Noctis hid behind an alabaster rock, watching the statue-like creature. The monster stood motionless, its back turned to the setting sun.
He signaled to the group hiding behind the rocks.
They were only a few dozen meters away from the creature. Nara, after Noctis's insistence, had finally equipped her bow. It looked simple — seemingly made of wood — though Noctis wasn't sure it actually was. She nocked an arrow, drew the string back with all her strength, and released.
In the blink of an eye, the arrow struck where the creature should have been — but the statue had already moved, shifting a few meters to the side.
Realizing ranged attacks wouldn't work, Noctis gripped his rusted chain tightly and dashed forward. He activated his magic — Broken Chain. Essence flowed from his core into his hand, then into the weapon.
'I was saving this for emergencies… but these things are too fast.'
Suddenly, he felt stronger — faster. But he knew the essence flowing from his core was limited. He rushed toward the statue as quickly as he could.
Gylani tried to join him, but another statue appeared beside him and kicked him down. The moment Gylani hit the ground, he rolled and gripped his sword tightly. Nara fired arrows at the statue attacking Gylani, but they missed completely.
Meanwhile, Noctis swung his rusted blade at the creature charging toward him.
The statue dodged, yet Noctis realized he could now keep up with its speed. When he looked into its faceless visage, a chill ran down his spine — but he ignored it and pressed the attack.
He held his sword upright and waited for the creature's move. Within a second, it circled him and struck from the side. Noctis quickly recovered and counter-swung his blade.
Gylani used his magic to disrupt the creature's perception and went on the offensive. He signaled to Nara, then lunged.
Nara fired several arrows at the disoriented statue — out of dozens, only one struck its leg. The creature faltered for a brief moment, and Gylani didn't waste that second; he slashed diagonally with full force.
Half of its shoulder was sliced off, and white sand poured from the wound.
As Nara fired another arrow, the statue blurred past Gylani and lunged straight at her.
Noctis had just slashed the creature's abdomen. For a brief moment, he stared at the flowing white sand.
'What happens if the sand runs out?'
The statue suddenly rammed into him with tremendous speed, sending him flying backward. Noctis tried to get up, but the creature was already above him — it stared for less than a heartbeat, clasped its hands together, and slammed them down.
The ground trembled in a small radius, but Noctis had rolled aside just in time.
The statue hadn't fully recovered from its motion yet. Noctis gripped his sword tightly and swung. His stance wasn't perfect, so the blow wasn't strong — but being Awakened, even a glancing strike was enough to do damage.
Nara dropped her bow and grabbed her sword, intercepting the oncoming statue.
Gylani dashed in at full speed and sliced through the monster's leg, where the sand was spilling out. The statue faltered, and Nara immediately drove her blade into its neck.
Noctis could feel his essence running low.
He clenched his rusted chain and pushed himself to his feet. The statue glanced at him with its faceless head, then charged. Noctis tried to block, but just as he moved his blade, the statue vanished from sight and appeared behind him — a kick landed square on his back.
He heard his spine crack.
He stayed down for less than two seconds.
'If this is just First Layer… I can't imagine the Second.'
Noctis tried channeling a large amount of essence into his blade, but his weak core control made it impossible. The statue was closing in fast. He sprinted toward a nearby alabaster rock.
Nara fired more arrows, but none hit.
Gylani ran toward Noctis, though several dozen meters still separated them.
Noctis pressed himself against the side of the rock, then slipped behind it.
The statue circled around at high speed.
Noctis lured it into the sunlit side — when its shadow stretched across the rock, he stabbed downward into the shadow and slashed hard.
Just as the statue raised its hand to crush his head, it froze mid-motion — then began to crumble apart. White fragments fell to the ground, and among them, its core shimmered softly between the broken stones.
Noctis took a deep breath and stared at the shadow of the statue merging into his own.
[ You have slain Suara's Statue ]
[ The shadow is being devoured ]
[ Your soul has grown stronger ]
He slowly sat down, leaning his back against the alabaster rock while breathing heavily.
The sun — vast and crimson — painted the horizon in breathtaking shades of orange.
Moments later, Gylani and Nara came over and sat beside him.
Nara spoke with a puzzled tone.
"How did you kill it… all by yourself?"
Gylani looked at him curiously, but Noctis stayed silent. They rested for a few minutes in quiet.
"For now, it looks clear… We'll head back to the gate soon," Gylani finally said.
Noctis and Nara both nodded. A few minutes later, Noctis stood up with a stiff movement. Gylani frowned and stepped closer.
"I saw that kick it gave you… You should rest a little longer."
Noctis simply raised an eyebrow, brushing it off, and they resumed walking.
They ate a few synthetic rations from the supply bags given to all awakened students and stored the statue's cores inside.
As Noctis swallowed the last bite, he glanced at Gylani.
"Who is this Suara? Are these statues his?"
Gylani shrugged.
"No one knows. The system calls them Suara's Statues when they're killed, but it never explains who or what Suara is. Researchers say, based on the memory traces from the rewards, that there might be remnants of him somewhere in this realm… but no one's ever found anything."
Noctis winced slightly from the pain in his back.
If he were still an ordinary human, that kick would've shattered his spine.
Even as an Awakened, the impact had been brutal.
'Suara's statues… was he a sculptor?'
The group walked for several minutes.
As they neared the safe zone, another group appeared in the distance. Noctis counted five people. His shadow sense couldn't reach that far, so he couldn't identify whose shadows they were.
"Stay alert," he warned.
They quickened their pace.
The academy strictly forbade fights between Awakened, yet Gylani had already told Noctis that some students were connected to the school — no matter what they did, they were never expelled.
Noctis didn't want to take any risks and insisted that the group move faster. Gradually, the other group drew closer. He recognized two of them — the green-eyed Awakened girl from the great clan, and the handsome blond he had seen from his dorm window the previous day.
After a few minutes, their paths crossed.
The green-eyed girl glanced at them briefly and kept walking, but the handsome one — with that unnervingly perfect look — stared straight at them. His gaze lingered on Noctis.
Because of the hit to his back, Noctis's movements were slightly stiff.
He tried not to show it, but Awakened senses were sharp. The handsome Awakened stopped and spoke in a clear, confident voice.
"Do you need help? We have a healer with us."
Gylani slowly shook his head.
"We're fine, but thanks."
The man took a few steps closer, pointing at Noctis.
"But he needs it. Give us one core, and our healer will patch him up."
Gylani glanced at Noctis. Noctis stayed calm, his voice steady.
"I'm fine as I am. Just keep moving."
The blond Awakened let out a short laugh.
He took another step forward, but the green-eyed girl stopped him. They exchanged a few quiet words before he gave Noctis one last sharp look and walked away with his group.
Noctis exhaled softly.
"Strange people."
Both Gylani and Nara sighed. When the shimmering gate finally came into view, relief spread across their faces.
Nara looked at them both.
"Noctis, Gylani… if it's alright, can I join your group again tomorrow?"
They both nodded.
'At least we won't have to find another member tomorrow,' Noctis thought.
Gylani turned toward him with a curious look.
"Noctis, you awakened only a few days ago, right?
Most people struggle to adapt — even though magic and strength come as instinct, control doesn't. But you don't seem to have that problem."
Noctis shrugged.
"I haven't fully adjusted yet… but I'm good with core control."
Gylani raised an eyebrow and kept asking questions, but Noctis stayed silent.
Nara seemed to enjoy listening quietly as they talked.
Unlike most new Awakened, Noctis had already possessed a core before the entrance test — which made him far more experienced than anyone realized.
When they reached the gate, they approached their guide and instructor, Elena.
They showed her the cores they had collected, and she carefully examined each one before asking whether they wanted to sell them.
Noctis immediately agreed.
Elena smiled faintly, and Nara and Gylani followed his lead. She scribbled something quickly on a piece of paper.
"These will be converted into credits on your communication devices tonight.
If you don't have one, you can purchase it using your credit balance."
Noctis felt a twinge of doubt, but he knew credits couldn't be used without a device.
Physical currency was long gone — people no longer used coins or bills. Since paper and metal were considered wasteful, the world had shifted entirely to the credit system.
They waited near the gate for the others to arrive. A few meters away stood the group they had encountered earlier. The handsome Awakened kept glancing in Noctis's direction.
'Great. Trouble's found us already.'
Noctis avoided meeting his gaze and waited with his group as more Awakened returned.
Hours passed before everyone had finally gathered. Each group lined up neatly beside the gate, preparing to leave the realm.
Even then, Noctis could still feel eyes on him.
He tried to stay indifferent, but the constant staring was grating on his nerves.
Eventually, he gave in and looked back.
His expression was blank as he met the man's gaze.
'What does this guy want from me?'
As soon as their eyes met, the handsome Awakened looked away. Noctis frowned softly, confused, and let out a quiet sigh.
'Let's just hope this doesn't turn into something.'
Moments later, one by one, the Awakened began stepping through the gate once again…