Merlin paled.

  Besides the constant nagging fact breathing down on his neck regarding Sunny’s progress with Club Spiral—which was basically nonexistent, because Sunny had made it nonexistent after telling Merlin that he would keep him in the loop—the Tower expedition was about to begin, and in return, the teams had been shared.

  Each Cohort was split into four, due to the large number they possessed, a group of five first years each. It made for easier coordination and teamwork, according to Professor Jung, and they were overseen by two seniors of their respective Cohorts.

  Merlin’s team was composed of himself, one of the five A-Class Mages in their year, Hwang Man-Shik, Sofia Petrovna, Park Yuri, another A-Class Mage, and a student he had never interacted with before, Daniel Müller. And…they were appointed to two second years, a senior by the name Seo Hyunwoo, brown hair with curtain bangs, and whose cheeks didn’t seem to hurt despite how much he was smiling. As well as the source of Merlin’s life leaving his body, Senior Sun-Hee, as usual, wearing her cold stare.

  Utter disaster.

  Of course, she was practically his teacher, so Merlin should be used to her presence by now. However, that didn’t mean he understood her, or got along with her very well. After all, she barely spoke to him outside their…well, classes. And the only time she ever smiled was when she was lazying about reading her comic books.

  In fact, Merlin wouldn’t be surprised if the reason why she always seemed so much more pissed off than usual when she was teaching him wasn’t because he was slow to assimilate, but because he was eating into her precious free time. At least she wouldn’t have to teach him while they were in their assigned tower, so he hoped she would cut him some slack.

  “Okay, I’m scared,” Hakyun whispered from behind Merlin, startling him for a brief moment. Merlin turned around, Hakyun blinked, cocking his head slightly. “You look like shit.”

  Well, who wouldn’t be when they had a particular silver haired senior on their team who got a kick out of shooting lasers at anyone who dared to so much as talk to her? Also, now that he thought about it, he was quite brave, considering how he always tried to start a conversation with someone so out of touch.

  “Shouldn’t you be with the rest of your teammates?” Merlin asked as he perused the sea of bodies chatting and also shivering. Nervousness was in the air.

  “Are you chasing me away?” Hakyun narrowed his eyes and nudged his glasses upwards.

  “No. I’m just saying you should be getting to know your teammates better,” Merlin replied.

  Hakyun snorted. “Chima’s doing well with that,” he said. “The guy’s so good socially, it makes me feel below par in that department.”

  That was because he was below par in that department. And, honestly, Merlin was jealous that both of his roommates were in one team like they always coincidentally were.

  Why was he the one always singled out?

  Merlin sighed and placed a hand on Hakyun’s shoulder. “Well, I have to focus on mine, be that as it may, so have a lovely expedition, will you? Make sure to succeed so that we can compete in the tournament, just like we promised we would.”

  Hakyun clicked his tongue. “You and Chima forced me into making that promise.”

  “And, thankfully, you both are on the same team. So, now, you can’t self-sabotage.” Merlin smiled and Hakyun wrung up his nose, and he took that as his cue to return back to his team. He had distanced himself enough to catch a breath.

  “How are you feeling now?” Sofia asked as soon as Merlin walked up to her where she was standing. He blinked, unsure what she meant, and then she gestured at her face. “You looked pale—still do, though.”

  Merlin sighed. “I’m fine,” he said as he glanced around once again. He caught Kim Minji staring and waved at her, and she waved back, though rather stiffly, making him wonder if he had done something to her.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Perhaps he had missed a message—again?

  Well, it was best if he checked it now, because no cellphones were allowed in the Tower.

  Uhm…technically, they were allowed; it was just that they wouldn’t work. No service in another dimension. And even though the Towers they would be walking into were just simulations, they were modeled after real Towers, which meant they shared the same characteristics.

  All in all, his phone would be pretty useless. Thankfully, he had pre-downloaded Singularity Mage and a lot of other novels to serve as a means to wile away time. Otherwise, he might very well be bored.

  Ah… On the other hand, he had missed Kim Minji’s message. Silly him.

  It was a simple ‘good morning’, which was sent around five in the morning—what was she, a bat?—but a greeting shouldn’t be ignored nonetheless. He replied and dipped the phone back in his pocket, and turned just in time to see Sofia shake away what he termed a jealous expression from her face. Suddenly, he recalled why Chima and Hakyun were pissed at him for not telling the girl where he stood. The way it looked, it would seem like he was stringing her along. And, honestly, it felt like he was. She had become such a good friend to him, and it was now very hard for him to come clean. There was no way a rift wouldn’t appear between them if he told her he had feelings for another person, who, frustratingly, didn’t seem to harbor much of that for him.

  But enough of the romantic turmoil in his head. Professor Jung, in her black suit, tailored to perfection for her gait, had arrived to give the final speech before the Tower expedition began.

  “Shuffle into your teams, please,” said Professor Jung, and all the casual talk subsided. Everyone ramrod themselves straight, bags over their shoulders or placed on the ground beside them, like Merlin, and swallowing dryly.

  The Open field had a lot of space and fresh air—and memories, for Merlin and his friends—so it was hardly as nauseating as it would have been if they were packed like sardines in a room, somewhere like the auditorium.

  “You all have received the details of the expedition and what you stand to gain from it,” Professor Jung continued. “As insinuated, you will all head into different Towers. Each one was conquered during the Cataclysm, so don’t be scared as they are all clearable. Now, I fully understand that the rules have changed, bringing those of you who studied your alums' actions to a completely different territory. But, like I said, do not be scared. Take a deep breath, and think of it as your first step to proving that you have what it takes to be a Mage. Which is the first step to proving that you have what it takes to be a Mage. Me and the rest of the staff will be watching, so if we feel like any team cannot continue, we will step in at once and stop the test.”

  Her eyes fell on Merlin then, and he realized that she was referring to what had happened during his Physical Assessment.

  Hopefully, it would be fine, but he knew better than that. The System had made it clear to him that his Red Quests only came when he walked into a Dungeon. He was certain a Tower would be no different. If anything, he was excited, somewhat, as to what sort of Perk he might get from clearing the Tower’s first floor. His raid of the Dungeon that had brought Blue to him had blessed him with a rather fascinating Perk he was yet to have the chance to test to the degree he would like. A Perk called: Special Editor.

  It granted him the ability to edit the spells of another as long as he was well aware of the knowledge of the spell in particular to a greater degree than its user, boosting its capabilities. Basically, he was like a Caster—a special one. And it made him more useful in team oriented battles. However, it also meant that he had to ramp up on his studies, learn about every single spell that existed, both in and out of Singularity Mage, and he had no problems with that.

  “With that said,” Professor Jung cleared her throat as she tapped onto the screen of her smartwatch, “let us begin the Tower expedition.”

  The air about the Open field turned dense, like a spaceship with so much area was slowly descending upon the field. Merlin took a deep breath and exhaled, then he picked up his bag, noticing that Blue had poked his head out of the little space between the zips he had left for him, still hiding his presence from everyone besides Merlin.

  It didn’t take long for the theatrics to end, and the Open field to rumble to life as the ground split open and twenty-four ginormous Towers rose to the sky, pulling the mouths of the students open and slapping them with awe.

  Merlin was no different. In fact, Blue was no different.

  Professor Jung exhaled as the rumbling settled down and the murmurs from the students took its place. Then she clicked on her smartwatch one more time, and beeps resounded through those of the students, drawing their gazes from the Towers and back to the electronic device around their wrists.

  Merlin raised a brow at the words on the screen of his.

  The Tower of Xéros… he mumbled, having zero clue as to what the Tower was all about.

  “Sent to you are your assigned Towers,” Professor Jung said. “If you listened in classes, you will recall that each one has a different story, a different history, as all Towers do. Even though monsters live in these Towers, they all are still sapient beings, and the Towers are their world, rich with history. I suggest you do not glance over them as they will undoubtedly shape how well you succeed in clearing the floors you’ve been assigned.” She cleared her throat. “Think of what I said as a cheat.” She smiled. “You have a week in Earth time. Good luck.”