Three Advice

On their drive to the Academy, Sunny and Fang Yuan, both didn't speak much, looking at the sights of the city that were flying past the window of Jet's personal transport vehicle.

Actually, it was his first time sitting in a PTV: most people in the city couldn't even dream about getting a license and purchasing a vehicle like that, having to do with public transportation.

He had ridden in the back of a police cruiser once or twice, but that was a completely different experience.

At some point, Master Jet looked at both of them and said:

"Since we both come from the outskirts, I'll give you three pieces of advice. Whether you listen to me or not is your business."

Sunny turned his head, waiting. Fang Yuan remained like rock.

"First: once you're registered in the Academy, they'll offer you psychological counseling again. There will also be a valuable reward for sharing your experiences in the Nightmare and the details of your Appraisal. You'll be able to receive a soul shard, maybe even several of them."

Sunny frowned and Fang Yuan already expected something like that.

"Are you trying to convince me to visit a psychiatrist again?" Sunny asked.

Jet shook her head.

"No. I'm telling you to refuse."

Surprised, Sunny raised his eyebrows.

"Why?"

There was a pause before she answered.

"Well..You're too green to understand, but out there in the Dream Realm, Nightmare Creatures are not the only danger. Once you grow powerful enough, humans will become an equal threat. The less they know about your Aspect, the better. And it looks like the slient guy already knows about it."

So that's how it is. Fang Yuan just shaked his head.

"The easiest way to defeat a powerful Awakened is to use their Flaw. That's why young fools in the Academy are encouraged in various ways to share the details of their Aspects. I'm not saying that the government will leak your information, but once two people know a secret, it's no longer a secret. And there's a lot of people working for the government."

"Thank you, Master Jet." Sunny thanked Jet.

She gave him a nod.

"Second: there will be a lot of courses to choose from. All types of combat training, deep dives into Nightmare Creature categories and vulnerabilities, basics of various types of sorcery, artifact study and so on."

Sunny gulped. Actually, he was already agonizing about what weapon to train with.

Four weeks was not enough to master a weapon, but at least he would have a basic understanding of it.

"Disregard all of that. The only course you have time to attend is Wilderness Survival."

Sunny blinked.

"What?"

Jet glanced at him and said,

"Fang Yuan, why don't you explain? You look well informed about this matter as a outskirt rat."

"What is the point of learning combat? It is to survive. But if you die of dehydration or food poisoning, combat lessons become pointless."

"Well, let me take over." Jet said and Fang Yuan stopped speaking.

"It's different for city kids, who learn all sorts of useful things in school and from their tutors. But we don't have that advantage, do we? What was the biggest threat to your life during the Nightmare?"

Sunny thought about it. On the surface, the most dangerous thing he faced was the tyrant, followed by Hero… Auro of the Nine. But actually, what almost killed him in the end was…

"The cold."

Jet smiled.

"Smart. You only know how to survive in the city. But the Dream Realm is mostly made of wilderness. Do you know how to make a fire? How to procure food? How to find safe shelter? No. Fighting monsters is important, but it'll be useless if you die of hunger or exposure to the elements. Trust me. I've learned it the hard way."

Sunny nodded, angry at himself. It was so obvious, yet he never even thought about these seemingly simple things. He was blinded by his past habits and experience. He was also a bit jealous of Fang Yuan. Why did Fang Yuan looks more competent than him? Both of them were form outskirts.

Human brains were like that:

once accustomed to a certain way of living, it was hard to see past the already familiar routines. It was lazy thinking at its worst.

At that point, Master Jet had stopped the car and opened the door, getting out. Sunny followed her and was momentarily stunned, staring at the colossal metal gates in front of them.

This was the famous Awakened Academy.

After a few seconds, he shook off his amazement and turned to his senior.

"This is as far as I go," she said, looking cheerlessly at the walls of the Academy.

"I've already notified them. Someone will come fetch you in a while."

There was something dark in the depths of her icy blue eyes. Sunny suddenly felt a cold feeling spreading through his body.

"What's the third advice?"

Master Jet glanced at him, then sighed.

"Remember: no one can survive in the Dream Realm alone. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Try to get along with your peers, even if they don't treat you well. It might save your life. Fang Yuan and Sunless, you two will make a perfect pair."

Then she suddenly smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"You two have done well to survive until now. Make sure to keep yourselves alive in the future, too."

Then she got back into her PTV and drove off. Just like that, she was gone.

***

The end of the metal bridge hit the special grooves in the ground and stopped moving after a set of loud clicks.

Sunny looked ahead, wondering what kind of life he was going to be living in the next four weeks.

Meanwhile Fang Yuan thinking about how to make the best use of time in the academy.

Seemingly free of such concerns, the silver-haired girl walked forward and stepped on the bridge.

"Come on, Sunless. Lets go!" Fang Yuan said as he stepped forward.

Sunny sighed and reluctantly followed.