Shadow Slave: Flaw of Gods.

Shortly after the scuffle in the cafeteria, he, along with many other Sleepers, including Nephis, descended to one of the lowest levels of the complex. Before them, a wide dojo was revealed, with a sign above the entrance that read "Introductory Combat Training."

At the entrance, they were met by Instructor Rok. He scrutinized everyone entering the dojo, occasionally nodding or sighing. Soon, a small crowd gathered in the center and actively discussed which courses they planned to attend. After some time, a huge shadow fell over the crowd. When everyone turned around, they saw the instructor. Without a word, they immediately lined up.

Instructor Rok spoke in a booming, cold voice that drowned out any whispering:

"Welcome to the combat training courses. Here, you will either learn to survive or become just another victim of this cursed nightmare. Some of you think this is regular training. You are mistaken. This place will teach you to face your worst fear and beat it until it crawls away. I will do my best to ensure you survive your dream realm."

His words cut through the air like a whip. Everyone fell silent, realizing the seriousness of the situation. It was true—many of the people they met here would die. Each of them could die. Even him.

"Now, your names will be called from the list. On the first day, we will measure your stats: from weight and height to strength and combat technique."

After these words, he began listing the Sleepers. No one dared to break the silence. A few people he called caught my attention. These were Nephis and Caster. Unlike the others, they stood out: Nephis with her calmness, as if she had already lived through a thousand such nightmares, and Caster with his nobility, expressed through his confident posture and smooth movements.

The instructor's loud voice called me:

"Veil, step in."

I entered the room, and the instructor instructed me to stand first on the scales, then next to the height measurement tool. He asked questions: if I had trained before, how old I was, and so on. Each question was cold but precise. They weren't out of curiosity, but to understand what I was capable of and what I could improve.

After leaving the room, I heard the loud voice of Instructor Rok call the next Sleeper. It seemed as if the dojo walls vibrated from his commands.

Soon, when everyone had passed the basic check, we were tested for strength, endurance, speed, and agility.

First, we stretched our joints and muscles. The instructors carefully observed our flexibility, evaluating every bend and stretch. Their gazes were sharp, like predators scouting for the weak.

Suddenly, a signal was heard, and a scoreboard that had been overhead all this time displayed names. Nephis was in first place, and Caster was in fourth. I found myself at the very bottom of the board. The blow to my pride was painful, but I didn't give myself time to dwell on it.

Next, speed was tested. We were lined up, and a mechanism calculated the exact time it took us to cover a hundred-meter distance.

"Nine seconds is a high result. Anything above nine is average. Thirteen and higher is a failure," Rok announced, staring at us intently.

Caster stepped onto the starting platform. Everyone watched him expectantly. The starting signal sounded, and Caster took off like lightning. His movements seemed to blend into a single blur. Almost simultaneously, the sounds of the start and finish echoed. The counter displayed five seconds.

The scoreboard showed 73 km/h. His name rose to the very top of the list. Silence filled the hall. Even the instructors froze for a moment. It seemed as if he had teleported to the other end of the line.

Caster gave a shy smile and reached for a towel. His gaze was calm, but a spark of pride burned within him. The crowd immediately surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.

"How did you do it? Did you train?"

"This is impossible! Are you really a Sleeper?"

The instructor's thunderous roar shattered the moment:

"Get back in line! Who allowed you to scatter!? Next time, any violation of discipline will have you standing in the dojo on your knuckles!"

The crowd dispersed, instantly forming ranks. The board updated: Caster was in first place, and Nephis had dropped to fourth. I remained at the bottom.

My mind boiled. I was only thirteen—this wasn't fair!

After some time, we were brought into a spacious room with a wide plate connected to a special measuring device in the center. Instructor Rok explained: each strike on the plate would be recorded, and the device would display a number corresponding to the Sleeper's physical strength.

Theoretically, creating such a device wasn't difficult. However, considering that many Sleepers had combat Aspects that increased their strength in various ways, it was an engineering marvel with a significant durability margin.

The technique of delivering a blow and physical conditioning also affected the final result.

Most people scored between ten and fourteen. This was considered a good result, achievable only by the most athletic individuals. However, many Sleepers, especially those with enhancing Aspects, could achieve scores of fifteen or even sixteen.

Nephis's turn came.

The slender girl approached the device and, without any unnecessary preparation, delivered a sudden, crushing blow. Veil wasn't well-versed in martial arts, but even he was impressed by the flawless economy of her strike and its speed.

Next was Caster's turn. This time, Veil couldn't even see the flying fist—it was too fast. The device trembled and took even longer to calculate. Finally, a two-digit number appeared.

Twenty-one.

Everyone stared at the display in shock. Some looked at Caster with admiration, while he simply bowed and stepped back. Instructor Rok smiled.

Only Veil was left. This time, he was confident things would be different—he would definitely score no less than sixteen!

He approached the plate, assumed a striking stance, and stared at it with all his resolve, imagining his worst enemy in its place. Then he looked at his fist and sighed. He clenched it until blood almost seeped from his skin, his nails digging into his palm, and began his strike. The sound of his fist cutting through the air roared, the entire building trembling in disbelief. He seemed like a giant, and the plate seemed like a toy before his blow. The mechanism seemed ready to break even before his fist reached its mark.

After the strike, the mechanism nearly fell apart. It trembled, refusing to settle, and the number on it should have shot through the roof.

Everyone fell silent, watching the result in disbelief. Exclamations were heard.

"No way!"

"How can this be real?"

"This... This..."

After a long calculation, the board showed the number six.

"This... is the worst result."

His legs buckled, and he was ready to collapse to his knees. Around him, cries of pity were heard.

"Poor boy, how will he survive his second nightmare?"

Instructor Rok was silent for a few moments and sighed.

"...Overall, not bad. Now we will move on to sparring and assess your overall level of preparation. I need two volunteers to start."

Nephis was the first to step forward and walked to the center of the ring. A few seconds later, a tall and extremely muscular Sleeper stepped into the ring, facing her.

"The rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use any abilities and techniques you deem necessary."

Without wasting time, the tall guy attacked. His muscles bulged, threatening to tear the soft fabric of his white dobok. He charged like an unstoppable mountain, launching a furious kick.

...A second later, he was lying on the floor with a stunned expression. Nephis hadn't even changed her stance.

Instructor Rok threw her a playful glance and smirked.

"Next."

The events that followed could only be described as a massacre. One by one, Nephis managed to defeat almost all the Sleepers present in the dojo. She didn't appear to be faster or stronger than them, but every time someone entered the ring to fight her, they inevitably ended up beaten and lying on the floor.

Nephis moved with the calm precision of a battle machine. Her technique was pure, graceful, and ruthless. Regardless of the type of attack aimed at her, she could either predict it or react instantly and deflect it with minimal effort, turning it against her opponent.

It didn't matter if her opponent was poor, rich, or even a Legacy. She dealt with everyone in seconds.

Moreover, throughout the entire process, her expression never changed. It was as if Nephis was made of steel.

With a sigh, Veil accepted his fate and stepped into the ring. Nephis looked at him and turned to the instructor.

— I won't fight him, it's pointless.

Instructor Rok looked at her, nodded, and addressed him.

— Fair enough. If you wish, you can join the others.

His pride had already been shattered. No, this was too much.

— I refuse to leave.

The instructor looked at him for a while and nodded, signaling the start of the fight.

He was going to win this fight. In the blink of an eye, Nephis closed the distance between them, and in that time, Veil managed to fall asleep and merge back into his body within fractions of a second.

Time seemed to slow down. His spirit left his body and returned to it.

His pupils shrank, and he ducked under her strike. He was faster than her, though not by much. If he really wanted to change this world, the least he could do was defeat her.

He grabbed her in a hold, taking advantage of her brief hesitation. He was ready to throw her out of the ring when she simply...

Nephis smiled.

— You're too small.

She just… she just lifted him up and placed him outside the ring!

This is so unfair! If he were a couple of years older, he could have won. Still absorbed in self-pity, Veil saw that the other Sleepers had already lost to Nephis as well.

Finally, Caster was the last one standing. However, he didn't seem bothered by the pitiful failure of the others. With a soft smile, he stepped into the ring.

Caster and Nephis looked at each other. For a few seconds, their gazes met, and then Caster bowed slightly.

"Lady Nephis. I apologize in advance."

An intense silence hung over the ring. All eyes were on them. This was the climax—the fight everyone had been waiting for.

Nephis nodded, maintaining her coldness. Both of them assumed their stances.

The fight was just beginning.

It seemed as if Caster had suddenly ceased to exist.

However, this was only an illusion. In reality, he was moving so quickly that the human eye couldn't follow his movements. All they saw was a blur rushing through the air.

In a split second, Caster closed the distance between himself and Nephis and delivered a crushing blow. However, despite his incredible speed, she somehow reacted in time, slightly turning her body to deflect the strike.

But it still wasn't enough. Though Nephis managed to avoid a hit to her center of gravity, Caster's fist struck her shoulder, causing her to spin.

Wasting no time, Caster disappeared again. His plan was simple: while Nephis believed her opponent was still in front of her, he would use his unnatural speed to circle around and attack her from behind.

The young man appeared behind the unaware girl, ready to end the fight with one decisive blow. As he planned, she seemed prepared to attack in the direction where he had been just a fraction of a second ago. Caster was pleased and shifted his weight, putting all his strength into his fist.

However, at the last moment, Nephis suddenly changed her stance and struck back with frightening force, her elbow heading straight for his face.

Caster's eyes widened. It was all a trick!

And now that he had launched his attack, it was impossible to stop. No matter how fast he was, he still obeyed the laws of inertia. The elbow closed in on his face with a deep sense of inevitability.

And yet, Caster managed to dodge the blow, if only by a hair's breadth. His speed advantage was too great.

Then he tripped her and pushed Nephis, sending her falling to the floor. But just before she hit the mats, the young man carefully grabbed the collar of her dobok and slightly tugged it, slowing her fall and allowing her to land softly.

Lying on her back, the girl blinked a couple of times and looked at him. The entire skirmish had lasted no more than two seconds.

The other Sleepers watched the young man with awe, whispering quietly among themselves. His performance seemed to have deeply impressed them.

However, Caster himself didn't feel any particular triumph. He looked at Nephis with an impassive expression.

This was because, unlike the others, he had reached a certain realization. The truth about it was known only to him, Nephis, Instructor Rok… Veil was extremely observant and quick to pick up on such things.

The Sleepers hadn't noticed that Nephis didn't use her Aspect Ability during the spar with Caster. In fact, she hadn't used it during today's testing at all. No one even knew what her ability was.

And yet, despite her powerful Aspect, Caster had barely managed to snatch victory from her.

He sighed. His defeat had come easily—he lost, even though Nephis hadn't used her Aspect, unlike him.

The lesson was drawing to a close. Instructor Rok announced that everyone should return tomorrow at the same time. Veil shook his head in frustration: there was still a lot of work ahead.

Soon, the students began to disperse. Veil slowly trudged towards the exit when someone gently touched his shoulder. He turned around and froze in place, seeing Nephis.

— Can we talk? — she asked.

Still stunned, Veil nodded.

Satisfied with his response, Nephis gestured for him to follow her. They headed towards the women's dormitory. Veil followed her, feeling lost.

He stole a glance at her and began imagining the worst scenarios. What if she was one of those girls who lured guys into secluded places? Oh, no! What would he do? She was much stronger than him!

Panicking internally, Veil finally made a decision.

— Um… Sorry, but I'm running late! Bye! — he blurted out.

Oh, God, that was terrible.

Nephis stopped with a look of confusion and calmly said:

— We're already here. Don't worry, it won't take long.

Veil sighed. For the second time today, he surrendered to fate because of one person!

She opened the door and gestured for him to enter.

"Oh no, I'm really doing this," he thought. His face burned with embarrassment as he walked into the nearly empty room.

After thinking a little, Nephis turned around and asked:

— What's your name?

Veil squeezed his eyes shut, praying to every god he could think of.

She patted him on the shoulder.

— Huh?

— What's your name? — Nephis repeated.

Veil stood still for a few seconds before mumbling:

— Veil.

She nodded in satisfaction.

— Veil, you were weak in training. So I'm going to train you.

Veil's eyes widened. Train him? His face flushed again. And how was she going to do that?!

— No! No, that's… that's a crime! — he blurted out.

— A crime? What are you talking about? — Nephis asked, puzzled.

Veil stared into her face.

— You mean training… regular training?

She nodded and added:

— Are there any other kinds?

His face darkened for a moment with a strange shadow.

— Never mind.

Nephis shrugged.

— So, what's your answer?

Veil looked at her intently.

— Why do you want to train me? You need to become stronger yourself.

She thought for a moment.

— Because I want to.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Just because she wanted to? Seriously? He had never heard a stranger reason. But looking into her face, he saw no deceit. Only pure sincerity. Veil finally said:

— *sigh* alright. Let's try.

Nephis smiled.

— Great. Tomorrow at five in the morning, okay?

— Okay... — he nodded.

After saying goodbye, Veil returned to his room in a half-dazed state. Today had been too unusual. The moon shone especially brightly, and he suddenly realized that the days spent here might become unforgettable, despite his flaw.

He smiled. Tears rolled down the corners of his eyes.

— She didn't even say where we would meet!