Chapter 159: Mr. Caretaker
Chapter 159: Mr. Caretaker
The last remaining Singing Skeletons rushed Adam from the forth. They didn't have any plan in the mind except to keep swinging their rusty swords and sing with their clicking teeth.
Adam parried their flimsy swords and then used Shield Charge to push them all away.
While the Singing Skeletons were in disarray, Adam rushed in and cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
They couldn't handle the rush and fell apart one after another.
Soon, the last remaining Singing Skeletons were in a heap of destroyed bones, and the singing slowly ceased to exist.
[You killed 4x Singing Skeletons!]
[40 XP Acquired!]
[XP: 2047/2500]
"You did it!" Terry jumped off the roof and cheered in relief. "Oh god, we actually survived!"
Adam sheathed his sword and put his shield on his back, then looked at the destroyed skeletons scattered across the ground.
Then the skeletons vanished into thin air, and the soft ground turned to solid.
The cemetery vanished from the sight, and they found themselves standing back at the white room with the eerie die hanging by the ceiling from invisible chains.
Terry sat on the ground and felt like crying.
He didn't think he would actually survive the third time, but again, he was very lucky to not be there alone.
'Maybe my talent is my immense luck.' Terry thought with a wry smile.
A door opened at the end of the white room.
It clearly wasn't the same door that they took to enter this place; thus, it must lead somewhere else.
"Ah, let's go." Terry stood up with a smile.
"Where is the door leading?" Adam asked and followed him as they left the white room and entered a hallway with walls, floors, and a ceiling made out of timber.
It looked like they were walking down a tree trunk.
"We're heading to the Eldertree Institute, you're about to see something amazing."
Terry said with a smile, then arrived at the end of the hallway and opened the door there that was circular shaped.
As soon as they stepped through the opening of the door, Adam's jaw almost dropped to the ground.
They walked absentmindedly to the center of one huge floor and looked straight up, seeing a spiraling staircase leading up the tree for seemingly eternity.
Adam believed that if he had wings, he could just fly up and reach the ceiling of this tree without any trouble. However, without wings, those stairs seemed to be the only way to get to the top.
At this moment, it was very quiet, and there wasn't anyone on this floor or at the stairs.
"It's Silent Hour." Terry said. "After 12am, everyone is supposed to be in their rooms and be all hush hush, or there will be a punishment."
"Then are we breaking rules now?" Adam asked.
"No, the same rules don't apply to us now because we just left the Culling." Terry said.
"Oh." Adam touched his chin and wondered. "Where is my room, then? Where am I supposed to go?"
"Umm..." Terry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know either."
"I know..."
Terry and Adam looked behind in surprise and saw the person who just spoke.
It was a person with moles all around his face, and he had disfigurement on one side of his face that made it look like his face was swelling up.
He was short, three heads shorter than Adam, at least, and he was always hunched over like his spine was permanently bent.
"I am the caretaker of his establishment; you can call me Mr. Caretaker." Mr. Caretaker said with a sly grin, revealing his yellow, crooked teeth.
Terry gulped and shuddered, then whispered to Adam. "Be careful around this guy; he gives me the creeps."
"It's rude to whisper in front of someone, or is there something you want to hide from me?" Mr. Caretaker said. "Did you suddenly lose all your respect in the past hour, Terry Kingston?"
"A-ah, no..." Terry shook his head. "I am sorry..."
"Hmph." Mr. Caretaker clearly didn't like him and then turned to Adam. "I'll apologize on behalf of the headmaster; he didn't expect you to be able to clear the Culling today, so he has already retreated to his bed."
"That's fine." Adam said and asked. "Do you perhaps know where I'll be sleeping?"
"Yes..." Mr. Caretaker said and looked at Terry with an annoyed look. "You two are roommates, so he'll know."
Terry's eyes widened in surprise, and then he smiled. "Nice!"
"Everyone in this facility is living in pairs, so you'll have a roommate." Mr. Caretaker said.
"I see." Adam nodded, not minding at all.
"The Silent Hour has already begun, so go in your rooms," he said. "At morning, I'll come pick you up for your first classes."
Adam nodded again, and as the hunched man left, he followed Terry up the stairs, who couldn't stop from closing his mouth.
"Since we are roommates, we're also in the same class." Terry said with a smile.
He had hated his class in the past, but now he was looking forward to it as he was finally not
alone.
Adam was listening to him, but most of his focus was on the surroundings.
He was holding the railing, and while walking up the stairs, he looked up and down from over the railing to get a look at everything.
All the doors by the stairs were closed and locked as they were locked as soon as the Silent
Hour began.
"We have everything here." Terry said. "Libraries, restaurants, hot springs, saunas, and even a viewing platform where you can see the entirety of the twenty-fifth floor. It's wicked." "This place sure is amazing." Adam said. "It seems like a paradise, but then there is a thing like that, Culling. How would you describe this place?"
Terry sadly smiled and said,
"I've heard stories about the former Eldertree Institute. Apparently it was actual paradise, but everything changed since Renard took charge. Apparently he is one of the leaders of Pro-
Strong movement."
"Oh..." Adam replied, realizing the gravity of the situation. "I've heard about them..."
"Yeah." Terry sighed. "He cares about strength and intelligence. Since I am intelligent, I
haven't been expelled, but he cares about strength more and..."
"I am starting to get the gist of it..." Adam sighed.
"It's not all that bad." Terry said, a slight lie in his tone.
For him, the Eldertree Institute had been the worst experience in his life by far. It was because
he had to deal with constant bullying and abuse.
However, he believed that Adam would do great in here, as he was a strong and clearly very talented individual.
"Ah, here we are." Terry and Adam came across a door, then with a key, he opened the door
and entered.
There were hallways with stairs at the end leading to another floor of this place.
Terry's voice turned to a whisper. "All the students of Class E are living here."
"Mm." Adam nodded.
They then walked to the end of the hallway, and instead of walking up the stairs, Terry opened
a door at the leftmost end of the hallway and entered the room with Adam.
The room was dimly lit, with only a small lamp in the corner providing light.
It was quiet and cozy. It also wasn't too small.
There were two bedrooms, a living room, a very small kitchen, and a small bathroom.
"This is my room." Terry pointed at the left door and then pointed at the door right next to it.
"You can use that room. It already has a bed with sheets, so there's not much you have to do
there."
"It's nice." Adam said with a smile.
"You should go to sleep." Terry said and opened the door to his room. "The class is very early,
so you should get some rest."
"Hmm, ok." Adam nodded and felt the shift in Terry's emotions.
Whenever he mentioned the class, he turned sad and clearly hated going to it.
"I'll see you in the morning." Adam said.
Terry smiled and nodded, then closed the door.