Chapter 8 – The One Where Teams Fight Monsters

Fifty years ago, the world was flipped on its head thanks to a little event called Voidcall, a sudden explosion of magic power that didn't so much knock on humanity's door as it kicked it off the hinges. From that moment, towers, dungeons, and monsters started popping up like weeds after a storm.

These chaotic anomalies tore through civilization, reducing humanity's achievements to rubble and rewriting the rules of the world. Science and technology? Useless. Governments? Gone. Society? Say goodbye. We were back to survival of the fittest. People, stripped of reason and morals, crumbled under fear and instinct.

And just when things couldn't get worse, heroes appeared.

Like literal beacons of hope, these new figures rose from the ashes. With gifts blessed by the heavens, they brought order to chaos and dragged humanity out of the pit. They fought back the monsters and began rebuilding the world, not with steel and machines, but with magic science and engineering. A total genre shift.

Of course, the threats didn't disappear. Towers, dungeons, and monsters were now humanity's designated enemies. Still, not all enemies were created equal.

Towers were big, dramatic, and incredibly rewarding, if you had a squad and the time to spare. They took months, even years, to clear. Dungeons, meanwhile, were smaller and could be conquered solo, depending on the difficulty. Towers, however, offered rewards that bordered on mythical. Just like this morning's history question:

> "What was the name of the tower conquered by the guild, Followers of the Sun, on August 17, 2023, and what was its reward?"

Ugh. This class, Post-Voidcall History, was built on the 400-page textbook that sprouted from a few paragraphs I had once written. I could feel my own past laziness punishing me now. It covered everything: tower rewards, monster classifications, dungeon locations, conqueror names, you name it.

Even as the guy who made this world, I couldn't memorize it all.

Luckily, I didn't need to. Observation and Reading took care of that.

> [On August 17, 2023, the Followers of the Sun conquered the Tower of Seas and obtained an ocean stone.]

Just like that. I just had to look at the question, and the answer appeared like magic. Because it was magic.

"Huuu…"

A sigh drifted up from the seat in front of me. Natalie Cross was scratching her head, visibly struggling. I couldn't help but laugh. It was weird seeing her like this, one of the strongest cadets here, the same girl I designed, stumped by a history quiz.

She could've easily been the top-ranked female cadet, but her mortal enemy, the written exam, was holding her back. Rachel snatched that number one spot from her because of it. No matter how determined Natalie got, written tests were just… not her thing.

She turned halfway around and shot me a sharp glare. Ah, right. Sharpshooters had sharp senses. She probably heard me snickering.

I quickly ducked into my notes and pretended to focus. She clicked her tongue and turned back around. Close call.

The lesson trudged on: mana-dense zones, monster migration behavior, the Djinns on the Association's wanted list…

Finally, the bell rang.

> "Make sure to review your notes today. Otherwise, you'll cry on the exam."

With those parting words, the gray-haired professor with round glasses exited the room like a sage vanishing into the mist.

"Aaaargh, so annoying. Why do I have to learn all this? Written exams are the worst."

Natalie immediately started grumbling. Despite that, she looked more alive than ever. That's because the next class was Anti-Monster Combat Training.

As the name proudly declared, we'd be fighting monsters.

Well, technically they were mana puppets, but they looked and acted just like the real deal. A little weaker, sure, but strong enough that an injury wouldn't exactly surprise anyone.

And me? I was not feeling great about it.

"We're meeting at the field in 20 minutes!"

A loud voice boomed across the room. I looked toward the source, a guy with an oval-shaped face, soft-looking eyes, and a strangely stocky build. Logan Graves. He was the class president, mainly because Ethan and Grayson couldn't be trusted to lead a paper boat together, let alone a classroom.

Logan was neutral, level-headed, and close to Ethan, so the instructors had chosen him for the role.

Sigh.

Honestly, I didn't care who was in charge. I just hoped I could get through today without being flattened.

Preferably with all limbs intact.

After a 20-minute break, all the cadets from Veritas gathered at the Novice Field. With around 100 students present, the place felt more like a festival than a training ground. Most cadets chatted with their friends, sharing nervous jokes and bits of excitement.

Me? I stood alone.

Just me, my thoughts, and the nagging weight of the handgun in my pocket.

"…Fuck."

Right on cue, Instructor Scott showed up like a storm cloud, and the atmosphere shifted. The cadets scrambled into ten neat columns without a word.

"I'll get straight to announcing the teams," he said. "You all know what this is about. Barring anything exceptional, your team will remain the same until after midterms."

Team formation. The room practically buzzed with anticipation.

Each team would usually have five members: two warriors (your up-close brawlers like swordsmen or spearmen), one sharpshooter, one supporter, and one utility role. The utility spot was usually reserved for magicians, though that part of the equation wouldn't come into play until later in the year. For now, supporters, like Logan Graves and Celeste Wren, had the extra job of protecting the magician slot, since magicians could completely flip a battle once deployed.

Now, my role was… well, complicated. I wasn't a warrior, but I also didn't really qualify as a proper sharpshooter. Guns didn't have the range bows did, and in terms of power, they weren't even close to melee weapons.

Still, the system made its decision.

> [Sharpshooter (long range) — Rank 4 Natalie Cross, Rank 9 Felix Nam… Rank 934 Noah Swagger, Rank 945 Dana Rowe]

I was a sharpshooter. Somehow.

"Team members will be selected fairly. Lower-ranked cadets will be paired with higher-ranked cadets," Instructor Havers added, his voice flat and precise.

Valor's team assignments were handled by an AI developed by the Great Sage himself. That meant no favoritism, no backdoor deals, just cold, hard balance. I braced myself for the inevitable and scrolled through the display.

> [Team 1] [Ethan Ward / Aria Vale] [Caleb Rhee / Sylas Silva]

[Team 2] [Jayce / Violet] [Ezra Kim / Natalie Cross]

…

…

[Team 5] [Bruce Keller / Tanaka] [Noah Swagger / Celeste Wren]

"…"

My stomach sank.

Celeste. Of all people, I had to end up with her.

In the novel, she was one of the most complex characters, beloved by many, hated by others. A refined lady with daggers for eyes. As if on cue, she glanced my way, her expression unreadable. I caught a flicker of something, but it vanished before I could confirm it. Then, surprisingly, she began walking toward me with an elegant smile.

For a second, I panicked. Was she… being nice?

"It's nice to meet you," she said, her voice calm and pleasant.

I fumbled for a response. "Ah, uh, I—"

"Bryce."

Right. She wasn't talking to me.

She walked straight past and greeted Bruce Keller, the boy behind me.

"Ah, hello," he stammered.

"Weren't we on the same team before?"

Her polite tone felt so rehearsed it might as well have been pre-recorded. That was Celeste's way, politeness as a form of distance. A wall built from manners.

"Y-Yes? Ah, right, haha…"

Keller looked like he'd broken into a cold sweat after two lines of conversation.

Then Tanaka showed up.

"Ah, Tanaka is here too," Celeste said.

"Hello…" Tanaka replied with a small, shaky voice. Her english still had that uncertain tone, and she looked about ready to cry. Celeste's gaze flicked over her, mildly disapproving, but she moved on quickly.

"Who's the other person?" she asked.

"That'd be me," I said, stepping forward with as much confidence as I could fake. I figured she disliked people who lacked confidence, so I decided to act like I had some.

Tanaka and Bryce turned to look at me.

"Uh…"

Tanaka tilted her head like she was trying to remember where she'd seen me.

"Ah, the guy who picked a gun," Bryce Keller muttered.

I immediately checked Celeste's expression. Nothing. Not a twitch. Which somehow made it more terrifying.

Then Instructor Havers shouted from the front.

"There's no time for chatting. You should've received the coordinates and monster info on your smartwatches. Move out!"

Our class had 25 teams. Once you added in the other classes, we were one of 100 total. The mission was simple: go to the coordinates, find the monster, kill it. Teams would be ranked by how quickly and cleanly they completed the task.

Wiing,Celeste projected her smartwatch into the air.

> [Blackhump Octopus – 37° 31' 32" N]

"The blackhump octopus," she read. "Let's go. We can talk on the way."

---

I ran across the wide field of golden reeds, breath already short. The blackhump octopus was waiting somewhere on the other side, but I was struggling. My physical stats were trash, and even the sneakers I made last night, complete with their stamina boost, weren't helping.

I collapsed before we even made it halfway.

"Huff… Huff…"

"It's fine. What matters is whether or not we can kill the monster," Bryce said, handing me a water bottle.

"Apparently, this is normal when working with magicians," Tanaka added, trying to comfort me with a smile. Her english was still a little awkward, but her heart was in the right place.

I appreciated it, but my real concern was Celeste.

To my surprise, she didn't look annoyed. She just sat calmly on the ground, reviewing the monster info on her watch. Not a word, not a sigh, not even a disapproving glance.

I checked the monster profile myself, from memory.

---

> [Blackhump Octopus]

Rank: Low-intermediate

Traits: Weak main body, but releases swarms of baby octopuses from the hump on its head. These babies are dangerous in large numbers and can mummify a human in seconds by draining their blood.

Strategy: Eliminate all babies or destroy the black hump storing the main body's magic.

Weakness: The black hump.

Strengths: Suction cups and baby octopuses.

---

I remembered all of that clearly, after all, I wrote it.

"I'll take care of the babies. You two handle the main body," Celeste instructed, turning off her watch. Clear and authoritative.

So that's how it was. I wasn't even on her radar. She acted like I didn't exist. I guess that explained the lack of criticism, if you ignore someone hard enough, they don't even qualify for scolding.

"…Let's go," I muttered and forced myself to stand. My stamina had ticked back up thanks to the sneakers.

"Are you sure?" Tanaka asked.

"Yeah. I'll go first, hup!"

I took off running again.

And ten seconds later… they were already ahead of me.