The Nature Survival classroom was spacious, neat… and completely empty. Eylan stood there for a moment—not because he thought he had arrived too early, but because of a faint stab of disappointment.
'Seriously, nobody takes this course? How does this class even still exist?'
The funny thing was that this very place had been responsible for turning Sunless into the… cockroach he had become.
At the back of the room, he spotted the instructor: an elderly man with an eccentric appearance, sitting behind a wide wooden desk. The moment he noticed Eylan, his eyes lit up.
"Come in, young man!"
He was an energetic old fellow, with messy gray hair, eyes that always seemed slightly distracted, and eyebrows so thick they looked like they had a life of their own.
The man's warm smile made Eylan's heart soften. It had been a long time since he'd felt that strange sense of familiarity.
"I am Awakened Julius. You can call me Professor Julius. Sit, sit! What's your name?"
Although he had never seen the man in person, Eylan had read about him—and liked the character quite a bit. Seeing him standing there, in the flesh, was… nice.
"It's Eylan. Eylan Kohen."
The professor's eyebrows shot up as if pulled by invisible strings.
"Oh! What a mystical name. Do you happen to know what it means?"
Eylan paused. He dug through his memories. His body had been born in Latin America—that much was certain—but the name itself wasn't common.
"No… what does it mean?" Now he was curious.
"My Aspect gives me a rather sharp mind. Thanks to that, I've learned several languages… including ancient Hebrew."
Julius tapped his temple proudly.
"I believe your name means something like…"
A cold shiver ran down Eylan's spine before the words even came out.
"God answered the priest."
The phrase was spoken lightly, but its meaning crashed down on him like a stone. Something snapped inside his mind.
His hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
"God… answered the priest… Why does that remind me of—" Sweat slid down his forehead.
A scream cut through the air.
The chair toppled over as Eylan collapsed onto the floor. His head throbbed, veins bulging at his temples.
Julius reacted instantly, but his words reached Eylan muffled, as if coming from underwater.
It felt like drowning—hearing people shout your name while you sink.
The world spun.
Flashes tore through his vision.
His first Nightmare.
His best friend was celebrating with him—they were finally leaving. Going somewhere better.
The sun bathed everyone in light, the shadow of war completely gone.
Looking around, massive ships sailed alongside them. An entire fleet.
Thousands of voices, all speaking in unison:
"Praise be to thee, O Divine Voice!"
Then everything stopped.
A mist swallowed the world.
Eylan's eyes snapped open.
Gasping, he tried to sit up. Now he could hear clearly.
"Are you okay? You screamed and collapsed. What happened?" Julius asked, worry written all over his face.
Slowly, Eylan forced his body to steady itself.
"I'm sorry… I guess I haven't fully recovered from my injuries yet."
But he knew that wasn't it. The injuries weren't the cause.
'My first Nightmare… what does that mean?'
After some time, Eylan had mostly recovered. The two of them were seated again.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Professor Julius muttered:
"Damn… I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost a student like that…"
Eylan felt bad for him—the man seemed to have aged ten years in just a few minutes. But then the youthful smile returned, brighter than ever.
"And that's why I'll make you immortal! That way I won't have to worry." He winked, then stood up and pulled Eylan along to get some fresh air.
As they walked down the hallway, the professor asked:
"Tell me, young man… why did you choose Nature Survival?"
Eylan already had an answer.
"If I know how to use a sword, I can kill a monster.
If I know politics, I can climb society.
But if I fall into a desolate Realm… surviving is what matters most. To kill a monster, I first need to stay alive."
It was something he'd been thinking about for a long time. The environment was always the worst enemy.
"Brilliant! You understand the true value of knowledge." Julius looked at him as if he were some ancient sage.
Satisfied, they chatted a bit about classes. Julius then asked:
"And what other courses are you taking?"
Eylan sighed.
"For now, just yours. I still have time until the winter solstice."
Julius nodded.
"Yes, there are many options. Have you considered anything else?"
Eylan thought for a moment before answering:
"Something involving combat, or weapons. I have basically zero experience there."
Rubbing his chin, Julius said:
"If I were to suggest something, you should check out the introductory combat class with Instructor Rock."
After a few more minutes of conversation, they returned to the classroom to begin the lesson.
Eylan's lessons with Professor Julius started out pleasant and relatively relaxed. He thought the professor would take it easy on him because of the fainting incident.
He was wrong.
Just one hour later, Eylan felt like his head was about to explode.
The professor spoke about the Dream Realm with unsettling ease. Between counterintuitive explanations—like observing creatures only from the edge of one's vision—and concepts far too advanced for any normal person, Eylan struggled to keep up.
Some of the material was so futuristic it was beyond Eylan's imagination. Worse still, not even the young Eylan's memories contained anything useful.
Even so, despite being shocked by Eylan's lack of experience, the old man was patient. He slowed down when needed, explained things again, and smiled as he taught.
The theory was monstrous.
The curriculum, insane.
And Julius? Tireless.
By the time they finally stopped, the sun was already setting.
'Is destroying students on the first day some kind of tradition?'
Mentally exhausted, starving, and regretting his own existence, Eylan decided to copy Sunny's strategy: gently reminding the professor that food was essential for concentration.
He headed straight for the showers, where he stayed for quite a while.
As the hot water washed away his fatigue, a sudden itch spread across his body. He figured it was just his imagination and ignored it.
After getting dressed, Eylan grabbed fresh bandages for his injuries—then noticed that many of his wounds were gone. He couldn't understand how that was possible.
"Do Dormant Awakened heal this fast…?"
As he thought about it, an idea crossed his mind.
He took a blade, made a small cut on his finger, and dipped it into a glass of water.
Keeping his finger submerged, he waited a few minutes.
An unnatural itch spread through his finger, and Eylan had to resist the urge to scratch it.
Slowly pulling his finger out, he saw that the wound had already closed. There was still a scab, but it was hard to believe the cut had been made just minutes ago.
He was pleasantly surprised. Regenerative abilities were so rare that even the greatest clans valued them highly.
But after a few more tests, he realized there were limitations.
Healing took time, even for small wounds. And it only worked while submerged—in dry places or without water, it was basically useless.
So it wasn't something he could fully rely on in battle. Even in an aquatic environment, it would be hard to use effectively.
Still… it was another trump card.
Encouraged by the discovery, Eylan decided to stop by the dojo, where the other Dormant Awakened trained under the stern gaze of Instructor Rock.
However, when he arrived, he was met with an unexpected scene.
"But what the…?"