013 Dekan Prepares for His Debut
At the center of the academy.
It was the very center, surrounded by the buildings of the four major departments.
There stood a colossal structure.
Its style was somewhat unique.
Compared to the other school buildings that exuded an academic atmosphere, this place resembled more of a military stronghold.
The building was surrounded by high-level barriers, and Knights from the kingdom stood guard.
Because within this building, there was a “Gate” leading to the Shadow World.
The Norton Kingdom, where Dekan resided, had three Shadow World connection points, one of which was inside the Hevenlit Magic Academy.
Once entering the “Gate,” the Shadow World would automatically begin matching suitable existing Shadow Worlds for the Challenger. Typically, it didn’t take long to find a match.
There were other portals across the world where others could also be matched at the same time.
The lower the rank of the Challenger, the easier it was to succeed in matching, as low-level Shadow Worlds appeared frequently and had many participants.
However, high-level Shadow Worlds appeared less often, and sometimes even if there were willing Challengers, there might not be a Shadow World available for them.
If a seventh-rank Shadow World or higher appeared, it would lead to discussions among various nations in the Council, sending the most capable individuals or teams.
The higher the level of the Shadow World, the more catastrophic the consequences of failure could be.
If second and third-rank Shadow Worlds were mere skirmishes, failing a seventh-rank or higher Shadow World would result in true large-scale calamities.
Every nation would treat this with utmost caution.
There were two methods for teaming up. For seventh or eighth-rank Challengers, since they were few in number and high-level Shadow Worlds were scarce, entering simultaneously would almost always result in being matched together.
Another method was to carry a “Team Card.”
[Team Card]
[Type: Spell Card]
[Quality: White Common]
[Rank: 1]
[Passive Effect: Matches with companions carrying the same numbered Team Card into the same Shadow World]
[Note: Number 948957812]
Dekan and Cornelia had equipped the matching Team Cards, ensuring they would enter the same Shadow World.
The cost was a slight waste of card slots.
…
Dekan and Cornelia arrived at this building much earlier, twenty minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
Both seemed to be the type who didn’t want to keep the other waiting.
Dekan: “Are you ready?”
Cornelia: “Yes.”
Since they arrived early, they might as well enter in advance.
After confirming with each other, there was no need to say anything more.
Just as they were ready to pass through the security and move onto the next stage of protection, a voice stopped them.
“Wait!”
A hoarse voice came from behind them.
They turned around and saw an elderly man hurrying towards them.
They looked at him with some confusion.
His attire was yellow, indicating he was likely a professor from the Alchemy Department.
“Dekan, Cornelia, I am Professor Morgut, responsible for managing the broadcasting hall of the Alchemy Department. If possible, I hope you could accept these cards!”
Professor Morgut approached them and took out two cards from the file he was carrying, handing them over.
The cards glowed with a faint purple light, clearly indicating they were no ordinary items.
“What are these?”
Dekan did not rashly accept the cards and asked with a puzzled look.
“Shadow World Observer Program, a first-rank magic card, the purple quality is because it’s the ultra-high-definition version.”
Professor Morgut explained.
Similar to the Team Card, it was a spell card with a passive effect.
Carrying it allowed the Alchemy Department to obtain real-time footage of Dekan’s challenge in the Shadow World, even if it was not a man-made one.
One of the most remarkable technological advancements in recent decades was the “Man-made Shadow World” and the “Shadow World Observer Program.”
The Man-made Shadow World could create harmless worlds providing a training mode.
The Shadow World Observer Program helped personnel outside the battlefield efficiently gather intelligence from the Shadow Worlds.
For instance, intelligence obtained from some Shadow Worlds might be usable in others!
Thus, the study of inter-world intelligence had become a popular subject.
The development of magical engineering was also continuously increasing the success rate of conquering Shadow Worlds.
“But won’t this take up our card slots?”
Dekan also disliked the feeling of being watched.
“Indeed, it may slightly impact your combat effectiveness, but there are live broadcast shares. The specific contract is here. Whether you accept it or not is entirely up to you, no need to feel pressured.”
Professor Morgut smiled kindly and handed two documents from the file to Dekan.
Cornelia skimmed through the documents symbolically and then looked at Dekan.
She didn’t understand, so she would follow Dekan’s judgment.
Dekan hesitated for a moment, accepted the two Observer Cards, but returned the contract to Professor Morgut.
“Professor Morgut, we will enter the Shadow World this time with the Observer Cards but without any compensation. After we’ve conquered this Shadow World, we can discuss the specific contract details. What do you think?”
Although the revenue-sharing ratio was generous, Dekan did not choose to sign immediately.
If this Shadow World is successfully conquered in an exceptional manner, they might be able to negotiate for a better contract upon their return.
Additionally, after finishing this Shadow World, Dekan planned to take the time at home to carefully examine these two “Shadow World Observer Cards” for any potential hidden effects.
Therefore, signing the contract purely out of interest right now wasn’t the optimal choice.
It would be better to consider this as a value-confirmation cooperation.
Ever since a cunning merchant gave him a lesson, Dekan had become overly cautious about business matters.
“No problem, no problem.”
Professor Morgut cheerfully agreed.
After exchanging pleasantries, Professor Morgut left.
As Dekan explained the situation to Cornelia, they passed through the security.
Proceeding all the way to the end of the passage, they entered a majestic hall radiating with bright blue light.
In the center of the hall were several massive magical devices protecting a Void Gate.
It brought back memories of the scene during the entrance exams, except this “Gate” was tens of times larger than the one leading to the Man-made Shadow World.
It naturally evoked a sense of awe towards the mysterious realms it led to.
However, there was still a considerable distance from this colossal natural Void Gate to provide a buffer zone and service area for the conquerors.
“Take this.”
Dekan handed a stack of cards to Cornelia.
It included three identical blue equipment cards, one purple equipment card, several blue and white cards, and the Observer Cards from earlier.
“No, I can’t!”
Cornelia noticed the quality of these cards and promptly declined with a wave of her hands.
She couldn’t afford such expensive cards right now.
“I won’t charge you.”
“No…”
“Think of it as me lending them to you.”
“I will…I will break them…”
Cornelia worried about ruining the weapons Dekan gave her.
“I’ll repair them, don’t worry. Your combat effectiveness is most important in the Shadow World. Just consider it as protection for me; you need to be strong.”
Dekan’s words made Cornelia hesitate for a moment, then she accepted the entire stack.
Since Dekan had said that, there was nothing more to argue about.
“Alright.”
With gratitude, Cornelia unbound her previous equipment cards and stored them at the counter, then proceeded to bind all the cards Dekan handed over to her.
Warriors capable of repairing their own cards were rare.
Apparently, Dekan was more versatile than she had imagined.
