Chapter 324: Last Exam start

The moment Asher finished speaking, the entire table fell silent.

For a few seconds, nobody said anything.

Adam, Noah, and Aria simply stared at Asher, unsure whether they should take his words seriously or treat them as another one of his usual jokes.

However, before any of them could respond, something strange began happening around them.

The surrounding cafeteria, which had previously been filled with the usual noise of students talking and eating, gradually became quieter.

One by one, the students sitting at nearby tables turned their attention towards Asher.

Soon, almost everyone within earshot was looking at him with nervous expressions.

Asher noticed the sudden change in atmosphere and glanced around in confusion.

He couldn’t understand why everyone had suddenly stopped talking just because of something he had said.

After looking at the students staring at him, he finally asked, “Why are you all looking at me like this?”

For a moment, nobody answered.

Then Noah, who seemed to be the most nervous among the four, finally gathered enough courage to ask the question that was clearly on everyone’s mind.

“Are you planning to kill everyone here?”

The moment Noah asked that question, the other students nodded almost immediately.

They had been thinking about the same thing.

If someone else had made such a comment about the upcoming examinations, they probably would have laughed and dismissed it as a joke. After all, the idea that the Headmaster had changed the examination schedule because everyone might die before the end of the month was ridiculous.

But the problem was that the person who had said it was Asher.

And knowing Asher, they couldn’t simply dismiss the possibility.

After everything they had seen him do, imagining him suddenly deciding to start killing people wasn’t particularly difficult.

In fact, some of them had already begun wondering whether his words were actually a warning rather than a joke.

‘Is this guy planning to kill us in real life too?’

That thought crossed the minds of several students as they continued staring at Asher.

Meanwhile, Asher looked at Noah for a few moments.

He seemed to be considering the question seriously, which only made the atmosphere around them even more uncomfortable.

Then, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘How does he keep guessing everything right?’

Asher couldn’t help but wonder.

Noah had an annoying habit of asking questions that were surprisingly close to the truth, and this time was no different.

After thinking about it for a moment, Asher finally looked back at Noah and answered in the same calm tone,”Maybe.”

…

After Asher said this, the students sitting around him in the cafeteria immediately descended into chaos.

Many of the first-year students, who had been enjoying their lunch just moments ago, hurriedly got up from their seats and began running out of the cafeteria. Some of them even abandoned their meals in their haste to leave, unwilling to take any chances after hearing Asher’s answer.

The cafeteria, which had been relatively peaceful just a few moments ago, was now filled with nervous voices and hurried footsteps. Several students were trying to figure out what was happening, while others simply decided that leaving the place as quickly as possible was the best choice.

Meanwhile, the second-year students and the seniors tried to control the situation. They attempted to calm down the panicking first-years and convince them that there was no need to overreact.

However, despite the chaos, none of them dared to approach Asher and question him directly.

After all, they had brains and knew better than to do something so pointless.

Asher had probably meant it as a joke, and some students had simply taken his words too seriously. That was the most reasonable explanation they could come up with, and they decided to stick with it rather than risk getting involved with him.

However, what they didn’t know was that Asher had actually been serious.

He could have easily lied to them or simply told them that he was joking, which would have been enough to calm everyone down. But Asher had never lied, and even now, he hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.

Of course, nobody seemed to realize that little detail.

Asher looked around the cafeteria for a moment, observing the chaos that had erupted because of his answer. After looking at the students running around and the seniors trying to restore order, he simply returned his attention to his meal.

Without showing the slightest concern about the situation he had caused, he resumed eating as though nothing unusual had happened.

Meanwhile, Noah, Adam, and Aria were still sitting at the same table with him.

Unlike the other students, none of them had run away. However, all three of them wore strange expressions as they stared at Asher, seemingly unsure about what they should think of his answer.

After a brief moment of silence, Noah finally decided to ask again.

“You were joking, right?”

Asher continued eating for a moment before looking at Noah.

“Maybe”

.

.

.

Three days later.

10th of November.

All the first-year students were standing in the Academy’s outdoor training ground, gathered into groups alongside their respective team members. In front of each group stood the professor in charge of their class, making sure that all the students were present and ready for the upcoming examination.

Behind the professors stood several teleportation portals, which would transport the students to the island where the practical examination was going to take place.

Just like their first examination, this one was also a survival exam. However, there was one major difference this time.

Instead of involving only one class, the examination would include the entire first-year batch.

This meant that all the first-year students would be participating in the same examination, giving them an opportunity to test their abilities against the challenges of the island. They would have to rely on their own strength, their teammates, and their ability to survive in a dangerous environment.

Meanwhile, the professors continued explaining the rules and regulations of the examination, making sure that everyone understood what they were supposed to do once they entered the island.

While they were busy explaining everything, Noah turned his head and looked at Asher, who was standing beside him.

There was a confused expression on Noah’s face as he looked at Asher for a few moments before finally asking the question that had been bothering him from many days.

“Why are you even participating in this exam at this point? You’re going to beat everyone’s ass again, including the monsters on the island.”

Noah sounded genuinely confused as he asked the question.

It wasn’t just Noah who had this question in mind.

Almost everyone standing nearby had been wondering about the same thing.

They had all seen what Asher was capable of, and the thought of him participating in the same examination as the other first-year students seemed almost unfair.

Even the higher rank monsters on the island might end up having a difficult time dealing with him.

Asher, however, didn’t seem particularly bothered by Noah’s question.

He simply shrugged his shoulders before replying in a confident tone.

“I don’t know. Must be some stupid policy of theirs, or maybe they want to assassinate me during this exam and make it look like an accident, I guess.”

Noah stayed silent for a moment and then said, “It was not me who jinxed it this time.”