Roommates? or Nightmares?

I couldn't focus—Not that I wanted to anyway.

The teacher droned on about something—history? Science? I didn't care. I wasn't listening. My mind was somewhere else, somewhere much more important.

Like, say…

How the hell do I escape this place unnoticed?

I stared blankly at the board, eyes unfocused, fingers tapping anxiously against my desk.

Who would believe it?

Who would believe that it's just my first day in this damn novel, and I've already been through so much?

No.

Wrong question.

Who would believe that I am in my own novel in the first place?

No one.

Hell, I don't even believe myself.

But the pain? The panic? The very real death stares I was getting after headbutting Dante Ashbourne?

Yeah. That was real.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. This was not how things were supposed to go.

I heard the bell ring, snapping me out of my thoughts. The classroom erupted into movement, students getting up and gathering their things.

I stayed seated for a moment.

Because an even worse realization just hit me.

I should have made this a school.

A normal high school.

Because then—then—I could just go home after classes, lock myself in my room, and hide until everyone forgot about me.

But no.

I was a dumbass.

I had made this a full-fledged academy, where students lived on campus like a damn boarding school.

Which meant—

There was nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.

And worse?

I totally forgot about my assigned dorm.

That's right.

I am roommates with Dante Ashbourne.

And not just him.

There are three others.

Zaden Pierce – A sadistic bastard with a superiority complex.

Ashton Vale – The cold, calculating one who never loses his composure.

Nantos Wilder – The only one who isn't completely psychotic, but still stronger than me.

All of them? Bad news.

Except Nantos.

Nantos is like me. Someone who doesn't fully belong here. He's weaker than the others, but still stronger than me.

Fantastic.

I exhaled, dragging myself to my feet. If I played my cards right, maybe I could get to my dorm, avoid Dante, and—

"New quest unlocked for Elias Astiars:"

I froze.

That voice.

That freaking system voice.

Liaine.

I gritted my teeth.

What now?

"Survive the first night in the dormitory."

…What?

I barely had time to react before a new notification flashed before my eyes, filling my vision with glowing text.

[Quest Details:]

Objective: Stay in your assigned dorm room without getting beaten to a pulp.

Difficulty: Extreme.

Reward: Unlock hidden memory (???).

Failure: Severe injury & public humiliation.

My stomach dropped.

What did she mean by that reward? I'm the author of this novel—I know exactly what I wrote. So why does it say "unlock hidden memory"?

What the hell kind of quest is this?!

It wasn't like I needed the system to tell me this was a life-or-death situation. I already knew tonight was going to be hell.

I mean, who in their right mind would throw me into a room with Dante Ashbourne, Zaden, Ashton, and Nantos—four of the most dangerous people in the entire novel—and expect me to just sleep peacefully?

I wrote these characters.

I knew exactly how cruel and ruthless they could be.

Dante? He'd slit a person's throat for looking at him the wrong way.

Zaden? Enjoyed fights so much, he started them just for fun.

Ashton? A manipulative bastard who used his power to get whatever he wanted.

And Nantos? He was the only one I had a slight chance with, but even he wasn't exactly my friend.

So why the hell did I make myself their roommate?!

Oh. Right.

Because I was an idiot when I wrote this novel.

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face as reality set in.

There was no escaping this.

The academy had rules, and sneaking out was impossible. Even if I somehow managed to get out of the building, the security system was designed to catch anyone who tried to run.

Not to mention, I didn't even know how to fight properly. My survival instincts so far had consisted of talking shit and running away.

That wouldn't work here.

Not when I was about to spend an entire night trapped in a room with four people who wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I pissed them off.

I let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Okay. Think, Elias. Think."

There had to be some way to survive this without ending up half-dead.

I needed a plan.

I needed allies.

And most importantly…

I needed to make sure Dante didn't strangle me in my sleep.