Dekan Encounters Ruffians

Scattered footsteps echoed through the silent corridor.

Two figures were sprinting down the hallway, paying no mind to the thunderous roar and the shockwave of air erupting behind them.

After triggering a wave of ambushes, Dekan and Cornelia chose to flee rather than press their attack.

The trio of [Hydrogen Explosion], [Hypnosis Gas], and [Venomous Ground Spikes] had long since been equipped by Dekan for Cornelia as well.

These three cards were essential spell cards for home, travel, and killing for loot.

Of course, this time, their only goal was to create a massive commotion and secure an opportunity to put some distance between them and their pursuers.

"Dekan, what do we do now?"

Cornelia had set Dekan down and asked from his side.

"We stall for time first. It would be best if we could locate The Dean; a Tier 5 Challenger is far more difficult to deal with than a Tier 5 Demon."

Even Dekan's expression was uncharacteristically grave.

While there was endless joy in fighting against people, their previous PvE difficulty had only been Tier 4.

The upcoming PvP difficulty, however, was Tier 5.

"Cornelia, you must not underestimate them. Those demons had to follow the rules and couldn't use magic cards."

"But these despicable Challengers are different; there's no telling what kind of underhanded cards they might have up their sleeves."

"We just need to do our best to stall until The Dean appears."

Listening to Dekan's words, Cornelia nodded.

Although she was a martial fighter, she trusted Dekan's judgment implicitly.

Furthermore, Dekan could ensure this school never ended its class, and they still had plenty of Demon Passes on hand.

Dekan remained confident regarding the number of Demon Passes they possessed.

Sometimes, students still had to rely on their teachers.

However, just as they drew closer to the light at the corner ahead, a shadow like a black snake raced silently toward them from behind.

It then dove into Dekan's shadow as if plunging into a pool of water and vanished.

Suddenly, Dekan's figure stalled, unable to move, forced to freeze in his tracks.

The sensation was as if he had been bound by shadows, completely immobilized.

Soon, he managed to break free from the restraint and regained his mobility.

It was just that his legs felt as if they had been filled with lead, making it difficult to even take a step.

"Who the hell uses this card?!"

Dekan roared in anger.

He had a rough idea of which card this annoying effect belonged to.

He had studied most of the infamous, disgusting spell cards in books.

What he had been hit with was the Tier 5 spell, Shadow Tracker.

[Shadow Tracker]

[Category: Spell Card]

[Rarity: Purple Rare]

[Tier: 5]

[Effect: Searches for targets within a 200-meter radius, locks onto and imprisons them, then applies a slow status. The duration of the control effect depends on the difference in attributes between the two parties.]

[Note: A creation of Archbishop Minos of the Resurrection Church.]

This card was a useless piece of junk when used against someone stronger than oneself.

It consumed a large amount of mana, the control duration was short, and it could be easily purged by a Tier 5 spell.

But when used to bully those weaker than oneself, it could only be described as disgusting to the extreme!

The Prey that was targeted could almost never escape!

"If it weren't for my tier being too low, I'd show you a Shadow Tracker Plus!!!"

Dekan was now certain of the opponent's nature.

They were clearly habitual offenders who hunted the weak in the Shadow World.

"It looks like we can't run anymore."

Cornelia looked at Dekan and said.

"That's why I really hate fighting people, especially those who use these underhanded cards."

Dekan let out a deep sigh, turned around, and looked toward the depths of the dim corridor with a stern expression.

Cornelia also equipped the [Terror Warhammer] and [Cursed Soft Armor], cast a series of body-strengthening spell cards on herself, and stepped forward to stand in front of Dekan.

[Cursed Soft Armor]

[Category: Equipment Card]

[Rarity: Purple Rare]

[Tier: 2]

[Effect: When taking damage, transmit 200% of the pain sensation to the source of the damage.]

[Note: A new release from the cutting-edge card creator Dekan, part of the Autumn Curse series.]

"Are Dekan and Cornelia really this unlucky? It's bad enough they entered a Tier 4 Shadow World, but how did they run into this kind of enemy!"

Although Dekan and Cornelia had performed with ease previously, the students in the Observation Hall could not help but start to show concern.

Those who would attack other challengers within a Shadow World were heinous criminals.

They were adept at disguising their identities to battle other challengers.

Furthermore, because they had long been hunting challengers and plundering Magic Cards, their strength was never weak.

The most critical point was that they enjoyed infiltrating lower-tier Shadow Worlds and were well-versed in the art of slacking off.

"Wait, those four eerie masks..."

An upperclassman gripped his chin, his brow furrowed as he watched the bandage-wrapped man and the four giant masks circling him on the screen.

Soon, new information appeared on the display.

[Information match rate 97%, equipment identified as Evil Spirit Mask, card user is B-rank wanted criminal Faceless One, elite member of the Resurrection Church.]

[Evil Spirit Mask]

[Category: Equipment Card]

[Rarity: Orange Epic]

[Tier: 5]

[Effect: Provides the wearer with a massive shield that regenerates automatically, and reflects 25% of damage taken back to the source.]

[Note: Feel the pain.]

"It really is those bastards from the [Resurrection Church]!"

"Resurrection Church?"

Some freshmen seemed confused by these words, as they had not yet truly come into contact with the Shadow World.

"They're a bona fide cult! Their doctrine claims they want to bring about the rebirth of this world after a natural disaster; they believe that with fewer people, the world's resources will be abundant, making everyone happier!"

"In reality, they're just a bunch of lunatics addicted to plundering!"

When mentioning the Resurrection Church, many upperclassmen and teachers began to gnash their teeth.

"Then why don't they just attack their teammates from the start and cause the Shadow World mission to fail?"

"The Resurrection Church is said to be divided into two factions, which the [Kingdom Association] calls the Hawk Faction and the Dog Faction. Their goals are both plunder and destruction to trigger natural disasters. The only difference is that the Hawk Faction prefers to plunder resources, while the Dog Faction pursues extreme destruction."

"So, the Hawk Faction will actively clear the Shadow World and appear no different from normal people at first, but when they are close to clearing it, they will find an opportunity to kill and steal cards."

"The Dog Faction will directly sabotage the Shadow World, even hindering the mission from the start, while also looking for opportunities to kill teammates and steal their cards."

"Anyway, as long as it's someone from the Resurrection Church, beat them to death if you encounter them! It's not against the law!"

If the Shadow World brought natural disasters, then the Resurrection Church was truly a man-made catastrophe!

They loved to let exhausted challengers die in despair, stealing their cards and even torturing them.

Even if the upperclassmen hadn't personally encountered Resurrection Cultists, they had acquaintances who had been harassed by them.

Some had even lost their lives because of the Resurrection Cultists.

Towards the Resurrection Church, they felt both hatred and fear.

For a moment, the entire Observation Hall fell silent.

The students held their breath, focusing intently on the movements of Dekan and Cornelia.

Even though Dekan and Cornelia had previously committed many acts of torture against demons, there was no one in the Observation Hall who wasn't worried for them now.

The known intelligence on the Faceless One was displayed on the screen one by one.

A Tier 5 Summoner with high stamina and high spirit.

Summoners were inherently the most stable profession for bullying the weak, and the Faceless One's deck was specifically configured for hunting down the vulnerable.

His spell cards were primarily chosen for disguise and tracking, his equipment cards for self-preservation, and he used a massive number of summon cards to achieve suppression.

Many upperclassmen knew in their hearts—Dekan and Cornelia were in grave danger.

As a Tier 2, Dekan could only carry a total of 20 tiers worth of cards into the Shadow World.

The cards he carried had basically been seen by everyone in the Observation Hall during the course of the mission.

With the cards the two of them currently had, the probability of defeating the Faceless One was approaching zero.

The gap in rank is too vast, and besides, the Faceless One... is a king of torture who is absolutely shameless!

He will never give Dekan a chance to win with a single strike!

"I can only pray that Dekan still has a backup plan."

"To be honest, I suspected Dekan was with the Resurrection Church at first, because his methods are even more extreme than the Resurrection Cultists... but now, I just hope Dekan can be even more inhuman and finish this villain off!"

"Go for it! Dekan! Cornelia!"