Asher flexed his arm—clenching and unclenching his fist. It still ached.
He glanced around. The academy gym was quiet at this hour.
His body, strengthened by the unnatural boost from his soul fragment counter, was already superior to most Sleepers. Physically, he could overpower nearly anyone outside the top ten.
But when it came to them?
He was glass.
More than that... he was fragile glass, held together by stubbornness and dumb luck.
'I need to learn the sword.'
And fast.
Combat classes helped. Every skirmish taught him something new. The armor had been sharpening his reflexes, adapting to him. His progress was absurd—frankly, terrifying. He could feel himself growing stronger every day.
But...
This isn't enough.
Not for what was coming. Not for the Dream Realm. And especially not for the Forgotten Shore—if fate (or the plot) dumped him there, he was as good as dead.
Awakened also developed muscle faster. It was freakish. Just two days of training, and he was already seeing abs. He wouldn't call them shredded—not yet—but they were visible.
Okay, maybe he only trained abs, but that wasn't the point!
Grumbling under his breath, he left the gym. The cold night air brushed against his face, crisp and refreshing. He exhaled deeply, letting the tension roll off his shoulders.
Outside, the academy garden stretched out before him—quiet, serene. The grass swayed gently in the breeze. Bioluminescent plants pulsed with soft glows, casting a pretty gleam over the marble pathways.
Asher walked over to the stone railing and leaned on it, gazing at the glowing flowers below.
He said nothing.
He didn't need to.
For once, his mind stopped racing. No thoughts, no plans—just a rare, silent moment of stillness.
And it was exactly what he needed.
"Do you like flowers?" a calm voice asked from beside him.
Asher stiffened slightly, caught off guard. He hadn't even heard anyone approach. Still, the voice wasn't unwelcome—it was familiar.
"I—I mean, not really. I don't hate them either," he muttered awkwardly.
"I see."
That voice… it definitely sounded familiar.
He turned—and nearly flinched.
"—Uek!"
Standing next to him was none other than Nephis, who simply gazed front.
"A-Ah! N-Nephis?! What are you doing here?" he stammered.
She tilted her head slightly, then turned her gaze back to the glowing garden. "I wanted some fresh air."
"Oh… right. Of course you did…"
Silence.
The kind of silence that settled like a weighted blanket.
Asher swallowed, glancing at her again. She stood perfectly still, simply basking in the moonlight.
He bit the inside of his cheek.
"Hey, Nephis," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "can I ask you something?"
She turned to face him, calm as ever. "What is it?"
"I... I want you to teach me the sword."
There. He said it.
Now, he braced for the worst.
"Sure."
"…Eh?"
That was easy.
But then she added, "I want something in exchange."
Here it comes, Asher thought, eyes narrowing. This was how it went with Sunny, too!
"Spar with me once a week."
"…Huh?"
"Spar with me. Once a week."
"That's it?"
Nephis gave a short nod. "That's it."
"…Deal!"
She turned toward the dorms, already walking away. "Good. Come with me."
"Wait, what? We're starting now?"
"Yes," she said without pause. "We'll get in trouble if we train here. My room is safer."
Asher blinked. Then blinked again. "Your room?!"
But Nephis didn't answer. She just kept walking—calm, certain, efficient.
So Asher followed, trailing a few steps behind like a confused puppy trying to keep up with a storm.
Neither of them spoke.
Until—
"Uaa!"
A strange, muffled sound echoed from one of the nearby dorm rooms.
Asher froze.
His face turned a shade pinker as he glanced nervously at Nephis. "Y-You know... you probably shouldn't trust a guy enough to bring him to your room."
Nephis stopped mid-step and slowly turned her head toward him, her silver eyes sharp as blades.
"I don't trust anyone," she said coolly. "And if you tried anything, I'd break your legs before you finished the thought."
The temperature around them seemed to drop a few degrees. Asher's expression twisted into a reluctant frown.
'Kind of ironic,' he thought. 'For someone whose powers revolve around fire'
***
It was the next day. Three familiar faces sat at their usual table.
Sunny and Asher sipped coffee in silence, while Cassie… well, Cassie was just being Cassie.
"Hey Asher, I heard some funny rumors about something that happened in the combat class?" Sunny said as he nudged Asher's side with a smirk. Asher's cheeks flushed crimson as he narrowed his eyes.
'Since when did this guy talk so nonchalantly...'
Then he sneered at Cassie.
"I know you saw it all from the eyes of your perverted shad-" Sunny instantly put his palm on Asher's mouth.
"You bastard! Fine! I won't provoke your dumbass face; just don't tell anything in the open," Sunny whispered as Asher nodded when Sunny let go.
"Anyway, where was I? Oh yes! Your perverted sha-" Sunny put his hand on Asher's mouth again, "I won't call you a bastard for a week, no, 2 weeks! Please don't tell anything!" Sunny whispered again.
Then—
Lick. Lick.
Sunny jerked his hand away in horror. "Y-You licked me?!"
Asher calmly sipped his coffee. "I did the same thing you did."
Sunny blinked. Technically... that was true.
'Petty bastard.'
"You better not wipe that on me," Asher warned, narrowing his eyes. "Or I'll scream exactly what your shadow was doing."
Sunny paused, his hand hovering dangerously close to Asher's shirt.
"I won't."
With a resigned grimace, he wiped it on his own pants.
Nephis eventually arrived and, without a word, took the seat next to Asher. She looked at him calmly and, in her usual monotone, said,"Asher, I wanted to talk about what we did together in my room last night."
PFFFT!
Sunny spat out his coffee in a violent spray, turning wide eyes toward Asher.
Around them, heads snapped in their direction. Silence fell across the table. Cassie tilted her head curiously. Half the students nearby were frozen mid-bite.
Asher, meanwhile, stared ahead with dead eyes.
'As expected of the Changing Star… her communication skills are a lost cause.'
He nodded to himself grimly, already fantasizing about vanishing into a black hole from sheer embarrassment.
"Can we… talk privately?" he asked, forcing a twitching smile as he stood up.
Nephis nodded with perfect calm, and the two left, leaving behind a stunned Sunny and a storm of wild rumors brewing among their classmates.
They walked until they reached a quiet hallway. Asher exhaled like he'd just escaped a warzone.
"So... uh, what did you actually want to talk about?" he asked, doing his best not to sound traumatized.
Nephis, completely unaffected, spoke plainly.
"During our spar yesterday, I noticed your reflexes outpace your physical limits. Your mind reacts quickly, your perception is sharp, but your body can't keep up. The lack of synchronization will hold you back with the sword."
Asher frowned. Yes. That was indeed the case. His mind was fast, and his eyes could keep up. But his body? It was severely lacking behind.
"So… what's the solution?"
Nephis' lips curled slightly—an almost-smile.
"Starting today, you'll run ten laps around the academy. Every day. Within two hours."
Asher's jaw dropped. "ten laps?!"
The academy was a size of was small town!
She nodded without blinking. "Endurance. Muscle memory. Movement economy. All of it starts with your legs."
Asher stared off into the distance, already calculating the miles and the tears."…You're trying to kill me."
"I'm trying to make sure you don't die," she corrected him.
_______________________________
[Two or three more chapters before the end of the Academy arc! So don't get too bored yet!]