The Ger Is A Part Timer [BL]

~ 31 ~

"TMD", Beldyn cursed. Their team was also within the top five?!

"I must be dreaming, right?" Andrei kept tapping Beldyn's shoulder.

"Oh", Beldyn put on an annoyed expression, then turned to pinch Andrei's thigh hard.

"Aeugh—", Andrei curled down in trembling agony.

"Based on your reaction, it seems it's not", Beldyn responded while everyone else was watching each other's reaction.

Fernis squinted at the screen, unable to believe what he was seeing. Their team name wasn't at the top. It wasn’t even in the middle. He scanned the list until it landed on their team's name that had the shared dorm room number.

They were at the bottom. That ominous room number was plastered at the bottom.

The silence was broken by a collective murmur. Other teams exchanged puzzled glances, while some tried to stifle smirks. No one had expected this. The legendary team—the one with Gazef's strong execution and survival instincts, Fernis' unshakeable precision, Yu Yan’s brilliant tactics, and Chen WangZhi’s adaptability—had failed spectacularly.

Chen WangZhi's face flushed. "What the hell…?"

Yu Yan, normally composed, clenched his fists. "This doesn't make sense—"

It was hard to swallow an outcome he did not expect to receive in all unlikelihood. How did they even lose so much points to the point of negation?!

"Enough," Gazef said, his voice low, though his eyes were burning with the same confusion. "We'll ask."

They pushed through the crowd, heading straight for Instructor Bryce, who stood near the entrance, his arms crossed, unreadable.

“Instructor,” Yu Yan spoke up, keeping his voice measured but firm, “As an Instructor that took part in grading us this pretest, can we request for a private discussion? Our team is very much interested in improving ourselves. Could we ask to have a private audience with you to discuss the breakdown of our mistakes and inadequacies based on our team's point system?"

In other words—

We completed the task. Why are we at the bottom? Did we not perform well enough? Or is it a problem with the staff's deduction of points that we mistakenly forgot to account for?

Fernis and Gazef shared a brief look. They understood Yu Yan's implication, however, whether Bryce understood it as well was not indicated.

Instructor Bryce only met their gazes without flinching, then let out a slow, measured breath, "Follow me."

Headed by Gazef, Yu Yan's team followed the Instructor into his makeshift office. The rows of books lines the shelf. Although the table was clear, there were multiple holographic screens that the Instructor had not closed yet hovering on top the table.

With a swipe of his arm, the screens vanished and  Bryce looked at his students, leaning at the table with his arms crossed.

Chen WangZhi opened his mouth to start asking, however, Bryce's casually words shut him off, "Don't think that there's a next time to this. I don't want more idiots thinking scores and punishments are negotiable, much less questionable. I only agreed to this nonsense because the department's teaching staff thinks you're all good seedlings."

Bryce glanced at each of them, staying particularly longer at Chen WangZhi, "Are you?"

Chen WangZhi stiffened, his nervous thoughts spilling in his mind: What is he looking at me for? Did I do something to offend the Instructor.

Yu Yan cleared his throat and smiled, "Of course, we are very grateful that the teaching faculty sees us as potentially good seedlings. Although we feel undeserving, we still want to be able to carry such expectations and not disappoint too much. Thus, Instructor Bryce, our team wanted to ask for some pointers and insight on our inexperienceness during this pretest which led to our deficit of points." He repeated his intention.

Bryce half- closed his eyes for a moment. This child had a good way of talking. Perhaps he'll find his path in politics? Bryce glanced at Yu Yan with squinted eyes.

Bryce, “The instructions were clear. One of the few I specifically mentioned was not to damage any of the posts or parts of the academy's properties while you're all in that island.”

Chen WangZhi looked baffled. “But we didn’t break anything!”

Bryce's eyes sharpened. "If I you let me borrow a sandwich and I opened it against your wishes only to slice it then stitch it back together and tape the packaging while saying I didn't eat it, will you believe it? Will you still want it back? Don't you think my post doesn't have your disgusting little dirty fingerprints all over it?"

"...."

"..."

"...."

"..."

Was the post something you can eat?? Why compare a hunk of metal to food??

"The pretest is conducted on very strict monitoring, especially the point system. The rankings from this test will determine a lot not just in your ability and potential, but the score and ranking reflect your talents and your growth. This initial score is what you'll start with and grow along the span of a few years.

"Did you honestly think that altering that post to stop others from stealing your post, which in a way, is already method of manipulation of points, would be allowed?"

Well, if you put it in that way....

_+_+_

A/N: Honestly, I'm a little scared of the attention this book is getting >..> I'm writing this for shites and giggles and sharing smiles and then all of a sudden I see my notifications and I'm like, "Damn, I have to take this seriously" — and then proceeds to make a mess out of the plot because of the pressure *dies on the inside* for some reason, the more serious I try to write something the worse the chapter I write lol ironic right?

Mihai: When am I getting screentime?

A/N: You're Gazef's adjutant, you're supposed to be in hiding. You don't need screentime.

Mihai: Hiding? Then what about Gazef? *points at Gazef*

Gazef: .....My name is Azef, please don't implicate the innocent. I don't know you.

Mihai: Aggrieved!