Walter couldn't help but show a strained smile as he received the group from the other domain.

Today was the day of the first exchange event and he was chosen along with some other “lucky” teachers to receive the guests who were to arrive shortly. A bit more than a thousand students along with around two dozen teachers had arrived for the event.

This was the typical set-up the three academies had decided upon.

The Illuminator's Domain was the one to visit them for the first event for every new batch. In the union three domains existed which had stood united for epochs since the founding and the one where the mage civilization flourished was known as the Illuminator's Domain throughout the void.

This domain was where another branch of the human race had developed on the path of mage but they weren't the only ones within it but just one of the many races who were common in that civilization. The racial diversity was thus immense. Mages are those who called aura as mana instead while unlike the class the players get upon awakening there was an entirely different system they would tread upon.

Instead of class skills, they cast spells which they had learned but it wasn't limited to a specific attribute as they had more availability in such aspects. There were many dissimilarities so even though the union had many races in it “united” not everyone could get along well due to those differences that stemmed from the very way the civilization had developed since the beginning.

Walter was one of them and many teachers sent this time probably was similar.

Back in their time, they also had many clashes of various intensity with other races because of their faction's interests. Multiracial player parties were common sight but within the Jester's Domain a type of human supremacy mentality was also common. With this hodgepodge of socio-racial nuances the union was ever bustling with racial tension, strife and also… harmony.

In front of foreigners from other empires they would all be showing the spirit of union and this fact had also remained unchanging.

Walter and his fellow teachers led the guests to the event stadiums premises. For the two events this was the designation, after all, this exchange event wasn't an exam or anything.

This was more focused on letting the students experience the other academies capability as well as getting them familiarized with the general demography of the union. That being said, students wouldn't be disappointed as there were many rewards still available for those who performed well.

On the player's side, they would be getting their first quest and the quest rewards in this event were very good.

°°°°

Blue stood in attention as he joined his party members in an event stadium.

The top hundred in individual and party ranking chosen for this exchange event had gathered here. Soon, those from the other academy also arrived and swiftly got in a proper line before the principal started his speech.

He saw many races present in that group. The Illuminator's Domain housed the civilization of mages and alternatively was also known as the magic civilization. Blue considered these mages more troublesome than players and that other domain's inhabitants.

It wasn't a matter of strength that made him apprehensive but the vast quantity of spells they always seemed to possess in their sleeves to turn the situation around upon any disadvantageous confrontation was the main cause for it.

Unlike the players set pattern of class, skills and levels which was easy to quantify as all followed somewhat similar pattern with the use of “aura”, which was just aether but the mages, however, had an irregular pattern of magic schools, spells and circles which was complex to categorize in the same file with the use of “mana” instead.

Schools of magic referred to what type of magic a mage had studied, researched and mastered as their path. Magic itself was a very profound path and by no means they were easy to learn and even more difficult to build something like new spells and new schools in this path from scratch.

However, players weren't that much disadvantaged as the three attainments were somewhat similarly categorized on pretty much all the races. Path specific differences in it was present obviously but three attainments were fundamental to gauge a being’s capability in the void.

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Though mages were tricky as new spells were always developed within the domain and nobody could be sure if the opponent had possessed those new ones whose information was still under dark but players themselves were still formidable as long as production class's novelty inventions were taken in the equation and utilized properly as they were a similar type of wild card to those new spells.

A civilization that had been able to exist since the first epoch wasn't a simple one.

Anyways, Blue wasn't that worried about it as he had made thorough preparations for this exchange event and not to mention a core denizen reincarnate was in his party. Yes, he had noticed the subtle changes in Luna and if not for the fact that he was expecting her to have already unlocked all her memories yesterday then he would have overlooked those near imperceptible changes.

Even with his keen perception honed for millions of years, a core denizen’s capability, who had lived for epochs, still remained elusive to him. It was rightfully so as he had never daydreamed to be able to see through with his meager methods.

Only the system was a variable that had changed his fate.

Blue was sure that she was reading his mind constantly without giving off any hint and she also might had used some other means on him which completely escaped his cognition but the fact that she was still behaving as is and hadn't freaked out over the many alarming truths that constituted him was enough of an indirect confirmation that either his countermeasures against the six weaknesses had held on or the system had played a backhand that this core denizen couldn't triumph against.

Regardless, he had found some inner peace at last.

The matter of Luna had been a hidden danger for him and with this confirmation he safely managed to conclude the episode of her. Blue might appear to have everything under control but in actuality he was always forced to gamble with his life since his transmigration.

Whether it be when he was back at Outer Area where the world might face one of the disasters or abominations at any moment or the senior players who existed in Carnova with enough capability to expose him if not for the subspace that tagged along and later retrieved by him after complying with system’s demand, Blue had been forced to keep putting his life on the line just to barely survive with deception and treachery.

If he was really a human from the start the pressure might have been reduced but that wasn't the case obviously.

He could only greet his teeth and curse this system for being the main culprit to transmigrate him forcibly. Was there ever a moment he felt glad to have a human body?

Never!

Abyss spawn was a superior race whether in the physiological or psychological aspect. He had a hidden disdain for the human body he currently had even with the Obsequious Charm physique it held. A pride of one's true race was ever engraved in the mind of a being and he wasn't an exception to this simple fact.

Anyways, Blue listened to the principal’s speech and finally he got to hear about the first quest that was available in this event.

“Students of the Outer Player Academy can now strive to complete the first quest that had been issued by the academy. You may check your status window to understand the details. As for the students of Outer Magic Tower the teachers who had accompanied you will give a private briefing later on. Now I invite the vice principal to explain the rules and procedures of this event.”

The principal then went back to his seat as Julie, in formal clothes, slowly walked to the podium to do her part.

Blue had learned from Clara and Nicole that it was always the same quest they had told him but the rewards were refreshed for each batch as it helped to keep a sense of anticipation for those who were in the know. However, the grand reveal of those rewards always happened after the vice principal’s speech.

Blue checked the status window to see what the academy had issued for the first quest.

In the quest option it had now changed to,

Quest:

Compulsory - None

Voluntary - 1

1. Achieve top results in the first exchange event to outshine the mages from Illuminator's Domain. As a proud player, show them who's the best prodigy in this generation of the union.

Complete any of the five categories:

* 1 Placing first place in the individual or in the party ranking after the event.

* 2 Placing in top ten in the individual or in the party ranking after the event.

* 3 Eliminating three mages personally or ten mages with party assistance during the event.

* 4 Finding one of the chalices hidden within the map.

* 5 Finishing a side quest with over seventy percent grading for at least three times.

Rewards for completing any categories:

* 1-5 Academy shall bestow upon the player appropriate reward after the event has concluded and the reward list shall be revealed when the map is public.

This was the first quest he got as a player in his new life.

Blue couldn't help but nod as it seemed his gathered information held true so he listened to Julie’s speech to see the changes made in the map for his batch.

Naturally, it was always changed every time to prevent reliability on gathered intel.