Hacking the Library was rely the opening gambit in the ga John was playing. His eyes were set on far more than just books; he wanted to test his limits against higher-security zones and see if he could peel more secrets. But Nikolas had laid out the terms of the trade with painful clarity: win first, dream later.
’At least I’ll have until the competition is over to move freely at night,’ John thought to himself. It was a compromise, albeit a frustrating one.
Nikolas leaned back while jumping over this point. "As the Class President, the weight of this falls squarely on your shoulders. You are responsible for hand-picking the most suitable candidates for your team.
You will lead them in daily training—under my direct supervision, of course—and you will have the final say in the competitive line-up. And don’t forget, as the leader, you’re obliged to compete in both the individual and the team matches. Got it?"
’More headache for ,’ John thought, resisting the urge to groan aloud. Every word out of Nikolas’ mouth felt like another shackle being bolted onto his schedule. And as if reading his mind, the teacher seed to have even more to pile on.
"The competition will start in exactly one week!" Nikolas continued, his voice rising with excitent. "Training begins tomorrow at 10 A.M. We’ll go for two intense periods, with only a brief rest in between. I’ve already drafted the training schedule for you and the team..."
He kept talking, detailing a training program he had personally designed. He spoke of endurance drills, tactical simulations, and high-intensity sparring that made John’s bones ache just listening to it. The more Nikolas spoke, the more desperate John knew he’d have no spare ti to hack anything.
"...As for the Year Two class," Nikolas said, his tone turning grave, "don’t expect an easy ride. There are two confird students there who have already unlocked their attributes. One is known for abnormal strength, and the other is famous for high speed.
I’ve also heard a rumour about a third student achieving the sa milestone recently, but there’s no available information on what ability they’ve unlocked. You should prepare to face at least three opponents with special abilities."
"Not that bad," John muttered. He felt a flicker of genuine relief. If the second-year class only had three special users, his team was actually in a strong position. Between Cissel’s speed and vampirism, Ricky’s defence and filants, and his own unique system, they weren’t exactly underdogs.
"Don’t belittle them," Nikolas warned, his smile vanishing. "They’ve had a full year of specialised training that you haven’t. They are far stronger and more experienced than you can imagine. They know their limits; you are still discovering yours."
"Don’t worry, sir," John said, slowly standing up. He needed to leave before Nikolas found sothing else to assign him. "I’ll make you proud and secure a win for us."
"That’s the spirit," Nikolas replied, his amusent returning. He watched John walk toward the door before adding, "You know, in the history of our departnt, the last ti a first-year class perford a miracle like beating the second-years was a few centuries ago."
John’s foot caught on the rug, and he was a split second away from tripping and falling flat on his face. For a mont there, he wanted to say sothing back, yet he didn’t say anything in the end. He simply nodded, gripped the door handle, and closed it behind him without a word.
’Why don’t you just say it’s impossible to win?’ his thoughts raced as he stord down the hallway. ’What if we actually repeat this miracle? Will I be able to demand even more rewards from you then?’ He pushed the thought aside. He couldn’t afford to jinx himself by asking for rewards of a win that hadn’t happened yet.
He shook off the lingering irritation and headed toward his classroom to deliver the news.
"I want in!"
John had arrived at the classroom to find that today’s lectures had been all mysteriously cancelled. No reason had been given, but he could guess that Nikolas had cleared the path for him to pick the team mbers.
He stood in the centre of the class, the silence of the students heavy around him, and repeated everything Nikolas had said regarding the rules, the stakes, and the gruelling schedule.
The first to jump out of his seat was Luke. He had just returned from the infirmary that morning, and although he still looked a bit pale, he was moving with far more grace than the mummy John had seen yesterday.
"I’ll add Cissel and Ricky first..." John said, completely ignoring Luke’s enthusiastic outburst for the mont. He knew that regardless of what he said, Luke wouldn’t stop pestering him until he was on the roster. He had to secure the heavy hitters first. He shifted his gaze toward the two most valuable assets in the class.
"Not interested!" Ricky barked his corner, without even turning to look at John.
"Humph!" Cissel added. She was leaning against the back wall, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. her eyes narrowing as she glared at him. "It seems soone has a death wish if they think I’m going to follow their lead."
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