CHAPTER 82— First semester exam(4)
The First-Semester examination had officially commenced, and the first-year students found themselves thrust into chaotic skirmishes against senior supplementary students within their randomly assigned groups.
"Keep the fire suppression on the left flank!"
"We need an earth wall at the center to block their charge!"
The freshmen scrambled, trying to coordinate strategies on the fly against opponents who held a clear year's worth of combat experience over them.
High above the arena floor, Instructor Valeria stood on the elevated platform, watching the simulated battle unfold below.
"The idea for this hybrid exam structure was yours, wasn't it?" Valeria asked, glancing sideways.
"Umm... perhaps," Vanika replied, offering her signature graceful, unbothered smile.
Valeria frowned slightly, crossing her arms.
"I mean, I understand the tactical logic behind it, but isn't this an extraordinarily harsh trial for a student's very first exam?"
"Don't worry so much, Ria. This is the baseline standard of Grand Aetherion. Besides, since the Principal approved of it, there's no reason to question it."
Valeria rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... I suppose you're right. In real field combat, they won't always face opponents tailored to their skill level. More importantly, soldiers are routinely assigned to unfamiliar units where they don't know anyone's strengths or weaknesses. Training them to cooperate with strangers under pressure... that's actually brilliant."
She paused, watching a group of freshmen struggle to cover each other's blind spots.
"Using the supplementaries as the first evolution hurdle... that's quite a stroke of genius."
"Right, Two birds with one stone." Vanika agreed.
Hahaha...
Both instructors dissolved into lighthearted laughter, while Lucien stood nearby, staring at them with a look of pure, unadulterated horror.
Down in the combat zone, the students were desperately trying to regain their footing.
"Channel a wind current from above!"
"Quick, back it up with a water spell!"
Up on the viewing platform, Vanika leaned against the railing, narrowing her eyes.
"Hmm. At first, they were completely frozen with hesitation, but once the fighting started, they're adapting with surprising composure."
"Well, every student here is technically a prodigy plucked from their local regional academies," Valeria pointed out. "It's to be expected."
"Even so, the exam isn't going to stay this straightforward."
"Huh?"
Inside the simulated battlefield, a supplementary student suddenly raised his staff, casting a high-tier fire spell. But instead of standard bright orange flames, the inferno erupted in a deep, menacing shade of dark purple and black.
"What the hell is that dark magic?!"
"How? Wait isn't that heretical."
Panic rippled through the freshman ranks. Down in the spectator stands,
Rowan stared in absolute confusion.
"How are they using dark magic?"
"That's not actual dark magic," Sarina stated flatly, not taking her eyes off the arena.
"Um... what?" Rowan blinked.
"She's right," Ritvik chimed in, adjusting his glasses. "That's just a standard thermal spell. The arena's containment simulation is just rendering it with a dark tint. I don't sense a shred of dark mana coming off of it."
"Oh," Rowan nodded, pretending he understood the arcane mechanics entirely.
Several other top-tier students had also quickly figured out the illusion.
"An artificial dark-magic combat simulator."
Vanika murmured from above, nodding in approval.
"Following that incident of last year and the recent ambush at Rune Island, the academy administration commissioned these rigs to give students a safer environment to practice countering dark-mage combat styles."
"Is that the prototype tech out of the Alchemy City?" Valeria raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know it had already cleared deployment."
Vanika shot her a sideways glance with a playful smirk.
"Well, you wouldn't know, considering you were stuck dealing with the Principal's punishments after the Rune Island fiasco."
"Ugh... come on, that wasn't even my fault!"
Valeria groaned, rubbing her temples.
"It was those incompetent slackers who botched the trip I got saddled with the fallout for nothing."
Vanika chuckled softly at her friend's misery.
Down on the floor, the announcer's voice boomed across the hall.
"The winner of Match Four is Group three of the supplementaries!"
The first-year team that had fought valiantly collapsed onto the arena floor, panting and battered from their defeat.
"Ugh... is it even possible for us to win this?" one freshman groaned into the dirt.
"What other choice do we have? We keep fighting."
The morale of the surrounding first-years began to visibly fracture at the swift defeat.
"Honestly, these freshmen are losing their fighting spirit way too easily." Vanika noted with a hint of disappointment.
"Don't write them off yet. Look at the next match," Valeria said, pointing toward the opposite end of the stage.
BOOM.
A violent, roaring tempest tore straight through the supplementary team's formation, wiping out their defenses in a single, overwhelming strike before they could even cast a spell.
Ashwin stood calmly at the epicenter, lowering his dark blue wand as the simulation faded around him.
"The winner is Group Sixteen of the first-year division!"
"YAY!"
The members of his randomized team cheered loudly, rushing over to clap his back and high-five.
"Nicely done, Ashwin," Kaizen muttered, raising a fist in silent celebration.
"The Skybreaker of Skyren..." Vanika murmured, tracking the boy with an assessing gaze."Impressive."
The matches continued in rapid succession.
"Set up an earth wall to absorb their initial barrage!"
"There's a thunder user in their backline—use counter-current wind spells to disrupt their flow!"
Isadora Vellynne, a sharp-eyed female supplementary student, barked crisp orders, seamlessly coordinating her two teammates as they pushed back Group Nineteen of the first years.
"Dammit, our spells aren't piercing their fortress!" a freshman shouted in frustration.
"What do we do now... Zephyr?!"
Zephyr Stormholt didn't even blink. He offered a dazzling, infuriatingly confident smile, casually extending his lavender-gold wand.
"It's not a matter of what we do... it's a matter of what I do."
Sparks of brilliant golden electricity violently surged around his weapon, crackling with raw, oppressive power.
Golden Bolt.
A swirling, sphere projectile of pure golden lightning erupted at light speed, obliterating the enemy's earth wall and shattering their entire defensive line in one ferocious blow.
As the smoke cleared, Zephyr casually spun his wand between his fingers like an action hero, giving his golden-blond hair a dramatic, wind-swept flick.
"The winner is Group Nineteen of the first-year division!"
"YAAAY!" His teammates roared in triumph, mobbing him.
"The heir of House Stormholt," Vanika noted with an amused smile. "As expected of that bloodline."
"Yeah, but he's also an absolute menace,"
Valeria sighed, massaging her neck.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Ugh... how do I even begin to describe him—"
Suddenly, Valeria froze. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she stared down at the arena display monitors. Beside her, Vanika mirrored her expression of utter disbelief.
Down in the combat zone, Isadora Vellynne groaned, pushing herself up from the ground.
"Ugh... I can't believe we got wiped out by just one—"
She stopped dead.
Kneeling right in front of her was Zephyr Stormholt. In one hand, he held a brilliantly glowing golden rose; on his face was a smile so blindingly charming it could bypass the defenses of a seasoned warrior.
"I have never in my life laid eyes on a woman so fiercely breathtaking," Zephyr purred, his voice dripping with smooth, theatrical romance. "Since the match is officially over, would you honor me by letting me take you out for coffee?"
Outside the arena, the student body erupted into raucous laughter and gasps of disbelief.
"What the actual hell? Is he really hitting on a senior right after destroying her team?!"
"Babe, look! Zephyr Stormholt just dropped another confession!"
"A pickup line in the middle of a semester exam? This guy has zero survival instincts!"
Among the crowd of students, Seraphine forcefully slapped her palm against her forehead.
"Ugh... that absolute idiot. He literally doesn't know how to turn off the performance for even five seconds."
Rowan stared at the screen, blinking in sheer bewilderment. "What... what is wrong with this guy?"
"Ugh, nothing. He just spends half his time acting like a walking romance novel protagonist and annoying everyone within a five-mile radius," Ritvik muttered, crossing his arms.
"Right in front of the entire academy faculty, too?" Rowan asked, stunned.
"Despicable behavior," Sarina clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes in deep annoyance.
Up on the observation deck, Vanika turned to Valeria, a twitching smile on her face.
"Valeria... I think I finally understand what you meant by menace."
Valeria buried her face in both hands, groaning in profound second-hand embarrassment.
Down on the battlefield, the spectacle continued entirely unbothered.
"What's your name, beautiful?" Zephyr asked smoothly, holding out the golden rose.
"...Isadora," she stammered, a heavy flush of pink instantly spreading across her cheeks.
"Isa. What a gorgeous name," Zephyr grinned.
"Isa?"
"Or maybe I should call you Dora? That has a lovely ring to it, too."
"What? Oh, stop it—haha!" Isadora chuckled, completely dropping her guard as she hesitantly reached out and accepted the glowing flower from his hand.
---
CHAPTER ENDS