2026-06-15 22:37:57Jaxon Cross's booming threat back in the Main Hall left absolutely no impression on Austin's mind. For him, the only real problem with the duel challenge was figuring out how to get through it with the absolute bare minimum amount of effort. Standing in an arena, incanting spells, or swinging weapons in front of thousands of loudly cheering spectators sounded like an incredibly exhausting form of physical torture.
"If I have to train hard for seven days straight just to punch that blonde guy, I'd rather just fake another faint," Austin muttered as he pushed himself up from the park bench outside the hall.
However, he knew Jaxon wouldn't just let him off the hook. If Austin didn't prepare, his days of sleeping peacefully at this academy would be ruined forever by constant harassment from the 'Pantheon Guild' faction. Fortunately, Austin possessed his own unique method of "training" one that didn't require a single drop of sweat.
Instead of returning to his dormitory, which was starting to be heavily patrolled by Jaxon's lackeys, Austin made his way toward the Academy's Grand Library. The structure was massive, spanning five floors with rows of gigantic, centuries-old bookshelves that towered all the way to the ceiling. Because most of the new students were currently busy in the outdoor training arenas preparing for the upcoming evaluation, the library was incredibly serene and vacant this afternoon. The distinct scent of old paper and book-protection magic filled the air, creating a tranquil atmosphere that instantly triggered Austin's drowsiness.
Austin walked down the deep aisles of bookshelves, heading toward the highest floor. In the innermost corner of the fifth floor, hidden away behind rows of dusty, rarely touched tomes of tower history, he found the perfect hideout: a plush, worn leather sofa tucked neatly behind the shadow of a massive shelf.
"Perfect," Austin whispered.
He set his bamboo broom down beside the sofa, loosened the collar of his grey uniform, and threw himself down without wasting a single second. The moment his head hit the soft cushion of the sofa, the tension in his body completely melted away. His eyelids closed slowly, and his consciousness rapidly drifted into the darkness of the dream realm.
[Ding! 'Sleep Mode' session activated instantly.]
[Reward accumulation efficiency: 100%.]
[Opening full access to the Cosmic AFK System interface within the mental landscape.]
Within his mind, Austin no longer saw darkness. His consciousness now floated in a void of cosmic blackness, speckled with twinkling miniature stars. In front of him, a semi-transparent, neon-blue status panel glowed brightly, displaying the valuable numbers his Shadow Avatar had managed to hoard while he slept through the night and during his time in the Mist Forest yesterday.
[System Inventory & Wallet]
[Current Gold: 3,250 Gold]
[Current Exp: 120/100 (Level Up Available)]
[Current Shadow Avatar: Tier 1 (Base Level)]
"System, level up my physical body first," Austin commanded mentally in his sleep.
[Ding! Processing the consumption of 100 Exp... Advancement to Realm: Mortal (Level 2) is successful.]
[Host's physical stats have increased passively: Strength +5, Agility +5, Endurance +7.]
[Storage capacity for Void Energy within the body's cells has expanded.]
Austin felt a wave of incredibly comfortable warmth course along his spine in the real world. His body, snoring softly on the library sofa, underwent a subtle yet massive structural shift; his muscle density tightened, and his blood circulation became vastly more efficient.
However, Austin wasn't satisfied with just that. The master key to winning the duel against Jaxon without having to lift a finger in the real world lay within his primary tool: the Shadow Avatar.
"Open the Shadow Avatar upgrade menu," Austin commanded again.
A new panel unfolded, displaying a pitch-black silhouette that perfectly resembled him, yet was coated in a blazing, violet-black cosmic flame. Beneath the silhouette was a large button that read: [Upgrade Avatar to Tier 2 - Cost: 2,000 Gold].
"Two thousand gold... the harvest from slaughtering hundreds of wolves and goblins yesterday finally comes in handy," Austin murmured. "System, upgrade the Shadow Avatar to Tier 2 right now."
[Ding! Processing the deduction of 2,000 Gold. Initiating the power evolution of the Shadow Avatar...]
Instantly, the black silhouette inside the panel began to vibrate violently. The cosmic flames surrounding it flared exponentially, transforming the previously lean and vague shadow into a far denser form, complete with a pair of glowing, vertical-slit violet eyes that radiated an incredibly frigid aura of oppression.
The evolution process took several minutes inside Austin's mental landscape. Meanwhile, in the real world, the air in the corner of the fifth-floor library gradually became exceptionally thick, as if the space surrounding the sofa Austin slept on was constantly stretching and warping.
[Evolution Complete!]
[Congratulations! Your Shadow Avatar has successfully advanced to Tier 2.]
[Avatar Attribute Bonus: Automatic farming efficiency in the Mirror Dimension increased by 50%. Physical materialization time in the real world unlocked (Duration: 5 Minutes).]
Seeing the "Physical Materialization" option, Austin smirked within his sleep. That meant if a dire situation arose in the arena next week, he could actually summon this shadow out to fight in his place while his real body pretended to faint or sleep in a corner of the arena.
However, the surprises from the system weren't over yet. A row of golden text suddenly materialized at the very bottom of the panel, blinking with an incredibly dazzling light.
[Ding! Since this is the first Tier upgrade performed by the Host, the system grants a special achievement reward.]
[Extracting one random ability from the Divine Vault... Success!]
[Unlock Auto-Skill: Phantom Step (Divine Grade) - Passive Type.]
[Skill Description: A high-level conceptual movement technique of divine grade. While the Host is in sleep mode or moving passively, the body's instincts will absolutely manipulate space within a 3-meter radius. The Host can automatically evade, shift, or deflect any physical or magical attack without consuming a single drop of mana.]
Austin, deep in his peaceful slumber on that old library sofa, took a deep breath, an incredibly satisfied smile playing upon his lips. With this passive ability of 'Divine' grade, Jaxon Cross and his entire proudly flaunted solar fire magic were nothing more than a fly trying to smash through a thick pane of glass.
He didn't need to train, he didn't need to chant, and he didn't even need to wake up. Winning a duel while fast asleep was no longer just a figure of speech, it was an absolute reality now resting within his grasp.
In the quiet sanctuary of the fifth floor, Austin rolled over to a more comfortable position, hugging the old sofa cushion tightly as he continued his sleep with absolute peace of mind, entirely unaware that a pair of hawk-like, deeply suspicious eyes was watching him through a gap in the bookshelves not far away.
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Chapter 64: The Dark Cell and Crimson Eyes
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