How long has it been?
I'd been waiting for what felt like forever, but the induction ceremony still hadn't begun.
Technically, the ceremony was supposed to start the mont the head instructor appeared on the podium. But that man , whoever he was, had yet to arrive for reasons I couldn't begin to guess.
'They sure are taking their sweet ti.'
I clicked my tongue in irritation.
The noise didn't help either. The entire hall was buzzing with chatter.
Why couldn't everyone just wait in silence?
The answer was obvious. Gather a crowd of restless youths together — regardless of race, background, or appearance — and they would only want to do one thing.
Talk.
Every person here was a Sleepless who had cleared the First Phrase. So had overwheld their trials, others had simply excelled, but each had gone through their own unique experiences.
And what better way to kill ti than to compare notes?
So people even ca up to , curious about my own experiences.
It caught off guard, but I managed well enough.
If soone asks you a question, you're supposed to answer, right? Truthfully, even. The problem is, I'm not exactly the social type, so the results were… predictable.
The conversations usually went sothing like this:
"This place sure is lively. But is this really everyone? What about those who didn't make it back? Is it okay to congratulate like this?"
"I don't know. And honestly, what's the point of worrying about the dead?"
Or:
"Which do you think is better? An armor-type Echo, or an offensive one?"
"Would either of those stop the monsters? I saw a man once... small terrors ate through his body. So entered his eyes and anus then burrowed into his brain until he turned into a zombie. "
Or:
"Hey, how many did you kill during your Phrase?"
This one I didn't understand. What did it matter? Dead was dead. Nevertheless, I answered:
"It's hard to count. There were about forty, maybe fifty of us, at the beginning. But in the end… all of them are dead."
The reaction was imdiate.
Conversations died mid-sentence. A few faces went pale. People edged away as if I carried so kind of disease. So stared at with thinly veiled disgust, others with outright fear. And then, faint but unmistakable, I heard soone whispering 'monster.'
How did it co to this?
There was definitely a misunderstanding.
For example, the first person to ask a question was a respectful male elf. He was sentintal about the deceased, but I told him worrying about the dead was aningless. This was the truth. Worrying had no power to bring the dead back nor does soone's tears, so what use was it? But the elf misunderstood my words as disregard for the dead and called a heartless bastard. He even went as far as to spit on the ground.
The second person was a female elf. Upon clearing the First Phrase, she received an Enchantress Robe and a Spirit Ward. She asked which one was better. I answered sincerely: personally, I thought neither would protect her if monsters got close enough. From her appearance and posture, she didn't seem like a warrior, more of a long-ranged fighter. To emphasize my point, I recalled one of my experiences on the Forbidden Isle. Her face went pale and she vomited on the spot. So elves carried her away, but not before glaring at as if I were to bla.
And lastly, a beastfork approached and asked about my experiences. From his sturdy fra, I guessed he was the warrior type. When he asked how many had died, I answered truthfully. When my group first arrived on the Forbidden Isles, there had been around forty to fifty people on the bus. But we were attacked again and again until everyone was killed, one by one. What was the point of explaining in extre detail? So I kept it short and simply said all of them died in the end. But upon hearing that, the beastman scread and bolted as if his life was on the line.
What was even the misunderstanding there? The question was simple and the answer was direct.
'Hold on…' ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by noⅴelfire
Now that I think about it, didn't the last guy actually ask how many I killed during my Phrase? Not how many died?
The hall had been so noisy I must've misheard. He was probably talking about monsters. But the way I worded my answer, it sounded like I'd just admitted to slaughtering dozens of people and enjoyed it as well.
Okay, that one was partly on . But honestly, couldn't he have been a little more specific?
In the end, this was how it turned out: after only a handful of conversations, Sleepless Sonny had sohow beco a vile thieving devil. The reputation stuck in minutes, as if it had been waiting to happen. So even went so far as to whisper that I really was the devil.
At that point, even if I managed to clear up the misunderstanding, my na was already caked in mud and there was no washing it away.
I knitted my brows.
What to do? This was certainly going to be a problem in the future.
'At least, no one is approaching anymore.'
With a sigh, I sank against the wall, keeping to myself.
Since leaving the Forbidden Isle, my smartphone had been gone, leaving with nothing to do.
It was absolutely dreadful.
By sheer coincidence, soone else had found their way to this corner of corpses: a young woman exuding a quiet, warm presence. She wore a short black T-shirt knotted at the bottom, revealing her belly button, paired with dark blue jeans. Clean, neat, and carefully put together. Even from here, I could catch a faint, pleasant scent, likely her perfu.
She was quite the beauty.
Her black hair was tied into a long ponytail that fell to her waist. She leaned casually against the wall, with a long sheathed object resting beside her and her eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the world around her.
'What kind of sword is that? I've never seen one like it before.'
As I thought this, my attention shifted to sothing protruding from her forehead: a black horn.
An Oni. She was… a demonic species?
My curiosity flickered for a mont, but I let it pass. Soon, I closed my eyes, shutting out the woman's presence and the world's relentless noise.
† †
Monts later, I opened my eyes at the sound of approaching footsteps.
At last, soone was making their way to the podium.
All attention shifted to the figure: a tall man clad in a black, military-style uniform.
His black uniform was crisp and immaculate, adorned with tallic insignias in the form of 'two stars,' which could be located at his right breastplate. Broad shoulders filled out the jacket perfectly, giving him a frightening, almost intimidating silhouette.
His hair was jet-black, slicked back smoothly and his eyes were cold and calculating, sweeping across the room like a refined blade. There was a quiet authority in his posture, a subtle aura that made the bustling chatter around him falter. Even the boldest of the Sleepless instinctively straightened their posture, as if acknowledging so unspoken hierarchy.
It felt like the entire hall had shrunk to fit his presence. Finally, he spoke with a calm and asured voice:
"Sleepless, welco to the Imperium Academy. I am Enlightened Sonic, though you may call Awakened Sonic. I'm not good at introductions, but I will be your head instructor this year."
The hall was massive, and the podium stood at a considerable distance. Normally, a voice this calm wouldn't carry far enough to reach everyone. Yet sohow, his words resonated throughout the space, crystal clear.
What was this? So kind of sound-based ability?
'That's incredible.'
Of course, my shadow didn't share my excitent. It shrugged as if to say, "So what? Big deal." I nearly laughed at its indifference.
Following a brief pause, Awakened Sonic continued,
"In a month or so, according to our local bamboo, a Prism Pool will open near the fortress. So of you may believe you are prepared, but you are not. The Spire is as rciless as it is unpredictable. The mont Blasphers grow arrogant or overconfident, they will be swallowed whole by the Void. I have seen countless young Sleepless like you lose their lives, and even experienced Inquisitors fall to the most vile abominations imaginable. Not even the Transcendents are guaranteed to survive at all."
The entire atmosphere shifted in an instant. Shoulders trembled, especially the female elf who had spoken to earlier.
It was baffling. How could they have survived with weak ntality?
Looking around, not all reacted the sa. So Sleepless remained calm and unmoved, as if already anticipating these harsh truths.
"Before your fateful departure, we will do everything possible to improve your chances of survival. You will train under the guidance of the finest instructors that Niflheim can offer. But do not let their renown blind you, for when the Spire claims its due, when darkness presses in from all sides, it will not be their strength that saves you — it will be your own. A sword kept idle gathers dust and rust; a sword honed with care, tempered by fire and repetition, becos a force that strikes true in the mont of reckoning."
Following that, Awakened Sonic shook his head, a trace of pity in his expression, and said:
"It's regrettable… to think the day would co when I would send young souls into that place. But it cannot be helped. The mont you arrived in the Soul Realm, all hope of a normal life was washed away. This is your reality now. You have already completed the first phase, so you have a rough understanding of how the Spire functions. Your parents, your tutors… they cannot help you."
His gaze swept over a certain group of people, likely the so-called Imperials, as if his words were directed at them alone. In fact, it seed he was talking to them this entire ti.
'It would be great if he just skipped to their hardships and important part…'
By coincidence, or perhaps by chance, Awakened Sonic spoke the words I had been waiting to hear.
"Very well. Since that is settled, let us move on to the topic of the Soul Realm. Or we call the Silver Void."
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