Every sleeper in the cafeteria wore stunned gazes and expressions of shock and bewilderment. Some even held a strange reverence in their eyes, which was understandable. They were witnessing literal history being made.
The second person to ever gain a True Name from the first nightmare - known to the public -
Just made her introduction to the world. To say this was monumental was an understatement.
"A Sleeper with a True Name? That's impossible!"
"It's technically possible. Smile of Heaven received her True Name in the First Nightmare, I think. But yeah, I'm doubtful…"
"Maybe she lied in the interview?"
"Are you stupid? If it was that easy to deceive the administrators, the crazy pervert from yesterday would have been in the first place instead!"
Yoru could practically feel Sunny seething with rage behind him.
"Well, why don't we just ask her?"
The entire cafeteria stood still. No one dared to approach her.
No one but Caster. The legacy sported a gentle smile, green eyes, a handsome face and carried a pronounced aura of nobility wherever he went. Nephis was seemingly oblivious to the controversy surrounding her but as he approached, she lifted her head to face him.
Caster made a small bow.
"Lady Nephis. I am Caster from the Han Li clan. I see that your trial went well?"
Nephis sat still for a while and brightly smiled, shrugging as she said, "It is what it is."
Caster awkwardly returned the smile.
"I see. I am very glad that you returned unharmed. Uh… not that I doubted your abilities."
Nephis nodded.
"Thank you."
'I remember reading this scene quite well, but seeing it in person really puts into perspective how awkward Nephis really is….
Actually…that could work.'
With this observation, Nathan got a pretty good idea that involved Nephis and her inability to communicate.
****
Upon entering the Wilderness Survival classroom, Yoru was pleasantly surprised to see that it looked akin to an incredibly small museuem than any regular classroom. The decorations were thought-provoking, and the décor was beautiful as well.
There were already two people within the classroom. One was Sunny who sat behind a small wooden desk, patiently awaiting instructions. His eyes rolled at the sight of Yoru and practically screamed, "why is this guy everywhere I go?"
The second occupant of the room was Teacher Julius who had now noticed Yoru and made his way towards him.
He had always imagined Julius looking similar to Einstein and he wasn't too far off the mark. His bushy eyebrows looked like caterpillars and his messy gray hair looked as if he was struck by lightning. Very Einstein-esque.
"Ah! A second student! What a pleasure it is to meet you my boy. Might I inquire your name?"
"Yoru."
"Yoru… Yoru, yes! Much less ominous than Sunless over there. Alright, quickly now — take a seat. We should begin immediately."
As Yoru made his way to sit next to Sunny, Julius asked him another question.
"Yoru my boy, will you be entirely devoting yourself to Wilderness Survival as well?"
"No actually, I'll be taking this alongside the combat course."
Julius frowned at this.
""No matter. You'll be sharpening both your knowledge and your might by pursuing both — good on you. Now, let us begin!"
The original plan was to attend only the wilderness survival class but after discovering what his aspect allowed him to do, Yoru realised that he didn't need to worry about how to make a fire, find water or even secure edible food as he could simply wish for all of those things.
Or maybe he couldn't?
He still didn't understand the parameters of his aspect very well, so that was just a reason why he should attend. Although the combat class wasn't officially on his timetable, so that probably messed with the Academy logistics but who cares? He wasn't putting his life at risk just to follow procedure.
Another reason was Sunny.
Yoru still aimed to get closer to him… and to learn the dead languages of the Dream Realm. The novel had made it clear how useful such knowledge was.
****
Stumbling out of the classroom with an immense pressure building within their heads, Sunny and Yoru exited wilderness survival, groaning in unison.
Julius had crammed so much knowledge into their heads it was a miracle they were still standing. The curriculum that Julius planned out was practically insane. There was an endless amount of theoretical knowledge to learn, practical lessons both in virtual reality and the real world, numerous subjects and weird things to study. It was a death sentence given educational form.
"I wish I was dead", Sunny groaned, massaging his temples to relieve some of the pressure.
Yoru responded with a groan of his own:
"Don't say that. I might actually grant it."
Sunny frowned but was too exhausted to retort. Without another word, he trudged toward his dorm.
"See you tomorrow, Shortie."
Stopping in his tracks, Sunny turned around to face Yoru. His eyes narrowed, cold and sharp, cutting straight through Yoru.
"I find it strange," Sunny said, voice calm but dripping with suspicion. "Everywhere I go in this damned academy… you appear. Not once have you missed the opportunity to speak to me. Why is that?"
Yoru's grin faltered for a moment.
'Damn. I should've expected something like this…'
Yoru raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Well… you're the only acquaintance I have here. I'm not so good at making friends you see."
Sunny let out a dry, humourless chuckle.
"No, that's not it. You're more capable than you let on. I've seen it. You could make friends just fine… take the blind girl, for example."
His gaze sharpened.
"No. Making friends isn't your goal. You have an ulterior motive. And somehow, it involves the two corpses of this academy."
Yoru blinked.
'This isn't good…'
"Tell me, Yoru. Why would you go out of your way to befriend the two Sleepers most likely to die?"
Yoru hesitated, then smiled crookedly. "I think you're forgetting something. I'm a corpse, too, Sunny. Spells! I was ranked just below you."
Sunny tilted his head, unimpressed. "That's true… but just a little earlier, you said a leader board doesn't determine your worth. So why would someone like you - who clearly believes that - choose to ally with the weakest, if you know you could aim higher?"
Yoru's grin thinned. He leaned forward slightly, voice lower.
"Because others don't see it that way. Birds of a feather flock together. Of course I'd side with the ones everyone else dismisses. Who else would take me?"
For a moment, silence hung between them. It was an argument that made sense. But Yoru had already guessed it: To Sunny, it made too much sense.
Sunny exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. Then he sighed, a note of frustration hidden beneath the sound.
"I don't believe you. Every bone in my body tells me not to."
Yoru's lips parted.
He was too complacent. He underestimated how paranoid that cockroach could be.
Sunny's eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
"I'm not some stray mutt you need to take care of. Maybe that blind girl is… but not me. So take your saviour complex and shove it up a Titan's ass. I don't need your sympathy."
He turned and walked away without looking back. Watching him go, Yoru clenched his jaw before letting out a dry chuckle.
"Why does it feel like I just got dumped?"
So much for getting closer. Whatever camaraderie he'd managed to build was erased in an instant. Maybe it had never been there to begin with.
Not all hope was lost, though. A month's worth of Wilderness Survival lessons lay ahead. Harder, yes. But if he played his hand right, it wasn't over yet.
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, I've been quite busy and I'm still suprised people actually like this.
And I just want to add that the academy will be a bit longer than Sunny's original experience since I have more planned.