Ji Yun's sword slashed downwards, sending a powerful arc of energy that cleaved the earth in two but his eyes narrowed upon noticing that his blow had only struck thin air.
"Another one of those transmigrators... I shall end you next time hmph!" Ji Yun stated with an irritated tone before turning around and flying away.
...
Victor groaned while flopping back onto his bed. "Mom! I was in the middle of a life-or-death chase with a homicidal cultivator! Do you know how hard it is to outrun someone who can fly?"
His mother crossed her arms with an unimpressed look. "Life-or-death or not, you still have responsibilities. Now get dressed and get downstairs."
Victor sighed dramatically but didn't argue. As his mom left the room, he stared at the ceiling, replaying the events of the game in his mind. His heart was still racing, and the sensation of Ji Yun's pressure hadn't entirely left him.
"Man," Victor muttered before sitting up. "If I had died right before logging out, I would've been so mad."
As he got ready for school, he couldn't help but smile. Despite the close calls, the Hidden Valley had been an incredible experience. And with his bloodline so close to awakening, he knew the real adventure was just beginning.
"Alright, Ji Yun," he said under his breath, "you might've scared me this time, but next time? I'm coming for you... ahem. You better not be there when I get back."
Victor squinted at the clock on his nightstand as he turned towards it.
His eyes widened as the blinking numbers glared back at him: 8:47 AM. He blinked again, hoping he was imagining things.
"Wait, wait, wait," he muttered while sitting up abruptly. "It's nearly 9 AM?! I spent days in Ascendant Realms! How late am I after experiencing five freaking days in a mystical valley?"
He threw off his blanket and stumbled toward the door, half-dressed and half-panicked. His mother's voice called out from the kitchen.
"Victor! Breakfast is ready. And hurry up! You're going to be late!"
Victor jogged into the kitchen, still rubbing his eyes. His mom placed a steaming plate of toast and eggs on the table.
"Mom, how long have I been in my room?" he questioned in the process of grabbing a slice of toast as he passed.
His mom gave him a look. "All night. Since your father and I got back from the party, you've been holed up in there. I figured you were sulking after yesterday's… results."
Victor froze mid-bite, processing her words. "All night? Like, just the one night?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What else would I mean? It's not like you've been in there for days."
Victor's jaw dropped. "No way…" he whispered to himself. In Ascendant Realms, he'd spent over five days exploring the Hidden Valley, fighting beasts or in this case a single beast and fleeing from the rest... and nearly dying to a crazed cultivator. Yet in real life, it had only been about thirteen hours.
"Is something wrong?" his mom peered at him suspiciously.
Victor shook his head quickly. "Nope! Just… thinking about how time flies when you're, uh, not doing anything important." He forced a laugh, grabbing his bag from the counter.
His mom frowned slightly but didn't press further. As Victor slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door, she called after him, "You seem… lighter today. Happier. Are you sure you're okay?"
Victor took a paused and glanced back with a grin. "Me? I'm great. Maybe failing at awakening just made me realize I have nowhere to go but up!"
She smiled faintly. "That's… surprisingly mature. Have a good day, sweetheart."
Victor gave her a two-finger salute before darting out the door.
---
The streets were crowded as Victor made his way to the mana-powered train station. "So time in Ascendant Realms moves way faster than real life," he muttered. "That's wild. I could spend more than a week leveling up and only lose a day out here. This game just keeps getting better."
As he neared the station, he heard the low whistle of the train pulling away.
"No, no, no!" Victor shouted while breaking into a sprint. He reached the platform just in time to see the glowing green train zip out of sight, leaving him in a swirl of wind and disappointment.
Victor groaned, doubling over with his hands on his knees. "Great. Just great. Now I've got to run to school like some peasant."
He adjusted his bag and started jogging toward the main road. To his surprise, his legs felt unusually light, and his strides longer than usual.
"Huh," he muttered while glancing down at his feet. "I guess all that sprinting in the game got me in shape. Or maybe it's the adrenaline of not wanting to get detention again."
As he continued running, he felt a strange sensation coursing through him—a faint warmth that spread from his chest to his limbs. It reminded him of how his game avatar felt when channeling qi.
Victor frowned but shook his head. "Nah, that's impossible. The game's just really immersive. No way I'm actually—"
Before he could finish his thought, his legs surged forward with an uncontrollable burst of speed. The buildings and streets blurred around him as he zipped past startled pedestrians and honking cars.
Victor's eyes widened in panic. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! How do I stop this thing?!"
He careened around a corner, narrowly avoiding a fruit cart. His feet barely touched the ground as he hurtled down the road with the wind whipping through his hair.
"Hey watch it," a passerby he brushed past yelled.
"Sorry..." the wind carried Victor's voice away as he kept dashing forward at a speed that he should be unable to muster.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stumbled to a stop in front of his school. He collapsed onto a nearby bench, gasping for air.
Victor checked his watch. It had only been twelve minutes since he left home—a trip that should've taken more than forty minutes at his regular speed.
He stared at his hands. "Okay… either I'm dreaming, or something really weird is going on."
Victor barely had time to process what had happened before the school bell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. He rushed inside, heading straight for his homeroom.
As he slid into his seat, Danny, Max, and Jake were already waiting for him.
Danny, the only one of their group to awaken, leaned back in his chair with a smug grin. His newfound confidence was practically radiating off him.
"Late again, Vic?" Danny teased. "Let me guess, you were too busy dreaming about being awakened."
Victor smirked while leaning back. "Nah, I just figured I'd make a dramatic entrance. Gotta keep you guys entertained."
The ever skeptisceptice Jake adjusted his glasses and frowned. "You're unusually chipper for someone who didn't awaken yesterday. What gives?"
Victor shrugged. "What can I say? I've decided to embrace the loser life. Turns out it's not so bad."
Max snorted. "Yeah, right. Knowing you, you probably just found a new distraction. What is it this time? Another one of your VR games?"
Victor hesitated but quickly deflected. "You know me too well, Maxie. I'm just a chill guy who likes to keep busy."
Before they could press further, Danny cleared his throat dramatically. "Enough about Victor's tragic existence. Let's talk about me—the only awakened genius in this group."
Victor rolled his eyes. "Here we go."
Danny leaned forward as his grin widened. "So peep this, after we awakened yesterday, the evaluators had a private meeting with us. Turns out, we're automatically registered for the Awakened Academy but there will still be a screening next month."
Max raised an eyebrow. "Awakened Academy? Isn't that the place where they train you guys to fight beasts and become heroes and stuff?"
Danny nodded as his chest puffed out. "Yup. It's the real deal. They teach you how to use your abilities, train you for missions, and prepare you for the frontlines. We'll learn more about the Sylrith, Umbryx and Drakenar... information hidden to the public and how to fight against them."
Jake frowned. "Sounds intense."
Danny shrugged. "But don't worry about me. My Berserker class is practically the physicallg strongest class... Since I awakened I've been lifting some pretty heavy things."
Victor smirked. "Careful, Danny. That ego's getting so big, it could contend with Mr Tanny's fat ass..."
The group let out a burst of laughter but Max pouted since he was quite obese as well.
"But peep this... the screening isn't just for the already Awakened. According to what I heard, some people awaken days later after touching the orb so the screening also gives them a chance to get into the academy," Danny informed them.
Victor leaned forward with a look of intrigue; "Does that actually happen? Some people really awaken later?"