Most of the selected candidates were still buzzing with excitement.
"Yami-kun… are you really planning to let them pass just like that?"
Inside the academy principal's office, Mizuki spoke with visible doubt on her face.
She had no objections when it came to Yor and Ryuji Momo passing directly. After all, the two of them had already worked together inside the virtual world. They understood each other well, and their combat capabilities were undeniably outstanding.
Still—this felt too easy.
Not just Mizuki—Haruno and Shinomiya Kaguya, standing off to the side, were equally curious about Yami Tsukishiro's reasoning.
"Hahaha. You could say the first batch are special cases," Yami Tsukishiro replied casually.
"If anyone wants to enter the academy in the future, it definitely won't be this simple."
Leaning back, he slowly spun the chair beneath him, his gaze drifting toward the sweeping view beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Before that," he said calmly,
"you'd all better get some proper rest."
Before he even finished speaking—
The strength drained from the bodies of the three women as if someone had pulled the plug. They slumped limply onto the sofa beside them, falling into a deep sleep instantly.
At the same moment, every examiner involved in the interviews collapsed as well—drawn into slumber by an unseen force.
Kaguya frowned slightly and rubbed her temple before slowly opening her eyes.
She remembered hearing Yami Tsukishiro mention something about sleep, but the scene before her made her heart jolt.
…Something was terribly wrong.
The walls were peeling.
The air was stale.
Long, narrow corridors stretched into darkness, lit only by flickering emergency lights.
There was no doubt about it—
This was a ruined hospital.
This definitely isn't the academy.
Just as Kaguya stood frozen in shock, a figure appeared beside her without a sound.
Yami Tsukishiro.
Mizuki and Haruno materialized behind him as well—silent and pale, following him like shadows clinging to the ground.
"When the assessment begins," Yami Tsukishiro said coldly, devoid of emotion,
"record everything carefully."
His voice echoed faintly through the corridor.
"This is a dream."
His tone remained eerily calm.
"Everyone involved has been pulled into it. They're all separated into different sections."
"Next, each person will encounter a zombie."
"You are to observe their reactions and responses in detail—how they behave when fear truly strikes."
"Remember—none of them can see you."
"So you're free to do whatever you need."
As soon as those words left his mouth, his body dissolved like mist—vanishing without leaving even a trace behind.
"Dream…land."
The three women gasped in unison.
The realism was horrifying.
This wasn't like watching a dream—it felt like living in one.
What shocked them even more was the fact that everyone's dreams were connected… overlapping yet isolated.
Such an ability was nothing short of unbelievable.
"It's starting," Haruno said, her expression sharpening.
"I'll move first."
Without hesitating, she stepped straight through a wall and disappeared toward a distant area.
Mizuki and Kaguya exchanged a glance before heading toward their respective targets.
From above—
From a perspective beyond the dream—
Yami Tsukishiro observed everything.
Like a god overseeing a miniature world.
As expected…
Ryuji Momo and Yor moved like predators.
Fast. Precise. Ruthless.
They tore through the zombies without hesitation, wiping them out before fear could even take root.
Congratulations. Assessment cleared.
Honestly, Yami Tsukishiro had known this outcome from the start.
Both of them had already stepped into Level Two, and their Gene Locks had undergone further evolution. Failing a test like this would've been embarrassing.
Yor's Gene Lock
[Sublimation]
Type: Gene Lock (Meme)
Rank: C-Class
Abilities:
Body Sublimation: Enter a heightened physical state
Mental Sublimation: Enter an enhanced spiritual state
Ryuji Momo's Gene Lock
[Armament]
Type: Gene Lock (Meme)
Rank: C-Class
Abilities:
Armament Control: Manipulate additional weapon functions
Weapon Transformation: Change weapon forms freely
Failing against something this basic would've been absurd.
The zombies inside the dream were fragile—pitiful, even.
Their strength wasn't much better than that of ordinary people.
Scary on the surface. A total paper tiger.
With a thought, Yami Tsukishiro detached them from the dream.
A quiet command followed—
Their spirits returned.
Ryuji Momo sat up abruptly, blinking as reality snapped back into place.
Across from him, Yor did the same.
"Figures," Ryuji muttered. "So there was still an assessment."
Yor nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. It would be too strange if anyone could just walk in."
"We passed easily, but for normal people…"
She paused, frowning.
"…I'm more curious about something else."
"That dream felt too real."
"How does someone even pull that off?"
Ryuji shrugged helplessly. "Superpowers. At that point, logic stops helping."
They weren't wrong.
Everyone else—
Did not perform nearly as well.
Throughout the dream, Yami Tsukishiro had used subtle mental interference to prevent anyone from realizing it wasn't reality.
Fear had to be genuine.
Only then could authentic reactions emerge.
Most participants panicked.
Some ran headlong into danger.
Others barricaded themselves in rooms, trembling in silence.
But—
Some stood out.
Miura Yumiko, in particular.
"Hahaha…"
The zombie shambled forward, its movements stiff and crooked.
Up close, Yumiko realized something important.
As long as she stayed calm…
As long as fear didn't take control…
These things were slow.
Painfully slow.
Once she recognized that, her breathing steadied.
Her eyes darted—and locked onto a multi-tiered medicine cart nearby.
A spark flared in her mind.
Then—
She moved.
Gripping her resolve, Yumiko sprinted forward, slipping behind the cart in a blur.
She shoved it.
Hard.
The cart slammed into the zombie like a charging shield.
The creature clawed wildly, but it couldn't reach her—pressed firmly against the metal frame like grass crushed by a storm.
Her heartbeat thundered.
But courage swelled within her chest.
Eyes fixed on the open room at the end of the corridor—
"Ha!"
Yumiko roared, pushing with everything she had.
The zombies were forced backward, stumbling helplessly until they tumbled into the room along with the cart.
CLANG!
The door slammed shut.
Danger—sealed away.
Still not satisfied, Yumiko ran.
Bedsheets. Door handles. Knots pulled tight again and again.
Behind the door—
"ROOOAR!"
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The door rattled violently.
But it held.
Only then did Yumiko allow herself to collapse against the wall, sliding to the floor in exhaustion.
Her thoughts finally caught up.
"…Wasn't I just in the dormitory with Yui?"
She had never been to this place before.
Then—
Footsteps.
Soft. Sudden.
Her nerves exploded.
"Congratulations."
"WHO—?!"
Yumiko spun around in terror.
Shinomiya Kaguya stood there—expression cold and unreadable.
"It's you…"
Yumiko recognized her instantly.
"Congratulations," Kaguya said calmly.
"You've passed the assessment."
"Welcome to Potential Academy."
"The dream will end now."
"Assessment…? Dream…?"
Before Yumiko could press for answers, a powerful sense of detachment washed over her.
The world warped.
Shattered.
"HUH—!"
Yumiko shot upright in bed, gasping for breath.
Beside her, Yui was still fast asleep.
So that was it.
A dream.
An assessment.
She smiled weakly.
"Yeah… no way it would be that easy."
Her expression turned worried.
"…I wonder how Yui's doing."
At that very moment—
Yui was backing away in terror, cornered by advancing zombies…
With nowhere left to retreat.
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