# Leet of Legends

Mr. S, the history professor, offered his class a challenge. He told the class that bonus points would be given in the examination to the first student who deciphered the text. All students received an e-mail from Mr. S after the lecture.

Hi everyone,

The first student who can reveal what word is being hidden in the following passage will be awarded extra 20 points in the final examination.

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

This challenge is open for 7 days. Good luck to you all!

Mr. S

One of the students, Mr. P, tried extremely hard to decipher the passage. As days went by, he was getting more and more frustrated. Fortunately, he figured out what the passage meant just about 6 minutes before the deadline. Mr. S was very impressed and gave him extra 20 points as promised.

Can you find out what word is hidden in the text?

## 1 Answer

The word is

Atlantis

The "passage" is

A base-64 encoding of a passage (in "1337speak") about Atlantis from Plato's Timaeus.

It reads (when fully decoded)

there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the pillars of heracles; the island was larger than libya and asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is within the straits of heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent