In the end, the interviewer was left completely incredulous—mainly because of Eylan's background.
A verification-specialized Awakened was called in, confirming that the information was real.
It was obvious that after discovering the True Name, the Academy would try to extract more details about the Aspect. However, Eylan stood his ground and refused to yield to the pressure.
The next morning, the cafeteria was packed.
Grabbing his coffee, he headed toward a more secluded corner, where Ravon was already waiting for him. As he approached, he noticed there was someone else with him.
A young girl.
Her hair flowed like serpents, vivid red and striking. Her pale, almost alabaster skin created a fascinating contrast.
Her gray-blue eyes held a soft glow, yet were filled with mystery.
Sitting down at the table, Eylan gave a mischievous smile.
"Didn't waste any time, did you, Ravon?"
The young man simply smiled, neither confirming nor denying anything.
"Hello, young star. I'd like you to meet my friend," Ravon said, gesturing toward the girl beside him.
"This is—"
A sweet, gentle voice interrupted his introduction.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Miria." She extended her hand.
"Miria Selene, from Clan Song."
Eylan shook her hand.
"Eylan Kohen. The pleasure is mine."
Ravon blinked, then asked in confusion,
"You have a second name? Why didn't you tell me?"
Eylan shrugged.
"You never asked."
A few laughs escaped from both of them.
"So, where did you two meet?" A simple question.
Ravon narrowed his eyes slightly, resting his elbows on the table as he explained,
"We kind of bumped into each other by accident. Then we started talking and decided to grab breakfast together."
Recounting the event casually, the group continued chatting at ease.
While they ate and talked, they noticed a sudden commotion.
Eylan looked over and realized that many Sleepers had gathered around the large screen hanging on the cafeteria wall, their faces filled with excitement and awe. On the screen, a list of names was displayed, ranking the new batch of Sleepers from weakest to strongest—most likely deduced from the interview results.
Eylan wasn't particularly interested. He already had a pretty good idea of where he'd be.
However, to his surprise… he was in third place.
"…What?" he murmured.
Second place belonged to someone he had never heard of.
But his focus wasn't on them—it was on first place. A deep anger began to bloom once again in his heart.
Before he could say anything, Ravon muttered,
"…Willian Lupus."
Miria, sensing the strange atmosphere, frowned.
"You know him?"
Eylan took a deep breath.
"Yes. We've had a few… issues. But don't worry, it's nothing serious."
In truth, he felt he owed Willian some thanks. Being in first place and constantly under the spotlight would have been exhausting.
Trying to lighten the mood, Ravon smiled.
"Hey, look at that—you're third. And you even have a True Name!"
The entire cafeteria was restless.
"Is this real?!"
"I'm not seeing things, right?"
"Two True Names?!"
Eylan's portrait was clearly visible.
To the right of it, two simple lines of text were displayed:
"Name: Eylan"
"True Name: Tyrant of the Unreachable Sea"
That alone would have been shocking…
But above him, there was someone else.
A young man with fine, almost delicate features, marked by a vacant expression.
His black hair was messy, falling over his face like disordered waves—a heavy fringe hiding almost one of his eyes entirely.
Next to the portrait:
"Name: Bhetel Farbauti"
"True Name: Crimson Atrocious Demon"
Another bearer of a True Name!
And within just a single year.
The information left Eylan dizzy. Since when was there another Sleeper with a True Name?
That person didn't exist in the book.
'Is this because of my flaw?'
However, something stood out even more:
the Legacy in first place didn't have a True Name.
Why would the Academy place someone without a True Name above two Awakened who possessed one?
Eylan decided to leave that mystery for later. His greater interest was understanding who the second-ranked person was.
"Ravon, do you know who Bhetel Farbauti is?"
Ravon's expression turned strange. He glanced around, as if making sure the person wasn't nearby. Apparently satisfied, he let out a genuine sigh.
"Bhetel is… complicated. I've heard rumors that he killed his own family. They say his Flaw involves taking blood from people…"
Miria turned pale.
"…Drinking blood? That's horrible! He sounds like one of those ancient monsters… what were they called again?"
"Vampires?" Eylan completed. "Yeah, he does look like one. I wouldn't be surprised if his name were Dracula."
"But if his Flaw really involves something like that, then he's seriously unlucky. Maybe he should get a job with the government—assuming he doesn't die in the Dream Realm."
Eylan recalled that something similar happened to one of the main characters, Jet. Her Aspect involved filling her core using the essence of others.
Miria nodded, still trembling.
The atmosphere grew heavy, so Eylan decided to shift the focus.
"So… what courses are you planning to take?" He already knew one he couldn't skip.
Miria immediately lit up.
"I have five in mind! My Aspect is more utility-based, so I chose:
• Awakened Physiology, with Professor Ina;
• Nightmare History and Class Structure, with Professor Lysandra;
• Weapons and Specter Manipulation, with Instructor Tek;
• Nightmare Creature Archive, with Professor Maen;
• and Psychological Resilience and Emotional Control, with Instructor Mara."
She lifted her chin proudly.
The other two exchanged glances and laughed at the girl's enthusiasm.
Pouting and puffing up her cheeks, Miria crossed her arms.
"And you? Which courses are you taking?"
Rubbing his eye, Ravon spoke while catching his breath.
"I'm thinking about Combat Tactics with Maestro Rellian, and Perception and Survival with the Awakened Orin Shael. I hear their classes are advanced… sounded interesting."
Eylan was the last to answer.
"Me? Hm…"
To be honest, the only Awakened instructor at the Academy he remembered and cared about was Professor Julius—the one who accomplished the incredible feat of turning a complete novice like Sunny into a survival expert, while also teaching him runes. All in just one month.
"…Honestly, I only have one course decided so far: Wilderness Survival. I grew up in the outskirts, so… let's just say I didn't get a proper education in that kind of thing."
It wasn't a lie.
Neither in his world nor in the body's memories was there enough knowledge about survival.
The others understood and nodded in agreement.
"But don't spend all your time on that," Ravon advised. "We still have almost a year of preparation."
Eylan agreed. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't dedicate himself solely to that course—especially since he doubted any sword prodigy would decide to teach a beginner just for fun.
They talked a bit longer.
Soon, breakfast ended, and they went their separate ways.
Ravon and Miria walked together down the corridor.
As he walked alone, Eylan noticed, at the edge of his perception, some suspicious movement from the pair. They seemed to be whispering to each other.
'Ah, love… these youngsters don't waste any time…'
He froze.
"I'm not old! Why do I talk like that?!"
He could already feel imaginary arthritis creeping in.
With his mood sinking, he headed toward the Wilderness Survival Tactics classroom.
———
In a dark room, cameras monitored the entire Academy.
A group of people was gathered there.
They bore the anvil emblem—Clan Valor—and were led by a young woman with dark hair.
A government agent complained irritably,
"Have you found the infiltrator yet? Our credibility is in the gutter after placing a Legacy above those two!"
But no matter how much he pressed, the answer was always the same:
"Don't worry. He'll bite the bait soon enough."
The young woman's voice turned cold.
"…And when that happens, we'll eradicate this pest once and for all."
The government Awakened could only lament in silence.