Chapter 1 When the Morning Light Arrives

As the first rays of dawn gradually dispelled the chill of the night, they spilled onto the streets, buildings, and benches.

The light gradually stretched longer.

The city of Iketerte seemed to awaken with the benevolence of the gods.

Before long.

Shops on both sides of the street opened one after another, with enthusiastic owners greeting their neighbors.

Under the open-air awnings of the cafes, wisps of light coffee aroma wafted through the air, accompanied by light and vibrant jazz music, permeating the bustling streets.

The number of early-morning commuters began to increase, hurrying through the crowds in the center of Iketerte.

In the morning breeze, still carrying the fragrance of fruits and flowers.

Lanqi, with a faint smile on his face, strolled along the streets of Iketerte with Talia.

Bathed in the morning sun, his face was calm, and his whole body exuded a sunny temperament.

Lanqi seemed to be in a good mood.

He now found the school exams and the Shadow World to be quite interesting.

Talia, on the other hand, was in a state of dread about going to work.

She was reluctant to accompany Lanqi to Iketerte Academy again.

Last time, following Lanqi out of the academy, she had been stared at several times, which made her scalp tingle.

Fortunately, the third round of exams would not be broadcast live.

It would only be watched by the academy teachers in the background.

Otherwise, Talia would have taken sick leave today rather than come with Lanqi again.

"Tata, are you in a bad mood?"

Lanqi felt that Talia had been talking less these past two days.

Today, she was even more obviously reluctant to be with him.

"..."

Talia ignored him.

She just looked ahead.

Walking straight ahead.

So Lanqi slightly quickened his pace, trotted a little, and turned his head to secretly glance at Talia's face.

Her expression was cold, and she still ignored Lanqi.

But just at that moment, Lanqi inadvertently noticed the look in Talia's eyes.

It made Lanqi feel like Talia hated him...

He couldn't help but stop in his tracks, stunned, and scratched his head in confusion.

He clearly felt that he had slightly improved his relationship with her during this time.

Why did her attitude suddenly take a turn for the worse again?

Demons are hard to understand.

Especially an old woman who has been single for hundreds of years.

Lanqi thought to himself.

"..."

Talia happened to walk next to Lanqi.

She turned her face and stared at Lanqi.

For some reason, she felt an inexplicable urge to kill Lanqi in her heart.

But he hadn't opened his mouth to speak just now, and his expression looked normal...

"What's wrong, Tata?"

Lanqi asked gently.

Completely unable to see what impolite things he was thinking in his heart.

"Nothing."

After the words fell.

Talia ignored Lanqi and walked forward.

"Chasing the cloud away~"

Lanqi also hummed a little tune happily, stepped forward, and followed.

...

Half an hour later.

Iketerte Academy, Learning and Education Building, seventh-floor atrium.

Sunlight refracted through the huge glass dome, forming soft arcs of light in the room, bringing a touch of tranquility to the entire atrium.

As the light and shadows danced on the ground, Lanqi, walking, could see the faculty and staff coming and going in the surrounding corridors.

He followed the exam time and walked into this spacious and bright examination room again, unable to help but admire the architect's ingenuity.

Looking from afar.

The huge magical device, the artificial Shadow World activation terminal, seemed to have been repaired.

However, there was an additional sign in an obvious position that read [Strictly Prohibit Forced Restart].

The font showed that the person who added this warning was quite angry.

Different from the second round of exams.

There were not many students and faculty members waiting here today.

The third round of exams was managed by the teachers of the Sage Academy, and the chief examiner for the corresponding session would appear directly in the Shadow World.

Dean Loren was also not there.

It was said that he also had duties in the Church of the Goddess of Fate and often left the capital city of Iketerte.

Slightly bypassing the marble railing and walking into the waiting area, he saw two figures looking at him.

One was Teacher Teresa, who was responsible for guiding the examination room with a tablet-like magical instrument.

She and Lanqi had met during the entrance attribute test.

Teacher Teresa was very gentle and showed a slight smile to Lanqi when they met.

The other, also wearing a candidate bracelet like Lanqi, was obviously his teammate for the third round of exams.

In the exam notice received yesterday, Lanqi saw the explanation—

The theme of the third round of exams was "Combat and Survival."

In this mode of examination, healing mages and support mages often find it difficult to fight alone.

Therefore, the academy adopted a team assessment mode, pairing output mages with healing and support.

In most cases, it was a group of three.

At the same time, it could also examine the students' team coordination.

After all, in the real Shadow World, the team often prospers together and suffers together.

If an accident occurs, it is likely to be a total wipeout, with no ifs, ands, or buts.

However.

When Lanqi saw his teammate—the noble lady with an extraordinary temperament.

Both sides seemed a little surprised.

At the end of the second round of exams two days ago, she asked Lanqi how long it took to pass.

Lanqi conservatively answered that it took less than 50 minutes.

"Less than 50 minutes?"

Hyberian seemed a little amused and asked Lanqi with a hint of absurdity.

She heard about it after leaving the examination room the day before yesterday.

A person with black hair and green eyes passed the test in only 10 minutes.

She was wondering at the time if it could be the guy next to her who told her "the clearance time is less than 50 minutes."

Now, she was very sure.

It was this old schemer.

Lanqi scratched the back of his head slightly awkwardly.

He didn't expect that the third round of assessment would be such a team division method.

"Do you know each other?"

Teacher Teresa looked at the subtle reaction of the two and couldn't help but ask curiously.

Both shook their heads.

Subsequently.

"My name is Lanqi Wilfort, and I am a white mage, but compared to healing, my functionality is more diverse."

Lanqi took the lead and introduced himself frankly.

The key to teamwork is honesty, there is nothing to hide.

After a brief silence.

"... Hyberian Alanzar."

The duchess hesitated slightly and gave her name.

"Just treat me as an assassin-type role."

Her words came to an abrupt end, and the introduction was quite brief.

Obviously, she didn't have that much trust in Lanqi.

Lanqi nodded.

He didn't plan to ask any more questions.

He looked at the entrance of the examination room, as if waiting for their third teammate.

"Don't wait, he probably won't come."

Hyberian said.

Her sudden words suddenly attracted the puzzled gazes of Lanqi and Teresa.

"Why?"

"If nothing else happens, you will receive a message when the exam starts, saying that this guy cannot participate in the exam here for some reason. As for the specific reason, it depends on whether they coerce or lure him."

Hyberian spread her hands and said with cold eyes.

Although there was more helplessness in her voice, the anger in her heart was hard to hide in her pupils.

She knew too well what those noble masters who liked to manipulate the situation would do.

"Uh... Hyberian, this, this is just your guess, right?"

Hyberian's temperament was completely opposite to Lanqi's, and Teresa couldn't help but feel a little chill down her spine.

If Lanqi was like the pure white and flawless warm sun in spring, then Hyberian was like an ominous object in the depths of a cold and dirty pool of blood that could not be redeemed.

Teresa looked at Lanqi.

Lanqi, on the other hand, looked indifferent and calm, as always, without much emotional change.

Since Lanqi didn't speak, she as a teacher couldn't express any further opinions.

...

Not long after.

Near the start of the exam.

Teacher Teresa's magical instrument rang as expected—

Their teammate had decided to transfer to another academy and voluntarily gave up the exam.

"This..."

Teacher Teresa also became a little troubled.

She probably knew in her heart that this situation, which seemed like an accident, was not necessarily accidental.

After all, even Hyberian had guessed it in advance.

"Do you need me to ask the dean or vice-dean for instructions?"

Teresa asked hesitantly.

She knew that the combat assessment to be conducted by Ferrat would definitely not be easy.

What's more, Ferrat himself belonged to those who "didn't want Hyberian to enter the school."

With only Hyberian plus the magically weak white mage Lanqi, the two of them had no chance of passing...

Hyberian shook her head.

Her cold eyes softened a little when she looked at Teresa.

Although she had never felt much kindness and only grew up in mutual malice.

But more or less, she could still distinguish between the good and bad of others.

"These noble masters like to create seamless coincidences and will not give people a chance to catch them."

Hyberian smiled wryly.

"Even if today's exam is not broadcast externally, presumably there are many eyes secretly watching this stage."

Although it would be even more excessive to let Hyberian's last teammate come to take the exam normally first, and then act as an actor, or even directly stab Hyberian in the back.

But if it was too obvious and Dean Loren discovered some clues, Loren might delve into the fairness of the exam.

Therefore, the operators were more willing to create an accident.

"Then why didn't these people come to me?"

Lanqi frowned with his chin in his hand, as if seriously thinking about something.

Hyberian was slightly silent.

She didn't know if Lanqi really didn't understand or was pretending not to understand.

"Those guys also like to save face. If they directly bribe two candidates, it wouldn't look like an accident."

Hyberian explained simply.

Of course, she believed that a smart person like Lanqi could easily understand the real reason—

Those big shots didn't think Lanqi had much combat ability.

Not only that, but Lanqi could also allow the exam to continue normally, becoming a tool for hindering Hyberian.

If there was really only one candidate left, Hyberian, the academy would not be cruel enough to let her continue to single-handedly challenge the chief examiner, but would be more likely to put her in other teams and slightly increase the overall difficulty of the exam.

"I see, that's a pity..."

Lanqi nodded slightly and sighed.

His expression looked like he had missed a chance to make a fortune.

"Do you want to be bought by them?"

Hyberian stared at Lanqi's undisguised regrettable face and found it very ridiculous.

What had she done that would make him so disrespectful to her that he wouldn't even bother to act?

Even if this guy had some unique talents, he was still no different from those bastards with bad intentions.

"Of course."

Lanqi sneered and nodded affirmatively.

"Heh, dare to make trouble for my exam, then I will guarantee to collect evidence on the spot for them, and then donate the赃款 (stolen money) to the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and report these people for bribing and disrupting the order of the national regular examination, and apply for Article 675 of the Hutton Codex, requesting the divine intervention clause, requesting the temple to trace the source of this wrong account through divine art and conduct a thorough investigation. The divine official of the Goddess of Fate will determine that I have no intention of extortion in my subjectivity, but only to collect evidence. Then I will receive the award and protection of the church, which may allow me to become a trainee divine official in one fell swoop..."

He looked righteous and stern. If he had a legal code in his hand, he would probably have opened it on the spot to explain it to Hyberian.

Hyberian: "..."

Teresa next to her also had her lips slightly open when she heard Lanqi's words, and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Hyberian realized that she had misunderstood.

She decided to retract her previous statement.

Compared to those unscrupulous guys, this Lanqi was the real sword mound!