Chapter 86: Lances Spoils

Chapter 86: Lance's Spoils

Specks of light, resembling distant stardust, dotted the deep, pitch-black expanse of the liminal space. The two were currently waiting for the Shadow Realm to finish the final tally and completion rewards for their challenge.

Deep in thought, Lance murmured, "Hyperion, so you're an ‘officially sanctioned’ member of the demon race..."

"What do you mean?" Hyperion didn't take Lance's mention of her being an "officially sanctioned demon" as an insult. She had a feeling that he was cooking up another idea.

"Actually, compared to human runes, I personally prefer studying demonic runes. I might create items based on demonic magic in the future, but there are some potential issues I might run into if I try to sell them."

Hyperion understood immediately once he explained his line of thought. Although the laws of the Hutton Kingdom didn't strictly prohibit the circulation of enchanted cards or artifacts created by other races, any transaction involving these special types of items at official institutions or legitimate shops required the source to be registered.

If every item listed him as the creator, regardless of whether people believed it or not, it would likely trigger troublesome investigations. He might be suspected of smuggling or dealing in illicit goods, or worse, authorities might think he was harboring a demon to craft these items for him!

Hyperion asked, "So, you want me to act as your proxy, right?"

She knew Lance wasn't the type to follow in her father's footsteps, risking his life to shelter demons, but if his business dealings raised too many red flags and invited constant scrutiny from the authorities, it would inevitably hinder his sales.

On the other hand, Hyperion was a half-demon would-be duchess whose existence was known to the Hutton Kingdom's elite and was "officially sanctioned." If she partnered with Lance to start a company under the Aransar family name, the kingdom wouldn't find it strange at all if demonic enchanted cards began circulating on the market.

Lance nodded, the fire of entrepreneurial ambition burning in his eyes. "Exactly! We'll start a company and make it big!"

With Hyperion acting as the figurehead boss, he might even find a chance to bring Talia into the business later on. That old hag probably dreamed of nothing more than obtaining a license to conduct business legitimately.

"No problem. Who knew my identity as a part-demon could actually come in handy for something positive?"

Just as they were discussing their grand plans for the venture, the mission details suddenly materialized within the quiet, uncanny space and began to flicker. The pure white glow stood out starkly against the surrounding darkness as the text scrolled by, line after line.

[Shadow Realm, Purgatory Corridor Academy, has been cleared.]

[Calculations are complete. Now generating evaluation.]

[Challengers Lance and Hyperion entered as a team, so team-based scoring applies.]

[During this exploration-style Shadow Realm run, the following were cleared: 80 Standard Classrooms, 40 Advanced Classrooms, 15 Super-Hard Classrooms, 20 Non-Clearable Facilities, and 1 Headmaster's Office.]

[The team achieved the following milestones:]

[Model of Integrity (Rank A) — Firmly refused to cheat and actively maintained order in the exam hall.]

[Demon Maestro (Rank S) — Skilled with musical instruments. A true musical master among the demon race.]

[Frugal & Thrifty (Rank C) — Enjoyed fine food while also cherishing it.]

[God of Art (Rank S) — Gained profound artistic insights after completing a lesson.]

[Explosive Performance (Rank SSS) — Exceeded standard mission requirements by 2,000%.]

[Guardian of the Campus (Rank SSS) — Shielded the school's demons from the wrath of the vampires.]

[Headmaster's Office Renovation (Rank S) — Under no circumstances should a swimming pool have been built in the Headmaster's Office, yet the loyal deputy headmaster has already included it in the agenda for future renovations.]

[Achievement review concluded. Evaluation has been generated.]

[After a day of study, you have emerged from this academy as an outstanding graduate and the acting headmaster. The results you have achieved have diverged not only from the path of humanity, but even from the path of the demon race...]

[Overall Evaluation: SSS]

[Rank Promotion: Lance (Rank 2 to Rank 3), Hyperion (Rank 3 to Rank 4)]

At the very moment the rewards were finalized, both Lance and Hyperion felt a divine infusion of power with an epiphany-like surge, instantly triggering a breakthrough in their Ranks. Lance realized that, despite having just reached Rank 3, he was already not far off from Rank 4.

Hyperion murmured in disbelief, "I-I'm already at Rank 4?"

Earlier that morning, she had been resigned to the idea of wasting away her first year at school, unable to challenge any Shadow Realm dungeons. Yet now, before dawn had even broken on her second day of school, she had attained Rank 4, which was only something typical of sophomores. It felt more unreal than a dream.

Lance grinned as he remarked, "Does this mean we'll be grinding dungeons from now on?"

After this run in a Demon Kingdom-related dungeon, Hyperion had completely transformed from a melee mage into a Demon Rogue. She was now adept at stealth and looting, was resistant to sonic magic, and possessed acting skills worthy of a film empress!

Hyperion nodded earnestly. "Mm, we'll go again in two months."

The cooldown for a Level 4 challenge was two months. Once that period passed, they could immediately challenge another one. She felt that meeting Lance was likely the result of the Goddess witnessing her good deeds and accumulated merit. Although Hyperion had demon blood herself, the Goddess had also sent her a "lucky star" whose nature was better suited to a demon's constitution.

[Reward Settlement: Voice of Purgatory (Tier 3 Epic Summon Card), Polymorph: Demon (Tier 2 Rare Spell Card), Polymorph: Human (Tier 2 Rare Spell Card).]

Soon, three orbs of light, each wreathed in a distinct, shimmering mist, appeared before them like stars. Two drifted toward Lance, and the third toward Hyperion. Apparently, the rewards were distributed based on their respective contributions.

"Epic grade...?" Lance frowned slightly as he gazed at the orange orb of light.

After all, it had taken an Epic grade material, the Hymn of Compassion, the hands of the renowned demon card maker Talia, and his own artistic finishing touches to create the Tier 1 Epic card, the Poet of Boundless Love. It was an endeavor that had saddled him with an exorbitant debt.

Yet, after enjoying a mere twelve hours of that dreamlike experience, he had actually obtained another Epic grade card? Furthermore, it was a Tier 3 natural Epic card, at that. Even Hyperion stared at the glowing orange orb with a look of astonishment.

Natural enchanted cards often incorporated magical principles related to the Shadow Realm dungeon where they originated, which were often principles that didn’t exist in the current era. Consequently, most natural enchanted cards held a greater value than man-made cards of the same quality and tier.

Of course, this was likely due to the absurdly high SSS-rank rating Lance had achieved. Had he received a B or A rank completion, simply obtaining a Rare natural card would have been considered a great success.

Although Hyperion had previously seen Epic cards that belonged to her father, Duke Aransar, this was the first time she had personally witnessed a natural Epic grade enchanted card born from a Shadow Realm challenge.

[Voices of Purgatory]

Category: Summon Card

Grade: Orange (Epic)

Attribute: Mental/Sealing

Tier: 3

Continuously consumes a large amount of mana to summon the demonic spirits of Purgatory Theater. It unleashes a Purgatory Wail that inflicts mental anguish and causes physical paralysis in all targets, while also sealing their sense of hearing. The effect intensifies in enclosed spaces and weakens in open terrain.

The restricted classroom within Purgatory Corridor Academy eventually became a terrifying legend that circulated throughout the Demon Kingdom for over three hundred years.