Chapter 81 – Guild

Dream walked over to the building and went through the open gates. When he got inside, a large plaza greeted him.

The plaza had a few hundred people in it. On one side, it was filled with tables and doubled as a restaurant. Dream could see food being served, and the people at the tables looked like hunters with their armor and weapons. It reminded him of the Mountain, just without the food.

On the other side were different reception stations where people did some business. Dozens of people were coming and going with different papers in their hands.

Since Dream needed to register, he went over to the reception area and found an open lane. He walked up to the man at the counter.

"Hi, how can I help you."

The greeting from the man was a bit bland as he had probably been working for a while. Dream got to the point.

"Hi. I'm wondering where I can register for the academy. I was told to come here."

"That won't be necessary."

"Hm?"

A voice suddenly came from behind Dream. He felt it was awfully familiar and turned around.

"Old Man! Hey, you ditched me!"

"...Let's talk elsewhere."

Riddick waved Dream over and they left the reception area. They went over to the restaurant area and found themselves a table. When they sat down, Riddick put up a barrier around them and spoke first.

"Sorry for leaving early. Sophia should've told you, but I didn't want to force you to come here if you had some other plans."

"Which was unnecessary, but I appreciate the thought. But how did you know I was here?"

"I got an alert on the tablet. I had been reading it and Sophia told me that you were here."

"Oh. Neat."

[I contacted him while you were bouncing between buildings. Didn't want to disturb your fun.]

'Right.'

Dream just nodded. He was indeed having fun.

"Anyway. You really do want to join the academy?"

"I think it would be fun. Although I have no idea what to expect. What kind of stuff do they teach?"

"Magic of all kinds. It's mainly magic sequences and its theory. Though it's also alchemy and enchanting. They deal primarily with the elements and techniques for using magic. There are also competitions, expeditions, and various other activities to keep the students entertained and sharp. The competition and pressure there is intense."

"Well I can imagine. It's the biggest magic school on the continent. Everyone wants to get in there."

"And it's why the requirements are also strict. Though you would be able to enter easily and be hailed as a genius with the way you are. However, my advice would be to hide your master class. So the first thing I would have to do is get you in through connections so they don't insist on getting your status, which they will do if you enter the normal way."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I can modify my status plate however I want."

"...Seriously?"

"Who do you think I am? That's how I got through the gates. I changed it on the spot and it was all good. Just tell me the best things to put on the plate and I can."

"...I'm not even going to argue with you. Though that does make things easier. So you're set on entering the academy? You'll have to pretend you're much weaker than you are as exposing your abilities can garner attention you don't want. That shouldn't be hard for you, but if you're opposed to it then we need another plan."

"I am pretty set. And no I'm not opposed. I had already assumed I would need to. That's why I set my mana emissions to certain levels. Nobody will be able to see through it. Not even you."

"...I can see that."

Riddick let out mana and surrounded Dream with it, getting a look. All he could see was the body of a strong man and a mana level of C-. He saw none of the Mithril bones or extraordinary mana levels like before. 

Riddick figured that unless he made contact with Dream and infused lots of mana while activating several magic spells, he wouldn't be able to find out his true nature. And it wasn't like anybody at his level was going to do that to Dream, so he knew he was safe.

"Then here's what's going to happen. The academy is still in the middle of its year, so no new applicants are being submitted right now. But with me here, you won't need to worry about getting in. I'll talk to the ones above and have you put in. You'll of course need to be there and they'll test you, making sure that you qualify to enter."

"Alright. You know the people who run the academy?"

"Of course. I've worked with plenty of them. That's also what I've been doing since I've gotten here. I've made my return known and I'm beginning to re-establish myself. The entire community should know of my return by now and none of my reputation has died out. I have plenty of influence, not to mention how I'm still a class 3. Getting you into the academy is simple."

"Sounds good."

"Then that'll be the next thing I do. At the earliest, I can have you in in two days. After the testing, we'll figure out the details like your classes and we'll also give you a rundown of how the school works. One thing to note is that there is housing, so you'll be living with all the other students in a dorm."

"Fun. Though there's one thing I need to know."

"What is it?"

"Sure I'm going to the academy to make friends, but I still have the goal of getting to class 3 and making my mana pathways. I don't exactly plan to spend a year just breezing through school life. I'm going to spend time leveling up and once I get to my class advancement, I'll need the technique. So I need to know how to get that."

Dream laid out his plans for the future. He didn't mind spending some time at this academy. He might be able to learn something valuable and socialize a bit. But the main reason he came here was for the pathways. 

"I understand. The usual way to get the techniques is through affiliation. If you become a member of the Spire and prove yourself, you'll be given them. There's also merits where you do things for them such as various missions and that'll help prove your ability. Loyalty isn't too important, but the point I'm trying to make is that they won't just give you them. Though there is another way."

"What other way?"

"Find the books. There have been plenty of class 3's in the past, and the techniques come in the form of magic books. If you somehow stumble upon someone with a book and it had the technique in it, you can use that. As long as it's compatible of course. The compatibility of mana pathways is beyond important. Good or bad pathways will decide whether you stop at class 3 or move on."

"That relies more on luck, but alright. I'll keep my eyes peeled. I didn't even know there were magic books."

"Of course. If you inlay magic sequences into a book and give it power, you can use it to easily cast spells."

"Huh. I've never used a magic sequence before either."

"Which is why you're so abnormal. Normal people have to use sequences to guide the mana, but you just...do. You manipulate it. Which is another thing you should avoid doing while in the academy."

"Don't use magic?"

"Learn to use sequences. Only people on the class 3 level are supposed to be able to manipulate mana, and that's due to the pathways. Others don't have that power."

"What about the girls? They literally had a manipulation skill."

"They're also an anomaly like you. Just know that everyone under class 3 shouldn't be able to manipulate."

"Sure. Anyway, is that all? You'll go talk to people and I'll take a test, get submitted into the school and be normal for a while?"

"That's the plan. I'll go talk to the people I need to and you'll hangout until then. It might not happen tomorrow, but the next day. Is there a way I can contact you? Do you have another bracelet?"

"I can make one."

Dream took out some titanium and device parts and formed them. In mere moments, he had an enchanted metal watch that could contact him from anywhere.

"Here. The upgraded version."

The watch flew over into Riddick's hands. He took it and put it on his wrist where it self adjusted to fit his size. He then felt the connection be made with his mana. 

"...Interesting."

"Right? You can do whatever you want over mana. Talk, send messages, what have you. There's also that intelligence Wiki who was on your tablet."

"Oh, okay. Then I'll be off. You can go find a hotel or wander the city until you hear from me. You have that money I gave you."

"Okay, but quick question. Where the hell is everything? There's no map for this place. I had to ask a monitor who pulled me over for directions to the guild."

Dream let out one more question as Riddick stood up. 

"He pulled you over? What were you doing?"

"Jumping across buildings."

"You're not supposed to do that."

"Oh really? And how was I supposed to know that?"

"...Good point. Just look at the signs of the buildings. There aren't really any maps that show everything."

"*sigh* Fine. I'll make it work. See you later."

"Goodbye."

Riddick walked off out of the building and flew into the sky. Dream also got up and walked out of the building.

He looked around and saw several streets. He figured a hotel would be close and took a street. 

"Bar...Restaurant...Hotel!"

It didn't take much walking for him to find a place. It was a tall building closely resembling hotels on Earth, just a wood building instead of metal.

He walked in and went up to the reception, getting a room for a day. When he got his room number, he went over and checked it out.

"...Eh. Not bad."

Dream walked in and found basic utilities. Bedroom, bathroom, and a small living area. He took a seat on the bed.

[You've got a day to kill. What do you want to do?]

"I don't know. Practice maybe."

[Alright. Come on up.]

Sophia pulled his consciousness up into the mind space where he appeared in the fighting area they used. Sophia stood in front of him.

[Your reflexes have improved dramatically. Let's see how much.]

Wasting no time, Sophia dashed over to him and threw a punch at his face. It was fast. Really fast. And Dream, who didn't see it coming, moved his head out of the way.

*Woosh*

[Nice.]

"...Oh yea."

Dream smiled as Sophia pulled away. He could feel how fast that reaction was. It felt like one of those ultra-instinct moments where you do something without thinking about it. Except now, it would be like that all the time.

"Now I know you'll still have no problem beating me..."

Dream activated his muscles as he spoke, feeling the extreme power within them just waiting to explode. He could control every muscle in his body to its utmost, not only allowing more power, but precision and flexibility. He felt good. This was his peak state. 

"...but it won't be so easy now."

[Then show me.]

Sophia approached once more. Dream watched her, pushing his concentration to the max. Time seemed to slow down, but even then, Sophia kept her pace. She was speeding up along with Dream's perception. Though this didn't deter him. He braced.

"...Let's dance."

..............

........

....

The next day, Dream and Sophia were still fighting.

They hadn't stopped for a full 18 hours, and they weren't planning on it either. Back and forth they attempted to beat the other into oblivion. In this place, there was no death, so there was no need to worry about death. Everything they did was with the intention to kill the other.

Though it seemed extreme, that's what it became. At first, Dream didn't fight Sophia anywhere near with the intention to kill. But after getting killed multiple times, that began to change. He no longer had reservations about fighting her. This also allowed him to control his intent better.

Dream gradually learned to control his killing intent. He could flip it almost like a switch. This was because when he had first fought Sophia with the intent to kill and the fight ended, he had a bit of trouble getting it out of his head the thought to kill her. But after a bit of 'relaxation' with Sophia, he returned to normal. This repeated itself the next time they fought, and he was able to better control himself. Thus earning him this new skill. 

It also allowed their fights to become much more productive. Dream could truly improve and wouldn't have any trouble should he get into a real life and death fight. 

As Sophia and Dream fought, they suddenly got an interruption. It was from the bracelet. Both of them pulled away from each other at the same time. 

[...Looks like Riddick finished on his end.]

Sophia spoke as blood poured from her arm and head. Dream looked even worse. He had half his thigh missing and deep gashes all around. He nodded to her while wiping white blood off his face. 

"Alright. Then I guess this fight is at its end."

[You did very well. It wasn't so one-sided as usual.]

"Still can't beat you though. But thanks."

[Sure. Go ahead and head down.]

"Ok."

The next moment, Dream's consciousness moved back into his body. He was still sitting on the hotel bed. He looked at the watch, seeing Riddick's call trying to get through. 

*Click*

"Hello." (Dream)

"Hi. I've spoken to the counselors and headmaster. You've been admitted."

"Admitted? What about the test?"

"Since it was me who was asking for your admission, they let it through without question."

"Looks like your reputation precedes you."

"Apparently so. They said that anyone who is recommended by me wouldn't be disappointing. And It's not like I'm worried about your ability. So that's one less obstacle for you. Though they do at least want to meet you. Not just to see a face, but you'll also need to select classes and get your uniform and such. Which is happening today."

"Today? When?"

"Meeting is in half an hour."

"...Thanks for the heads up."

"What? Are you doing something?"

"No, but that's not the point. *sigh* Alright. Where am I heading for this?"

"Head to the academy. I'll be outside waiting to take you to the counselor. And I don't need to remind you to hide your ability."

"Nope."

"Then I'll see you soon."

*Click*

They hung up and Dream stood from the bed, stretching out.

"Well, I'm already dressed anyway. Let's head out."

Dream left the room, never to return. He walked out of the building and activated stealth, rising into the sky. He turned towards the direction of the academy.

"Time to go back to school I guess. Never thought I'd be going to a magic academy though."

[It'll be fun. Probably.]

"Hopefully."

With that, he began flying over to the location, only taking a minute or so to arrive.