Chapter 123: The Thugs of the Student Council Assemble in the Shadow Realm

At dawn, the horizon was still a shade of bluish-gray, and there were a few solitary stars lingering against the sky like reluctant travelers. The entire campus lay in deep slumber, wrapped in silence. The morning mist was heavy, and the air felt both damp and fresh.

The three members of the Model Citizens team had gathered as planned. After finishing breakfast, they strolled leisurely along the broad campus paths that were still veiled in the early morning haze.

Frey bragged, "The three of us are going to absolutely crush it this time."

"...You two can do the crushing. I'll be there to cheer you on."

Lance chimed in, "You've got to protect me, Hyperion! Frey certainly won't care what happens to me!"

None of them seemed to mind that it was five in the morning, as the campus was quiet with a refreshing light breeze. Over the past month or so, Frey, the newest addition to the team, had developed a strong rapport with Lance and Hyperion.

Although Lance and Hyperion spent most of their time together on days when they had classes at the Sages' College, they would almost always run into Frey whenever they went to the Student Management Council's headquarters after class. Sometimes Frey would be sitting on the sofa reading the paper, other times playing chess with the president, and occasionally, he would simply be nowhere to be found.

Lance would always joke that their squad had finally assembled the classic Warrior-Mage-Healer trio. Hyperion, however, felt their composition was more akin to a Rogue-Hunter-Shaman setup.

She had effectively become a utility-focused Rogue specializing in stealth. Frey's combat class was neither a Tank-Warrior nor a Warrior-Assassin. Surprisingly, he was a Hunter who specialized in traps.

As for Lance, that absolute menace, he would simply stand there after summoning a few annoying, aura-projecting minions, acting exactly like a Shaman.

Hyperion still found it bizarre that the three of them could actually coordinate effectively when tackling missions together. As for school affairs, whenever President Monaster commissioned them to handle a task, she would take the lead, explaining the Student Management Council's purpose with the professional demeanor of a bank teller.

By this point, most younger students would become remarkably cooperative once they spotted Lance and Frey standing nearby. Then there were the students with strong personalities who still refused to cooperate. Hyperion would then back off, leaving the "communicating" to Lance and Frey.

To date, none of them had ever received a complaint or a negative review regarding their work. The president had also proclaimed that they were perfectly normal. Yet, for some reason, rumors have begun to circulate around the university about the "Three Thugs of the Capital..."

Two months had quietly slipped by since the start of the term, and it was now November. On this late-autumn morning, the air was thick with a biting chill, as if all warmth had been frozen solid by the vanguard of winter. Although it was Friday, a day when classes would normally be in session, the early hour meant there was little activity on campus.

Occasionally, they spotted a maintenance worker or two, along with some oddball students hauling party supplies and camping gear toward Gela Memorial Plaza. The sight left the trio exchanging puzzled glances.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the very heart of the school. Even in the early morning, the deep-blue, cube-shaped iron fortress, which was sealed off by layers of powerful barrier magic surrounding the Void Gate, exuded the imposing aura of a high-security zone. Members of the Royal Knights were still on patrol, standing at the ready.

They reached the first security checkpoint at the entrance, using their student wristbands and registered Challenger Licenses to pass through, followed by a series of subsequent security checks.

"In two days, the academic delegation from the Yaloran Kingdom's Royal University will arrive for a two-week exchange program." Lance spoke softly in the corridor, his voice echoing through the vast, solemn space. A look of guilt crossed his eyes, as if he regretted being unable to contribute to the upcoming academic visit, "No telling how long we'll be stuck in the Shadow Realm though."

Although the president had told the three of them not to worry about student council affairs while conquering their next Shadow Realm challenge, Lance was still concerned about the harmony and stability of the campus.

While the trio was away in the Shadow Realm, the student council would only have three members on duty. In fact, the secretary was returning to the office to put in extra hours. The president and secretary were both research students from the College of Alchemy, so they didn't need to challenge the Shadow Realm. Meanwhile, Vice President Asina was a formidable Mental-type mage, but her rank was far too high compared to the three freshmen, making it impossible for them to form a party together.

She had also noted that she wouldn't be able to keep up with their pace. Even if their ranks eventually came within two of hers, they wouldn't make good teammates. She was far more accustomed to collaborating with more conventional teammates.

Frey nodded in agreement as he responded calmly. "If it's a Shadow Realm dungeon like the one you two cleared in a single day last time, we could come back, rest for a day, and then help the president out at the student council."

He smiled slightly. He, too, looked eager to lend the president a hand. It was always difficult to predict the duration of a Shadow Realm challenge. Although the time needed generally correlated with the level, the potential variance was massive.

Hyperion listened to their conversation. While she had initially intended to remain silent, she ultimately let out a resigned sigh. "There's a good chance we'll be back early, so you two don't need to worry."

Truth be told, she actually wished that this Shadow Realm stint would last a little longer. Lance and Frey were a pair of extraordinary oddballs, so they absolutely did not represent the average or standard caliber of the Hutton Kingdom or Ikerite University.

If they returned to the real world as Student Management Council officers to handle official business regarding the academic delegation from the Yaloran Kingdom, Hyperion was worried that their international guests would form a completely wrong impression of the Hutton Kingdom's national character.

Moreover, she was clearly the only one acting like a normal, sane person, yet she kept getting dragged into their antics for no reason! Her already precarious reputation was now nosediving straight into "no longer human" territory.

Under the lights, the shadows of the three stretched out along the silent corridor until they finally stepped into the building's interior. In the distance, the mirror-like surface of the massive gateway leading to another dimension continued to shimmer with deep, swirling starlight.

Lance glanced at the final checkpoint and workstation ahead, then looked over the empty hall as he asked their new teammate, "Frey, did you bring the team card that is linked to our Model Citizens team?"

All that was required was to register their Challenger Licenses here and have the staff verify their Shadow Realm Recording Programs. Then, they could proceed to the Void Gate ahead to match into a challenge.

If they intended to undertake a team challenge using the Shadow Realm Synergy Program, they would also need to register their team details.

"I got it." Frey produced the team card for the Model Citizens squad, a confident smile playing on his lips. Although this was his first time challenging a real Shadow Realm dungeon, he displayed none of the typical awkwardness of a novice.

The three of them handed their licenses and their utility cards to the attendant at the checkpoint counter, waiting patiently for the staff member from the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association to finalize the registration.

Since teaming up fostered trust and coordination, a squad's combined strength far surpassed that of strangers matched together randomly. Consequently, the difficulty of a challenge escalated sharply with the size of the team compared to solo attempts.

"Alright. When you come back out, just let me scan your Shadow Realm Recording Programs one more time, and you can reclaim your Challenger Licenses." The young female attendant smiled as she returned the utility cards to the three diligent, high-spirited students, and the gate before them slid open.

The trio offered their thanks, retrieved their cards, and walked straight toward the Void Gate. The gate was about a hundred paces away, so they chatted and laughed casually as they approached the portal leading into the void.

The Void Gate resembled a bottomless black hole. Merely standing before it, one could sense an invisible pull, as if it sought to drag any living being that drew near into its endless, unknown depths.

Lance raised his arms in a big stretch and asked Hyperion and Frey, "Alright, team. Are you ready?"

"With you around, I'm not afraid." Hyperion smiled. The hidden timidity and hesitation she had felt upon entering a Shadow Realm for the very first time were long gone.

"Can't wait." For Frey, this Void Gate was just as exhilarating as the entrance to the Ikerite Crown Casino.

They passed through the Void Gate, which rippled like the surface of water. Immediately following was a state of total darkness where all senses failed. Nothing could be seen, and not even the sound of their own heartbeats could be heard. It was as if countless interlocking gears were turning, their roaring reverberating through the pitch-black expanse.

[Blood Moon Apocalypse. The historical projection of the "Beginning of the Sacred Rite," the second of four milestones, has been unraveled.]