Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 53
Lan Qi’s Great Harvest Technique
Lan Qi’s steps drifted like a gentle breeze, his figure blurred within the dimly lit corridor—as though a messenger had emerged from the black depths of the hall.
Unlike most demon students, every demonic trait on Lan Qi’s body was pure white, giving him an air of elegance and harmlessness—almost like a healer or a support-type demon.
Yet in the eyes of the unfortunate demon student Bachel, who had just been caught by Lan Qi and Lady Huperion, that pristine glow from the inferno was nothing but an omen of horror and madness.
For Bachel knew all too well what this “White Demon” had done earlier in the examination hall—acts both insane and sacrilegious!
“Why were you running?”
Lan Qi stood at his side, his voice calm and pleasant, like a breeze across a lake’s surface—yet beneath that softness lay an authority that could not be defied.
You still have the face to ask that?
At the sound of that question, rage flashed in Bachel’s eyes. His teeth clenched so tightly that a faint grinding sound escaped.
If not for this lunatic, he could have passed a peaceful exam, earned a few credits, and survived two easy hours.Now he was fleeing through these deadly halls, facing death at every turn.
But that tiny spark of anger was quickly drowned by instinctive fear and the desperate will to live.
He was only a second-tier demon; if he wanted to keep breathing, there was no universe in which he could provoke the two monsters standing before him.
That sense of self-preservation was precisely why he’d survived this long—and even managed to escape two demonic invigilators earlier.
“Without Credit Coins, if the Dean Patrol catches you wandering the hallway during class hours, you’ll be executed on the spot!”
Bachel blurted the words out between gasps, glancing frantically up and down the corridor, clearly begging Lan Qi to let him go so he could find a classroom fast.
Lan Qi studied his panic-stricken face.He didn’t understand everything yet, but it was clear now why the other demon students would rather dive into life-threatening classrooms than linger here.
“You mean… this?”
Lan Qi reached into his pocket and produced several heavy coins forged of black metal, letting them gleam under the dim light.
Each coin was half an inch across, dense and perfectly cut. Its black sheen caught faint traces of red, like molten magma.At the center lay the Academy of Demons crest, encircled by tight runes written in ancient demonic script—making counterfeiting impossible.
Lan Qi guessed these must be the “Credit Coins” Bachel had mentioned, though he didn’t ask outright.
“? !”
Bachel stared, dumbfounded.Why did this white-haired devil have so many Credit Coins?!
But after a heartbeat, he nodded hard—almost trembling.
That was answer enough for Lan Qi.
Those coins were the spoils they’d stripped from demon corpses on their way out of the examination hall—most of them courtesy of Lady Huperion’s impressive pickpocketing once she’d turned thief in her stealth form.
“Tell me everything you know about this school’s rules and layout,”“and I’ll give you one Credit Coin. How’s that for a deal?”
Lan Qi tossed one coin to Huperion to ensure her safety, then lifted another, letting its crimson glow reflect in his eyes as he spoke to Bachel.
“O-of course!”
Bachel nodded quickly, accepting the trade.
Among demons, deals were binding—and this one smelled legitimate. The boy even carried himself with a trace of noble etiquette, likely the scion of some demon aristocracy. For demons, maintaining the honor of one’s house made deceit in a formal transaction nearly unthinkable.
“Start talking. To save time, tell me only the important parts about the rules. If I say skip something, you skip.”
Lan Qi flipped the coin idly between his fingers, keeping his tone relaxed yet commanding.
He couldn’t afford to let Bachel realize he knew nothing about this academy’s system, so the best tactic was to let the demon reveal it himself.
“Alright.”
Bachel’s eyes locked on the coin.Fearing the Dean’s patrol might arrive any second, he spoke rapidly:
“Passing a class safely earns Credit Coins. But surviving anywhere else in this school costs Credit Coins—tons of them!”
“Each classroom has a different style of ‘lesson’ or ‘exam,’ all of them lethal in their own way. As for the functional zones — the library, canteen, infirmary — those are safe, but you have to pay Credits to enter.”
“The academy operates twelve hours each night, with five classes of two hours each and four thirty-minute breaks.Only during breaks does the corridor of classrooms connect to the functional corridors.At dawn — 6 a.m. — everyone must pay five Credit Coins as tuition and in return receives five Graduation Points.Accumulate 4,800 Graduation Points to graduate from the Infernal Corridor Academy and earn a Demon Realm Diploma…”
Lan Qi nodded as he listened.He was finally piecing together how this “Infernal Corridor Academy” functioned.
Though the entire place seemed indoors, it was actually a labyrinth of endless, shifting passageways. The layout changed at fixed intervals, so even veteran students struggled to navigate quickly.
The classrooms capable of awarding Credits bore numbered sigils indicating difficulty—ranging from 1 to 3.The higher the number, the greater the risk … and the reward.
For example, the earlier exam hall had been Difficulty 1—worth one Credit Coin minimum on a clear, with possible bonuses for exceptional scores.
“For instance,” Bachel continued nervously, “in the Demon Exam Hall, 50 points is a pass, but if someone manages an impossible 90, they receive special rewards.”
A perfect 100, he added, was a legend—no one had ever achieved it, and no one knew what hidden prize it might trigger.
Those like Lan Qi, who simply blew up the exam hall, wouldn’t receive Credits through normal channels.
Then it hit Bachel—he suddenly realized where Lan Qi’s stash had come from!
This lunatic just robbed the test itself!Making money that way was a thousand times faster than studying like an honest demon!
“How about Difficulty 2 or 3 classrooms?”
Lan Qi interrupted, curious.
He calculated quickly: five classes a night, each Difficulty 1, meant a mere five Credits earned—and all five would be gone again by morning’s tuition.
Students like Bachel lived paycheck to paycheck—academic wage-slaves in hell.
Only those with exceptional skill and nerve dared attempt Difficulty 2 classes.They were the ones who could earn more than five Credits per day—enough to build surplus, or even spend in the Academy’s functional zones.