Anvil looked at his reflection. He wore a blue uniform—a bluish shirt with a dark blue jacket over it, and a matching blue pants covering the lower body. Everything was blue.
He hadn't noticed it earlier, but now he could clearly see it. "This is… trash." It wasn't stylish, just wacky.
Anvil, who was used to wearing rags, didn't mind this "fancy" dress. Yes, for him, it was fancy.
On his wrist was a smartwatch, fancier than the uniform. It had a map of the academy, identification, a scanner, and his class schedule.
There was also an ID with his photo on it. It served no function other than existing. Most of the features were in the watch, so the ID was purely for show.
"Not bad." Anvil examined himself. As people say, a saddle makes a horse, and clothes make a man. He looked quite handsome in the uniform.
Still, his facial features were average, so the outfit didn't improve his appearance much.
After exiting the changing room, Lotus jumped in front of him.
"Hmm, hmm. You look nice," she said, staring at him and offering a compliment.
"Thanks," Anvil replied with a nod. "I'm going out." Since he had completed his admission, he could leave and return directly tomorrow for class.
"Wait, wait." She stopped him. Not that he would have left without saying goodbye. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to live in the dorms?" she asked.
"No." He gave a flat answer. "I have a place."
"But still, living in the dormitory is far more efficient. Come on, I also live there. We can talk till late at night!" Her true intentions slipped out.
"Thank you for your care. I'm leaving. Bye." He left without another word.
"Wait!" Lotus' voice echoed behind him.
Anvil took a cab to the nearest dungeon. He saw the soldiers guarding the area.
But he strode forward confidently.
"Wait, who are you?" a soldier asked. "This place isn't open to the public."
Anvil's real intention in joining the [Awakened Academy] was to gain the ID.
"This is my ID. I'm an [Awakened]," he said.
Showing the card, he gained access easily. No one would stop someone from entering a dungeon—it would be idiotic.
Anvil stood before the entrance of a wide building. It was old, covered in moss and plants. The stone walls had cracks, and it looked like it could crumble into dust at any moment.
The building had a hundred floors and a wide entrance.
"E-rank dungeon, [Eight-Eyed Monstrous Lion Den]."
It was said to have the strongest E-rank monster. These monsters also possessed [Mana].
Anvil needed [Cores] so he could obtain [Mana]. His Necromancer abilities didn't seem to require [Mana], but that didn't mean he didn't need it.
The more [Skills] he had, the better. And he wanted to test something.
"Let's… have more force."
"Anvil?" A man sitting in a chair looked at the information on the page. "He's a new [Awakened]. He hasn't even entered the academy yet. So how could he defeat and take all the monsters' corpses away?"
"He must have awakened [Skills]. We have no idea what his abilities are yet. Shall we investigate him?"
"Yes. Did he awaken more than one [Skill]? He couldn't have taken those corpses without a space-type [Skill]. Investigate his background and track his whereabouts. Let's wait for his performance in the academy first, then we'll evaluate him."
"Okay, sir."
"Now go." With his command, the man in the black suit left immediately. "A new [Awakened]… He seems special. I'll keep an eye on him for now."
Roar! Roooooaar!
A deafening roar erupted from a monstrous entity. It emitted a shockwave strong enough to knock a grown man off his feet. It also had the magical ability to stun enemies.
It had the body of a lion with dark fur. Its mane was so dense a child could hide inside. Eight red, glowing eyes curved across its face. Its mouth was large enough to fit an entire watermelon.
Its shark-like teeth looked dangerous, and its fangs were two feet long. Its large body had six limbs and three tails with pointed ends.
More importantly, it possessed [Mana] and had [Skills].
According to the monster encyclopedia, these creatures could enhance themselves with [Mana], doubling their physical power. They also had a [Skill]—[Gaze of Petrification].
It didn't turn victims to stone, but it could freeze them momentarily. In a life-and-death fight, even a second of hesitation could be fatal.
These monstrous lions needed only that moment, and they were capable of shredding anyone to pieces in under a minute.
Worse still, they attacked in groups, never alone.
Because of these traits, even an E-rank party feared entering this dungeon. It had earned the nickname: E-rank [Awakened]'s Nightmare.
Anvil smiled at the sight of the group of monsters.
"Come on!"