Chapter 37: Dekan Encounters a Villain
The silent corridor echoed with scattered footsteps.
Two figures were sprinting down the hallway, heedless of the massive sounds and the gusts of wind chasing them from behind.
After triggering an ambush, Dekan and Cornelia chose to flee instead of further assaulting their opponents.
The “Hydrogen Explosion,” “Hypnotic Gas,” and “Poisonous Ground Spike” triad, prepared by Dekan for Cornelia, had already been unleashed.
These three cards were essential spell cards for travel and combat.
Of course, the goal this time was merely to create a big commotion and seize the opportunity to create distance.
“Dekan, what do we do next?”
Cornelia now turned to Dekan, asking him as she stood by his side.
“We need to delay, preferably finding the headmaster’s position. A fifth-rank Challenger is much tougher to handle than a fifth-rank Demon.”
Even Dekan’s usually composed demeanor showed a hint of seriousness.
Though battling others might be endlessly entertaining,
their previous PVE difficulty was only at the fourth rank.
And the upcoming PvP difficulty was at the fifth rank.
“Cornelia, we must not underestimate our foes. Demons adhere to rules and cannot use magic cards.”
“But these despicable challengers are different; they may have some nasty cards up their sleeves.”
“All we need to do is try to stall until the headmaster appears.”
Hearing Dekan’s words, Cornelia nodded.
Though she was a warrior at heart, she absolutely trusted Dekan’s judgment.
Besides, Dekan could ensure this school never ended its lessons, and they still held numerous Demon Passes.
Dekan was confident of their Demon Passes’ quantity.
Sometimes, students need to rely on their teachers.
However, just as they approached the brighter corner ahead, a shadowy figure resembling a black snake silently darted toward them from behind.
It then submerged itself in Dekan’s shadow and vanished, as if sinking into a pool of water.
Immediately, Dekan’s figure froze, unable to move as he was forcibly immobilized.
This sensation, like being bound by the shadow, rendered him motionless.
However, he soon broke free from the shackles and resumed his movements,
But his legs felt as if filled with lead, making it difficult to take steps.
“Who the hell used this damn card!”
Dekan barked furiously.
This irritating effect made Dekan roughly guess which card it was.
He knew all about the infamous malevolent spells from books.
He had been struck by the fifth-rank spell “Spirit Pursuing Shadow.”
” Spirit Pursuing Shadow ”
“Category: Spell Card”
“Rareness: Purple Rare”
“Rank: 5”
“Effect: Hunts down a target within a 200-meter range, locking and binding the target. Then slows the target’s movements. The control duration depends on the attribute differences between both parties.”
“Note: A work of Archbishop Minos from the Rebirth Church.”
This card would be redundant against someone stronger, with high mana consumption, short control time, and easily purifiable by fifth-rank spells.
However, using this card against someone weaker was simply the epitome of nasty tactics!
A hunted prey would almost never be able to escape!
“If I only had a higher rank, I’d give this guy a ‘Spirit Pursuing Shadow Plus’!”
Dekan was now sure of his opponent’s nature.
Clearly an experienced poacher hunting weaker individuals in the Shadow World.
“Looks like we can’t run.”
Cornelia glanced at Dekan and said.
“So you see, I genuinely dislike fighting, especially against such nasty card users.”
Dekan sighed deeply, turned around, and stared sternly into the depths of the dimly lit corridor.
Cornelia equipped the “Horror War Hammer” and “Cursed Soft Armor,” cast a series of body-enhancement spell cards on herself, and stepped forward in front of Dekan.
” Cursed Soft Armor ”
“Category: Equipment Card”
“Rareness: Purple Rare”
“Rank: 2”
“Effect: When self takes damage, it transmits 200% of the pain to the source of damage.”
“Note: Latest creation by the emerging Cardmaker Dekan, from the Autumn Curses collection.”
…
“Do Dekan and Cornelia have to be this unlucky? Just entering a fourth-rank Shadow World wasn’t bad enough, and now they’ve encountered such an enemy!”
Though Dekan and Cornelia had previously appeared relaxed, the observing students were now visibly showing signs of concern.
These entities who attacked other challengers in the Shadow World were notorious criminals.
They excel in disguising themselves and engaging in battles with other challengers.
Moreover, as they were always hunting other challengers and looting magic cards, they were not weak.
Most critically, they favored infiltrating lower-rank Shadow Worlds and mastered the art of remaining unnoticed.
“Wait, these four eerie masks…”
One of the upperclassmen held his chin, brows furrowed, as he looked at the clothed man and the four giant masks hovering around him.
Soon, new information appeared on the screen.
“Recognition match rate 97%, equipment identified as Evil Spirit Mask, card user is a B-ranked wanted criminal, Faceless Man, an elite member of the Rebirth Church.”
” Evil Spirit Mask ”
“Category: Equipment Card”
“Rareness: Orange Epic”
“Rank: 5”
“Effect: Provides the wearer with significant shielding, which automatically regenerates. Returns 25% of any received damage to the source.”
“Note: Feel the pain.”
“Of course, it’s those bastards from the Rebirth Church!”
“Rebirth Church?”
Some freshmen seemed puzzled by these words, as they hadn’t delved deeply into the Shadow World.
“Absolutely a cult! Their doctrine claims the world will be reborn after a calamity. They believe that with fewer people, resources will be abundant, making life better!”
“Truthfully, they are merely a group of crazed individuals obsessed with plundering!”
At the mention of the Rebirth Church, several upperclassmen and teachers clenched their teeth in fury.
“Why don’t they attack their teammates from the start, causing the Shadow World to fail?”
“The Rebirth Church is supposedly divided into two factions, referred to as the Hawk faction and the Dog faction by the Kingdom Union. Both aim for plundering and destroying, invoking calamities. The Hawk faction leans towards resource plundering while the Dog faction pursues total destruction.”
“Therefore, the Hawk faction will actively conquer Shadow Worlds, similar to normal people initially, but will find opportunities to kill and plunder cards as they approach the end.”
“The Dog faction will passively engage in Shadow Worlds, even hindering missions at the start, and will search for opportunities to kill teammates and take cards.”
“In any case, if you encounter anyone from the Rebirth Church, you should fight them to death! It’s not illegal!”
If Shadow Worlds bring calamities, the Rebirth Church is undeniably a man-made disaster!
They enjoy watching exhausted challengers die in despair, stealing their cards, and even torturing them.
Even if some upperclassmen hadn’t personally encountered Rebirth Church members, they knew friends who had suffered from them.
Some had even lost their lives due to Rebirth Church members.
For the Rebirth Church, the students felt hatred and fear alike.
For a moment, the entire viewing hall fell silent.
The students held their breath, focused on Dekan and Cornelia’s situation.
Even though Dekan and Cornelia had previously been brutal to demons, there wasn’t a single student in the viewing hall who wasn’t worried about them.
The known information about the Faceless Man was displayed on the screen one by one.
A fifth-rank summoner, high stamina, and high spirit.
Summoners are by definition stable at crushing weaker opponents, and the Faceless Man’s deck was specifically configured for hunting weaker individuals.
The chosen spell cards were mainly for disguise and tracking enemies, the equipment cards were for survival, and a large number of summon cards ensured overpowering.
Senior students were well aware—Dekan and Cornelia were in a very dangerous situation.
At rank two, Dekan could only bring cards totaling twenty in rank inside the Shadow World.
The cards he brought had mostly been revealed to the viewing students.
Based on the current cards these two held, the possibility of defeating the Faceless Man was approximately zero.
The rank gap was too large, and further, the Faceless Man was a notorious tormentor.
He wouldn’t give Dekan even a chance for a decisive blow!
“All we can do is hope Dekan has some hidden ace.”
“To be honest, at first, I suspected Dekan might be with the Rebirth Church because his methods have outdone the Rebirth Church members… But now, I only hope Dekan can go even further and kill this bastard!”
“Come on, Dekan! Cornelia!”
