In no time, Leo and Lily found themselves inside the spacious region of Aurelius Hall.

And the scene that welcomed them was... very interesting.

Leaving aside the sparse 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-term students, the hall was flooded with Freshers. But that wasn't the interesting part; what was, was their style of dress. Except for a few, the students looked like they belonged to low-class families with very few resources to invest in themselves.

Though that was mostly true even on regular occasions, right now, even the bare minimum had been reduced to a whole new level. Leo could swear he had spotted many students wearing tattered clothes that revealed half their bodies, as if they had been picked out of a trash bag.

And this made Leo's group stand out, along with a few other groups that had spatial rings to store their disguise materials.

"I need to go there," Miho said, pointing toward a certain area where an instructor was explaining the minute details of the place—information that wasn't included in the message they had received on their phones after that Mandatory Class.

Thankfully, Miho's mission wasn't that dangerous. She was to kill some 1-star monsters alongside few other students in a neighbouring area, where instructors and capable individuals declined to go because it was too boring and easy to bother with.

Even the rewards weren't that great, considering the same amount of time could be spent hunting a stronger beast for greater returns. But the rewards were good enough for students ranked between 500 to 1000 in 1st term.

And for this mission, not even a disguise was necessary, nor was there a need to suppress the students' auras. They were going there to help, not to investigate or infiltrate.

After seeing her off, Leo and the others made their way to their designated area, where students ranked between the top 50 and 200 were about to undergo aura suppression under the guidance of a mysterious, veiled woman whose strength was unknown.

Both Leo and Lily were astonished after sensing the students' strength before and after the aura suppression.

Some who had been at Peak 2-star directly regressed to Peak 1-star, and neither Leo nor Lily could tell if the students' true strength was any higher.

After their auras were suppressed, the students walked to a different area to receive their new identifications, which were being created in real time based on the names and backstories they had decided upon.

There were also areas where experienced instructors and professors consulted confused students, offering guidance appropriate to their missions and the places they would be sent.

While Leo and the others stood in line, Leo tried his best to pierce through the aura suppression of many individuals, but he failed miserably. Thanks to the system, Leo could normally sense the strength of people all the way up to High 5-star and even Low 7-star beasts, yet he couldn't discern anything now.

Everybody seemed to be at Mid to Peak 1-star strength, with only a few exceptions at Mid to High 2-star, because the woman adjusted the aura suppression to match each person's physique.

A 6'5", robust man playing the role of a hunter shouldn't look like a Mid 1-star.

Leo even tried to see through the woman's disguise and gauge her strength, but he failed once again. However, he did manage to catch her attention. She slightly raised her head and looked at him. A faint smile curved beneath her veil before she resumed her work.

This was, of course, caught by Lily.

"Who is this woman?"

Kaelion pondered for a moment before answering.

"I bet her strength is no lower than that of a king. Not the nobility status, but the rank in strength... a 7-star powerhouse."

Leo raised a brow, while Lily merely narrowed her eyes in scepticism.

It was finally Kaelion's turn.

The woman asked for Kaelion's badge and scanned it with her tablet.

"2nd-ranked student... Leon. Top 10, 2nd group. Assigned city... Bordering City Beltu, danger level Peak 3-star." The woman then looked him up and down.

"Personal strength level... at the cusp of Low 4-star. That's genius..."

"What's your role in the team?" she asked after a brief pause.

"Frontline fighter of an adventurer's party. I will use my fists."

"A monk..." the woman muttered before going through the city's details within a few seconds.

"Hmm... there's a constant influx of adventurers ranging from Mid 1-star to Peak 2-star to deal with the regular dungeon outbreaks outside the city walls. Since you're a frontline fighter with good height and high muscle mass, your desirable strength level should be High 2-star."

As she spoke, she raised her hand in front of Kaelion's face, and the aura surrounding his body was forcefully suppressed.

Right before Leo's eyes, Kaelion's strength rapidly diminished to exactly High 2-star.

But Kaelion didn't feel anything negative in particular. When he looked at the woman, she answered before he could ask.

"It's only the aura around your body that has been suppressed, so don't worry about being weakened. As for the duration, this will only last for a month, after which your aura will slowly return to normal."

"Slowly? It won't vanish in an instant?" Kaelion asked.

"Hho... someone finally asked." The woman chuckled. "No, it won't, since you are now a High 2-star. After a month, the first few days will see a gradual increase in your aura until, exactly one month later, the effect completely disappears."

"Well, you can always approach me to remove it anytime, but..." The woman brought her hands to her lips, covering them as she giggled softly.

"I might not be around by then."

Kaelion nodded before heading off to collect his forged identification.

It was now Leo's turn.

The woman took Leo's badge and carried out the necessary procedures while speaking without looking at him.

"You should trust your seniors a bit. I give you my word—unless it's a High King standing directly in front of you, nobody will be able to see through the aura suppression."

Leo stiffened slightly before nodding.

"I was just curious..."

"Well, it's a good thing to be curious... but not always. Keep that in mind."

Leo nodded as the woman read through the details appearing on her tablet.

"1st-ranked student, Leo. Top 10, 3rd group... or duo? Wow, that's new. Assigned city... Bordering City Tilgarth, danger level Pseudo 4-star... and personal strength... High 4-star?" The veiled woman's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at Leo to gauge his strength.

But she quickly calmed her curiosity and went through the city's details.

"There's an enormous Peak-Blue Tier Forest Secret Realm Gate in the city, teeming with vegetation, low-level beasts, and high-level beasts alike. It attracts people of various skill levels who come to earn a living by hunting in low-danger zones."

"The usual range is Low 1-star to Pseudo 3-star. It's not uncommon to see people travelling there alone in hopes of making easy money. Well, many do end up dying there, leading others to blame it on their own weakness. But... It's the demons who get their hands on those lonely people."

She nodded to herself. By far, this was the most dangerous city she had seen. The demons could simply blame the Secret Realm for the missing people, claiming they had died inside.

She looked up at Leo.

"What's your role?"