Three months had finally passed, and with that the long training time for all the Half Awakened had finally expired. Everything they had learned during those last months was going to be put to the test against the First Realm.

That morning, all of them filed down to the cafeteria to have what was probably the best meal they would get in a long while. This included Steven, who had finally found his favorite dish from all the cafeteria could offer.

He ate to his heart’s content, slow and deliberate, savoring the taste before swallowing. When he was done, he stared around at the other Half Awakened. Usually, they were rowdy, many talking loudly about their training, the Realms, and what they planned to do once inside. But today was far more silent.

Not a single sound could be heard. With what was going to happen today, the pressure had surely caught up to them all.

After they finished eating, one after the other began to exit the cafeteria, each of them silently building their resolve.

Steven returned to his room, and when he did, he changed into his armor. This time, he had been able to get a rather complete set, unlike during the Realm of Entry, where he had been forced to make use of whatever was provided.

This armor, he had crafted from the dimension shop using his undead cores. It had taken him about ten cores to complete, and it was worth it. The armor granted him increased resistance to poison, deep scratches, and powerful attacks.

At the very least, he was sure it would hold against a Dreadling. Anything higher, however, would surely be an issue.

"Looks like we’ll be going now, Nott. Hopefully we’ll live through this one too," Steven said after finishing strapping himself into the armor, leaving only his head unprotected.

The knight in gray armor nodded, bowing its head toward Steven in respect. With that, the young Awakened waved the knight away, and it immediately dissolved into embers of gray light that dispersed into the air.

Now it was time to go.

Steven willed his Sigil to take him to the Realm, and it did. In one moment, he was in his room, and in the next, he stood within the Sanctuary.

He appeared before the flight of stairs, where other Awakened like him had gathered. Many were strapped into crude armor, while others clearly preferred not to wear armor at all, opting instead for thick, reinforced clothing, likely to preserve their full speed.

They were all Awakened, not ordinary humans. With their increased strength, Steven didn’t see why wearing protection would be an issue.

But perhaps some of them possessed assassin-type abilities that relied solely on speed. Who really cared?

He took a long look around him before walking alongside the crowd.

’Too bad I can’t see Mr. Shady before I leave,’ Steven sighed, his face laced with faint pain.

During his time of training, surprisingly, the Shady Weaponry class had not turned out to be a scam after all. With everything he had learned; the discipline, the precision, the mentality of a true weapon master, Steven was confident that if he ever faced someone like Drake again, he would not go down easily.

While there was still a lot left for him to learn, what he had acquired from Mr. Shady was enough for him to continue mastering his skills on his own.

"The battle sense difference between a two-sigil Awakened and a four-sigil Awakened is really insane," Steven couldn’t help but praise. According to Mr. Shady, many wouldn’t even believe how effective his training techniques truly were.

"They aren’t the best, but with proper cunning, they can best any style," he recalled the words of his master.

The other two students who trained alongside him had also been a hassle, but they had helped him grow significantly during that time.

In the end, he had all of them to thank.

Steven smiled faintly. At least now, he had enough knowledge to properly wield weapons. Also, during those three months, despite being unable to find a proper library in the Sanctuary to gain information about the Realms, he had found one back on Earth.

At the hotel reserved for Awakened students, whenever his six-hour stay expired, he would return there to read after training.

With those two aspects combined, Steven was certain he had spent his three months as well as he possibly could have. Knowing, however, that nothing could truly prepare him for the horrors of the First Realm. Training was one thing, but the curse of the Realm was something far greater.

Following the crowd forward, Steven eventually reached a different compartment within the massive Temple of the Sanctuary. It lay beneath the original structure. After descending a long flight of stairs, the ground below was bare and untiled, devoid of any attempt at beautification.

It was a massive tunnel, its arched ceiling stretching nearly a thousand feet high and wide. Embedded into the earth around the tunnel were enormous glowing crystal spires, jutting out in twos and threes, bathing the entire space in an eerie, otherworldly light.

At the center of this place stood the same woman who had briefed them three months ago. Everyone recognized her instantly as she hadn’t changed at all.

She waited patiently, watching as the numbers increased, until no more Awakened entered the tunnel.

Then she spoke.

"I hope you have all used your months well. You will be entering the grasp of the cursed First Realm, and I can assure you, it will not be easy. There are about two hundred and fifty of you here, and at least three of your group will end up in the same time and era within the Realm. Hopefully, you won’t end up with an enemy."

Steven frowned, glancing around at the number of Awakened present. None of them were his friends. He had only interacted with a few out of necessity. Apart from that, he could rely only on himself.

That was why he had studied and worked so hard these past months.

Yuri stepped back slightly, her hands stretching outward as she gestured toward the vast tunnel. "This place will serve as the venue for your entry. It will be monitored continuously while you are entering the Realm, and to avoid any wretched predicament, it has been made large enough to contain all of you. The instructions are simple—walk around, give yourselves space, and command your Sigil to take you to the First Realm."

Simple was not the word to use when speaking of the Realm, and they all knew it.

Soon enough, with dreadful expressions, each of them began to disperse into the tunnel.

They understood it well enough... any one of them could perish in the First Realm. While many carried determined faces, others were utterly terrified.

Favour walked toward the wall, her hands gripping tightly onto her trousers. She wasn’t scared of entering the Realm instead she was determined. And because of that determination, she clutched her garment hard.

’I’m not scared, am I? I’m going to do better. I’ll return without getting killed... I will.’ she contemplated within.

Steven, meanwhile, wore a sour expression as he walked deeper into the tunnel. He eventually reached a gray spiral embedded into the wall, merging with it before bending crookedly to the left. The sight was oddly comforting to him, and because of that, he chose it as his spot.

Dropping down, he sat with his back resting against the cold spiral and sighed deeply.

’It’s finally time. The horrid fate I worked so hard for.’

Steven raised his hands before his eyes, watching as they trembled under the weight of the moment.

"Am I scared?"

He lingered briefly before letting out a quiet chuckle. "I really am."

"Humans get scared at some point in life, whether they are scum, honorable, or some self-glorified fool. To fear is human. But that fear is what keeps us alive... that’s how I know I’m still fucking alive." He declared to himself.

{Ding!}

{Would you like to enter the First Realm?}

{Yes} {No}

Steven hesitated, his gaze drifting across the tunnel. Some Awakened were still frozen in place, paralyzed by fear, while others, likely clan-born, quickly dissolved into dust as they entered the Realm.

In the end, he turned back to his system, his expression darker than before, as if staring around had stolen something from him.

"I’ll come back alive no matter what."

He tapped the notification.

{Yes}

{Soul integrating}

Steven’s vision blurred as his body grew numb. His physical form burned into ash—not painfully, but with a strange sensation that crawled up his spine. His body dissolved as his soul was torn from the Sanctuary and hurled into the First Realm.

At first, his sight was swallowed by utter darkness, the same void he had once drifted through before entering the Realm of Entry. He floated there for a few seconds. Those seconds stretching to what felt like minutes, as his mind raced on the very horrors he would face as soon as he materialized in the realm.

In the Realm of entry he appeared hung till death... This might not be that different, but no matter, Steven ironed his resolve.

I won’t die in this realm. I’ll survive and go back home... His mind flashed with memories and he clenched his teeth at it, swearing deep within he would not die. Things would be different from the Realm of Entry, he will survive not by luck, or some pitiable response from his Sponsor, but by his own strength.

And then at that moment the notification he had long awaited appeared before him.

[Welcome to the First Realm]

[First Realm: Treasures Long Forgotten]

***Author’s note***

This is the end of volume one! Please drop your positive reviews! Golden tickets! Power stones! Gifts (super and regular). Just support to show the Author you are liking the work.