Inside Purgatory Corridor Academy, in a colossal classroom resembling an arena, dazzling spotlights illuminated the surrounding walls.
This classroom was not of a typical square design, but rather formed an elliptical indoor arena. The tiers of circular seating rose like spectator stands, with the final row nearly touching the ceiling.
Now, the fourth period was halfway through.
In the center of the arena, demons were locked in fierce combat.
In the back row of the spectator stands, a brother and sister sat waiting quietly.
[Time Remaining: 3 hours, 30 minutes]
[Mission Objective 1: Academy exploration rate exceeds 60%; current progress: 748%]
[...]
They were Silver-rank challengers from the Holy Church Research Society. Having previously suspected that someone from the demon race might have slipped in among the challengers, they were now silently watching the shifts in the Shadow World's mission objectives.
The number looked broken.
Back when the fourth period had just begun, the progress had been merely 40%. After that, it had started skyrocketing at an utterly absurd pace.
Granted, after exploring the school a bit, they had also realized that given the school's scale, fully exploring the teaching area alone would yield well over 100% exploration.
Even so, 100% should have been the theoretical limit calculated by the Shadow World for what all challengers could achieve within twelve hours under normal circumstances.
Yet what was happening now clearly defied all reason.
At present, the number was still ticking upward every few moments, constantly climbing!
The siblings had no idea what on earth was going on!
Everything had still been normal when the third period ended. From the changes in the exploration rate, it was easy to see that all three teams had cleared difficulty 3 classrooms, adding 18% in total.
Through their investigations over the previous periods, the siblings had also gathered a bit of intelligence: an uninvited guest would be inspecting the academy tonight, someone who seemed capable of making even senior teachers cower in dread.
What [Mission Objective 2: Source of Danger Tonight] referred to had to be this "Inspector."
As for the inspector's exact identity, their intention in coming, and how it connected to humans like them lurking in the Demon Academy, all three groups of challengers would need to rendezvous and exchange information before they could piece together the key to solving the mystery.
That was the correct mechanic for this Shadow World.
And yet.
No matter how the siblings left clues and secret signals between classes in an attempt to contact the other four challengers, the others showed not the slightest intention of meeting up with them!
In a Shadow World where everyone was scattered from the start with concealed identities, challengers had no way of knowing who was who without finding a way to make contact.
Under such circumstances, the correct challenge strategy was definitely to forfeit entering a classroom during the fourth period and do everything possible to find the other challengers to seek cooperation.
Yet just a moment ago, the school had issued an emergency new regulation:
[All students must return from the functional area to the teaching area and must enter a classroom during the fourth period without leaving. A large number of faculty members will begin patrolling the corridors. Any student discovered will first be driven into a classroom; anyone who still defies orders will be executed on the spot. Furthermore, all difficulty 3 classrooms will be closed during the fourth period.]
Such a ridiculous rule felt as though this Shadow World had suddenly accelerated into berserk mode!
Left with no choice, the siblings could only enter a difficulty 2 classroom for the time being to save their lives and endure another period.
"Brother, could someone's mistake have triggered the danger mechanic early...?"
The young girl's voice trembled, her hollow gaze seemingly searching for some glimmer of hope to grasp, but finding none.
"..."
The young man bit his lip, not knowing how to reply.
His heart was also filled with endless fear and anxiety, threatening to consume him entirely, but he knew that as an older brother, he could not add to his sister's panic.
"...Don't worry,"
the young man murmured under his breath, comforting her.
Ever since the first period, he had been observing the changes in exploration rate, using them to deduce what difficulty of classrooms the other teams had entered and when...
Two of the challengers had been methodically clearing classrooms in the teaching area, progressing at a pace similar to theirs, but they showed no intention whatsoever of joining forces. Their attitude was exceedingly bizarre, as though they didn't care at all whether the Shadow World was cleared.
As for the other two freeloaders, despite being capable of clearing difficulty 3, they hadn't entered a classroom for two full periods between the second and fourth periods! It seemed as though they had been running around aimlessly in the functional area the entire time, nowhere to be found!
"O Goddess... We haven't done anything wicked. Why were we brought to a demon academy like this...? If you are still willing to shelter us, please send someone to save us..."
The girl kept her head lowered, her trembling hands clasped tightly in prayer.
When a person was left with nothing to do but pray to a deity, they were virtually at the brink of utter despair.
Right then, the classroom doors were pushed open.
The click of the lock unlatching echoed across the classroom, sounding exceptionally piercing.
Next, a large contingent of demon teachers strode into the room. Their steps were steady, as if clearing the way for someone waiting behind the door.
Such a sudden intrusion instantly drew the attention of every demon student present, seeming to press the pause button on time itself.
Then, from behind the door, carrying the aura of a high-ranking leader, a black-haired, green-eyed Glow Demon walked in.
His footsteps paused slightly.
He cast a sweeping glance across the classroom.
"All right, send every student in this classroom to the Headmaster's Office."
The Glow Demon immediately ordered the teaching session inside the classroom terminated and commanded that all students be escorted to the Headmaster's Office.
It felt very much like sending prisoners of war off to a concentration camp.
In the back row, the young man and woman felt all hope vanish in an instant.
What was bound to come had finally arrived.
Yet they could not fathom how horribly mangled the mechanics of this entire Shadow World had become to provoke the Headmaster into coming in person to obliterate them!
The Glow Demon seemed to sense the uneasy atmosphere filling the entire classroom, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"Students, do not worry. The Headmaster's Office is safe and quite spacious. The school is currently facing a surprise inspection, and the curriculum of this classroom poses a risk of noncompliance, so I need you to step away temporarily. Once the fourth period concludes, you will return to campus, and the school will grant each of you three credit coins as compensation. I give you my word as Headmaster."
The Glow Demon raised his hand, gesturing for all the demon students to calm down, and spoke briskly.
Instantly, all the demon students fell quiet, their expressions even betraying astonishment at this unexpected stroke of good fortune.
Naturally, they had little reason to doubt the Headmaster's words.
With so many senior professors escorting this Headmaster, if he wanted to harm them, there was simply no need to make things so complicated.
In the back row, the brother and sister held their breath and exchanged a look, their lingering dread mingled with confusion.
Why did it feel like this Headmaster was helping them?
Even trying to protect them?
Yet no matter how they thought about it...
Of all people, the Headmaster of the Demon Academy—this Glow Demon—could never possibly help challengers!
With his unfathomable demeanor and supreme authority that commanded absolute deference from the immensely powerful demon teachers, he was unquestionably the most evil and terrifying arch-demon leading this Shadow World!
The school had to have run into some trouble of its own, skewing the Shadow World's progression just right to grant them a slim chance at a turn of fortune.
Baffling though the Shadow World's mechanics grew by the second...
For the two siblings right now, a faint glimmer of survival seemed to have appeared!
Chapter 73