In the large hall with weird posters—Ground floor, Mysterious school, Etherion University—
Drayen, Fedric, Kira, and the triplets stood in a semicircle.
Kira was explaining a few last-minute details before letting them enter the Nightmare Realm for the first time. It had already been a week since Drayen and Fedric were transferred to the school. Kira had taught them plenty during that time: what Tainteds were, how dangerous they could be, their weaknesses, the basic geography of the Nightmare Realm, and the rules needed to survive.
Drayen and Fedric now had a reasonable grasp of the fundamentals, but according to Kira, theory meant nothing until they saw the place with their own eyes. On paper the changes seemed small—differences in light, pressure, and space—but in practice, those differences were huge. That was why she wanted them to experience the world directly.
Especially the triplets. Even after all those classes, aside from a few basic points, they hadn't understood anything at all.
Kira was… admittedly terrible at explaining things, but she had tried her best.
After finishing her explanations, she led them to the basement door. There was security there too—stricter than the outside gate.
Drayen and the others felt a strange excitement with each step.
Fedric glanced at Drayen, a hint of concern in his eyes. He still remembered how devastated Drayen had been that day. He didn't know that Drayen's condition had nothing to do with the Nightmare Realm—it was his memories that had crushed him.
"Beautiful…" Drayen murmured without realizing.
Fedric let out a quiet sigh of relief. I guess he's okay now, he thought.
The triplets exchanged glances and nodded. "It's dangerous… but it is amazing," they admitted.
They finally stood in front of the permanent portal.
It wasn't a clean shape at all. The portal looked like space had cracked open—long, jagged lines spreading unevenly in every direction. The center was pitch-black and hollow, while faint violet light traced along the edges. Soft purple dust drifted out, making it both beautiful and unsettling. It was roughly six feet tall and four feet wide at its widest point.
Drayen and the others stared silently. A chill ran through them, mixed with excitement.
This was why the security in the Mysterious School was so strict.
Even an unawakened person could walk into a permanent portal and enter the Nightmare Realm—they just couldn't awaken there.
Drayen sighed as he watched how tightly the guards monitored the area.
If people could awaken through permanent portals, they'd monopolize everything even harder, he thought.
Kira pointed at the cracked opening. "This is the portal to the Nightmare Realm," she said in her usual calm tone.
"Follow me."
She didn't explain anything else. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and disappeared into the portal as if it were nothing.
The students froze. Even after all the explanations, actually stepping inside was a different matter. Their legs felt stiff, and no one moved.
Drayen took a quiet breath.
Then he stepped forward, confidently walking toward the portal after Kira.
Drayen felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
For a moment, it was as if he didn't exist—no sound, no breath, no body, just a strange emptiness that wrapped around him from every direction. The feeling was impossible to explain.
Then his senses returned.
The world sharpened slowly, like someone adjusting the focus of a camera. His feet found solid ground beneath him. A cold breeze brushed against his skin.
He blinked.
A vast sky stretched above him—deep purple, not pitch-black. A massive purple moon glowed high above, acting as this world's sun. Its light wasn't warm, but clear and sharp, illuminating everything in crisp shades of violet. Tiny blue stars flickered faintly around it, adding a dreamlike beauty to the scene.
[Drayen! We FOUND IT! The Nightmare Realm!!]
Drayen exhaled softly, ignoring Wing and enjoying the scenery.
The scenery was breathtaking—alien yet strangely peaceful.
This was the Nightmare Realm.
Soon after, Fedric and the triplets appeared one by one through the portal.
Fedric's eyes went wide. "Woah…!"
The triplets didn't say anything at all.
They just stood there—silent, frozen—completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the place.
Kira let them admire the place for a moment. Then she clapped her hands sharply, snapping them out of their awe. "Cough, cough. Alright, that's enough. You'll see this sight often, trust me. Let's focus on training."
Fedric groaned. "Ma'am… just a few more minutes…"
Kira gave him a cold smile. "Enjoy the view all you want—while running."
"Huh?"
"Run," she commanded, pointing ahead. "I don't want your legs idle."
Drayen turned his head slightly. "Can you shut up? It's for our own good. Huff."
Fedric shot him a glare. "When did you become such a good student, huh? You used to curse our PE teacher every single day!"
Drayen didn't even blink. "With him it was justified."
Fedric almost tripped. "HOW is that any different!?"
Drayen responded without shame, "This is training. That was suffering."
Fedric stared at him, half dying, half offended. "You're unbelievable."
Drayen only shrugged and kept running.
Leo was running like a malfunctioning robot. Lina had her tongue out like a dog. Lia was whispering prayers to every god she knew.
"Ma'am…!" Lia cried loudly. "We're collapsing!"
Kira gave a cold smile. "You can collapse after. Just five more rounds."
Leo and Lina muttered under their breath:
"She's a psycho…"
"Demon woman…"
Before Drayen could even react, a shadow appeared in front of him.
BAM!
A kick slammed into his stomach, sending him flying. Drayen rolled across the ground, coughing.
Fedric's mouth fell open. "D-Dray—"
BAN!
A side kick sent Fedric in the opposite direction. Leo, Lia, and Lina froze. Kira's calm voice drifted from behind them.
"Did I say… stop?"
Her smile widened.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
She ruthlessly beat up the triplets— and somehow made sure they suffered even more than Drayen and Fedric.
Fedric lay on the ground, clutching his chest, trembling.
"I swear to God… thank goodness I didn't say anything bad…"
He gulped in pure fear.
Drayen stared at her, eyes wide. So this is a Nightborne…
She'd been standing all the way at the edge—
he hadn't even seen her move. All he'd felt was a rush of wind before he hit the dirt.
After Kira was finally satisfied, she straightened her posture—and instantly returned to her elegant, composed "mentor" appearance. "Now," she said politely, "I have demonstrated to all of you the power of a Rank One Nightborne."
Leo, still curled in pain, cried, "It's unfair! We were tired!"
Kira shot him a terrifying glare. Leo froze.
Before Kira could even speak, Lia and Lina turned and smacked Leo on the head.
"Shut the fuck up," they hissed.
"You'll get us killed."
Kira dusted her hands. "Alright, that was the surprise version. I'll do the head-on version you wanted now."
Fedric kicked Leo, who was lying on the ground beside him.
"Fuck you," he muttered, then looked up at Kira with a forced smile.
"Ma'am… can we do that after a rest?"
Kira nodded once. "You may rest a little. After that, go take the weapons on the rack and come back."
One hour later
Drayen and the team walked toward a small one-floor building at the edge of the field.
Made from the same dark-brown bricks, it looked plain from outside—but the inside was packed.
Rows of weapons lined the walls.
Daggers. Short swords. Long swords. And even guns.
Most of the blades had a faint greenish tint along the edges.
Kira's earlier words echoed in Drayen's mind: Mossiron—the most basic metal in the Nightmare Realm.
Drayen wasn't the only one excited. Fedric's eyes sparkled.
The triplets immediately forgot their beatings.
Leo grabbed a gun the moment he saw it.
Lina smacked the back of his head. "You'll shoot us, you idiot!"
Leo protested, "I won't! Probably!"
Kira, who had been leaning casually against the doorway, smirked.
"No need to worry," she said calmly.
"I'll make sure none of you get hit by a misfire."
Kira continued with a faint smile,
"Pick anything you want. Sword, gun—whatever you prefer."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You'll be fighting a losing fight anyway."
Fedric gulped and scratched his head.
"Ma'am… you're using only Rank One Nightborne power, right?"
Kira nodded once.
"I will. Rank One is enough for this demonstration."
but Kira wasn't finished.
"Of course," she added casually,
"if any of you misfire, I'll have to use higher ranks to stop the bullet."
Drayen and gang sighed in relief.
Kira clapped her hands lightly. "Good. Choose quickly. We begin the head-on version in five minutes."
The room went dead silent. Nobody felt relieved anymore.
Kira took off her black coat and folded the sleeves of her red shirt up to her elbows.
"Begin."
It felt incredibly strange holding weapons. It was their first time, and none of them really knew what they were doing.
Leo, who had picked a ranged gun, hesitated the moment before he pressed the trigger—
Click.
Nothing.
The safety was still on.
Before he could even blink—
SMACK!
Kira chopped the back of his neck. "Safety on, you idiot."
Leo collapsed face-first.
Kira then leaped toward the other two triplets. They swung their swords wildly—random directions, no control, no stance.
It was almost painful to watch.
Kira tapped each of them once. Both dropped instantly.
Fedric, holding a dagger, tried to sneak behind her. He actually got close. Then he shut his eyes right before stabbing.
She didn't even turn around—she just kicked backward.
THUD!
Fedric flew the farthest of all, rolling twice on the ground.
"Don't be scared to look at the enemy while stabbing," she said casually.
Finally, Drayen stepped in. He had picked nothing but a metal rod.
No hesitation. He swung it straight at her head.
Kira didn't dodge. The attack froze in place.
Drayen blinked.
Kira had grabbed the rod, She caught it like it weighed nothing. pulled him forward—
HEADBUTT.
Drayen hit the dirt.
Silence fell across the field, filled only by groans and whimpers. Every single one of them was down again. Drayen's head spun, vision blurry.
Kira exhaled deeply.
"Oh god… you guys are worse than I expected."
She looked at her coat lying neatly at the side.
"I took off my coat for this. Tch."
A beat passed.
The triplets stared at her with disbelief. Fedric just breathed raggedly, clutching his stomach.
Drayen swallowed hard, heart thudding. This was Rank One? They hadn't stood a chance.