Chapter 4

As the rays of sunlight start to seep through the open windows, I open my eyes and look at the new messages.

*Ding* [Meditation] Used

Skill [Mana Sense] has been upgraded to [Lvl1 Mana Manipulation]

[Lvl1 Mana Manipulation]

With concentration, allows the user to expel 10% of total mana and shape it to the user's will. If concentration is broken, mana may backlash within users own body, dealing damage proportionate to the controlled mana.

*****

I can finally control my mana, but that backlash sounds like it could be very damaging, I'd better not use it unless I'm sure of keeping my concentration.

Ariel said she'd see me in the morning, and the suns coming up. It sounds like people in the nearby rooms are also getting up. Speaking of which, where the hell did Ariel bring me?

*Knock-Knock*

Seemingly on cue, Ariel opens the door and walks in.

"Good Morning!!!" Ariel yells cheerfully as if It wasn't obvious that i didn't sleep, "I'll explain as much as I can after you get dressed."

She starts to walk over to the dresser when I notice that she's wearing a typical Japanese school uniform in a dark red color. Though my school doesn't do uniforms, so what is she dressed for?

"Like I said I'll explain everything after you get dressed, " Ariel says, seemingly noticing my confusion without turning around, "Please just put this on for now and come outside."

She places a blue men's uniform in front of me on the bed before excusing herself from the room. Inspecting the Uniform, I find small stitching upon the breast of the shirt, that reads "Academy of the Awakened". Didn't Ariel say something about being awakened before, and her status showed her as an awakened human.

As I reluctantly get dressed in the uniform, I notice that it fits almost perfectly on me. Obviously, it was tailored for me, but why? What is this school that they tailor me a uniform before I even agree to enroll?

I step out of the room dressed and even more confused about the situation. Ariel immediately grabs my arm and starts pulling me in the opposite direction than everyone else seems to be going. I can notice numerous pairs of eyes following me before losing interest.

" Welcome to The School of the Awakened. This is were people like us gather to learn about the darker si-"

"Wait, wait, slow down. What do you mean 'like us'?" I interrupt Ariel before I get even further confused.

Ariel facepalms as she realizes "I'm sorry, I forgot you've just entered this world. I'm assuming that recently you woke up seeing a box of text in front of you telling you to do something, right?"

"Yes, it told me to do my main morning routine, to fully initialize the system. What is it?"

"It's Gaia's way of communicating with us. Gaia is the mother goddess that we all owe our lives to. Some people are born with a closer connection to her. Those people eventually Awaken the Gaia system, a way for her to directly communicate with us. They are called the naturally awakened."

"Why? Can you be unnaturally awakened?"

"People like me aren't born with the same connection. We have a lesser connection, being born of Naturally Awakened parents. We can't access the Gaia System, but we can have some of the same benefits. We can learn skills through completing different actions, we level up, and so on. But we don't ever see the notifications as you do." As Ariel talks, she takes out a small rectangular stone.

"Some items can be made to allow us to see our stats, such as this stone." The stone lights up and a small screen appears before the stone, showing the same screen that I would see using [Inspect]. "Others can allow us to use a spatial storage like your inventory, but ultimately you doing it naturally is much easier than us."

"How have people never heard of any of this, how do you keep it under wraps away from the public eye," I question Ariel.

Ariel let's go of my arm, runs a few feet ahead and turns around. "Places like this. You couldn't have noticed, but we aren't on earth. We're in a pocket dimension that mimics earth. Our school is its own little dimension that's been anchored to a specific location. Here we teach those who awaken how to control their abilities to not let this information out. This one specifically is Anchored to your normal school but also has a time dilation making it so that 1 hour in here is only 20 minutes outside. Currently its only late afternoon outside."

"If these pocket dimensions mimic reality, is that what happened yesterday? Did we get pulled into a different pocket dimension mimicking the school?"

"I'm not actually too sure. There shouldn't be any other pocket dimensions for us to get trapped in." Ariel pensively states before stopping "Anyway here we are. You need to actually register here, other words you'd be an unaffiliated party without protection. Our world isn't peaceful. Gaia doesn't have the same sense of right and wrong and blesses both good and evil people. I awakened are protected by Gaia, but we aren't. If you enroll, the school will spend its resources to protect your life until you're strong enough to do so yourself."

"What benefits does the school get for protecting me? It sounds like the awakened rule in a fashion of survival of the fittest, so they probably expect some sort of payment, right?"

"During school, your classes will include some missions into ancient pocket dimensions that contain monsters from ancient mythologies across the world. These monsters have many valuable parts, the dimensions contain many materials that are useful, and some contain ruins that could have some magical significance. you'll be expected to share any spoils of battle, or any discoveries in the ruins." Ariel answers honestly. "I've got to go to class, so just tell the receptionist your name, and she'll help you register as a student."

Ariel nearly runs off as I hear a large bell ring slowly. I assume that means she's late to her class. She left me in front of a building with a sign that says 'Administration'. I walk into the building.