Jihu had been enjoying his newfound philosophy—laying low, staying unnoticed, and avoiding any unnecessary life-threatening situations. It was working well. Teachers saw him as a model student, his roommates were too chaotic to bother dragging him into trouble, and, most importantly, no one expected much from him.
But then, the universe decided he had been too comfortable.
"Today, all students will participate in a randomized team exercise," the head instructor announced. "Assignments will be displayed shoJihu's stomach dropped. "Randomized" was just another word for "Jihu gets screwed."
The giant screen flickered, and he scanned the list.
Team 9: Jihu Kang, Selene Arventis, Garron Tusk, Aeris Valtis.
Jihu let out a slow exhale. "No. No, no, no."
Kael and Rael, his squirrel-haired roommates, peeked at his team.
Kael grinned. "That's… unlucky."
Rael whistled. "You got her, the muscle tank, and the strategist. You're doomed."
Lucian, leaning against a pillar, smirked. "50 credits says you'll be theup."
Jihu sighed. "I'm transferring schools."
—
The training grounds were packed with students as the mission details were handed out.
"Your task: Navigate an enemy warzone, extract a VIP, and return safely. You will be given a standard-issue spaceship for transport."
Wait. A Jihu blinked as an instructor gestured to the hangar. Inside was a sleek, mid-tier combat vessel with an advanced AI system. It wasn't a top-of-the-line warship, but it was their ship.
Selene smirked. "Finally, something interesting."
Garron crossed his arms. "I call the gunner seat."
Aeris adjusted her glasses. "Jihu, you can be… the baggage."
Jihu groaned. "You're joking, right?"
She wasnInside the ship, Jihu stared at the cockpit. "Okay, who's flying this thing?"
Selene cracked her knuckles. "Me, obviously."
Aeris scoffed. "You? The last time you piloted a training drone, you crashed it into a teacher's office."
Selene shrugged. "Still counts as a landing."
Jihu sighed. "Why don't we just let the AI handle it?"
Aeris shook her head. "Not allowed. Manual piloting only."
Jihu hesitated. "Then… who actually knows Silence.
Then, all three of them turned to him.
—
"THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA!" Jihu screamed as the spaceship rocketed off the launch pad, shaking violently.
"You said you played flight simulators!" Selene shouted, gripping the armrest.
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I KNOW HOW TO FLY A REAL SPACESHIP!"
Aeris, strapped in beside him, sighed. "At this velocity, our probability of survival is…" She checked the monitor. "…Jihu gritted his teeth, gripping the controls as the ship lurched. The enemy warzone loomed ahead, anti-air turrets already locking onto them.
"This is fine," Jihu muttered.
It was not fine.
—
Their entry into enemy territory was… eventful.
Selene had to manually override the landing thrusters (because Jihu forgot), Garron blasted through a blockade (because he wanted to), and Aeris coolly calculated their odds of not dying every fivSelene had to manually override the landing thrusters (because Jihu forgot), Garron blasted through a blockade (because he wanted to), and Aeris coolly calculated their odds of not dying every five minutes.
They found their VIP—an old scientist who was definitely not happy to see them.
"Are you my extraction team?" he asked, unimpressed.
Jihu, covered in soot, responded, "Unfortunately, yes."
Then, because the universe truly despised him, enemy reinforcementsWhat followed was a chaotic escape sequence involving:
Garron punching a drone mid-flight.
Selene hot-wiring an enemy hover bike to create a distraction.
Aeris calculating the most probable route to the ship… which still ended up being a firefight.
Jihu screaming. A lot.
They barely made it back to the ship in one piece.
"Go, go, go!" Selene shouted as they hauled the scientJihu took the pilot's seat (again) and slammed his hands on the controls. "Come on, baby, start!"
The ship sputtered.
"…You have GOT to be kidding me."
Missiles locked onto their location.
Aeris calmly looked at him. "Now would be a good time to start panicking."
Jihu already was Somehow—by sheer dumb luck—they escaped. The ship limped back to the Academy, smoking from several near-fatal hits.
As they landed (crashed), the head instructor approached, unimpressed. "You were given a standard-issue spacecraft. What happened?"
Selene, looking as regal as ever despite the disaster, answered coolly. "Jihu happened."
Aeris nodded. "Indeed. A liability, as predicted."
Garron just Jihu gaped. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! I FLEW US OUT OF THAT!"
Lucian, watching from the sidelines, smirked. "Weakest link confirmed."
Jihu hated this school.
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