As the sun set, the campus of the Kranbang Public University of Magic (abbreviated as KranMagic University) grew quiet. Only in a few ancient castles did flickering magical lamps still shine, illuminating the offices of the teachers.

A night patrolman, carrying a lantern with a cow's eye lens, wandered up and down the corridors of the college's grand museum, muttering incessantly. He was obviously dissatisfied with the temporary addition to his night patrol duties.

Half a month ago, teachers and students from the Archaeology Department of KranMagic University discovered and opened a secret chamber at the ancient Kranburg site at the foot of the Seawall Mountains in Kranbang, Jiralago Continent. Inside, they found a piece of eternal ice left over from the Dawn Era. Encased within the ice was an ancient humanoid creature whose features were indistinct. This discovery shook the academic community across the Star Continent.

However, current magical technology could not guarantee that the ancient frozen remains inside would not decompose quickly after forcibly melting the eternal ice. Therefore, the eternal ice was temporarily placed in KranMagic University's Grand Museum of Ancient Artifacts, pending further study by scholars from the seven continents of the Star Continent before a decision could be made.

This decision caused great headaches for the night patrolmen of KranMagic University. The college's Security Department had to urgently devise a patrol plan, requiring the night patrolmen to rotate throughout the night to ensure the safety of this precious eternal ice.

Yet, the night patrolmen, who earned meager salaries, could not understand who would be interested in a large block of ice measuring 5 meters in length, 4 meters in width, and 3 meters in height.

Even if some foolish thief were curious about this huge block of ice, how could they possibly move such a massive object weighing dozens of tons?

Only scholars who spend their days in laboratories or libraries would consider this large block of ice a treasure, right?

Perhaps some curious students might want to take some ice back to make a bowl of ancient shaved ice, but it was said that eternal ice was harder than steel. Forget about using an ice shaver to get ice shards; even the sharpest knife couldn't cut it. Was it really necessary to arrange so many people to guard it?

Of course, the school leaders could not comprehend the frustration of the night patrolmen. They probably believed that only by doing so could the school demonstrate its importance attached to this academic exchange and its respect for scholars from the seven continents.

Oh well, tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the autumn main moon's rise according to "The Book of Lyan," and also the school festival celebrating the 200th anniversary of "University of Science and Magic." Yet, Uncle Sam has to set up stages, sweep auditoriums, and decorate venues, running around like a headless chicken. And now, I have to guard this huge block of ice; how unlucky can I get!

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As he walked, Sam muttered to himself, "Honestly, I'll talk to those bureaucrats tomorrow. This job is too tiring for such little pay; I quit! But maybe I should wait until the end of the month to collect my salary first; otherwise, they'll definitely deduct half a month's wages. This time, I'm really determined to quit; nobody can stop me!"

He kept repeating this decision he'd been talking about for over a decade while shining his cow-eye lantern on the huge block of ice.

This "eternal ice" was truly beautiful, with a hint of blue in its snow-white glow, shimmering under the light like a gemstone.

Too bad it's just a block of ice. If it were a gemstone, Sam could secretly chip off a small piece to sell for some money and then head to the "Fisherman's Bride" tavern for a few drinks of saltwater-diluted seaweed ale.

"Tick! Tick! Tick..."

Suddenly, a faint sound echoed through the vast museum hall, interrupting Sam's complaints. He stopped, listened intently, found nothing, shook his head, and prepared to leave this eerie place filled with quirky items.

"Tick! Tick! Tick..."

Sam had taken a few steps when he stopped again, abruptly turned around, shone his lantern, and shouted loudly, "Who's there? Come out! You kids, this isn't a place for your treasure hunts!"

But the museum was empty. The characters in the ancient portrait oil paintings on the walls seemed to mock Sam's fuss with eerie smiles.

Sam swallowed hard, his lantern shaking in his hand. Every historic college has its horror legends, and "University of Science and Magic" is no exception.

For instance, the midnight scholars in the neighboring grand library, the ghostly parties in the auditorium, the bloody operating tables in the anatomy lab, the male student with student ID 1683 in the women's restroom on the east end of the second floor of the Identification Department, and the twenty-three suicidal lovers' spirits said to hang from a paulownia tree a thousand years old...

You ask why the number is odd for a "suicidal lover" scenario?

It's said that a female apprentice from the Necromancy Department, betrayed by her senior and rival, killed them both and hung them on the paulownia tree. Then, using a coffin nail and her own tongue, she hung herself up too. How she managed to hammer the coffin nail through her tongue while hanging in mid-air is something only the undead know!

Forget it, none of this matters...

"Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick!"

The sound grew faster, like the splashing of blood, sending shivers down one's spine. Sam told himself they were just legends, but his mind couldn't help conjuring up various terrifying images.

His hands trembled violently, causing the lantern light to sway wildly. By accident, it shone on the eternal ice, and a blurred human face seemed to flash across its surface!

"Ah..."

Sam screamed in terror and fell to the ground, sitting on his butt. Warm liquid flowed down his trousers, leaving a strange stain on the black-and-white marble floor. Yes, he was scared to the point of wetting himself!

With courage he didn't know where it came from, Sam got down on the ground and crawled out of the grand museum swiftly, not forgetting to grab the cow-eye lantern that gave him a slight sense of reassurance as he left.

Sam tumbled and crawled his way out of the grand museum, with the sound of blood dripping onto the floor echoing in his ears, as if it were just behind him, getting closer and closer!

Terrified out of his wits, Sam screamed loudly and ran wildly through the empty campus, shouting for other night watchmen to rescue him. However, not a single person was around, despite the night watch team supposedly consisting of over a dozen people!

"They must all be killed by the Eternal Ice Ghosts! I'm the only one left... I'm the only one left..."

Driven by sheer terror, Sam lost all sense of reason and fled the academy in a mad dash. It was said that he never showed up again afterward.