As the bell rang for class, the students' conversations came to an end.
Masaki Tomoya walked into the classroom, and seeing the students all seated properly, he revealed a heartfelt smile.
"Students, I am very pleased that you have all returned to Class A completely and that no one has encountered any unexpected situations. I know you have many questions, so please ask them quickly. Having passed the trial, you are fully qualified to know the truth."
As Masaki Tomoya finished speaking, the classroom instantly erupted into a clamor. At this crucial moment, Katsuragi Kohei stepped forward to maintain order.
"Students, speak one by one. Cherish this rare opportunity to ask questions."
Katsuragi Kohei's voice reached every ear in Class A, and the chaotic classroom quickly quieted down.
They no longer chattered but silently raised their hands, waiting for Masaki Tomoya to choose.
Masaki Tomoya nodded with satisfaction, then he selected a few students to answer.
"Teacher, why did we enter such a Strange World?!"
"This question is a bit complex; it starts with the history of the school's establishment... I wonder if you can accept it."
Masaki Tomoya recounted the history of the school's establishment. Decades ago, many people mysteriously disappeared worldwide. Investigations revealed that those who disappeared were all criminals or had criminal records. Local governments initially thought it was the criminals' enemies seeking revenge, but soon most of the disappeared people returned. Their answers to media and public inquiries were astonishing.
They said they had gone to a world full of strange rules, filled with fear and despair.
Initially, the media and the public thought they were suffering from mental illness, but faced with the consistent testimonies of many people, they had no choice but to take it seriously.
After much research into The Strange World, it was discovered that it was a world constructed from the resentment of many deceased people. This world initially only devoured evil people, so the government used it as a tool to punish criminals. However, after ten years, that Strange World began to become unstable, and many innocent people in this world were drawn into it.
Once The Strange World latches onto someone, that person will spend their entire life busy exploring The Strange World. To allow those innocent people to survive, the government specifically built this school to train you to face the unknown dangers of The Strange World.
Of course... the school also has more or less some strangeness placed within it, but as long as you don't violate the rules, it is safe most of the time.
"Then, Teacher... can we drop out?"
Masaki Tomoya smiled, seemingly having anticipated the question.
"Of course! The school respects your choice, after all, you have already passed the first trial. But do you really want to drop out? You are all people targeted by The Strange World, and you have only just seen the tip of the iceberg of the school. Are you sure you want to give up the convenience of this school as a tool?"
Masaki Tomoya's reminder plunged everyone in Class A into contemplation. Combining it with the information about the transaction he mentioned earlier, they immediately thought of a possibility.
"Teacher, do you mean the school can obtain information about the next dungeon?"
Katsuragi Kohei was the first to react. Since the school's points could be used normally as Japanese Yen, where there's money, there's trade, and where there's demand, there's a market.
And Bai Yuze saw further than Katsuragi Kohei. He guessed that not only could information about the next dungeon be traded, but the school could even buy things unavailable on the market... for example... strange artifacts... or even firearms...
Of course, the other party in the transaction wouldn't give it to you openly; they would only give it to you the moment you entered The Strange World. While firearms are useless against strangeness, they pose a fatal threat to humans.
But he didn't intend to say it out loud. After all, the fewer people who knew such information, the better. He didn't want to work hard to find a strange artifact only to be threatened at gunpoint to hand it over to someone else.
People cannot withstand temptation.
"You could say that, but the most crucial thing is that at school, most of the time when you enter a dungeon, you will encounter people from your own school, rather than those ill-intentioned individuals outside. This will at least increase your survival rate."
Bai Yuze exclaimed, "Goodness gracious!" This strange dungeon even distinguishes between local area networks and campus networks. Did he connect to a local area network then?
At this moment, he suddenly thought of Yamauchi Haruki's situation, so he also raised his hand.
"Student Bai Yuze, please speak."
"Teacher, were there any who didn't pass this dungeon trial? If someone didn't pass, what would be their fate?"
"A very good question."
Masaki Tomoya smiled, then inserted a USB drive into the computer on the blackboard.
Soon, Yamauchi Haruki's appearance was displayed before everyone, causing a stir.
"Unfortunately, one student did not pass this dungeon trial, and that is Class D's Student Yamauchi Haruki. I believe everyone noticed his abnormality; this is the strangeness resurgence caused by not completing the dungeon trial."
The name "strangeness resurgence" appeared again, but the students of Class A all noticed Masaki Tomoya's words "strangeness resurgence" and thus focused their attention on this term.
"Teacher, what is strangeness resurgence?"
"Strangeness resurgence means that the person themselves did not pass the trial dungeon, and their soul is forever trapped in The Strange World, while their current body is occupied by a strangeness.
People experiencing strangeness resurgence will have a certain impact on others. If half of the people in a class experience strangeness resurgence, then that class will be directly dissolved, everyone will be ordered to drop out, and the school will no longer provide you with assistance."
Masaki Tomoya's words caused a wave of student lamentations, with many complaining.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuze connected to Yamauchi Haruki's sight and hearing through the Necklace… He regretted it…
At this moment, Class D was like a boiling pot, with a group of people shouting and complaining about the unfairness of fate, and crying for their parents to go home. But their expressions towards Yamauchi Haruki were all filled with fear and disgust.
Only Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat expressionless, the pretty boy was still combing his hair, and Horikita Suzune had a solemn look on her face.
Suddenly, Ayanokoji looked at Yamauchi Haruki. He always felt that the Yamauchi Haruki just now had changed slightly.
"What terrifying intuition. Since strangeness exists in this world, then those in high positions must know about it. Ayanokoji's father wouldn't inject his son with some strange concoction, would he?"
The more Bai Yuze thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. After all, in the original work, the White Room was for cultivating geniuses to aid Ayanokoji Atsuomi's political career. And since strangeness appeared in this world, Ayanokoji Atsuomi would definitely cultivate a genius who could thrive in The Strange World to solidify his position.