The chatter of voices, the rustle of turning pages, and the faint bumping of desks and chairs blended into a subtle harmony.
Though somewhat noisy, the sound felt comforting, capturing the authentic pulse of daily life.
In the back row of the classroom, Hyperion remained silent.
Conflicting emotions began to tangle within her heart.
Her gaze drifted back and forth between the lecture podium and the exit. Her fingers gently pinched the corner of a page, the scales in her mind wavering.
"Lanqi, generally speaking, challenging a Shadow World requires all sorts of advance preparation."
At last, Hyperion did her best to calm herself, her voice flowing out like a gentle trickle. "And of course, we also need to consider more carefully whether teammates are compatible."
Not to mention practicing more together, ensuring your teammate was truly trustworthy, and so forth...
In short, leaving right this second was simply too abrupt, too impulsive...
"Why don't we go in a few days instead? Please, think it over carefully."
Hyperion's voice grew fainter and more subdued.
Perhaps by tomorrow, Lanqi would learn of her demon heritage from Modan or someone else.
From then on, he would see her for who she truly was.
And then...
He could go back on his word as agreed, and make a better decision.
For Lanqi, that would probably be the better outcome.
Watching Hyperion hesitate and even begin to get cold feet, Lanqi seemed to read her thoughts.
Her real answer was that she needed a teammate more decisive than herself to make the choice for her.
"Hyperion, sometimes what seems like taking the long view actually turns into endless procrastination, until in the end you just give up entirely."
Lanqi grinned. Now that he had a legitimate plan to skip class, not a trace of exhaustion remained in him, and even his words brimmed with vitality. "If we don't set out now, we'll never set sail! So trust me. Let's go."
His voice was clear and bright as he stood up, looking down at Hyperion.
He seemed genuinely unable to wait to whisk her away on a magical journey.
At that moment, beneath the encroaching dusk, the sky was gradually bathed in a soft pink hue—yet it almost looked like the colors of dawn.
The classroom's floor-to-ceiling glass windows were as calm as the sea, mirroring their reflections.
Lanqi's words were like a small boat cutting through the waves across the stormy sea of her heart, reverberating again and again.
Hyperion gazed into Lanqi's clear, earnest emerald-green eyes, unable to hide the genuine flutter stirring in her own.
She seemed to have finally made up her mind.
"Let's go."
With that crisp, resolute declaration, Hyperion also rose to her feet and strode briskly toward the exit alongside Lanqi.
...
Because of their departure, the classroom—which had previously been bustling with noise—felt as though a pebble had been dropped into it, sending ripple after ripple across the room until it suddenly fell dead silent.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on the figures of the two students who had so decisively run off just as class was about to begin, watching until they vanished entirely from sight.
Then, an atmosphere of shock and curiosity, accompanied by an uproar of clamoring voices, surged back like a tidal wave!
The entire classroom erupted into chatter!
"Where did they go?"
"Skipping class to go on a date?"
Some students gossiped with rapt attention, while others gathered in clusters, discussing the matter with fervent excitement in their eyes.
Even a few students who had been quietly reading put down their books and joined the lively buzz.
"I heard them say earlier that they wanted to clear a Shadow World..." one student recalled in dazed disbelief.
That remark hushed the immediate area considerably.
It drew countless stares.
"No way! Going off to challenge a Shadow World on the very first day of school? You must've misheard. They definitely just used that as an excuse to go on a date."
"It's the absolute truth. They agreed to hit a Shadow World."
"Just the two of them?"
"Just the two of them."
"Huh???"
In an instant, the atmosphere in the classroom grew tense.
Every eye locked onto the few students who had confirmed the contents of Lanqi and Hyperion's conversation.
Right after that, a chaotic clamor swept through the room.
In Ikerite Academy, there was virtually no precedent for two freshmen teaming up on the very first day of school to dive into a real Shadow World!
One had to understand that the vast majority of first-year students didn't even possess a license yet.
Even super-rookies who entered the academy with an Iron-rank challenger license usually made their debuts alongside upperclassmen.
After all, this wasn't a speedrun or some casual achievement—it was a life-and-death ordeal where you staked your soul and your life!
"If—and I mean if—they really passed the third round of the entrance exam through genuine skill and coordination, rather than the luck people have been whispering about, could they actually handle a real Tier 2 Shadow World with no prior experience?"
"Hard to say. Even among Tier 2 Shadow Worlds, some are exceedingly treacherous, while some Tier 3 Shadow Worlds can be relatively safe. It all comes down to luck."
"The timelines and historical scenarios corresponding to certain Shadow Worlds can be inherently lethal. When challenger teams run into those, heavy casualties are common even if their rank is higher than the Shadow World itself."
Amid the students' flurry of discussion, Vice Dean Ron entered the classroom carrying a heavy, ancient tome.
Today's final class, Mana Detection and Shielding, was taught by the vice dean himself.
Setting the book down on the lectern, Vice Dean Ron looked around the room.
He sensed that the atmosphere was far too lively.
These freshmen looked as though they were celebrating a festival, still chattering uncontrollably among themselves.
Before long, the new students gradually quieted down, turning their attention toward the vice dean.
Yet at that exact moment, Vice Dean Ron couldn't help but look puzzled.
Why did these students all wear expressions that suggested they wanted to speak but were holding back?
They seemed desperate to tell him something of vital importance, yet hesitated over whether it was appropriate to say aloud.
"What's going on?" Vice Dean Ron asked, looking at the students in the front row.
"...Two people ran off to challenge a Shadow World," a student muttered under Ron's gaze.
Ron swept his eyes toward the back. Even without asking who, he already knew the answer in his heart.
Because Lanqi and Hyperion, the two students he was keeping an eye on, were nowhere to be seen in the classroom.
Ron pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression turning thoroughly complicated.
Although none of the students knew what the pair's coordination and performance had been like during the third round of the exam, he knew.
If any other students had run off to a real Shadow World on their first day of school, Ron would be in an absolute panic by now, perhaps even calling an emergency meeting.
But since it was Lanqi and Hyperion, the nature of the problem was rather different...
Chapter 43