Chapter 62: 62. World academy trials – 8 (THE LOOMING SHADOWS)

[Host, the space has been sealed.]

The system’s voice arrived without warning, cutting through Will’s thoughts.

There was no playful lilt and neither the usual irrelevant commentary that Will had grown accustomed to over time.

“What?” Will responded instinctively; his eyes swept the surroundings, but he couldn’t sense anything.

[The space is sealed.]

The system repeated itself, but this time the tone dropped further. It was quieter, almost subdued, as if the system itself were surprised.

“This space?” Will asked, his voice lowering as his instincts flared.

[The whole realm is sealed.]

The seriousness in the system’s tone was enough to send a chill down Will’s spine.

It felt wrong.

“Are you sure?” Will asked, even as part of him already knew the answer. His eyes narrowed, and sweat began forming along his brow.

[I have never been wrong about these things. You should know what sealing of space means right]

The words settled heavily in his mind.

Before he could speak again, a sharp notification sound echoed directly within his consciousness.

[ding!!!!]

==========

Mission: Stop the Cult of Amon

Description: The cult of Amon is coming after the heads of the top 50 participants of the entrance exam.

Task: Stop the Cult of Amon

Rewards: will be calculated after the mission is over

===========

Will stared at the translucent mission screen, reading it once, then again.

His expression hardened with each line. Unlike many previous missions, there was no exaggeration here, no dramatic wording meant to inflate urgency.

This was blunt.

“The Cult of Amon…” he muttered under his breath. His fingers flexed unconsciously. “And the space is sealed.”

Pieces began clicking together in his mind with alarming speed.

“He is coming, isn’t he?” Will said quietly, the realization striking him with such force that his breathing faltered. Sweat rolled down his temple despite the cool air.

[Unfortunately, yes.]

The confirmation landed like a hammer.

Will cursed under his breath. “I can’t send divine mail outside. My SP is empty, damn it.”

His thoughts raced as he assessed every option available to him. He felt cornered, not because he lacked power, but because of timing and circumstance.

“Is the inventory accessible?” he asked sharply.

[Yes. I unlocked it after this mission appeared.]

That was the smallest sliver of relief, but relief nonetheless.

“Think,” Will muttered, pacing a few steps before stopping abruptly. “Think.”

He clenched his sword so tightly his knuckles whitened.

Anxiety crept into his chest as several calculations ran in his mind.

He was currently the highest-ranking individual inside the realm, but his actual cultivation still sat at S-rank.

From the Cult’s side…

“An Ascension realm mage,” Will said grimly. “Coming personally.”

“The timeline is moving too fast; this person appeared too late in the story. It’s not time for him to appear today.”

The gap between Will and the ascension-level mage was enormous.

To fight someone three major realms above him was not just difficult—it was supposed to be impossible.

[You don’t need to win.]

[You only need to hold him down until academy reinforcements arrive.]

Will let out a slow breath. “Hold him down… You say that like it’s easy.”

His mind immediately went to his inventory.

“Let me think,” Will said, voice tight. “Bro… my entire inventory might be emptied today.”

As if responding to the rising tension, the forest around him trembled.

A massive presence descended from above, and the air shifted violently.

A huge SSS-rank Wind Wyvern crashed through the treetops, its wings unfurling as it landed with a thunderous impact. The ground shook, and trees bent violently, and a deafening roar tore through the air.

The wyvern reared its head and roared directly at Will, its wind-aspected mana surging outward in an attempt to overwhelm him through sheer pressure.

Will did not retreat.

Instead, he raised his gaze, staring directly into the beast’s eyes.

“Will the laws of this realm apply to them as well?” he asked, his voice steady despite the monstrous presence.

[Yes. Even though the space has been locked, the laws inside the realm cannot be changed. Even gods are suppressed by them.]

Will heaved a sigh of relief.

He looked at the roaring wyvern again.

“Then,” Will said calmly, adjusting his stance, “I think I might be able to do something.”

***

Academy Control Room…

Deep within the academy, in a control chamber where countless formation arrays converged, two professors sat calmly amidst glowing runes and layered magical constructs.

“Nia, is the space sealed yet?” asked the man seated beside her. He wore rectangular glasses with sharply angled edges, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the console.

“Almost complete,” Nia replied without looking up. Her hands moved fluidly as she adjusted several layered formations. “I’m adding extra layers. I want it foolproof.”

Both of them wore standard academy professor uniforms.

Both of them were formation masters that worked at the Academy, and both of them were also members of the Cult of Demon Lord Lilith, working as their agents.

Earlier that week, they had received precise instructions to coordinate with the Cult of Amon and ensure that the trial domain would be fully sealed at the appropriate time.

They had been given an artifact for assistance.

The domain was massive, far larger than most trial spaces, and sealing it had taken hours of meticulous work.

The anchor of the artifact had been embedded directly into the domain orb, ensuring complete isolation.

“Good,” the man said quietly. “Once Amon’s people enter, no one will be able to escape until they are done.”

Nia allowed herself a faint smile. “May Lilith bless them.”

***

Inside the academy’s principal office,

The atmosphere was relaxed.

Andrea, Tamasya, and Yue sat around a polished table, a massive projection screen hovering nearby displaying the trial’s progress.

“Hmmph,” Tamasya said, placing a chunk of platinum ore on the table. “My disciple will maintain his position for the entire trial.”

Andrea snorted lightly. “You’re far too confident, Tammy. Klaus’s disciple isn’t someone you can ignore, and you’re forgetting the Titan prince. That boy awakened a divine, world-ending Titan physique.”

She gestured lazily at the screen. “Look. Your disciple is taming wyverns while the others are making fast progress.”

“I bet my wager on Klaus’s disciple,” Andrea added calmly before tossing a platinum ore herself too.

Tamasya remained smug. “Hmph. He must have a reason.”

She turned toward Yue. “What do you think about him, Yue?”

Andrea and Tamasya both frowned when they saw Yue’s condition.

Her pupils had flipped backward.

A faint pinkish glow leaked from her eyes.

“Hey,” Tamasya snapped, irritation flashing across her face. “That’s cheating. You can’t use divination in the middle of a wager.”

Suddenly—

Yue’s divination shattered.

She gasped sharply, her body jerking as if struck. One hand slammed against the table as she struggled to breathe, shock written clearly across her face.

She looked up at the two women; her voice was tight and urgent.

“Guys,” Yue said, swallowing hard, “I think something is not right.”

—

[A/N : Just to clarify, people can be killed inside the domain, the monsters can’t kill since they are constructs of illusion, but real people can kill real people, that is why killing other participants was prohibited, and professors would intervene whenever that happened,

Well now they can’t (～￣▽￣)～]

***——-

For ten long years the war had raged in flame.

Till Greeks withdrew and left a gift of shame.

A wooden horse, so vast and finely made,

The Trojans cheered; their doubts began to fade.

At dead of night, the hollow beast gave birth—

Armed men crept out to burn the sleeping earth.

Thus, Troy fell not by strength, but by deceit.

And cunning won where blades could not compete.

***——-

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