Asher and the rest of the first-year students stood in mild dissatisfaction, their faces betraying quiet irritation as they watched the second-year and third-year students openly making bets on their heads. The mocking laughter of the upper years drifted through the air like an irritating buzz, and though many of the new students clenched their fists in frustration, none of them moved a single step forward.
But could any of them truly do anything about it?
Maybe.
The thought lingered among some of them like a stubborn spark. But reality immediately smothered it.
They still didn't know the precise rules of the Star Academy. Yes, they had been told they could challenge others to battle in exchange for points, but the structure of such encounters, the hidden conditions, and the risks had not been fully explained.
A single misstep could lead to disastrous consequences. If they jumped in blindly now, the price might be expulsion before they even had the chance to settle in.
