Highly Suspicious

The campus of the University of Newport comprised of several buildings, some functioning as institutions where various subjects were taught by professors, while others functioned as accommodation, dining halls, libraries, and chapels.

Luke hurried out of one of the many college halls, constantly looking around in fear. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were ragged, giving him an extremely unkempt appearance.

There were dark circles under his eyes despite sleeping for sixteen to eighteen hours for the past few days. His hair was a mess and he hadn't washed himself ever since he'd transmigrated into this strange world.

He constantly looked around, his eyes darting from one place to another in panic, as if someone—or something—was after him. Needless to say, he looked very suspicious.

But it couldn't be helped. The past few days had been just that bizarre.

He walked along the red-brick pavement and took a seat on a bench underneath the shade of a plane tree. As the other college students passed him by, they couldn't help but glance at him with contempt.

The state that Luke had presented himself in was frowned upon in Albion society, considering that he was a student at such a famed university. But he couldn't care less about others' opinions.

He started to nervously bite his finger nails as he thought to himself, I'm fucked!

That exam was a disaster! I don't even know what I wrote in the paper… Three years of hard work will go down the drain if I fail… Fuck!

But…

His gaze was drawn to his pants pocket. He felt something strange there right at that instant.

It has returned again!

Luke didn't even need to put his hand inside the pocket to find out. He could feel it. He could see the outline of the coin.

The cursed coin!

He had thrown it away once again before entering the college hall to sit for the examination, but it had magically returned.

I'm truly fucked! What do I do?! Why is this happening to me! Why can't I just live in peace?! I thought I was given a second chance at life…

I thought I was chosen… that I was blessed…

Then why?!

Why is this coin not leaving my side?!

In the past couple of days, Luke was astonished to learn that no matter what he did, no matter how far he threw the coin, it would always return to him.

The more this happened, the more unstable his mind became.

He had never witnessed something so… ludicrous in his life. But that was not the only bizarre thing happening to him.

Every now and then he would see visions of fire and himself burning in it. Furthermore, he even found out that despite sleeping for at least sixteen hours every day, he would still wake up feeling extremely fatigued.

Now, this felt more than just the side effects of transmigration. He felt like he was cursed!

He raised his head and gazed at the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the plane tree. His lips couldn't help but curl up into a bitter smile.

In my past life, I didn't have the ability to walk.

In this life, I'm slowly losing my mind.

Am I truly cursed?

His eyes involuntarily teared up as he analyzed the situation he found himself in.

A cursed coin that wouldn't leave his side, visions of him burning in fire that kept getting frequent as the days passed by, the feeling of constantly being watched, and finally his level of exhaustion that kept intensifying every day.

He wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his second-hand coat. When his gaze landed on his legs, he muttered softly, "There are still some things left to be grateful for…"

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him, causing him to flinch. He raised his head and saw that a finely dressed young man, who seemed to be about the same age as him, was standing before him and looking at him with a polite smile.

I didn't even hear him coming, Luke thought with a frown.

The raven-haired young man tipped his hat and said, "Good day to you, Mr. Bishop."

Luke instantly became vigilant. "Do I know you?"

The young man replied with a faint smile, "We have met before. My name is Henry Mercer."

"Mercer…" Luke muttered under his breath. He found this name familiar, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"My grandfather and I came across you in the waterfront district four nights ago," Henry patiently explained. "We assisted you in getting home safely. I doubt you recall much of it. You were in a rather poor state."

"Ohh!" Luke's eyes lit up and he shot to his feet. "Now I remember! Edmund Mercer is your grandfather?"

"Indeed, that is correct." Henry nodded with a polite smile.

"That's great!" Luke beamed. "Thanks a lot, man! My neighbor told me what you and your grandfather did for me. If it wasn't for you, I would have died for sure!"

"You are welcome, Mr. Bishop."

"Please!" Luke waved his hand. "Just call me… Abel."

Henry couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, thinking Luke was quite an easy-going fellow. He pointed at the bench and asked, "May I?"

"Oh, for sure!" Luke nodded. Then, both he and Henry sat down. "How did you know I'd be here?" He asked, his eyes laced with hints of suspicion.

Of course, Henry could notice that. However, he didn't mind it. "I'm reading for a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis on Mathematics and Law." He paused for a moment before adding, "We are in the same year."

"So, it's like that, huh!" Luke was pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know we were in the same batch."

Batch? Henry frowned ever so slightly. His manner of speaking is quite… strange.

His eyes were then involuntarily drawn to the space just above Luke's head. When he saw the abnormal amount of spirit energy leaking out, he couldn't help but feel secretly shocked.

He then gazed at the dark circles under Luke's eyes and his haggard appearance and thought to himself, The symptoms are getting worse…

"So what brings you here, Henry?" Luke asked casually.

Henry's lips twitched at the youth's frankness. Regardless, he pointed at the college hall in the near distance and said, "I just sat for my mathematics examination."

"Oh! Same here!" Luke remarked.

"I know." Henry nodded. "I saw you inside. That is how I came across you."

"Ah, I see." Luke nodded in understanding.

He then stared at the ground, thinking whether he should ask about the reason why he and his grandfather decided to save him that night, and even go so far as to call for a surgeon to stitch the wounds on his forehead as well as the back of his head.

However, he found himself unable to speak. He was immensely grateful for the two, and thought that maybe if he asked Henry such a question, it might sound rude.

While Luke was lost in his thoughts, Henry too was thinking about something else.

Grandfather has tasked me with introducing Abel to the supernatural world, but… how am I to go about it?

He insisted that it was a directive from the Director himself! My first assignment must be executed flawlessly.

But how am I to accomplish it without driving him away? He already appears rather on edge.

Henry finally spoke, weighing his words carefully, "Mr. Bishop, this may sound rather peculiar, but… do you believe in the supernatural?"

Luke's world seemed to have shattered the moment those words escaped Henry's lips. His pupils constricted to the size of pins, and his heart started to beat rapidly.

Believe in the supernatural?! Why would he suddenly say that?! Who is he?!

Wait, he was there the night of my transmigration! He and his grandfather just happened to be there when I desperately needed help!

No, this… Isn't that all too convenient! Impossible!

Could he know about my transmigration?! Could he know about the damn coin?! The supernatural… why else would he ask that?

Could he be the one who placed the damn coin in my room?

Suspicious! Highly suspicious!

Terror and panic gripped Luke's heart and, in that moment, he was so clueless that he didn't even know how to respond. A long time later, he finally decided what to do.

RUN!

Luke shot to his feet, letting out a forced laughter, "Hahaha! Supernatural, you say? Do you seriously expect me to believe all that? Haha, you're funny, man!"

He then immediately started walking—almost jogging—out of the university campus, leaving behind his parting words, "I just remembered something. Gotta go!"

Henry was dumbfounded by Luke's sudden reaction. With his eyes slightly wide, he couldn't help but wonder, Why is he acting so oddly?! This… is not at all what I expected!

He too got to his feet and immediately followed after the youth, "Mr. Bishop, pray wait! There is something I must discuss with you!"

But the next moment, he was even more taken aback when he saw Luke break into a sprint and run far away from him.

"Good heavens!" Henry was speechless.

Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and called out after Luke, "Don't you wish to know about the visions of fire?!"

The moment Luke heard those words, he froze. He turned around and gazed at Henry with his bloodshot eyes that were blazing with astonishment.

"What the fuck did you just say?!"

[Countdown to First Trial of Ascension: 3 days]