Just as Raze was about to scan his watch, a voice could be heard behind him.
"Yo."
Raze stopped.
Felix casually draped an arm over his shoulder from behind, leaning in with a grin like he'd been there the whole time.
Raze blinked in surprise, clearly caught off-guard. He hadn't expected Felix to be here of all places.
"Felix? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Felix said, raising a brow. "Planning to train without me?"
Raze looked away. "I was just… trying something out."
Felix snorted. "Yeah, I can see that. You were about to waste every credit you have for one hour of game time."
"…It's not a waste."
Felix nudged him lightly with his elbow. "Relax, I didn't say it was. I'm just saying."
He held up his wristwatch, letting the screen catch the light.
[Credits: 480]
Raze stared at the number, taken aback by the amount of credits Felix has. "How do you even have that much…?"
Felix shrugged, smirking. "Perks of being an Original. Our families send us credits like candy. Something about 'maintaining our image' or whatever nonsense they made up."
He stepped past Raze and tapped the receptionist's screen without hesitation.
"One hour on pod 07 and pod 08."
"That will be 20 credits," the receptionist said.
Felix lifted his wrist, letting the scanner read his watch.
Ding.
He turned back to Raze with an easy grin.
"There. Now you don't have to go broke on your first week."
Raze frowned a little. "…You didn't have to do that."
"I know," Felix replied simply. "But if I'm training, you're training with me. Might as well get better together."
He walked toward pod 07 like it was already decided.
Raze followed slowly, his footsteps steady. The room was dim, lined with glowing pod screens. A few students lay inside their pods already, their lids shut, faint lights pulsing along the sides.
Felix shot Raze a glance before stepping inside his pod. "When you log into the game, create an account and search for the username CrimsonFlash."
Raze gave a small nod, and the moment both of them settled into their pods, the world faded. Their senses dissolved, and before either could react, their minds were already transported into the game.
Raze found himself in a vast empty white void. Everywhere he looked there was only emptiness and it looked like the void went on forever. Suddenly a screen appeared in front of him.
"Welcome to Awakening Battlegrounds! Would you like to sign in as a guest, create an account, or log in if you already have an existing account?"
He chose to create an account, remembering what Felix told him earlier.
"Loading…"
"Please create your username."
Raze began thinking long and hard about what should be his username. He didn't want to create an account with a childish username yet alone a username that could risk revealing his real-life identity.
He considered names like SlayerGod but after a moment of thought he realized that it was too close to the truth and thinking about it was making him uncomfortable. Finally, he had settled on a name.
"Username successful!"
"SlayerVeil!"
There were a few reasons why Raze chose that as his username. At first Raze didn't want to choose anything that revealed anything about him. He was hiding a growing strength, hiding what he was becoming, and SlayerVeil fitted that perfectly.
Next came character customization. His avatar's base already matched his real proportions, so he only needed to choose an outfit.
After going through the options, he finished putting together his character. A black robe with a short, torn red veil draped over the shoulders. Baggy black pants secured by a simple belt. Dark boots. Red cloth wraps around his forearms for a splash of color that didn't stand out too much.
Once Raze finalized his character, he was once again teleported to the vast empty void.
Before searching for Felix's username, Raze wanted to test something. He walked forward, moving his arms, and his legs. Everything felt smooth. Too smooth. It wasn't like playing a game, more like being transported somewhere else entirely.
Then Raze decided to try opening up the system and to his surprise it appeared showing all of his current stats as usual. Since the system appeared, Raze decided to test one of his skills.
"Piercing Slash."
He flicked his finger and a sharp black-and-white trail of energy shot forward, slicing through the void before dissolving into particles.
'It looks like my system and skills could still be activated inside the game,' he thought.
After that, he then went through the game system and started to search for Felix's username.
He sent a friend request and after waiting a few seconds his friend request was accepted. Then a room invited slid into his vision and after accepting it he was instantly transported into another vast empty white void, but this time Felix was there but he didn't look like himself.
His hair was black. His eyes glowed crimson. He wore a fitted black jumpsuit with red streaks running across the fabric like crackling lines of lightning.
"Uh… is that you, Felix?"
Felix grinned. "Of course!"
Felix spread his arms out proudly, showing off his new look.
"Cool, right? CrimsonFlash needs a crimson theme. It's basically a rule."
Raze stared for a moment. "…Your hair wasn't even black before."
Felix smirked. "Customization exists for a reason. Besides, if I'm going to destroy people in here, I might as well look good doing it."
Raze let out a small breath through his nose. "Right."
Felix walked over, the red streaks on his jumpsuit faintly glowing with each step.
"Alright, SlayerVeil…nice name and that often looks cool!" He paused for a moment as if almost forgotten to mention something.
"Oh, yeah, by the way let me give you a quick rundown."
He swiped his hand to the side, and a menu appeared between them.
[Training Modes]
— Solo Practice
— Duo Simulation
— Awakening Library
— Movement Drills
— Combat Scenarios
— Player Arena (Ranked)
"Since you're new to the game, we'll have to start off with something simple," Felix said. "This game reads how your real body moves. If your stance is sloppy, the game doesn't fix it. If your awareness sucks, the game won't save you either."
Raze nodded. "So it's basically real training."
"Exactly. Think of it as a safe way to get beat up," Felix said, shrugging. "Anyway, let's hit Duo Movement Drills first. It'll help you get used to the game before we actually fight someone."
The moment Felix tapped the option, the void around them instantly shattered like glass.
A new environment materialized. An open stone courtyard under a faded sky, walls surrounding the area like an abandoned training ground. Light wind brushed across the floor, carrying dust along the cracks.
Raze looked around slowly. "It feels real."
"It should," Felix replied. "The game uses simulated pressure, simulated impact. Not painful, but close enough to matter."
As Felix stretched his arms, faint red sparks crackled off his hands. "Alright, Raze. Just follow me for now. When the markers appear, hit them before they disappear."
Just as Felix said that, circular targets began blinking into existence across the courtyard. Some on the ground, some high on the walls, and some mid-air.
Felix was already moving, blue lightning flashing around his legs as he dashed toward the nearest one.
Raze tightened his jaw and sprinted after him.
The moment he ran, he realized something. The game copied his real body perfectly. It looked like Felix didn't lie when he was explaining the game to him, Liam, and Beatrix, a few days ago.
He hit the first target cleanly, then pivoted toward the next. Felix was already ahead, knocking down three targets in quick succession.
"Not bad!" Felix called over his shoulder. "You're quite fast for a level one."
Raze didn't answer. He was focused on the next target that appeared high against the stone wall.
He bent his knees and jumped.
His fingers brushed the edge barely. Not enough height.
Felix landed beside him. "Don't force a jump you can't make. Use your momentum instead."
Raze reseted his stance, watching how Felix moved.
Felix stepped forward, shifted his weight, and used a running start to leap higher. It wasn't pure power but it was just a technique being used.
Raze tried again, copying Felix's movements and this time, he hit the target squarely.
A while later, target after target flashed. Raze adapted quickly, his steps growing sharper and cleaner. He learned the timing. The spacing. The angles.
It was the kind of training he'd never had access to before.
After a few minutes, the drill ended.
[Movement Drill Completed]
Score: 34/40
Rating: B+]
Felix stretched his arms again. "Not bad for your first run. You pick things up fast."
Raze glanced at the score. "I can do better."
Felix smiled. "Good. Because movement was just the warm-up."
He flicked his hand again, opening up another menu.
[Combat Scenarios: Beginner Difficulty]
"Ready?" he asked.
Raze nodded without hesitation. "Start it."