7
I turned back to face him, my voice dripping with scorn. “I can’t afford a class like yours, Professor. You should focus on giving your dear Sera the
education she deserves.”
His face was a mask of fury. “Do you think this class is a revolving door for you to come and go as you please? Do you think this academy is owned
by your family?”
I gave him a pitying look. “You’re right. The academy is owned by my family.”
He froze, speechless. I turned and walked away.
Let them have their cloying, exclusive romance. I wasn’t playing along. I had better things to do than fight for some man’s affection. I had compo-
nents to build.
Back in Section 1, I noticed that once I was away from the main characters, the feed disappeared. My life returned to its normal trajectory.
And because I hadn’t stolen Seraphina’s materials, the plot had changed. She failed to create the component with 98.92% efficiency.
Chapter 2
BULI UIU.
21:14
My Part Five tested at 99.36%, and my Part Six at 98.98%-even higher than her results in the original story.
I thought that when these numbers were released, the Grandmaster, Valerius, might take me on as his apprentice, just as he had with Seraphina in the novel. But I was wrong. He never appeared. With no interaction between the main characters and me, the feed stayed silent.
Time flew by in a blur of assembly and disassembly. Soon, it was time for the first–year final exams.
The exam was designed by Master Valerius himself. Rumor had it he was planning to choose a new apprentice from among the first–year studen- ts. I wanted to be that apprentice. I practiced until I was on the verge of collapse, hoping he would notice me.
What I didn’t know then was that some roles exist only for the main character. No amount of hard work from a supporting character can change
that.
The exam was in the afternoon. I decided to eat in the dining hall instead of going home. The moment I walked in, I saw Seraphina. She was sitti- ng with Kira, her hair in a high ponytail, her face glowing with health and happiness.
The feed flickered to life, telling me that she and Julian Pierce were now living together, their relationship intense and passionate, though they had to pretend to be mere teacher and student at the academy. I watched the pink, bubbly comments of congratulations and envy drift by, feeling nothing.
She saw me too. She quickly averted her gaze and offered Kira a bitter smile. “The difference between the rich and the poor is just staggering, isn’t it? One of their meals on the second floor costs more than my entire month’s salary. There are less than thirty steps between the first and second
floors, but the gap in status is a universe wide.”
“I’m glad I have you,” she added. “Otherwise, the only poor person in this whole academy would be all alone.”
Kira comforted her. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re better than all of them. They rely on their parents, their families. You’re the only one making it
on your own. In that, you’re stronger than anyone here.”
My friend beside me bristled, ready to march over and start an argument. “Who do you think you’re-”
I quickly grabbed her arm. “She’s not wrong, is she? We’re not adults yet. It’s perfectly normal to be supported by our parents.”
My friend blinked. “Uh… I guess you’re right.”
I pulled her toward the stairs. “So what’s there to be angry about? Let’s go eat. We have an exam this afternoon.”
The old me would have exploded. B
But the feed told me that in the original story, this was where we get into a fight. My friends and I, using our nu-
mbers, would bully them mercilessly, even forcing them to eat food mixed with garbage. Julian Pierce would swoop in to save them.
Then, Seraphina, her voice choked with tears, would challenge me in the middle of the dining hall. She’d declare that if she beat me in the exam, I had to publicly apologize. If she lost, she would drop out of the academy.
Her bravery, her defiance against the powerful, would make Julian’s heart ache for her and would also attract the attention of the story’s second male lead–my own brother, Leo.
And upstairs, Master Valerius and the other proctors would have witnessed the entire ugly affair. Before the exam even began, we would have already been disqualified in their eyes. They would, in turn, be deeply impressed by Seraphina.
So I stopped my friend. I avoided the drama that would have cost me everything.
I just never expected that, even though I did nothing, I was challenged by Seraphina anyway.
