Today might be the worst day I've had at school. It all started earlier in the morning when I encountered someone—the Secretary of Drakonscreach Student Council. She seemed ready to give me a warning but changed her mind upon hearing my name. Instead, she simply advised me to get to class and stop lurking around others' territories.

The rest of the day wasn't any better. Each class required me to introduce myself because the professors didn't know me. My patience grew thin as paper with each repeated introduction. Smiling through my irritation, I concealed my short temper while answering the same questions about my name and hobbies.

By 1:30 PM, the scorching sun made it feel like I'd burn if I stayed in the middle of the ground too long. My next class was Practical Applications, scheduled from 1:30 to 3:00 PM at the Outdoor Activity Area. I was wearing a breathable, sleeveless athletic tank top in a lighter shade of blue with reflective stripes for visibility. For the bottom, a pair of black compression leggings designed for high-intensity workouts. Completing the outfit were my athletic shoes and a fitness tracker for monitoring performance.

The professor announced that our first activity would be running, but with a twist—we had to run a distance based on a draw from a secured opaque box.

Watching the first few students draw, I noted that they were picking rolled papers. Hesitant, I reached in and drew a paper myself. "300 meters" was what I saw at first, which seemed manageable. But upon fully unrolling it, I read the complete challenge: "300 meters in 45 seconds."

I was skeptical about its possibility. Observing my peers, I saw mixed reactions—some were pleased, others disappointed, and a few indifferent.

I stretched up a bit, preparing myself. I tied my handkerchief on my arm since I had no pocket to put it in. Though I am not a good runner, I figured it was worth a shot.

When I finished, my time was 00:43:84—not my best, but acceptable, I guessed. The professor's feedback was straightforward: "Needs a lot of improvement." I took it as a goal to strive towards. We had several other exercises throughout the session, and I completed most of them.

Towards the end, the professor approached me. "I don't know if you're doing this on purpose or if you really are just barely passing each test. I'll keep an eye on you, Ms. Roxanne." I couldn't figure out if it was a threat or something deeper.

Actually, I don't know either. I was just following the task and didn't seem to care about being the best. I was barely trying.

I believe that trying hard will only get me to nothing but exhaustion. It's not like my life depends on this activity.

After the professor left, I went out to buy some water. On my way to the cafeteria, I happened to pass by the bulletin board. Multiple students from our family were gathered there. I wondered what was going on, so I walked closer.

"Regetta, really? That seems so hard coming from its name."

"It's extremely hard, especially when you can't row."

So they were talking about the team task that is to be done on the weekends. Even I was wondering about that but I concluded that Regetta had to do something with boats then.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I listened to what there was to listen to, then continued walking to the cafeteria to get my drink.

My next class would be Mental Agility Training from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. I still had time, so I went to the library.

In this institute, schools are different. Each family has a facility where they can learn and improve. I noticed this while observing people around me. It seems like different families encounter one another when there are tasks to do and that is needed to be done with other families. It feels like one place but with five dimensions. I also noticed the difference in infrastructures of each family.

Some facilities looked old, while others were new. Well, I can't say much as I haven't been to the other families' territories.

But in the middle of the institute is the place where different families go. I could tell that the Sharpshot family seemed to be the wealthiest family. I checked it on the digital phone’s system there, I saw each family's overall wealth.

1. Sharpshot - 974 billion

2. Alchemist - 765 billion

3. Viperclaw - 749 billion

4. Ironfist - 712 billion

5. Shadowveil - 689 billion

Seeing how my family was at the lowest made me uneasy. I was never at the bottom. Such a thing is not acceptable.

I settled into a quiet corner of the library, my mind racing. The day had been a whirlwind of frustration and new experiences, and I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of determination and exhaustion. If I were to change the perception of my family and prove our worth, I had to start with myself.

Upon coming to the library, I searched for books that are relevant to my goal. There, I found ways on how to increase families' wealth.

According to the book, our family has to win special tasks such as group tasks and even individual tasks. Well, that is obvious, so I continued turning pages until I stopped at a chapter where they mentioned an event that only occurs once a year.

It's called Extravaganza: The Survival Challenge. The Survival Challenge takes place outside the institute, designed to test the resilience, strategy, and teamwork of students within their respective families. Participants must survive in a challenging environment with limited resources, aiming to be the last family standing.

The objective of the challenge is to survive the longest in a controlled, outdoor setting. Gain extra points by correctly identifying the spy planted among different families.

In this challenge, spies are assigned randomly. Their job is to locate families' hideouts and identify the opponents' spies.

Each family starts with a limited budget for supplies. The event ends when only one family remains or when the time limit is reached.

Families can earn bonus points by correctly guessing the identity of the spy among the participants. And for the winning prize, the family receives a significant monetary reward.

However, there are a lot of flaws in this challenge. One of them is that killing is allowed since it's a survival event. Those who die get nothing, even those who forfeit and don't participate.

I was in deep thought. Should I participate in this? I questioned myself. But the clock ticked closer to 3:30, so I gathered my things and headed towards my next class. The sun was still relentless, but the shade of the trees along the pathway offered some relief. As I approached the building for Mental Agility Training, I noticed students from our family converging, all focused and ready.

The class was challenging since it was designed to push our cognitive limits and enhance our problem-solving skills. We were given puzzles, logical challenges, and rapid-fire questions. My performance was steady but not outstanding. I'm out of phase once in a while by thinking about other things and I could feel the weight of the professor's eyes on me, measuring my responses.

"Nah, this is fine," I muttered to myself, shaking off the lingering thoughts that I should do better to make an impression.

I was feeling fatigued from the physical training earlier but I shook off the thought.

By the end of the session, I was mentally drained. The professor offered no immediate feedback, just a nod that could mean anything from approval to acknowledgment. I gathered my belongings and headed out.

As I walked back to my dorm, I couldn't help but think about the wealth rankings I had seen earlier and mostly the survival challenge. Being at the bottom was new to me. I always do the average performance, but I was never below average. The idea of joining the challenge also fueled a fire within me—a determination to rise, to prove that Shadowveil could stand with the best of them.

Back in my room, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling once again. It's like an annoying movement of mine whenever I am in deep thought. The day had been tough, but it was just the beginning. I knew that if I wanted to change things, I had to start with small, consistent efforts. Improvement in my classes, better performance in physical tasks, and more engagement with the council and other students.

But I have to maintain being average, showing off skills will only result in increasing eyes that are observing me.

I reached for my journal, something I had neglected for a while. Writing down my thoughts always helped clear my mind. I jotted down the day's events, my frustrations, and my new resolve. It felt good to put it all on paper, to see my goals and aspirations laid out before me.

Sleep came slowly. My mind was a whirlpool of strategies, plans, and a flicker of hope but also with doubt and uncertainty. Tomorrow was a new day, and with it, another chance to make an improvement. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but nothing worth having ever is.

With a final sigh, I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion of the day pull me into a deep sleep, dreaming of a future where Shadowveil was no longer at the bottom, and where I had made my mark.

One step at a time.