Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have went.

Every time I came to the Volunteer Healing Shelter, it would end in this fashion eight out of ten times.

The other two out of ten, I either ran away before anyone realised or a familiar nurse would chase me out before I even step into the tent.

Drunk in my delusions, I thought with my new powers, I would be able to improve drastically.

Well, a part of me deep down knew I would be wrong, but there was really only one way to find out.

And now that I had found out…

“Haizz…” I crouched down as soon as I entered the campus and ruffled my hair.

“Elijah!”

I did not even need to turn around to know who was calling for me, only one person in the whole academy would be stupid enough to be nice to me.

And that person was none other than Asher.

No one even acknowledged my existence, they probably thought that they were above me, maybe never noticed me, or most likely didn’t want to be the target of the bullies who treated me like a punching bag.

The only exception was the rank one who had nothing to fear.

His reputation was going down the drain second by second as pedestrians gawked at him while he waved and jogged to me.

I resisted the urge to make a face and flip a middle finger at him for throwing away his dignity for garbage like me.

Instead, I smiled forcefully and asked, “Why are you talking to me?”

Asher tilted his head, “Why can’t I talk to you?”

… This naive pushover, doesn’t know how the law of the jungle works?

How is he at the top of the social pyramid if he isn’t even aware that talking to me would earn him nothing but hell.

Well at least that was the case for most… Damn it what is up with you author-nim? A protagonist like him is too cliche!

I sighed as I pinched myself between my eyebrows and replied, “What do you want?”

“Don’t be like that, I was going to ask you if you checked out our assessment notification yet?” Asher said brightly.

The girls around me drinking their slushies that they just bought from the stand near us choked on it when they witnessed the gift God bestowed to humans, Asher’s smile.

Bro…

I didn’t really need to check the notification since I already knew what it was beforehand, but despite that, I responded with, “Yeah, why?”

“Great, then join us at the training hallway after school! The teachers gave us permission to stay out after curfew!”

Even the teachers kiss his ass… 

Wait.

What?

“Why?!?” I almost shrieked, join Asher? With his popular snobby friends?

Asher said, “Didn’t you see the notice board?”

“No?” 

He calmly explained, “You’re in our group for the assessment task.”

…

PROFESSOR KYLE YOU ABSOLUTE SADIST-

“Ellijah? Wait- where are you going?!”

I swear my legs just moved on their own.

before I knew it, I left him in the dust.

Wow, I've never run so quickly in my life.

***

“BUT PROFESSOR-”

“I don’t know why you’re complaining, you were grouped with the top-tier students in your grade. What is there to complain about?”

“Please Professor,” I begged, “You don’t know how desperate I am, I wish to be switched to another group.”

The Head pushed up her glasses and looked up from her paperwork to talk to me.

“I can’t just change your group because you ask to, you need a valid reason, Horton.”

Professor Felicity sat next to Kaida as both of them turned their heads in synchronisation to the speaker and back when the other finished talking with the exact same amused expression on their face.

The only difference was that one was sucking on passion fruit lollipops while the other had raspberry.

Professor Kyle on the other hand torned between siding with the Head and sitting on the fence with Professor Felicity and Kaida. 

But he didn’t need to agree with the Head, because the battle of life and earth was already won, resulting in my devastating defeat.

I trudged out of her office door with an air of misery hung in front of my face, Kaida hopped off the desk and followed me out.

I glanced at my watch and groaned in utter frustration then make my way to the training hall.

Sensing the lack of light using high-end technology, the light posts next to the path slowly flickered on.

As I arrived at the entrance I inserted my student id onto the slot, letting a laser beam scan my body before spitting out my card and allowing me in.

It seems like I was early because the room Asher was assigned to was empty.

I decided to book my own room for the time being.

I half-heartedly shadow boxed while Kaida encircled me giving words of encouragement. I appreciated the effort, but I wasn’t in the mood.

CLACK.

Voices could be heard, I guess some people arrived.

Wait, what? Wasn’t the room soundproof in order not to disrupt the students training inside?

Eh?

Well, whatever, it’s probably my mini awakening. There don’t seem to be water pipes in training rooms.

I turned my attention back to walking towards the door.

As I was about to open the door, I froze when my hand gripped the doorknob unconsciously at the mention of my name.

“Why is Elijah in our group?”

“I know right, if it wasn’t for Asher then I would’ve used my connections to kick him out of the group, what does he even see in him?”

Familiar yet unfamiliar voices could be heard.

They must be Asher’s friends, some high rankers.

I already knew I was going to be dead weight to a bunch of elites- no, nothing more than a liability,

I closed my eyes, letting their words sink into me.

“You know, Asher’s really too kind for his own good. He doesn’t have the heart to do what’s right for him.” The former voice (that was female) replied.

“Argh, is he not here yet? He dares make us wait for him.” the latter who was male responded.

A new female voice popped up, “Don’t say those kinds of things, we never know if the rumours are true until we meet him.”

“You’re the only one this optimistic, I highly doubt he will be different from the rumours because they normally have some sort of truth attached to them.” the first voice retorted.

“Well, I know that you don’t really mean your previous words, you are actually excited to meet Asher’s childhood friend, Amber.” the other female voice teased.

“Bull- bullsh*t! What do you mean!” Amber stuttered.

Another male voice interrupted Amber, “We all already know, it’s just Asher who is oblivious to your crush, Amber.”

The first male agreed, “It’s kind of obvious.”

“Shut it! Both of you! Lucas, I didn’t think you would betray me like this!”.

The second male voice, Lucas let out a high-pitched giggle.

“Hey guys, have you seen Elijah?” Asher entered the hall. “By the way Julian, how many times do I have to tell you, stop forgetting your training equipment”

The first male voice now identified as Julian grunted irritably in response.

I assumed Amber and Lucas shook their heads, and Asher turned to the second female.

“How about you Lacey?”

“Nup!” Lacey replied, popping the ‘p’.

As I listened for a while longer I could basically determine the dynamic of the whole group.

Lucas sounds adorable and nice, albeit a bit naive but there was something about him I couldn’t exactly pinpoint.

Amber the tsundere, Asher simp, she also seemed like a rich kid.

Julian seems like the cold type but not to the point of unjustified prejudice, he seems to get overly enthusiastic whenever Asher was the topic of the conversation.

Lacey also seems really nice but that’s about all I could gather in that short period of time.

Deciding I had listened in enough I decided to finally open the door.