52: Chapter 52 Some people are born in Rome

Within the Flaming Dense Forest of Jiangcheng Professional University.

As the teleportation array emitted a hum, a flash of azure light streaked through.

Tian Lin's figure descended out of thin air into this burning forest.

The moment he landed, a scorching wave of air rushed at his face.

Tian Lin glanced at the students grinding monsters nearby and let out a deep sigh, his tone filled with helplessness and exhaustion:

"Damn it, that rich second-generation Zhou Tianren..."

He tugged at his collar irritably and cursed under his breath:

"Doesn't do a lick of honest work all day. He seized an office in the Administration Building and turned it into a base. Fine, let him act like a big shot at school all day."

"But now he even has to meddle in the Freshman Challenge Tournament. The Flaming Dense Forest was perfectly fine, yet he insists on switching it to the Echo Gobi... who knows what he's trying to pull now."

"Being this Grade Head is going to be the death of me! If it weren't so hard to get a government position these days, I would have quit long ago!"

Complaints aside, his body was still honest.

Because Tian Lin knew very well.

That playboy Zhou Tianren really did have the power to follow through on his threats.

If he didn't change the map as requested, his position as Grade Head probably wouldn't be safe.

However...

The Freshman Challenge Tournament was the most important competition for first-year students at Jiang University.

Once a dungeon map was selected, if one wanted to change it temporarily...

There was only one 'compliant' reason—

The dungeon had developed an irreversible malfunction or was at risk of collapsing.

Thus, Tian Lin found an inconspicuous path.

Avoiding the students' gaze, he walked toward the dungeon's exit portal.

When he reached the massive portal emitting a crimson glow...

Tian Lin adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply:

"Sigh, life isn't easy for a middle-aged man."

"If I were ten years younger, give him eight hundred times the courage, Zhou Tianren wouldn't dare speak to me like that!"

"Nothing can be done; some people are born in Rome."

As he spoke, Tian Lin gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Forget it, who told me to carry a family on my shoulders!"

After saying that, a flash of ruthlessness and determination crossed Tian Lin's eyes.

He took a deep breath and slowly raised his right arm.

"Data Corruption: Heavy Punch!"

With a low shout, a strange pixelation began to appear on his right fist.

His fist, originally flesh and blood, was instantly enveloped by countless flickering cubes of chaotic light. It rapidly expanded and reorganized, eventually transforming into a giant pixelated fist over two meters in diameter.

"Shatter... for me!!"

Tian Lin kicked off the ground and slammed it heavily against the portal!

BOOM—!!!

A deafening roar, loud enough to shatter eardrums, exploded in the depths of the Flaming Dense Forest.

The crimson portal, which had been operating stably, was instantly covered in dense cracks under the strike of the pixelated fist.

Immediately after, the cracks spread rapidly, and shards of space began to peel away.

The originally stable dungeon space began to tremble violently, and visible black fissures appeared in the sky.

spacetime turbulence!

"This... should be about enough, right?"

Tian Lin withdrew his fist and nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the crumbling scene before him.

The act was done.

But the students still leveling below were innocent.

Thus, Tian Lin transformed into a streak of light, leaping high into the air and hovering directly above the forest.

He then channeled his mental power, making his voice boom throughout the entire dungeon:

"Attention all students currently leveling! Attention all students!"

"An unknown collapse has occurred in the core of the Flaming Dense Forest dungeon! The spatial structure is extremely unstable!"

"Kids! Stop grinding! Leave quickly! Head to the nearest exit and evacuate immediately!!"

This shout directly stunned the first-year students who were immersed in the pleasure of monster grinding below.

Everyone whipped their heads around and looked at the sky.

When they saw the portal that was already half-shattered and the spacetime turbulence filled with an aura of destruction in the air, they were all scared out of their wits.

"Holy crap! Is that spacetime turbulence?!"

"Run! Don't just stand there!"

In the crowd, someone suddenly shouted in terror:

"Everyone be careful! Whatever you do, don't step into those black fissures! I heard the previous 'Nightfall Team' was disbanded because of this stuff!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the students who were still hesitating instantly panicked.

The tragedy of the Nightfall Team was a warning from the past; no one wanted to follow in their footsteps.

"Run, run, run! Stop grinding!"

"Help! Don't push me!"

For a moment, the students below were in a state of chaos, talking frantically while scrambling toward the dungeon exit.

In the sky...

Tian Lin looked down at all this with a cold expression. As he watched the backs of the panicked students, his hand hanging at his side trembled slightly.

A flash of deep self-deprecation and sorrow crossed his slightly weathered face.

"Sigh..."

A long sigh dissipated into the rolling heatwaves.

Tian Lin closed his eyes, hiding the guilt in them.

He waited until he confirmed the last student's figure had disappeared through the exit and the entire Flaming Dense Forest was empty, leaving only the roars of monsters and the booming sound of spatial collapse.

Only then did he slowly land.

Then, he walked out toward the portal that was still spewing turbulence.

...

After Tian Lin left.

The Flaming Dense Forest had completely turned into a dead zone.

The monsters that originally lived here lacked human intelligence; they didn't know what was happening.

A giant Flame Lizard, its body wreathed in flames, looked curiously at a black fissure that had suddenly appeared by its feet.

It tentatively extended a claw, wanting to touch that strange thing.

However...

The instant its claw tip touched the edge of the fissure.

Whoosh—!

A terrifying suction force instantly erupted from the fissure!

Screech—!!!

The Flame Lizard let out a cry of utter terror. It struggled desperately, trying to pull its claw back.

But that spacetime turbulence was like a greedy, giant maw. It instantly expanded, swallowing its massive body along with the surrounding rocks whole!

In just one short second...

The Flame Lizard simply vanished into thin air.

Leaving only the slowly writhing black fissure, as if silently recounting some kind of horror.

...