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Inside a small classroom, barely larger than a bedroom, two individuals stood facing one another.
On one side, a blue-eyed boy remained standing, staring at the floor. His face was pale, cold sweat running down the side of it.
On the other, a woman sat on a sofa with her legs crossed, her face partially hidden in the shadows, making her green eyes glow in an even more threatening way.
The room was filled with a deafening silence.
It felt less like a group meeting and more like a murder trial, with the student clearly being the only defendant.
Breaking the silence, a female voice rang out, low and dangerously calm.
"Ren Dover."
"...I-it's been a while, Melissa."
Yes. The cornered boy was Ren.
Sitting in front of Melissa, he did his best to avoid her gaze. His lips formed something close to a polite smile, but his eyes did not match it. The feeling was obvious. Melissa wanted nothing more than to devour him alive.
Why was she so irritated?
Ren lowered his gaze to the crumpled paper in his hand. The number written on it nearly brought a tear to the corner of his eye.
[Group 9]
The plan to break the box's spell and escape a problematic group had backfired spectacularly.
"Would you believe me if I said it was an accident?" he ventured quietly.
"An accident?" Melissa tilted her head slightly. "Interesting choice of words. Because I clearly remember seeing a little insect blinking at me during class. Or am I mistaken?"
"Y-your imagination..."
Please... someone save me.
Nervous, Ren glanced around the room for any possible distraction. That was when his eyes landed on a dark substance resting at the center of the table.
Desperate, he tried to change the subject.
"I-is that...?"
As if she had been waiting for that exact question, Melissa smiled sweetly.
"A new potion I'm testing," she said gently. "Especially for you. Free of charge."
Ren narrowed his eyes, sliding his chair back a few inches.
"And what does it do?"
Covering her mouth with her hand, Melissa let out a soft laugh.
"Nothing much. It just makes you vomit dozens of times and feel like you've gone through hell."
She paused, her eyes gleaming.
"Oh, and here's the special detail. If you're lucky enough, there's a chance you might vomit your own intestines and die instantly."
...
"Can I pass?"
It was terrifying how she could say all that with such a sweet smile on her face.
Bang!
As Ren slowly sank into despair over his situation, the classroom door suddenly burst open with a loud crash.
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Group Room A(b) 15
Why is this place so stupidly big?
It had taken me a solid thirty minutes just to find a room in the same building. The corridor was nearly empty. Since it was one of the upper floors, student traffic was naturally low.
Eventually, I stopped in front of a door with a small golden plaque beside it.
[A15]
I took a deep breath before placing my hand on the doorknob.
On the way here, I had finally remembered the members of Group 9. All I could do was admire my terrible luck.
Of all groups, it had to be this one.
It almost felt like a joke.
Click.
As I turned the knob, I still held onto a small hope of finding a normal scene inside. But knowing my luck, that was asking too much.
...
"Am I interrupting something?"
The heavy atmosphere in the room nearly slapped me in the face. It felt like I had just walked into a courtroom after a heinous crime.
Melissa and Ren looked at me at the same time. She greeted me with an indifferent stare.
Ren, on the other hand, was practically screaming for help with his eyes.
Save me.
For a second, I seriously considered closing the door and walking away.
But I sighed and stepped inside.
"Good afternoon."
I greeted them both in a dry but polite tone, dropping my backpack onto a sofa in the corner before casually throwing myself down beside it. I pulled a book out of my Ouroboros.
"You're late, idiot," Melissa commented coldly.
"Maybe," I replied without looking up. "But I'm not the last to arrive."
I continued flipping through the pages until I found where I had left off. Then something occurred to me.
How did she know I was in this group?
She complained about my lateness as if she had expected me to show up. Did that make sense? I thought about it for a few seconds.
Nah. Forget it. Probably just a coincidence.
I ignored the matter and returned to reading the alchemy book I had been studying recently.
"Did you do what I told you?" Melissa asked authoritatively.
"I'm working on it," I replied, turning a page.
"I don't want excuses. If you don't deliver it on time, consider our deal canceled."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
The conversation sounded strangely casual.
I really was studying to complete the homework from our last alchemy session. I just hadn't progressed as much as I would have liked.
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That guy again...
Ren watched Yuto as if he were a living anomaly.
The strange boy who had appeared out of nowhere and gone head-to-head with a Rank D Djinn. A dangerous variable. An unknown that had been tormenting his thoughts for days.
Ren had tried to dig into the boy's background, but all he had found was nothing.
Last place among Lock's freshmen.
Son of an ordinary family.
No relevant history.
Just like him.
But Ren knew, he was certain, that Yuto was anything but ordinary. The strange techniques, the absurd swordsmanship, and above all, that uncomfortable feeling of being observed, as if Yuto were always one step behind, watching everything.
And there was more.
How can he speak to Melissa so casually?
As the author, Ren knew better than anyone how difficult it was to hold a normal conversation with her and live to tell the tale. But Yuto did not seem to care at all.
Indifferent. Relaxed. Almost bored.
In the end, Ren was grateful for it. At least Melissa's attention was no longer focused solely on him. Mentally, he even thanked Yuto.
But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted.
Bang!
The classroom door slammed open.
Three young students entered with confident, almost arrogant strides.
As they looked around, their eyes quickly settled on Melissa sitting at the front. Instantly, their posture shifted. The arrogance faded, replaced by something more calculated.
"Hello, Melissa Hall."
Walking ahead of the trio, the apparent leader bowed elegantly before her.
His face was free of imperfections, sharp eyes and well-defined brows giving him a refined air. Short black hair, jade-green eyes. Not absurdly handsome, but attractive enough to draw sighs.
"It's an honor to meet Melissa Hall," he said with a practiced smile. "One of the most beautiful women in our academy and a pioneer in the scientific field."
He paused briefly, adjusting his uniform.
"My name is Donald Berson."
Melissa lifted her gaze slightly, studying him for a moment before replying with a polite smile.
"Donald Berson. Rank 167. Son of a Rank A Hero from the Starlight guild."
As soon as she finished speaking, Donald straightened his back, visibly swelling with pride. He shot a quick, satisfied glance toward Ren.
Hm? What did I do to you?
Melissa maintained her smile.
"How can I help you?"
For some reason, to Ren, it sounded less like kindness and more like a veiled threat. Like watching the devil smile and extend her hand.
"Ah, before that, allow me to introduce my companions."
Donald stepped aside.
"This is Evan Smoke, Rank 298."
A rather chubby boy with red hair and a freckled face stepped forward. His hands were behind his back, his expression oddly haughty.
He looked exactly like one of those caricature nobles from bad novels.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Melissa Hall," Evan said with an exaggerated smile and slight bow. "I've heard of your achievements since I was very young. And now that I see you in person, I can confidently say no other woman can rival your beauty."
Excessive flattery. Pathetic, even.
"And this is Cassandra Lee, Rank 475."
A slim girl stepped forward, chewing gum, hands tucked into her blazer pockets. Short hair, two lip piercings, one in her nose, black lipstick, heavy eye shadow, dark metal bracelets.
She looked permanently stuck in a rebellious phase.
"Nice to meet you," she said simply, offering a half-smile.
Melissa nodded at the three before returning her attention to Donald.
"So. What do you want?"
"Nothing much," Donald replied quickly. "Since we're in the same group, I thought it would be polite to introduce ourselves."
He smiled even wider.
"We have about a week before the trip, so I thought it'd be a great idea to build some good chemistry in the meantime."
The three looked at Melissa expectantly.
Ren sighed.
More obvious than that, impossible.
If he wanted to ask her out, why not just say it? Why all this ridiculous theatrics?
Donald noticed the sigh and frowned.
"What's so funny?"
"One week before the trip and you're worried about building bonds instead of dividing the group tasks."
Donald's expression darkened.
"Who are you?"
"Rank 1750. Ren Dover."
For a second, there was silence.
Then the room erupted in laughter.
"Rank 1750 and you think you can talk to me like that?"
"There's actually someone ranked that low?"
Ren sighed, bored.
"I thought there was only one delusional person here. Turns out there are three. What a disappointment."
Silence.
After a few seconds of processing the insult, Donald shouted, "What?!"
A spear materialized in his hand from dimensional storage. He pointed it directly at Ren as a blue aura enveloped his body.
"Shut that useless mouth before I cut out your tongue with skills someone like you will never reach!"
Ren calmly summoned his sword through his bracelet. A white glow began to emanate from his body.
"No. You shut up. I've never seen someone try so hard to prove they're a third-rate villain with third-rate lines."
The tension between them was so thick it felt like sparks could appear in the air.
"I won't even need to lift a finger before I rip that useless head off!"
"You bastard!"
Finally losing control, Donald lunged forward, preparing to stab Ren.
But the instant he raised his arm,
Swosh.
His weapon vanished.
He barely caught a glimpse of a blur before feeling the weight of his spear disappear from his hands. Instinctively, he turned his head.
A short boy with long hair and emerald eyes stood there.
He held the spear casually over one shoulder with one hand, while balancing a half-open book in the other. His expression was indifferent, almost bored.
"So noisy. I can't read like this."
Too fast. Who is this guy? Was there someone else in the room?
None of the three freshmen had sensed any presence beyond Ren and Melissa. How could someone have such a faint presence?
And more importantly,
What the hell was that speed?
Donald stared, eyes trembling with rage and shock.
"W-who the hell are you?"
"Rank 2055. Kazehara Yuto."
The boy answered casually, without a trace of emotion.
The room froze.
Before anyone could react, a cold sigh echoed behind them.
A chill ran down their spines.
"Is it fun wasting time like this?"
Sitting on the table, Melissa covered her face with one hand.
"M-Melissa?"
They all turned at once. She looked in a terrible mood.
"Why are you all acting like children?"
"B-but he started—"
Melissa looked down at him with absolute disgust.
"Do you have any idea how much I care about who started this nonsense?"
She formed a circle with her fingers.
"Absolutely zero."
Silenced, they lowered their heads in shame. If it were anyone else, they might have reacted. But since it was Melissa, all they could do was swallow it.
She clicked her tongue and gestured sharply.
Without a word, the four lined up in near military formation. All except Yuto.
He seemed completely distracted, watching a moth that had flown into the room while casually spinning the stolen spear between his fingers.
Melissa sighed deeply and grabbed him by the ear, dragging him into line.
"Ouch, ouch! What was that for?"
"Quiet."
Soon, all five stood aligned, backs straight. Yuto rubbed his now red ear.
"Stop barking useless nonsense. You asked to discuss the assignment. I came expecting normal people. Instead, I was paired with a pack of useless idiots who only know how to bark."
She stared coldly at Donald.
"Frankly, shut up. Your mere existence irritates me."
"But—"
"I don't want to hear it. If you want to do me a favor, stop breathing. You'd be far more useful that way."
Heh.
Faced with their blank expressions, Ren couldn't hold back a low chuckle.
Karma really does exist.
"And you. Why are you smiling?"
"Huh?"
"Yes, you. The most useless of all, yet enjoying this like it's a show?"
"But—"
"Shut up. Follow their example and stop breathing."
Ren immediately closed his mouth.
"Sigh. Fine. Let's get this over with."
Seeing that they were finally obedient, Melissa sat back down, crossed her legs, and examined the task list. She was the only one seated. The rest remained standing in absolute silence.
"You and you will handle the first task."
She pointed at Cassandra and Evan.
"You and you take the second. The third is mine."
The groups were defined.
Cassandra and Evan, task one.
Ren and Donald, task two.
Melissa, task three.
Only one remained.
Melissa cast a cold glance at Yuto.
"You just need to avoid doing anything stupid."
Donald's trio could not hide their crooked smiles.
"I've wasted enough time with you. I'm leaving. I have better things to do."
She tossed the group slip away and walked out, leaving the four behind.
...
"Here. Catch."
The stolen spear was thrown back to Donald. He caught it easily and stored it away.
"Heh. How depressing," he muttered, looking at Yuto.
"Last place and so useless you didn't even get assigned a task. Hahaha."
Ren felt irritation pulse through him, but then he looked at Yuto. Strangely, he did not seem annoyed at all.
"Sorry?"
Yuto tilted his head, raising a brow as if he had just heard something incredibly stupid.
"Let me get this straight. You're going to do all the work while I sit around doing nothing, and I'm the idiot?"
Silence.
Then,
"Pffft... HAHAHAHA!"
Ren burst into loud laughter, clutching his stomach.
The logic was flawless.
"N-no, that's not what I meant—"
Donald stumbled over his words as his attempt at humiliation backfired.
"Weirdo," Yuto muttered, giving him a judging look before turning toward the exit.
"Hey! That's not what I meant! Get back here, you little—"
Donald's face flushed with shame and anger.
Ren's laughter only made it worse.
A vein bulged violently on Donald's temple.
"You bastards..."