Chapter 40: Forgetting a dream
Raze looked at the screen as he felt like cursing, but then he recalled that this was the system’s way of doing things. He also recalled that the system allowed him to buy that recording rune when he was in the headmaster’s office, so why did it do that then?
The system had always been a full mystery. He couldn’t really understand what it was and how it was built. All he knew was that the system helped him, and it was there after he woke up.
All this made Raze scared. He felt like someone was controlling him, and he was just a puppet being controlled by strings.
"Shit, I don’t have time to think of this now," Raze said. He pulled out his water bottle from his strip and ripped the robe, clearing space for his stab wound.
He used the water to wash it down as best as he could. He pulled off his whole robe, leaving only his inner clothes. He ripped it up and wrapped it around his abdomen until it was fully covered.
He tore up his trousers as well, washed the bite wound, and then wrapped it up. When he was done, he tried to get up, letting out a pained groan.
His wounds still hurt like hell, but that was fine for now. He had managed to kill a rank-one beast—that was good in his book.
"Where did he run to?" he asked himself as he looked around for Joel, but he couldn’t see him.
"Fuck him, he can die if he wants," Raze said and walked to a tree. He sat down on the ground and leaned his head on the tree. He opened the system interface and checked his stats, but before the screen turned on, he noticed a figure standing in the distance, looking at him.
He got up, wondering if that was a student or someone else. He watched closely, but the figure didn’t move at all, so he decided to approach.
He took out his sword and started walking toward the person with slow, cautious steps. He tried to make it soundless, but his wounded leg made him limp, which made everything harder.
As he approached, the figure seemed to go further and further backward, like he could not move closer to it. He tried walking faster, but he couldn’t reach the person.
All of a sudden, the surroundings started twisting and turning. Raze tried to get his footing, but he couldn’t stand straight, and then suddenly, he fell. But rather than hit the ground, he fell into a liquid-like water, with a loud splash following.
He started struggling to breathe and trying to swim, but nothing was working. He felt like there was a pull from the bottom of the water, dragging him down.
Soon, he reached the bottom and came out the other side. When he opened his eyes, he was floating in complete darkness.
"What is happening? Where am I?" Raze asked. He couldn’t see anything, and he couldn’t hear anything. But suddenly, a light appeared, and there was a pathway built of marbles and stone.
Then a soft pulling force dragged him to the pathway. His feet touched the pathway, and the force stopped. Raze walked through the pathway. There was a light at the end, but the path seemed very, very far.
Raze started walking toward the light. He was doing everything as if he knew what to do—his mind just told him that doing this or that would be the right choice, and he did exactly that.
He kept walking toward the light, and finally, he made it to the stairs. He climbed up the stairs and onto a platform. There was light coming out of the platform without a reasonable light source.
But as soon as Raze stepped on it, the place went dim, and a red light took over. A throne of bones and skulls appeared at the center.
A figure was seated on the throne, covered from head to toe in complete darkness. Raze saw this, and fear gripped his heart. He tried to walk away, but he couldn’t—he couldn’t move at all.
"You finally made it here. I’ve been waiting quite a bit," a voice sounded. It was calm and heavy.
"You have been waiting for me? Who are you? Where is this?" Raze asked.
"All that will be answered in time. I only get this opportunity once, so I’ll tell you what I have to tell you.
The academy is more than you think. There is more than meets the eye there. You want to be the villain that wins, right? Then find everything hidden in this academy, and rule over it.
Your actions will not be hidden for long, and soon even the academy will know you are not good. By then, you want to have your hands so deep in their system that they can’t get rid of you.
If you do that, you will be able to take control of them and rule. The academy doesn’t give you full immunity, but it gives you some.
The first rule for a villain is gathering information. When you know about your enemy, you can use it against them and bring them down.
Take this as a warning. You chose this path, so know that the pain you will feel along the way will be endless and crazy, but it’s you who chose the path," the voice finished talking.
Before Raze could even answer, the place started vanishing.
"Wait, I have questions! Don’t go yet!" Raze said, but the image vanished, and so did the figure. His eyes opened, and he realized he was still at the tree—he had fallen asleep there.
"Was it all a dream?" he asked himself. He could remember most of what happened, but it was as though the memories of what he had just seen were wavering, it wasn’t clear.
"Did I really forget what just happened? It felt very important."