Chapter 85 When Lith regained his senses, he was back in the Main Hall at the ground floor of the academy . While getting up slowly, trying to shake off the lingering effects of the hit at the back of his head, he noticed that the Hall was filling up quickly .
There were lots of Warp Steps opened . Some were being left active, allowing students from the fourth floor of the White Griffon to reach the Hall . Most of the Warp Steps, though, were used by Professors going to and fro the forest, bringing back the students one by one . - "I guess that the third day marked the moment when the magical beasts stopped holding back . " "Yeah . " Solus said, glad to feel the safety of the castle walls all around them . "Honestly, I am kind of surprised that so many people managed to survive this long . Not to brag, but I was sure our group would be the one lasting longer . " "I didn't . " Lith replied . "There are too many variables to consider, like who had been warned beforehand by a relative, hence coming fully prepared, or how much time they spent outside . Not to mention that maybe some groups were just lucky, being comprised of people that were actually able to cooperate, instead of needing someone that guided them step by step . " – Judging from the expressions of his schoolmates, no one had any idea what they were waiting for, or why they had been summoned back into the Hall . While he was still looking around, Lith noticed that his team had gathered around him . "Seems you were right . " Visen said . "There wasn't much I could learn by getting my a*s handed to me . " "You should have understood that teamwork is vital, but being able to stand for yourself is equally important . " Trasque rebuked him . "I mean, seriously? Why so few of you have used first magic during the whole exercise? The Headmaster will not let me hear the end of this . He is even considering to have you all retake the whole class from the beginning with a different teacher!" "Well…" Visen tried to be as considerate as possible toward the Professor . "First magic is good, but what could I have possibly achieved with it? I was trying to help my companions, they needed my arrays . " Trasque glared at him, clenching his fists .
"Well, for example you could have blinded the Cingy, so that when you attempted to dodge, it would haven't been able to intercept you . A failed array can be re-done, a fallen member cannot be resurrected . Next time, instead of playing the hero, consider the bigger picture . " Among those who heard him, most took Trasque's words to heart . Aside from conjuring water to drink, very few of them had ever considered using first magic, deeming it useless . Remembering how she had used first magic to more easily slay the Clackers, Phloria stood straight as an arrow . Lith, on the other hand, could not stop rejoicing at the idea of getting rid of those blockheads once and for all . When all the students were assembled, the Headmasters stepped forward .
"First of all, allow me to welcome every one of you back . That said, I have bad news and good news . The bad news, is that contrary to what many could believe, this was still a mock exam . Hence no matter if you lasted one hour, one day or three, you all get zero points . " Linjos took a pause, letting the groans and curses to die out before resuming his speech . "This was your last wake-up call, from now on you are on your own . " This time, Linjos didn't keep still while talking, he walked among the various groups, like a general inspecting his troops . "You should have learned that your name, status and bloodline aren't going to protect you from an enemy, no matter how important you consider yourself . It's not only in the wilderness that such things hold no value, but also in the whole world . Do you really expect for everyone to respect or fear a feeble thing like a name? When you are outside the safety of your home, no one will ask you to introduce yourself before attacking . You should also have realized that petty behaviours create resentment . Many groups crumbled from the start, either due to past grudges or simply because some of you were deemed untrustworthy . Last, but not least, it seems that many of you didn't understand the nature of this test . It was meant to show you a glimpse of what a real battle is, to allow you to fraternize and overcome your differences .
You were supposed to help and teach each other, not to barely lump together because you were said so . " Linjos stared at several students, that seemed to shrink under his gaze . "The week deadline was just a pretext, I never expected that some of you would the gall to hole up, hiding the whole time . This isn't a law school, what could you possibly learn from bending the rules?
The exercise is worth zero points, but such attitude cannot be tolerated . Any open violation of the rules will be punished by deducting points . As for the good news, points will be awarded to those that according to their possibilities, helped their teammates . While the points' deduction is individual, those gained by all team members will be pooled and divided equally among those that cooperated . Otherwise it would be unfair toward those that sacrificed themselves during the first day, or that fell because of someone else's mistake . Also, I didn't lie when I told you it would last seven days . For the remaining four, you have no classes, you are free to rest, go home or self-study . It's up to you to decide . I hope that you will make good use of this time to think about this experience and learn from you mistakes . Dismissed . " After saying goodbye to his ex-teammates, Lith jumped in the nearest Warp Steps, walking double time towards his room . He and his bathroom had some serious catch up to do . No matter how Visen had made the makeshift outhouse comfortable, it couldn't compare with a real toilet . Lith could finally use Invigoration, getting his strength back and relieving his sore muscles . He spent the next half an hour taking a long hot tub bath, while conjuring several ice mirrors to get rid of the few facial hairs that haunted is still childish visage and cutting his hair with air magic . - "Seems I was right about this exercise . " Solus said while helping him with his cut . Without her help, Lith would have looked like an IRS clerk on a Monday morning . "Did you have any doubt?" Lith replied, still wondering after all those years what was wrong with the haircut he had back on Earth . "It's a system devised to teach stuck-up, conceited kids respect and discipline . Once you understand its goal, the rest comes easy . With a brain like yours, cracking the code was easy like connecting the dots numbered from 1 to 7 . " – Solus would have liked to get praised more, but Lith's stomach kept grumbling loudly more and more often . With a heavy heart, Lith dressed up . He would have much preferred to sleep for the next 24 hours, but hunger was still one of the things that scared him the most . He needed to eat and re stock .
He was already headed toward the canteen when Solus stopped him . - "Aren't you forgetting something?" "My pants are on and I have yet to plagiarize and sell underwear . So my answer is no . " "Your friends from the Healer class, silly . It's the perfect moment to get together and bond a little . After the mock exam, you surely have many things to share with each other . " "Please, have mercy . I'm so tired already, maybe next time . " Lith cringed at the idea . "I'm here only to hoard knowledge and connections . " Solus said while making her best Lith's brooding tone impression . "I have no time to waste, I need valuable pawns once I become an adult again . " – Arguing with himself was beyond stupid, so he went to their rooms to invite them to an early dinner . When it was Friya's turn, she had just finished washing herself too . Her cheeks where still rosy from the hot water . That coupled with the sweet smell of her skin and hair made Lith dizzy for a second . - "Stupid body . Whenever it decides to grow, it will always be too late . " "Come on, she is so pretty . " Solus still wanted her school romance, even if just as a spectator . "What's wrong with a fling?" "She is a kid and I am old enough to be her father . Everything is wrong with that!" – Once at the canteen, no one actually spoke for a while . They were all too focused on eating the first proper meal in days . Only after the second serving they began to share their stories . "So, how long did you manage to last?" Lith asked hiding his sour mood behind a radiant smile . "My group was one of the last returning to the castle . " Yurial didn't miss the opportunity to show off . "Everyone agreed making me the leader…" "Lucky b*stard . " "Poser . " "Smartass . " He ignored the crossfire of name-calling . Yurial was aware of the power his father's status granted to him, so he accepted their envy with class . "… hence I managed to quickly make them assume a defensive formation . When the beasts arrived, they found us prepared . The worst part was standing watch at night in turns, sleeping in the open and eating grass and fruits all the time . " "Yeah . " Friya agreed . "The lack of food and the dirt were terrible . My group was comical, we had two skilled hunters, but none knew how butcher the preys . The smell of blood lured so many animals that we had to throw the game away and look for another place where to sleep . In the end we didn't find any, so when the we got attacked during the second day after a sleepless night, we lost two members at once . After escaping by skin of our teeth, we surrendered the next morning . We failed at making a decent camp again, and with no sleep at all we were barely standing when the sun rose . What about you, Quylla?" She was grinning from ear to ear . "It was awesome! Best two days of my life . " Her answer caught everyone by surprise . "Care to explain?" Lith asked . "Sure! First, you have to understand that everyone was pissed at me, since I'm the top of the healing class . " "One of the top students . " The other three remarked as one . "Sure, whatever . " It didn't escape their notice that Quylla seemed much more confident and fierier than before . "Since they knew being second rate at best, they started to call me 'just a healer' and ordered me to 'not be in the way' . So, when the attack happened, I did as they told me and ran like the wind on my own . When the others managed to catch up with me, after being forced running away, I learned that our self-proclaimed leader had been pummelled by a Sym, a monkey type magical beast . They started calling me a coward, and trying to put the blame of the defeat on me . At that point, knowing that we were being watched, I gave them a solid piece of my mind . I told them that for all I cared we could fail from day one, and that I had no intention of letting them treat me like trash for a second longer . Things quickly escalated, and when one of them tried to hit me, Professor Vastor appeared, beating the cr*p out of all of them!"
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