Chapter 93: A Walk Around the School
The night passed as William slept soundly. After analyzing the collar and reading the rules, he drifted off without realizing it. In the morning, his collar vibrated, though it wasn’t a physical sensation but a direct signal to his mind, like a faint hum. Feeling it, he took out his collar and saw a symbol flashing. Opening it, he found a photo of Lía and Neri having breakfast in the cafeteria with a message that read: "We’re waiting for you in the cafeteria for breakfast."
William smiled nostalgically; it felt like a cell phone notification from his past life, bringing back bittersweet memories.
Leaving those saddening thoughts behind, William quickly got dressed in his robe and washed his face. As he left his room, he saw several students heading towards the second-floor stairs. He watched them for a moment before checking his collar, which displayed a map of the school and his real-time location. While this implied all collar users were being monitored, William lacked the power to change it or even know where to begin to examine the data, so he decided to put it out of his mind for now.
The cafeteria was a few minutes from the dormitories. Unlike yesterday, the streets seemed full of life, with many Level 1, 2, and 3 apprentices walking in all directions—some looking calm, others hurrying somewhere. Upon reaching the cafeteria, he quickly spotted Lía and Neri among the handful of people present.
"Hello, girls, how did you sleep?"
Lía stood up and kissed William before sitting back down. The expressions of several people in the cafeteria didn’t escape William’s notice. He quickly understood what was happening: Lía wanted him to mark his territory to ward off annoying pests. Some looked ready to fight, but when they saw the two stripes on William’s sleeve, they decided to stay put without a word.
"I fell completely dead yesterday. And you? How did you sleep?" Lía replied.
"I stayed up reviewing the rules, and before I knew it, it was already morning. Fortunately, they woke me up, or I might have missed breakfast today."
The three continued eating, sharing laughs and enjoying a harmonious conversation. William asked Neri: