Xerxes read the letters over and over, but they stubbornly refused to change.
"Let's see what you've got, then," Lucas said, leaning closer to peek at Nova's paper.
"I bet he didn't get the leader position—that's why he's not bragging right now," Kai added, his words visibly ruffling Nova's feathers.
"Even if I don't get the leader position, if one of us gets the same role, we won't be able to form a team," Nova stated matter-of-factly. His blunt remark hit home, prompting them to quickly gather their papers into a circle to check if their positions overlapped.
"Xerxes, show us yours too!" Kai urged. Xerxes hesitated for a moment before reluctantly sliding his paper into the circle.
Leader. Analyzer. Protector. Escapologist.
All eight eyes darted from one paper to the next, pausing briefly on Nova's position before fixating on the leader designation. Gradually, their lowered heads inched closer to Xerxes's results. They studied him, scrutinizing him from head to toe, their gazes heavy with disbelief.
"We all have different roles. Isn't that a good thing for us?" Xerxes ventured awkwardly, forcing a laugh.
But his attempt to diffuse the tension fell flat. The others remained silent, their eyes locked on him with an intensity that made cold sweat trickle down his back.
"What does an escapologist even do?" Kai broke the uneasy silence in the hallway.
"That just means he's excellent at escaping," Lucas responded before snatching Xerxes's results from his hands.
"What are you going to do now, 'leader'?" He mocked, flinging the paper over Nova's face.
"Don't forget—I'll still be in Xerxes's team since we're partners," Nova declared with a self-assured smirk.
Xerxes reclaimed his results from Lucas's grasp. "There must be a glitch in the system. Me, a leader? Also, it says here I have an IQ of 160. That can't be accurate, right?" Xerxes searched the others' expressions for confirmation, but none seemed particularly surprised.
"What are you going to do about the team?" Lucas asked, his mind haunted by only one thought. He was a bit taken aback by Xerxes getting the leader position, but he was always quick to accept reality.
Before Xerxes could reply, the robot boy from earlier sprinted toward them at full speed. "You cannot just linger here. If you're done with your tests, move along!" He barked, pulling everyone out of the hallway.
"Where are you taking us now?" Lucas questioned, recognizing the boy from before.
"The leader will be directed to the meeting room with prospective team members," the robot explained, fixing his gaze on Xerxes. "But ensure you finalize your decision before 2 p.m. Everyone must attend class by then. If you're tardy, I'll have to fetch you."
"We'll be there, Cyan!" Kai chimed in, already comfortable enough to call the robot boy by name.
Cyan herded them into a meeting room with a lengthy glass table and office chairs, then vanished before Xerxes could inquire about his confiscated suitcase.
"Take your seats, everyone. Let's discuss this calmly," Lucas asserted, claiming the central chair. Kai pulled out the chair beside him.
Xerxes chose the seat nearest to him, at the head of the glass table. "Isn't it a bit unsettling that Cyan is always eavesdropping on us? He knew exactly what we were discussing," he remarked as he sat down.
"Privacy is nonexistent once you become an infiltrator," Nova remarked, taking the chair next to Xerxes. "Only elite infiltrators receive private housing. Us rookies? We're stuck with dormitories." He pulled a pen from the holder and placed it in front of Xerxes, evidently trying to gain favor.
Having his own personal space was crucial for Xerxes. Just the thought of sharing a room with someone else gave him a headache. For now, he pushed the idea aside, picked up the pen Nova had offered, and flipped over his results paper.
"Since none of our roles overlap, you're all on my team. If anyone doesn't want to join or has any complaints, raise your hand now. I won't ask again—I despise repeating myself," Xerxes said, clicking the pen open.
Not a single hand was raised. Despite their occasional bickering, they had weathered tough times together, fostering a sense of loyalty that outweighed the prospect of joining strangers.
Xerxes began writing down everyone's names on the back of the paper. After jotting down the last name, he looked up. "What should we name our team?"
Kai's hand shot up enthusiastically. "How about Dungeon Busters?" he proposed, waving his hand excitedly.
"...No," Xerxes said flatly. He might not feel cut out for leadership, but he was resolute about avoiding a ridiculous team name. Once he committed to something, he strove to do it to the best of his ability.
Nova and Lucas were equally earnest about the name and began pondering alternatives.
"How about Death's Angels?" Xerxes proposed, eager for their reactions.
There was a brief silence before Nova finally broke it. "Kai, look up if the name is already taken. Quickly—we need to secure it before anyone else does."
Kai nodded and pulled out his tablet from the bag on his back, while Lucas grabbed his smartphone to check online too.
"So, are we finalizing the name, or...?" Xerxes began to ask when everyone responded in unison.
"YES."
With that, Xerxes wrote Death's Angels at the top of the paper, above everyone's names.
"Who got the highest IQ level?" Nova queried once Xerxes finished.
"I also want to review everyone's results one more time," Xerxes said, flipping his paper back over.
"Kai has the highest—180," Lucas said, handing both his and Kai's results to Xerxes.
"The system must be corrupted," Nova muttered, passing his paper over as well.
"You got 140, Nova," Xerxes said as he examined the result papers, the one on top being Nova's.
"Pfft. Is that why you keep blaming the system, Nova?" Kai laughed, hitting the table. Nova hadn't felt bad about it until now, but he also had nothing to say in his defense, so he just watched Kai with laser-focused, striking eyes.
The system should be right, but I still can't believe I got a 160. I don't feel like that's right…
Xerxes was still thinking about his own results when he looked over the next result paper. It was Lucas's. His IQ level was also high—158. Xerxes had a thought that maybe infiltrators usually had high IQ levels anyway, and it was nothing new. With that assurance, he moved over to the last thing written on the paper:
User wants to protect others from the dungeon's dangers. The assigned position is based on the answers of the user.