Chapter 631 “Subscribe Request” Dark Demon’s Identity and Abilities (7000)
After only a moment, only a few people remained in the common room.
These remaining individuals glanced at each other and then all moved towards a corner, distancing themselves from the others.
Then everyone laughed awkwardly as they checked their selection cards.
Though they were unaware of how the “identity” obtained through these cards related to the masquerade, since the card instructed to keep it confidential, it was definitely not something meant for others to see.
Most students returned directly to their dormitories and only started acting according to the instructions on their selection cards afterwards.
These unpredictable variables actually heightened everyone’s excitement.
…
Dark returned to his dormitory.
After closing the door, the imp beast anxiously said, “Quickly, let’s see what the problems are?”
“Don’t rush.” Dark smiled, sat down at the desk, and took out the selection card again, placing it on the table.
The imp beast immediately leaned closer, seeing that the first question on the selection card was: [Question ①: Among ketchup and salad sauce, which do you like better?]
[A] Ketchup
[B] Salad Sauce
[C] Both
[D] Neither
…
Looking at this first question, Dark pondered, “So this is the type of question? Answer questions to get an identity… perhaps it’s used to investigate students’ preferences, then match identities accordingly?”
The imp beast blinked curiously, asking, “If I choose ketchup, what identity will I get? A vampire?”
“Vampire?” Dark thought, suddenly looking up at the imp beast.
The imp beast tilted its head in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Dark’s lips curled, revealing his vampire fangs.
Then he slightly turned the selection card to face the imp beast.
He then said, “Imp beast, your turn!”
The imp beast exclaimed, “Huh?!”
…
In response to the imp beast’s confusion, Dark explained with a smile, “There’s only a confidentiality prompt on the selection card, no requirement to answer honestly. While honesty is usually the norm, during a masquerade, we must have the actor’s self-discipline.
Without a doubt, choosing different answers will yield different identities. So, by intentionally controlling the answers, one can obtain the desired identity, assuming the ‘identity’ matches my expectations.”
After hearing this, the imp beast immediately understood, “So if I answer the questions, I can definitely get the ‘vampire’ identity?”
Dark smiled, “High probability.”
The imp beast worried, “But what if I fail?”
Dark chuckled, “If I fail, so be it. It’s just a Halloween activity. Although I considered winning the ‘Golden Orange Star’, even if I don’t succeed, it doesn’t matter much.
The professors might want to tell us that enjoying the festival is the most important thing. What was that saying? Not giving candy…”
“Not giving candy means trick-or-treating!” The imp beast excitedly flapped its wings.
Dark nodded, “Then you’ll answer the first question…”
The imp beast immediately said, “Choose A!”
“I thought so too,” Dark injected mana into his finger and selected “A.”
Afterwards, a five-second countdown appeared on the selection card.
When the countdown ended, the second question popped up.
[Question ②: Do you like steak? If yes, which level of doneness do you prefer? Please answer.]
[A] Don’t like steak
[B] Like raw steak
[C] Like one-degree steak
[D] Like three-degree steak
[E] Like five-degree steak
[F] Like seven-degree steak
[G] Like well-done steak
…
Dark looked up.
The imp beast, however, fell into contemplation.
It loved steak, especially well-done steak. But initially, it preferred raw steak. Over time, it got used to well-done steak, now preferring about seven degrees.
But if it chose based on its current preference, would it not point towards “vampire”?
Seeing its confusion, Dark said, “No worries, just choose according to your current preference.”
After hearing this, the imp beast decisively said, “Then seven-degree steak!”
Dark nodded, “Alright, then I’ll choose F.”
…
After a five-second countdown, the third question appeared on the selection card.
Watching this, Dark suddenly pondered, “Has the function of the selection card expanded? There shouldn’t have been such convenient procedures last year.”
Then he recalled his conversation with Professor Kazel, and gladly accepted this change.
[Question ③: If a friend who once betrayed you suddenly tells you they are dying and need 100,000 sacred coins to save them, while you have 200,000 sacred coins, would you save them?]
[A] Yes
[B] No
After reading this question, Dark couldn’t help but say, “Who came up with this question? 200,000 and 100,000 sacred coins… is this a deliberate setup to create some indecision?”
But facing a question that would cause many to hesitate, the imp beast decisively said, “How could it be! Traitors should know their place, choose B!”
Shouldn’t be surprised from an imp beast, right?
Dark chose “B”.
…
The subsequent questions became increasingly difficult to choose.
In every aspect, they were challenging.
However, since Dark had chosen to let the imp beast handle the questions from the start, he wasn’t bothered by any of them.
After answering a total of nineteen questions, they finally reached the twentieth question.
But this twentieth question was different from all the previous ones—it was a math problem!
When the math problem appeared on the selection card, Dark couldn’t help but laugh, “Which professor is this?”
The problem itself was quite complex, belonging to the Olympiad math category, requiring some skill to solve.
This problem was not difficult for Dark.
Even with a three-minute countdown after the problem appeared, he could quickly solve it within the time limit.
But for other students who hadn’t much experience with Olympiad math, it wasn’t so easy.
Of course, it was the same for the imp beast.
“Let’s have the imp beast solve it,” Dark said despite the imp beast vigorously shaking its head.
…
Three minutes later, Dark wrote down the answer the imp beast had desperately tried to figure out (or guessed).
The twenty-question test was now complete.
New text appeared on the selection card:
[Please wait patiently until nine o’clock. During this time, you can go to the common room where halfling chefs have prepared delicious breakfast for you.]
…
“Finally, we can eat?”
Dark patted the imp beast’s head, placed it on his shoulder, and returned to the common room.
As he descended the stairs, he saw a halfling chef pushing open the door, followed by a series of meal carts being brought in by the chefs.
Students who had arrived earlier were already collecting their meals.
He paused for a moment and walked over.
“There shouldn’t be any hidden tricks in the breakfast, right?”
Choosing ketchup, steak, and other items, Dark carried his tray to his usual spot, placed it on the table, and began enjoying a delicious breakfast with the imp beast.
Soon, minotaurs and pig-headed people surrounded him.
“Hey, Dark, won’t you take off your fangs?” Tudor struggled to remove the minotaur mask.
Down he went, complaining.
Dark showed his fangs and whispered to him, “I’ll tell you a secret, I’m actually a real vampire!”
“Haha,” Tudor laughed. “Who are you trying to scare?”
Dark blinked and temporarily retracted the “Vampire Ceremony.”
Tudor was then surprised, “Is this the effect of the changing card?”
Dark nodded, “Yes.”
On the other side, Pistons, after removing the pig-headed mask, stared curiously at Dark’s plate, “Did you choose tomato sauce and medium-rare steak?”
Dark replied expressionlessly, “It’s a secret.”
Pistons rubbed his nose, “I see.”
Then all three ate in silence.
The atmosphere in the common room was noticeably less lively than before.
Anyone with half a brain could guess that the upcoming masquerade would determine everyone’s stance based on their “identity.”
Regardless of the specific rules, being revealed one’s identity at this moment was very dangerous.
Of course, there were always exceptions.
There would always be someone who couldn’t keep their mouth shut.
…
After breakfast, some people returned directly to their dormitories to avoid information leaks. Others preferred to stay in the common room to observe, confident in themselves and not overly concerned about information leaks.
Tudor originally wanted to stay but was pulled away by Pistons.
Knowing that Diana wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut, Rose also took her back to the dormitory.
The common room gradually became less crowded.
Dark sat in place, occasionally teasing the imp beast, waiting for the time to come.
…
At the same time, in Vice Principal Sarah Shylph’s office.
All six-year-level arithmetic professors were present.
Before them, magic circles displayed the students’ answers on their answer sheets.
These answer sheets didn’t actually need grading.
Pre-set circuits had already automatically tallied the results.
They sat here simply to see how each student answered.
Each student received different questions, including the last math problem, which was randomly selected from a thousand-question database.
From these questions, certain tendencies could still be discerned.
And they would assign identities based on these tendencies.
“Ah!”
Professor Lily suddenly exclaimed.
The professor beside her asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lily looked at the answer sheet in front of her and suddenly showed a terrified expression, “How could Darck get it wrong?”
“Oh oh oh,” the professors immediately gathered around.
But after a moment, First-Year Professor Lars Melnor judged, “This isn’t filled out by Darck Diem.”
Reminded, Lily quickly flipped through it and sighed in relief, “Scared Lily to death!”
Third-Year Professor Richie Eric asked curiously, “Is it really that terrifying? Even if it was truly Darck Diem’s writing, what’s the problem? No one is perfect.”
Lily puffed up her cheeks and shook her head vigorously.
Professor Eric laughed heartily.
The office was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
…
By the way, the organizer of this year’s masquerade was none other than Professor Lily Laplace!
…
In the midst of the professors’ laughter, time passed quickly.
Almost as soon as the clock struck nine, all the students’ selection cards began to vibrate, emitting a “beep beep beep” sound.
Students quickly injected mana to activate their selection cards.
Dark glanced around, opened his selection card, and then opened the letter.
A line of text appeared clearly on the card.
【Congratulations! You have obtained a new identity—Vampire!】
Seeing the word “vampire,” Dark immediately burst into a smile.
Since he chose the vampire costume, naturally the “vampire” identity suited him best.
The imp beast couldn’t help but let out a “hehe” laugh.
After confirming his identity, Dark immediately lifted his head and looked around.
Many familiar faces remained in the common room, from first year to sixth year.
Of course, there were still some people wearing costumes, making it hard to recognize them.
He observed the subtle expressions of those people, trying to remember them.
This year’s Halloween activity added a “identity” segment, making him subconsciously take it seriously.
He had a vague feeling that the competition with upperclassmen would start before the “Golden Cup” event!
…
“Bee—”
The sound from the selection card made the observing students suddenly snap to attention.
Then they immediately discovered that the long-awaited “event rules” were finally announced!
The professors announced the rules after assigning “identities,” creating an intense atmosphere.
Dark noticed the rule pamphlet in his selection card and carefully read it.
The imp beast lowered its head from his shoulder and peered closely.
“I see.”
After a few minutes, Dark finally understood the rules of this year’s masquerade.
Overall, it was a set of rules that combined orienteering and werewolf games.
This year’s masquerade was no longer aimless.
Each student would receive a map when the masquerade officially started at 6 PM.
The map would record 100 resource points.
The ghosts at these resource points were relatively powerful, considered “elite.”
Killing them would naturally earn more credits and better rewards.
But finding and summoning them required solving puzzles—this was completely consistent with the “simulation exploration test” held by Professor Pavar Jones in the duel class.
If one could select and successfully defeat 20 out of the 100 resource points before the masquerade ended, they would earn a substantial additional credit reward!
This meant that if one wanted to win the masquerade this year, securing resource points became crucial.
Apart from this part of the rules,
The academy also assigned each student an “identity,” and according to their “identity,” students would gain different “abilities.”
Firstly, there were ten types of “identities”:
① Vampire;
② Werewolf;
③ Ghost;
④ Fairy;
⑤ Zombie;
⑥ Witch;
⑦ Phoenix;
⑧ Jack-o’-lantern;
⑨ Behemoth;
⑩ Titan;
Among them…
The ability of “Vampire” was “Drain.”
【Drain: After showing your identity to anyone except vampires and werewolves, you can challenge them to a duel. If you win, you can take 10% of their credits (only applicable during the event). If you lose, you must pay 10% of your credits (only applicable during the event).】
The ability of “Werewolf” was “Plunder.”
【Plunder: After showing your identity to anyone except werewolves and vampires, you can challenge them to a duel. If you win, you can take 20% of their credits (only applicable during the event). If you lose, you must pay 40% of your credits (only applicable during the event).】
The ability of “Ghost” was “Steal.”
【Steal: After specifying a target other than ghosts, if you can track them within 10 meters for three minutes without being detected, you can steal 5% of their credits (only applicable during the event).】
The ability of “Fairy” was “Prank.”
【Prank: If you discover someone other than fairies cracking a resource point’s puzzle, and you can solve it first after showing your identity, you can obtain ownership of that resource point.】
The ability of “Zombie” was “Infect.”
【Infect: Can only be used on non-zombies, turning their identity into zombies within three minutes. During these three minutes, both parties can gain…
The credits will have ten percent that can be shared and will bear the same fate.
The ability of the “Witch” is “Divination.”
[Divination: After showing one’s identity to someone other than the Witch, they will gain an opportunity to guess the other person’s identity.
If guessed correctly, they will receive five percent of the other person’s credits (limited to those obtained during the event). If guessed incorrectly, they must pay ten percent of their own credits (limited to those obtained during the event).]
The ability of the “Phoenix” is “Nirvana.”
[Nirvana: They will gain an opportunity to reselect their identity. Before Nirvana, they will be immune to all abilities.]
The ability of the “Jack-o’-lantern” is “Light.”
[Light: After lighting the lantern, any ghosts killed and resource points breached will yield an additional five percent of credits (limited to those obtained during the event).]
The ability of the “Behemoth” is “Monster.”
[Monster: After defeating a boss-level ghost, they will receive ten times the credit reward, but a mark will appear above their head, allowing anyone to duel them.
The winner of the duel can take the credits obtained from defeating the boss-level ghost and swap identities with the defeated party, while the loser will pay five percent of their own credits.]
The ability of the “Titan” is “Thunder Punishment.”
[Thunder Punishment: Showing one’s identity to someone other than the Titan, if the other person has gained credits from students of a lower grade within the past three minutes, they will be punished with thunder punishment, confiscating five percent of their credits (limited to those obtained during the event). If judged incorrectly, they must also pay five percent of their credits.]
…
In the end, all these abilities can only be used once on the same person.
Except for “Steal,” the activation range of all other abilities is within five meters.
After each use of an ability, there will be a three-minute cooldown period.
…
“Ten identities, ten abilities!”
Dark couldn’t help but take a breath after reading through it.
The author who came up with this set of rules in such a short time is truly a genius!
If these “identities” and “abilities” can be effectively utilized, the fun of this Halloween event is bound to reach unprecedented heights.
He even felt that using this set of rules just once would be a pity.
This could be applied to various competitions. The Halloween event next year could continue to use it.
However, how interesting the masquerade ball will become under these rules still needs to be truly experienced to know.
Dark’s eyes sparkled, he was already eager.
“Too bad the official start of the masquerade ball is still after six o’clock in the evening. During this time, I can only stay in the dormitory… No, perhaps I can start searching for targets now?”
Dark glanced around and noticed the students in the common room were all looking restless.
Among these ten identities, only the “Werewolf” and “Vampire” can be considered allies; they cannot attack each other and have no conflicting interests.
This means that if the “Werewolf” and “Vampire” can confirm each other’s identity, they can fully cooperate and share information.
The “Zombie” and “Jack-o’-lantern” are harmless types. If the “Zombie” can find enough “Jack-o’-lanterns,” they can use their abilities to efficiently collect credits.
There’s also the “Witch”; discovering more people’s identities early on is very advantageous for them.
…
“So it turns out that those who don’t want to expose their identity or investigate others can return to the dormitory now. Those with other intentions can fully utilize their time before six o’clock.”
Dark smiled slightly and left the common room after teasing the imp beast for a while.
He is the “Vampire.”
If he doesn’t seek cooperation, staying in the common room would only increase the risk of exposure.
Afterwards, he just needs to conserve his energy in the dormitory and prepare for the ball at six o’clock sharp, then… play the role of a “Vampire” well!
“The strategy of having the imp beast answer questions is absolutely correct.”
“If it were me, I might get an identity like the Jack-o’-lantern.”
“That would be too boring!”
“A vampire is only slightly less stimulating than a werewolf.”
“And after becoming a vampire, there’s no need to worry about being caught by seniors for duels.”
“Even so, hunting younger students would be too embarrassing, I doubt most students would do that.”
“And the probability of winning a duel against seniors would be relatively low.”
“Therefore, vampires and werewolves would probably still target peers.”
“Even so, because it’s a masquerade ball, everyone wears costumes that hide their identities instead of uniforms that directly indicate their grades and academy. Therefore, the possibility of targeting the wrong opponent still exists.”
“My goal is to first hunt ghosts, search for several resource points, accumulate some credits, and then hunt third and fourth-year seniors!”
…
After making a simple plan, Dark summoned several golems again, picked up the newspaper and books, and started reading.
But he didn’t manage to conserve his energy until six o’clock as planned.
Because at eleven o’clock, the selection card vibrated again.
Then a little later, he picked up his cane, brought the imp beast, and walked out of the dormitory — because it was dinner time!
A man is made of iron, and food is like steel.
Anyone who doesn’t want to eat stored rations in the dormitory will choose to dine in the common room.
And this lunch break is a perfect opportunity for those who are intent on gathering information.
As the main door of the tower opened, the halfling chefs pushed the meal carts in again.
The midday food was still abundant, the rich meat aroma stimulating the appetite.
After Dark selected his favorite dishes, he carried his tray to his usual spot — an empty table next to it.
There was no choice; his usual spot was taken.
He pulled out a chair, placed his tray on the table, and prepared to enjoy his meal.
But at this moment, a bear carrying a tray walked over, wobbling unsteadily as if it might spill the tray at any moment. It placed its tray beside Dark’s without hesitation, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
“Angie?” Dark guessed the bear’s identity in 0.0001 seconds.
“Huh.” Princess Angie pulled a zipper from her chin and pulled it upward.
The entire bear face seemed to split open, dividing along the center.
Then Angie’s delicate face and features were revealed.
“Good afternoon, Dark.” Angie winked at Dark, her long eyelashes stunning.
Dark couldn’t help saying, “Although it’s clear you’ve changed your costume, can’t you come up with something new?”
“I like bears!” Angie pouted.
Dark almost thought he was sitting next to Diana.
Oh, speak of the devil, and he appears.
The “Princess Ghost” who appeared semi-transparent due to poor-quality “invisibility potion” seemed to sense something and approached.
“Hehe.” Diana sat down beside Angie without hesitation and looked curiously at Angie’s costume.
Compared to last year’s bear costume, Angie’s current one is clearly more convenient and breathable.
To be honest, Diana envied and wanted it.
If Dark hadn’t said it was inappropriate, she would be wearing a bear costume here right now… no, it should be two bears!
“What are you staring at?” But Angie glared at her fiercely.
It seemed their shared interest wasn’t enough to build a friendship between them.
Diana turned her head away, “Fine, I won’t look!”
“Pfft.” Following closely, the “Fairy Lady” emitted a mischievous laugh different from her usual one.
Then a small brain tiger walked over in rhythm.
