Rock and Jacob stood side by side, gazing at the trio asleep in the infirmary. Medici's bruises had faded, his broken bones somehow mended. The speed of it made no sense, Sleepers could heal quickly, yes, but this fast? It was unnatural.

Both men watched in silence, their expressions unreadable. At last, Rock exhaled a weary sigh.

"What do you make of those three? Honestly… I'm most worried about them."

Jacob lit a cigarette with a sharp flick, ignoring the "No Smoking" sign above his head. The first drag curled from his lips in lazy defiance.

"Hm… I don't know," he muttered. "But maybe they'll make it. They've got something most people don't, a deep bond and trust. In the Dream Realm, that's worth more than any weapon."

Rock nodded, though the tension in his expression didn't ease.

"Those kids… Medici has great instincts. It's like he's looking at everyone the way a hunter sizes up prey. His last fight against Nephis proved it, he knew he didn't stand a chance in skill, so he resorted to wrestling. Unusual choice these days, but people forget how effective it is for breaking bones or choking someone out."

He sighed, his voice growing more weary.

"As for Luna… I've never taught her myself, but she's sharp. Too sharp, in fact. From what her instructor told me, she's a bit unsettling, likes experimenting on animals, for some reason. Still, she's got a real grasp of the flora and fauna in the Dream Realm. Memorized the anatomy and weaknesses of almost every known nightmare creature, too. That's impressive. And as for Amon…"

Rock paused, glancing at the troublemaker with a wry look. Jacob noticed the expression and smirked.

"That boy's a slippery worm. But… meh, it's all about luck. They might live, they might not. Depends on fate or dumb luck. Who knows? Anyway, why am I even wasting my breath?"

With a yawn and a careless wave, Jacob left the room.

Rock lingered, staring at the scene before him, Medici sprawled on the bed, Amon fast asleep on top of him, head resting on Luna's stomach, while Luna's leg draped lazily across Medici's chest.

A trio of idiots... I hope you guys survive... Even if all of you are annoying little shits.

The next day, the trio attacked breakfast like it was their last meal on earth, which in a way, it was. By tomorrow, they'd be in the Dream Realm.

"Amon, stop stealing my food!" Medici barked, pulling his plate closer.

"I didn't," Amon said through a mouthful of bread.

"You literally have my chicken wing in your hand, you cunt!"

Other sleepers stared, confused, then decided to ignore them. Not everyone could laugh on the eve of what might be their death.

Halfway through the chaos, Rock stepped onto the stage and called the sleepers to follow him. The trio didn't even look up. They just kept eating until the very last bite, then finally grabbed their plates and trudged after him.

Sleepers followed Rock in academy's medical center. The center looked more like a shrine than a hospital. Its interior contained both highly advanced technology as well as some of the best Healers among the Awakened. For the duration of their first journey into the Dream Realm, the bodies of Sleepers would be kept safe in specially designed pods and sustained by the magical powers of those Healers if anything unfortunate were to happen on the other side of the Spell.

Of course, whether or not they would wake up in the end wholly depended on the Sleepers themselves.

after entering the medical center, Instructor Rock did not take them directly to the wing containing Sleeper pods. Instead, he led them to a comparatively deserted floor and then opened the doors to a spacious gallery that was brightly illuminated by the beautiful crimson rays of the setting sun.

There, they saw rows and rows of wheelchairs. In each wheelchair, there was a person with a blank, strangely peaceful expression on their face. All these people were completely silent, motionless, and still. They did not show any reaction to the appearance of guests.

They all seemed to be… empty.

Instructor Rock looked at the empty people with solemn eyes.

"There is a reason I brought you all here. Look well and remember. Some of you may know who these people are… for those of you who don't, they are called Hollow."

He gritted his teeth.

"Each one of them was once either a Sleeper or an Awakened. Some of them were weak, some of them were strong. Some were even incredibly powerful. All of them have perished in the Dream Realm."

The instructor opened his mouth to speak, only for the sound of loud, obnoxious chewing to cut him off. His brow furrowed.

He turned his head and, sure enough, there they were: Amon and his friends, standing off to the side, munching sandwiches while staring at the Hollows like they were some kind of exhibit.

Rock felt irritation claw at the edges of his composure. He inhaled slowly. Today was not the day to lose his temper over these brats.

"…So," he said at last, voice tight, "don't die out there."

An hour later, the sleepers were led toward their pods. Amon and his friends let out long sighs. If they were being honest, they were scared shitless but what could they do? Nothing. And knowing their luck, it would be the Forgotten Shore. No doubt about it.

Amon hated that cursed place. Sure, he had information about it, but so what? Without luck, you were dead there. Simple as that.

He glanced at his friends, forcing a smile.

"We prayed to Klein, Adam, Amanises, Lilith… even Leodero, though I think that guy's beefing with me… Fuck, we're cooked!"

He spoke with a panicked look, fear cracking through his expression as he clutched their shoulders.

"There's no way we survive! All of us are going to die. Simple as that. Those guys?" He jerked his chin toward the other sleepers. By now, they were watching too with dark, hostile expressions on their faces. They didn't need some idiot reminding them they were one step away from death.

Amon sighed, then smiled in a self-deprecating way.

"Well, don't worry. Even if we die, we'll die together, so it's fine. In fact, if I'm going to get cooked, I'd prefer everyone else to share the same fate. I'd feel a lot better that way, hahaha."

The air in the pod seemed to drop a few degrees. Every sleeper was now staring at him with murderous intent, while Medici and Luna tried to force strained smiles.

flaw twisted his tongue, making him say the dumbest things at the worst times. Usually, he'd hold his tongue, but with Blasphemer's gambit turning every move of his into an offense, his words made him the most hated guy in the entire hospital.

Well… so everyone wants to kill me now? Fair enough. Reasonable development, I guess.

At least, please... not Forgotten Shore. Dead gods, I swear I won't do anything stupid for a few months. Just please!

Medici grinned at him, ruffling Amon's hair with an unbothered smile. Amon looked up at him, eyes wide.

You… Medici, you are… Why do you still look like a hotdog? He tilted his head, squinting. Eh… at least you're a reliable hotdog.

Then he froze, a thought dawning on him…Wait. None of us are reliable... Shit.

At some point, they'd have to go their own ways, each returning to their own sleeping pods. Amon smiled at them, there wasn't much left to say. Everything that mattered had already been said.

But as he turned to leave, he felt something soft and warm press against his back, followed by the faint tickle of white hair. Luna rested her chin gently on his shoulder, remaining silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Don't do anything stupid. Control your greed… and your flaw. If you can't, they'll be your downfall." Her voice was quiet but firm. "We already talked about what to do. Just… don't die. And find me as soon as possible, okay?"

Amon's mouth curled into a smug grin, and he shook his head slightly, only for Luna to spin him around and grip his shoulders firmly. Under her piercing gaze, all he could do was nod awkwardly.

"Sure… Don't you die, either. And be careful of corruption. The spell might protect you, but we can't be a hundred percent certain."

He hesitated, then gave her a wry smile.

"Look, we've talked in the group chat about what we'd do if we got transmigrated into Shadow Slave before. We've read all the theories on how to survive better. Everything will be fine… probably."

Luna studied him for a moment, then nodded and released him, only to turn right back and pull him into another tight hug. After a long moment, she finally walked away toward her room.

Amon sighed. Eh… feels exactly like when Mom dropped me off for my first day of school…

But then he stepped into his room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. He took a deep breath and stood there for a while, unmoving, letting the silence settle around him.

"I'll find you guys," he muttered at last, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Transmigrator Trio… forever."

Amon climbed onto his sleeping pod with a heavy sigh of resignation. The cold metal beneath him was a stark reminder of what awaited.

Then, in the vast, echoing darkness, a voice rang out:

[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Blasphemer!]

Rock walked away with a hardened look etched deep into his face. Silently, he prayed for the wellbeing of these children. They hadn't done anything wrong… well, maybe not all of them.

But it didn't matter. None of them deserved this terrible fate. The Dream Realm was vast and cruel, like spell was. It showed no mercy, no forgiveness. Just endless suffering and madness, ruthless and tyrannical.

He climbed the stairs slowly, the weight of each step pressing on his chest like a stone. The chamber where the Hollows rested was cold and silent, a graveyard of soulless bodies, corpses that only looked alive.

Rock's heart clenched as he stepped inside. He hoped, more than anything, that none of his current students would join them.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady the storm inside him. Every year brought more tragedy, more children lost to this merciless realm. Every year, he had to send them to their graves, powerless to change their fate.

How many had died under his watch? The question haunted him. The faces blurred, the names faded. He couldn't even count anymore. He couldn't even remember them all.

Shaking his head, Rock forced himself to move forward, unwilling to linger longer in this grim, suffocating place. But then, something caught his eye to the left, something so absurd it left him frozen, speechless, even.

One of the hollows. A young man with disheveled brown hair and pale, ghostly skin, eyes closed as if in eternal sleep. Yet, inexplicably, a half-eaten sandwich was stuffed in his mouth and clutched in his hand. His clothes were smeared with grease and crumbs, as if someone had wiped their filthy hands on him after a meal.

Rock's jaw tightened. His mouth twitched with a fury he barely contained, voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

"You... little shits!"

At the same time, Amon opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. Than a slow, wide grin spread across his face as he realised. It wasn't the Dark Sea! That meant he wasn't in the Forgotten Shore! Hell yeah! Adam, this must be your doing! Or Klein's!? Whatever! I'm so back, baby!

He stood up, laughing carelessly. He felt so happy, so gleeful, that he almost forgot he was still in the dream realm and that nightmare creatures lurked nearby.

After calming himself, he shook his head with a smug smile, closing his eyes slightly.

"Heh, scammer's luck really is something. Can't believe I actually dodged the Forgotten…"

But than, his voice trailed off as he opened his eyes and looked back. Behind him rose towering, jagged peaks that seemed to pierce the heavens and thick, gray mist clung to them, swallowing everything it touched.

Amon's gleeful expression slowly stiffened, turning strained and forced as he muttered, "... I'm cooked."

He was at the northern edge of the Hollow Mountains. Exactly four hundred meters from the Dark Sea and the Forgotten Shore...