At the same time, at Ikelite Magic Academy.
Vice Principal Ron had originally been teaching in the academic building, but after receiving the emergency message, he immediately announced that class would end early and hurried to the Conference Room in the Sage Institute Main Building.
He pushed open the heavy door.
Although the Conference Room's decorations were in soft hues, the tense atmosphere seemed to have solidified within the enclosed space. Every teacher wore an especially solemn expression, their eyes fixed tightly on the screen in the center of the Conference Room.
"Loren, how are they doing?"
Vice Principal Ron sat down beside Dean Loren and asked anxiously.
Ron had originally thought that a Tier 2 Shadow World would pose no challenge at all to Lanchi and Hughberlian. Even a Tier 3 Shadow World should probably be manageable for them.
After all, with the two of them forming a team at their ranks, they would either enter a more difficult Tier 2 Shadow World or an easier Tier 3 Shadow World.
However, Ron had never imagined that these two complete newcomers would be dragged into a Tier 4 Shadow World with an extraordinarily perilous background on their very first challenge—
The Demon Kingdom of an unknown time and space was absolutely not a place where ordinary humans could survive.
There were two possibilities when one was matched with a Shadow World far above their own tier.
The first was simply having terrible luck and triggering a low-probability event. However, in that case, the other teammates were often stronger than average.
The second was that a violation had occurred: a high-tier challenger had deliberately teamed up with a low-tier challenger, intending to completely crush a low-tier Shadow World and interfere with the Shadow World's normal matching mechanism.
"...Generally speaking, this would already count as a serious accident. But if it's those two, they may not necessarily be incompatible with this Shadow World."
Dean Loren of the Sage Institute stared at the Magic Screen in the center of the Conference Room. The images being broadcast by the Magic Engineering Institute made him mutter thoughtfully.
Vice Principal Ron nodded at this.
He more or less understood what Loren meant. It was just that, as the dean, Loren could only express certain things tactfully.
Most challengers, especially those below Platinum Tier who lacked sufficient experience, would be unable to perform normally upon entering an extremely dangerous Shadow World. The abnormal environment, bizarre rules, and excessively bloody and insane historical scenes would greatly impair both their judgment and their state of mind.
But there were also those who could better display their "talents that were difficult to bring out in the Real World" the crazier the Shadow World became.
The Demon Kingdom had no human laws.
Once Lanchi cast off the restraints of the law...
They did not really know how to evaluate him.
Within the area belonging to the Sage Institute stood a small loft designed like a library.
Tall, gorgeous carved bookshelves extended along the walls to the ceiling like the ramparts of an ancient castle.
On the second floor of the building, there was also an independent Magic Screen. It could even actively select a scene from among the rotating broadcasts.
"Hahaha, Mo Dan, you got played by an idiot today!"
A young woman in a black dress sat in the main seat, watching the scene on the screen. She laughed so hard that she covered her stomach and kicked her legs.
This was the building owned by their team, as well as the school's one-of-a-kind activity venue licensed exclusively to them.
Although Mo Dan was a Gold Tier challenger and the leader of this team,
It was obvious at a glance who the real boss was here.
The woman in the long black gauze dress was a fourth-year Platinum Tier student. Her power and lofty status surpassed those of the vast majority of teachers.
"Yeah. Looks like we won't be seeing him again after this."
Marquis Young Master Modan Gasigas had originally looked somewhat gloomy, but his expression had now relaxed considerably.
"Still, you should prepare yourself for the possibility that he isn't an idiot, you know?"
Inside an independent laboratory belonging to the Magic Engineering Institute, the spacious and bright design was exceptionally refined. White and gray dominated the color scheme, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and focus.
The lighting from the high ceiling was evenly distributed across every corner. Magic Screens were embedded throughout the circular walls, displaying all kinds of data and information.
Various oddly shaped workbenches were scattered throughout the laboratory, with Magic Artisans studying intently at them.
"No way. Is that the kid Princess Vivian mentioned? The Sage Institute's top student this year?"
In the distance.
Having heard the voice of his companion standing before the Magic Screen,
A handsome young man in work clothes and heavy protective gloves was repairing a magical device. He lifted his goggles and looked toward the scene on the screen.
"Good thing we didn't recruit him."
A girl beside him, wearing a different style of uniform from the Magic Engineering Institute, spoke up.
Unlike the young man, she wore a Card Maker Association Silver Tier registered card maker's badge at her collar.
"I heard this kid's thought process is different from ordinary people's. Maybe he did it deliberately."
The young man scratched his head in confusion and muttered to himself.
Girl: "But..."
The scene in the Demon Examination Hall, where the mechanism had now been completely destroyed, looked like an inescapable dead end no matter how one viewed it.
"You still don't get it?"
The young man removed his gloves, put down the tool in his hand, and sat on the table. He looked at the Magic Screen and spoke thoughtfully.
He had the same pale golden hair as Princess Vivian of Hutton, but his appearance was extremely plain and unassuming. His clothes looked just like those of an ordinary commoner.
Normally, unless he was returning to the royal palace, he dressed like this.
As a result, people often failed to realize that he was actually a prince, merely finding his bearing extraordinary.
Girl: "Did you figure out something?"
Young man: "I don't really get it either."
"..."
The girl said nothing more. She simply stood to one side, folded her arms, and turned her head away.
If beating up royalty would not cause trouble, she would have already done it.
The Dormitory Building of the Knight Institute.
Some students who had just finished a full day of study gradually emerged from the corridors and stairwell entrances and hurried through the lobby. Some looked refreshed, while others wore exhausted expressions.
It was approaching both the end of classes and dinnertime, and there were noticeably more people in the corridors than in the afternoon.
"Hurry to Jella Memorial Square. If we go any later, the steps will be full."
"I never expected the Sage Institute to have a complete meathead too."
Not far away.
At the door of a dormitory around the corner of the first-floor corridor, a student with grayish-white hair wore his sunglasses cockily halfway down his nose. Two nails were clenched between his teeth as he fixed a plaque bearing the words Frei Detective Agency beside his dormitory door.
The students passing by who happened to notice Frei all looked slightly surprised.
Leaving aside the question of why there was a detective agency at the school—
The Knight Institute—why did it have a detective?
But when the passing freshmen saw that it was the white-haired, violet-eyed man with the explosive physical presence of a wild wolf, they no longer found it strange.
"..."
Frei stared at the plaque and pondered in silence.
He did not know what had suddenly happened at the school to make things unusually rowdy that evening.
Since a moment ago, he had already heard several students put their books back in their dormitories before running outside, saying similar things.
"Whatever. I'll go take a look later."
Frei continued concentrating on the task before him and spoke.
Before you continue