When I finally reached the common room, the meeting was already in full swing.
All the students were sitting in a circle, discussing strategies and theories for the upcoming trial. As soon as I opened the door and stepped into the room, every gaze turned toward me. Cold. Hostile. No smiles. Just a heavy silence.
It seemed that ignoring the group messages and arriving late had only reinforced the already negative image they had of me.
Maelys, standing at the center, crossed her arms and stared at me silently for a long moment.
"Sorry I'm late," I said. "I got lost. This ship's a real maze. I only just saw your messages."
A student stood up abruptly, clearly irritated.
"Bullshit! How do you get lost with a map integrated in your bracelet, huh?!"
I cleared my throat and kept a calm tone.
"I didn't check it right away. I just used it, that's how I found my way here."
His expression shifted from anger to disgust, then to mild disinterest.
"Tch. Why am I wasting time talking to an idiot like you… What did I expect?"
A few chuckles rose from the room.
Maelys cut in sharply:
"This isn't the time to argue. We're facing the other classes in this trial, so we can't afford to fall apart. Noah, find a chair and sit. Give your input if you want — we need everyone."
I nodded silently and looked around for a seat. There were a few available, but every student nearby stared me down as if to say: "Don't even think about it"
'Great. Team spirit…'
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rowan waving at me enthusiastically. A big smile on his face, he patted the empty chair next to him.
For once, his invitation didn't bother me.
I walked over and took a seat without saying a word.
Around me, conversations resumed in waves, animated and chaotic. Everyone seemed intent on forcing their opinion on how best to approach the trial.
Maelys raised her hands to restore some semblance of order.
"Alright. Now that we're all here," she said, her gaze lingering on me one last time, "it's time to choose a leader for this mission. Someone who'll make the final calls when needed. We can vote by hand or suggest names, but we can't go in disorganized."
An immediate uproar followed.
"We should vote!" shouted a girl in the back.
"Let's elect the strongest!" another called out.
"No way I'm being led by some musclehead…"
"I say anyone who yells too loud should be eliminated outright," muttered a boy with glasses.
Maelys sighed, clearly about to step in again, but a voice cut through the noise.
"No need to vote."
All eyes turned to Aram Durok, who had stood up with the slow, deliberate motion typical of dwarves.
"Let's be honest, there's no one here better suited than Maelys. She knows tactics, she keeps her cool, and she's not the panicking type. She's the one most fit to lead us."
A hush fell over the room, followed by a general murmur of agreement. No one seemed willing to argue with Aram — or with the fact that Maelys was the best choice.
"Anyone got a problem with that?" he asked, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping the room.
"No? Good. Then let's stop wasting time."
No hands were raised. No protests voiced.
Even the usual ambitious types looked down. Maybe out of realism. Maybe because they knew that challenging Maelys now would burn their chances for good.
Maelys, though used to commanding respect, looked briefly surprised.
"Thanks, Aram. And thank you to everyone who's putting their trust in me. I'll make the necessary decisions, but I'll listen to all of you too. We're a class, not an army."
She glanced around the room, then continued:
"But with our numbers, one leader won't be enough. I need a team to help manage priorities, make on-the-ground calls, and coordinate exploration or defense groups."
She nodded toward Aram.
"Aram will be vice-leader. He already has leadership experience, and his level-headedness will be valuable when things get tense."
Aram said nothing, just nodded.
"I'll also need a small core team to support me in making quick decisions — on the field and in overall strategy. Rowan will be one of them, for his versatility."
Rowan perked up and puffed his chest a little under the curious stares of the others.
"I'm adding Seth as well, who's already shown impressive mastery of fire during training. And Maya, for her accuracy and stealth. We'll need a variety of skill sets."
Two students stood. Seth, with his calm demeanor and tousled dark hair, gave a simple nod. Maya, a lithe girl with a feline air, stayed back, her sharp eyes scanning the room.
"The five of us," Maelys concluded, "will form the main team. The decision-making core. But obviously, nothing will be done without consulting the rest of you."
A murmur of agreement followed. The atmosphere was finally beginning to settle.
Someone suddenly raised a hand.
"What about shelters? Are we building tents or sleeping under the stars?"
Another student chimed in.
"Odds are they've set up at least some basic structures. Eight classes means over 800 students. It wouldn't make sense if they hadn't planned some kind of base camp."
"Makes sense," agreed Aram. "But it probably also means the zones are divided or spread out. And we may not all have access to the same resources from the start."
I sat up a little straighter, speaking for the first time since my arrival.
"There's something you're forgetting."
All eyes turned to me again — still wary, but the tension was noticeably lower this time.
"Look at your bracelets. There's a function called Rewards. And if it's there, it's not just for show. That means there are likely optional secondary objectives beyond the main ones."
Silence settled.
I continued, more confidently now:
"There might be more than just hunting monsters or students. We might be able to earn points by doing specific tasks."
Some students exchanged curious glances.
"We don't know for sure yet," I went on, "but it could make a huge difference. If we focus only on combat, we might miss out on key opportunities."
Maelys stared at me for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"I noticed that feature too… I think you're right. We have to stay alert for anything that pops up during the trial."
A calm but firm voice rose from the left side of the room.
"And that's exactly why we shouldn't rush into attacking the other classes right away."
Camila.
She hadn't spoken yet, and her words immediately silenced the loudest voices. She stood tall, calm gaze, arms crossed.
"Why not?" someone asked.
"Because at the start," she explained, "each class begins with zero points. So if we want to earn points early, hunting students will be pointless. They won't have anything. Monsters, on the other hand, are guaranteed to bring points."
A murmur of agreement followed.
"Unless student hunting is part of our class objectives, then we will have to do it, otherwise we're just wasting our energy."
"And we risk sparking direct conflict before even securing our base," added Seth.
From that point on, the tone of the discussion shifted.
The students stopped talking nonsense and began building something real.
Nearly two hours passed in a focused, tense atmosphere. The class debated: how many members should each group have? What criteria should we use to form them? Should we allow solo scouting, or always prioritize safety in numbers? All under the watchful eyes of Maelys and Aram, who stepped in whenever things threatened to go off track.
Eventually, they finalized the plan, made compromises, and built an organization flexible enough to adapt to unknown terrain.
I just sat there, watching the time go by, feeling the tension slowly rise.
'How do I tell them that much of what they planned won't really matter…'
'Anyway, it shouldn't be long now.'
The noise gradually faded, until a clear and solemn voice echoed throughout the ship:
"We have arrived at our destination."
A stunned silence fell over the room. Then, almost simultaneously, a bright light burst from each student's bracelet. In an instant, they had all vanished.
I was left alone, breathless, in the middle of a dense forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting golden streaks on the damp ground.
A dry laugh rose from my throat, both mocking and eager.
Of course it would happen like this. It was never going to be a simple, quiet trip to a common meeting point. No. The classes wouldn't disembark all together, perfectly organized like an army.
Each student had been scattered — teleported to a random location on the island.
Without wasting a second, I opened the holographic map on my bracelet. A red dot glowed to the south — the base of our Orion class.