Chapter 220: Lances Theory of Evolution

Chapter 220: Lance's Theory of Evolution

It was currently mid-November and effectively the start of winter. The academic delegation from the Yaloran Kingdom's Royal University had arrived the Sunday before last. Ten days of their two-week visit had already passed.

The weather in Ikerite was unsettled and gloomy. A rare strong wind was sweeping across the campus, bringing a sharp drop in temperature.

One student commented, "It's a truly blustery day."

During their midday break, the lawn was devoid of students relaxing or reading. Instead, they hurried, bundled up tight in their coats, eager to go from their classrooms back to their dormitories. They wanted to escape the wind that tousled their hair and the sky that threatened rain at any moment.

At the far end of the path, a dense cluster of trees from the garden stood huddled together, their leaves shivering in the gale. Only the old Liberal Arts Hall, situated deep within the grove, stood firm and unyielding against the wind.

Inside the Student Management Council headquarters on the third floor, the light yet indifferent cold wind roamed the outside walls unchecked. It sought for any gap in the window frame to slip through.

Within this warm space, heavy curtains and sturdy walls shut out the cold entirely, leaving only a cozy, home-like atmosphere. Vice President Asina was tidying up documents near the bookcase, looking relatively relaxed. The president, however, was nowhere to be seen.

With the Yaloran Kingdom's visit drawing to a close, the Student Management Council's workload had eased significantly.

The smooth progress of the last few days had finally put Dean Lawrence's mind at ease. All that remained was to send the remaining students from Yaloran back home in a few days, and everything would be settled.

Two other people sat on the sofa in the room's lounge area, enjoying a moment of quiet peace with a cup of hot tea and a hot cocoa resting on the coffee table before them. A magical screen on the wall was broadcasting something.

"If that's the case, why didn't you just send out your ace, Zirvini, right from the start?!"

"Impossible! We'll never let you disturb her preparations for her exam!"

"Then you'd better enjoy this!"

"Aaaahhh!"

Hyperion rested her chin in her hand, looking puzzled. Her full attention was fixed on the magical screen mounted on the wall, which was broadcasting footage of an artificial Shadow Realm event currently taking place on campus.

The Shadow Realm dungeon being shown resembled a laboratory. Transparent life-support pods lining the walls revealed something horrifying: restrained humans and demons. Most of them had their limbs ruthlessly torn apart, twisted, and stitched back together into unspeakable, forbidden monstrosities.

At the center of the lab lay a sunken, circular arena. Iron chains hung from the surrounding walls, tethered to wretched corpses. Some were decayed down to the bone, serving as a grim omen of the losers' fate.

In this inescapable arena, the cold, dim light gave the combatants a metallic sheen. Though their builds varied, all ten combatants possessed powerful, toned physiques. There was no clash of weaponry here. Instead, the air was thick with the crushing pressure of bodies colliding and the dull, thunderous roars of bone and muscle slamming together.

They were engaged in a five-on-five team battle. Unfortunately, it was far from being an evenly matched fight. It was clearly a one-sided thrashing.

The fighters on the dominant side charged like fierce tigers, using superior technique and flexibility to dodge attacks. Leveraging their immense strength, they would stride in, seize an opening to slam their opponents hard against the ground, and then crush them with their body weight and powerful kicks. The impacts were so violent that they caused spiderweb-like cracks to spread across the floor.

Each brutal, thunderous crash made Hyperion's brow twitch. The faces of the helpless, outmatched fighters were twisted in agony and terror. After it continued for a decent amount of time, the scene abruptly cut away, shifting to a different Shadow Realm dungeon.

Hyperion picked up her hot cocoa, took a sip, and shook her head with a look of pity as she voiced her thoughts, "It was a completely one-sided thrashing."

Although her demonic lineage instilled in her a faint, instinctive urge for combat, witnessing a battle like that still struck her as overly cruel.

Seated on the same sofa, Lance, who had been quietly reading, glanced up briefly at the arena displayed on the screen.

He mused aloud, maintaining his characteristic air of detachment from worldly strife, "Why do people love conflict so much?"

"Actually, sometimes a bit of purposeful conflict isn't a bad thing. Think of it as a form of motivation, right? Take the campus, for instance. If there was absolutely no competition, everyone might just slack off."

Hyperion had always felt that Lance was far too indifferent about winning and losing. Perhaps he needed a bit of a competitive spirit to become more... normal?

Lance fell into thought, glancing down at the book in his hands. He murmured, "So, is education like that too?"

Apparently, Hyperion's thoughts had sparked a realization in him.

Seeing Lance grasp her point so readily, Hyperion actually felt a twinge of unease. She leaned over and tilted her head to look at the cover of the book Lance was holding. It was a tome he had borrowed from the ancient Tower Library the previous weekend. The title read: The Origin of Species and the Theory of Evolution.

Lance explained, "It says right here: Natural selection, survival of the fittest."

Hyperion was momentarily speechless, but finally managed to say, "No... I don't think things here are quite that brutal..."

She suspected Lance couldn't quite shake the mindset of Purgatory Corridor Academy. His educational philosophy was, to some extent, deeply influenced by the demon race.

Compared to the Northern Continent, which had once been the domain of the Demon Kingdom, the environment of the Southern Continent was generally peaceful and stable. Resources were abundant, trade and transport were convenient, and the land was free of the blighted zones left behind from failed Level 9 Shadow Realm incursions.

Hyperion had heard that large academies in the Northern Continent, under the administration of the massive Protos Empire, operated under harsh, rigid hierarchies governed by the law of the jungle. Competition between students was fierce, often turning vicious, and the rivalries between schools had a decidedly dark side.

In comparison, the schools of the Southern Continent, with their orderly rules and friendly atmosphere, were practically a paradise.

Of course, a person's demeanor and adaptability shifted depending on their environment, which might explain why Lance had suffered so much during his first day at Ikerite University, only to take charge and become a fish jumping into water the moment he arrived at Purgatory Corridor Academy. No one knew if the Northern Continent might actually be a more suitable environment for Lance.

Just as Hyperion was deliberating on how to delve into this misconception with Lance, the door to the Student Management Council headquarters opened, and the president walked in.

Monaster's light brown colored hair looked smooth and stylish. He exuded an aura that was approachable, yet carried a hint of authority.

Following close behind him was Frey. Clearly, the two of them had just returned from the Knights' College. Monaster would only take Frey along when there was troublesome business to handle at the Knights' College.