Somewhat depressed, I entered my assigned class. This was the practical Survival course. The room was quite spacious, with wide mats covering the floor, racks of training weapons lined neatly against the walls, and strange contraptions that looked more suited for torture than instruction.

What exactly was this place? Had I wandered into the wrong classroom by mistake?

'No, that can't be. I memorized the map perfectly, there's no way I'm mistaken. My memory is flawless. This is the Survival class. But… why is it empty? Did I come too early?'

A quick glance around confirmed it.

Fantastic...

Now I had nothing to do but wait for the instructor to show up. Moments like this made me wish my phone was still alive.

'Wait… could I use runes instead? Almost everything in Niflheim functions through runes, after all.'

It was something I'd noticed some time ago.

The Soul Realm wasn't a material world; everything here was composed of reishi — spirit matter. Naturally, electricity as I knew it didn't exist. And yet, thanks to the arcane sciences of runes and alchemy, materials could be forged that mimicked, or even surpassed, those of the material worlds. Through them, power could be generated and harnessed in ways both familiar and utterly alien.

So it wasn't wrong to say that runes and alchemy were the backbone of the Silver Void.

Thankfully, I had already enrolled in the Rune Course. That class wouldn't begin until after the break period, though, unfortunately right after Survival.

Why did it have to be scheduled that way?

I sighed.

"...?"

That was when my senses suddenly sharpened. An instinctive alarm shot through my mind, the unmistakable feeling that something was about to strike from behind.

"...!"

I reacted without questioning that sensation, rolling forward just as a blow sliced through the space where I had been standing. The moment I tried to regain my footing, another attack came hurtling toward me.

'W-What… what the hell…?!'

My mind exploded with questions, but my body kept moving on pure reflex, narrowly evading each strike.

"Oh, what's this? An impressive young man. How delightful!" Said the voice belonging to the silhouette who had initiated the fierce assault.

Narrowing my eyes, the silhouette's image soon became clear.

It wasn't some monstrous creature or wild beast. It was a tall, young adult draped in a black robe that swayed with their movements. A mask of pale porcelain obscured their face, leaving only two slits for eyes that glimmered faintly with a predatory sharpness.

They held a wooden practice blade, yet the pressure it exuded was anything but harmless.

"In the middle of class, no less," the masked figure continued while swinging the wooden sword. "You didn't freeze up. Most would have been on the floor after the first strike. How impressive, indeed!"

"Um… excuse me, but are you the instructor?" I questioned, ducking under another swing that could've cracked my skull in two.

"Ah, where are my manners? I am Waking Joel. But you may address me as Instructor Joel."

Waking? Wasn't that term usually reserved for demonic beasts?

I replied dryly, twisting aside from another blow, "I'm Sleepless Sonny. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Well-mannered as well. How delightful!" Joel's masked voice carried a strange amusement. His wooden sword whistled through the air again, flashing just past my head. "Tell me, I'm curious. Where did you learn to move like this? Few Sleepless can evade the strikes of an Enlightened, even when I'm holding back. Do you perhaps have a Master? Someone who trained you? Please do tell."

A Master? I had nothing of the sort. To be completely honest, I didn't even know how I was managing to dodge!

The sensation was… strange.

How to describe it? It was like that uneasy prickle you feel when someone's watching you. But in my case, it was sharper, more visceral. My body moved on its own, guided by instinct alone.

Or was it truly instinct?

As I ducked my head, narrowly slipping past another powerful swing, a memory stirred, rising unbidden from the deepest recesses of my mind.

「 You can freely control the Soul-Devouring Shadow, wielding it as both blade and shield. 」

A sword and a shield… So that was what the Spire had meant. The shadow was enhancing my senses.

Clutching onto that thought, I managed to steady my racing mind amidst the chaos and answered,

"Actually, I don't have a Master. For some reason, I can just… dodge. I can't fully explain it."

"Is that so? Then you must be one of those rare ones with remarkable instincts. How truly delightful!"

The masked instructor's excitement flared. In a flash, he closed the distance, his wooden sword arcing toward me with renewed ferocity.

Dangerous!

The wooden blade came down like a guillotine. I twisted sideways, the edge grazing past my shoulder hard enough to sting despite not making full contact. The pressure was suffocating. If this was him holding back, what would a serious strike look like?

"Splendid reflexes!" Joel's voice rang with genuine delight. "But you're still relying on your body alone. That won't be enough in the long run!"

Another swing came, faster than before. My instincts screamed, and I dropped into a roll, feeling the rush of air as the sword sliced through where my head had been a second ago.

'Damn it… how long can I keep this up?'

My breathing quickened, sweat prickling across my skin. Damn it! This was only the first class, yet it already felt like I was on the verge of death. What misfortune!

Needless to say, Enlightened Joel didn't relent.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

His wooden blade blurred through the air in a storm of strikes, each one faster, heavier, and more precise than the last. Even dodging began to feel impossible, my body straining to keep pace.

'I have to break his focus somehow!'

My eyes darted around the empty classroom, desperate for an opening. Then, an idea struck me.

"Say, Instructor," I called out between evasions, "why is the class this empty? Where are the other Sleepless? Did I arrive too early?"

Joel's assault faltered for the first time, granting me a precious moment of reprieve. Yes… the psychological bait actually worked!

The masked instructor's stiffened and his voice shifted, carrying a strangely melancholic note.

"Sadly, you're the only Sleepless who applied for Survival this year. How unfortunate. I had hoped to train many, but no one else enrolled. Truly unfortunate, indeed."

Why do you sound so sad about that? Do you really enjoy beating people up that much? At this point, I'm starting to think you only became an instructor just so you could ambush unsuspecting students.

That was my first impression of this strange fellow.

"Young man…" Joel tilted his head, his porcelain mask catching the light. "Of all the courses you could have chosen, why Survival?"

There was no reason to hide the truth.

"Actually, I was recommended to come here."

"You were recommended? By who?"

"Inquisitor Ivy."

"..."

The instructor froze, as though momentarily at a loss for words. After a long pause, he spoke again.

"When you say Inquisitor Ivy, you don't mean Warden Ivy, do you?"

"Um… yes?"

His white eyes seemed to widen behind the mask.

"Warden Ivy? That savage woman actually recommended someone? To my class, no less? Impossible! There's no way! Are you certain you're not mistaken?"

Savage woman? Now my curiosity was piqued. Also, did that just rythm or was it my imagination?

"Instructor, I don't understand. What do you mean by savage?"

Awakened Joel's tone lowered, carrying a hushed, almost conspiratorial edge.

"You might not know this, but Inquisitor Ivy is one of the most dangerous and twisted individuals you could ever cross paths with. Since her arrival, crime in Niflheim has plummeted... and not out of fear of death. No, she prefers torture. For instance, there was a man accused of assault… she boiled oil and forced his feet into it until they burned away. Another time, she paraded a criminal naked through the streets, chained like an animal.

"And then… well, there are darker rumors." He hesitated, clearing his throat before continuing. "Some claim she uses certain offenders as… playthings. Whether or not that part is true, one thing is certain: Warden Ivy is a woman who finds joy in delivering pain. So much so that her Mythic Code is Punisher."

I blinked, stunned.

It was difficult to accept his words at face value. Could someone who had shown me nothing but kindness truly be so vile? No, this needed confirmation.

"Teacher, I don't mean to doubt you… but it's hard to reconcile that image with the person I know. Even if what you say is true, what's wrong with punishing sinners?"

Waking Joel nodded slowly, as though he understood my hesitation.

"Perhaps it's hard to believe since you haven't witnessed it yourself. No, scratch that… it's better you don't. A young man like you shouldn't see such things, or you risk being corrupted. Either way, remember this: there are two people you should never cross in the Soul Realm. Three, if you count the demonic species. And Inquisitor Ivy is one of them."

I tilted my head.

"Wait… you said three. Who's the last person?"

His eyes hardened.

"Soul Killer. She's one of the most dangerous, if not the most feared, Blasphemers you could ever encounter. Her Legacy remains unknown, but what we do know is that it allows her to strike at the soul itself… no, deeper than that. She can wound the Origin Sea."

A familiar term.

"Origin Sea? Isn't that just an energy source?"

Joel shook his head.

"Not quite. The Origin Sea is the deepest foundation of your being. It operates beyond the body, soul, and psyche. It is the most fundamental 'you.' Lose it, and you cease to exist in the truest, most absolute sense. Normally, it's untouchable, guarded by the natural ninth dimensional defenses of the soul. But Soul Killer can bypass those defenses and cut the Origin Sea, erasing her victims from every plane of existence. Forever."

"Even the Inquisitors and Transcendents refuse to cross her path. A body can heal. Even a broken mind can recover. But once the soul is poisoned… there is no cure. That's how troublesome she is, so I advise you to never cross her path."

That was going to be difficult, considering she was the one who caught me when I fell from the sky. Sooner or later, I was bound to meet her again.

Joel straightened his back, as if realizing he'd strayed too far into grim talk, and muttered:

"Now then. Usually, I'm not one for gossip, but I suppose the mouth runs when it will. In any case, let's begin the lesson on the proper Ways of Survival."

Thank the goddess. The real class, at last.

"Survival," he began, pacing as he spoke, "hinges on countless factors: your surroundings, the terrain, the closeness to water or entities lurking within it. But above all, there is one golden rule you must never forget."

I leaned forward unconsciously. "What is it, Instructor?"

He stopped, voice sharp as steel.

"Never drop your guard!"

Before I could even process those words, the Masked Instructor exploded into motion, closing the distance in a blur. The wooden sword slammed into my chest with brutal efficiency.

The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the N0velFire.ɴet