The next day, in Professor Clara's class—
She stood at the front, her usual calm presence silencing the room almost instantly.
"Before we begin…"
A pause.
Her eyes moved across the students.
"…I will brief you on what is to come next week."
That caught everyone's attention.
Even the usual chatter died down.
"The VR Dungeon Trial."
A faint flick of her hand—and a screen appeared behind her.
A dark dungeon.
Endless corridors.
Monsters lurking in the shadows.
"You will be placed inside a simulated dungeon environment."
Her voice remained steady.
"But do not mistake it for a simple simulation."
A few students shifted uneasily.
"The pain you feel will be real."
"The fear you experience will be real."
"And your decisions…"
A slight pause.
"…will determine your survival."
The room grew quieter.
More focused.
"You will be assigned into teams."
"Your objective is simple—clear the dungeon."
"However…"
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"…not all of you will succeed."
A heavy silence followed.
"Some teams will fail to progress."
"Some will be eliminated early."
"And some…"
A faint pause.
"…may break under pressure."
A few students swallowed nervously.
"This trial is designed to test more than just strength."
"Coordination."
"Decision-making."
"Leadership."
"And adaptability under stress."
Her eyes lingered for just a moment—
On a few specific students.
Then returned to normal.
"You will also encounter…"
A brief flicker on the screen—
Dark, distorted creatures.
"…Voidborn."
That word alone made the room tense.
"They will not behave like ordinary monsters."
"They learn."
"They adapt."
"And they exploit weakness."
A quiet chill spread through the class.
"You are allowed to use all abilities available to you."
"But remember this—"
Her voice softened slightly.
"…recklessness will be punished."
The screen disappeared.
Clara folded her hands behind her back.
"You have one week to prepare."
A pause.
"Use it wisely."
"You've all been assigned your teams. I expect proper coordination… and choose a leader wisely."
A screen lit up in front of the class.
Chrono glanced at his team.
…and froze.
"…This is fucking bullshit."
Team Members:
• Nia Veridian
•Rina Emberheart
• Carl Vane
His eye twitched slightly as he stared at the names again, making sure he hadn't misread them.
'Why are three of the top 20 in my team?'
That alone didn't make sense.
No—this wasn't just imbalance.
This was deliberate.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze.
Across the room, Nia Veridian was already looking at him.
A smirk played on her lips.
Chrono narrowed his eyes.
'…Yeah. This isn't random.'
A memory surfaced in his mind.
White hair. Calm eyes.
A voice that carried quiet authority—
"I'm not blind to your potential."
"…Aurelia Von Astra."
He exhaled softly, leaning back in his chair.
'So this is your doing.'
A faint smirk formed.
'You're really trying to test me, aren't you?'
His eyes sharpened slightly.
'Fine.'
'Let's see how far this goes.'
—
Meanwhile, in another classroom—
SLAM—!
"This is bullshit!"
Rina Emberheart slammed her hand against the desk, heat flickering faintly from her palm as her eyes burned with irritation.
"Why the hell is that trash on my team?!"
A few students flinched at her outburst, quickly looking away.
No one dared respond.
Rina clicked her tongue, clearly pissed—but unaware of the deeper reason behind it.
—
Back in Chrono's class—
He remained seated, calm on the surface.
But inside—
His thoughts were already moving.
Top-tier students.
Stacked into one team.
No coincidence.
No mistake.
A setup.
A test.
His grip tightened slightly on the edge of the desk.
'Alright…'
A quiet determination settled in his eyes.
'Let's play along.'
After class ended, students poured into the corridors.
Voices overlapped everywhere—some excited, some nervous, others already arguing about their teams.
Chrono ignored all of it.
Hands in his pockets, expression calm, he walked straight back to his dorm.
No interest in pointless chatter.
He entered his room and shut the door behind him.
Quiet.
Finally.
He sat down.
Ding.
His phone lit up.
"…?"
He unlocked it.
[You have been added to a group chat]
Group Name: Team 17
Members:
• Nia Veridian
• Rina Emberheart
• Carl Vane
Chrono stared at the screen for a second.
"…Already."
A message popped up.
Nia Veridian:Well, looks like we're a team~
Then—
Rina Emberheart:This is a fucking joke.
His eye twitched slightly.
Rina Emberheart:Why is THAT guy here?
A short pause.
Nia Veridian:Relax. Maybe he won't slow us down too much.
Chrono exhaled quietly.
Predictable.
Chrono stared at the screen.
Four people.
One team.
'…This is going to be a mess.'
He typed.
Calm.
Direct.
Chrono:Restaurant near Sector 2. Tomorrow. 10 AM.
A pause.
Then—
Nia Veridian:Oh? Planning ahead, I like that~
Rina Emberheart:Who the hell do you think you are deciding this?
Chrono didn't react.
Another message appeared.
Carl Vane:…I'll come.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
Nia Veridian:I'll be there too.
Rina didn't reply.
Chrono locked his phone.
Set it aside.
'If she shows up, good.'
'If not… doesn't matter.'
He leaned back slightly.
Eyes closing for a moment.
Tomorrow—
Would decide everything about this team.
And whether they could even function together.