It was early in the morning when I woke up. Entering my private bathroom, I took a quick shower and then went to have breakfast.
Today would be the day I would start taking survival and combat classes.
'I wonder if they've already created that measurement machine,' I thought to myself as I left my room, securing the door, walked down the hallway, and took the elevator.
When I arrived at the cafeteria, it was somewhat crowded. Taking a plate, I filled it with any kind of food. Sweet, salty, bland—I really didn't care.
Looking around, I found an isolated table where there was no one.
Sitting at the table, I began to eat. The food wasn't entirely good or bad, as it was mostly synthetic flavors far from the original.
Eating calmly, I noticed another figure sitting across from me. I looked at him for a moment, noticing he was about my age. He had silver hair and gray eyes.
He had an amused look on his face and was wearing the clothes provided by the academy.
"You're from the outskirts, right?" the boy suddenly asked, making me raise an eyebrow.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yes, do you see anyone else sitting here?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied to his first question.
"Did you notice by the clothes?"
"Yes, I'm also from the outskirts. I'm Silver, by the way."
"I'm Lucian," I introduced myself as well.
We both began to eat in silence, devouring the plate full of food in a matter of minutes.
"This is better than synthetic pasta. If I knew being a Sleeper brought so many benefits, I would gladly have received it a few years earlier, don't you think, my good friend?"
"Good friend? But we've barely exchanged a few words."
Silver nodded energetically.
"Correct. And that's why we are already friends. Best friends, in fact. We introduced ourselves, ate together, and are still talking—that makes us friends," Silver responded as if answering what life was.
"There are many steps to friendship, and I think you skipped at least a dozen of them," I replied, tasting this world's coffee, which undoubtedly left much to be desired.
"What is that dark drink?" Silver asked curiously.
"It's coffee."
Silver made an "O" with his mouth before staring intently at the cup.
Letting out a sigh, I passed him the glass, which he took and then made a face.
"It tastes horrible."
A small smile crossed my face.
'Novice,' I thought, amused.
"How can you like this?"
"It's good for starting the day. There's nothing better than a cup of coffee to begin a long day."
"For that, I'd rather drink water with sugar and flour."
I looked at Silver with a perplexed face.
"What abomination is that?"
"Oh, my good friend Lucian. I call it: The Raise-the-Dead Drink, Super Functional by Silver."
"Isn't the name a bit long?"
"The more, the better, right? Besides, wait a second." Silver stood up and headed to the worker.
I watched as he talked to the worker for a few seconds before she, a bit confused, agreed and gave Silver a few things, who then returned.
"What is that for?"
"So you can try my masterpiece, much better than that murky water," he said, placing a cup. Then he added some flour, followed by water and then sugar. Finally, he used a plastic spoon to stir it all for a few seconds before passing me the cup.
I looked at the murky water with distrust, watching as Silver repeated the process and took several sips.
Bringing the cup to my lips, I took a sip.
I felt as that evil potion passed over my tongue. I identified the flour and sugar; strangely, it wasn't as bad as I thought.
No, in fact, it was quite good in my opinion. Somehow, the flour and sugar were well proportioned, and it was light to swallow.
"And? It tastes delicious, doesn't it?" Silver said with a proud smile.
"It's not bad," I replied.
"But I prefer coffee."
Silver made a pained expression.
"That hit me right in the soul. You're evil, Lucian."
I rolled my eyes at his peculiar attitude.
Looking around, I noticed a commotion. Many Sleepers were gathered around a screen hanging on the cafeteria wall, their faces full of excitement and awe. On the screen, the names of the new generation of Sleepers were shown, from strongest to weakest.
I watched with curiosity and saw that my name was just below another name.
"How... how can this be!?"
"I'm not seeing things, am I?"
"What kind of monsters are they?!"
Name: Silver. True Name: Silver King
Name: Lucian. True Name: Morning Star.
Silver looked at the list with curiosity and shrugged as if it were nothing important.
"I didn't expect you to have a True Name," Silver commented.
"I didn't think you had one either, with your attitude."
"I'm great," Silver said as if it were a fact.
"You're an idiot," I replied, making Silver depressed.
As we talked, the Sleepers were discussing whether we had really obtained True Names as Sleepers.
"What are you looking at?" Silver asked the crowd that was looking at us, making everyone react and act embarrassed, turning their faces away.
"Hey Lucian, what did you do to overcome your nightmare?" Silver asked curiously, looking at his friend.
"Do you want to get information from me?"
"It's just curiosity," Silver replied.
"To show you I have no hidden intentions, I passed my nightmare by following a king in a war against a ruler," he explained while his eyes darkened a bit.
'So he has some post-war trauma,' I thought to myself.
Now, whether to believe him or not was my decision.
"Well, on my part, I simply killed a monster inside a chrysalis. I think it was a cursed terror," I replied, making Silver's eyes go wide like plates.
"W-what?" Silver was surprised. "That is simply hard to believe, no offense, Lucian."
I shrugged and looked at the time on my communicator.
"Well, I have to go; my class is about to start."
"What class are you taking?"
"Wilderness Survival."
Silver blinked.
"There's a course like that?"
"Yes, well, see you later," I said, heading to where Awakened Julius's course was supposed to be.
---
The wilderness survival classroom was undoubtedly sparse, decorated with good taste... and empty.
Sitting at a wooden desk was Instructor Julius. He was young and seemed a bit irritated. However, upon seeing me, his expression changed to an animated face.
"Come in, young man, enter!" said the animated man.
Entering the classroom, I approached Instructor Julius.
"I am Julius, Awakened. You can call me Master Julius. What's your name?"
"I'm Lucian," I replied, sitting in one of the front chairs.
"Ah! What a good name. It's related to light, dawn, and hope. Did you know that?"
I blinked several times.
'Right, a lover of the mysteries of the Dream Realm,' I remembered.
"Not really. As you see, I'm from the outskirts."
Julius nodded, and his gaze didn't change at all.
"That doesn't matter. Now you are my student. My only student, in fact," said the instructor.
"Are there no others besides me?"
"Yes, those brutes are only interested in wielding their fists and swords. Very few are intelligent like you and know the value of knowledge..."
"But tell me, young man, why, among all the options, did you choose this one?"
I thought about it for a few moments.
"It was my best option. Surviving is better than wielding a piece of metal against something that surpasses you in strength and size."
Julius nodded with satisfaction on his face.
"It's a good answer, Lucian. Many underestimate the value of knowledge and die for not knowing how to identify a path of death from certain death."
I tilted my head.
"But won't they die regardless of the path they take?"
Julius smiled like a maniac who had won a million dollars.
"For your information, there are at least 30 different words related to death written in the runic language, and depending on what is written, it can vary."
"Oh," was all I said with interest.
"Before we start, do you have any other classes?"
"Uhm, yes, but it doesn't start until around 5," I replied.
Julius nodded.
"Excellent. Excellent. You seem to be an intelligent young man, so during the next four weeks, I will teach you things that will make you immortal..."
---
During the next few hours, the classes began in a fairly laid-back and calm atmosphere. Although Instructor Julius covered a lot in a single topic.
He didn't just stop to explain the what, but also explained the why of things.
Since I wasn't really from the outskirts and was from another world, I used it as knowledge to keep up, although there were strange concepts I didn't fully understand, so Julius explained them to me calmly, making sure I understood.
When the sun was beginning to set, Instructor Julius decided it was a good time to end for today. Of course, he also gave me some books on the meaning of some runes to study before going to sleep.
Upon returning to my room, I placed the books on the bed before heading to the combat class, which would take at least a few hours.
After taking the elevator, I arrived at the dojo they indicated. I observed that there were quite a few Sleepers, if not all the Sleepers of this generation.
Among them, I saw Silver, who somehow noticed my presence and quickly approached.
"Oh, but if it isn't my best friend Lucian."
"You seriously skipped another hundred steps."
"Relax, by tomorrow you'll be my brother."
I looked at him with a 'What the hell' face.
"Alright, listen up. Today will serve to test your general skills and competencies. After I see your competencies, I will put you in groups according to your level, such as novice, advanced, or expert, as well as your preferred weapon. Some will be assigned a personal tutor or paired with someone else," said the Awakened.
Everyone nodded and gathered near a combat platform.
The measurement machine hadn't been created yet, so it would be the old-fashioned way: pure combat.
The fights began, two by two, until finally, it was my turn. And I won't lie; I was a bit nervous.
The fight was hand-to-hand, bare-knuckle.
I observed my opponent; he was a man about 20 years old. He was at least three heads taller than me, with muscles that seemed made of steel.
I looked at the instructor doubtfully.
"Do I really have to fight him?" I asked, looking at the instructor, who nodded.
"Yes."
I looked at my opponent and then at the instructor.
"But he'll break me like a dry twig," I pointed out, making some laugh at what I said.
'What are they laughing at, bastards? Come and fight this mastodon then,' I thought, annoyed.
"It's a practice fight. If I see it's going too far, I'll stop the fight," expressed the Awakened.
Finally, I nodded.
"Alright," I said, looking at the Sleeper.
"Good, the rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the ground or throw him out of the ring. Use the skills and techniques you consider appropriate."
After the instructor stated the rules, the fight began.
I watched as the muscular guy lunged, his muscles beginning to inflate like a balloon. His advance was unstoppable.
I watched as he launched a kick, but I was confused about something.
'Why is it slow?' Somehow, the movement was slow to my eyes.
Jumping, I avoided his kick, which went wide, making him take a few steps to avoid losing his balance.
I landed on the floor on my feet, with my back to the giant.
He quickly turned to grab me by the shirt and throw me away, but I saw an opening.
Grabbing his arm, I leaned forward, using his own weight and my strength against him. I managed to lift the more than seventy kilograms over my shoulder and send him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
The impact was quite clear, and the Sleeper had a surprised look, his body deflating, revealing that he was actually quite thin.
My mouth was open in genuine surprise.
'How did I do that?' I thought, surprised.
The instructor smiled and nodded, satisfied.
After that, the hundred or so Sleepers were divided into blocks: advanced fighters, intermediates, novices, and some battle partners.
Of course, Silver was my combat partner.
"Are you sure you're going to teach me to fight?" I asked.
"Of course, I will. I developed my own style. It's called: 'The Art of Combat for Street Fights Created from Fighting with Thugs in the Outskirts by Silver,' with the first letters in capital letters."
"That was quite specific," I said, shaking my head at the ridiculously long name.
"Well, let's start," he said, lunging at me.
I did the same, throwing a punch that Silver dodged. He grabbed my arm, and after a twist of my wrist, I lost contact with the ground, falling on my back.
"What was that?"
"You like it. I call this move..."
"You know what, better save the name," I said, getting up.
Silver became discouraged.
"Well, let's continue. I guess we'll start with the basics."
And so, for the next two hours, I was thrown to the ground many more times than I could count.
When the classes ended, I stood up, feeling beaten up.
"It was a good warm-up. So tomorrow will be the next move: 'How to Hit Your Moving Target to Make Them Fall Created by the Brilliant Silver! Hahahaha!'"
I broke into a sweat upon hearing it, as did the others nearby.
"Did you really add the 'Hahahaha'?"
"Of course I did; it's my fighting style. I decide what to call it."
"Sure. And you probably have a technique called: 'I Don't Know What I Called This Move, But It Cuts Things Elegantly in Silver's Style.'"
"Hey, that's a good one. I'll add it to my repertoire."
"Please don't," I replied.
"Too late; now it's official," Silver said with an animated smile.
I let out a sigh. I could feel at least several looks of pity for having to deal with the animated boy.