CHAPTER 181: DEADWEIGHT

The old spatial array master, his back turned resolutely towards the five stunned students, continued to hum his off-key tune, each note a small, sharp stab in their collective hope.

The oppressive silence was finally broken by Daniel, who stepped forward slowly, his hands raised in a calming gesture.

"Master," Daniel began, his voice calm and respectful, a clear shift from Gideon’s earlier booming arrogance.

"Please, forgive my teammate’s... enthusiasm.

He is a warrior of great strength, but his manners are, perhaps, still under cultivation.

We have come a long way, on the direct orders of Principal Finch, to undertake this trial.

It is a matter of great importance, not just to us, but to the Academy."

The old man paused his carving , though he didn’t turn around.

He let the silence stretch for a long, agonizing moment."The Principal’s personal disciple, eh?" he grunted, finally.

"I’ve heard the whispers. The boy who broke the system." He sighed, a sound like dry leaves scraping across pavement.

"Fine. I won’t refuse the Principal’s request. But you lot," he said, finally turning to face them, his diamond-sharp eyes locked in a stern glare, "will listen and listen carefully."

The Silvershade Realm is not a playground. It is a graveyard of legends, and it does not suffer fools gladly."

A wave of profound relief washed over the team. Amara let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Gideon looked so relieved he might have actually cried. Selene, her composure returning, crossed her arms, her expression once again one of cool indifference, though a faint sheen of sweat on her brow betrayed her earlier panic.

"There are three rules for entering this plane," the old man stated, his voice now devoid of any earlier warmth, replaced by a cold, absolute authority.

"You will not break them. You cannot break them. If you try, you will not just fail, you will cease to exist. Am I clear?"

They all nodded mutely.

"First rule ," he said, holding up one gnarled finger.

"No taking treasures. The realm is the final resting place of a great hero, his spatial ring expanded into a pocket dimension.

It is filled with his life’s collection of priceless artifacts, divine medicines, and legendary weapons.

You may look. You may use them to cultivate while you are inside. You may even lick them, for all I care. But you cannot, under any circumstances, attempt to bring anything out."

His voice dropped lower, carrying the weight of centuries of warning. .

"The moment an item from that plane crosses the threshold of my portal, it will dissolve into useless dust, and the one who carries it may find their very soul unraveling. It is a curse laid down by the plane’s master, and it is absolute."

The team exchanged uneasy glances. A treasure trove they couldn’t plunder. It was a tantalizing, frustrating prospect.

"Rule the second," the old man continued, raising another finger.

"A strict time limit. My array can only sustain a stable connection to that specific dimensional frequency for exactly seven days.

Not a minute more, not a second longer."

He tapped the side of his head, and a glowing timer appeared in the corner of each of their vision, already ticking down from seven days. The weight of it was unmistakable.

"When the timer reaches zero, the gateway will close.

If you are not on this side when it does, you will be trapped in the Silvershade Realm for eternity, until its chaotic energies eventually tear you apart.

Be late by even a single heartbeat, and you will die!

Amara shivered, her golden eyes flickering with unease. Gideon swallowed hard, his usual bravado dimmed. Even Selene’s fingers tightened slightly around her own arm.

"And rule the third," the old man said, his gaze sweeping over them, lingering for a moment on the friction between Selene and Gideon.

"The most important rule. A team contract."**

He pointed at each of them in turn. "The five of you will enter this plane together, and you must exit together.

The portal is keyed to your five distinct life signatures.

If even one of you fails to return to the portal in time, it will not activate for the others.

All five of you will be trapped! You are, for the next seven days, responsible for each other’s survival.

All for one, and one for all, whether you like it or not."

A new, heavy tension settled over the group.

This wasn’t just a mission anymore, it was a pact, a shared fate. Their individual success was now inextricably linked.

It was Selene who broke the silence, her voice sharp with undisguised displeasure.

She shot a cold, dismissive look directly at Daniel. "This is unacceptable. We cannot afford to carry a deadweight.

Our lives are now dependent on the weakest link, and as a freshman, his capabilities are an unknown liability.

How can we be certain he won’t get himself killed and doom us all?"

The accusation, blunt and brutal, hung in the air.

Amara looked concerned, ready to defend Daniel, while Nicklaus watched with a cool, calculating expression, assessing the team’s new, fragile dynamic.

Daniel, however, remained perfectly calm. He met Selene’s icy gaze without flinching.

"Your concern is noted, Aspirant Selene," he said, his voice even.

"It is true that as a freshman, my level and documented experience are lower than yours.

However, I can assure you, I have no intention of becoming a liability. I will endeavor to keep up and not hold the team back."

His humble, mature response seemed to surprise Selene, who had clearly expected an arrogant retort.

Nicklaus, the quiet strategist, gave Daniel a slow, appraising nod of respect.

A hotheaded genius was a problem, a calm, self-aware genius was an asset.

Gideon, finally finding his voice, stepped forward, his head bowed in shame.

"Master," he said to the old man, his booming voice now a humble rumble. "I... I apologize for my earlier rudeness. It was inexcusable."

The old man just grunted. "Apology accepted, you big oaf. Now all of you, get lost!!

Final preparations begins tomorrow. Be back here at noon tomorrow. And don’t be late.

The portal waits for no one, not even a Principal’s pet project."

With a final, dismissive wave, he turned and shuffled into his run-down house, leaving the five of them alone in the windswept wasteland.

The weight of their shared fate settled on their shoulders, heavy, and almost too much to bear.

As the wind howled around them, Daniel let out a slow breath and ran a hand through his hair.

Seven days. A realm of legends. And no room for error!