The "Pain" Bead

Zhang Qiuqiu breathed a sigh of relief and went to open the door.

Ms. Zhang walked in, her gaze first sweeping across the mess in the office. Showing no sign of surprise, she spoke immediately.

"Those two children are fine now. I've already reported the situation."

"The school will monitor them for a while to ensure no Anomalies were missed by the cognitive barrier."

She paused, her tone becoming slightly more serious.

"The school is a designated safe zone within The Alliance. It’s a stroke of luck that this rule violation didn't result in serious consequences."

"But once you're out in the world, you must be extremely careful. Don't let your guard down just because nothing went wrong this time."

After reminding them, Ms. Zhang's expression suddenly softened, and a nostalgic smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"Speaking of which, it really takes me back. I remember something similar happened with Ren Yi and Lu Zihan the day before their Professional Allocation Test."

"Sigh, you two were just as gullible as those two children back then."

"You actually believed someone when they said a person had jumped from the second floor."

Ren Yi's mouth twitched.

No, he wouldn't admit it. That must have been the work of the Anomaly behind the "sunlight."

She laughed for a moment before shifting back to the main topic, her expression turning serious again.

"By the way, Ren Yi, it seems your Anomaly Artifact has some side effects."

"I want to ask, based on your trial just now, do you think these side effects will lead to irreversible consequences?"

"What do you mean by irreversible consequences?" Ren Yi frowned, somewhat confused.

For an Anomaly, perhaps nothing truly qualified as an "irreversible consequence."

"Generally speaking, it means death," Ms. Zhang explained patiently.

"It’s fine within your own Instance, but elsewhere, once you 'die,' everything you carry will be lost."

"So, by 'irreversible consequences,' I mean the possibility of your Anomaly Artifact being lost forever."

"Oh, if it’s just that, then it shouldn't happen."

Ren Yi shook his head.

"That kind of instantaneous power surge can't kill me. I can piece myself back together."

He hesitated for a moment.

"To reach the point of actual physical 'death,' it would probably require a continuous impact or being shattered multiple times in quick succession so that I don't have time to reassemble."

In other words, the side effect of this Anomaly Artifact was that it was very easy to accidentally deal 999 damage to oneself.

"Then you must be careful when using it! Whatever you do, don't let anything occupy your original position, or you'll be blasted away again."

Zhang Qiuqiu warned him with a solemn face. Recalling the scene from earlier, she still felt a lingering sense of dread.

Ren Yi nodded thoughtfully, some other ideas forming in his mind.

In any case, the core effect of this item was basically satisfactory.

As for this strange and redundant side effect, it did require extra caution.

However, such a situation likely wouldn't arise most of the time.

Besides, if he ever encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat, he could try to use this method to blow them up with him.

It would be a true case of dealing a thousand damage to the enemy while taking nine hundred and ninety-nine himself.

Ren Yi briefly explained his thoughts.

"It's very good that you have that mindset." Ms. Zhang smiled with satisfaction and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose before changing the subject.

"Now then, to completely understand the mechanisms and usage requirements of this Anomaly Artifact, we shall proceed with a new round of testing."

"Huh?"

Ren Yi, Lu Zihan, and Zhang Qiuqiu exclaimed in unison, their faces masks of disbelief.

"We're still testing?"

Ren Yi felt his voice trembling slightly.

"Of course we are." Ms. Zhang's tone was firm and left no room for argument.

"If we don't figure out all the mechanisms, what will you do if you run into major trouble in a mission or an Instance? You won't have such a safe environment to learn from your mistakes then."

"As your 'Party B,' I must be responsible for you!"

Beside him, Lu Zihan and Zhang Qiuqiu instantly cast pitying looks at Ren Yi.

Fortunately, they weren't the unlucky ones.

But Ms. Zhang's next sentence turned their pity into instant horror, and their faces went deathly pale.

"The two of you, come along as well," Ms. Zhang said with a smile.

"Since this Anomaly Artifact hasn't officially recognized a master yet, you can also operate it slightly."

"Given that its side effects are a bit hard to control, we'll change locations for the test."

"As his friends, you can help Ren Yi out. You can also practice your own energy control while you're at it—killing two birds with one stone."

Ren Yi: "..."

Lu Zihan: "..."

Zhang Qiuqiu: "..."

In short, Ren Yi, Lu Zihan, and Zhang Qiuqiu spent an exceptionally "enriching" day.

It was so enriching that later on, whenever they saw a marble, it would trigger unpleasant memories.

As for how unpleasant it was...

Well, from then on, some strange little stories began to circulate mysteriously around the school.

Some said there were gang members fighting in the school woods using RPGs and TNT, causing the ground to shake from the explosions.

Others said the school was built on the site of an old battlefield, and the ghosts of fallen soldiers lingered where students couldn't see, their spectral gunfire and wails audible deep in the night.

As the sun set, Ren Yi’s eyes were vacant as he lay slumped on the ground, having lost all will to live.

Yes, he was a bit tired. He didn't want to piece himself back together anymore; he just wanted to lie there in his True Form for a while.

As for Lu Zihan and Zhang Qiuqiu, they were naturally in no better state.

Not far away, Ms. Zhang was beaming, busily scribbling in the notebook in her hand.

"Alright, alright... so the explosion intensity is directly proportional to the total volume and mass of the object..."

After she finished writing, she suddenly thought of something and looked up.

"By the way, Ren Yi, you are the master of this Anomaly Artifact now. What do you want to call it?"

Ren Yi struggled to lift his eyelids.

"I'm going to call it..."

"The 【Let the World Feel Pain Together】 Bead!"