Chapter 5

Perhaps it was because the auras of both Asher and Sebastian were too aggressive, or perhaps because of the deep-rooted traditional belief that "two Alphas never end well."

In any case, despite the scene being somewhat ambiguous, by the time the news left the big mouth of Caleb and traveled through the grapevine, it had evolved into a full-blown brawl between the two big shots in the vast expanse of the classroom.

Smashing tables, throwing chairs, hand-to-head combat—a life-and-death struggle that never ended.

Some even claimed that the reason Sebastian left years ago was that his love interest was snatched away by Asher. And today's fight was supposedly over the Omega who had fled Class 1 in such a hurry.

Heroes clashing over a beauty.

They made it sound so real that Asher almost believed it himself.

Sitting behind Caleb, Asher stared gloomily at the back of Caleb's neck, debating whether to strangle him or poke a hole in his gland.

A chill ran from Caleb's first cervical vertebra all the way down to his tailbone.

He straightened his spine, bravely facing the threat of death. It wasn't until the exam papers were handed out that he dared to turn around cautiously, offering his answer sheet with both hands in a gesture of deep respect.

"My two lords, please stop staring at me, okay? I was wrong. I shouldn't have looked, and I shouldn't have talked. I'll grow sties in my eyes and ulcers in my mouth tonight, I swear."

Asher snatched the paper irritably. "Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"

"No, Brother, it's just that the icy daggers coming from you two are enough to give me a cold. I don't even need to look..." Caleb whimpered.

Asher waved him off impatiently. "Turn around. Don't let me see your face for the next two hours."

"As you command."

Sebastian wrote his name on the paper and let out a soft huff. "You should be glad you're not an Omega."

Asher thought about it—he was right.

If he were an Omega, today's script would probably be 'The Cold School Heartthrob and the Pretty School Bully: Forced Love in the Classroom.avi.'

Wait.

He couldn't possibly be an Omega; that hypothesis was fundamentally flawed.

It wasn't that Asher was discriminatory. He thought Omegas were soft, sweet, and quite cute—like his mother, Victoria, or his friend Milo, who were both very likable.

It was just that he was born dominant. He was used to standing at the top to compete and protect, possessing the instincts for leadership and suppression typical of an Alpha.

A personality like his just didn't fit being an Omega.

Besides, where would you find an Omega who was over six feet tall, had an eight-pack, ranked first in sports, and fought like a wild beast?

They didn't exist.

With these stray thoughts, Asher finished most of the Comprehensive Science paper.

Science was too simple for him; he could solve the problems by intuition. He used to make minor mistakes, but since the review phase began in the second half of junior year, his score never dipped below 290. Full marks were a regular occurrence.

He tore through the paper like a dog on a chase.

As he moved to the third sheet, driven by a competitive streak, he glanced at Sebastian.

Sebastian was lagging behind him by nearly half a page.

Asher curled his lip. So his science isn't that great.

Scrub.

Before he could voice an exquisite insult, a loud "thud" echoed as something hit the wall outside.

Judging by the sound, Asher figured it was a ball thrown with considerable force. If it had been aimed a bit differently, it would have hit the window right next to him.

Two possibilities: it was deliberate harassment during the exam, or someone was just clumsy and missed.

Either way, the intent wasn't good.

Asher pressed his tongue against his cheek, his lips curling into a half-smile as a trace of ferocity flickered in his dark eyes.

When Caleb turned around and saw that expression, he nearly dialed emergency services. However, Asher just twirled his pen and went back to his paper as if nothing had happened.

Sebastian noticed that Asher's speed had increased again.

When the second "thud" came, Asher had just finished the last answer. He pressed the paper down and slid it toward Sebastian. "Turn this in for me."

With that, he pushed open the window, propped himself up with one hand, swung his long legs over, and jumped out.

The movement was fluid and sharp.

The proctor and the students of Class 1 stared blankly at the empty window for three seconds before lowering their heads to continue their work.

Whatever. They were used to it. The young master had jumped from the second floor before; jumping from the first floor was just a warm-up exercise.

Sebastian glanced out the window.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle, more of an itch than a downpour—not enough to give someone a cold.

He withdrew his gaze and continued the exam.

The kid had likely been suppressed for the past two days; if some blind fool wanted to offer themselves up as a punching bag, he’d let him.

The blind fool was a loser anyway.

When Asher climbed back through the window, there were still twenty minutes left in the exam.

Sebastian was playing with his phone, not even lifting an eyelid.

Caleb, in the front row, turned around and whispered with concern, "Ash, which bastard was it this time?"

"The Bull."

"Sterling? That grandson has been acting pretty arrogant lately. Word is he’s already got his connections sorted for a school in America, so he’s acting like he owns the second floor. He’s been letting his pheromones leak everywhere to pressure people. He's got issues."

"Not like I can smell them anyway," Asher said as he packed his bag, clearly not giving the guy a second thought.

"But how did he dare pick a fight with you? He can't beat you."

Asher zipped his bag and said nonchalantly, "He brought two other Alphas with him."

Sebastian finally lifted his eyelids to look at him. "So it took you half an hour?"

No wonder. He figured that for a guy like "The Bull," Asher wouldn't need that long.

However, to Asher's ears, this sounded like a provocative interrogation—It took you a whole half-hour just to handle three Alphas?

He let out a cold, annoyed laugh. "And how long does our Lord Sebastian think it should take?"

Sebastian thought about it seriously and, sticking to his principle of honesty, replied, "One minute, maybe."

"..."

Actually, that was a conservative estimate.

In a clash between Alphas, the simplest method is pheromone suppression. A powerful gene can force an opponent to surrender instantly through the sheer weight of pheromones.

It preserved the most direct mechanism of the "survival of the fittest" from human evolution.

Though Asher hadn't presented yet, he understood how Alphas worked.

He felt this "Cool King" Sebastian was shamelessly bragging and mocking him.

So what if you presented earlier as a decent Alpha? What's the big deal?

The bell rang.

Asher slung his bag over his shoulder, stood up, and headed for the back door. As he passed Sebastian, he rested a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to whisper with a smirk, "Lord Sebastian is quite 'fast,' then. But being too fast for a man—"

"Is not good."

As the boy spoke, an ethereal fragrance drifted past Sebastian's nose following the movement of his leaning body.

Sebastian's eyes flickered, an unusual glint passing through his amber pupils—pale and subtle, like thin ice about to melt in spring, unnoticed by anyone.

After his provocation, Asher walked straight out of the classroom. Sebastian sat alone in the corner, closed his book, and tapped his fingertip once on the desk.

Deeply meaningful.

For the past two nights, Asher had made plans to play games at Elliot's house. Since it got late, he simply stayed over.

Unlike Milo, Elliot and Asher's friendship was forged in childhood. Their mothers were long-time "mahjong buddies," so Asher had known Elliot since he first learned to recognize the tiles.

Elliot was a handsome Alpha with a good brain, a straightforward personality, and a great temper. He came from a wealthy family, was generous, loyal, and socially savvy—the kind of guy who had the most friends in school.

They had been in the same school from primary to high school, skipping classes, fighting, and gaming together. Their "revolutionary friendship" was deep; they were true childhood best friends.

By comparison, Sebastian was a "plastic" childhood friend.

And a low-quality one at that.

The low-quality childhood friend entered the classroom the next morning only to see Asher slumped on his desk, catching up on sleep.

It wasn't unusual for boys of this age to have a few close friends and stay over occasionally.

But as Sebastian sat down, he couldn't help but frown. "Where did you pick up such a heavy scent of pheromones?"

Perhaps it was because Alphas are naturally hostile to the scent of other Alphas.

Asher was completely oblivious. He pulled at his collar and sniffed a few times, a dazed look in his eyes. "Is there a scent?"

He let go of his collar and slumped back down lazily. "Elliot said he hadn't worn these clothes yet. How are you Alphas' noses so sensitive?"

Then, feeling something was off, he added, "I mean, us Alphas."

Sebastian held his pen, tapping it rhythmically. The thin lenses of his glasses cast a cool light over the mole at the corner of his eye.

His tone was cold. "You probably don't count as an Alpha yet."

Asher knew he hadn't presented at seventeen, making his puberty quite late. However, he never doubted he would become a top-tier Alpha. Hearing Sebastian's words felt exceptionally grating.

He felt the guy had been spending the last few days bragging and looking down on him. He let out a lazy huff. "You should be glad I'm presenting late. Otherwise, I'm afraid my pheromones would press you so hard you wouldn't be able to stay in class."

"Oh? I'm looking forward to it."

"..."

Caleb felt the atmosphere behind him was far from pleasant, but he didn't dare intervene. Fortunately, Mr. Bennett walked in with a sheet of paper.

"The placement exam results are out. Come up and see for yourselves."

He then hurried off to check on morning self-study. The classroom erupted as everyone scrambled to the front, only to turn pale.

Why do people charge so bravely toward their own demise? Asher wondered with a raised eyebrow.

He never looked at the rankings because he was tired of seeing the name "Asher" at the very top.

Just then, a roar erupted from the crowd: "Holy crap! Ash isn't Rank 1?!"

"Ash is Rank 1! Look, his score is the same as Sebastian's. It's just that Sebastian starts with 'B', so he's on top. Wait, why are you guys looking at me?"

Caleb paused, then realized his mistake. "No, I didn't mean Sebastian is a 'B' [bitch]! That's not what I meant! Seriously, stop looking at me! ...Boss Seb, happy birthday."

The room went silent, a heavenly requiem playing in the background.

Milo came running in out of breath. Utilizing his petite Omega frame, he squeezed through the crowd to the podium. "Move, move! Let me check the results of the bet for my class... Holy crap! Ash! You're actually on the bottom!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Caleb felt he wasn't alone on the road to the afterlife.

Asher slammed his pen onto the desk. "Watch your phrasing."

Because of the force, the round pen rolled toward the edge of the desk.

Sebastian reached out a finger to stop it at the edge. "What was wrong with his phrasing?"

His gaze swept over Asher, the mole at the corner of his eye shifting. "Unless... you want to be on top?"

"Heh."

Asher beckoned Milo.

Milo immediately ran over with the ranking sheet and offered it with both hands.

Asher snatched the sheet, slapped it on the desk, grabbed another pen, and with two swift strokes, wrote his own name above Sebastian's. He dropped the pen and pushed the sheet back to Sebastian. "You got lucky this time. Next time, 'Big Brother' will be on top of you for real."

Sebastian hooked the pen back with his fingertip, twirling it. A smirk played on his lips. "That might be a bit difficult."

"Sorry, 'Big Brother' doesn't know the meaning of the word 'difficult.' And besides, your science score..." Asher's pen pointed to the 276. "Not enough to look at."

Sebastian smiled. "Your Literature. Likewise."

Literature was Asher's only weakness. It was actually above average—he could get full marks on the basics—but his subjective answers were a bit too 'unique.' His score depended entirely on fate.

Sebastian, however, was excellent in the core subjects. His math was full marks, just like Asher's. His English was two points higher, and his Literature was eighteen points higher.

That gap was only closed by Asher's massive lead in science.

In science, people who were reasonably bright and hardworking could usually reach the upper-middle tier, but getting above 290 required pure talent. The harder the questions, the more obvious the gap in talent became.

Asher was always very confident in this.

Combined with Sebastian's repeated provocations, his competitive spirit was thoroughly stirred.

He turned to face Sebastian, one hand on the back of the chair, the other tapping the pen vertically on the desk. He flashed a loose, arrogant smile. "Fine. Then in the next exam, whoever is on the bottom has to call the other 'Dad'."

Sebastian scoffed. "You're being quite hard on yourself."

Asher raised an eyebrow. "I'm only hard on you."

Sebastian didn't know how he had managed to provoke the boy to this extent, but he found it rather interesting.

He also turned sideways, one hand on the back of the chair. He reached up to undo the top button of his shirt, loosening it. His Adam's apple bobbed as he let out a low, cool laugh. "Deal."

The whole class fell silent, holding their breath.

For some reason, the bet sounded a bit... thrilling.

And for some reason, imagining one of these big shots calling the other "Dad" while pinned underneath felt quite intense.

Is this how Alphas play nowadays?

But our Ash is still a minor!

As they faced off, the phone in Asher's desk lit up.

Milo: [Ash, it's not that I don't trust you, but I think you might have been a bit impulsive.]

Milo: [The other day, out of habit, I entered the humanities inquiry system. Just as I found Sebastian's name, Mr. Bennett brought him into the classroom, so I didn't notice anything wrong. I just realized...]

Milo: [Sebastian was the Rank 1 top scorer for the Humanities in the last Northmont City joint exam.]

Asher: [?]