Next big thing..

Lee sensei waited until the room settled before speaking.

The noise thinned gradually, students finishing conversations that had already lost direction. By the time he turned from the board, attention had aligned without being asked for.

“This isn’t part of your regular curriculum, so listen carefully.”

I adjusted my posture. Several others did the same.

“The next Shin Sekai Guild and Kyoto Academy of Magic joint raid has been announced.” Lee sensei continued, “And it will take place inside the Demon Realm.”

I was taken aback. For a short moment, no one reacted. Then the room fractured.

“What?”
“Inside…?”
“That’s not possible, right?”

Voices overlapped as if they heard it wrong the first time, and waited for the correction that usually followed up with outrageous statements like that.

Lee sensei raised one hand. The sound dropped immediately.

“Yes, you heard me right. It is true, and you will be going inside the demon realm for the first time in the history of mages.. that’s why this operation matters!” He said and slammed the table.

Joint training raids had existed for years. Shin Sekai handled large scale incursions. The academy provided support, observation units, and occasionally candidates for evaluation. The structure was established, predictable in its limits. This announcement broke those limits.

Raids had always been reactive. A gate opened into our territory. Demons crossed over. Guilds deployed. Students learned more by studying in near proximity, than participation. Even when training exercises simulated danger, the direction remained the same. The threat always came to us, there was no need to seek out.

Crossing into the Demon Realm is uncharted waters, even for the top guilds of the world.

Someone spoke out, slowly. “So we’re invading?”

Lee sensei did not answer immediately. His gaze moved across the room, measured and unhurried. “You’re participating in a joint training raid with the best guild in all of this country..” he said and leaned forward towards the room. “Only the location has changed, the objective remains the same.”

Another voice followed. “What about fighting? We have to fight on our own to some extent, right?” A few heads turned toward the speaker.

“Everything will be handled by Shin Sekai,” Lee sensei replied. “You’ll be briefed when the plan is finalized.”

No reassurance came with it. No guarantee was offered. The answer existed only as information.

He turned back toward the board and added, “This operation.. has been approved by the Magic Guild Association. That alone should tell you all that you need to know for now.”

"Uh.."

This detail landed harder than the original announcement for me. The Association rarely approved proactive moves like these. Their policies favored containment, not escalation.

'Risk management' is the best term to define the way they work.

'Which world power has done this before? Did the USA do it? Did China do it?'. Approval for a high-risk operation meant consensus. Consensus meant precedent to set the record straight, noting that 'this is a possible endeavor that we can allocate resources towards and have an above 90% chance of success'.

My previous life has taught me a bit of the 'Insiders' in the Magic Guild Association.

Hammer Head Ojisan always shit talked about them whenever their name was brought up in a conversation.

Lee sensei continued, “Participation criteria will be strict. Selection will involve both academy evaluation and guild oversight. Tolerance towards stress will matter more than output.”

Several students shifted their expressions. If they're evaluating everything, rather than just selecting by the academic results, I also have a chance of getting selected for this joint training raid. And I want to be in.

“This is the most important part, You will NOT be operating as individual mages, is that clear?” Lee sensei added. “You will function as part of a larger team formation. Deviations will be corrected immediately with expulsion from the academy!”

His phrasing left little room for interpretation. I watched his posture rather than his face. He stood as he always did, balanced, steady, unaffected by the magnitude of what he was outlining.

“Everything I said here will not leave this room, am I clear?” he said. “Speculation serves no one at this stage, so do your best to not worry too much.”

A few students nodded. Others looked unconvinced, but none of them argued.

The lessons resumed.

Other Instructors came and did their thing. I cannot keep my focus in one place. I stared down at my notes with pencil in hand which moved on its own. Grasshopper Man.. A fedora-wearing chemistry teacher.. A spiky-haired ninja mid-hand sign.. and a dumb pirate with a straw hat grinning at nothing.

From the edge of my awareness, a voice echoed in my mind.

“So they have decided to step onto the other realm at last.” Virgilia said. Her tone remained calm, almost idle. “They delayed this longer than expected..”

I did not respond. My attention stayed anchored to the doodles.

“The Demon Realm has many names.” she continued. “Humans will only go there, after they live out their whole life. Crossing willingly always carries consequences. I hope you're prepared.”

Her words overlapped with the Instructor Saiyu's explanation of mana fatigue thresholds.

'I thought you wouldn't talk to me anymore.'

"Well, you were disgusting. But I guess, you have learned from your mistakes."

'Ouch.' I muttered to myself.

“Foolish and bold often wear the same face.. the demon realm you humans speak about is nothing like you ever before. Be cautious.” Virgilia warned me. "I will act as your guide through the realm, but survival is up to you."

Risk and reward had been placed on the same scale without apology.

If I outperform in that joint raid, I will soar up in rankings. Rankings defined futures, Guild offers and Autonomy.

'So you will help me navigate inside the demon realm?'

"Yes. Haven't I been clear?" Virgilia replied.

'What is the benefit for you in helping me?'

I suppose, there's none and it is too suspicious that a former demon is willing to help me fight its own kind.

"I'm taking you beyond the place where I can't go. Maybe in the end of all this, I might not be a demon anymore. That's why I want to be your guide, Hero."

'Ah.'

"Can you paint me too?"

'Alright.. but I will butcher your image. be prepared.' I grinned and drew two huge cups.

"Hey!!! Stop it!"