With the performance over, the theater's illumination had dimmed. The stage lights slowly contracted, leaving behind only lingering halos of light that hovered across the stage—mysterious, turbulent, and intoxicating.
After a moment's thought, Lanqi decided to take this opportunity to inquire further from the Music Department Director.
However, Lanqi could not interrogate the director directly about whether something unusual was happening at the academy the way he had questioned Bachel.
He had no desire to recklessly arouse the Music Department Director's suspicions.
So he settled on a perfectly reasonable phrasing:
"By the way, Director, when will the Headmaster be coming back?"
"Hard to say. A few days ago, right after a high-level meeting at the school, the Headmaster left for the Demon Realm Education Department. Don't worry, though; the academy can operate as normal. Aside from matters that strictly require the Headmaster's signature and seal, the Vice Headmaster can handle everything," the director replied, shaking his head.
"A high-level meeting? Has something happened at the school?" Lanqi muttered, seemingly without the slightest intention of prying—just out of simple curiosity.
"Whenever they hold one of those high-level meetings with only the Headmaster, Vice Headmaster, and a few senior professors, there's bound to be some sort of trouble. But don't dwell on it. It's out of our hands. And don't worry too much, either. This is a prestigious academy with several great demon alumni. As long as we follow the rules, not even the Education Department would dare act recklessly."
Those powerful figures who could be hailed as great demons in the Demon Realm were at least Tier 8 or above. Every single one possessed a pivotal status in the Demon Realm.
The director couldn't say for sure whether the radiant demon before him might one day grow into a great demon bearing a unique, renowned epithet.
"I see, I see," Lanqi nodded repeatedly.
Lanqi felt that the "danger tonight" mentioned in Objective 2 was in all likelihood linked to the agenda of that high-level meeting.
However...
To obtain more crucial clues, he would likely have to get them from Difficulty 3 classrooms staffed by higher-ranking instructors.
Furthermore, relying solely on Lanqi and Hyperion's two-person squad would probably not be enough. They would also need to exchange and share intelligence with the other four challengers to uncover the truth of that difficult task, Objective 2—which was where the real challenge of this Tier 4 Shadow World lay.
Of course, another walkthrough path seemed to have unexpectedly presented itself to Lanqi:
If he could climb into the school's upper management, perhaps he could bypass all the tedious puzzle-solving steps entirely.
Unfortunately, he could only remain in this academy for another ten hours.
Taking this unconventional progression route via promotions would be a bit difficult.
***
Lanqi chatted a bit more with the Music Department Director, then glanced back toward Hyperion in the auditorium.
"Hyperion, it's your turn to perform!"
Lanqi waved his hand, inviting Hyperion to step into this sanctuary of music and begin her performance.
"Coming," Hyperion said in a low voice.
She slowly rose from her seat, straightened her back, and resolutely hurried through this musical hell wrought by Lanqi.
Even though the music in the classroom remained terrifying, relentlessly battering her eardrums and tearing at her nerves, Hyperion realized that she had somehow found a strange balance amidst the endless agony.
She was even astonished to discover that Lanqi's drill-sergeant-like ordeal in this room seemed to have built up her resistance to melody magic!
Meanwhile, up on the stage, the Music Department Director resumed presiding over the performance evaluation.
He no longer wanted to endure any more of Lanqi's antics; his only wish was to see Lanqi off as quickly as possible.
Only this time, because the classroom's overall situation had undergone a drastic upheaval and the number of music mentors had expanded to five, he needed to explain the new state of affairs to Hyperion, who was still able to perform.
Now, the entire classroom had fallen into an automated loop mode.
The Slumbering Phantom, constantly alternating between passing out and waking up, would count as approving no matter what a student performed, because he would unfailingly fall asleep mid-performance.
And as a music mentor, Lanqi had already made it clear to the director that his musical philosophy was one of great love and inclusivity; no matter the form of art, he would show it due respect.
In other words, as long as a student could make a sound on stage, Lanqi would grant his approval.
Therefore, two music mentors' approvals were now guaranteed.
And so, a new phase began.
Hyperion stepped onto the stage, which was enveloped by the hellish shrieks of the audience.
Standing there under the immense pressure bearing down from the auditorium, she gritted her teeth and sang.
"Your singing is truly wonderful! An absolute heavenly melody!"
After a flurry of brazenly insincere praise from Lanqi, Hyperion successfully passed the evaluation.
"?!"
Hyperion had no idea how Lanqi could utter such words against his conscience.
With a sullen, deadpan face, she returned to the auditorium and dragged Bachel onto the stage, leaving him up there to howl deliriously like someone having a seizure for two minutes.
"Flawless! Nothing short of perfection!"
Under the glowing praise of Lanqi, the only conscious judge, Bachel likewise passed.
Bachel himself had no clue how he had qualified.
***
The agonizing final dozen or so minutes elapsed.
The Demon King's Bestowed Theater, enshrouded in hellish music, finally concluded its first class.
The chime of an ancient bell signaling the break between periods rang out, sounding as though it could penetrate the very walls of Purgatory Corridor Academy, echoing through the empty corridors and every classroom.
This was the first thirty-minute break.
Curiously, despite class having just ended, the spacious corridor was completely devoid of students.
A moment later, three students finally emerged from behind the heavy doors.
Only three students had survived the classroom known as the Demon King's Bestowed Theater on Corridor G24.
And one of them had been dragged out like a corpse.
***
Meanwhile, on Corridor F13.
[Time Remaining: 9 hours, 59 minutes]
[Objective 1: Achieve an academy exploration rate of over 60%. Current progress: 10%]
[...]
A young man frowned as he stared at the 10% progress mark.
"Logically speaking, entering a classroom with one mark on the door should add 1%, and the moment we cleared it, it added another 1%."
"Which means we contributed 2% to the exploration rate."
"Why has it already reached 10%?"
He muttered to himself, utterly baffled.
Could it be that the other two teams contributed 4% each, and only theirs lagged behind?
Or... had a single team directly contributed 6%...?
"Brother, could an exceptional figure have been matched with us?"
The young girl beside him, who looked as if she were in the midst of prayer and penance, finally raised her eyes to look at him and asked.
"..."
The young man pressed his lips together and shook his head.
"Even among Tier 4 Shadow Worlds, an absurd evil-themed scenario like this is of the most dangerous variety. Normal humans couldn't possibly adapt to the ethics and rules of the ancient Demon Realm... Even among Gold-rank challengers, practically no one specializes in demon Shadow Worlds."
And as Silver-rank challengers from the Holy Church Research Society, associating with demons was all the more intolerable to them. Disguising themselves as demons and mimicking demonic behavior was sheer torment for their hearts and souls.
As she listened, the girl took a deep breath, seemingly growing frightened.
"Could it be... an actual demon has snuck into the challengers?"
Chapter 60