The air in the room seemed to get heavier.
It was a sensation I knew well—"Admin Pressure." High-level players emitted it naturally, a weight that pressed down on the code of the world around them. For a Level 1 weakling, it should have been terrifying. It should have made me shake.
I pinched my thigh under the desk, hard.
React, I commanded myself. Be scared.
I let a shudder run through my frame. I averted my eyes, looking down at my shoes like a frightened puppy.
Seraphina’s gaze lingered on me for a second longer than the others. I could feel the heat of the scan—a prickly sensation on the back of my neck. She was checking my logs. She was looking for the SSS-rank skill I used yesterday.
But I had buried it deep. I had wrapped that forbidden data in layers of junk code—memories of failed math tests, anxiety about rent, thoughts about cheap noodles. To her scanner, I was just a messy, corrupted file.
"Very well," Seraphina said, breaking the silence. "Where shall I sit?"
Mr. Tang scrambled, eager to please the VIP. "Ah, yes! Anywhere you like! We can move someone—"
"No need."
She walked down the aisle. The class held its breath. She passed the empty seat in the front. She passed the cool kids in the middle.
She stopped at the back row. Right next to the window.
Right next to me.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked. She wasn't asking me. She was telling me she was sitting there.
"N-no," I stammered, adding a crack to my voice for effect. "It's free."
She placed her bag on the desk and sat down. Her posture was perfect—spine straight, hands folded. She looked completely out of place, like a diamond sitting in a pile of coal.
Mr. Tang cleared his throat, visibly sweating. "Right. Uh. Let's return to the lecture. The Server Merge caused a redistribution of mana..."
I stared straight ahead, but my peripheral vision was locked on her. I was hyper-aware of every micro-movement she made.
Why here? Why next to me? Did she know?
No, I reasoned. She’s a tactical thinker. The back corner offers the best vantage point of the room. It minimizes blind spots. It’s what I would have chosen.
But that didn't make it any less dangerous. The hunter was sitting next to the prey, and the prey had to pretend he was just chewing cud.
"You're quiet," a voice said.
I froze. I didn't turn my head immediately. I waited two seconds—the average reaction time for a dull student—and then looked at her.
Seraphina wasn't looking at the teacher. She was looking at me, her chin resting on her hand. Those silver eyes were drilling into the side of my head.
"Me?" I pointed at my own chest.
"Yes, you," she said. "Most people in this district have a 'noisy' aura. Anxiety, hunger, aggression. It buzzes." She tapped a finger on her desk. "You don't buzz. You're static."
My mind raced. She suspects.
"I'm just tired," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "Pulled a double shift farming slimes in the sewers last night. Only got 20 EXP."
"Is that so?" She tilted her head. "Your heartbeat is remarkably slow for someone who is 'just tired.' It’s steady. Controlled. Almost like you're waiting for something."
I felt a drop of cold sweat slide down my spine. She was good. Better than the usual System Enforcers. She wasn't just relying on her HUD; she was using intuition.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, turning back to my textbook. "I'm just trying not to fail History. If I lose my scholarship, I get evicted."
"Eviction," she repeated the word like it was a foreign concept. "Interesting motivation."
She leaned in closer. I could see the faint glow of data scrolling across her irises.
"Tell me, classmate. Did you hear anything... unusual yesterday? Behind the gymnasium?"
She knew the location. Of course she did. The System Eye had seen the anomaly there.
I gripped my pen tight enough to bend the plastic. I had two choices: lie, or play dumb.
"Behind the gym?" I frowned, feigning confusion. "You mean where Chen hangs out? He was bullying some kids there yesterday. Does that count as unusual?"
Seraphina studied my face. She was looking for a micro-expression, a twitch, a tell. I gave her nothing but the dull, cow-eyed look of a teenager who just wanted to go home and sleep.
"Bullying," she murmured. "No. That’s a standard background process in this sector."
She sat back, the intensity fading slightly from her eyes. "Never mind. Focus on your studies, Level 1. You'll need all the help you can get."
I exhaled, careful not to let it sound like a sigh of relief.
Safe, I thought. For now.
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.