"Welcome to the Botanical Garden, all Freshmen. Today, I will be explaining your first assignment for the year. The experiment is titled 'What Cultivated the Poison.' Each of you will be split into five groups, and you can check your group allocation on the phones provided by West Field Academy. However, all groups will have the same assignment, so I'll explain it once.

A robot can be found 300 meters away, lying on the floor of the Botanical Garden in your section. Each group has a chance to create a cure and test it on the robot once per day. You can attempt it at any time during your day, but remember, only one attempt per day. The first three groups to cure the robot will win the assignment. The faster your group completes the task, the better rewards you'll achieve. However, as each week progresses, the rewards will decrease, but you'll gain a clue to aid in curing the robot.

You will not be making the cure. Instead, you'll provide plant material you find in your section to a pharmaceutical scientist. He will then give you a tube to inject into the robot.

Now, here's the twist: whether you win or lose, each group will lose 30 out of the 150 students in their group. So, your grade matters a lot in this so don't slack around." This brought instant fear and desperation among the students.

"The rules of the assignment are simple: you cannot leave the Botanical Garden, should not mess with cameras hidden throughout your section, and talking to staff during the assignment is prohibited unless you have a very good reason. These are the only rules. I wish you the best of luck, and you may now disperse."

Just as the students were about to disperse, a girl with blue hair and a strand of pink asked a crucial question, "What happens if we do not complete the assignment in the given time?"

The man replied sternly, "All of you will lose 400 points, making it almost impossible to recover. This could lead to expulsion for all, so let's hope one of the groups finds the answer. Best of luck to you all."

Seong checked his phone and discovered that he belonged to group 3. Following the path to section 3, he found around 40 people gathered there. Recognizing some of them from the meeting yesterday, he approached a group of four and introduced himself, saying, "Hello, I am Seong-Min. You may call me Seong. I am part of section 3."

A girl with striking blue hair responded, "Hello, I am Dae Cha. You may call me Dae. The person beside me is Sun-Jin-Woo; he prefers people calling him Jin." She gestured to a boy with black hair and a well-built physique. Dae continued with introductions, "He is Do-Yun," indicating a boy with glasses and an average body. Concluding her introduction, she pointed to another girl, saying, "She is Yun Hee. She is usually cold to new people, but she usually warms up." Yun Hee, with black hair and a somewhat frosty demeanor, acknowledged Seong with a nod.

We waited patiently until all the members of our group in section 3 had arrived. After about 10 minutes, all 31 members were present, creating a moment of confusion as there should have been only 30 members in a section. We knew the academy wouldn't make such a significant mistake, so the only plausible explanation was the presence of an imposter among us.

Seong foresaw the potential conflict that could arise, wasting our time on the very first day. Taking charge, Jin stepped forward with an idea, "Everyone, recall if you've seen the person in the meeting hall or during one of your lectures. Stand together." This left us with three individuals: Seong, a short girl with black hair and a cute face whom Seong suspected might be the imposter, and a chubby boy with brown hair. The students were perplexed about how to identify the imposter.

Seong suggested a solution, "Why don't the three of us share the group name that was assigned during yesterday's meeting? Only group members know the group names." The students found this suggestion reasonable, and we proceeded to implement the idea.

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Seong leaned in to whisper in the person's ear, ensuring the other two wouldn't hear. The student who received the information promptly yelled, "Seong clear." Following suit, the girl stepped forward and confidently shared the group name, prompting another shout, "Ara clear."

At this point, the students identified the imposter and spotted the chubby guy, who immediately began sprinting away. Our group made a collective decision not to pursue him, recognizing it would be a futile effort and a waste of the limited time we had left in the garden—only two and a half hours remained for the assignment.

A muscular man with a buzz cut stepped forward, his authoritative presence capturing everyone's attention. He proposed, "With 30 people, we cannot efficiently communicate our ideas. How about we split into groups of 6, creating 5 different teams assigned to various parts of the garden? This will not only save us time by dividing and conquering more area but also allow more people to contribute their perspectives. Each day, every group will provide one cure."

The crowd found merit in this suggestion, acknowledging that working with thirty people could be challenging, whereas smaller groups of six would allow for more focused collaboration. They believed that by working in smaller numbers, they would have a higher chance of achieving a better grade. With a consensus reached, the students agreed to implement this new approach.

People began forming groups, and Seong pondered which one to join. Suddenly, Dae approached him from behind, tapping his shoulder, and apologized, "Sorry for not clearing you there, but none of us remember you being at the meeting."

"It's fine. I would have done the same in your position if I didn't see them better to safe than sorry," Seong replied. Dae then extended an invitation, asking, "Would you want to join our group?" and gesturing toward her team.

"Sure," Seong agreed.

As Dae and her group deliberated on the last member, Ara approached and asked, "Can I join your group?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Dae replied.

And so, the group was finalized—Group 3 comprised Dae Cha, Sun-Jin-Woo, Do-Yun, Yun Hee, Seong-Min, and Ara. They were now ready to tackle the assignment together.

All the groups dispersed in five different directions. As Group 3 ventured into their designated section, Seong quickly realized what he had observed on the bus while gazing at the garden. The terrain varied significantly, and Section 3 was immersed in a rainforest biome. Although there was no immediate danger, navigating through this type of terrain presented its own set of challenges.

Seong promptly shared his discovery with the group, cautioning, "We are in a rainforest biome. We should be careful with the plants; some could be poisonous. Don't touch anything without knowing about the plant."

Everyone nodded in understanding, and they proceeded uphill. After a 20-minute hike, they reached the summit, where a breathtaking and unique view unfolded before them—a sight that promised to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

A panoramic view unfolded, surpassing even Seong's vivid imagination. The rainforest sprawled beneath us like an emerald sea, its grandeur interrupted by towering trees and winding waterways. The scene was so surreal and captivating that it etched itself into their memories. Despite being within the confines of a garden, or whatever one may call this, this moment became a lasting imprint. It was at this juncture that Seong grasped the magnitude of the challenge ahead—it was clear this endeavor wouldn't be a walk in the park.

Then, Ara spoke up, "We can see the robot, and the pharmaceutical scientist isn't that far from the robot. We should also let the rest of the group know. I hope group one finds it today."

Everyone agreed and began scouring the surroundings. While most focused on inspecting the plants, Seong and Do-Yun directed their attention to the floor.

Yun-Hee questioned, "Why are both of you looking at the floor?"

Do-Yun explained, "When they were explaining the assignment, they mentioned clues. If there are clues, they would likely be in the terrain. Why would the floor be wet in a botanical garden with a dome covering it? The only reason I could think of is that they want us to find something."

Seong added, "My reasoning is similar but a bit different in terms of logic. I'm looking at the floor for footsteps because it hasn't rained since we entered the room. The floor doesn't seem to be drying, and if they hadn't left any clues, this entire assignment would purely be based on luck."

"Okay," Yun-Hee said.

After 45 minutes of scanning the surroundings with no results, Jin suggested, "Maybe we should go near the robot and see if there are any clues there."

Ara added, "Perhaps it's a better idea if half of us stay here and the other half go, so we can cover more ground."

Jin agreed, "I agree."

Subsequently, Jin, Ara, and Seong started walking toward the robot, while Dae, Do-Yun, and Yun-Hee remained at the current location. The division of tasks aimed to maximize efficiency in their search for clues within the rainforest biome.