The band's first group rehearsal, all things considered, had gone fairly well. Although everyone except Chu Lian still appeared awkward in their handling of the music score, and their coordination was riddled with errors, through repeated adjustments and a growing understanding, they finally managed to perform a relatively complete piece before school ended—at the very least, without any wrong notes or off-tempo sections.
Of course, none of this could be rushed. It was only Tuesday, with three days left until Saturday. Even with their abilities, expecting to reach perfect synergy with just one hour of practice a day was a tough ask.
That was why Li Xiu'er and Chu Lian needed to speak with the teacher and request more rehearsal time. Chu Lian was optimistic about their chances. Considering how much the homeroom teacher valued this school celebration performance, and the school's flexible educational policy, it shouldn't be a difficult request.
As for academics, they were already ahead of most of their classmates. Even if they missed some classes, catching up wouldn't be a problem, so there was nothing to worry about.
Still, such high-intensity training was a considerable burden for young students whose bodies were still developing.
But she believed that after this initial session, things would improve. Once they built a sense of rhythm and understanding, they wouldn't have to spend so much energy correcting mistakes or starting over.
After taking a shower and towel-drying her hair, Chu Lian sat on the edge of her bed, thinking back on the afternoon's training. Her lips pressed into a faint line. A slight regret lingered—after all, the news about the school celebration had come too late. They'd already lost a day to prep and coordination, leaving them seriously short on training time.
Even if they spent the next three days entirely immersed in practice, it wouldn't lead to a huge transformation. In the end, an inexperienced band—even if well-coordinated—would still lack the finesse, rapport, and stage presence needed. Compared to other school bands who had practiced for a long time or simpler class performances, they would clearly be at a disadvantage. But there was no helping it—they could only work harder.
That said, she was still confident. This school surely had no shortage of people who could write lyrics and compose music. Established bands definitely existed here too. In those areas, she had little to no advantage—possibly even a disadvantage.
But she possessed something they never could: a deep understanding of the song "Having You in My Life" on par with the original artist. Plus, in the other world, it was a time-honored classic—a campus song that had stood the test of time and was universally recognized.
With those two advantages, she could offset many of her shortcomings. Besides, while her teammates were young, their potential and talent were undoubtedly among the best in the school. Sometimes, time meant little in the face of genius.
"Phew... Ayase, if I fail to help our class win the field trip qualification, aside from losing the three rewards, what else would happen?" Chu Lian pondered the situation. Even now, she couldn't be sure of winning the qualification, so she wanted to ask Ayase what she might lose if she failed.
"I told you before: once you've completed five system missions—main or side—the Dungeon Space will unlock. You've already completed one main and one side mission. Right now, you're on your second system mission."
"You're also about to receive the fourth and fifth missions soon. Once you complete those, the requirements for unlocking will be met. But based on the system's original settings, no rewards or missions related to dungeons should appear before four missions are done. It's strange that an entry ticket to the Dungeon Space showed up this early. Honestly, it puzzles me." Whether Ayase was truly confused or just hiding something, Chu Lian couldn't tell. But she could sense something was off.
"Do you think... maybe the system glitched?" Chu Lian thought about it from every angle and could only come up with that possibility. After all, her understanding of the system was still limited, and she didn't know if such an obvious error was possible.
But comparing it to the reward she received for the previous special mission, considering her abilities and the stage she was at, getting only a Level 1 Electromaster ability after completing an Abyss-difficulty mission—due to the side effects of the system-exchanged item—was simply outrageous.
If it hadn't been for the later compensation of a Level 4 Teleport ability, she really would have cried with nowhere to turn. Speaking of which, when she checked her attributes before, why didn't those two abilities show up? Strange…
So yes, the system could make mistakes. Events not originally set in the system had a high chance of going wrong. But the task system and the rewards for completing them were the core of the system itself—it made no sense for those to have errors.
"As for what you'd lose if you fail, I think… you'd likely lose the right to enter the Harry Potter world normally. After all, the ticket was handed to you. If you lost it, getting blacklisted and shut out is pretty reasonable."
"There are thousands upon thousands of fantasies, stories, and movies in the world capable of producing Dungeon Spaces. Losing access to one of them isn't a big deal. Overall, it's not much of a punishment." Ayase had a clear perspective. Technically, the Harry Potter world was a low-magic, high-fantasy world. There wasn't much of great value. Losing access wasn't a big loss.
But Chu Lian didn't agree. After being burned by the reward system before, she had resolved not to be easily misled by the missions or information the system provided.
If such a difficult mission gave that reward, it must mean there was something worth investigating and obtaining. But what could it be…
Ayase, watching her sink into deep thought again, frowned. "This isn't the time for her to be thinking like that. I need to shift her focus before this becomes a problem." She glanced around—no water, no food, and barely any noise from outside. She had no choice…
Smack! Her palm landed squarely on the back of Chu Lian's head, snapping the girl out of her daze.
"Ow! Ayase, what was that for? That really hurt!" Chu Lian clutched her head, eyes teary as she glared at the expressionless Ayase, her voice tinged with a sob.
She wasn't just being dramatic—Ayase had struck with a peculiar energy that delivered a slight sting.
Once she was jolted out of her thoughts, the pain clashed with her mental focus, making her feel like she'd just slammed into a wall.
The sudden sting brought tears to her eyes, completely out of her control.
"You could have just told me you didn't want me to think about it. Did you really have to hit me? Ayase, you're the worst…" Once the sting faded and a warm energy soothed her whole body, Chu Lian finally began to calm down.
"Some things aren't worth thinking about. Even if you try, it'll get you nowhere. Just know that the system, no matter what, will never harm you. As for the rest, take it step by step."
Ayase hadn't intended to hurt her—just make her remember the feeling. After the sting, the energy transformed into a warm flow to soothe the pain.
She did it to keep Chu Lian from drawing bizarre conclusions from her wild imagination. If her guess was wrong, fine. But if it was right—and she said it out loud in front of the wrong people…
That would be serious trouble. Better to prevent it while she could. Chu Lian would understand that she meant well.
"Hmph! Go away. I don't want to talk to you. You're so mean!" Chu Lian pressed her head against Ayase's chest, rubbing affectionately before pouting with a snort.
"Fine, don't talk to me. Let's see what time you wake up tomorrow. Yaaawn…" Ayase gave her a sideways glance, yawned, and stretched.
The comment immediately startled Chu Lian. She couldn't deny it—she loved to sleep in, and Ayase was an expert napper herself. But without parents at home, even the loudest alarm couldn't wake her.
Only because this always-sleepy girl had secretly woken her up every day had she managed not to be late or mess up her schedule.
If Ayase stopped waking her, she'd be stuck rushing through washing up and getting dressed, skipping breakfast, and sprinting to school. No way she wanted that!
Her weak spot hit, Chu Lian instantly morphed into a clingy kitten, hugging Ayase's arm with eyes sparkling with hope, looking utterly pitiful and adorable.
"Pfft. Alright, alright. I'll wake you up tomorrow… seriously now. I'm going to sleep. Good night." Ayase tried to act like she hadn't noticed, but eventually broke into a laugh.
"Oh, and check your video on M Station. I think you'll find a surprise there." With that, she yawned again and blinked out, returning to the system space for a nap.
Chu Lian instinctively reached forward but caught only empty air. Blinking in confusion, she muttered, "M Station? Video? Ah, I haven't checked yet. What was that storm Xiu'er mentioned?"
Realizing she had unfinished business, she leapt off the bed, dashed barefoot to her computer, and powered it on.
Even Ayase said it was a "surprise." Just what kind of buzz had her video created? She was excited to find out!