CHAPTER 49: GROUP PROJECT 2

"Hey, Kael Vi-rel. Looks like we’re partners once again."Her cheerful tone melted the heavy silence, instantly making the situation feel less like a punishment and more like a happy accident. Her presence alone had a way of dispelling the tension. For some reason, I felt an odd sense of relief, a loosening of the tight knot in my chest.Maybe... this group project wouldn’t be the nightmare I thought it would be. Maybe, just maybe, this was the one unpredictable variable that would actually work in my favor.

I should have been relieved. Out of all the people in the class, at least I ended up with some familiar faces Silva my sparring partner, Clara Winslet my dungeon raid teammates, and Nad. At first glance, it seemed like a solid, if not slightly awkward, team. Silva was good-natured and earnest, a reliable teammate. Clara Winslet was surprisingly composed and seemed to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of alchemy.

And Nad... well, Nad was a known quantity.The problem? Nad and I weren’t exactly on the friendliest terms. Her expression, as she sat across from me at our newly merged table, was a masterclass in silent fury.

Her eyes, usually full of a bright, inquisitive spark, were now narrowed into thin, suspicious slits. She kept glancing at me like I’d just insulted her family, or perhaps, metaphorically, I had. I’d been a walking, talking, rule-breaking affront to her carefully constructed worldview.

Either way, working together was going to be an exercise in patience.The quiet tension was suffocating. Silva and Clara Winslet, both sensitive to the awkward atmosphere, busied themselves with organizing their respective supplies, carefully avoiding eye contact.

The buzzing energy of the other groups only amplified our silent discord."Are you really going to stay frustrated the whole project?" I finally asked, my voice cutting through the thick air. I leaned back on my stool, my arms crossed over my chest. "Come on, at least try to say your full name or something.

Everyone here knows mine, right?"Nad’s lips pressed into a thin, white line, but she gave a stiff nod. She clearly didn’t want to play along, but she knew she was cornered.Silence. Uncomfortable and heavy. It stretched for several agonizing seconds before I broke it again, a groan escaping my lips.

"Oh, this is so annoying. What’s with the attitude? Are you acting like this because of your grades? As long as we do the project well, it’ll be fine, so why keep sulking?"Her eyes snapped to mine, and her voice was sharper than I expected. Her composure, already thin, was starting to fray. "...What do you think you know? Our group is already doomed.

We should just work separately and get it over with."Her bluntness hung in the air like a knife, slicing through the last remaining threads of civility. She had no faith in me, and perhaps, no faith in herself. It was a complete surrender before the battle had even begun.Silva exhaled heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"You... really have the personality to give up before even trying. How did you even get into Nexus?"It was a valid question. The Nexus Academy didn’t admit students who were so easily defeated. Nad’s head jerked toward him, her cheeks flushing a deep, angry crimson. She had been insulted, and her pride was on the line.

"What did you just say to me?"Before she could snap further, I leaned forward, letting my voice drop cold. The easy, friendly facade I usually wore in class fell away, replaced by the detached, calculating tone I used in my old life, when every word was a weapon. "Hey, Nad. Are you talking to Silva like that?"The look I gave her was sharp enough to cut, my gaze holding her in place. A chill ran down her spine, her shoulders stiffening. For a brief second, she looked like she wanted to fight back, to argue, but then the tension broke.

The sheer, quiet command in my tone was too much for her to bear. She had never seen this side of me before."I... I’m sorry," she muttered quickly, almost stumbling over the words. She didn’t look at me, but at Silva, her apology a reluctant confession of defeat.I leaned back with a faint smirk.

"That’s better.""Can we not fight already?" Clara Winslet’s cheerful voice came like sunlight through clouds. She clasped her hands together, smiling warmly as she looked between us. Her presence was a much-needed balm. "It’s a group project. Let’s just... try to get along, alright?"Nad looked away, cheeks still pink with irritation, but she didn’t argue further.

The storm was temporarily calmed, replaced by an uneasy truce.With the immediate threat of a fight neutralized, Silva spoke again, his voice quieter this time. "So... are we actually going to do this properly?" He looked at me, a silent plea in his eyes.

He didn’t want to get a low grade because his teammates couldn’t get along.I raised a brow. "Do I need to say it twice?"He chuckled in relief. "Good. I wanted to treat this assignment seriously, even if it’s just practice.""I’m glad you’re motivated," Clara Winslet said, giving him a small smile before unfortunately turning her gaze toward me.Why me? Just because I wasn’t talking much didn’t mean I wasn’t motivated. I was thinking. Observing.

That counted as effort, didn’t it? I’d already formulated a dozen different ways to approach the project, all of them faster and more efficient than the Professor’s standard procedure.I raised my hands innocently. "Hey, I’m cooperative.

Don’t look at me like I’m the lazy one here."Clara Winslet stifled a laugh. "If you say so."She quickly steered the conversation back on track, a natural leader emerging from the chaos. "Alright, the first thing is figuring out how we’re going to gather the ingredients.""Each of us has to get some," Silva answered.

It was the obvious solution. Alchemy ingredients weren’t cheap, and they weren’t always easy to find. Even when you did get them, processing could be complicated. Dividing the task evenly was the only realistic way forward.Clara Winslet tilted her head thoughtfully.

"So, what exactly do we need?"I thought about showing off, pretending I knew already, but then I remembered the Vismora Glasses. It would be a simple matter to use them to scan the Professor’s notes from afar. I was about to activate them discreetly when Clara Winslet opened her mouth first."Purified River Water. Redthorn Berries. Ironleaf Herb. Ashmoss Powder. Glowcap Mushroom, minor grade. Wild Honey... "The names rolled off her tongue smoothly, like she’d rehearsed them a hundred times.I blinked.

She had them memorized. Word for word. It was an impressive feat of recall, a level of dedication that I hadn’t expected.Meanwhile, I was about to cheat with a magical artifact.’Wait... was Clara Winslet this good at alchemy in the game?’My memory swirled uneasily.

She was important in the story, yes, but her competence was always focused on her role as a healer. This level of meticulous, almost obsessive, knowledge hadn’t been emphasized before. The Clara Winslet I knew from the game was kind, empathetic, and a great support character.

This Clara Winslet was a genuine student of the craft. Had my interference already nudged things this far off the rails?I let out a soft sigh. ’If this keeps up, the entire plot might change completely.’ The feeling was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.Outwardly, though, I kept my composure, nodding as if I wasn’t impressed.

Clara Winslet smiled gently. "Honestly, these aren’t too hard to find in the market. Everyone should be able to handle it, right?"Silva nodded immediately.

Nad followed, though more reluctantly, her expression tight.She wasn’t wrong to hesitate. Some of those materials were easy enough to buy, but a few, like Glowcap Mushrooms, were notoriously tricky. Not only were they rare, but they were also incredibly sensitive to light and heat.

A single misstep in handling them could render them useless, or worse, cause an explosive reaction.As if reading my mind, Silva asked, "So... who’s going to handle the Glowcap Mushroom?"The question silenced the group. Everyone knew the unspoken rules. This was the single most difficult, most important ingredient.

A slight difference in quality could ruin the entire potion, no matter how perfect the other ingredients were. Most students hated the responsibility of handling them, preferring the safer, more straightforward tasks.So I raised my hand."I’ll get it."Three sets of eyes landed on me. Nad’s jaw dropped, her suspicion immediately dripping from her tone.

"You do realize Glowcap Mushrooms are the single most important ingredient here, right?""Of course."Her frown deepened. She didn’t believe me. She was looking for a flaw, a moment of hesitation. "...And you’re seriously confident you won’t screw it up?"I smirked. "It’s no problem