My System Doesn't Give Power

Chapter 62: New Dawn Academy III

About ten minutes later, Zac and Marty walked out of the registration office.

Shobin, who had been sitting on a nearby bench, immediately stood up, seeing them, and walked over.

"Done already?"

"Yeah," Marty replied.

"They registered our names and gave us these." He held up a small metal token with a number engraved on it. "They said we’re supposed to stay in whatever room matches this number."

"That’s right," Shobin said. "The new student orientation is tomorrow. Until then, we’re technically still recruits, not students."

"The rooms you are going to stay in today are just temporary ones. When the orientation is finished, we all will receive our original allotted rooms."

Shobin turned around and started walking. "Come on. I’ll show you where you will be staying today."

The three of them continued down the busy street.

After a few minutes, Marty spoke up. "So how long have you been here?"

Shobin scratched his head. "Well... I was really excited after getting selected by New Dawn Academy, so I came pretty early."

"How early?" Zac asked.

Shobin thought about it. "A week early."

He paused. "Actually, no. Two weeks."

Marty looked unconvinced and gave him a side look.

Shobin sighed. "Fine. A month."

"A month?" Marty almost tripped. "But the entrance exams only finished two or three weeks ago."

"In the Eastern Alliance, yes. But I’m from the Prime Federation; the exams there ended more than a month ago."

Marty’s eyes lit up. "Wait. Prime Federation?"

"Yep."

"I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never met anyone from there or any other country. Now I want to hear everything about it."

Before they could start talking, Zac said, "Those things can wait; for now tell us more about the academy."

"Sure." Shobin spread his arms dramatically at Marty and started talking. "First thing you should know: we’re not actually in Central City."

"I figured that much," Zac said.

"Because we’re technically not even on Earth anymore. The sun you’re seeing up there, and the moon and stars you’ll see tonight, are all imitations of the real ones."

Mark blinked several times. "What? That’s insane."

"It is. I had the same reaction when I first got here."

Zac narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sun. "If it’s artificial, then why..." he paused. "Why can I feel its warmth?"

Shobin nodded immediately.

"Exactly. I asked the same question on my second day here. But since I’m not a student yet, no one would answer me, and I can’t access the library or anything else."

He shrugged. "So I’m still... in the dark too."

"So what have you been doing for an entire month?" Zac asked.

Shobin looked away. "...reading comics and novels and playing video games."

"So you’re a geek," Zac said.

Marty immediately jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow.

"That’s not how you make friends."

"It’s fine," Shobin said with a laugh. "I’m used to that."

He gestured toward the academy around them. "The problem is that recruits like us can’t access most of the facilities until we officially become students."

"What kind of facilities are we talking about?" Marty asked.

"Where do I even start?" Shobin said, counting on his fingers. "There’s a massive library, multiple combat arenas, training fields, specialized gyms, gravity rooms, and mana cultivation chambers. There are also restaurants, bars, cafés, and entire shopping districts for relaxation. We even have a multiplex theater."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. If you ask me, they should call it New Dawn City instead of New Dawn Academy."

He let out a sigh. "Every time I tried to enter somewhere, they asked for my student ID. The moment they found out I was just a recruit, they shooed me away."

"So what did you do?" Zac asked.

"I locked myself in my room and became one with my bed."

"But you seem strangely familiar with Mr. Matron," Zac said.

"Oh, you mean the security guy? Yeah, we’ve talked a few times over lunch. He’s always like that. Other than being a little grumpy, he’s actually a nice person. That’s just how he is."

"Really? But he looked ready to declare war on anyone who spoke to him."

"Honestly, he was in a good mood today. You should’ve seen him yesterday."

Somehow, Zac felt he didn’t want to.

"So, back to the topic," Shobin continued. "I told him I was doing absolutely nothing all day, and he offered me a job guiding new recruits."

"And you took it," Zac said.

"I was bored out of my mind anyway, so I figured, why not?"

A moment later, Shobin pointed at a nearby building.

"Oh, speaking of which, here we are. This is the temporary residence building where you’ll be staying tonight."

He grinned. "And it’s also the only place recruits are allowed to access."

"The badge you received from the registration office also works as your room key. You just tap it against the sensor beside your room door, and it’ll unlock automatically."

"By the way," Zac said, "how many recruits were accepted this year?"

Shobin thought for a moment. "Probably over a hundred."

"That many?" Marty asked. "I thought the academy only accepted around forty or fifty students."

"That’s true for normal admissions." Shobin raised a finger. "But then you have special admissions, teacher recommendations, and so on.

"Well, that’s pretty much everything I know." He started walking backward. "I’ll probably see you guys tomorrow at the orientation."

Before Zac and Marty could enter the building, Shobin suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Oh, right. One more thing. Male and female recruits stay in the same building."

Marty’s eyebrows rose.

"Really?"

"Different rooms, obviously." Shobin looked at them seriously. "Try not to get into trouble with the ladies." Then he immediately ruined the serious atmosphere by pointing at Zac. "Especially this guy."

"What?" Zac asked.

"Do I look like some kind of womanizer?"

Shobin looked at his face and then looked away.

"I’m not answering that."

Marty burst out laughing. "With a face like that? Who wouldn’t be suspicious?"

Zac stared at both of them. "I already regret coming here."

Shobin waved as he walked away. "See you tomorrow!"

Inside the building the lobby was surprisingly spacious. Near the elevators stood a large digital board displaying room numbers and floor assignments.

"Huh."

"What?" Zac asked.

"It seems each floor has ten rooms. Room 1 is on the tenth floor, while Room 100 is on the first."

He looked at Zac. "What room did you get?"

"Uh, I think I’m in Room 9."

"So you’re on the top floor. I’m in Room 31, which puts me on the seventh floor."

Marty placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "Look at that. We just got here and already separated."

"Don’t be dramatic."

The two of them stepped into the elevator and headed to their respective floors.

"Ding" The elevator door opened on the tenth floor. Zac stepped out into a quiet hallway and walked to the door with 09 on it.

He looked down at the badge in his hand and to the number on the door.

[Well, Go on. Heeeheee.]

"What’s with that creepy laugh?"

[Nothing, just happy that you made it here.]

Zac rolled his eyes and pressed the badge against the sensor and opened the door.

The room was surprisingly nice.

It wasn’t huge, but it was spacious enough for a student. A comfortable bed sat against one wall. Beside it was a small writing desk with a lamp neatly placed on top.

A glass door led to a balcony overlooking the academy. From up here, he could see parts of the city-like campus stretching into the distance.

"Not bad." Zac tossed his bag onto the bed and lay down.

A long sigh escaped him. "Finally reached."

He pulled out his VSB and quickly sent messages to his mother, Lima, and Armani, letting them know he had arrived safely.

After that, he placed his VSB on the desk and started getting ready for a shower.

"A hot bath sounded amazing right now." Without thinking much about it, Zac removed all his clothes and walked naked toward the bathroom and pushed the door open.

But instead of finding an empty bathroom, Zac was greeted by a young woman who had just finished her bath. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Standing in her birthday clothes, she was wiping the water droplets from her skin with a towel. The bathroom was still filled with the mist from her earlier bath.

The two of them locked eyes and froze. For several long seconds, neither of them moved.

[Well, this is awkward.]

Another second passed.

Then their brains finally started working again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Zac slammed the door shut and immediately turned away.