“I knew you would sign that piece of paper in the end. Still, I’m surprised it took you so long to make up your mind.” Apollo addressed Gary in a teasing tone.
“I value my freedom, that’s all. Getting told what to do by a giant corporation I don’t really know much about doesn’t sit too well with me.” The Werewolf responded. He wasn’t lying. If the AFA had been the one to organise everything, the teenager would have signed a lot sooner. Especially if there was no commitment clause to indefinitely serve them for as long as they were alive. However, suddenly finding out that NIRV was apparently the one behind this entire special lesson had been really off-putting, especially with all the secrecy they had to uphold.
Gary had already learnt a few things and secrets about them from Tom.
Only time would tell whether he would regret signing that piece of paper. He could only hope that him restricting his freedom was actually worth it. Of course, if Xin’s powers actually originated from her having participated in this special lesson, then him selling his services might be a small price to pay.
“I'm happy to hear that was your only reason for hesitating.” Apollo added. “There aren’t just downsides to this deal, though. NIRV is far more than meets the eye. They seem to have their hands in a bit of everything, not to mention, they have enough influence to indirectly control the happenings of even Tier-1 cities.
“No matter your background, it won’t hurt having a connection with them. This way, both parties benefit from it. This is just how things are in our world, and you have to get with it, if you don’t want to lose out.”
Gary chuckled a little bit, after hearing this. “I didn’t realise you were the type that would rely on others, just because they were above you..” Gary replied, tensing his fist. “Because for me, I never want to be in that situation again, where I’m helpless from those above.”
Before the two could continue on their conversation, Mr Corvus whacked the bottom of his staff onto the floor.
“Please, children, if you wish to bicker, do it in your own free time. For now, let’s rejoice in the fact that we have a full house. Although that is usually the case, let’s just hope it stays this way. Everyone, please proceed to follow me, and make sure to not stray.”
The second set of doors opened up, and just like the first pair they had gone through, it was made of thick steel, though not as reinforced as the first pair. From the looks of it, they were being led through a tube tunnel.
The flooring was white and so was the surrounding metal, and there was no destination in sight. It made them wonder if their destination was even going to be inside the academy, o
r some place entirely different.
Suddenly, Mr Corvus stopped, and turned around holding a basket in his hand. It appeared out of nowhere like a magician.
“Now, before we proceed, I’ll have to insist that you leave behind all mobile, and recording devices. Don’t worry, you’ll retrieve them all once the special lesson ends.”
Nobody protested, and one by one, they emptied their pockets, filling up the basket. When everyone was done, Mr Corvus turned around, his hands free, with their items nowhere to be found.
He continued walking, and the students had no other choice but to follow him. What Gary and the others did notice was that there were cameras every so often in the hallway. A red blinking light could be seen, indicating that someone was clearly watching them.
Eventually, the long tunnel split up. Without stopping for even a moment, Mr Corvus took a right turn. Once it happened again, they ended up in front of three possible entrances, where he took the middle one. As time passed, the tunnel started to resemble a maze, and Gary wasn’t sure he would be able to find his way back on his own with how many turns they had taken.
In the end, they had finally arrived in front of a sturdy looking door. This one had a hand scanner next to it. The adult placed his hand on it, and a beep resounded. The next moment, the doors opened up.
The group entered a fairly large square room, and for the first time they saw a change to the bleak white colour. One half of the room was covered from the bottom to the top in red. There was a bench, with different outfits. Seemingly par for the course, there was also a large metallic steel door. On the other half of the room, everything was the same, only coloured in blue.
“Firstly, if you could all please get changed into the uniforms that have been provided with your name tag, and once you are done, remain standing in place.” Mr Corvus ordered.
The Werewolf scanned through the outfits before he found his own name tag in the blue section of the room. As he walked over, the teenager looked at the other two outfits and stopped, before turning around. At the same time, Apollo, who had been heading to the red side met Gary’s gaze. The two of them had an unhappy look on their face.
“Sh*t.” Numba cursed. “Looks like we're not in the same group.”
“You’re correct. The teams have been created based on your performance reviews. This way, both groups should have roughly the same strength. Since we have an even number of you, I won’t have to fill it out.” Mr Corvus informed them.
There was a worried look on Numba's face. The Goat Altered had been hesitant about signing up in the
first place. A major part in his decision was him trusting his new friend, but now it looked like they would be split up.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the red team consisted of him, Apollo and Sty. At least the two of them knew each other, but his relationship with the former was non-existent, and antagonistic with the latter. That was less than ideal in this special lesson that actually mentioned the death of a student as a possibility.
*****
My Werewolf System Webtoon is out! You can now read it on the BILI BILI COMICS APP. Weekly Webtoon chapters. Check it out, help it grow, and there might be news of an official My Vampire System webtoon someday.