In the Academy as Sukuna

(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

"Coffee Jelly is the best dish made by mankind. The soft jelly with the taste of coffee with just the right amount of sweetness that melts in your mouth makes it–"

I was rudely awakened from my dream by someone shaking me by the shoulder, my eyes slowly opening. It seems that I had fallen asleep while waiting in the room.

What came into view was the blonde-haired girl, Anny Leonhart.

Her expression seemed to be blank, almost as if she was trying to keep up her graceful demeanor. But her eyes betrayed the interest she had in me.

It seems that she had noticed Alexia's reaction, and wondered why she was so scared of my presence.

"5th exam," she announced quietly, removing her hand from my shoulder and turning towards the door, walking away.

I looked around, and saw that Alexia had already left.

I got up too, following her through the dimly lit hallway, which led to the venue of the exam… a large area with 10 doors on one side, each made of thick metal.

The huge room was illuminated by bright lights, which momentarily blinded me.

As my eyes slowly adapted to the brightness, I saw a bunch of students walking around and chatting… 2000 to be precise.

The only thing reaching my ears was the sound of nervous whispering and agitated footsteps of people pacing around.

Examinees steeled their resolve for this final test they would have to take, before they get accepted into the finest institution in all of the Hunter Union.

I looked around… Anny had already left, going to her friend group to talk. This friend group was the main cast.

Alexia Hadrion, who seemed to be lost in thoughts while standing a little far away from her friends.

Anny Leonheart, the princess herself, who was talking to two boys, while occasionally glancing at Alexia, noticing her staring blankly at the wall.

She was wearing tight clothes that did not interfere with movement, but this also showed her body more clearly.

Her body looks slender, as if made for agility, it was clear that speed was her specialty, though it won't be too much to worry about for the time being.

Next to her was Ryogaku, who was clenching his fists in determination with a determined aura around him, his eyebrows were furrowed in determination.

The light shining from his blade spoke "Determination" in Morse Code. (-.. . - . .-. -- .. -. .- - .. --- -. )

Did I forget to say that he looked determined?

He was quite tall, his physique looked toned, one could tell that he built it by training for years.

His hair was black and short, styled neatly, slightly waving in the nonexistent breeze in the closed room for dramatic purposes.

He was one of the 'save the world' mcs, if you may.

And then there was the mindless brute that is in every story, Johan Wolff.

He was quite tall, almost the same as Ryogaku. Though he looked more muscular and bulky, like a… gorilla.

His hair was brown and styled in a rush. He was standing in a confident posture, though there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

These four already met before and hence knew each other, forming a tightly knit friend group.

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(POV: Ryogaku)

I stood in the middle of the ground, my eyes stuck to the door on the other side… the final test of my abilities.

My hands trembled slightly as I clenched them into fists, fire burning in my eyes.

I was here, finally, the work of all my life has got me here... and I cannot fail now.

I closed my eyes, my whole life… the suffering… coming back to me.

I was born in a remote village in the mountains… a happy, peaceful village.

Ever since my childhood, I was told to wish good on people, to help them if I had a chance.

I listened to everyone with focus, helping my parents whenever I could.

Until one day… my whole life crashed down.

Hungry, and half-dead, I was saved by an old man, who found me unconscious on the road, as if my body was rotting away.

He saved me, fed me, gave me a home to live… he became my family.

Only later did I find out that he was the Rank 9 S+ Class Hunter, Akira Alpin.

I still remember how shocked I was on that day, and how many interesting stories he told me.

But then, he died too, leaving me all alone in this world… again.

He died naturally, his last words still echoing in my mind as he smiled on his deathbed.

"Be strong."

That day… I cried, I cried until no tears came out, but I promised myself… I would become strong… no, I would become the strongest, and make sure no one goes through what I did.

I will never let anyone suffer the same fate as me.

On my quest for greatness, I found people that were even greater than family to me… Anny, Johan, and Alexia.

They were my best friends ones that stayed by my side no matter what I did, correcting my mistakes, encouraging me to keep going.

I opened my eyes as the voice of a man reached my ears, the bright lights momentarily blinding me.

"Please enter the room according to your numbers," the voice announced, before abruptly cutting out.

My serial number was 163, Anny, Alexia and Johan 164, 165 and 166 respectively.

We went to room 16, which would consist of ten people with serial numbers 161 to 170.

The examinees will go 10 at a time through 10 doors, behind which are mini-dungeons made by the academy, they are ranked based on the time taken to clear the dungeon and other things like calmness in battle, ability management, and so on.

We went into the room, slowly sitting down in the chairs next to each other, talking among ourselves.

Alexia seemed to be a little… distracted. She gets scared quite frequently, but this was a level I had never seen before

She was nervously tapping her foot on the floor, the sound of rhythmic tapping drowning in the sound of chatter.

The other examinees were also talking amongst themselves, trying to distract themselves from their nervousness.

As I extended my hand, trying to comfort her by placing it on her shoulder, I suddenly froze, a sense of unease gripping my heart tightly.

Everyone's gazed turned to the door, which slowly opened, revealing the silhouette of a boy.

My body stiffened up, my eyes widening as my heart was overtaken by a familiar feeling… overwhelming dread.

A skinny boy was coming in. His deep black hair styled as if as an afterthought. Looking at him, he does not seem strong at all.

Despite his appearance, the aura he exudes... as if he is leagues above you... it feels just like that day... the day my life took a turn.

I clenched the handle of my sword, my breathing quickening, turning into shallow gasps.

A vivid image, a deeply buried memory popped up in my mind. Burning houses, people screaming to be saved, begging for mercy.

A single silhouette killing people with movements that can only be called graceful.

My other hand went to my chest, on top of burn marks that I got.

Even though he looks like a stick in the wind, with an unmaintained physique, he exuded an aura of superiority and oppression.

It was the same as that day, it was as if he was the spitting image of that person…

I was alert, my gaze not leaving him for a single second as he turned towards us, slowly walking to us with a little smirk.

I could see Alexia's hands trembling… her eyes nervously darted around, trying to avoid eye contact with him.

My breathing slowly started to calm down, though it was still ragged.

My heart beat inside my chest, threatening to burst out as his gaze swept over me. A question rang in my head.

Who is he?

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(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

As I entered the room, I saw everyone staring at me, which was quite uncanny, to be honest.

However, I spotted something interesting… the main cast.

They all seemed to be looking at me cautiously, especially Ryogaku and Alexia, for some reason.

Alexia seemed to be shaking again, just like in the waiting room some time ago.

I stared at her, trying to figure out why, but to no avail.

My curiosity got the best of me as I started walking towards them, eager to know their thoughts.

My footsteps were silent, almost as if I wasn't even there.

Anny raised an eyebrow as I approached, her eyes glinting with interest, while Johan looked at me with a characteristic fire burning in his eyes.

They all seemed to want to step forward, worried that I would hurt Alexia, or something similar. But before they could, Alexia opened her mouth. "Sukuna."

Her voice trembled slightly as she struggled to maintain her composure.

I raised an eyebrow at this. How does she know my name?

But then I remembered, I was the heir of a well-known World Noble family, it wasn't too uncommon.

"Do I know you?" I asked directly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

She gulped, taking a deep breath, as if steeling her resolve to speak.

"I was there… in the party… when you…" she seemed to trail off, her eyes tightly closing as she seemed to remember something.

My eyes widened in realization… the party, it was the time this body had used cursed energy for the first time.

I didn't know she was there, maybe the owner of this body didn't notice her at all.

But this is bad, this could change the storyline, since trauma can be pretty heavy, especially on main characters.

"I see, don't worry too much about it," I said, doing my best to put up a warm smile.

I wouldn't be good to antagonize the main cast so fast, I would like to keep a good relation with them until I'm strong enough.

I slowly turned to Ryogaku, who slightly stiffened up at my gaze.

"I have high hopes for you," I said, a little smirk forming on my face as I stared into his eyes. "Go for second place, first is already taken."

I slowly walked to the corner of the room, my footsteps echoing in the tense silence.

Having good relations with them doesn't mean that I can't have a little fun, does it?

I sat on the chair farthest away from them, slightly leaning back as I closed my eyes.

I can probably rest for a little while, there's still time till our turn. I was quite late in entering the room because I was walking around, but there should still be around 10 minutes.

'Group Sixteen, Enter the Simulator'

Bruh.

I slowly pushed myself up, the chair creaking under my weight. I stretched my arms as the others in the room left one by one.

Ryogaku gave me a last glance before walking out, until I was the only one left in the room.

I walked out leisurely, my steps silent as the bright light hit my eyes again.

My serial number was 169, so I went and entered gate 9.

The dungeon was quite well made, it had a smell of rotting flesh, the metallic smell of blood mixed with it.

The ground made squishy noises as I stepped on it, the rocky walls lightly glowing with mana stones.

As I went further in, a small goblin came into view.

Its body was a disgusting green, wrinkles on its face even though it looked like a child.

It looked almost like a human, except for a filthy face that makes me want to punch it even more.

It slowly turned to me, an ever-present grin on its face as it ran towards me with small yet quick steps.

My lips curled up, forming a smirk as I got into stance, my hands curling into fists as I kept my gaze fixed on the approaching goblin.

My voice reverberated in the room, bouncing off the damp walls as I muttered.

"Time for a taste."