was throwing shade at it.
But the phone resisted the urge to snap, only posing a soul-crushing question:
"...Did you have to make such a disgusting hypothesis?"
Who’d want to be the Cursed Nightmare Father?!
Yi Fengchu chuckled and continued, "Now, knowing your enemy 'Fate' may have infiltrated the dungeon, would you hide in the shadows, leveraging your control over the dungeon to pounce at the opportune moment? Or would you announce your location to the whole school with a megaphone?"
"If it were the Cursed Nightmare Father, He’d obviously choose the former," the phone realized. "He’s not stupid enough to commit suicide, but He also lacks the courage to face you head-on."
"Exactly."
Yi Fengchu slowly descended the stairs, pointing toward the PA room above. "From the dean repeatedly mentioning the principal during the meeting, to the notices posted everywhere, and the upcoming broadcasts..."
"From start to finish, all these details have been shining a spotlight on the 'principal'—this is bait, waiting for me to take it."
"I have to admit, this repeated teasing has piqued my interest. But that’s precisely why I’m even more convinced the principal’s office is likely a carefully crafted trap meant for me."
Sighing, Yi Fengchu added, "If my true form were here, I’d definitely go to the principal’s office to play with Him. But alas, I’m just a fragmented, vulnerable aspect now. I’ll have to cautiously avoid the trap."
Phone: "So you’ve decided not to touch the principal’s office?"
"I can’t go," Yi Fengchu mused. "But perhaps... I need someone to go in my stead."
He returned to the fifth floor and entered the teachers’ office, His gaze sweeping over the remaining faculty as He pondered.
Who should He choose to be His canary in the coal mine?
...
In class, Xiao Luo sat primly at her desk, seemingly attentive, but her mind had long wandered elsewhere. After daydreaming for a while, she reopened the system forum.
She had discovered that forum posting was an addiction—once you started, there was no going back!
The moment she clicked into the thread, a torrent of complaints greeted her.
No. 856:
Daily question: Has the OP returned yet?
#857:
Our field reporter went to investigate the post next door and never came back... (sob)
#858:
Aaaaaa OP, please come back! At least tell us the result before you leave!
#859:
+1 (me too), so does OP know Classmate E?
Seeing these comments, Xiao Luo felt a little guilty—she suddenly remembered she forgot to update everyone here on the result...
So she popped up—
#860 (OP):
Uh, sorry, I pulled an all-nighter, so I came back late.
#861:
Caught a wild OP!
#862:
Spill the tea, OP!
#863 (OP):
I stayed up all night reviewing the info revealed in the neighboring post, and after careful comparison, I found that every detail actually matches up.
So I have strong reason to suspect that the Classmate E mentioned next door might be my guy...
#864 (OP):
Creepily enough, in real life, he’s actually my junior at the same school, politely calls me "senior," and even lives right across from me (smirk)
#865:
Bruh.
#866:
... (speechless)
#867 (OP):
Wait, what? Why are you all so calm?
I was up all night freaking out after figuring this out last night!
#868:
Probably because we’ve been shocked too many times in this thread—our shock tolerance has been raised...
#869:
Heh, exactly. I’m now reading this like fiction. Nothing will surprise me anymore. (puffs cigarette)
#870:
HAHAHAHA yeah I’m not jealous! Nope! Not at all! (lies) So what if you know the Divine Son, have divine blessings, and can easily complete advanced rituals? AAGGGHHH
#871:
Someone take the person above away—they’ve clearly snapped. (prays)
#872:
After calming down for a long time, I still have to say—OP, what kinda insane luck do you people have?!
#873:
Same here. I had a hunch OP might know the Divine Son, but I didn’t think y’all were *that* tight.
#874:
This is some fantasy-level stuff. When did the world become flooded with Divine Sons?
Did the world update without me? Patch notes got lost?
#875:
OP’s experience sounds absurd, but when you think about it, all the cause-and-effect actually comes full circle... It’s precisely because the Divine Son and OP are basically buddies that OP received such strong divine blessing, right?
#876:
LMAO, from OP’s perspective—carefully performing rituals, praying.
From the deity’s perspective—Oh, the neighbor kid is dialing heaven’s hotline.
#877:
Lmao, OP should go thank Classmate E big-time.
#878:
Seconded. In situations like this, we usually recommend OP cling to that golden thigh for dear life.
PS: If OP can’t manage it, I volunteer as tribute—I wanna be fate’s favorite too qwq
#879:
Ah, Mr. Smooth-Talker finally shows his true colors. (eyeroll)
#880:
I remember the other OP was from the Third Dimension? OP, you too?
#881 (OP):
Yeah, why? (???)
#882:
Yikes, it’s just that it suddenly occurred to me—our Third Dimension’s baseline is still unknown...
#883:
Right now, it seems the Lord of Fate has placed His descendants in the third dimension for a long time! Does this mean He is or will become the standard for the third dimension?
#884:
If this is true, then the rules of fate would dominate the third dimension. Considering He is a benevolent deity... perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad?
#885:
Hmmm, probably better than the fourth dimension's "Calamity," the fifth dimension's "Nightmare," or the sixth dimension's "Misfortune," right?
#886:
+1, "Fate" sounds way friendlier than disasters or death (laughs).
#887:
Awesome, I’m from the third dimension too! Can I start preparing to worship Fate in advance?
#888:
In reply to the above: You’d still need the ability and resources to obtain the Lord of Fate’s sacred name and the related Prayer Ritual, right?
Aside from blessed individuals like OP, only a few high-ranking ritual scholars seem capable of contacting the divine beings in the *River of Fate* to learn such information...
...
Xiao Luo was scrolling through the replies when a loud buzzing sound suddenly made her snap her head up in alarm, searching for the source.
It turned out to be the PA system hanging diagonally above the projector. Normally, it hung silently in the corner of every classroom, its unobtrusive black box shape inconspicuous. But now, accompanied by crackling static, it instantly became the center of attention for all teachers and students.
In this school, broadcasts were usually reserved for major announcements or emergency notices—second only in priority to the "school rules," violations of which were punishable by death.
Even the English teacher at the podium stopped lecturing, waiting quietly for the broadcast to play.
"This is the broadcast room. An urgent notice from the principal follows."
"All faculty and students are to remain vigilant against any snakes appearing inside or outside the school. Their characteristics may include..."
"Please commit this information to memory. Those who report relevant leads will be generously rewarded. Those who withhold information will face summary execution."
"This concludes the broadcast. Thank you for listening."
The same broadcast could be heard playing simultaneously in every classroom, the overlapping buzz weaving together like a vast net, enveloping the entire campus...
No, perhaps not just the campus.
Because Xiao Luo had noticed before—broadcast devices weren’t just in the school. They were also on the streets, in parks, near residential buildings, all varying in shape.
They obeyed the commands of the Dungeon Master, spreading His rules farther and farther, ensuring His will reigned supreme over the entire dungeon, safeguarding His absolute authority.
Xiao Luo clenched her fists. If the principal was putting out a school-wide alert for "snakes," did that mean Mr. Narrator’s arrival had been detected by some entity within the dungeon?
What kind of being would dare issue a hunt for a deity?
The only answer Xiao Luo could think of was: another deity.
Recalling how "Mother" had once praised the "Father of Cursed Nightmares" in front of her... could it be that a war was brewing between these two divine beings within this dungeon?
As for the core of their conflict, Xiao Luo guessed it might be the Father of Cursed Nightmares’ delusion that he could "become the master of fate"—a thieving ambition to usurp the scepter of fate, which had angered the usually kind and gentle Mr. Narrator.
So, when Mr. Narrator responded to her summons, what seemed like a casual move was actually part of a much deeper strategy...
Just what you'd expect from Mr. Narrator!
The more Xiao Luo thought about it, the more awestruck she became.
As for the Father of Cursed Nightmares, she thought with disdain. Who’d have thought even gods could be daydreamers...
All praise to Fate! She was already a steadfast Fate believer!
Just then, a tug on her sleeve jolted her from her thoughts.
Xiao Luo looked down to see a silver-haired infant with golden eyes and a serpent’s tail coiled on her desk, silently watching her—for who knew how long.
"N-Narrator—"
Her mind blanked for a second. She barely stammered out two syllables before abruptly stopping, pressing her lips together and nervously glancing around.
Mr. Narrator’s avatar was way too obvious. She was terrified a classmate might notice and report the "snake" to the principal.
But unexpectedly, every student and teacher acted as if they saw nothing, continuing their lectures, taking notes, and reading textbooks as usual—as if the snake-infant openly sitting on her desk was just Xiao Luo’s hallucination.
What was going on?
If not for knowing this was supposed to be the Father of Cursed Nightmares’ territory, and that Mr. Narrator was currently an infiltrator, Xiao Luo might’ve assumed everyone here was a Fate believer like her.
Unable to resist, she turned to her seatmate, staring at them for a moment. The seatmate seemed to sense her gaze and glanced back.
In that split second of eye contact, Xiao Luo clearly saw a faint silver glint flash in their eyes before they gave her a polite but distant smile and returned to their book.
That gentle, courteous yet detached smile... was so familiar.
Xiao Luo stiffly turned her head back, outwardly calm but inwardly screaming:
Had Mr. Narrator surrounded the entire school?!
Was there even a living being here besides her?!
Even though Mr. Narrator was her patron deity, she was beginning to feel uneasy...
Right now, Xiao Luo felt like Mr. Narrator might actually be the scariest boss in this dungeon, while the supposed ruler, the Father of Cursed Nightmares, was probably the real horror game challenger...
"After this class ends, take me back to the residential building," the snake-infant said flatly, watching Xiao Luo’s ever-changing expressions. "You should hide in Room 102. The faster, the better."
"There may be moments when I won't be able to focus to protect you in time."
"But the school rules—"
Xiao Luo instinctively recalled School Rule 3: During class hours, no one may leave the classroom.
The snake-infant’s expression remained serene. The morning sunlight cast a soft glow over His silver-white hair, lashes, and scales, making Him look like the holy child cradled by the Virgin in ancient paintings—divinely radiant.
Faced with such a divine avatar, Xiao Luo unconsciously swallowed her question.
What was she even doing?
Before her stood a mighty deity, the master of fate. His will could not be wrong. No mortal should dare question it.
"School rules?" The snake-infant gazed into the distance, a smile curling His lips, but His eyes were icy—like a predator locking onto prey. "They’ll soon cease to exist. In fact, soon, everything here will turn to ashes, becoming funerary offerings for their master."