Awner's POV
After the ceremony finally ended, Awner realized just how hungry he was. His stomach growled loudly enough that a few nearby Awakeners glanced over. Ignoring them, he headed toward the cafeteria.
The corridor leading there was wide, polished, and spotless—like the interior of a high-end research facility rather than a school. When he stepped inside the cafeteria, the smell alone made his knees weak. There were dishes from dozens of cultures, steaming trays and sizzling grills, but most of the menu leaned heavily toward meat.
Perfect.
He ordered enough food to feed three or four people, but he wasn't worried about waste. Thanks to his inventory, food didn't decay—time didn't move inside it. That meant he could enjoy good meals even in a Nightmare. A luxury most Sleepers would kill for.
After eating until he was comfortably full—and storing the rest—he remembered the next step: interviews would happen in a few hours. So he decided to check the available classes.
Wilderness Survival was a must. Swimming, environmental hazards, basic Nightmare knowledge—practical things that could mean the difference between living and dying.
For his second class, he chose Combat. If it turned out he had no talent, he could switch routes later. But if he did have talent, it would become his core progression.
The third class he selected was Sorcery. According to his system, most of the knowledge available here was already in the database. He could ask the system anything and learn for free, as long as he expanded its data. Buying information would cost system points, so studying via the system was smarter.
Interview Room
When he entered the office for his interview, he was still debating internally about what to reveal. The interviewer looked like someone in his mid-twenties—calm, trustworthy, and professional. Not intimidating at all.
He offered psychological counseling.
Awner rejected instantly.
There was no requirement to share anything. The interviewer's questions were phrased politely—giving room for vague answers.
"Would you mind telling me the type of Aspect Ability you received? Combat, sorcery, utility?"
Awner kept his tone casual.
"I don't know much about it yet, but I think it can be used defensively. While internally he thought My dormant ability lets me manipulate space a little. I haven't practiced yet, but I'm thinking it might work like Infinity from JJK."
The interviewer nodded, impressed.
The questions continued like that—safe, harmless, non-revealing. In the end, he gave just enough information to create the impression that his Aspect was decent but not dangerous, and mostly defensive.
Then came the last question.
"Did you receive a True Name?"
Awner hesitated. True Names were rare, especially this early. Revealing it would make people assume his Aspect was high-tier. But that was a future problem.
Future Awner could deal with it.
"Yes," he said simply.
The interviewer's eyes widened. He checked his device to verify the answer—and the device stayed silent. No lie detected.
"…Would you mind telling me your True Name?"
"Sure. Voidborne Sovereign."
The man stared, stunned, as Awner stood up calmly and left.
Dorm Room
His assigned room felt luxurious for a student. Clean, modern, spacious—better than anything he'd lived in before.
He barely had time to appreciate it.
The moment he touched the bed, his body went limp, exhaustion crashing over him like a wave.
And within seconds—
He was fast asleep.
Awner woke before dawn, feeling surprisingly rested despite collapsing like a dropped puppet the night before. After washing up and getting dressed, he sat on the edge of the bed and opened his status interface.
The first thing that caught his eye was the reward he had been ignoring since yesterday — the Attribute Evolution Memory.
Right. The shiny button that screams "press me" and then probably ruins my life.
The system chimed.
[Host] Do you wish to consume Attribute Evolution Memory on: Void's Gaze?
"Well… I'd be stupid not to," I muttered, and confirmed.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then pain hit.
Not dramatic pain, not poetic pain — just raw, sharp, skull-drilling agony. I gritted my teeth, clutching my head and seriously reconsidering every life choice that led me here. Thankfully, it lasted less than ten seconds, though I stayed crouched on the floor afterward, panting.
Fantastic. I paid for this suffering voluntarily. Truly, I am the apex of intelligence.
Eventually, I pushed myself upright just as the system notification appeared.
[Host] Attribute evolved. New abilities available.
Now that was worth seeing.
Void's Gaze had always been useful — my first ability let me perceive distances up to a kilometer, like a discount Byakugan. But after the evolution?
My vision expanded.
Eight kilometers. Clear. Precise. Detailed.
I blinked, stunned.
Okay… that's actually insane. I can spy on weather patterns now. Or birds. Or people complaining about their breakfast from another district.
Then came the second surprise — a new ability had awakened.
I spent the next two hours experimenting, testing, focusing, adjusting. And slowly, I realized something important:
It synergized perfectly with my dormant aspect.
I could perceive space itself — depth, distortion, folds, pressure, structure. On the microscopic level. On the atomic level.
A game changer.
With this… I can understand space. I can manipulate it. I can actually build Infinity in this world.
Control was still rough — I could maintain it for barely three minutes before it slipped — but it was real. Tangible. Achievable.
And I had a whole month before the first Nightmare.
Not bad.
Feeling satisfied, I headed to shower, letting the hot water wash away the lingering ache of evolution and experimentation.
By the time I stepped into the cafeteria for brea
kfast, I was smiling faintly.
New day. New abilities. And food I don't have to fight monsters for. Life is good.