After spending nearly three hours with Sera, Nathan decided it was time to head back to his dormitory room.
With the [Extra-Dimensional Storage] ability now in his arsenal, Nathan decided to focus on refining his mana circulation. He was determined to evolve his demon, Satan, into a High Demon in under 4 years.
He smiled faintly in his dorm room after deceiving Sera. The ability Nathan had displayed wasn't actually [Regeneration], but something even stronger, which he had cleverly used to his advantage.
Despite considering Sera a friend, Nathan chose to exploit her for his own gain. He didn't fully trust her either, and it was possible that Sera might be teaching him fake abilities.
Nathan lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.
[ New Ability: Dreamy Book ]
Nathan heard an abstract sound echoing in his mind, when he opened them again, he was shocked to find himself floating, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors, with no solid ground in sight.
He realized he was now in a dream world. Inside this dreamscape, Nathan gazed up at the ceiling, where an abstractly shaped clock continuously ticked away.
The clock hands spun rapidly, and the ticking sound reverberated loudly, making Nathan feel slightly uneasy.
Nathan squinted at the abstract clock, and when it struck XII, the clock suddenly stopped. Even more unsettling, Nathan couldn't hear any sound—not even the sound of his own voice or the flow of blood through his veins.
He felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, his eyes drooped shut, and his vision went dark once more.
----
When Nathan opened his eyes again, he found himself still lying in bed, gazing out the window to see the sky lit up by the newly risen sun.
"Morning already... yeah," Nathan muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Nathan got out of bed and quickly went about his morning routine—showering, having breakfast, and wearing his white cloak. After a gentle yawn, he decided to head to the library for a bit before his training classes began.
When he arrived at the library, he ran into Sera again. He chose to ignore her for the moment and picked out a book to read. Nathan took a seat in a chair near Sera, but this time, he deliberately sat elsewhere.
Sera watched him as Nathan sat down, her expression a mix of confusion and suspicion. She decided to approach Nathan, who was engrossed in his book.
Sera now stood in front of Nathan. Sensing her presence, Nathan looked up, appearing puzzled by her sudden approach. However, a faint smile crossed his lips as he greeted her.
"Oh, good morning, Sera," he said with a faint smile.
Sera's gaze quickly turned sharp.
"You... why didn't you attend the training class yesterday?" Sera asked, her gaze growing even sharper.
Nathan's confusion deepened. He had no idea what Sera was talking about, and he had only met her the night before.
"What do you mean? Didn't we just meet last night and agree to exchange abilities?" Nathan asked, his expression bewildered.
"Huh? Didn't we do that two days ago? Never mind, don't try to deny it. Where were you yesterday? You weren't even found in your dorm room," Sera said, her gaze filled with suspicion.
Nathan's confusion deepened further. He had no idea what Sera was talking about, especially about missing a training session that supposedly took place today and not being in his dorm room. Nathan's mind began to wander, and he suddenly recalled his dream from the previous night.
He wondered if it was possible that he had somehow hallucinated an entire day and gone somewhere without realizing it. Nathan's mind kept circling back to the dream, and he recalled the image of a clock with its hands spinning rapidly before stopping at XII.
"Nathan? Is everything okay?" Sera asked, her gaze softening slightly.
"Oh, y-yes... I'm fine," Nathan said, scratching the back of his head.
Nathan thought for a moment before turning back to Sera.
"Is today... Do we have the day off today?" Nathan asked.
----
Nathan turned and walked out of the library without saying another word to Sera. He headed back to his dorm, and upon arriving, he sat down at his desk, lost in thought.
Today, he felt utterly bewildered—the strange dream, the clock showing XII, his inexplicable disappearance, the events of today that felt like they should be happening tomorrow, and... the new skill.
Nathan's eyes widened slightly as he recalled the new ability—if he wasn't mistaken, it was called [Dreamy Book].
Drawing from his past life experiences as a genius in London, Nathan was able to piece together theories based on the anomalies he'd encountered, though the likelihood of these theories being entirely accurate remained uncertain.
The events of today that should have happened tomorrow, the dream about the clock, the new ability tied to dreams, and his disappearance from the dorm—it all pointed to one conclusion: Nathan had traveled through time for a day using the [Dreamy Book] ability. He also deduced that while he skipped a day, the people around him continued living through time as usual without him.
However, Nathan still couldn't fully prove his theory due to several lingering inconsistencies. Questions swirled in his mind—why did the clock stop at XII, why did he only skip one day, and where did the [Dreamy Book] ability come from, appearing out of nowhere while he slept?
But after a moment of contemplation, Nathan's face broke into a wide smile. He had acquired an ability that could potentially let him skip days he didn't want to face.
Still, the [Dreamy Book] ability came with its risks—he had no way of knowing whether the future held good or bad outcomes, and he was uncertain about the extent of its time-skipping capabilities beyond a single day.
He was willing to accept the risks, believing that an ability to manipulate time would be incredibly valuable to him. Especially if he could eventually master it to the point of stopping time altogether.
Nathan had always wanted to develop a time-manipulation ability, but he struggled due to his limited mana capacity as a summoner. As a result, he had to rely heavily on his summoned creatures.
----
Suddenly, the head of the military academy summoned Nathan and all the cadets to gather in the auditorium by sending a mental signal to each of them.
Nathan felt the signal and let out a soft sigh before leaving his dormitory and heading to the auditorium. As he walked, he saw his fellow cadets making their way there too, some of them even running.
Upon arriving at the auditorium, Nathan took his place in line among his fellow cadets, numbering over 200. Sera happened to be standing beside him, and she briefly met his gaze before looking away, ignoring him once more.
Once all the academy personnel had entered the auditorium, a figure emerged at the front, stepping onto the stage and standing tall. It was none other than Chrono Kaeis VI, the renowned Arcane Sorcerer and Time Sage, who also served as the leader of the military academy.
The auditorium fell silent as Chrono stepped onto the stage, an overwhelming sense of stillness and pressure settling over the assembly. It was clear that his power was immense. Chrono then began to speak, his words carrying across the room to the gathered personnel.
"My beloved cadets, personnel of the 232nd cohort, I hereby extend my respects to all of you as you prepare to advance to the next stage of your ranks."
"Let us march forward in joy and prosperity, with honor and glory, as we stand in the Kaeis Kingdom. And now, I command you, the entire cohort, to embark on an expedition to the Abyss Paradise!"
"A week from now... Train like madmen, and prepare to embark on your first mission as young sorcerers, unraveling the mysteries of the Abyss Paradise through this expedition. And so, with the honor and glory of the Kaeis Kingdom, let us all rejoice and pride!"
The entire assembly in the auditorium erupted into a spontaneous, spirited cheer, with the personnel shouting "Chrono!" in unison.
"Chrono! Chrono! Chrono!"
"An expedition to the Abyss Paradise, huh..." Nathan thought to himself.
"Damn... Sending 13-14 year olds to a dangerous place? This world doesn't make sense. They're actually celebrating this? It's messed up..." Nathan thought to himself, his brow furrowed in concern.
Nathan let out a long sigh after a moment, his gaze drifting to Sera's face. Sera's expression was one of irritation, her brow furrowed in disapproval, and she clicked her tongue in disdain, as if she too disagreed with Chrono's decision.
Seeing Sera's expression, Nathan's face suddenly lit up with a calculating smile. A plan began to form in his mind, and he thought that the Abyss Paradise expedition might actually be advantageous if he could get Sera to join forces with his plan.
"Sera," Nathan called out, his voice low and smooth.
"What?" Sera said, turning to Nathan with a confused look.
Nathan let out another long sigh, and began to speak with manipulative smile.
"I've got an idea... Want to team up?"
. . .