Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

"Alright, attention!"

Wednesday, morning announcements.

Lillian's voice was just as loud in the morning as at any other time.

"You will need to form a team of five."

It was finally here.

I closed my eyes and clenched my lips.

Team challenge. It was kind of like a group project. From now on, I will be doing rather annoying things as a member of a team. For example, conquering a miniature Tower, capturing artefacts against other teams, or going on team-building trips.

Thankfully, team challenges only lasted until the midterms in eight weeks.

"Get into teams that meet the requirement and submit a team member list by the end of next Wednesday. If you don't have a team by that time, I will place you in teams myself."

"Huu."

Forming a team was too sorrowful for outcasts like me.

However, I know that fact I can get some cadets to join my group, for example, Sunny.

He will join the group if I say so... I can't recruit Evelyn or Isabella.

Because they're also in the top 10 and I can only get one member that is below the Rank 5.

And I don't want Evelyn in my team because I already have someone in my mind, Who I was hoping to get close to for quite some time.

Tap, tap, tap.

"...?"

At that moment, I heard tiny tapping sounds.

I turned around. On a seat a little ways behind me, Elera was tapping on her desk with an anxious face.

Oh right.

Elera was also in a similar situation to me. The difference was that I didn't talk to anyone in class aside from the main cast and Sunny. while she was aloof and hard to approach.

I only saw her talking with Emma a few times because she was in her group in the previous semester.

Since that was the case, it might be good for us to team up.

She was the one I was hoping to get close to so I could get join my mercenary group.

"Huu."

Although I was a bit nervous, I took a deep breath and sent her a message.

[Elera, would you like to team up with me?]

I already got her number from the academic student registry, Don't ask me how did though.

But before she could check my message, someone approached her.

"Would you like to team up?"

It was the robed magician, Ella.

Ella's boldness attracted the attention of the entire class.

Elera stared at Ella with puzzled eyes, but Ella even reached her hand out to Elera.

Looking back and forth between them, I couldn't help but wonder why it was Elera.

Ellaactst is like a lone wolf out there in society, She is just like a mercenary but she hasn't joined any group.

She works alone and wouldn't come in contact with not that many people.

So I'm guessing that someone hired her to watch over Elera, Who was a fallen noble.

Well, her family has fallen noble and that happened just a few years ago, before that they hadn't fallen.

But that story for some other time, It would take some time to go all the way back in time.

"I'll think about it. There's still a lot of time left."

Elera sent Ella back for now. Then, she checked her smartwatch. It seemed she saw my message as her eyes widened.

She glanced at me and our eyes met.

Sssk.

Elera'sa head unnaturally turned to the window. She was trying to pretend that she wasn't trying to look at me.

I turned back around and faced the front of the class.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, she gave me a reply.

[I'll think about it.]

I hoped she would pick me but who knows what her decision will be. For now, all I could do was wait and hope for the best.

As the morning announcements continued, my mind drifted to potential team compositions. If Elera agreed to team up with me, it would be a step closer to achieving my goal of forming a strong and reliable team for the upcoming challenges.

However, if she chose to team up with Ella instead, I would have to reassess my options and find another teammate.

Regardless of the outcome, I knew that forming a team was crucial for my success in the team challenge. With only a week left to submit our team member list, I needed to act quickly and decisively.

But for now, all I could do was focus on the present and wait for Elera's decision. With my heart pounding in anticipation, I turned my attention back to the front of the class, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead in the days to come.

***

On the way back to my apartment...

I was in deep thought. Why? Because by this time around Adrian's system would give him a mission to conquer the unranked dungeon.

An unranked dungeon that is not found and hasn't been registered on the World Government registry.

In the novel, Adrian managed to conquer the unranked dungeon alone but I can't trust on the novel's plot anymore.

Many things have changed in the plot.

In few days, Adrian would asked for leave of absence from academy and would go outside of the academy city to conquer the unranked doungen.

The Dungeon Adrian was planning on conquering was an exception. It was a matter of suitability.

This Dungeon was small, with weak minions but a powerful boss. This boss was the Swordsman of Destruction, a monster that even a [D+] and [C] rank Hero would find difficult to handle.

Right, he was a swordsman.

Swordsman and a Sword Saint.

Even little can tell that Adrian would easily beat swordsman because Adrian attribute is swordsaint.

...And not only that by this time around I'm sure that Adrian must have received Grade 5* Sword art manual from his master, Headmaster Hera.

But like I said thing's aren't going to according to novel, Anything can happen anytime.

In any case, I had to join this Dungeon conquest. After all, this world is not a novel anymore and I can't rely solely on the plot to guide me through. If I wanted to survive and thrive in this new reality, I needed to take matters into my own hands.

As I reached my apartment, I opened the door and stepped inside, feeling a sense of determination wash over me. I couldn't afford to sit back and wait for things to happen. If I wanted to succeed, I needed to seize every opportunity that came my way.

With that thought in mind, I began to prepare for the upcoming challenges. Whether it was forming a team for the team challenge or joining Adrian on his conquest of the unranked dungeon, I was ready to face whatever obstacles stood in my way.

As the sun began to set outside my window, casting a warm glow over the city, I felt a renewed sense of purpose coursing through my veins. The journey ahead would be difficult, but I was determined to carve out my own path and write my own destiny.

With a steely resolve, I set about making preparations for the days to come, knowing that with hard work and perseverance, I could overcome any challenge that came my way.

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