The sound of chatting, pages turning, and chairs lightly bumping together blended into a subtle harmony.
Though sowhat noisy, it carried a comforting presence—a vivid reflection of real life.
At the back of the classroom.
Huberian remained silent.
Conflicting emotions intertwined within her.
Her gaze wavered between the teacher’s desk and the exit, fingers gently pinching the pages of her book.
The scale in her heart was tipping back and forth.
“Lance, usually before challenging the Shadow Realm, you need all sorts of preparations.”
Finally, Huberian cald herself, speaking in a voice as soft as a flowing stream.
“And of course, you also need to carefully consider whether your teammates are a good fit.”
Not to ntion running more drills, confirming your teammates are trustworthy...
In short, setting off imdiately was too abrupt, too impulsive...
“How about we wait a few days? Please think it over.”
Huberian’s voice grew lower and lower.
Maybe by tomorrow, Lance would learn from Mordan or soone else about her Demon Clan identity.
Then, he would see her true self.
And then.
He could back out as promised and make a better decision.
That might actually be the best outco for Lance.
Lance watched Huberian hesitate, gradually showing signs of retreat.
It was as if he could see right through her heart.
Her real answer was—
She needed a teammate more decisive than herself to make the choice for her.
“Huberian, sotis what seems like careful planning is just endless procrastination until you give up altogether.”
Lance grinned. Now that he had a valid excuse to skip class, all traces of exhaustion vanished from him, and even his voice brimd with energy.
“If we don’t set off now, we’ll never set sail! So trust —let’s go.”
Lance’s voice was clear and bright as he stood up, looking at Huberian.
He could hardly wait to take her along on this extraordinary journey.
At that mont.
The sky, on the verge of turning to sunset, was tinged with a faint pink—almost like the colors of dawn.
The floor-to-ceiling windows of the classroom remained as calm as the sea, reflecting their silhouettes.
Lance’s words, like a small boat, sliced through the stormy waves in her heart, echoing again and again.
Huberian stared into Lance’s clear, resolute erald-green eyes.
The emotions in her own gaze could no longer hide the undeniable spark of excitent.
It seed she had finally made up her mind.
“We’re going.”
With a crisp and determined voice, Huberian stood up as well, quickly following Lance toward the classroom exit.
—
Because of their departure, the originally lively classroom felt as though a stone had been thrown into a pond, sending ripples through the atmosphere.
In an instant, all noise disappeared into silence.
All eyes locked onto the two students who had decisively fled just as class was about to start, following their figures until they vanished from sight.
A mixture of shock and curiosity spread through the room.
Then, like a tidal wave, the buzzing of voices surged again!
The entire classroom erupted into heated discussion!
“What are they up to?”
“Skipping class for a date?”
So students gossiped intently, while others gathered in small groups, discussing with excitent in their eyes.
Even a few who had been quietly reading set their books aside to join the growing conversation.
“I just heard them say they were going to challenge the Shadow Realm…”
A student, still in disbelief, murmured in recollection.
The statent caused the surrounding chatter to quiet down significantly.
It drew many eyes.
“No way? First day of school, and they’re heading into the Shadow Realm? You must’ve misheard. They’re obviously just using that as an excuse to sneak off on a date.”
“I swear, they really said they were going to challenge the Shadow Realm.”
“Just the two of them?”
“Just the two of them.”
“…Huh???”
In an instant, tension spread through the classroom.
All eyes focused on the students who had confird Lance and Huberian’s conversation.
Then, a flood of chaotic voices filled the air.
At Ikrit Academy, it was practically unheard of for two freshn to form a team and dive into the real Shadow Realm on the first day of school!
After all, most first-years didn’t even have a challenger’s license yet.
Even the top-tier newcors who entered with an Iron-tier challenger’s license usually made their debut alongside upperclassn.
Because this wasn’t just so speedrun or a aningless achievent.
It was a life-or-death challenge where you staked your very soul!
“If—and I an if—they really passed the third-round exam purely on skill, without relying on the rumored ‘luck factor,’ then… could they actually handle a real Tier 2 Shadow Realm with zero experience?”
“Hard to say. So Tier 2 Shadow Realms are extrely dangerous, while so Tier 3 Shadow Realms can be relatively safe. It all depends on luck.”
“There are so Shadow Realms where the corresponding tiline and historical scenario are inherently dangerous. In cases like that, even if a challenger is ranked higher than the Shadow Realm itself, mass casualties can still occur.”
As the students fervently debated, Vice Dean Roan entered the classroom, carrying a thick, ancient to.
Today’s last class, Magical Detection and Concealnt, was to be taught by him personally.
Vice Dean Roan set the book down on the lectern and scanned the room.
The atmosphere felt… unusually lively.
These new students were acting like it was a festival.
Even now, they couldn’t stop discussing sothing amongst themselves.
Soon, the students gradually quieted down, shifting their attention to the vice dean.
But at that mont, Vice Dean Roan couldn’t help but notice sothing odd.
Why did they all have that wanting-to-say-sothing-but-holding-back look?
It was as if they wanted to tell him sothing very important but weren’t sure if they should.
“What’s going on?”
Vice Dean Roan looked at the students in the front row and asked.
“…Two people ran off to challenge the Shadow Realm.”
The student he stared at mumbled in response.
Roan swept his gaze across the room.
He didn’t even need to ask who those two were.
Because the two students he’d been keeping an eye on—Lance and Huberian—were nowhere to be seen.
He pressed his fingers against his temple, his expression becoming rather complicated.
If it were any other students running off to the real Shadow Realm on the first day, he would already be in a state of ergency, probably even calling for an urgent faculty eting.
But since it was Lance and Huberian…
The nature of the issue beca a little different.
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