The Sumu’s Challenge-Campus Taboos(My name is Lin Wan.)

The moment the few of us stepped into the forbidden forest, a dizzying whirl seized us, and the world before our eyes shifted so abruptly that it felt as though we had plunged straight into the forest’s depths.

His face was twisted by pain so fiercely that it was impossible to look at, yet Su Mu clenched his teeth and forced out the words.

The great trees swayed as they surged toward us, encircling us from all sides. Han Xue cried out.

“Bind.”

One word was enough to reduce the vines to dust.

Su Mu had been one of the six who first entered the forbidden forest, and had already been reported missing. None of us had expected to see him the moment we stepped inside.

The ancient trees around us seemed to come alive. Thick, long roots tore up from the soil and became the moving legs of the trees.

Han Xue instinctively tugged at my sleeve. As the only girl among us, she was somewhat frightened. Countless vines burst through the earth below and came racing toward the six of us.

The six of us—three of us, plus Carbon Head, Wu Mingran, and Midnight—formed up as a squad and, without pause, reached the entrance to the forbidden forest.

“You...”

As he retreated, Midnight quickly snapped off a branch and activated the Ace of Spades in his hand. At once, the branch was covered in a layer of glittering gold light.

The ancient-tree power had been unleashed. Run wild!

“Run!”

Lin Wan stepped forward and asked, Four-Fold Duty Officer’s Rod already in his hand, ready to join the battle at any moment. Though two against one was somewhat dishonorable, accomplishing the mission was now the first priority.

The most domineering of all was Carbon Head. With nothing more than a snort, endless bone spikes erupted around him, shattering the ground beneath and leaving the vines no way to approach.

The moment we stepped into the forbidden forest, we all felt a violent spinning sensation, and the scenery in our eyes changed at once, as if we had been sent directly into the forest’s deepest reaches.

“Awakened.”

At last, Carbon Head, who had not spoken until now, opened his mouth. There was not the slightest trace of emotion in his voice.

“Maybe it’s spatial teleportation.”

I hurriedly spoke, summoning the light shield once more to protect everyone. Su Mu did not even spare me a glance, continuing instead to control the surrounding trees and force us back.

The trees around us seemed alive. Thick roots broke free from the ground and became the legs of moving trunks.

We had no intention of acting, because we had absolute confidence in Midnight’s abilities. At least in close combat, Midnight’s strength was beyond question.

But at that moment, Su Mu’s attack suddenly faltered. Clutching his head, he let out a miserable scream.

The brother who once saved me from dire straits had become a cold-blooded killer.

Han Xue’s expression instantly turned cold.

“This is bad, he seems to...”

“You all...”

The surrounding great trees immediately stopped moving. With their motion halted, Carbon Head summoned endless bone spikes, and in an instant cut every tree around us cleanly at the waist. Wu Mingran forcibly seized control of the trees and drove them straight up into the sky.

Midnight leaped after them, the branch in his hand sharp as a blade. Together with Lin Wan’s acceleration ability, he shredded the airborne trees into powder.

Rolling again and again on the ground, the color in Su Mu’s eyes finally returned to normal.

“...”

He kept convulsing on the ground, and the black in his eyes had vanished completely. I still could not tell what had happened, only that the clothes on his body were already in tatters, clearly the aftermath of a battle, though there did not seem to be any fatal wound anywhere on him.

Su Mu had been one of the six who first entered the forbidden forest, and had already been reported missing. None of us had expected to see him the moment we stepped inside.

“You...”