The Korean Awakened Association headquarters stood tall in the heart of Seoul, its dark glass exterior reflecting the morning light. Inside, the atmosphere was strictly disciplined. Awakeners and staff moved through the pristine corridors with purpose, their footsteps echoing softly against the polished floors.
On the 47th floor, a young female secretary walked briskly across the marble hallway. She stopped in front of a large, dark wooden door and knocked twice.
A calm voice came from inside.
"Come in."
The secretary opened the door and stepped inside.
Ashley Ravencroft sat behind a polished dark oak desk, reading something on her terminal. She was dressed in a sharp, tailored dark gray suit that accentuated her mature, curvaceous figure. Her long black hair was tied in a high, elegant ponytail. She didn't look up immediately.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice cold and detached.
The secretary bowed slightly.
"Deputy Director, the live broadcast from Seoul Awakener University has started."
Ashley finally lifted her gaze. Her eyes were sharp and unreadable.
"Put it on the desk. And leave."
The secretary discreetly placed a tablet on the desk, the live feed of the Grand Auditorium already displayed, then quietly exited the room.
Ashley leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. She picked up the tablet and watched the broadcast for a few seconds. A cold, arrogant smile slowly formed on her lips.
"Let's see how that bastard handles the little gift I've prepared for him," she murmured, her voice laced with disdain.
Her eyes narrowed.
"An illegitimate child like him should know his place."
While Ashley watched from her office, the broadcast had already spread far beyond the university walls.
Through backchannels, private networks, and well-placed connections, the live feed of the Personal Disciple Ascension Ceremony had reached powerful groups across the country. Top guilds were already evaluating promising first-years — or marking those they wanted eliminated before they grew too strong.
Founding Families watched with particular interest the two Vanderbilt heirs who had suddenly become the center of attention. Even within the Korean Awakened Association itself, several high-ranking officials were quietly observing the event.
Inside the Grand Auditorium, massive holographic screens displayed live footage from inside the pocket dimension known as Pandemonium. The atmosphere among the second- and third-year students was a mixture of excitement and shock.
On the large central hologram, brutal scenes were already unfolding — some first-year students desperately fleeing from monsters, while others had already been dragged into the dark woods, their screams abruptly cut off.
In the professors' section, Seraphina Hale watched the screens with her usual lazy expression. However, her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed the brutality.
Sending a bunch of F-rank brats into a dimension like Pandemonium… What exactly is the Headmaster's agenda here?
Just then, one of the screens focused on Alex Vanderbilt. He was moving through a clearing, his golden spear flashing brilliantly as he cut down monster after monster with clean, powerful thrusts. The light element radiating from his spear completely suppressed the dark and corrupted creatures in the area.
Seraphina observed him for a few seconds before a small, amused smirk appeared on her lips.
"This guy…" she muttered. "His element is a complete counter to those monsters. Looks like Alex Vanderbilt already has a massive advantage."
Lucas stood alone on a jagged black rock, the wind carrying the scent of sulfur and molten mana brushing against his face.
He had changed into his gear the moment he arrived — a long, intricately designed black coat with dark metallic patterns and glowing violet runes running along the edges. On his back rested the massive, ominous greatsword Voidreaver, its blade etched with dark energy that pulsed faintly with every breath he took.
He sat down on the rock, one leg resting higher than the other, and quietly observed his surroundings.
The sky above was a deep, ominous crimson, painted with streaks of dark red. Three black moons hung in the sky at different angles, casting an eerie glow across the land. In the distance, rivers of molten mana flowed like lava, while strange, twisted forests stood silently — their trees absorbing mana instead of sunlight. The air itself felt thick and heavy.
Lucas tapped the communication function on his bracelet, trying to contact Yuna and Vivianne. The display flickered briefly before returning nothing but silence.
"No signal..." he muttered, lowering his hand. "Looks like everyone was scattered to different locations."
Just then, his bracelet vibrated. A large notification window appeared in front of him.
WORLD AI NOTICE
Dimension Confirmed.
Name: Pandemonium
Classification: Ancient Demon Dimension
Threat Level: SS-Rank
Welcome, Challengers.
You have entered the Outer Frontier of Pandemonium.
Current Zone Restriction:
Entry Rank: F-Rank to D-Rank only.
Individuals above D-Rank are rejected by the Dimension's Laws.
Time Flow:
Pandemonium: 3 Days
Earth: 3 Hours
Mission ObjectivesPrimary: Survive for 3 Days.
Secondary: Accumulate the highest number of Contribution Points.
Contribution Points are awarded upon eliminating native inhabitants:
F-Rank Creature: 1 Point
E-Rank Creature: 5 Points
D-Rank Creature: 20 Points
Elite variants, hidden bosses, and special objectives grant additional points.
Exploration: The deeper you venture into the Outer Frontier…
Enemy density increases.
Stronger creatures become more prevalent.
Rare treasures and hidden opportunities become more abundant.
Leaderboard: A real-time leaderboard has been established. Updates every 1 Hour.
Emergency Extraction: Your Arrival Token serves as a one-time evacuation device. Activation requires 10 seconds and cannot be interrupted.
Combat Regulations
Friendly Fire: Permitted.
Eliminating other participants awards no Contribution Points.
Rewards: The Top 3 participants will receive exclusive privileges:
Priority selection of a Personal Professor.
Priority selection of an Academy Faction.
Additional exclusive rewards based on final ranking.
Final Warning: Death within Pandemonium is permanent.
Lucas read through the notification in silence, his expression calm but his eyes sharp. After a few seconds, he let out a low chuckle.
"These crazy bastards are actually sending us to a place with an SS-rank threat level…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Imp hidden in his shadow suddenly began to tremble violently with excitement.
"Master… We have arrived at the Outer Layer of a demonic dimension."
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly.
Before he could ask anything further, another system window materialized in front of him. Unlike the previous notification, this one carried a deep violet and black hue.
[Heir of the Infernal Dominion – Dimensional Resonance Detected]
You have entered Pandemonium, an ancient demonic dimension.
As the Heir of the Infernal Dominion, your existence resonates strongly with this world.
Buffs Granted:
[Abyssal Authority] (Passive) — Your presence naturally suppresses weaker demonic beings. Low-ranking demons and monsters will instinctively feel fear and submission toward you.
[Mana Resonance] (Passive) — Mana recovery speed increased by 40%. Mana consumption for all skills was reduced by 25%.
[Legion Amplification] (Passive) — All summoned devils and entities under your command receive a 30% increase in overall stats.
[King's Consumption – Enhanced] (Passive) — The efficiency of absorbing traits, skills, and power from demonic entities has been significantly increased. The risk of backlash is reduced.
[Dominion Field – Enhanced] (Passive) — The range and potency of your Dominion Field have been greatly amplified.
Warning: These buffs will only remain active while you are inside Pandemonium.
Excitement flickered across Lucas's face as the buffs activated — until his spine tingled at the countless gazes watching from far beyond.
A strange pressure suddenly filled the air.
Above him, the space began to distort. Thick, dark abyssal shadows started condensing into shape, forming large, ancient-looking words that floated in the air. The letters were forged from pure darkness, pulsing with a heavy, regal authority that made the air feel thick and oppressive.
The Imp's voice quickly echoed in his mind, filled with reverence.
"Master, don't be alarmed. The Dominion Core is responding to your presence. This is—"
Before the Imp could finish, the floating shadow words fully manifested.
HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
"Ancient Law VII"
「No foreign eye shall witness the Heir before the Throne chooses.」
The oldest law of the Infernal Dominion has recognized your arrival.
Reward: [Veil of Succession]
While within the territory of the Infernal Dominion, anyone below Infernal Royal Authority is forbidden from directly observing your actions. All forms of external surveillance, scrying, divination, remote viewing, and similar observation abilities will be completely nullified.
Only beings possessing Infernal Royal Authority equal to or greater than your own may pierce the veil.
Authority Clause: As the recognized Heir, you may voluntarily suspend or revoke the protection of the Veil of Succession at any time, allowing designated individuals or all observers to perceive your actions until the law is reinstated.
Lucas stared at the ancient shadow words hovering above him. Even though he could now read them, the oppressive weight they carried made it clear that this was no ordinary system notification.
He muttered under his breath,
"…What the fuck."
The shadow words slowly dissolved into black mist after delivering the reward, but their presence had already changed something fundamental.
**
Back at Seoul Awakener University, the atmosphere in the Grand Auditorium had shifted.
Just as several factions began openly placing bets on who would rank highest, one of the large holographic screens suddenly began to distort.
Lucas Vanderbilt's feed, which had been clearly visible moments ago, started glitching violently. The image twisted and warped before cutting out completely, replaced by a pitch-black screen. Technicians frantically tried switching angles and reconnecting, but the feed remained completely dark.
A strange silence began to spread through the upper sections.
"What happened to Lucas Vanderbilt's feed?"
" Don't tell me, he's already dead?"
The murmurs were quieter this time. Unease crept into the voices.
In the professors' section, Seraphina Hale narrowed her eyes at the black screen. She stopped tapping her finger against the armrest. For several seconds, she simply stared at it, her expression unreadable.
"…Even our high-grade observation tools can't pierce through," she muttered, her voice low.
Rachel Park, who had been watching the feeds with her usual calm, slowly turned her head toward the black screen. Her crimson eyes sharpened, and the air around her seemed to grow heavier. She didn't speak, but the slight tightening of her jaw spoke volumes.
In her office at the KAA headquarters, Ashley Ravencroft's smile vanished the moment Lucas's feed turned black. She sat up straight, her eyes narrowing as she rapidly switched between multiple observation channels. Every attempt returned the same result — nothing but darkness.
"…What?"
She tried forcing a higher-level connection through her authority as Deputy Director. The screen remained pitch black.
Ashley's expression slowly darkened.
"What the hell just happened…?"
Back in the auditorium, Darius Grimwald's face contorted. Without a word, he abruptly stood up, the legs of his chair scraping harshly against the floor. The sound cut through the growing murmurs like a blade. He strode out of the professors' section, his coat flaring behind him, clearly heading to contact the Headmaster immediately.
Several professors exchanged tense glances. If even the university's most advanced systems couldn't observe Lucas anymore, then something far more significant than a simple connection error had occurred inside Pandemonium.
The sudden blackout of Lucas's feed had created a noticeable ripple across the entire auditorium. The excited whispers from earlier had died down, replaced by a heavier, more uncertain silence.
Whatever had happened to him inside that dimension…
It was clear that, for now, Lucas Vanderbilt had become completely invisible to all of them.
***
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