The early morning air was too quiet for a place usually bustling with anxious teenagers.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor right next to my narrow bed, my eyes remained firmly shut in deep meditation.
Yesterday's trial incident managed to thoroughly crack my mental defences.
Those twisted pictures of the classmate's face reflecting in the shattered illusion glass, mixed with the hyper-realistic image of my little sister coughing up blood on her deathbed, had damaged my thoughts to a serious extent.
'I thought I buried all that pain,' my mind whispered in the room, feeling a suffocating knot form deep in my chest.
When my sister passed away in my past life, the grief completely broke me.
As a result, I went into seclusion, training all day and hunting monsters all night, which became my only functional escape from the guilt.
Burying the agonising memory so deep beneath the surface of my mind was the only way to survive the story.
I became so numb back then that I didn't even realise the gravity of getting a second chance to save her until Melissa deliberately rubbed the possibility right in my face yesterday.
Taking a slow, shaky breath, the turbulent energy in my core finally settled and returned to its normal rhythm.
The internal progress had been going pretty well for my next breakthrough, but it still felt slow compared to the threats waking up outside the academy walls.
[Awakener ---> Master]
[Progress: 40%]
'Not enough,' a tired sigh escaped my lips.
'Not even close to withstanding the future events.'
There hasn't been another main scenario yet to unlock any new skills.
The silence from my interface was slowly driving me crazy.
'Hey, system.'
[Host?]
'Why are there no more missions yet? You were throwing ridiculous scenarios at me left and right just a few days ago.'
[The goddess did not like to force you into situations, Host.]
[From now on, as promised earlier, you can do whatever you want.]
Pretty convenient, isn't it?
At least the last time around, the storyline of the novel existed to guide my steps and predict the disasters.
But now?
Absolutely nothing is reliable.
The timeline is completely off the rails, the main villains are acting early, and the divine system is basically taking an extended vacation.
Right now, my status is just that of a normal person like everyone else in this world who happens to know a few terrible secrets about the future.
'What about the skill tree then? How can the next level actually be unlocked if you refuse to give me proper quests?'
[Your achievements will automatically unlock tickets.]
[Tickets can be used to open the skill tree.]
'And how exactly does a person get these hidden achievements to earn the tickets?'
[...]
'Yeah, fuck you too,' my jaw clenched in annoyance.
Pushing off the floor, my entire body ached in protest.
My muscles felt sore from the fight with the twin-headed cyclops, and sweat poured profusely down my neck, drenching the collar of my grey training shirt.
Actively circulating raw mana through my veins just to fend off the lingering phantom pain of broken ribs required immense concentration.
Glancing at the small clock on the wall, there was still quite some time before the academy officially started its daily lectures.
Staying cooped up in this depressing dorm room was only going to make the pounding headache significantly worse, so stepping out for a quiet morning walk seemed like the best option available.
Royal Genesis Academy is roughly sixty acres in total, covering a surprisingly large section of the surrounding landscape.
That is why the institution is situated all the way in the far northern corner of the capital city, separated from the normal civilian noise and the crowded merchant districts.
Stepping outside the commoner dorm building, cool morning mist hung over the tops of the tall buildings.
The living area assigned to us was definitely located in a rougher patch of the campus, featuring cracked pavements and overgrown weeds pushing through the walls.
The noble quarters, located a few meters aside, probably looked like a luxury resort right now.
But at least our modest shelter was decent enough to sleep in without freezing.
Strolling toward the main cafeteria building, the campus wasn't empty.
A few third-year students were already roaming around the open courtyards, holding steaming cups of cheap coffee and carrying leather-bound textbooks under their arms.
This is their final year before facing the brutal reality of the outside world.
It must be tense for them to know their childhood is officially ending.
Once they finally graduate from the safety of the academy, they will be immediately posted in completely different, highly dangerous border areas across the human continent.
They will spend their days carrying out direct, often suicidal orders from the top-ranked awakeners, joining powerful hunting agencies just to make a living and protect the inner cities.
'What a miserable cycle of violence,' I thought.
Joining an agency wasn't something ever considered in my last life.
Instead of playing the standard guild game and taking orders from arrogant nobles, my existence was dedicated to dealing with my own tragedy.
Hunting down the supreme demons alone priority over making a comfortable salary.
Maybe if things had gone differently back then, experiencing a normal career path and having regular coworkers would have been a nice change of pace.
While letting my brain wander through these useless thoughts, a sharp, authoritative voice called out from behind.
"Newman."
'Hmm?'
Stopping dead in my tracks, a sudden chill ran straight down my spine.
Very few people used my last name, and even fewer used it with that commanding tone.
Turning around slowly, the morning mist parted slightly to reveal a tall figure standing just a few feet away on the path.
He had red hair that flowed freely, reaching perfectly just past his broad, squared shoulders.
His piercing blue eyes locked directly onto mine with an intense, analytical focus.
He wore the black academy dress uniform, perfectly tailored to his athletic build, featuring sharp golden outlines that caught the dim morning light.
Several high-ranking merit badges were proudly pinned across his left chest, openly displaying his authority over the student body.
He looked both handsome and totally menacing just standing there, his posture perfectly straight and his hands clasped loosely behind his back.
Arthur Drakorin.
He is the strongest student currently enrolled at the academy, absolute pride of the Student Council, a recognised S-rank awakener with terrifying, unmatched potential.
'And he was also my mentor.'