All the Awakened stood in neat, evenly spaced lines behind and in front of the alabaster stones.
The teachers reached the portal platform, and one of them stepped forward, speaking in a firm, commanding voice.
"If any problem occurs in the Magic Realm, immediately report it to the nearest instructor. If no one is nearby, ask the other students for help.
The school will not be responsible for any injuries or deaths that occur within the realm."
Asvar paused for a few seconds before continuing.
"Since electronic devices don't function properly in the realm governed by the school, leave your communication tools here.
You'll form groups of at least three and at most six people. You're free to choose your own teammates. Your missions will be written on the boards inside the Magic Realm. Now, proceed slowly."
Gylani and Noctis nodded and began to move.
Everyone advanced toward the portal in steady waves, flowing from front to back. Within minutes, it was their turn.
Noctis took a deep breath.
"It'll feel strange at first," Gylani said, "but it'll pass soon."
They stood beside the shimmering portal, inhaled deeply, and stepped forward.
The moment Noctis crossed through, he felt the air change — and with it, countless subtle differences he couldn't quite describe.
He looked around with wide eyes. Emerald-green grass brushed against his ankles; beautiful flowers of every kind swayed in the breeze. Majestic alabaster stones of strange, reverent shapes rose around him, radiating an ancient calm.
Turning his head in awe, he spotted a sun — larger than the one in the Human Realm — burning crimson and gold along the horizon.
"Welcome to the Realm of Endless Sunset, Noctis," Gylani said softly.
Noctis gave Gylani a quick, astonished glance before returning to the breathtaking view.
'I've heard of it… but I never imagined it would be like this.'
He admired the scenery for a few more seconds. When he turned around, he noticed man-made structures not far from the portal — facilities the school had built near the gate to assist students in emergencies and to study the Realm of Sunset itself.
Gylani pointed toward a large board listing the missions. Together, they walked over and carefully read the writings engraved upon it.
( Mandatory Task: Every member of your group must kill at least one monster. )
( Mandatory Task: One intact core must be brought back and shown to the instructor. )
( Optional Task: After defeating a monster, you may conduct exploration and research. )
( Instructor Asvar's Note: Awakened ones must never attack each other. Anyone who does will be expelled from the school. Do not wander too far and always stay alert. Your guide, Instructor Elena, will lead you. )
Noctis raised an eyebrow at Gylani.
"Don't you think the tasks are a bit too simple? I heard all the monsters here are First Layer."
Gylani shrugged.
"Not that simple, actually. Yeah, they're First Layer, but even so, they're fast. Their strength is about the same as an average human… but their speed is on par with an Awakened."
Gylani's expression turned awkward.
"My magic isn't really suited for combat… That's why I've never managed to kill one."
Noctis raised an eyebrow again.
"What kind of magic is it? And didn't your group help you?"
Gylani shook his head.
"No one did… They're calm and disciplined, sure, but not exactly helpful. Only that girl from the big clan lends a hand. But I couldn't join her group."
He nodded toward the distance and started walking.
"My magic has something to do with space… but I don't really understand how it works. My soul guide isn't much help either."
Noctis gave him a puzzled, slightly intrigued look.
'Space, huh?'
Gylani brushed off his awkward look and smiled faintly.
"So, what about yours? What kind of magic do you use?"
Noctis pointed toward his own shadow.
"Shadows."
Gylani's smile vanished, replaced by surprise. The two of them talked for several minutes about their magic while walking toward the crowded area to find another member for their group.
In the middle of the crowd, Instructor Elena was trying to calm the chaos of students forming teams.
Noctis felt uncomfortable in the crowd and stepped aside to observe from a distance. Gylani was struggling to find another Awakened to join them. He glanced back at Noctis and frowned.
"Yeah, you're being super helpful just standing there like that."
Noctis shrugged and looked around. He noticed the group of people surrounding the girl from the clan, his expression faintly puzzled.
Her dark golden hair shimmered under the crimson sunlight, dancing like molten metal. While Noctis was staring, the blonde girl suddenly glanced back at him for a brief moment.
He kept looking around and noticed another person standing alone nearby—just like him.
She had chestnut hair that fell to her shoulders, light brown eyes, pale skin, and a slender frame.
Noctis watched her for a few seconds. With each passing moment, he felt something strange inside. The aura the Awakened girl was giving off didn't feel normal to him.
'The source of magic is supposed to be the core… but the energy she's giving off doesn't seem to come from one.'
While Noctis was quietly observing the girl, Gylani approached and gave him a teasing look.
"Noctis, I get it—there are some pretty girls here. But maybe instead of staring, you could actually invite one to our group?"
Noctis frowned slightly.
"I was about to ask, actually."
As Noctis started walking toward her, Gylani smirked mockingly. When he got closer, the chestnut-haired girl turned toward him. There was tension on her face.
Noctis stopped beside her and spoke in a calm tone.
"Hey… have you joined a group yet? If not, you can join ours—"
"Yes. I'll join."
Noctis was caught off guard but didn't show it.
'That was unexpected.'
He lifted his hand toward Gylani, signaling him to come over. Then he looked back at the girl and introduced himself.She replied simply,
"My name is Nara."
Even without looking at her face, Noctis could tell she was nervous. The Awakened girl was clearly trying to hide it but wasn't very good at it.
'I think I know why she was alone… But even now, standing right next to her, I can't make sense of this strange aura.'
Gylani joined them, introduced himself to Nara, then turned to Noctis.
"Should we find one more?"
Noctis shook his head.
"That'd take too long. Three people are enough. Let's just finish this early."
Gylani nodded and went to ask Instructor Elena about the monsters' location. When he came back, he pointed them in the right direction. They walked for several minutes as Noctis looked up at the sky. It glowed in the eternal hue of sunset, but not a single star could be seen.
"Why doesn't the sun ever set here?"
Gylani shrugged.
"No one knows. Researchers are still studying it, but they haven't found anything important yet."
They continued through the flower-covered field in silence, moving cautiously between alabaster rocks.
"Gylani, what do these monsters look like?"
Gylani pointed at one of the alabaster stones.
"Like those—but shaped like humans. No faces, no eyes… but their perception is sharp. You won't find them in this area, but we should get ready soon."
Noctis and Nara nodded. A few minutes passed and they summoned their weapons. Noctis glanced at Gylani's hand. The blade was a little over a meter long. The steel reflected the pleasant sunlight. At the end of the hilt was a round white stone.
When he looked at Nara's hand, he saw a curved sword nearly a meter long. The steel was thin but you could feel its sharpness. Its hilt was slightly longer than the others he'd seen.
Noctis sighed.
"So we all do close-range fighting."
Nara looked at the sword in her hand with a faintly puzzled expression.
"Actually, I usually use a bow," she said softly. "But lately, I've been preferring the sword. I'll switch back to the bow soon."
Noctis glanced at her discreetly, his thoughts quietly turning.
'If she uses a bow... then why did she draw her sword in the first place?'
Gylani and Nara summoned their armor. Their armors were quite similar. Nara's was a silver-like metal. It had spikes on the gauntlets and embroidery on the chest that Noctis couldn't make sense of.
Gylani's armor was a dark, silver-like metal; while Nara's embroidery was on the chest, Gylani's was on the back.
Noctis sighed.
'The rich...'
He called the Rusted Chain. Nara and Gylani stared with widened eyes.
"Noctis, how did you get that sword?"
Noctis looked at Gylani calmly and lowered his voice a little.
"Killing a shadow... I think."
Gylani frowned slightly and kept watching Noctis. Noctis raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you have armor, Noctis?"
Noctis shook his head.
"I only have this… Maybe we'll get one as a reward when we kill a monster."
Gylani pointed the way and they moved into quieter parts. Nearly an hour passed but they found no monsters. Noctis grew bored and was about to speak to Gylani when he felt something.
'—a shadow is approaching us.'
Noctis quietly signaled them to stop and they slipped behind a large rock. He focused on the shadow. He felt it drawing closer.
He slowly peeked out. A humanoid rock with an alabaster appearance was approaching. Its form was humanlike but its movement was strange. It moved in a stuttering way—each step it took, it would freeze for an instant.
Noctis watched the monster with a strange expression. He looked at the others and nodded. In a low voice he said:
"That's a monster… It's about thirty meters away from us… We can surround and kill it. Who wants to strike first? Would you, Nara—"
A sudden sensation made him look behind him. The alabaster monster had already come upon them. It gripped the rock with its hands and, with its faceless head, stared at them.
All three moved instantly. The monster froze where it stood, then lunged toward Gylani a second later. Gylani raised his sword and took a stance.
The alabaster creature circled around him in erratic bursts—fast, but constantly stuttering. Gylani spun in place several times, waiting for an opening. The creature darted forward, and Gylani lunged, swinging his sword.
The blade sliced past the creature's head, and in the same moment, it struck back—slamming into Gylani with terrifying speed.
Noctis immediately gripped the Rusted Chain tightly and charged in.
The alabaster monster turned toward him for a split second, then retreated swiftly. Noctis focused on its shadow—but the creature seemed to move its own shadow away from him, as if aware of his intent.
Gylani pushed himself up and retrieved his sword. He glanced at Noctis and moved behind the creature. He shouted, "Noctis! When I give the signal, I'll break its focus—attack right then!"
Noctis nodded, ready to strike.
Meanwhile, Nara held her curved sword in a strange position. She looked like she wanted to help but couldn't move. Her brown eyes were wide, and the tip of her sword trembled.
Just as Gylani was about to lift his hand, the alabaster creature abruptly stopped. Its faceless head turned toward Nara.
It lunged at her.
Nara swung her blade wildly but missed. The creature slammed into her, throwing her backward. Gylani shouted his signal, and Noctis dashed forward.
The creature froze again, its jerky movements becoming even more distorted.
Each step it took seemed to stutter in place for seconds at a time.
Noctis saw the pattern—he waited, analyzing every twitch. The monster's movements were erratic, but its shadow moved differently.
'Right… now it goes left… right again… then back…'
Watching the shadow stirred something inside him. He was starting to understand how it moved. He turned to Gylani and shouted,
"Use some essence—completely break its focus!"
Gylani gripped his sword tightly, his brows furrowed as he glared at the monster. The creature's erratic movements became even more unstable. Noctis waited—when the shadow reached exactly where he predicted, he lunged forward and drove the Rusted Chain straight into the monster's shadowed arm.
The statue-like creature seemed to writhe in pain, though its faceless form couldn't express it. Its movements grew distorted as it kicked violently, sending Noctis flying several meters back. He crashed near Nara. When he looked up, Gylani was struggling to hold the creature back, barely keeping up with its wild strength.
Noctis glanced at Nara. Her face was pale with fear. She was gripping her sword tightly, her hands trembling.
He frowned.
"Nara, please—help us. At least use your magic."
Nara looked at him, her expression frozen in terror. She didn't respond for several seconds. Noctis sighed and rushed to aid Gylani.
"Nara's in shock. She's not even using her magic. We'll have to kill this thing ourselves. Forget the turns—just finish it."
Gylani clenched his jaw, raised his sword, and attacked. He was trying to disrupt the creature's focus while fighting it at the same time. Noctis looked for an opening to strike at its shadow again but was careful not to hit Gylani's shadow by mistake.
Gylani managed to slice through the creature's abdomen. White sand spilled from the wound. The monster seemed to grow enraged—its movements became sharper, faster. It slammed into Gylani and threw him backward.
Noctis darted forward and attacked—not the shadow this time, but the creature itself. One eye on the monster, the other on its shadow.
He tried to anticipate its movements by tracking both. The link he felt with the shadows guided his instincts.
A heavy blow struck his shoulder, but he endured it and closed the distance, swinging the Rusted Chain upward. The blade slashed through where its face should have been.
White sand poured from the faceless head, yet the creature kept moving. It swung at Noctis, forcing him back—then lunged at him again. But just as it did, Nara stepped forward, her fear breaking into resolve. She swung her curved sword in a clean, downward arc across the creature's back.
Streams of white sand burst from the wound as the monster froze mid-motion.
The statue stopped moving and slowly collapsed to the ground. Noctis watched for a few seconds, then stood up. He glanced at Gylani and called out to him. When Gylani responded, Noctis turned to Nara, frowning.
"You could've waited until we were dead to kill it... Why didn't you help from the start? I saw you were scared. We were scared too—but we fought to stay alive."
Nara took a small step back. Her tone was calm, yet strangely cold.
"Yes, you're right… I was afraid. But I knew the creature moved by sensing presence. When you both disrupted its perception, I waited for the right moment."
Noctis exhaled and told her to take the monster's core. They decided to rest for a few minutes. Nara pulled a small bag from her side, took out a flask of water, drank first, and then handed it to the others.
After resting a while, they set out once again—to hunt another monster…