The sixth training field would be closed at 7 PM, so Daru was only able to train for two more hours after his afternoon classes.
But it wasn't only him who didn't leave early.
This time, unlike his high school days, a majority of the students from all four classes stayed behind to improve their swordsmanship, perhaps due to their desire to dominate in the Myriad Sword Realm.
As for who would remain consistent, only time would tell.
Almost every student struggled to sleep that night.
Despite exhausting their energies in their afternoon swordsmanship classes, their reserves seemed unusually massive today.
Only after struggling for an hour or two did they manage to drift off.
Daru wasn't an exception.
The next morning, everyone couldn't wait for Instructor Talon's lecture to end.
"...So basically, a decent percentage of swords can awaken, but usually only up to a tier higher. There are odd ones that can awaken two times, but those are extremely rare cases, mostly swords ranked A and above, but more specifically the S-Tier ones."
Some of the students were also curious about their swords' status, as there were a few of them keeping the "Dormant" status of their swords a secret from their peers, dreaming of the day of the reveal.
The interesting topic allowed them to survive the relatively boring lecture hours and understand their swords a bit more.
A significant portion of the class was a bit disheartened, realizing that the "awakened" status of their swords meant a limited future.
Only the secretive few were lost in wonder.
Time marched ever forward, and after what seemed like an eternity for the novices, it was finally time for them to enter the Myriad Sword Realm again.
Their faintly glowing sword marks were solid proof that their connection to the mysterious and wonderful fantasy realm was back.
"I will rarely supervise you in the Myriad Sword Realm, so take care. Don't lose lives pointlessly."
After a short reminder, Talon left, as his slumber capsule was in another location.
The instructor himself was an active Bladeborn and had a lot of things to do.
His students couldn't care less.
In fact, they were happy to be given the freedom to do what they wanted, fantasizing about how they would possibly stumble upon some secret quest that would give them a huge head start.
Everyone enthusiastically made themselves comfortable in their slumber capsules, pressing their palms on their faintly glowing sword marks.
*
**
Daru soon found himself standing in front of the old well.
'Oh? So you'll pick up where you left off, huh?' he mused, delighted to find that he didn't have to waste time traveling from Agaron back to the dungeon entrance.
A moment later, Daru glanced at the old well.
He wanted to enter the dungeon immediately. However, he had a couple of things he needed to take care of first.
The first was to allocate five attribute points. He assigned 1 in Strength, 2 in Dexterity, and 2 in Agility.
He then opened his inventory to check his other rewards.
Aside from five stacks of ten Novice Swordheart Cores each, he now had 235 Swordcoins, and there was a familiar item: Bob's Eyepatch.
But this time, it wasn't a quest trigger item anymore but an actual piece of equipment.
==
Name: Bob's Eyepatch
Type: Eyepiece (Left)
Tier: E
Description: A ragged hide patch once worn by the notorious Bolo Bob. Smells faintly of fish.
Effects:
+3 Dexterity
+3 Agility
Innate Abilities: Somersault Slash (F)
Level Requirement: 6
==
'Brother Bob…'
Daru wore the eyepiece, granting himself three additional attribute points each for Dexterity and Agility.
Then, he retrieved all the Swordheart Cores, slashing each of them apart and removing a great deal of rust from his Soulbound Sword.
Daru noticed the changes this time, admiring his less-rusty tachi that was now more pleasing to the eye for a few seconds and nodding in satisfaction before moving on.
He still hasn't equipped the title he obtained as a reward. He was quite proud to have secured it.
In the next moment, Daru opened his status window, tapping on the "Title: " line.
A window popped up, listing a single option:
==
Title: Bob's Sworn Brother
Effects:
+2 Strength (+4) against Cathurian Swordspawns
+2 Stamina against (+4) Cathurian Swordspawns
+2 Vitality against (+4) Cathurian Swordspawns
==
Modest as the bonuses were, boosts were boosts, plus Daru liked the title.
He shall wear this with his head held high while fighting the Nyaights.
[You have equipped the title: [Bob's Sworn Brother]. The title's effects are now active.]
Daru enthusiastically checked and read through his status:
===
Bladeborn: Daru Finnley
Level 7 (8,580 to level up)
Titles: Bob's Sworn Brother [Active(Display)(Effect)]
Secondary Titles: None
Blessings: [Goddess ???????'s Minor Blessing (???? ????'s ???)]
Curses: [Yama's Displeasure (Soulbound Sword)] [Goddess Fortuna's Frown]
Strength: 35 (+2)
Dexterity: 42 (+3)
Agility: 40 (+3)
Stamina: 35 (+2)
Vitality: 25 (+2)
Perception: 50
Luck: 0 (+50)
===
Sword Status:
Name: O??mar? ??????u??
Type: Tachi
Tier: F
Status: Sealed (Swordheart Cores - 66/100)
Sword Skills: [Locked]
Passives: [Locked]
Item Innate Abilities: [Somersault Slash (F)]
===
Nodding in satisfaction, he shifted his attention back to the old well.
It was time to enter the Catmelot Kingdom and fight those skilled Nyaights. Hopefully, he would also get a chance to cross swords with the king.