Tenebrous Wolf-Chapter 36: Dormitory Fortress

The dormitory was just as large as the main building and almost resembled a fortress of its own.

The academy had once served as a fortress during the Great War against the demon race, so the military only needed to make a few modifications to repurpose it into a school for Awakened and Riders. With a boarding system in place, nearly every student resided in the dorms.

Ascension Academy was divided into east and west wings.

The east housed the Awakened, while the west was designated for the Neon Angelion Units Riders. However, both male and female students had only one dormitory each.

Collecting his room access key card from the dorm manager, the young Aspirant Klaus received a brief explanation of the rules without issue. He then made his way to his assigned room, which was located on the lowest floor. As an Aspirant, being placed on the lowest floor was standard.

With a short casual stride, he found dormitory room number [101] in the corridor facing the lobby.

Instead of a doorknob and keyhole, there was an advanced access key scanner in place. This security measure prevented Aspirants from entering each other's rooms while the occupants were away.

Without delay, he quickly unlocked the door with his silver access card and pushed it open gently.

Inside, there was a bed with a soft mattress, a table, a dresser, a bathroom, and an empty room that, from the looks of it, appeared to be a storage space. The furnishings were clearly new and aesthetically pleasing, the air crisp and sterile. The room was relatively cold due to the advanced air conditioning, and a wide window provided a view of the outside world.

Certainly, it was a major upgrade from his crappy apartment despite its modest size. Moreover—

Eh? What's this? I got an entire room to myself?

There were no extra mattresses.

So the academy doesn't completely follow military standards. I guess I'm lucky in this regard.

Klaus smiled to himself, a bit surprised.

He had expected to share the room with two or three roommates, but this arrangement was far better, especially considering his circumstances.

Before unpacking, he decided to search the place for anything suspicious. A few minutes later, he found a small device hidden inside the room. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was a camera or, more precisely, a spying device.

As I thought, the academy is rather thorough, aren't they?

Klaus frowned and crushed the device before dusting his hands off like it was nothing. Still unconvinced, he searched the room again and, eventually, found a backup camera, which he crushed like the previous one.

Spying on Aspirants, even with good intentions, was a blatant invasion of privacy.

He wondered what would have happened if he were changing his clothes or, worse, if Briar had emerged.

Luckily, he trusted his instincts and Sasha's parting words played a huge role in that as well.

But why was he so confident in doing this? Wouldn't he be punished for it?

Well, actually, no.

Since the academy was secretly spying on Aspirants, if the devices suddenly malfunctioned or were destroyed, they wouldn't be able to question the students directly. Doing so would mean admitting to their own wrongdoing. Secondly, they couldn't punish him for destroying military equipment for the same reason. And lastly, he was an Awakened who would soon challenge the Shadow Realm, so they wouldn't antagonize him carelessly, even if he wasn't a Vestige.

Of course, they would likely resort to other methods to spy on him. Or perhaps even find ways to enter his room.

While unpacking his belongings, Klaus suddenly felt an all-too-familiar sensation. His body trembled slightly as Briar emerged from his Soul Stream.

"Finally! I thought I was going to go crazy."

The succubus stretched her limbs and looked around.

"Ah, isn't this place pretty good? Why is it so small, though?"

Briar glanced around the room, inspecting it. Seeing this, Klaus could only sigh.

"Well, this is where we'll be staying for the next few months, so get used to it."

"It can't be helped, then."

"Yeah, but before that..." Klaus narrowed his eyes. "...What the hell were you doing inside my Soul Stream?"

"Eh? What?"

The succubus tilted her head.

"What are you talking about, I wonder?"

"Hey, don't you dare act dumb! You think I didn't hear that suspicious last message of yours!"

"Which suspicious message are you talking about? Have you finally gone crazy? Maybe talking to all those people short-circuited something inside your head. By the way, since when did you become the social type?"

"Damn, don't you dare go there! Don't you know it's important to build good social relationships? Wait, why am I explaining myself to you? I'm going to seize that precious iPad of yours!"

"Wait... W-What?!"

Hearing those words, Briar's face turned pale in horror.

She instinctively clutched her iPad to her chest and took a step back, eyes wary. Maintaining that defensive stance, her cat-like pupils turned fierce, and she hissed at him:

"You wouldn't dare."

Klaus took that as a challenge and cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, I would."

"Ah!"

The moment she saw that familiar sadistic smile, Briar realized he was completely serious.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let's talk about this like civilized beings!"

"You mean like how you conveniently ignored my question?"

"Okay, fine! I might have said something that sounded suspicious, but it's not what you think at all!"

"Then explain. I'm all ears."

Briar hesitated, flicking her tail in agitation.

"Well... you were too busy socializing, so I got bored. And when I'm bored, I tend to... uh... talk to myself. That's all."

"Talk to yourself?"

"Yes! It's a normal thing! People do it all the time! What else am I supposed to do in that boring Soul Stream of yours? It's completely dark and eerie. Are you sure you're not a demon? No, wait. I don't think any demon's Soul Stream looks like that!"

What a load of crap.

Klaus squinted at her, clearly unconvinced.

"Listen, okay? You know I'd never do anything that could jeopardize us, right? We're in this together. Best friends, partners, soul-bound companions... So why don't we trust each other more—"

"Give me the iPad."

"Ahh! How could you be so heartless?! After everything we've been through?!"

"How am I the heartless one here? Ever since you got that iPad, you've been ignoring me and slacking on your chores! As your master, isn't it my duty to punish my naughty servant? Now, I think deleting a few of those precious games of yours would be a suitable punishment."

Klaus took a single step forward. Briar's grip on the iPad tightened as she instinctively took a step back.

"W-Wait! Let's be reasonable here... Just listen—"

Disregarding her words, Klaus took another step toward her.

"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't—"

Then, he lunged.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Letting out a dramatic scream, Briar bolted across the room while clutching the iPad like it was some kind of sacred artifact. Klaus chased after her, but she was surprisingly nimble, darting over the bed, flipping over the table, and even using the dresser as an obstacle.

It was downright ridiculous. He didn't even know what to say!

"Damn it, stop running!"

"Then stop chasing me, you big jerk!" Briar glared at him with teary eyes.

She looked like she genuinely resented him in this moment, but Klaus wasn't about to let her off the hook.

Maybe it was the long wait before the induction ceremony, the exhausting socializing with other Aspirants, or even the fact that he was in an absolutely foul mood. Whatever the case may be, Briar was going to bear the brunt of it.

Luckily, the walls were soundproof. No one would hear the chaos!

For several minutes, the dorm room descended into utter madness. Footsteps pounded against the floor, furniture scraped and shifted, and Briar let out over-the-top shrieks every time Klaus got too close.

Then, after a series of near-misses, Klaus finally caught her with a well-timed tackle!

† †

'Tch. That stupid succubus. I can't believe she bit me all over.' Klaus inwardly grumbled as he walked to the cafeteria.

Apparently, Briar was absurdly attached to her iPad, and attempting to take it away had resulted in her sinking her teeth into him like a crazed camp mosquito.

Shouldn't the Master and Servant Soul Contract prevent something like that from happening? What exactly counted as a betrayal?

Thinking so, he sighed.

Since he had finished unpacking and organizing his belongings, he had a lot of free time on his hands. Naturally, he decided to check out the cafeteria, and, to his surprise, it was just as lavish as the dormitory.

Perhaps it was a strange thought, but if he was going to stay here, then it only made sense to check out the food first.

Above his expectations, he was not disappointed. Not only was the food freely available to Sleepers, but there wasn't even a limit to how much they could eat!

More than that, there was rice, bread, various side dishes, sauces, fresh vegetables, fruits, and all kinds of delicious beverages.

Basically, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet and completely free of charge!

'Damn. This stuff is amazing. It tastes almost better than sex,' Klaus thought as he stuffed his mouth full of food.

There were three things that brought the young Awakened great pleasure in life: Food, Money, and Sex.

If ranked by importance, Money would obviously come first, Sex second, and lastly, Food.

After finishing the small mountain of food on his plate, Klaus leaned back and seemed to forget the world's existence. Unfortunately, he couldn't go for a second helping since it was almost time for his scheduled meeting with one of the Academy's officials.

"Why isn't it possible to skip? Why aren't we given the choice to just not go? Ugh. Such misfortune."

Of course, he already knew that wasn't an option, but that didn't stop him from grumbling.

He sighed.

Since he had already finished eating, there was no point in staying any longer. He might as well arrive at the meeting spot early.

Just like that, he stood up and left the cafeteria.

Soon, Klaus found himself in a small office, seated across from an administrative worker. The woman wore a warm smile, and her blonde hair, along with her brilliant eyes, projected a friendly image. Well, if you ignored the scar on her right cheek, that is. It looked like someone had carved that nasty cut with something sharp, like a sword or a knife.

Even so, he found it difficult to feel at ease around her.

The woman seemed to notice his tense shoulders and soon spoke:

"It's nice to meet you, young Aspirant. Your name is Niklaus Martinez, correct?"

"That's correct, ma'am."

"My name is Reaper Sable so please refer to me as Sable."

"Yes, Ms. Sable."

The woman, Reaper Sable, chuckled as if his reaction was funny.

"There's no need to be so stiff. This is just a standard Awakened Ability Review and Utility Assessment. Essentially, we help newly awakened Ascendants better understand their abilities by comparing them with previous data from other awakened individuals. You can think of it as a guided evaluation and an opportunity to help you explore the full potential of your abilities with expert analysis. So feel free to share and ask us anything."

'... Wow. That's certainly a formal way to say that you want my data.' Klaus smiled wryly.

He already understood the hidden intent behind the so-called Awakened Ability Review and Utility Assessment. To begin with, they obtained that data by secretly and opening collecting data from unsuspecting Awakeneds through many unknown methods.

If it was possible, he wouldn't give up any information about his abilities, but also knew that he had to say something or else it would give them the impression that he was hiding something. If his ability was important enough to be hidden, then they would naturally become curious. That was the last thing he needed.

Not to mention, he'd already destroyed the hidden cameras in his room. If they were aware of that, they might already suspect something. On top of that, his ability's description simply stated that he could "adapt to anything."

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What would happen if he told them that? It was possible that he might even be captured and used as a laboratory rat to test different torture methods.

And this scenario was also plausible because he didn't come from any Imperial Clan or have any great backing so he would be screwed if that happened.

Shaking off the uneasy feeling crawling up his back, he decided that overthinking wouldn't help him now.

As if on cue, the administrative worker asked:

"Would you mind telling me about the type of Mysticism Ability you received?"

Instead of answering directly, Klaus replied with a question:

"Are you asking whether my ability falls into one of the four classifications of Mysticism Abilities?"

"That's correct."

"Well, that's difficult..." Scratching the back of his head, Klaus continued. "... I don't really understand my ability, so it's hard to say."

"Hmm. Can you deal damage with it?"

"No."

"Are you able to influence people's minds or hear their thoughts?"

"No."

"What about enhancing your strength or defense?"

"No."

"How about utility? Can you heal or change the physical state of things?"

"I guess not? Is it possible to change the physical state of things?"

Reaper Sable frowned.

"That's odd. Can you tell me more about your ability?"

"I think it was when awakened and checked my abilities using the rune language of Chaos, the description simply said I could adapt to the weather."

"Eh? Are you sure?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it said."

She seemed shocked by his words. Perhaps she found them ridiculous, her eyebrows furrowed briefly before her calm expression returned.

Advanced Awakened individuals had the ability to detect deception through subtle details such as body language, slight movements, or even the rhythm of a heartbeat.

However, Klaus remained calm and composed throughout the entire ordeal and was even bold enough to lie to her face. Of course, it was only a half-truth, so it couldn't be considered an outright lie.

After all, the best lies were the ones woven with just enough truth to be convincing.

And in a way, it wasn't entirely false that Klaus truly didn't understand anything about his real self.