It was a draw.

  Merlin wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or disappointed, but the outcome had been a draw.

  Sure, it was only through some senseless luck that his team had taken possession of their opponent team’s flag at the same time as Nora had touched theirs, but Merlin was salty that he had been led to believe that he had actually been victorious then. The automated message should have made it clearer. What nonsense.

  “Goodness, man, chill out. You got points either way,” Hakyun noted as he served the remnant of the kimchi he had made in three plates. They were all famished after their practical class, and what better way to clear one’s mind than with food.

  “And we’re still first in the rankings,” Chima noted. “There’s no need to be pissed because it was a draw.”

  That was true. Before the class, Cohort Spearhead was at a hundred-and-sixty points and Dragon Eye at a hundred-and-twenty-five. The test was one where the Cohorts were given points as a whole, not as a culmination of personal points between each member, so the two Cohorts had gotten five points each because they had drawn. As for the second parties, Spearhead had lost to Dragon Eye, with the latter receiving ten points for their victory.

  Merlin didn’t want to claim that a reason for the loss was because Hakyun had faced off against Choi Sangook; after all, Hakyun had been unable to take on the bastard which had caused Spearhead to change their tactics midway in battle. But, well, it didn’t matter much, because Spearhead was still first on the rankings either way.

  Hopefully, that would be the last time they lost.

  Merlin sighed. “You’re right. It’s probably because I wanted some sort of bragging rights with my sister. She got the better of me.” He scratched his head.

  “Nora’s strong, Mel,” said Chima. “But I’m pretty sure you gave her trouble. You’re stronger after all.”

  Hakyun snorted. “Coming from someone who hasn’t fought her.”

  Chima’s nose twitched. “I watched her fight during the Grimoire sparring class. It’s pretty obvious.”

  “Oh, yeah? That fight lasted five seconds.”

  “Well, we were teammates during the Dungeon raid exam, for your information. I have a very good grasp on her strength.”

  Hakyun was silent for a few seconds. Then he clicked his tongue.

  These guys…

  Merlin’s head lit up as he recalled something he had wanted to discuss with them.

  “Guys, something weird happened during the test,” he began. Chima and Hakyun blinked as their attention skyrocketed. They focused on him. “I think something’s up with Nikolai.”

  Hakyun raised a brow. He had always been the closest to Nikolai, so it was only normal that he was the most caught by surprise by that statement.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “You remember I fought him during the Grimoire sparring class, right?” said Merlin. Chima and Hakyun nodded. “Well, when I fought him today, he seemed different—stronger.”

  “Stronger, how?” Chima asked.

  “Well, he was faster, his punches weighed more, and he overwhelmed me.”

  Hakyun snorted. “Come on, Merlin. Just because you beat him once and he beat you the second time doesn’t mean anything’s wrong with him.”

  “Technically, he didn’t beat me,” Merlin argued. “But that’s not the point. No one gets that strong in less than a week.”

  Unless they had a System, like he did. And even at that, it had taken him months to get to where he was now, and that was with him heading to the gym daily and trying all sorts of things to bolster his growth. He was still doing those things, but his time had been limited in that sense. And the reason his time was limited was because he was within the Academy, which Nikolai was also within too. So, even if the boy had a System, it was still weird that he had grown so quickly in such a short amount of time. And the possibility of him having a System was just as weird.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “You’re right,” Chima agreed. “But that doesn’t mean something is wrong with him. Maybe he was just holding back against you during the sparring class.”

  Merlin’s brows dropped. “Really? Do you really believe that?”

  Chima shrugged. “I don’t know what to think, Mel. It feels like you’re jumping the gun here.”

  Merlin clicked his tongue. “Look, I locked fists with him. We fought, for goodness sake. Do you think I wouldn’t realize if he was holding back against me or not?”

  “Well, you make a point there.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What are you insinuating here?” Hakyun asked. “That Nikolai took some magical steroids or something?” he added jokingly with a laugh. Merlin’s expression didn’t loosen, it only hardened, and Hakyun coughed. “Oh, come on, Merlin. You can’t be serious.”

  “That’s the only conclusion I could come to,” said Merlin.

  “That’s one hefty conclusion, if I must say,” Chima chimed in.

  Merlin stood up. “I get it, okay. This is all just me rambling—at least it might seem that way to you both. But what if I’m right? What if something’s going on with him and it has forced him to start taking magical amps just so he can perform? Ah, that reminds me. During the sparring class, when I defeated him, I saw the way Professor Dmitri looked at him. They’re related, aren’t they? What if I made him feel like a failure and he’s now seeking a way to prove to Professor Dmitri that he can do what he is meant to do?”

  Merlin drew in a sharp breath as soon as he made his mind known. For a moment there, it felt like he had been talking about himself. It was only different in that he believed Nikolai was relying on steroids, while he—he relied on the System.

  “And what if you’re wrong?” Chima asked. “Will you be able to look Nikolai in the eye after such an accusation?”

  Merlin glanced between Chima and Hakyun and sighed.

  He was well aware of how much weight his words carried. If at the end of the day, Nikolai had just trained his butt off to become as strong as he had become, then such an accusation would make him come off as bitter and not as caring as he would have preferred to sound. No amount of apology would make the boy look at him as a friend again.

  But that was a risk Merlin was willing to take. If there was even the slightest possibility that Nikolai was going through a rough patch, and he was relying on something like steroids to get through it, then he would step in. He was not yet close to the guy, but he would like to be. Just as Professor Jung had offered her shoulders to comfort him, he would offer his to comfort Nikolai.

  Steroids brought out the worst in another, never the best.

  Not that he had experienced it, but that was common sense.

  Merlin hardened his gaze. “I’ll take my chances.”

  Chima remained silent for a few seconds, then sat upright on the couch. “All right. Where do we start?”

  Merlin was taken aback. Chima’s words had jarred him into a slight jerk, and Hakyun was no different.

  “Hold on. Hold on. How did we go from stopping him to joining hands with him?” Hakyun asked.

  Chima frowned. “What are you talking about, four-eyes? I was never trying to stop him, I was only confirming if he was serious.”

  Hakyun’s brows twitched. “You madman. Don’t you see that this can go wrong in every way?”

  “Then are you just gonna let Mel handle it alone?”

  Hakyun gasped, stunned for words. “That’s not what I’m saying. We should stop him. That’s what we should be doing.”

  “And if Nikolai truly is on steroids? You’ll just let him be?”

  Hakyun paused. “I plan on asking him.”

  Chima clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You’re too honest, four-eyes. Do you think he’ll say ‘yes’ when you do? That’s preposterous to even think.”

  “But we can’t just go about accusing him. Look at it from my point of view.”

  “I am looking at it from your point of view, that’s why I’m asking Merlin what we should do.” Chima turned to Merlin. “There’s no way he doesn’t have a plan. Right?”

  Merlin took a deep breath and nodded. “I do have a plan.”

  “What is it?” Chima asked.

  “If Nikolai really is on steroids, there’s no way he bought it inside the Academy,” Merlin started. “In other words, if we can confirm that he left the Academy in the days after the sparring class, then that would be a great starting point. It’ll give my claim a bit of credibility, and then we can go from there.”

  Chima nodded. “I agree. But how do we find out if he left the Academy?”

  “There’s only one way,” Merlin replied. “The security’s records.”

  Hakyun screamed so loudly at that moment Merlin almost thought a thief had rushed into their dorm. He turned sharply to see him clutching his hair.

  “We’re gonna be killed when we get caught!” Hakyun cried.

  “Oh, can it, four-eyes,” Chima sneered. “We’re just gonna be snooping around the gate, no biggie.”

  “You brute,” Hakyun’s nose wrung up. “You talk like it’ll be that easy.”

  “Of course,” Chima answered proudly. “Our dear Mel must have a plan. Right?”

  Merlin shrank back. How did they arrive at the ‘he had all the answers’ stage?

  Well, he couldn’t complain. He was the one that had brought up the whole discussion, so he was the one who had to make the plans. And, in all honesty, he did have a plan.

  Merlin nodded. “We leave just before midnight.”