NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64: Team Assignment
"The test would be used for placement of teams, as you have already been told. So it is in your best interest you perform to your utmost capabilities," Professor Nathan announced after wrapping up his three-hour theory session on vampire weaknesses and the behavioral patterns of beast races—werewolves, nymphs, and the occasional dragon shifter that wandered into academy grounds.
Ding
Dong
The brass bell mounted above the lecture hall's entrance rang out its familiar tune, echoing off the stone walls and high vaulted ceiling. Professor Nathan slammed his leather-bound textbook shut with a satisfying thud and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"Head for Paragon Hall," he said simply, gathering his papers with the casual indifference.
The reaction was immediate. Every face in the room went pale, and the comfortable chatter died like someone had sucked all the air out of the space.
"Of fucking course, why not just kill me?" someone muttered from the back row.
"Bloody hell, they're really doing this to us?" another voice chimed in, thick with disbelief.
"I'm not ready for this shit," came a third complaint, followed by nervous laughter that didn't quite hide the fear underneath.
The voices of displeasure rippled through the hall like wildfire, and honestly, no one could blame them. Paragon Hall was where they sent you when they wanted to see what you were really made of—and the difficulty of the exams there was... well, it was crazy, high rankers literally lost their ranks in the blink of an eye.
Asher frowned. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this, not now. In the game, team placements were handled through written exams and basic skill demonstrations. Nothing this intense, nothing this early in the semester.
'Something changed,' he realized, his mind racing through possibilities.
[Perhaps your interference affected the future you know,] the familiar voice whispered in his head, and that made his frown deepen even more.
This wasn't totally unexpected-butterfly effects were a real thing when you started messing with established timelines. But a change in the plot at this level? This was completely unprecedented territory.
'I have to be careful here. If the plot diverts too far from what I know, I'll lose my biggest advantage-knowing what's supposed to happen next,' he thought, feeling genuine concern creep up his spine for the first time since arriving at this academy.
"Let's go," a smooth voice said beside him.
He turned to find Tracy standing there with that same carefree attitude she always wore. She had her bag slung over one shoulder, her white hair streaked with blue-tipped ends falling in loose waves past her shoulders, let loose from there previous ponytail style, and icy blue eyes that seemed almost amused by the chaos around them.
Tracy was the kind of girl who turned heads without even trying. She had this effortless beauty thing going on—the kind of face that belonged in magazines, with high cheekbones and full lips that always seemed to be on the verge of smiling.
'Hmm,' he thought, studying her expression more carefully. 'Could it be she already knew this was coming?'
Most people would have dismissed her calm demeanor as just her usual laid-back personality, but Asher wasn't most people. He didn't believe in convenient explanations when something felt off. And Tracy definitely knew something the rest of them didn't.
'Maybe Castor did something. Come to think of it, Tracy and her crew were headed somewhere yesterday—some place in Elflame, according to what Leon let slip during his little outburst. He said it was something important they needed to be there for,' Asher analyzed, then decided to get the information straight from the source.
"Alright," he said, standing up and stretching. She grinned at him then, and it was the kind of grin that made guys do stupid things.
"How about you be a gentleman and carry my bag for me?" she teased, batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated way that somehow managed to be both playful and genuinely flirtatious.
To her surprise, he actually reached over and took the bag from her, slinging it across his shoulder without hesitation. It was clearly designed for girls—pink leather with little silver studs and way too many zippers—the kind of trendy accessory that was all over the senior class these days. On him, it looked completely ridiculous, but he didn't seem to care.
"Let's go," he said matter-of-factly.
She nodded, but her mind was spinning. 'He actually did it!' The thought made something flutter in her chest that she wasn't quite ready to examine too closely.
They were making their way up the main aisle between the rows of desks when a voice cut through the general murmur of conversation.
"HEY! New guy!"
Asher and Tracy both turned to see a young man with light blue hair and pale brown eyes walking toward them. He had the kind of build that said he spent serious time in the training rooms—not bulky, but lean and dangerous. His hair was styled in that deliberately messy way that took way too much product to achieve, and his uniform was tailored just enough to skirt the dress code while still looking expensive.
Flanking him were two others—a guy with black hair streaked with green who looked like he could bench press a small mechanical carriage, and a girl with silver hair pulled back in a high ponytail who was studying Asher like he was a puzzle she needed to solve.
"Yes?" Asher raised an eyebrow at the approaching trio.
"I was just informed by Professor Nathan that you'd be joining our team," the blue-haired guy said, coming to a stop directly in front of them. His voice had that particular brand of confidence that came from never having been told 'no' about anything important.
"Sam?" Tracy's voice sharpened with suspicion. "Wait, your team already had enough members. Wouldn't adding someone else be unfair to the other teams?"
"Tsk." Sam's expression soured like he'd bitten into something rotten. "Our fourth guy got poached by Albion Academy, and we just found out at the start of the semester. Can you believe that shit?"
"Albion?" Tracy looked genuinely shocked.
"I know, right?" Sam ran a hand through his blue hair, frustration clear in every line of his body. "I still don't understand how they managed to pull it off. But whatever, that's not our problem anymore. You said your name was Asher, right?"
Asher nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
"Good. You need to come with us right now. I have to test your skills so I can figure out how to use your talents properly when we're in there." Sam's tone brooked no argument. "We don't have time to fuck around with pleasantries."
Asher understood the logic, even if he didn't love being ordered around by someone he'd just met. "Makes sense."
"Wait, you can't just take him away like that!" Tracy's voice shot up an octave, and she actually stepped forward, putting herself slightly between Asher and Sam. "We were going somewhere, damn it!"
Asher carefully took off her bag and handed it back to her, their fingers brushing for just a moment. "Sorry about this."
"Well, too bad for your plans," Sam said, not sounding sorry at all. "We have a test to prepare for—a test that's happening in just a few hours. This isn't optional."
The black-haired guy behind Sam spoke up for the first time. "We're not going far from here. There's no time for anything fancy, but we can get a decent read on what you can do." His green eyes were fixed on Asher with an intensity that felt like being examined under a microscope.
"Alright then. Lead the way," Asher said.
Sam nodded and immediately started heading for the door, clearly expecting the others to follow.
Asher turned back to Tracy, offering her a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry about bailing on you like this. I guess we can go on that date some other time."
"Sigh, it's fine," she said, then her brain caught up with what he'd actually said. "Wait! When did it become a date?"
But by the time she asked, Asher had already hurried off to catch up with his new teammates, leaving her standing there with her mouth slightly open.
"Tsk." She clicked her tongue in annoyance, though the faint blush creeping up her cheeks told a different story entirely. "Don't tell me he's already falling for me."
And then, because Tracy was Tracy, she spent the next several minutes standing there in the empty lecture hall, fantasizing about all the ways that hypothetical date might go.