At the same time, a guide line message appeared.

["Conquered the ‘Masquerade of Temptation!"]

[The story of the Duchess Aeron, who wanted to gain the world's greatest beauty and popularity, has come to an end like this.]

The world began to fold in on itself.

NPCs turned into smoke and scattered, objects turned into dust and disappeared.

Even amidst that, the players couldn't even think of standing up.

"Ah...uh...."

Someone sat down in their place, while someone else blankly stared into the empty space.

The transformation of their fellow student into a dark mage and the betrayal….

The shock had not yet subsided.

Amidst all that, only one person moved, Hong Bi-Yeon.

Instead of heading towards the entrance with the clock tower stairs, she glanced back and said, "How long are you going to sit like that? Pathetic. There will be rewards behind the stage. Make sure to take them with you."

Then, without realizing it, the students noticed a door located behind the stage.

Since they had cleared the final stage, there would be various rewards, including the "Magic Stone," in that place.

Erna, while blankly staring at Hong Bi-Yeon’s back, realized something with a question mark in her mind.

Her legs were trembling as she walked.

"No way..."

She finally realized.

She also wanted to sit down in that situation, and she was still unable to recover from the shock, but she pretended as if nothing was wrong, as if she didn't crumble, as if she was strong.

She was acting tough.

Someone had to be a support for others to be able to stand up.

‘Was that it...?'

Edna, belatedly, also regained her senses and struggled to stand up.

In the end, Hong Bi-Yeon’s words were right.

She never thought that Jecky would ask for forgiveness.

So, wasn't she already prepared with magic to restrain her limbs?

Hong Bi-Yeon knew that they couldn’t trust Jecky and would prepare magic, so she deliberately left an opening.

She had a sharp understanding of human psychology and knew how to manipulate and exploit it... Truly a disgustingly dirty personality.

But at the same time, she had a selfish yet altruistic nature, willing to shoulder everything.

Suddenly, such thoughts swirled in Edna’s mind.

Perhaps... Maybe it was a misunderstanding caused by relying too much on knowledge from the original romance novels about the character named Hong Bi-Yeon.

——-

"A-6 Team, the training is over, and the students have come out."

"Evacuate them."

"B-3 Team's practice is also over."

In the Stella Dome, there were dozens of Persona Gates formed, but they were all fake, allowing professors to intervene at any time without danger.

Except for one gate.

Out of nowhere, a Persona Gate of Danger Level 5 appeared in the heart of Stella Academy. In preparation for that, the current Stella Knights and professors were firmly armed, ready and waiting.

The professors could handle a Persona Gate of Danger Level 5 from their positions, but if the "Underworld Synchronization Phenomenon" were to occur, it could distort the surrounding environment and pose a serious threat.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"I don't know... It seems like an accident occurred."

The students glanced at the direction of the Persona Gate and followed the assistant's guidance to evacuate outside the Stella Dome.

Hanwol gazed at the gate with a troubled expression from the closest spot.

So far, there had been only a handful of Stella students who died during practice.

However, no death was easily forgotten. It was the most sorrowful and regrettable thing to see young minds who had entered Stella with dreams of a bright future wither away before they could bloom.

He didn't show it, but he remembered the faces and names of all the students.

In particular, Baek Yu-Seol’s name would not be forgotten in his memory for a long time.

A peculiar student who grew up in unfortunate circumstances but entered Stella with dreams of becoming a knight.

However, he had proven to the world with his skills that his dream was not empty rhetoric, and if he continued to work a little harder, he could surely achieve the most rewarding results in the world.

But to die so meaninglessly in a place like this...

"The waves are shaking! Changes have started inside!"

"Prepare yourselves slowly."

When Knight Commander Arien gave a slight nod, the magic knights confidently drew their swords.

Arien didn't need to intervene personally. They were an elite force, so even stepping forward to face the Persona Synchronization of just Danger Level 5 was considered remarkable.

Zzzt! Crackle...!

The gate slowly shook to the point where it was visible to the naked eye, and finally, something inside contracted as if it were exploding.

Flash!

A moment later, the gate completely disappeared, and fifteen students wearing Stella uniforms appeared.

"Ah..."

Someone exhaled a breath, a sign of relief.

The tension was released.

Such sounds echoed from various places.

Someone let out a sigh, someone laughed, someone quickly made a call, and someone turned away.

"... The ants defeated the tiger."

Arien's expression, surprisingly, showed a hint of astonishment. Then he turned around, mocking himself for making the joke.

"Let's withdraw."

"Yes!"

As the disciplined knights turned around without hesitation, the mages and faculty members who were waiting let out cheers.

"They really conquered the Persona Gate of Danger Level 5 themselves?"

"I can't believe it..."

"Well, they are Stella's students after all."

"No, it's still a matter of life and death no matter what."

"Even experienced veterans would find the Danger Level 5 Gate challenging..."

Hanwol gestured with his eyes to the nearby mage.

The mage closed his eyes and spun the magic circle, then stopped and spoke.

"Wave pattern termination. Mission accomplished. Complete victory."

After confirming that, Hanwol walked briskly towards the students.

However, when Baek Yu-Seol stepped forward first, Hanwol widened his eyes and tightened his grip.

Magical warriors who conquered Persona Gates were obligated to report to the supervising magician mage according to the manual.

So, right now, Baek Yu-Seol was determined to fulfill his duty and protect the command chain, even if it was a matter of life and death.

"That kid... is he the 'leader'?"

"I recognize his face."

"He became famous because of the knighthood."

While the mages were cheering, Baek Yu-Seol, wrapped in bandages all over his body, somehow managed to stand upright with the wand held vertically against his chest.

It was the salute of a magical warrior.

After Hanwol acknowledged the salute, Baek Yu-Seol reported.

"Reporting completion of the Persona Gate mission. Total of 16 personnel, 1 casualty. Over 15 personnel have successfully returned."

Hanwol’s expression turned bitter upon hearing his words.

In the end, one student was sacrificed. It was a relief that they had returned alive, but there was no reason to celebrate blindly.

So, without showing any expression, Hanwol maintained a stoic face and nodded his head.

"Well done. Each and every one of you, as magical warriors, has achieved remarkable results without any shortcomings. I'm proud of you. I'll immediately assign a healing mage to provide rest for you all."

Regardless of the circumstances, it was true that they had achieved a remarkable accomplishment.

One casualty? It was undoubtedly a regrettable event, but the fact that fifteen students survived the mission was even more miraculous.

At the center of it all, there was probably Baek Yu-Seol.

Even though no leader had been officially designated, the fact that Baek Yu-Seol, ranked 1141st, stepped forward and reported meant that all the other students recognized him as their leader.

Hanwol approached Baek Yu-Seol to offer some encouragement. However, for some reason, he had a distressed expression, and Hanwol couldn't understand the reason behind it.

"Hmm, did something significant happen internally?"

He wanted to say something comforting to Baek Yu-Seol, thinking that he needed to pay more attention to him.

"Haha, what's all this about?"

Hanwol’s chest sank with a startle. It was the voice of a rebellious teenage boy, but the determination and heavy pressure contained in it made it difficult even to utter a word.

Elman Eltwin, the headmaster of Stella Academy and a Class 9 mage, had personally come here.

Elman Eltwin looked around the students slowly and then finally turned his gaze towards Baek Yu-Seol, his eyes flashing with interest.

"Well... It seems like something interesting happened while I was away?"