He spotted Cassie sitting alone in her usual corner. Sunless was probably still suffering through his Wilderness Survival class.
Tray in hand, he walked past Nephis—who looked up at him with clear expectation—and strolled right by with a smirk.
Hehe.
Reaching Cassie's table, he cleared his throat to alert her of his presence.
This time, she didn't let out any embarrassing noises. Just shock. Her expression shifted, nervousness and anxiety flickering across her delicate features.
"Hello there," Hermes offered, sliding into the seat across from her.
"Hello," Cassie replied in a small voice.
"Why so serious? Aren't we good friends?"
"Yes... we are good friends." She repeated after him, hesitant.
This girl...
He was literally an angel given human form. How could she be scared of his pure, beautiful, and innocent face?
Oh wait.
Yeah...
"Ahem." He cleared his throat again. "I actually wanted to talk about what 'both' of us 'saw'—in a private setting, if you're willing."
"I—I uh—" Cassie stammered, her face tilting downward as if searching for an escape.
"You know, you're making it look like I'm bullying you." He raised a placating hand. "It's okay. Forget about it for now. This place isn't exactly safe to talk about it anyway, and it's not like I need to know right this second. But I do want to revisit this topic in the future."
A moment of silence. Then, calmer: "...Okay."
"Anyway," Hermes said, shifting to casual conversation, "how did your lesson go?"
"Uh—I'm still learning the runes." She sounded dejected. "I tried carving one, but I didn't get it right."
"Hmm, that's alright." He chewed thoughtfully. "Everyone starts somewhere, right?"
"Yes..." she replied softly.
Hermes tapped his chin, musing aloud. "Man, am I really that bad at talking? You know, usually I'm the one listening—just saying 'yeah' or 'yes'—but even then, I say it with enthusiasm, you know?" He glanced at his communicator. "Hmm. Also, this is my first time making friends, by the way. So I'll admit I might not be great at this. Especially the talking part."
He leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"But it does feel good to be the one talking. Also... I just really like hearing myself speak."
Cassie blinked.
A pause.
"Well, nice talking to you—even though I did all the talking." He flashed a grin. "Still, thanks for listening. I gotta go to my combat class now, so see you later. Bye!"
He stood and walked away, leaving Cassie alone at the table.
"...Bye," she whispered to the empty seat across from her.
—
Hermes made his way to the Combat class. It was a dojo.
Of course it was.
Oh, Nephis was here. He saw her standing in the middle of the room, no one approaching her—perhaps not knowing how to.
Hermes walked up to her.
"Hello there!"
Nephis turned, confusion and surprise flickering across her face. She still offered a greeting, though her expression clearly expected an explanation.
"Hello," she said.
"Meh, I dropped out of the Sorcery course because I already knew what they were teaching there, so I switched to Combat." He shrugged. "I probably should have picked both from the start, but I wanted to focus solely on Sorcery. Got thoroughly disappointed, so... here I am."
"I see. You made the right choice," Nephis replied approvingly.
"I hope so." Hermes managed a hopeful smile.
Instructor Rock stood at the front.
"Hello everyone. In this lesson, we will be testing your general competency and abilities. After that, you will be separated into groups based on your level—novice, advanced, or expert—as well as your weapon of choice. Not everyone will be assigned a personal tutor; we don't have enough personnel, so some of you will be paired together."
He continued.
"We will be using a special measuring machine. You will strike it with all your strength, and it will display a number corresponding to your physical power. This is simply to understand your current capabilities and assign the best personal training program."
Everyone formed neat rows, waiting their turn. Hermes ended up behind Nephis.
Most people scored between ten and fourteen—considered a good result, something only the most athletic people could reach without Aspect enhancement. Quite a few Sleepers, obviously those with physical-boosting Aspects, managed fifteen or even sixteen.
Soon, it was Nephis's turn.
She approached the machine with confidence and, without much preparation, delivered a sudden, crushing blow.
After a short pause, the display lit up: 16.
Finally, Hermes stepped forward.
I wonder what I'll score, he thought, excitement bubbling as he approached the machine.
He took a stance and punched with all his might.
"Anh~" An embarrassing, pained whimper escaped his lips.
His result showed...
A pathetic 4.
Four...
Laughter erupted behind him. His ears burned. He must have looked like a tomato.
"Quiet!" Awakened Rock's voice cut through. "Some people have combat-related Aspects that don't deal direct physical damage. Even if someone doesn't have a combat-focused Aspect, that doesn't mean they can't learn combat."
Hermes appreciated the man immensely in that moment, though he could still hear people snickering.
He quietly made his way back to the rows. Defeated.
He saw Caster moving toward the machine. Everyone quieted down.
Hermes barely saw him move. The machine trembled, taking longer to calculate. Finally, two numbers appeared:
21
Everyone gaped at the display, stunned. More than a few admiring looks were thrown at Caster, who simply bowed and stepped back. Instructor Rock smiled.
"Not bad. Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin."
Nephis stepped forward immediately, walking to the center of the ring. A few seconds later, a tall, extremely muscular Sleeper followed and faced her.
"The rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use whatever abilities and techniques you find appropriate."
The tall guy attacked without wasting time. His muscles bulged, threatening to tear the soft fabric of his white dobok. He advanced like an unstoppable mountain, sending a vicious kick flying...
...A second later, he lay on the floor with a dumbstruck expression. Nephis hadn't even changed her stance.
Instructor Rock gave her a cheerful look and grinned.
"Next."
What followed could only be described as a massacre. One after another, Nephis defeated almost every Sleeper in the dojo. She didn't seem faster or stronger than them, yet each opponent who entered the ring inevitably ended up beaten and thrown to the ground.
Soon, it was Hermes's turn.
Hermes didn't know no martial arts. He was just a second-year Computer Science student. He was going to be destroyed. He entered the ring.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat politely. "Can I ask you not to hurt me too badly? I'm very fragile."
Nephis nodded.
"Alright then... Here I come."
He charged.
He didn't know what he was supposed to do, so he just tried to land a punch.
Nephis dodged like it was nothing and tripped him.
"Wha—" Hermes fell face-first, throwing his arms up to protect himself—
But he never hit the floor. Nephis had caught him by the collar of his dobok, halting his descent inches from the mats. Gently, she lowered him the rest of the way.
Laughter erupted all around him. But Hermes wasn't flustered this time. He'd been prepared. He quietly left the ring, returned to his spot, and muttered a quiet thanks to Nephis.
Next, Caster stepped into the ring with confidence.
Caster and Nephis faced each other. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, then Caster bowed slightly.
"Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance."
Then Caster seemed to vanish.
Hermes only noticed a hazy blur streaking through the air.
In a fraction of a second, Caster crossed the distance between them and delivered a devastating blow. Despite his astonishing speed, Nephis somehow reacted in time, turning slightly to deflect the strike.
But it wasn't enough. Though she avoided a direct hit to her center of gravity, Caster's fist connected with her shoulder, sending her into a spin.
Caster didn't waste time. He vanished again.
He appeared directly behind Nephis, ready to finish the fight with one decisive strike. Just as he'd planned, she seemed to be preparing to attack where he'd been a split second ago. Gratified, Caster shifted his weight, putting everything into his fist.
At the last moment, Nephis suddenly changed her stance and threw her elbow back with frightening force.
Caster's eyes widened. A feint!
And now that he'd committed to the strike, there was no way to stop. No matter how fast he was, inertia still applied. The elbow rocketed toward his face with profound inevitability.
Yet Caster still managed to avoid it, if only by a hair's breadth. His speed advantage was simply too great.
He tripped her and pushed, sending Nephis flying toward the ground. Just before she hit the mats, he carefully grabbed the collar of her dobok and gently pulled, slowing her fall—allowing her to land without impact. Mirroring what Nephis had done for Hermes.
Lying on her back, Nephis blinked up at him. The whole exchange had lasted no more than two seconds.
Instructor Rock grunted and nodded at Caster. Nephis slowly rose.
The other Sleepers gawked at Caster with reverence, whispering among themselves. His performance had left a deep impression.
But Caster himself wasn't elated. He glanced at Nephis with an unreadable expression.
Of course, Hermes knew exactly what Caster was thinking right now. He'd read the novel.
After that, the introductory combat class ended. Hermes headed for the locker room. He saw Nephis approaching, so he waited for her to catch up.
"Your choice of weapon is the spear, right?" Nephis asked.
"Yes?" The word came out like a question—why are you asking?
"I—" She hesitated. "I can help you learn to fight with a spear. Better than any other Sleeper in combat class. Better than the personal tutors." Her grey eyes met his. "I want you to pair with me."
"What?!" Hermes was baffled. Completely blindsided. This had come out of nowhere.
"Why? You saw my pathetic punch. I know nothing about fighting—literally nothing. I've never actually had to fight in my life. I'm only good at taking beatings." He shook his head. "Why not pair with someone else? Get a personal tutor? You'd actually learn something. With me, you'd be wasting your time."
"I know." Her voice was calm, unshakeable. "I still want to pair with you. I already know everything I need to know. And you'll learn to fight."
What was going on? Could it be?
Did Nephis fall for him after seeing his pure, beautiful self? After all, she did have a thing for twink femboys. No—he had to correct this immediately.
"Ahem." He straightened. "I actually like women who are at least ten years older than me. I don't like anyone my age or younger. At the very least, they have to be seven years older. No exceptions." He declared this resolutely.
Was Nephis... blushing?
Nah. Probably just flushed from combat.
"You misunderstand." Her voice remained steady, though something flickered in her expression. "I have my own reasons. So—do you accept my offer or not?"
Hermes opened his mouth, then closed it.
Okay. Maybe I jumped to conclusions. She probably has genuine reasons—doesn't want to reveal her inherited sword style to random Sleepers, maybe?
He felt heat creep up his neck. Embarrassment. They'd only known each other for two days. Two days!
"I accept." It would be foolish to refuse. Nephis was the best fighter in the Forgotten Shore, skill-wise. Perhaps overall.
"Good."
An awkward silence settled between them.
"So..." Hermes rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll see you at dinner?"
"Yes. See you at dinner."
"Actually—" He paused. "You wanna come sit with me and my friends?"
"Sure. I don't mind," Nephis replied coolly.
"Alright then. I'll see you later."
"See you later."
Hermes turned and headed for the locker room.