Matthew's expression grew calm as he stared into the distant space. His thoughts drifted to his Origin Crystal, where his Origin energy was stored. With this energy, one could activate their Origin abilities. Yet, Matthew felt there was more to his own power, an ability couldn't just be considered… Origin Path.
But what's so special about this ability? Matthew was curious. Hours passed as he tried various ways to use it, but all his efforts were in vain. Since his Origin Crystal could only sustain roughly five or six uses, he had to rest and recover his energy in between.
Matthew took a deep breath. His hand trembled faintly, and his gaze turned solemn. Am I doomed? He tried to recall if there were any hidden advantages or cheats that could help him survive the coming crisis and grant him a sliver of strength.
There were indeed some powerful advantages he had reserved for the protagonist's growth, but without enough power to reach them, he would only die trying.
Just as Matthew was sinking into despair, a knock came from his door. He turned toward it, his expression returning to neutrality. Walking over, he opened it. Standing outside was the same youth from earlier. Matthew waited for him to speak.
"Axel's looking for you. He said you aren't going for classes?"
Matthew was stunned. He hadn't realized that an entire night had passed quietly. I have one day less to grow stronger… the thought surfaced in his mind.
"Alright. I'll go meet him," Matthew replied, thanking the youth before stepping out and heading toward Axel.
Soon, he spotted a carefree young man leaning casually against the wall outside the dorm. His hair cascaded over his face, slightly obscuring his handsome features.
"Training to be a model?" Matthew joked, trying to shake off the heaviness in his heart.
"When did you learn to joke like that?" Axel laughed, brushing his hair aside.
Matthew chuckled in return, and they began walking together toward the classroom. Axel led the way, and in just a few strides, they arrived at the training halls designated for Year One students.
After a short silence, Axel spoke. "Today, Teacher Silas will be instructing us on how to use our abilities. You should pay attention—maybe you'll discover something useful. Perhaps your ability isn't worthless after all. It might actually be beneficial." His tone carried genuine concern.
Matthew was about to nod when the name Silas echoed like thunder in his mind. His fist clenched tightly, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes for an instant. But with Axel walking ahead, he didn't notice any of it.
They stepped into the noisy classroom. What greeted Matthew's gaze were over sixty youths around his age, both male and female. The academy enforced strict rules that limited interactions between the genders outside class, all in an effort to keep students focused on cultivating strength. As such, both males and females lived in separate dormitories.
Matthew's eyes scanned the crowd, and he spotted a flawless beauty sitting beside Leo, who was calmly reading a book, as if nothing in the world could disturb him. The woman wasn't paying attention to Leo, though. Her eyes were distant, as if she were deep in thought.
[Host, someone is observing you.]
A voice echoed in her mind, causing her to turn and scan the classroom. Her eyes met Matthew's—and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Shit… I forgot her system could do that, Matthew thought, quickly averting his gaze. Matthew sighed; not only had Leo, one of the protagonists, gotten his system, but the flawless beauty had also gotten hers.
I wonder if the others have also gotten their system as well… His thoughts slightly drifted.
Following Axel, they found two empty seats and sat down, waiting for the instructor to arrive. A few more students filtered in during that time, including Matthew's dormmates, to whom he gave only a slight nod before continuing to observe the room.
He noticed that one student was missing. This was also one of five that survived the crisis. As expected of Axreal… always lazy, Matthew thought with a shake of his head.
Just then, a bulky, muscular figure strode into the classroom.
The noisy classroom immediately became quiet. "Good morning, Instructor Silas!" the students greeted in unison.
Matthew's gaze locked onto the man. A strange light flickered in his eyes. Goosebumps rose on his skin, and his hair stood on end. Staring at Silas, Matthew felt like prey before a deadly beast.
Silas… the one responsible for the massacre…
A chill ran down his spine as he faced the man known as a Dragon Worshipper.
Silas smiled kindly at the crowd and gestured for everyone to sit. Following that, the class commenced. When writing his novel, Matthew had intended to skip past this section, thinking it would be full of filler information. But now, standing here, he couldn't help but wonder what had actually transpired during those "skipped" moments.
"Since you've all awakened your various Origin Paths," Silas began, his eyes lingering on Matthew as he spoke the last part… news of Matthew awakening the rare 'Origin Path' as his Origin Path had already spread like wildfire, "we will begin training for those on the Elemental and Awakening Origin Paths."
"For those on the Potion Origin Path, the academy will provide the ingredients needed after you select the ability you wish to awaken. The same applies to Summoners."
His voice paused as he glanced at a group of students with heavy, dark circles under their eyes. Clearly, they hadn't rested the previous night.
"As for the Sleepers… the academy will do its best to ensure your survival. Just make sure you pass the trial."
Hearing those words, the faces of the Sleeper-path students turned pale. The survival rate in the Dream Dimension was very low.
Matthew noticed this and couldn't help but feel that, although his Origin Path ability seemed useless, at least it didn't guarantee certain death like the Sleeper Path did.
"Instructor, someone has… has fallen asleep!" a panicked voice suddenly rang out through the room.