Days had passed since Merlin exited the simulation.
Today, he had arrived at school early. He didn't wait for Sera to wake him like she usually did. In fact, she might not even know he had left.
Merlin sat alone in his seat, spinning his pen around his finger. He was trying his best to ignore the thorn sensation, he'd been doing it for the past five days. The classroom was empty for now.
Merlin enjoyed the silence. He could hear his feet tapping against the ground.
But soon enough, one by one, the seats began to fill.
The classroom became noisy.
Merlin didn't mind.
As long as he could hear his own thoughts.
Mr. Isaac walked in, and everyone took their seats.
"Okay. The results from the reports just came in, along with everyone's rankings."
The rankings varied from E to S, with S standing for Special Class, Mr Isaac clarified.
So they can tell, or rather assume, your rank from your report? Merlin asked himself.
What else could they deduce?
Maybe it would've been a good idea to tell the truth. Then they might have at least helped him understand what it was all about.
No.
Merlin shook his head.
It was too risky.
Mr. Isaac looked down at the papers in his hands.
"Your rankings were determined solely by the reports you submitted."
Merlin's eyes narrowed.
So they really are judging us based on what we tell them...
He glanced at the students around him.
Some looked nervous.
Others seemed confident.
Mr. Isaac began calling out the rankings.
"E."
"D."
"C."
The names continued.
Only two people had received an S ranking. Sera and some other girl.
The rest received mostly Bs, with a few As, Cs, and Ds.
Merlin listened quietly.
Then—
"Merlin. C."
Merlin blinked.
"C?"
He looked down at his desk.
So that's what he got.
A C.
He couldn't help but wonder what his rank would've been if he had written everything.
If he had told them about the forest.
His hand slowly tightened around his pen.
No.
He had made the right choice.
He had only told them that he spawned in a forest, met some travelers, hunted for food, and then encountered an unbeatable beast.
All of it was, in fact, true.
He did come across the crew, and they actually hunted for food.
He just hadn't mentioned that the food they hunted were raging beasts.
Whatever they were looking for in those reports, there was no way he was going to give them everything he knew.
Still...
A part of him wondered what rank he would've received if he had told the truth.
After a while, Mr. Isaac stopped.
"Uh, Duke..."
He looked at the boy sitting behind Merlin.
"About your report. Are you sure that's what happened?"
Merlin looked back.
It was the same boy with grey hair who had shown him to the bathroom the other day.
So that's his name.
The boy raised his head and nodded.
"If you're so sure, then would you like me to read it to the class?"
Duke remained silent.
Mr. Isaac picked up Duke's report.
He waited for a moment before looking back down at the paper.
"Alright."
He began reading.
"I woke up standing."
Merlin glanced toward Duke.
"There were strings attached to my body."
"Several of them."
"They were attached to my arms, my legs, my fingers..."
"I tried to move my body, but I couldn't. Instead, I was moved around by the strings."
Mr. Isaac paused.
"I couldn't control my body."
"The strings did."
"I was standing before a mirror, dressing up for something. I tried to look around the room, but I couldn't."
Merlin frowned.
Mr. Isaac continued.
"Every day, I'd wake up and go out with friends, but I wasn't the one controlling myself."
"When I talked, it was someone else's voice."
"Honestly, for a while, all I did was watch someone else live his life."
"I don't know how long it went on."
"I remember seeing different places."
"Different people."
"But I couldn't do anything."
"I was only watching."
The classroom grew quieter.
A few students gave Duke strange looks.
"Eventually, I tried to resist."
"Nothing happened."
"I kept trying, but nothing worked."
"Then, after a while..."
Mr. Isaac's eyes moved across the page.
"I felt something."
"The strings loosened."
"I could move one finger."
"Then another."
"It wasn't much."
"I still couldn't control my body properly."
"But I knew..."
Mr. Isaac paused.
"I knew I was moving myself."
Merlin stared at Duke.
Mr. Isaac continued.
"When I tried to stand while resisting the strings, I fell."
"When I tried to walk, I moved in the wrong direction."
"I couldn't control it."
"I couldn't stop myself."
"I eventually reached a cliff."
Mr. Isaac turned the page.
"There was nothing below me."
"I could still feel the strings."
"They were pulling me back."
"But for some reason..."
"I could move forward."
"I don't know why, but that was the only way to resist, so I kept walking."
"Then I stepped off the edge."
Merlin's eyes widened.
"I fell."
"I could see the ground."
"It was getting closer."
"Then a sound in my head spread through my body."
"And then..."
Mr. Isaac lowered the paper slightly.
"I woke up."
Silence filled the classroom.
Mr. Isaac looked at Duke.
"Is that all correct?"
Duke nodded.
Mr. Isaac stared at him for another moment.
Then he placed the report down.
"Duke received an S."
Merlin blinked.
S?
He looked at Duke.
What exactly were they looking for in those reports? Merlin asked himself.
"I'll be back."
Mr. Isaac placed the remaining reports on his desk and walked out of the classroom.
The moment the door closed, the room erupted into murmurs.
Everyone was talking about Duke.
Some glanced back at him openly.
Others whispered to the people beside them.
Merlin remained quiet.
He looked at Duke.
The boy hadn't moved.
He simply sat there, staring down at his desk as if none of it concerned him.
Then someone clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Merlin looked over.
Tony, who sat a few seats away, was staring directly at Duke.
"You were always a freak."
Duke slowly raised his head.
His pale blue eyes met Tony's.
He said nothing.
Tony scoffed and turned away.
Merlin frowned.
Always?
He looked at Duke again.
There was clearly something about him that the others knew.
Something Merlin didn't.
Duke lowered his gaze.
His fingers rested motionlessly on the desk.
What if I told the truth? Would it have turned out like this too? Merlin thought to himself.
The class went quiet.
Mr. Isaac had returned.
He walked to the front of the room and picked up the papers he had left behind.
"Alright."
He placed them on his desk.
"Now it's high time you learn about your new abilities."
Merlin's attention immediately shifted toward him.
"Now that you've awakened, your abilities should have manifested."
Awakened...
Merlin remembered the screen.
[Awakening...]
His fingers tightened slightly around his pen.
Mr. Isaac continued.
"Your current rankings are based on the abilities you possess and their potential."
"So the ranking isn't based on our reports anymore?" someone asked.
"Not anymore."
Mr. Isaac shook his head.
"The reports were simply used to determine your initial ranking."
Merlin nodded slightly.
So that's why Duke got an S.
Mr. Isaac looked around the classroom.
"However, your rank isn't permanent."
A few students looked up.
"Through training, your rank can increase."
He paused.
"And through poor performance, it can decrease."
"So even an S can become an E."
The room became slightly quieter.
"Your rank represents your current potential and ability. It isn't a guarantee of where you'll end up."
He turned toward the board.
"Think of it as an evaluation, not a title."
Mr. Isaac picked up a piece of chalk.
"Now..."
He wrote a single word on the board.
Stimulation.
"Let's see what you people awakened."