Chapter 87: Lance Returns to the Real World

Unbound, ownerless enchanted cards remain in a sealed state, making it easy to determine their effects via identification magic.

"Lance, give me a sign before you use this card in the future..."

Hyperion felt that with Lance holding a card capable of making everyone miserable, teaming up with him again would be an ordeal. The only silver lining for her was that she had already developed a resistance to sonic magic.

Lance nodded and gently reached out to grasp the glowing orange card. "Alright."

However, as he stared at the card, he frowned slightly again. He looked somewhat displeased.

"What's wrong?" Hyperion asked in confusion. "Is the effect bad?"

Lance said with a serious expression, "No, it's just that the card's name sends a terrible message. Once I get back, I'll have to find a master to help me change the name."

In his past life, the country he lived in enforced strict regulations and heavy censorship regarding bloody or violent media and character art in games. Lance himself had always been a staunch supporter of such standards.

Hyperion had a bad feeling about this. "...What are you going to change it to?"

Lance smiled calmly. "Let's call it Enchanting Notes instead."

Hyperion’s mouth dropped open. The card hadn't seemed that off before, but once Lance renamed it, it suddenly took on an unhinged feel, similar to his sensibilities. She really didn't know what to say, so she simply turned her attention toward the remaining two purple auras, which represented the cards they would each claim.

The card in front of Lance appeared to be a spell card engraved with human runes.

[Polymorph: Demon]

Category: Spell Card

Grade: Purple (Rare)

Attribute: Concealment

Tier: 2

Upon use, transforms the user's race into a demon without altering their true attributes or physical features.

Cooldown: 24 hours.

The ultimate disguise magic, perfected by the last survivor of an Imperial infiltration squad based on forbidden surgeries from an Imperial testing ground.

On the other hand, the card before Hyperion radiated a potent aura of the demon race.

[Polymorph: Human]

Category: Spell Card

Grade: Purple (Rare)

Attribute: Concealment

Tier: 2

Upon use, transforms the user's race into a human without altering their true attributes or physical features.

Cooldown: 24 hours.

A reverse-disguise spell developed by the Purgatory Corridor Academy by reverse-engineering the principles behind the forbidden surgeries performed at an Imperial testing ground.

Lance looked at his card with a peculiar expression. "Hey... is this Shadow Realm challenge trying to take a dig at me?"

Hyperion, meanwhile, stroked her card nervously. She looked more excited than she had ever been. To her, this was a card that could truly transform her into a human. It was far superior to the simple illusion magic she usually maintained in the real world.

Given that the Polymorph: Demon card was potent enough to fool the detection systems of the demon school, its counterpart, Polymorph: Human, should possess the power to turn her almost entirely into a human, in every aspect save for her soul!

"Alright, we got a massive haul. Time to go back and catch up on some sleep."

With the spoils collected, the thought of returning to Ikerite University brought the drowsiness Lance had felt in the classroom yesterday afternoon crashing back into his mind like a tidal wave. All he wanted now was to hurry back to his dorm and sleep soundly until nightfall.

Hyperion said with a smile, "Mm, get some rest, though it's already quite late."

Sometimes, a day would start off ordinary, yet it could turn out to be the best day of her life. She felt truly happy now. The feeling of days dragging on endlessly had vanished, and she even found herself looking forward to tomorrow.

Just as the two of them were about to step into the Void Gate to leave the liminal space, a new set of blood-red text suddenly emerged. It was odd as the post-challenge tally had already concluded.

[Shadow Realm Series Challenge: Blood Moon Apocalypse. Historical coordinates anchored. (Current completion: 1/4)]

[Before concluding this series of Shadow Realm challenges, the current challenger has a higher probability of entering a Shadow Realm from the Blood Moon Apocalypse era. Clearing the next challenge with an SSS rating will unlock the next milestone.]

[Mission Objective: Clear the final milestone with an SSS rating.]

Both of them looked puzzled as they read through the newly appeared information.

"Blood Moon Apocalypse...?"

This vast world had witnessed numerous eras from the distant past to now. History was composed of the rise and fall of countless kingdoms and the return of heroes to dust over the course of centuries and millennia. Due to a historical gap occurring thousands of years ago, records of many even earlier eras had vanished without a trace.

People could only glean fragments of those lost eras through historical projections found within Shadow Realm dungeons. This allowed historians to piece together a rough picture of what actually transpired.

The earliest known chapter of human history dated back some twenty thousand years to the era known as the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm. It was a time of epoch-shattering significance that saw the rise of humanity to glory, the waging of multiple Holy Wars, and the creation of countless heroic epics.

While there were no corresponding Shadow Realm dungeons to document exactly how the Holy Kingdom fell at the end of that era, the subsequent twenty millennia had also yet to yield any Shadow Realm evidence of the so-called Blood Moon Apocalypse lost era.

"By the way, Hyperion, have you ever heard of a Shadow Realm Series Challenge before?" Lance had never heard of such a thing in the game's content, nor had he come across any mention of it in the books of this world.

Hyperion slowly explained, "Ancient texts mention them... You might encounter one if you successfully clear a Shadow Realm dimension with the highest possible rating, but very few people meet that criteria. In fact, completing every part of a Shadow Realm Series Challenge is practically impossible. As far as I know, no one has managed to finish one in at least a thousand years."

Hyperion hadn't expected that her very first real Shadow Realm run with Lance would lead them to a hidden, legendary mission objective.

"But beyond personal rewards, the true value of these Shadow Realm challenges lies in the historical intelligence they provide. For instance, it was only after humanity unearthed Shadow Realm dungeons from the Holy Kingdom and Demon Realm era that they discovered various strategies to combat the demon race from those ancient Holy Wars..."

The defeat and collapse of the demons decades ago were inextricably linked to intelligence that human scholars had gleaned from Shadow Realm dungeons dating back to the mid-period of that era.

Hyperion added, "Once you return, if you report the details of this hidden mission to the Shadow Realm Management Association or the Demon Tower, they’ll be begging you to run Shadow Realm challenges. The academic value of a Shadow Realm challenge from a lost era is immeasurable. Of course, the flip side is that the vampires in this world will stop at nothing from killing you once news gets out."

They had disabled the recording function of their Shadow Realm Recording Program cards the moment they arrived in the liminal space. After all, most challengers preferred not to have their loot, specifically the enchanted cards that might serve as their trump cards, recorded for others to see.

Although the vampires of the current era kept a low profile and remained hidden in the far south, they were formidable enemies to humanity, posing a threat that far exceeded even that of the demon race. As the most powerful individual entities, vampires possessed unreasonable talents and true immortality.

In a one-on-one duel between equals, neither humans nor demons stood a chance against them. Even if someone managed to win the actual fight, they would eventually be worn down and killed by attrition.

However, the Blood Moon Apocalypse was an ancient Shadow Realm Series Challenge from a lost era, and it likely held the key to countering the vampires.

"Say no more, say no more. I’m just going to pretend I never saw this hidden quest." Lance waved his hand dismissively and walked toward the exit of the liminal space. He certainly wasn't crazy enough to risk his life fighting vampires.

Hyperion nodded in agreement, walking alongside Lance toward the Void Gate that led back to the real world. "Exactly. The vampires haven't provoked us, after all."

They were of one mind; this hidden quest absolutely should not be reported. Just as they were about to step into the swirling, mirror-like surface of the Void Gate. Hyperion suddenly stopped, speaking with a hint of hesitation. "By the way, Lance, there’s one thing I still haven't figured out."

Lance turned back to ask, "What is it?"

"Back in the art classroom, what kind of magic did you use to distinguish between the artwork done by the instructors and those done by the students?" She looked at Lance with a puzzled expression. She had clearly been pondering that question the entire time without finding an answer.

Lance’s mouth popped open slightly out of mild surprise, but a moment later, a sly, brilliant smile spread across his face. "Something as simple as that? Do I really need to use magic for it?"