Chapter 9: Simple test
It was Wednesday, marking the date of the first writing test for all first-year students. The classroom was almost completely occupied, with the noticeable exception of Brian's seat.
'Would have guessed he would be back by now,' Ree-an thought to himself as his eyes landed on the empty space.
He gave a slight shrug before redirecting his focus towards the front of the classroom, where the teacher, Ms. Ludwig, stood.
"Now, has everyone handed in their mobile devices?" Ms. Ludwig asked, and she was met with a chorus of affirmatives.
"Remember, if I catch anyone cheating, there will be severe consequences."
'Punishment, huh? I wonder if it's possible to get expelled.' Ree-an pondered, his mind wandering briefly.
He had initially believed that the academy would maintain a strict and tense atmosphere, given its population of domineering, power-hungry individuals and a fair share of more submissive one´s.
Yet, his time there so far had been relatively calm, with the incident involving Brian being the only significant disruption. Apart from that, his grade seemed free from any major turmoil—though he acknowledged the possibility of events happening behind closed doors, potentially unbeknownst to him.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he decided it was time to concentrate on the test.
Ms. Ludwig had clarified that the test was designed to assess their abilities, adding that it could influence their rankings within the academy.
Ree-an was ambivalent about his ranking. He didn't want to score exceptionally high, but a slight improvement might be beneficial, showing a willingness to progress.
Soon enough, Ms. Ludwig distributed the test papers, and with a simple instruction to begin, the students flipped over their papers to reveal the content.
There were five sheets in total, each labeled from 'Level 1' to 'Level 5.'
'What the hell?' Ree-an couldn't hide his confusion upon reading the Level 1 questions.
'If you have three apples and you acquire three more, how many apples do you have in total?... What kind of question is this?'
The question seemed almost insultingly simple.
As he scanned through the rest of Level 1, he found similar, elementary-level questions from various subjects. Curious, he moved on to Level 2 and immediately noticed a significant increase in difficulty.
Levels 3, 4, and 5 followed suit, each containing challenging questions from specific subjects—math, history, law, and biology respectively, and all well beyond high school level.
'What's the point of this?' Ree-an wondered, glancing around the room to gauge his classmates' reactions.
Most appeared just as perplexed as he was, though a few had already begun writing.
Ree-an's attention then shifted to Sebastian, his neighbor, who was diligently working on his test. Interestingly, Sebastian had set aside the Level 1 sheet.
'Could it be...' A realization dawned on Ree-an, prompting him to follow suit and focus on Level 2.
Selecting the seemingly easiest math question, he began to work through it, narrating his thought process in a hushed tone.
'Prove that for every positive integer n, there are n consecutive positive integers none of which is a power of a prime.'
Ree-an began, "For a given positive integer n, consider the sequence of n+1 consecutive integers (n+1)! + 2, (n+1)! + 3, …, (n+1)! + (n+1), (n+1)! + (n+2). Let's analyze the divisibility of these numbers," he mumbled under his breath.
After completing the math section, he progressed to Level 3, tackling a question about the Industrial Revolution's impact on 19th-century British society.
Despite opting for the easiest questions in each section, he was confident in this approach and continued in this manner until he had answered one question from each level, excluding Level 1.
Though unsure of the exact implications, Ree-an was fairly certain that correctly answering a question from any level above Level 1 would suffice for passing.
To avoid taking any unnecessary risks, he ensured he had attempted a question from each of these levels, deliberately incorporating errors in some of his responses to maintain a balance.
He couldn't shake off the feeling that excelling in this test could be a potential trap, so he opted to play it safe, even if it meant potentially missing out on a straightforward opportunity to climb the ranks.
Furthermore, a rapid ascent up the ranks could attract unwanted attention and challenges.
As for Level 1, he remained puzzled about its purpose but was convinced that leaving it blank was the right call.
✒
As soon as the time allotted for the test had elapsed, Ms. Ludwig promptly collected all the answer sheets.
With the completion of the test, students were given the green light to leave the classroom. Instantaneously, the room buzzed to life with chatter, creating a cacophony of voices expressing a spectrum of emotions—from confusion and relief to pride.
Ree-an found himself curious about Yuna's performance on the test. If his speculations regarding the nature of the test were accurate, making ill-informed choices could spell trouble.
He knew Yuna to be particularly adept at biology, and he was hoping that she had managed to navigate the tricky questions in the biology section successfully.
However, asking her would have to wait.
✒
As Ree-an navigated his way through the bustling hallways, he decided to take a detour to the restroom, seeking a moment of respite from the commotion in his classroom.
It appeared that his class was not the only one engaged in animated discussions, as he observed similar scenes of chaos and excitement through the open doors of other classrooms while making his way.
Upon stepping into the restroom, Ree-an was momentarily taken aback by its opulence. This was his first visit to the school's facilities, as he mostly confined himself to his dorm room, and he was astounded to discover that even the restrooms boasted an air of luxury.
*Click*
The sound of the restroom door swinging open drew Ree-an's attention, prompting him to glance toward the entrance as he washed his hands.
Sebastian, his seatmate, entered, his gaze fixated on Ree-an.
Ree-an, feeling a bit uneasy under the scrutiny, reached for some tissues to dry his hands, attempting to maintain his composure.
"Uh, do you need something?" Ree-an finally broke the silence, his voice steady, as he noted that Sebastian had yet to shift his gaze or make any move
Sebastian remained silent for a moment before taking a decisive step forward. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a silver key, strode over to the restroom door, inserted the key, and locked it.
Realizing what was happening, Ree-an felt a surge of anxiety, but he managed to keep his expression neutral.
"What the hell, Sebastian? What's this about?" Ree-an demanded, allowing a controlled hint of panic to color his words.
In a swift motion, Sebastian closed the distance between them, his movements catching Ree-an slightly off guard. Before he knew it, he was pinned against the door of a toilet stall, Sebastian's grip tight on his collar, his eyes blazing.
"What did you do to Brian?" Sebastian demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
Ree-an stuttered, "W-What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb. You were watching his seat all week," Sebastian accused, his eyes narrowing.
Internally cursing, Ree-an realized that he had underestimated Sebastian's perceptiveness. 'Time to improvise,' he thought.
"I- I was just looking because I was worried for myself. I wanted to check if he was back," Ree-an explained, his voice shaky.
"Bullshit." Sebastian retorted bluntly.
"It's t-true," Ree-an insisted, his voice strained as he struggled slightly under Sebastian's grip.
Sebastian's eyes bore into Ree-an's for a moment before he abruptly released him. The atmosphere remained tense, and Sebastian appeared to be deep in thought.
"After you followed him to the dark mar-," Sebastian began, but he stopped mid-sentence, seemingly rethinking his approach.
"What happened after you followed him?" he demanded, his tone urgent.
'So he was the one at the gate,' Ree-an realized. He needed to tread carefully.
"I- I don't know. Brian was acting really strange, and then he got a call. He let me go and just... left," Ree-an recounted, his voice soft, playing the part of a confused and scared student.
"A call? Who from?" Sebastian pressed, his eyes scrutinizing Ree-an for any sign of deceit..
"I don't know who it was," Ree-an replied, his voice strained.
Sebastian fell silent, his eyes searching Ree-an's for any sign of deception.
After a moment, he stepped away, massaging his forehead as if trying to alleviate a sudden headache.
'Is he really that concerned about Brian, or is there something else at play here?' Ree-an wondered, his mind swirling with questions.
It looked like Sebastian was about to say something else, but ultimately he just unlocked the restroom door and left without another word.
As the door clicked shut behind Sebastian, Ree-an straightened up, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
He whispered to himself, "This might actually be easier than I thought," his mind already plotting the next steps of his intricate game.
✒
Upon arriving at the library, Ree-an began searching the library meticulously for any hidden cameras, as well as a secluded spot where he could communicate without the risk of being overheard. His eyes scanned every nook and cranny, every shelf and corner.
Ree-an was searching for a secluded spot where he could remain undisturbed.
When he first visited the library with Cole, he was surprised to find that it was remarkably free from any security oversight. This discovery worked out in Ree-an's favor.
As he navigated through the aisles of books, his focus intensified. The gigantic library, with its towering shelves and vast collections, provided numerous hiding spots.
He managed to do all this while maintaining the demeanor of someone who was simply enjoying their time and browsing for new books.
After spending a considerable amount of time in the library, Ree-an had a growing suspicion that he was not alone. He started to notice subtle signs that he was being followed.
Though he couldn't discern by whom, it seemed like there were multiple people tracking his every move.
This realization unsettled him, but he decided to stay calm and think strategically. Consequently he decided it was time to head back to his dormitory.
Pulling out his device, he navigated to the messaging app and typed in 'Fish.' He brought up the contact and began to send a message to the someone listed as ´Fish´.
´Yuna.´ he typed out. Within a few seconds, a response appeared on the screen.
'What?' Yuna's message read. Ree-an quickly started to type his response.
'What did you do on your test? Did you answer any Level 1 questions?'
'No, I did not.' Reading Yuna's reply, Ree-an couldn't help but let out a small, relieved sigh.
'I'd figured something was wrong with it,' Yuna added in her next message.
'Good. Regardless, I need to talk to you about the test. When are you free?' Ree-an inquired.
'Today?'
'No, I'm being followed by people. I don't think today would be a good time.'
'You're being what? Should I come?'
'No. Are you available tomorrow morning before classes start?'
'Sure.'
'Alright, meet me at the library.´
´One more thing, do you know where the baseball club holds their training?'
'I do, why?'
'Can you keep Cole occupied as much as possible once he's done?'
'I don't think that would be a problem.´
´Are you really going to let them follow you to your room?'
'I am.'
'Good luck.'
With that, Ree-an turned his device completely off once again, prepared for whatever might come next.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone