Chapter 1 The Beginning

The sky at dawn was still a bluish-gray, with a few lonely stars hanging on the curtain, as if reluctant to leave.

The entire Icrete Academy was still asleep, in complete silence.

The fog was heavy today, the air moist and fresh.

The three members of the Civilization Exemplar Team had already gathered as agreed, enjoying breakfast before strolling leisurely along the wide, twilight-filled paths of the campus, as if taking a walk.

"This time, the three of us will be tearing it up."

"...You two tear it up, I'll cheer you on."

"Hyperion, you have to protect me, Frey won't!"

The three of them didn't seem to dislike the silent campus and fresh air at five in the morning.

In the past month or so, the newly joined Frey had become a fairly tacit partner with Lanqi and Hyperion.

Although Lanqi and Hyperion spent more time together on days when they had classes at the Sage's Academy, they could likely find Frey if they went to the Student Council room after class.

Sometimes Frey would sit on the sofa reading periodicals, sometimes he would play chess with the president, and sometimes he would disappear without a trace.

Lanqi always said with a smile that their team had finally assembled the classic warrior-mage-priest trinity.

But Hyperion felt that the three of them were more like a rogue-hunter-shaman combo.

She herself had now become a stealth-based functional rogue.

Frey's combat job was neither a tank warrior nor an assassin warrior, but actually a trap-laying hunter.

And Lanqi, that inhuman thing, just summoned a few disgusting aura summons and stood there, like a shaman.

Hyperion still thought it was a miracle that the three of them could cooperate to fight in the Shadow World.

As for school affairs, whenever President Monas entrusted them with something to handle, Hyperion would first explain the Student Council's intentions to the other party like a bank clerk.

Generally, at this stage, most lower-grade students would cooperate very amicably when they saw Lanqi and Frey standing not far away.

As for the more individualistic students who still refused to cooperate, Hyperion would maintain a certain distance and leave it to Lanqi and Frey to communicate.

So far, the three of them had not received any complaints or negative reviews about their work.

The president also said that they were very normal.

But Hyperion didn't know why, rumors of a "Capital Bully Trio" had already appeared in the academy...

Two months passed quietly after entering the academy, and now it was November.

In the deep autumn morning, the air was filled with chill, as if all the heat had been frozen by the winter's outpost.

Although today was Friday, and should have been a school day, there were few active figures on campus due to the early hour.

Occasionally, one or two school workers could be seen, as well as some strange students carrying various party and camping equipment towards the Gerald Memorial Square.

This made the three of them look at each other, full of confusion.

The three soon arrived at the very heart of Icrete Academy—

Even in the early morning, the cube-shaped deep-blue iron walls of the Void Gate, locked by layers of powerful barrier techniques, still gave off a sense of isolation like a heavily guarded area, and the members of the Royal Knights Regiment on duty were still patrolling, on high alert.

The three arrived at the first security checkpoint at the entrance, and passed through the only main entrance with their student wristbands and registered Challenger licenses, followed by another series of security checks.

"In two days, the Arollan Academy's academic delegation will arrive at our academy for a two-week academic exchange," Lanqi said softly in the corridor, his voice echoing in the empty and solemn environment.

"I wonder how long we'll be staying in the Shadow World."

He continued, a look of guilt in his eyes, as if regretting that he couldn't contribute to the upcoming academic visit.

Although the president had told them to focus on conquering the Shadow World and not worry about the Student Council's affairs, Lanqi still kept the harmony and stability of the campus in mind.

When the three of them went to the Shadow World, the Student Council would seemingly maintain a minimum of three people in attendance, with the secretary returning to the Student Council to work overtime.

The president and secretary were clerical staff from the Alchemy Academy, and did not need to challenge the Shadow World, while the vice president, Asuna, was a very powerful mental mage, but her rank was too far apart from the three freshmen to team up.

However, she said that she couldn't keep up with the pace of the three of them, and even if her rank reached within two tiers in the future, it wouldn't be suitable to team up together, as she was more accustomed to cooperating with the president.

Frey also nodded at Lanqi's exclamation.

"If it's a Shadow World that can be completed in one day like the last time for you two, we can come back to the Student Council to help the president after resting for a day."

He replied in a calm tone, then smiled, seemingly also hoping to help the president.

The duration of the Shadow World was always hard to say.

Although the duration of the Shadow World was generally positively correlated with the tier of the Shadow World, the range of fluctuation was also very large.

"We will most likely be able to come back sooner, you two don't have to worry," Hyperion said, listening to the two of them, originally intending not to comment, but finally sighed helplessly.

She really hoped that the Shadow World would take a little longer.

Lanqi and Frey, these two Crouching Dragons and Phoenix Chicks, absolutely could not represent the average or normal level of the Hutton Kingdom and Icrete Academy.

Letting the two of them return to the real world as Student Council members to handle some official affairs related to the Arollan Kingdom Academy's academic visiting team, Hyperion was very worried that it would lead international friends from the Arollan Kingdom to misunderstand the current national quality of the Hutton Kingdom.

Moreover, Hyperion, who had always been the most human one, would be inexplicably implicated every time! Her already precarious reputation was now diving towards the inhuman!

Under the lights, the shadows of the three people stretched straight down the silent aisle until they finally stepped into the interior of the building.

In the distance, the mirror surface of the giant door leading to another Shadow World still swirled with a deep starlight.

"Frey, did you bring our Civilization Exemplar Team's team card?" Lanqi asked their new teammate Frey, looking at the last checkpoint and workbench ahead, and also at the empty hall in the early morning.

They only needed to register their Challenger licenses here and have the staff check the wearing status of the *Shadow World Recording Program*, and then they could go to the Void Gate ahead to challenge the matching.

If they also wanted to use the *Shadow World Collaboration Program* for team challenges, they would also need to register the team information.

"No problem." Frey took out the Civilization Exemplar Team's team card, a confident smile on his lips.

Although it was his first time challenging the real Shadow World, he didn't look like a novice at all.

Subsequently, the three of them handed over their respective licenses and two tool magic cards to the personnel at the checkpoint workbench, and waited for the staff of the South Continent Shadow World Management Association to complete the registration procedures for them.

Because after teaming up, there would be a relationship of trust and cooperation, and the overall strength generated by the team was bound to be much stronger than strangers matched separately, so with the increase in the number of team members, the challenge would also surge compared to challenging separately as a single person.

"Okay, give me the *Shadow World Recording Program* to read again when you come out, and you can get your Challenger licenses back," the young female staff member said with a smile, returning the three students' tool magic cards to these three diligent and high-spirited students, and then the gate in front of them opened.

The three thanked her, took back their tool magic cards, and then walked straight towards the direction of the Void Gate.

The distance was about a hundred steps, and they chatted and laughed easily until they came to the door leading to the void.

The Void Gate was like a bottomless black hole, and just standing in front of it, one could feel an invisible pulling force, as if it wanted to suck all approaching creatures into this endless unknown world.

"Partners, are you ready?" Lanqi raised his hand and stretched, asking Hyperion and Frey.

"With you here, I'm not afraid," Hyperion said with a smile, no longer having the fear and apprehension hidden in her heart when she first entered the Shadow World.

"I can't wait." This Void Gate seemed to excite Frey as much as the entrance to the Icrete Crown Casino.

Along with the words, they passed through the Void Gate, like a surface of water.

Then came a total darkness that lost all sense, and nothing could be seen, not even the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.

It was as if countless gears were rotating in a staggered manner, and the roar produced echoed in this dark space.

[Blood Moon Ruin World, two-fourths node "Beginning of the Ritual" historical projection has been untied.]

(End of this chapter)