As there was still a little time before the combat class, Merlin made his way to the wilderness survival class.
Arriving at the spacious room, he saw a teacher with messy grey hair and large eyebrows reading an old looking book.
Merlin walked towards a chair nearest to the teacher.
"Hey there young man"
"I'm Awakened Julius. You can call me Teacher Julius. Sit down, What's your name?
"Merlin sir"
"What a novel like name"
'you'd be surprised how much of that is actually true' Merlin chuckled inwardly.
"Welcome to wilderness survival class, before we begin, tell me young lad what made you choose wilderness survival?"
"Well, it was Master Jet who adviced me to picking wilderness survival"
"I see..."
'Here it comes'
"Wait Jet, you mean Soul Reaper Jet"
"Yes Teacher Julius, is anything wrong?" Merlin portrayed complete ignorance while patiently waiting for Teacher Julius start downgrading one of his favorite characters.
"I'm surprised that psychopath remembers anything practical apart of killing."
Awakened Julius pinched the center of his bushy brows as Merlin titled his head.
"Psychopath?"
'Psyshopath, that's low man I prepared for this talk but still it's not easier listening to it' Merlin poured his entire focus into maintaining the light smile on his face as Teacher Julius continued.
"That Soul Reaper, She might not be the most powerful Awakened out there, but she is certainly one of the most feared. That's because her Aspect Abilities disregard flesh and target soul cores directly. Which means that no amount of armor, damage resistance and physical protection can stop them. "
"But enough of that young one let's begin"
'Young one,. young lad, young boy, I think Teacher Julius might be missing his young days' He discarded his internal musings and interrupted Teacher Julius as he was about to get started.
"Teacher Julius, is it possible to wait a few minutes, there's someone else who is supposed to attend the class with me" Merlin put in extra effort to sound polite.
"Hmmm someone else is coming, that's unexpected, They're late".
'No they're not, I'm just early I left before dinner was even over, classic walking out cliffhanger only to find out that there's still an hour more before combat class, had I known I would've just waited for sunny.'
Less than a minute later, Sunny walked through the door and stopped, his eyes alternating between the Teacher and Merlin.
"Welcome young man, come have a sit, I'm Awakened Julius, You can call me Teacher Julius. What's your name?"
"Sunless" Sunny replied as he took a seat beside Merlin.
"Ah Sunless, What an ominous name, but it's good, that's good because in the dream realm we will be dealing with all kinds of ominous things"
"Uhm Teacher Julius, am I too early?"
"Haha, no young man I don't think anyone else is going to be attending"
"Oh okay"
"So, what made you choose wilderness survival?"
"The awakened that watched over me during my first nightmare, Master Jet said I should study it above all others"
"..."
"..."
"Oh, Jet huh, I see"
Merlin held the urge to burst out laughing as he listened to their interaction, after the introductions were done, Teacher Julius took out two books from his desk and handed it to him and sunny, on the cover was 'Nightmare Creature Anatomy', he flipped through a few pages while looking at the horrid beast that appeared in the pictures.
'So I'm gonna be fighting this, no way in hell, I didn't get the coward pathway for nothing, reading it is one thing, looking at fanarts is another, but seeing this bizarre looking creatures in a book and knowing you're just one bad tuesday away from them is absolutely terrifying'
"Hey sunless, what do you think of these creatures" Merlin nudged Sunny showing him a picture of a worm looking beast with deer like antlers.
"What about it, this thing is nothing compared to what I killed in my first nightmare, what I killed was an awakened tyrant if you don't know" Sunny shrugged with a smug smile on his face.
'Ah I forgot, Mcs operate on an entirely different plain, and what's with that smug look on your face, we all know that it was shadow god that killed that thing, tho I shouldn't even think of mocking him when I'm probably much worse'
"I see, but compared to you and probably every other awakened, I haven't even killed a dormant beast so even the least thing looks terrifying" Merlin replied keeping his voice down to avoid interrupting Teacher Julius's class.
"Not killed a dormant beast" Sunny scoffed, "then how did you get your true name in your first nightmare?" Sunny look at him, a glimmer of curiosity playing in his eyes.
'I been wondering about that too bro'.
"Fate sunny, it's all fate" Merlin replied earning a suspicious look from sunny, "Hey by the wa_".
"You would learn more if you stopped disturbing my class young man"
"Sorry teacher" Merlin apologized pushing the rest of his questions to the back of his mind.
The class was fun to say the least, As Merlin never had any knowledge of these before it was like an introduction to a whole new world, he asked a lot of questions and interacted with the class. Halfway through the class tho and his brain was already short circuiting, Teacher Julius went from anatomy, to geography, to language, even a little of cooking. Merlin was an above average student so he knew more than most, but when you mix what you already know with hungry tripedal looking abominations then things start getting a little disorienting.
Merlin took in what he could and left the rest for dream divination to cover up. After the class ended, Merlin left the class accompanied by Sunny following right behind him.
"Hey sunless, what do you think of the dream realm?" Merlin casually chatted sunny who stared at him for a second before his flaw forced him to answer.
"It's probably horrible from what I've heard, and why are you even walking so close to me" Sunny frowned reflexively at his niceness.
'Why won't I stay close to you, you're the one with the plot amour and all that, compared to others I have a 67% chance of survival being close to you, as for the remaining 33%, I'll scale through with luck I guess'
"Why shouldn't we be close, Master Jet said no one survives the dream realm alone remember" Merlin smiled at sunny who scoffed and replied.
"Then why don't you find someone else to survive with?" Merlin had already started getting put off by his constant venomous attitude, but he still maintained his smile and said.
"Well considering that you're smug face was the second thing I saw right after coming out the first nightmare, I think it's right for you to take responsibility for scarring my mind with that face of yours"
"What are you even talking about, are you crazy?" Sunny looked at him visibly confused.
"All I'm saying is we outskirts rats are the only ones who can looking out for each other, so it's only right for you to be my first friend" Merlin shrugged and walked towards the elevator while sunny stopped by his room.
"Who would look out for you, and what do you mean friend, I never agreed to be your friend" Sunny said loudly meanwhile merlin just waved his hands not turning around.
"And if you still had classes why the hell did you follow me all the way to the dorms" Sunny sighed and shook his head as he entered his room.
Meanwhile Merlin made his way to the combat class, 'man teasing the kid has it own vibe, I now understand what sunny feels when he talks with kai'.
Merlin with a smile on his face walked into the large hall filled with sleepers, awakened Rock had already arrived and was addressing them, he hurriedly made his way through and stood among them.
"Now each of you will step up and deliver a punch to this machine to record your strength"
The sleepers walked up punching the machines one after anotheranother, after the third person Merlin premonition was tipped as he looked towards a corner, he saw an unassuming human shadow by the wall but there was no body to cast it.
'I've read about it, but that doesn't make any weirder'
Most sleepers were getting between thirteen and fifteen, while those who probably had physical enhancement aspect, got fifteen to eighteen. After an unassuming sleeper , Merlin stepped up and got into stance to strike the machine, he already knew how to fight due to highschool and a little bit of training, that accompanied by the clown's body control, he struck the machine and watched as is counted and stopped at eighteen.
'Well atleast I'm not that bad'
As he walked back, he could still hear some sleepers whispered.
"That's him, the true name guy..."
"Seriously, he looks good too..."
"I wonder between him and Changing Star who's stronger..."
"It's obviously Nephis, don't you know she ranked first, while he's..."
'Kids these days huh' Merlin ignored them and returned to his spot.
Two sleepers after and Nephis stood up and walking to the machine, after delivering her strike the machine showed a score of sixteen, with no emotional change she started walking back to her previous position, her eyes briefing caught his as she stared at him for a second before turning away and Merlin could not even guess what was going through her head.
Immediately after, Caster walked up to the machine giving some distance, then he blurred and hit the machine at high speed, the score immediately went up to twenty one, the sleepers gasped in surprise and a few whispered, while Caster with a proud face turned to look at Merlin while walking back.
'Why are you looking at me like that, if you want a pat on the head just say so'
"Not bad. Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin. " Awakened Rock walked to address the sleepers.
Nephis and another sleeper immediately walked towards the circle.
"The rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use whatever abilities and techniques you find appropriate. " Instructor Rock said as he stepped to the side.
Merlin witnessed what could only be called devastation, sleeper after sleeper fell at the hands of Changing Star, and it was at that moment he discarded any thoughts he had on not using his aspect in a fight, he could fight sure but against that, no way in hell.
"Next" Instructor Rock's voice sounded in the now quiet hall, as the only remaining sleepers were him and Caster.
Merlin stood up and walked towards the ring, the gaze of the sleepers fixed on his back.
'Damn feels like I'm walking with the weight of the world on my shoulders, don't worry boys I'll avenge y'all'.
Arriving in front of the ring, he looked at Nephis whose gaze had instantly sharpened, Although he had made some preparations, his plans were now looking less and less feasible to him.
"You remember the rules, force your opponent's back on the floor or take them out of the ring" Awakened Rock reminded them.
Nephis took a fighting stance, and Merlin well he wasn't planning on going fist to fist anyways so he simply took on the 'Rock Lee Pose' why, because he could.
As the match started, Nephis immediately lunged at him with a punch as he tilted his head to the right making her miss him by a hairs breath, she immediately followed up the attack with a kick aimed at his shin to which he took a step back making her miss completely, she took a few steps back, she changed her manner of approach using a kick to his torso as a feint as she immediately diverted the attack to the position he dodged to but she still missed him by an inch. Attack after attack, all avoided almost like she was fighting a shadow.
Meanwhile Merlin on the receiving end was not faring well, for one he danger sense was at one hundred percent coupled with maintaining the illusion on Nephis, yes illusion, the dodging the weaving the calm facade has all been one big illusion covering the entire class, the original Merlin was busy relying on his clown balance to quickly move away while letting his illusion tilt slightly. That was one of the reasons he hadn't made an attack move till now, but knowing Nephis she would soon figure out his tactics.
'Sigh as expected of the coward pathway, damage - 5% escape -95%, well time to wrap up'
Immediately he took two steps back and aligned with the illusion before disabling it, it had been over a minute of attack and avoid so he decided to take the initiative, lunging forward, he threw a kick which Nephis avoided and swooped low to trip him, but he had already jumped, landing a few meters away. The next second, instead of attacking he moved on to the 'legendary Goku/Grimmjow/SungJinwoo jumping step', focusing on speed he pushed forward covering the distance in less than a second an struck with a punch, as Nephis couldn't dodge she resorted to block then countered with a kick but already sensing it in advance he moved behind her, putting his arm around her waist and completely flinging her towards the edge of the ring, she balanced herself mid air looking at him with a little surprise in her eyes before it disappeared.
While they were busy dancing the watching sleepers had a completely different reaction.
"What's with those movements..."
"It's like he can see the future..."
"Man people with true name are seriously built different..."
"Seriously none of them have used their aspects..."
"What makes you say that, if not his aspect do you think he could keep up with Changing Star..."
"He has a true name too you know.."
"Wow, looks good and can fight, is he maybe a lost son of a legacy..."
Sunny in his room now had a different view of the so called outskirt rat.
'I'm from the outskirts too why can't I move like that'.
Meanwhile in the ring, Merlin used his illusion again, but this time as an attack which obviously was not real, but with tactics, the illusion aimed a punch at her face which she was about to block thereby restricting her view, but the punch never came, instead the original Merlin that had already moved behind her lifted her up again and successfully threw her out of the ring.
The sounds of awe and disbelief erupted from the sleepers while Nephis just stood up, held his gaze for three full seconds and started walking back to join the other sleepers.
"Next" awakened Rock announced as Caster walked to the ring with a scowl on his face.
As Caster stepped up, Merlin took alot of steps back as he stood near the very edge of the ring, Caster immediately used his aspect, speeding towards Merlin before he could make a move, but before he realized it, he was already outside the ring.
When Merlin had retreated to the edge of the ring, he used an illusion targeting only caster and made him think that Merlin was a few meters away from the edge, he also changed his position in the legacy's eyes, so when Caster blitzed through the illusion hoping to stop before he left the ring Merlin's plan had already succeeded.
The sleepers meanwhile just watched a legacy use his aspect to eliminate himself and as a result their reactions were not pleasant, though they didn't talk out loud, their whispers really did a lot.
After they were done with the class, in the changing room Merlin was bombarded with a lot of questions from his fellow sleepers.
"Merlin, that was incredible!"
"Was that your Aspect, it was overpowered, am I right? "
"That Nephis girl stood no chance at all, even though it was long because you didn't start with attacking"
The word slightly caught Caster's ear as he asked the sleeper.
"Nephis girl?"
"What, is there anything wrong with the peasant girl?" The sleeper raised an eyebrow as Caster scoffed and replied him.
"That is Lady Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan" the sleeper paled.
"I trust that I don't need to tell you about her grandfather. Her parents were Smile of Heaven and Broken Sword. " The sleepers around immediately fell silent as one spoke up addressing Merlin
"Man you fought with her and still won, how did you even do that" And then the eyes of everyone fell on him, with Caster looking a little more pissed off than others.
"Trust me guys, I was able to win because after dodging her attacks for a while, she started hesitating so I was able to win" Merlin just settled them with the explanation, it was basically the truth, she indeed hesitated before throwing punches because who in their right mind will keep attacking on full power when your opponent has been avoiding the attacks effortlessly, almost effortlessly tho.
After changing, He made his way back to his room where he took a shower and layer on the bed to rest, after taking the drugs the academy offered, he wouldn't be able to sleep for a week, so he just layed on his back and watched the time tick off.
As night came, he heard a door open and someone walked past his door, he already guessed that was sunny, so he stood up and waited for a while before following him
He arrived just after had hit the machine for the second time showing the score of eighteen, then he decided to speak up.
"Hey there sunny..."