Once the awakening ceremony ended for all the students of Ashton High School, they didn't stay around to watch the others awaken their swords, as news about significant awakenings would reach their ears as naturally as breathing.
Ashton High School's service buses and parade vehicles immediately sent the students to the campus of the Southern Bladeborn Academy, half an hour away from the plaza.
The sooner they complete this final task, the sooner they will get their payout from the government for a job well done.
Unfortunately, it seemed they wouldn't obtain an amount as large as they initially expected, all due to their failure of a sword prince.
The attitude of a majority of the faculty members of Ashton High towards Daru changed.
While some sincerely pitied him and hoped they could help, most were disappointed and inwardly infuriated with his failure, their gazes turning cold and indifferent the moment he returned to the Ashton High group.
The monetary bonus this year was supposed to be the highest they would have had in the past decade!
Clearly, the entire high school was displeased with Daru, evident in how the parade car that drove him to the Sword Altar was now reserved for Cody Han, the young man who had always been second to him, while Daru himself was serviced via a regular school bus.
"You will be taken to your dormitory along with the students who obtained swords of similar rank to yours," was the vice-principal's reason.
Even his rather renowned, mundane swordsmanship instructor, one among the few who knew the truth and firmly believed he was the real deal, failed to retrieve the vehicle for him.
The half-hour trip to the Southern Bladeborn Academy wasn't exactly comfortable and could even be called stressful for a young man.
His classmates whispered among themselves, with a few bolder ones poking fun at him by joking with each other in deliberately loud voices:
"You said you're smart? Let's put you to the test, then! Give me words that start with F."
"Hmm…let's see…Failure!"
"That's one, go on."
"Fraudulent. Fart!"
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
The young man seated beside Daru didn't dare mock him, but the guy was inwardly enjoying everything.
But Daru ignored them entirely.
He never cared about their admiration in the past and would never care about their disappointment now.
To Daru, fame is false, and real competence is the truth,
While he was a bit displeased that the true rank of his Soulbound Sword was still unknown, the sealed state excited him somewhat, keeping his mind occupied as he stared out the window of the service bus, his imagination running rampant.
Soon enough, finely architectured metal fences that spanned hundreds, if not thousands of hectares, came into view, along with one grand, black and gold gate beneath an arch:
"Southern Bladeborn Academy, Cluster 4"
They've arrived at the elite academy that only awakened Bladeborns could attend.
As their convoy approached, the colossal gate opened, allowing more than ten buses to enter side by side, parading in the prestigious main road of the academy grounds.
They rolled along a vast, red brick pathway lined with flower beds, trimmed bushes, and trees with colorful flowers, their petals raining down as they passed, creating a picturesque and rather dramatic scene.
It was undoubtedly a memorable first day.
Unfortunately, Ashton High's grand display was short-lived as the service buses inevitably separated, sending each student to their designated dormitories.
Those who awakened higher-ranked swords took a different route from those who didn't, and Daru was naturally in the latter group.
Their now-smaller convoy soon arrived in front of a grand building.
But fancy as the exterior was, one could easily tell that the rooms weren't too spacious, based on the spacing between each window.
The bus stopped in front of the dormitory's gates, and all the students disembarked.
Daru stretched his neck for a moment.
He then proceeded to enter the gate along with everyone else in the same category as him: low-ranked Bladeborns with limited futures.
The only difference was that a majority at least had E-Tier Soulbound Swords, and there were only less than a hundred like him who awakened the absolute worst.
One could easily tell based on how dejected a student was as they walked towards the grand dormitory building.
Around thirty minutes later, everyone was settled in their own, tiny rooms with only a bed, a small wooden table and chair, and an old cabinet.
Even their bathrooms and toilets were shared.
But at least the walls were painted neatly, unlike the walls of his previous accommodation.
Of course, Daru didn't care much about the minor inconveniences.
He just wanted to enter the Myriad Sword Realm and test his sword out as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, classes and entry to the other world would only open for the newcomers a day after their awakening, so Daru could only look for a decent, secluded spot near his dormitory, practicing his strikes to pass the time.
***
Six in the morning of the next day, inside a massive gymnasium…
Daru yawned as his mind wandered, ignoring the gazes and hushed whispers around him.
"H-Hey, look, that's Daru Finnley of Ashton High, right? The fallen sword prince?"
"More like the Fraudulent Sword Prince! He likely paid his way to the top. I don't believe his swordsmanship is truly that good, as he would've awoken a high-tier sword otherwise."
It seemed that even his new classmates easily recognized him.
A rather lean and muscular man with black hair tied into a bun soon arrived, standing in front and scanning his eyes over the group of more than seventy students for a few moments before speaking, capturing everyone's attention:
"Alright, since everyone is here, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Talon, your instructor for your entire short stay at the academy. Nice to meet you. Follow me to the classroom, we'll continue there."
The students would only be learning the ropes for a year.
After that, they would be free to leave the academy guilds and join professional ones.
The group of a little over seventy students and their teacher soon left the massive gymnasium, navigating their way through the spacious yet confusing corridors of the academy.
They arrived and entered one of the rooms similar in appearance to all the others beside it a dozen minutes later.
Inside were adjustable Slumber Capsules reminiscent of coffins, optimized for comfort, though of course, the ones inside the academy were a mass-produced model and wouldn't be able to compare to the branded, expensive ones.
"Choose one that you will use for the entire year," Talon instructed, urging his students to help themselves to a capsule.
They all looked the same, so Daru chose the nearest one.
But before he could sit on it, someone pushed him away.
"Oops, didn't see you there, brother. Sorry, but this one's mine. You have to choose another," a tall, slightly muscular juniper-haired young man said, smirking in a rather provocative manner.
Daru ignored the bastard and simply proceeded to the pod next to the one snatched from him, but the same thing happened.
It was a black-haired youngster who was a bit shorter than him this time.
"Aihh, sorry, sorry. I really just wanted to enter the trial close to my friend, Zach, you see. Choose another one."
The same thing happened two more times before, finally, Daru decided to stay away from the idiots, choosing a pod in the corner of the classroom.
The juniper-haired young man was pleased, watching him with narrowed eyes.
"Heh, Sword Prince Daru Finnley, my ass! The term fraudster suits you better," muttered Zach.
Soon, everyone had their own. Talon then guided his students on how to operate the pods and adjust them for maximum comfort.
They would be sleeping in the real world while inside the Myriad Sword Realm, after all.
Nobody wanted to wake up with a stiff neck.
The students were already settled and couldn't wait to enter, but to their confusion, their instructor merely stared at his watch, seemingly waiting.
It was then that the entire room lit up as everyone's sword marks glowed faintly.
"Alright, entry to the realm is now possible," the instructor announced, causing the hearts of his students to tremble in sheer anticipation and excitement.
"Remember, choose Agaron as your starting city, and we'll rendezvous at the city plaza. You may now press your palms on your sword marks. I shall see you in the Myriad Sword Realm."
Everyone, including Daru, enthusiastically did as they were instructed, falling asleep in the next moment as a thin layer of translucent-red, indestructible barrier covered their defenseless bodies.