As the light returned around Lanqi and his vision gradually brought the scene into focus, he found himself sitting in the back row of a classroom as expansive as a theater.
In the dim room, the only light came from a few oil lamps hanging on the walls—a faint, almost palpable golden-yellow glow.
Flickering steadily like a living pulse, they maintained just enough visibility while lending the place an eerie, theatrical air. In the dim lamplight, the shadows of desks and chairs twisted and lengthened, rustling in the silence alongside shifting silhouettes.
Although everything in sight truly resembled a classroom—long tables draped in red tablecloths arranged in neat rows, a pristine black-and-gold blackboard standing tall on the distant stage at the front of the room, and window frames adorned with archaic, luxurious carvings—any sense of spaciousness that this roughly three-hundred-square-meter hall should have offered was completely absent. In its place lingered a heavy stench of blood and an unspeakable, eerie chill.
For a moment, Lanqi wondered if he had ended up in the underworld.
Lowering his gaze, he saw a sheet of coarse, ancient parchment laid upon the red cloth, flanked by an ink bottle and a quill.
The parchment was inscribed with mysterious characters unlike any human language, but thanks to the Shadow World's built-in translation spell, Lanqi could tell it was a magical exam paper written in demonic script, covered in test questions.
*Why is it still a school?*
Lanqi was utterly dumbfounded.
He thought he had finally managed to escape school, only to realize he had escaped right into another one!
Even worse:
At Ikerite Academy, he had only needed to sit through lectures, but in this demonic academy, it seemed an exam was starting right off the bat!
With the sinking feeling of someone heading to a funeral, Lanqi raised his head slightly and scanned his surroundings, only to feel a jarring sense of alienation wash over him.
The students in this classroom varied wildly in appearance, each stranger than the last.
Every one bore bizarre, indescribable features: sharp horns, strange markings and exoskeletons across their skin, and some even had long, thin black tails.
In the aisles, two figures who looked like proctors paced methodically. They wore dark, neat, classical suits, yet enveloped in the metallic tang of blood and an aura of malice, they appeared profoundly sinister.
Things definitely did not look good.
Compared to the artificial Shadow Worlds he had experienced before—Winter's Hidden Flame and Infinite Phantom Gorge, which had relatively gentle themes—this real Shadow World was clearly in an entirely different league!
Before long, information regarding the Shadow World appeared before Lanqi's eyes.
These were prompts visible only to Shadow World challengers:
[Shadow World: Purgatory Corridor Academy]
[Tier: Tier 4]
[Number of Challengers: 6]
[Historical Background: This was once the darkest era for humanity. Humans were permitted only the daytime; by night, they were entirely the slaves of vampires. Yet there were those who, for the dignity of the human race, did not hesitate to shatter their own dignity. To reclaim the south shrouded by the blood moon, miracles were possible only by obtaining the power of demons. Thus, a mad plan was born: a group of humans underwent taboo surgeries in imperial testing grounds to disguise themselves as demons, crossed the northern frozen perils into the Demon Realm, and attempted to blend into demon society to learn demonic magic...]
[Mission Overview: You have infiltrated a Demon Realm academy that defies all human reason to gather intelligence. Tonight will be the most perilous night; you must strive to survive until morning.]
[Time Remaining: 11 hours, 59 minutes]
[Objective 1: Reach an academy exploration rate of over 60%. Current progress: 3%]
[Objective 2: Investigate and determine the source of tonight's danger.]
[Objective 3: At least one person must survive until the time expires. Currently alive: 6/6]
[Challengers Lanqi & Hyperion starting location: Exam hall. Exam duration: 2 hours. Subject: Demonic Magical Script.]
[Any form of cheating discovered by a proctor grants the proctor the authority to execute the candidate.]
[If a candidate's score is judged to be below 50 when the exam concludes, it will be deemed a failure, and the proctor will immediately carry out execution.]
[Early submission is permitted. Raise your hand if you require any assistance from the proctor.]
[Exam Time Remaining: 1 hour, 59 minutes]
With a thought, Lanqi dismissed the information panels, which functioned just like those in artificial Shadow Worlds, able to be hidden or summoned at will.
Yet after taking in the details of his first real Shadow World, his brow furrowed deeply.
*What the hell is Tier 4?*
Setting aside the nightmare scenario of starting with an exam, he was only Tier 2, and Hyperion was Tier 3. If the Shadow World had learned even basic arithmetic, there was no way in hell it should have matched them into a Tier 4 Shadow World!
Still, what Lanqi cared about more was that, according to the briefing, the Shadow World's mechanisms had temporarily disguised him as a demon.
*Does this ruin my good looks?*
Lanqi looked down at himself. Aside from the deep black uniform of Purgatory Corridor Academy, his joints were covered in exoskeletons that resembled white jade crystals, glowing with a soft luster.
Touching his head, he felt two horns, as expected. From the faint reflection on the ink bottle, his black hair and emerald-green eyes remained unchanged, while the horns and the markings on his face were pure white.
...
Meanwhile, on the Ikerite campus.
At five in the afternoon, the academy was steeped in profound tranquility. The setting sun had begun its slow descent toward the western horizon, casting its final golden-red hues over every corner of the grounds.
At Jera Memorial Square, not far from the academy entrance, groups of passing students were already enjoying their time after class, debating dinner options. Many others sat on the plaza steps, watching the rolling campus bulletins projected onto the giant open-air screen at the center of the square.
This open-air screen frequently broadcast live feeds of Shadow Worlds currently being challenged by students from the academy.
Because a Shadow World was itself the projection of a historical era, a live broadcast was often no less thrilling and unique than a blockbuster movie.
Students regularly gathered here to watch these live broadcasts.
It was a way to relax and enjoy life, as well as a learning opportunity.
Of course, plenty of students sitting on the steps simply chatted leisurely with friends about the lectures that had just ended, or quietly read books, lost in their own worlds.
"Huh? A new Tier 4 Shadow World?"
"It's a rare Demon history one, too..."
On the steps, a student murmured aloud.
This prompted many to look up toward the giant screen.
Since few students challenged a Shadow World on the very first day of the semester, any new challenge immediately stood out.
What's more, the broadcast displayed distinctly dark tones with a striking aesthetic.
"Wait... aren't those two freshmen?!"
Before long, a student noticed the "Challenger Information" section beneath the live feed and let out a shocked cry!
Chapter 45