If only silence could kill, Victor would have been hanged from the suffocation it brought to the atmosphere for a while.
It was like he had submerged within a sea of stillness from which no sound could escape—a deafening, crushing silence that could drive one mad from being alone with their spiraling thoughts.
The ticking clock could literally be heard echoing within the vast emptiness of the sterile expanse.
Tick tock~
Tick tock~
Tick tock~
It made the scene even more uncomfortable in many unspoken ways.
"Hello, Victor. My name's Rick, the captain of the team that rescued you from the Dark Forest," the man said in a calm yet authoritative tone.
"And I would like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."
That was the first thing that shattered the breathless silence, and as if on cue, the world returned to normal.
Look at this fool. He dared endanger my temporary vessel. He must be killed, spoke the wolf in his thoughts with a growl of irritation.
Ignoring the annoying dog, Victor asked,
"How do you know my name?"
He had been faking unconsciousness during the rescue, yet somehow this stranger knew his name with unsettling certainty.
It couldn't have been possible that he recognized him, because from the fragmented memories he got from the previous owner—and by his own calculations—sixty decades had passed since the siege that wiped out his entire battalion.
He also had no idea who the man was, so it might have been something else entirely.
"Why do you ask? We have the information of all students and could easily identify you, Victor Nellis," he said. "The name has been registered under the academy as a student."
What? Victor Nellis? That's not my last name. Oh right, it's the former owner's name, Victor thought with a mental sigh.
"Sure, that's me… ask away."
Rick squinted slightly, observing Victor for a moment before continuing. "What were you doing with the Beta team, and how did all of them die such repugnant deaths?"
"Oh, my initial teammates were attacked by a one-bladed Drak. The Beta team came across us, tried to help, but couldn't stand against the beast. As I tried to escape, I was struck too," Victor said, as the wolf whispered coldly to him.
Seriously? A two-bladed Drak, and now a one-bladed Drak? What is going on within the Dark Forest? The danger level is increasing rapidly, Rick contemplated.
The Dark Forest was mostly designated for novice hunters to hone their skills by defeating no-bladed Draks and to gain a better understanding of the mysterious world they were in.
But now, higher-level threats were being encountered, which raised alerts and deemed it far too dangerous for inexperienced hunters to be sent there.
"Mr. Victor, thank you for your cooperation. You will be properly escorted to your dorm room immediately. Have a nice day."
Just like that, the conversation ended. A few minutes after the captain left, a tall man in a sharply pressed blue suit came in to escort him to his dorm room.
His name was Samuel.
"Nice to meet you, Victor Nellis. I will be your escort. Please get ready and I will lead the way," he spoke with elegance and grace, his voice free from any burdens that life brings.
Samuel had reddish-brown cherry blossom hair that shimmered slightly in the light, contrasting beautifully with his defined masculine jawline and nearly spotless white skin.
His broad-shouldered frame clearly showed he worked out regularly to maintain that sculpted, perfect body women often swooned over, and these features were greatly envied by the protagonist, who looked only average in comparison.
How he wished he had been transmigrated into that kind of powerful, handsome body.
I need to kill this guy… he's annoying.
Or… maybe you're just jealous of his looks, the wolf taunted with a snicker.
Shut up!!… he snapped. Come to think of it, weren't you always quiet? Why disturb me now...?
As they exited the clinical building—which had next to no patients, because any student who unfortunately sustained injuries in the academy was quickly healed as soon as the elite medical team arrived with healer-type ability champions—
Healers were quite common among basic abilities, so they were mostly assigned to medical units, and in rare cases, they became frontline hunters.
It didn't take long before the escort brought him to the dorm area. Victor slowly raised his head to size up the building that seemed absurdly enormous.
It was at least 500 feet in height and stretched about three miles in length—a real century of civilization condensed into one place.
They kept walking as students passed them left and right, some even turning their heads to look in Victor's direction. It was clear he was fresh meat.
Their eyes were like vultures spotting new prey. He could clearly see the kind of pride etched on their faces—a pride born from power, the strong staring down the weak.
Well, Victor wasn't even surprised. It had been a common thing while growing up in his past life. Before becoming a captain, he had suffered relentless bullying and even went as far as stabbing one of his tormentors in his sleep. The bully died, and Victor covered his tracks so thoroughly that he was never caught.
Kekeke, those days were beautiful, he commented, almost fondly.
You actually killed your bully while he was sleeping—impressive. But I would have loved to see you cut him open and feed on his organs while he stared at me in shock.
You're sick...
Says the guy who stabbed his bully in the neck and watched the light leave his eyes while chuckling, the wolf revealed with delight.
Well, it was fun.
"Room number 33. Here we are..." Samuel said, before raising his hand to the tall, metallic door.
Knock
Knock
Knock
"Who's that?!" came the sharp reply from the other side.
The door was pulled open, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered red-haired man.
"Oh, Master Samuel. What brings you here? Do I have a mission?" asked the redhead with a slight grin.
"No, missions are not available for now," answered Samuel.
"I—"
"Then why did you come here to disturb my peace?!" The redhead's hair suddenly burst into blazing red flames, mirroring the surge of anger on his face.
Samuel, unfazed by this like it was a common phenomenon, continued calmly.
"I have brought you a roommate."
****