“So, the test will be at the Acropolis. I wonder what it’ll be. The red-haired girl is already a hero, so she must know something.”

Black stood to the left of the elevator, glancing sideways at Karoline, who seemed focused, one arm crossed while the other supported her chin.

– Karoline, right? – Black asked, turning his face to look at her.

The young woman simply turned her head toward him and nodded with a subtle smile.

– You said every hero was once a sidekick, so your old team must’ve gone through a test like this, right? – Black said, gesturing lightly with his right hand. – Any idea what this test might be about?

– No idea, hehe. – Karoline replied with a sheepish smile.

– Seriously? Aren’t you supposed to be the most experienced person here? – Demian’s voice sounded from behind them.

He was leaning against the glass of the elevator, looking down at his phone with a disinterested expression.

– I know most of the team tests, but each one is adapted so the team can solve the challenge. – Karoline explained, turning to face both of them and biting her lower lip slightly. – But I’ve never seen the formation of our I.T team, so I can’t say for sure.

“So, it’ll be a surprise for her too...”

Black nodded slightly, silent, his gaze fixed on the floor.

– I was trying to think of something... but I don’t know how investigative teams work. – Karoline said, placing one hand on her hip and gesturing with the other. – Unfortunately, they’re higher-ranked, so I’ve never had the chance to witness one.

– What do you mean by rank? – Black asked, raising an eyebrow.

– Besides the different categories, there are also ranks that determine the type of team and the tasks you’ll be assigned. – Karoline explained, pulling out a device resembling a smartphone from her pocket. – Everything within the Convergence revolves around scores; the better your score, the higher your rank.

She aimed the device at Black after a few taps; the screen displayed her photo, name, age, and rank: Hero Class C, alongside a QR code with the Division Zero logo in the center.

“So that’s how it works. Emma did say everything we do here counts. If there’s a way to score us, there must also be a way to monitor us...”

Black stared at the device as Karoline turned it toward herself.

– And what’s that device? I see almost every Convergent carrying one of these. – he asked, nodding toward it.

– Oh, this? – Karoline said, pointing to the device with a smile. – This is the EPIC! It was created by the Convergence engineering team along with Visionary.

Black nodded slightly, though his expression betrayed some confusion. Noticing this, Karoline let out a nervous laugh, running her hand through her hair.

– I wish I could explain more, but I’m no expert on the subject... – she said, slightly embarrassed, averting her gaze before looking back at him with some enthusiasm. – What matters is that it’s an amazing device! You know, it takes forever to run out of battery, never freezes, and has a great camera!

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“She’s getting this excited just because she doesn’t know much about the device?”

Black smiled, raising both hands as a sign for Karoline to calm down.

– Alright! I get it; it sounds like you’re trying to sell me a product...

Karoline paused for a moment; her cheeks slightly flushed before letting out a genuine laugh.

– Sorry! Hehe. – she said, giving Black a light pat on the shoulder. – It’s just that...

– Why don’t we focus on something useful? Like what’s going to happen during the test? – Demian interrupted Karoline. He looked at them with half-closed eyes.

Black initially glared at Demian, his brows slightly furrowed, before turning his gaze back to Karoline, who had dropped her smile.

– You said you’ve seen some tests, right? – Black asked. – Do you think ours might be similar to any you know?

– That’s the problem, it depends; for example, assault teams usually deal with physical challenges like combat or rescue missions. – Karoline replied, looking at Black. – Recon teams, on the other hand, handle tasks like infiltrating a location unnoticed or identifying points of interest.

– Wow! That was as helpful as saying math involves numbers! – Demian said sarcastically with a forced smile. – Now we’re guaranteed to ace the test!

– You don’t have to be a jerk just because she doesn’t know what the test will be. – Black said, glaring over his shoulder at Demian.

Demian simply looked away, clicking his tongue with a displeased expression.

– Let’s just focus on doing our best! – Karoline exclaimed, clenching her fist with a confident smile. – Let’s think positively; everything will work out!

– Ugh, whatever... – Demian muttered disinterestedly, crossing his arms and looking down. – You said it yourself; there’s a ranking, which means we just need to hit the minimum to pass. That’s all that matters.

Karoline turned to face Demian, who only followed her with his eyes. Her expression changed; she now looked at him seriously.

“Is she upset because of that? Yeah, she seems like someone who cares about that sort of thing.”

Black merely watched the two, following the red-haired girl with his eyes to see how the situation would unfold.

– No! That’s not right! – Karoline said, stepping closer to Demian. – How can you think that way?

– Oh, sorry, Captain Nepotism! But am I wrong? We don’t need to follow your stupid ideal of “I need perfect scores to prove I deserve to be here.” – Demian shot back with a crooked smile, his brows slightly furrowed. – In the end, it doesn’t matter who finished first or last; what matters is passing!

– That’s not the point... – Karoline said, standing firmly in front of Demian with a serious posture.

– Spare me! Let me guess: now you’re going to sound like the teachers, “You need to do your best because blah blah blah...” – Demian replied mockingly, shrugging.

He was about to say more when Karoline stepped in closer, quickly placing her left hand on the glass and glaring at him with an austere posture. Demian gulped, trying to back away, but the glass behind him left no room. He tried to take a deep breath, averting his gaze slightly.

– This isn’t just a grade on your report card; it’s a test to see if you’re fit to act as a Convergent! – Karoline’s firm voice echoed through the elevator as it slowly revealed the vast expanse of the Acropolis. – After all, in a real-life situation, if you don’t give your best, it’s not just your rank position that will be at stake; it’ll be the lives of your team, innocent people, and even your own!

Silence lingered for a moment until Demian finally looked into Karoline’s green eyes, which stared at him intensely. He nodded slowly, stepping away from Karoline and turning to face the glass, positioning himself with his back to the others.

"She makes a good point, but it’s interesting to know she cares more about people’s lives than about a ranking... What a girl, huh..."

– She’s right; we’d better do our absolute best – Black said, nodding approvingly at Karoline with a faint smile on his face.

She returned the smile and then looked at Demian with some curiosity.

– Are you okay, Demian?

– Yeah... – Demian replied, lightly running a hand along his neck while still keeping his back to them. – You’re right; I... I’ll do my best...

– Are you sure? Listen, I’m sorry if I came off a bit harsh; it wasn’t intentional. – Karoline said, offering a small smile.

Demian slowly turned to look at Black and Karoline, his head slightly bowed.

– Stop this. I’ll help the team, but that doesn’t mean I want to be friends with you guys. – He said, averting his gaze and briefly sighing afterward.

Karoline pursed her lips as she observed him with a slightly dissatisfied expression but soon nodded affirmatively.

– I won’t force you into anything if that’s how you prefer it. – She finally said, turning to Black and subtly rolling her eyes in his direction.

"Heh, I guess even she has her limits when it comes to patience. Well, it’s time to focus on what’s ahead."

Black simply smirked slightly and turned to face the elevator doors, which were drawing closer to their destination: Sector DELTA.