Nephis's face was tight with tension and anticipation, beads of sweat sliding down her brow. The reason was simple—there was a sharp blade pressed against her neck, held by a Sleeper claiming to be from the outskirts, who possessed not only unnatural strength… but a true name as well.
Sunny withdrew his blade, letting the serpent wrap around his body once more and settle into the shape of a tattoo. Then, he extended his hand toward Nephis.
"That was an enjoyable duel. I wish we could repeat it some time, to be honest. It would be great. Maybe… you're the only Sleeper worthy of being my opponent."
It was praise—but not without a sting. He had no intention of letting her grow arrogant.
Nephis took his offered hand and allowed herself to be helped up. "Thank you," she said.
Then, she turned and left the hall, leaving the stunned crowd of students to wrestle with what had just happened.
A Sleeper claiming to be from the outskirts had just beaten Caster like a practice dummy… and then defeated Changing Star.
Nothing too surprising. Right?
"Sunny! You did it! I knew Changing Star wouldn't be able to beat you!"
Cassie caught him by the cloak as he approached and gave it a thrilled tug.
"Well… that's how it turned out. But Changing Star has crushing talent and terrifying adaptability. I'm sure next time won't be so easy."
Everyone who heard Sunny's words was struck with deeper admiration. Even after defeating his opponent, he didn't let it go to his head. Of course, their gazes followed him as he gently led Cassie out of the hall.
Sunny chatted with her as they walked, guiding her toward the nearest social worker so she could be led back to the girls' dormitory. There was an odd excitement in her tone, for some reason.
After parting ways, Sunny headed to the Wilderness Survival classroom—not because he had a class that day, but because he wanted something from Professor Julius. He had an Ascended memory, [Warden's Pendant], but it was useless to him. His affinity for shadow allowed him to hide on his own. He wanted to trade it—and Julius was the only instructor he had a genuine connection with.
Sunny was confident the teacher would help him, but not for Free. So, he came prepared with a reason… under the guise of an exchange. What he wanted were Memories suited to himself… and a gift for Cassie.
He knocked on the door of the survival hall and opened it. As usual, Professor Julius was reading something on the screen in front of him while scribbling notes on a paper sheet. He looked up at the sound.
"Ah, welcome, Sunless! What brings you here? There's no class today… and I've taught you more than enough already. But I can't lie—I'm always thrilled when you come back for more knowledge…"
He wiped a stray tear from his cheek.
"Tell me, young man… why didn't you tell me you had a true name? I feel betrayed! And yet, even more… I feel proud! Imagine it… the strongest Sleeper in the Academy, and he's been my student for a year… hahaha!"
Sunny hesitated, then answered anyway.
"Well… you see… there's a girl."
Instructor Julius leaned back in his chair, expression full of understanding. Then—
"HAHAHAHAHA! A girl, huh? Who is she?"
"…Changing Star."
The instructor's face froze as if he'd just heard something outrageous.
"Ahem. Well… never mind that, young man. If you need something, just ask."
Sunny cheered internally. "Gods You're the only one who understand.
"That's exactly why I came. I need your help with something."
Julius hesitated, then nodded.
"Don't hold back. Speak your mind."
"I don't have any useful Memories right now. I've got one Ascended Memory I don't need. Would you be willing to trade?"
There followed a series of surprising questions. Julius couldn't believe Sunny had obtained an Ascended Memory from his First Nightmare. But instead of prying, he simply nodded.
"You want five Awakened Memories for one Ascended? Are you sure? That pendant could save your life one day."
"I don't need it, sir. My Aspect grants me similar traits."
"I see. Then… five it is. You want a quiver that works without soul essence, an area-of-effect arrow, an Armour , and one that enhances senses…?"
"Also, if there's anything that increases swimming speed, that would be great. Don't care if it's a Dormant or Awakened Memory."
After going over the details, Sunny left with Julius's promise to do his best. The professor said he already had a good idea of where to find what Sunny needed.
Later, Sunny returned to his room. He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and replayed everything that had happened in his fights with Nephis and Caster, analyzing each moment and searching for his own mistakes.
Without realizing it… he drifted off.
He woke to knocking. Glancing at the screen by his bed, he saw he'd only slept two hours.
"Huh. I guess fighting Nephis took more out of me than I thought. Ah, this weak body…"
Dragging himself up, he splashed water on his face in the bathroom and then opened the door.
…And froze.
Caster was standing outside, eyes burning with fury. Sunny didn't care much what the arrogant scion thought.
"What do you want?" Sunny asked, voice calm.
"Listen, Morngel. Don't you dare get close to Changing Star. I don't care how talented you are—there are things far beyond your reach. Know your place, rat. Don't become arrogant ."
With those clichéd lines, Caster turned and left.
"…Wow. Does he think he's in some kind of drama? What a fool. Eh, whatever—I've got more important things to deal with."
Sunny closed the door.
Then, he summoned his runes. Lines of glowing text shimmered into view—visible only to him.
Name: Sunless
True Name:Herald of death
Rank: Sleeper
Core: Dormant
Shadow Fragments: [45/1000]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppetmaster's Shroud], [Heavy club], [sages mantel], [Challenger's Heart], [Warden's Pendant]
Echoes:
Shadows: [Soul Serpent ]
Traits: [Fated], [Divine Spark], [Child of Shadows], [Blessed by the Shadow God]
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance]
Legacy Mastery: [2/7]
First Relic: [Claimed]
Second Relic: [Claim]
Third Relic: [Unearned]
Sunny whispered: "Claim."
[You have received a Legacy Relic .]
[You have received a Memory.]
He wasted no time.
Sunny summoned the Ichor Drop.
It formed slowly—gathering from countless specks of light into a golden droplet. If one looked closely, they'd see a dark core within. The room shifted, shadows coming alive to dance—then freezing in reverence. It was, after all, a drop of blood from the god they worshiped. How could they not be overwhelmed?
[You have received a drop of Ichor. Do you wish to consume it?]
"…Yes."
[So be it.]
The spell's voice felt darker than it had during his consumption of the Scion of Shadow essence.
Sunny didn't have time to ponder it.
The droplet turned into a ray of golden light and plunged into his soul sea… then into his core.
Pain struck.
A brutal, torturous agony—like his skin was being stripped away and regrown, muscles torn and rebuilt, again and again. He clenched his jaw so hard blood streamed from his lips, biting down deeper as the torment continued. It felt like an eternity.
But Sunny made no sound. He did not move.
Until , the spell spoke again:
[One of your Traits has evolved.]
[You have received a new Trait.]