Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner-Chapter 39 - : Exploring Starlight Academy, Two-Person Dormitory

As Karl stepped out of the [Audience Hall], he expected the other students to have already dispersed, heading toward the [Residential Area] to settle into their dorms.

But the moment he took a step forward, he realized he was wrong.

"Heyo~"

A cheerful voice called out, light and playful.

Karl turned his head just in time to see Celeste standing there, arms crossed, her bright blue eyes practically sparkling with amusement.

Her white hair, long and slightly wavy, swayed gently as a breeze passed through the academy grounds.

"I've been waiting for you for a while," she grinned.

"You sure took your time!"

Karl blinked, then nodded.

"Thanks."

There was something oddly reassuring about seeing a familiar face after everything that had just happened.

Just moments ago, Karl had been confronted with the terrifying realization that he wasn't the only one who knew about the [Underworld].

The Champion had mentioned it—out loud, in front of thousands of students.

And the way he looked at Karl, as if he had found something interesting... it sent an uncomfortable chill down his spine.

The [Underworld] and the [World of Spirits] were entirely separate realms, but both were deeply tied to death itself.

Karl only had access to the latter, but he couldn't shake the feeling that, eventually, he might be forced to confront the former.

He didn't know what the [Reaper] had planned for him in the future, and frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Let's go!"

Celeste nudged him lightly before spinning around and taking the lead.

Karl followed without a word.

[Starlight Academy] was massive—far larger than any ordinary school or institution.

The campus stretched over dozens of kilometers, built to accommodate the elite students who had been selected from various empires.

It had everything: training facilities, research labs, libraries, battle arenas, and of course, residential buildings where students would live for the foreseeable future.

As the two made their way toward the dorms, Karl's watch vibrated slightly.

A soft ding echoed in his ears.

[Your Credits balance is now available.]

His eyes narrowed slightly as he tapped the notification and checked his account.

[Balance: 1,899 Credits]

"Hm... I don't know if that's decent or not," he muttered.

Beside him, Celeste let out a small laugh.

"I got 2,794 Credits," she said with a proud grin.

Karl glanced at her, slightly annoyed but not surprised.

The difference in their starting Credits was likely due to the first trial rankings.

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The top 1-10 received 1,000 extra points, the top 1-30 received 500, and so on.

Karl had placed 26th, so he had missed out on a larger bonus.

Eventually, they reached a large intersection where two separate paths stretched before them.

A glowing panel stood at the center, providing information for the students.

[These two paths each lead to one of the dormitory types.]

[Renting a room costs Credits. Not having any Credits means being homeless.]

The bluntness of the message caught Karl slightly off guard.

It was clear that the academy had no intention of babysitting students.

If you couldn't afford a place to stay, then you had to figure something out.

It was a brutal but effective way of forcing everyone to take the academy seriously.

Two options were displayed before them:

[Single-room dormitory: 2,000 Credits per month.]

[Two-person dormitory: 1,000 Credits per person per month.]

[You are first-year students, but more luxurious and higher-quality options will be available later.]

Karl's expression remained neutral, but internally, he was already doing calculations.

'...This is expensive.'

Even worse—he didn't even have enough to afford a single room.

He would have been short by just over a hundred Credits.

That left only one choice.

He turned toward Celeste, who had more than enough to afford the single-room option, and without hesitation, he said,

"Let's live together. It's less expensive."

Celeste froze, her blue eyes widening slightly.

"...Huh?"

A faint red tint appeared on her cheeks as she processed his words.

"I mean, it makes sense," she muttered, scratching her cheek.

Karl nodded.

"Yeah. I'd rather room with someone I actually know than a complete stranger."

Celeste let out a small breath before nodding in agreement.

"Alright, that's fair."

And just like that, the two of them took the path leading to the shared dormitories.

The dormitory area was surprisingly well-maintained.

Several multi-story buildings stretched before them, built with clean, modern architecture.

The atmosphere was calm, with other students passing by, some excitedly discussing their rooms while others quietly analyzed the situation like Karl.

"Better than I expected," Celeste admitted as she looked around.

"We're first years, so I thought we'd get the worst possible accommodations."

Karl shrugged.

"As long as it has a bed, it's fine."

They approached the entrance, where a receptionist—an older man in a uniform—confirmed their information and processed the payment.

[1,000 Credits deducted.]

A moment later, they each received a keycard, which would act as their room key and security pass.

Their room was on the second floor.

As they climbed the stairs and walked through the quiet hallway, Karl noted the numbered plaques on each door.

The academy had clearly invested in keeping things organized.

Finally, they reached their assigned room.

[Karl Bloodborne, identity confirmed.]

[Celeste Frost, identity confirmed.]

[Please don't waste your precious time doing lascivious things.]

Karl and Celeste stared at the last sentence for a long moment before silently ignoring it and stepping inside.

The room was decently sized, far from luxurious but comfortable enough.

There was a small kitchen area, a bathroom, a TV, a refrigerator, and two king-sized beds positioned slightly apart from each other.

But the most noticeable things were the two boxes sitting on their respective beds.

Each box had the words "READ ME" written on top.

Karl and Celeste exchanged glances before shrugging.

Without hesitation, Karl walked to his bed—the one closer to the window—and grabbed the box.

He opened it carefully.

Inside were two items: a sleek black smartwatch and a small note.

Before Karl could react, Celeste let out an excited shout.

"Oh my god! It's a [Smartwatch]!"

Karl glanced at her, then back at the watch in his hands.

He had heard about these before.

They were supposedly more advanced than regular phones, offering more functions while being significantly more convenient to carry.

He picked up the note and read the simple instruction written on it.

[Place the watch around your wrist.]

Without hesitation, Karl slipped the watch on.

The moment it latched onto his wrist, a notification appeared before him.

Ding!

[Owner identity confirmed: Karl Bloodborne.]

A holographic screen flickered to life, displaying an intuitive interface.

It had everything—contact lists, academy notifications, maps, personal records, and even mission assignments.

Celeste was already flipping through her own watch, grinning like a kid with a new toy.

"This thing is awesome!"

Karl tapped a few buttons, scrolling through the menus.

It was certainly useful.

This watch would likely be one of the most important tools for navigating life at [Starlight Academy].

Then, just as they were exploring their new gadgets, both of their watches vibrated simultaneously.

Ding!

A notification appeared.

[Turn your TV on.]

Karl raised an eyebrow.

It wasn't a suggestion—it was clearly an order.

Celeste looked at him, amused.

"I guess they really want us to watch something."

Karl didn't hesitate.

He grabbed the remote from the nightstand and powered on the TV.

The screen flickered, and an announcement began playing.

"Here we go," he muttered, sitting back on his bed.

He had a feeling that from this moment onward, the real journey was about to begin.