I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

Inside the artificial Shadow Realm, a powerful gust swept across the grasslands, bringing with it rolling clouds, which gradually drifted overhead. The cloud cover resembled a massive white curtain veiling the blue of the sky. The sound of the wind across the plains grew intense. Even the plant life seemed to sense the impending shift in the elements.

Having failed in her ambush, Hyperion landed lightly on the ground while recalling her scorpion tail dagger. It flew toward her hand as if it was tethered by a strand of magical silk.

Ferrat’s expression darkened even more. He possessed minor, instant-cast spells that required no incantation, but he didn’t have an endless supply of them. Furthermore, they were still subject to cooldown times.

If he failed to carefully keep track of both Hyperion and Lance and deliver a decisive, lethal blow, he risked being dragged into a stalemate. For the examinees, simply holding out for the full thirty minutes was enough to pass the test.

The wind roared louder, acting like an invisible giant’s hand thrashing wildly across the grasslands. The sea of green churned under the gale, forming rolling waves. Wild greenery danced in the wind, rustling with a sound akin to the crashing tides of the ocean.

Hyperion’s slender figure flickered in and out of sight amid the tall grass. Her body was taut as she kept her center of gravity low. Within the swaying stalks, she resembled a venomous serpent poised to strike a lethal blow. At any moment, she could choose to hurl that weapon once more.

Ferrat was quite aware that the dagger was an ancestral artifact of House Aransar. Now, in Hyperion’s hands, it had become her primary weapon. Yet, he had never imagined that it would one day pose a threat to him.

High quality enchanted cards, even those of a low tier, were indeed troublesome things.

***

The magical display screen in the center of the Sages' College conference room revealed the attributes of Hyperion’s weapon.

[Purgatory Scorpion Tail]

Category: Equipment Card

Grade: Pink (Divine)

Attribute: Poison/Curse

Tier: 3

Attacks have a chance to inflict status ailments such as Poison, Bleed, Paralysis, and Healing Reduction. Mana can be consumed to recall the weapon from a distance (3 second cooldown). Can cure the Poison status by extracting toxins from a target and imbuing them into the weapon (120 second cooldown).

A scorpion tail from the Purgatory of the Demon Realm.

The teachers in the meeting room discussed their thoughts earnestly as they gazed at the weapon in Hyperion's hand.

"Without having challenged the Shadow Realm, the only people who possess cards that are Rare or higher grade are almost exclusively from prestigious noble families. For an incoming freshman to possess a Pink Divine card, and one that is perfectly attuned to them, is quite rare, even across all the universities of the Southern Continent."

Enchanted cards of this quality were virtually priceless and rarely, if ever, appeared on the market. Even many of the faculty relied primarily on Purple cards.

Ultra-high-quality enchanted cards were usually obtained only by achieving extraordinary feats within the true Shadow Realm.

Alternatively, they were the result of a card maker achieving a miracle through a stroke of serendipity. Or, they could be ancient cards passed down through generations, having survived the passage of time rather than vanishing along with their original owners.

A teacher explained, "Hyperion possesses immense physical strength and mana power, yet her spirit and stamina are poor. In other words, she cannot continuously cast spells and is physically fragile. This is why she channels all her mana into enhancing her physique to attack physically.

"Aside from that weapon, her invisibility spell, and her survival card, almost all of Hyperion's remaining slots are dedicated to physical enhancement spells. Basically, she is an assassin."

"She nearly pulled it off with that last move," commented one instructor.

Another refuted, "It wasn't even close. Given Ferrat's combat experience and awareness, Hyperion is still far from posing a genuine threat to him."

Teachers from various groups were seated at different round tables and had been engaged in a lively review session.

Associate Dean Ron was seated at the head of the conference table. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the surface as he said in a measured, serious tone, "In fact, she would be better suited to a support mage who provides enhancement buffs rather than a white mage specialized in healing."

Clearly, Hyperion was a glass cannon rather than a tank, so she didn't require heavy healing.

"It would even be better if Lance was a summoner, as many summoned creatures provide team-wide aura buffs."

Generally speaking, among enchanted cards of the same rank, summon cards had the highest mana cost, spell cards varied widely, and equipment cards had the lowest mana costs. This was precisely why equipment cards were so popular among physical classes in the Knights’ College.

Lance’s high spirit stat granted him a massive mana pool, which would easily support numerous summoned creatures. Even if his summons had poor overall stats due to his own low mana power, deploying a full roster of aura-bearing creatures to support his teammates would still be a viable and effective role. In fact, that was the kind of support Hyperion needed right now.

"Indeed. Such a pity," lamented one instructor.

The associate dean then said, "Let's see if there are any game-changing spells or summons among Lance's remaining card slots."

The teachers in the room nodded in agreement. They didn't necessarily expect Lance to possess cards on par with Hyperion's, but they believed he surely held some high-potency spell or summon cards. Otherwise, his high spirit stat and massive mana pool would go to waste.

Many professors at the Sages’ College actually hoped that Hyperion and Lance would be admitted. After all, these two newcomers had already demonstrated the necessary qualities during a combat test held under extremely harsh conditions.

Under normal circumstances, this would have played out as a thrilling chase. However, they were still missing several key pieces to defeat the Rank 5 Ferrat in a direct confrontation.

Many instructors were well aware of Hyperion's true capabilities, and they weren't the only ones. The results of today's entrance exam were also being monitored by powerful figures within the kingdom's upper echelons.

Hyperion stood absolutely no chance of defeating Ferrat on her own, even though the latter was currently unable to cast spells requiring incantations. If they wanted to win, their only hope lay with the wild card: Lance!

It was up to him to create an opening for Hyperion. There was one crucial question. Aside from the abundance of healing magic he carried, what other cards, besides Friendly Exchange, did Lance have in his remaining slots?

Ever since Lance had revealed Friendly Exchange, the spectating faculty in the conference room had been waiting for him to show his true capabilities.

***

Above the vast Ilaiven Plains within the artificial Shadow Realm dungeon, Ferrat hovered in mid-air like a deity. His expression was cold and stern as he surveyed his surroundings.

He had to focus the majority of his attention on Hyperion, who was closer and posed a more immediate threat. She could leave behind another decoy and go invisible at any time. At the same time, he had to guard against whatever move Lance, positioned further away, might make next.

Ferrat found himself slightly irked that Lance remained utterly composed. Apparently, the boy had no sense of crisis even though he was in a dangerous situation. Lance was supposed to be the challenger, whereas he, as the examiner and the vastly superior expert, was the one being challenged.

Yet, as the test progressed, the odd dynamic between them began to sow a seed of doubt in Ferrat’s mind. Just who, exactly, was challenging whom?

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