Lanchi is Ready for His Debut

In the bustling heart of Iketerite Academy, a colossal building stood proudly.

This was the center of the entire campus, surrounded by the districts of the Four Great Departments.

The various classical and novel buildings throughout the academy, despite their unique charm, seemed slightly inferior when compared to this massive central structure.

It wasn't just because of its immense size, but also because its presence was completely different from everything around it.

Compared to the surrounding Gothic or Renaissance buildings that exuded a sense of history, this place looked more like a military fortress.

Its walls were deep blue, hard as iron, and surrounded by layers of powerful barrier spells, encircling the building with a soft golden light, forming visible magical protection barriers.

For the students, just sensing its presence from afar felt like an invisible pressure.

Only with proper identification, through the sole main entrance, and after several security checks, could one enter this building.

Around this barrier, many members of the Royal Knights Order in luxurious armor were patrolling.

They were not regular academy guards, but elite knights sent by the Hutton Kingdom. If anyone dared to force their way in, they would surely never return.

All of this was because inside this building was a Void Gate leading to the Shadow World.

To prevent cultists or lawless individuals from entering the Shadow World, all fixed Void Gates on the Southern Continent were defended and controlled with the highest intensity by the Shadow World Management Association and the Southern Continent United Council.

There were a total of five large Void Gates in the Hutton Kingdom where Lanchi was located, and one of them was in Iketerite Magic Academy.

Or rather, this academy was initially built around this gate, becoming a crucial research and study center with high combat power.

At this time, as the sun was setting.

Iketerite Academy was covered in a molten gold color, forming a tranquil and dreamy picture.

Lanchi and Hughberlian's figures passed through the security checks of this building, their shadows stretching long and straight across the wide road.

Until they finally stepped inside the building.

In the vast space before them, only an incredibly huge Void Gate stood.

Its appearance was strange and mysterious, yet beautiful like the art of a creator. Its frame was made of meteorite-like material, its surface smooth as a mirror, and its edges flowed with a glow like liquid starlight, its color constantly shifting between black-purple and silver-white.

The entire gate body flowed with a faint purple light, like the deepest light in the night sky, constantly flickering, appearing and disappearing, mysterious and unfathomable, as if countless stars were gently rotating in a vortex.

"What's the team name later?"

Hughberlian looked at the final security checkpoint and its workstation, and the empty hall, and said to Lanchi.

They only needed to register their Challenger License here and have the staff check their Shadow World Recording Program before heading to the Void Gate ahead for matchmaking challenges.

If they also wanted to use a "Team-Up Card" for a team challenge, they would also need to register the team name.

The "Team-Up Card" was another type of tool Magic Card, its full name being the Shadow World Synergy Program.

Lanchi thought for a moment and felt that this could be filled in casually.

So, based on the characteristics of their team of two.

"Let's just put Civilized Exemplar Squad," Lanchi replied.

Hughberlian hesitated, then finally nodded.

She felt like she had a lot to complain about, but decided against it.

Let him be happy...

Next, the two of them handed over their respective licenses and two types of tool magic cards each to the security counter, waiting for the staff to process their applications.

"After you enter the Void Gate later, the Shadow World side will automatically start matching suitable existing Shadow Worlds for challengers. This is beyond human control. Once you're in the matching state, don't just come out of the Void Gate casually, otherwise you might be separated. You should know that, right?"

The staff member, wearing a military uniform, registered them with a magic instrument while noticing that their challenge counts were both 0, so he briefly explained a couple of basic precautions.

"Understood."

Both of them nodded.

"Because there will also be many challengers from other ports around the world matching at the same time, if your tiers are low, you generally won't have to wait long."

The staff member operated the crystal screen of the magic instrument while also explaining common situations to the two.

Even though Lanchi and Hughberlian had some knowledge of these things, they still listened attentively.

In the real Shadow World, the lower the tier of the challenger, the easier it is to match successfully. After all, low-tier Shadow Worlds appear frequently and are numerous.

High-tier Shadow Worlds, on the other hand, tend to appear less frequently. Even if challengers are willing to fight, sometimes there are no Shadow Worlds available for them to challenge.

As for when the association detects a Calamity-Level Shadow World of Tier 7 or above, the Southern Continent United Council will issue a warning to various countries. Multiple countries will begin negotiations and dispatch the most capable and suitable challengers and teams.

The higher the level of the Shadow World, the more severe the disaster caused by failure.

If the real-world erosion caused by the failure of Tier 2 and Tier 3 Shadow Worlds is just a minor issue, then the failure of a Tier 7 or higher Shadow World will bring about a true large-scale calamity.

Therefore, any country or power treats high-tier Shadow Worlds with extreme caution.

This is also why high-tier challengers hold such esteemed status.

They not only have a voice in their own kingdom but also within the Southern Continent United Council!

As for having a fixed group of challengers enter the same Shadow World, there are two methods.

Either among the top challengers, due to their scarcity and the rarity of suitable Shadow Worlds, they will almost always be matched together if they enter simultaneously.

Or, another stable method is to carry a "Team-Up Card"—

Shadow World Synergy Program
Category: Spell Card
Grade: White Common
Attribute: Link
Tier: 1
Passive Effect: Will be matched into the same Shadow World with companions carrying the same numbered synergy program.
Notes: No. 891852279 Team-Up Card

This was the Team-Up Card that Lanchi and Hughberlian purchased at the service counter at the entrance.

Issued jointly by the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association and the Card Maker Association, it is a team-up tool card processed and replicated from the natural team-up function cards that originated from the birth of the Shadow World.

Generally, the more people in a team, the harder it is to match into a Shadow World, the longer the waiting time, and it also increases the difficulty compared to challenging individually.

However, if it's just a two-person team, the side effects are minimal.

"Alright, when you come out, just give me the Shadow World Recording Program to read again, and you can get your Challenger Licenses back and leave."

The staff member returned the two people's tool magic cards to them, and then the gate in front of them opened.

He waved his hand, signaling that the two could enter.

Lanchi and Hughberlian took the tool magic cards and thanked him, then walked towards the Void Gate.

There were hundreds of steps to cover, and the two didn't say much along the way until they arrived in front of the Void Gate.

"Are you ready?"

Lanchi turned his head and smiled at Hughberlian.

"Of course."

Hughberlian also nodded.

Completely different from the gates created by artificial Shadow World terminals, a real Void Gate is a bottomless black hole. Just getting close, you can feel an invisible pull, as if it wants to suck the visitor's soul into this endless unknown world.

However, Lanchi didn't hesitate and walked straight forward, stepping in as if passing through the surface of water.

Instantly, sound, sight, consciousness, and even time disappeared in that moment.

All that could be felt was the breath of the universe, the endless stars, and the bottomless void.

It was as if two worlds were weaving together, forming each other, and after everything was completely reversed, they finally arrived in a brand new world.

[The story where shadow and reality intertwine, today, is once again unraveled.]

Recommending a friend's book~ The protagonist transmigrated into Sentinel Prime, but instead of becoming the leader of the High Council, he started an uprising in the southern part of Cybertron and is currently fighting a civil war on Cybertron.