NOVPUBThe theater light gradually dimmed after the performance, the stage lights slowly gathered, leaving only the remnants of the glow hovering on the stage, casting an air of mystery and stirring excitement.
After a moment of thought, Lanci decided to seize this opportunity to ask the music director some questions.
However, Lanci couldn’t question the music director as directly as he had interrogated Bachel, asking if "something had happened to the school".
He didn’t want to arouse the director’s suspicion prematurely.
So, he picked a sensible question:
"By the way, Director, do you know when the principal will be back?"
"Hard to tell. After a high-level meeting was held at our school a few days ago, the principal went to the Education Bureau of the Demon Realm, but don’t worry, the school is functioning normally. The vice principal can handle everything except those that require the principal’s signature and seal."
The director shook his head as he responded.
"A high-level meeting? Is something problematic going to happen in the school?"
Lanci murmured, exhibiting no intention of prying; it was pure curiosity.
"Every time there’s such a high-level meeting attended only by the principal, the vice-principal, and some senior professors, there must be a problem. Nonetheless, don’t think too much about it. It’s beyond our control and no need to worry too much. Remember, this is a distinguished school with several alumni from the Great Demon Clan. As long as the rules are followed, even the Education Bureau wouldn’t dare to cause trouble."
Those referred to as members of the Great Demon Clan in the Demon World were at least Eighth-order, and each of them held an important status in the Demon World.
The director wasn’t sure whether the Radiant Demon in front of him could grow into a member of the Great Demon Clan with a unique title in the future.
"Oh, okay."
Lanci nodded quickly.
Lanci felt that "Tonight’s Danger," mentioned in Mission Goal 2, must be related to this high-level meeting.
However,
To obtain more pivotal clues...
He would likely need to go to Third Level classrooms where teachers with higher status taught.
And he and Hyperion, just the two of them, were not sufficient. Information must be exchanged with the other four challengers to unravel the truth of the difficult Mission Goal 2, which was part of the challenge of this Fourth-Order Shadow World.
Of course, another unexpected strategy seemed to present itself in front of Lanci —
If he could infiltrate the school’s upper echelons...
Perhaps he could bypass all the complex decryption steps altogether.
Unfortunately,
He could only stay in this academy for another 10 hours.
So, trying to advance in position as an unconventional approach seemed a bit difficult.
...
After a further discussion with the music director, Lanci looked back at Hyperion in the audience.
"Hyperion, your turn to perform!"
Lanci waved his hand, inviting Hyperion to step into this music temple and start her performance.
"Here I come."
Hyperion lowered her voice.
Rising slowly from her chair, she walked through the cacophonous ’musical hell’ Lanci had created with resolute and purposeful strides.
Even though the horrifying music in the classroom assaulted her ears and frayed her nerves,
Hyperion felt she had found some equilibrium amidst the ceaseless pain.
To her surprise, she had developed a certain resistance to Melodic Magic in this classroom under Lanci’s strict instruction!
Meanwhile, the music director resumed his role of hosting the performance examination on stage.
No longer wanting to be tormented by Lanci, he couldn’t wait to get him out of here.
However, because of the significant changes in the classroom and an increase to five music tutors, he needed to explain the new circumstances to Hyperion, who was still able to participate in the performance.
The entire classroom was now in automatic cycle mode.
The Slumbering Demon Spirit, fading in and out of consciousness, would accept any performance from the students, as he was bound to fall asleep during the performance.
Lanci, as a music tutor, had stated to the music director that his music philosophy was about great love and acceptance; he would respect any form of art.
In other words, as long as a student made a sound on the stage, Lanci would acknowledge it.
So, at this point, I have at least two music tutors who acknowledge me.
Then.
A new stage began.
Hyperion steps onto the stage, bathed in the audience’s hellish screams.
She stands there, gritting her teeth under the endless pressure emanating from the audience and sings her song.
"Your singing is so delightful, it’s like a heavenly melody!"
After Lanci’s insincere flattering, Hyperion successfully passed the assessment.
"?!"
Hyperion doesn’t know how Lanci could have lived with his conscience for saying such words.
With a poker face, she returns to the audience, pulls Bachel onstage, and let Bachel gibber unintelligibly on stage like a seizure patient for two minutes.
"Perfect! All I can say is perfect!"
With the approval from the only sober judge Lanci, Bachel was also considered to have passed.
Bachel himself has no idea how he passed.
...
The last agonizing tens of minutes passed.
Under the hellish music, the Devil’s Royal Grant Theater finally ended its first lesson.
The tolling of an ancient bell signified the commencement of break time, the sound echoing throughout the buildings of Purgatory Corridor Academy, resonating in the vacant corridors and in every classroom.
This was the first thirty-minute break.
Uniquely though, right after class ended, the spacious corridor remained empty, devoid of any student activity.
After a while, finally, three students emerged from the main door.
Only three students survived the class from the G24 Corridor’s Devil’s Royal Grant Theater.
One of them was dragged out, corpse-like.
...
Meanwhile, on the F13 Corridor.
[Time Remaining: 9 hours 59 minutes]
[Objective 1: Achieve an exploration rate of over 60% at the Academy, current progress: 10%]
[...]
A young man frowns at the 10% progress.
"Logically, each room with one seal on its door should increase by 1% as we enter, and it should also increase by 1% the moment we clear it."
"That means we contributed 2% of the exploration rate."
"So why has it now reached 10%?"
He mumbles to himself, puzzled.
Did the other two teams each contribute 4%, while only they couldn’t?
Or... was there a single team that directly contributed 6%...?
"Big brother, could there be a big shot that teamed up with us?"
Next to him, a young girl who seemed to be praying and confessing finally lifted her eyes and said.
"..."
The young man pressed his lips together and shook his head,
"This kind of absurd, wicked theme is one of the most dangerous ones in the Fourth-Order Shadow World. Normal humans can’t possibly adapt to the ancient Demon Realm’s ethics and rules... Even among Gold-level Challengers, there’s hardly anyone who specializes in the Demon Shadow World."
And as Silver-level Challengers who believed in orderly and good gods, they had a hard time accepting working with demons - disguising themselves as demons and mimicking the demons’ behavior was a severe torment to their bodies and souls.
Listening to this, the young girl took a deep breath, seemingly starting to feel afraid,
"Could it be... there are actual members of the Demon Race among the challengers?"
