Chapter 25

　　In the end, they submitted the form under the name Team Seven. While the newly formed groups chatted in a relaxed atmosphere, Simon observed the remaining students in Class A. His group was Group Seven, meaning twenty-eight students had now been sorted.

　　The scramble for the last few spots was less a competition and more a bloodbath. Individual students were a thing of the past; now, small alliances of two or three desperately tried to recruit their final members.

　　"Isn’t it better to just merge with us? We’re two and two…"

　　"Your group has two Venomology majors. Why would we take on a team that broken?"

　　"Wow, look at them. What kind of combination is Jet-Black, Jet-Black, and Jet-Black?"

　　This was the inherent problem with forming groups based on friendship. Students became close because of shared interests, but in a class that evaluated eight distinct subjects, stacking a team with the same aspirants was a fatal flaw. A group needed diversity to survive, and having overlapping specializations was a guaranteed handicap. Most of the students still struggling were facing that exact issue.

　　"I’ll save just one of you," a blonde girl announced, stepping forward with an arrogant flick of her finger. She had already secured two other members.

　　"Get lost!"

　　"If you hadn’t taken Lucy, we’d already have four members!"

　　As her group members growled, another girl stepped away from them.

　　"L-Leader?"

　　"I’m sorry, everyone," she said without looking back. She walked over to the blonde’s group. "I’m a Hemomancy aspirant. We won’t overlap, right?"

　　"Welcome! Glad to see you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. TA! We’re registering!"

　　And just like that, a group of four was formed by poaching the leader of another. The students left behind trembled with a mixture of rage and betrayal.

　　…How cruel. This was happening during the so-called student protection period. Simon was beginning to understand how a class of one thousand could be whittled down to just three hundred.

　　"We don’t have time to worry about others, Simon," Dick said quietly. "If we don’t fight to move forward, we’ll be the ones left behind. And at Kizen, being left behind is the end."

　　"I don’t even feel sorry for them," Meirin added, examining her fingertips before blowing on them lightly. "It’s a lack of effort, preparation, and skill. They’ve been at Kizen for four days. What have they been doing? If their grades weren’t good enough, they should have found other ways to secure a spot."

　　Dick and Meirin seemed completely unfazed by the brutal atmosphere.

　　Finally, the thirty minutes were up. Eight students remained, trapped in deadlocked factions of two, three, and three. None had managed to form a complete group.

　　"Students who could not form a group, please come forward."

　　Jane arbitrarily created two final teams.

　　Group 15: Jet-Black, Jet-Black, Venomology, Combat Magic.

　　Group 16: Jet-Black, Jet-Black, Jet-Black, Combat Magic.

　　The surplus of Jet-Black Dynamics aspirants was due to it being a required subject; even students specializing in other areas had relatively high scores in it. This had caused the demand for dedicated Jet-Black aspirants to plummet, leaving them as the last ones picked. The students called to the front stood with grim faces, their heads bowed low. A few of the other students couldn’t hide their smirks.

　　"Wow, Group Sixteen has three Jet-Black majors? For real?"

　　"Pfft. They’ll be gone by next week."

　　"One question on curses and they’re all wiped out."

　　The snickering from their peers made the members of Groups 15 and 16 shrink even further into themselves. Jane, having assigned their leaders at random, addressed them in a low voice.

　　"Are you frustrated?"

　　The students gave a slight nod. A few had tears welling in their eyes.

　　"A rocky start does not guarantee a rocky finish. Remember this feeling. Use this frustration to work harder than anyone else. Even as Jet-Black aspirants, you must share the burden of studying the other subjects and raise your averages. Only then will you see a path forward."

　　Their expressions hardened with resolve. As Groups 15 and 16 returned to their seats, Jane stepped forward.

　　"Now for a major announcement. The first ‘Intro to Black Magic’ class next week, which marks the end of the student protection period, will feature a Group Performance Evaluation."

　　A wave of stifled gasps swept through the room. A performance evaluation meant a test that would directly impact their grades. The real battle was about to begin.

　　"I will now explain the details of the evaluation." At her signal, a teaching assistant activated the mana projector. A glowing image of a massive monster materialized before them.

　　"That’s…!"

　　It was a creature Simon recognized. A Cyclops. A hulking, one-eyed monster of immense strength, said to reign as king of the western mountain ranges.

　　"Correct. Your next opponent is a Cyclops."

　　The students’ jaws dropped. Wasn’t this skipping a few steps?

　　"The rules are as follows. Your group will enter the underground dungeon within Kizen and work together to defeat the Cyclops." A collective sigh of relief went through the room at the mention of teamwork. "However, only one student will directly confront the Cyclops. The other three will take up support positions to assist their teammate or weaken the monster. Direct attacks with black magic are forbidden."

　　A fresh wave of murmurs spread. The three support members couldn’t use offensive black magic. This wasn’t a true four-on-one fight.

　　Jane’s explanation continued.

　　"Debuffs such as exhaustion, binding, and blind are permitted. Any physical damage to the monster resulting from such techniques will be allowed. Bleeding from Hemomancy and poisoning from Venomology are also permitted. Naturally, attacks from summons are allowed as well."

　　"However, ‘direct offensive magic cast by a necromancer,’ such as Smite from Combat Magic or Blood Arrow from Hemomancy, is forbidden. You will receive a handout with the exact criteria after class."

　　The students nodded, their faces serious.

　　"The participating student will be accompanied by a Kizen safety officer and protected by powerful defensive black magic. You will be graded on the success or failure of the hunt, its speed, your stability, your group’s teamwork and creativity, and the proficiency of the black magic used."

　　She scanned the silent classroom before continuing.

　　"To face a Cyclops, you will have to push your abilities to their absolute limit over the next week. Do not treat any class lightly. Absorb everything you can and apply it to this evaluation. That is all. Any questions?"

　　A forest of hands shot into the air. Jane pointed to a student in the front row.

　　"Jamie Victoria! W-We’re not actually facing a real Cyclops, are we? I heard Kizen has a virtual combat simulation system…"

　　"You will be facing a living, breathing Cyclops, recently captured from the western continent," Jane cut her off coldly. "You will be required to sign a liability waiver before participating."

　　At those words, Jamie’s face fell.

　　"That said, it will be weaker than a Cyclops in the wild, due to the curses and chemical treatments used for its capture. Next question."

　　"Scott Snyder! You said the success of the hunt is a grading factor. What happens if we fail to kill it?"

　　"A failed hunt results in the lowest possible score, regardless of other criteria. If multiple groups fail, their final rankings will be determined by the other scoring factors."

　　A heavy silence descended upon the classroom.

　　"A hunt is considered a failure under three conditions. First, if the participating student is rendered incapable of combat. Second, if the professor or safety officer deems that combat can no longer continue. Third, if any member of your group raises their hand and forfeits the test. Next question."

　　Students fired off questions one after another, and Jane answered each one without a moment’s hesitation. Since most students had similar concerns, the raised hands had all but disappeared after five more questions.

　　"Class A has two more ‘Intro to Black Magic’ classes this week. During the first, each group will present its strategy for hunting the Cyclops. During the second, as Jamie mentioned, you will use the virtual combat simulator to hone your practical skills. The third class, next week, will be the real thing."

　　The words "real thing" sent a palpable tension through the room. Jane glanced at her wristwatch.

　　"For the remainder of the period, you may discuss your strategies with your groups. Your first priority should be to select your combatant and formulate a plan that utilizes one hundred percent of your three support members’ abilities. I will remain here if you have questions."

　　With that, Jane sank into her chair. The teaching assistants clapped their hands.

　　"Alright, everyone! Begin!"

　　As if a dam had broken, the room filled with the roar of conversation. Dick and Meirin’s eyes lit up as they leaned over the table.

　　"…Professor Jane does not mess around. A real monster fight the second the protection period ends? This is insane," Dick said.

　　Meirin’s eyes sparkled.

　　"I love it! My heart is pounding! This is what I came to Kizen for."

　　Simon glanced around the room.

　　"We should start planning. Does anyone want to be the one to fight?"

　　Meirin’s hand shot up so fast it smacked Dick in the side, making him yelp. She didn’t seem to notice, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

　　"Me! I’ll do it!"

　　"Are you confident?"

　　"I’m the strongest one here. It has to be me."

　　Dick rubbed his cheek, glaring at her.

　　"Hey, hold on! We can’t decide something this important so simply. We need a strategy! This whole evaluation is practically a handout for Combat Magic aspirants. Any team with one has a massive advantage."

　　"I agree," Kamibarez said, quietly seconding Dick. "A Cyclops’s attacks are too heavy to block with defensive magic without draining your Jet-Black. Evasion is the only real option."

　　Simon discreetly checked on the other groups. They seemed to have reached the same conclusion. The once-overlooked Combat Magic aspirants were now confidently leading their team discussions. It was clear most of them would be sent into the dungeon.

　　"No, I disagree," Meirin said, her expression turning serious again as she crossed her arms. "Did you forget? The combatant is the only one who can directly attack the Cyclops. What kind of offense do Combat Magic aspirants have right now? Bashing it with Jet-Black-enhanced fists? How are they supposed to kill a thick-skinned Cyclops with that?"

　　"Ah…!"

　　"She has a point," Simon and Kamibarez conceded.

　　Meirin smirked, leaning back in her chair.

　　"So, Meirin, you have a way to kill a Cyclops?" Kamibarez asked.

　　"Of course, Kami." She smiled confidently and opened her palm. A magic circle materialized above it, and from it, an orb of black fire roared to life.

　　Kamibarez gasped.

　　"Dark Flare, a Jet-Black elemental magic. This should be enough, right?"

　　"That’s amazing! You can already use that spell…!"

　　Dick was annoyed by Meirin’s constant showing off, but he had to admit, Dark Flare was impressive.

　　"Now, here’s my plan." Extinguishing the flame, Meirin leaned forward. "I’ll engage the Cyclops and burn it to a crisp with Dark Flare. The three of you will focus entirely on curses. Keep stacking the Exhaust curse to slow it down, and I’ll cleanly reduce it to ash!"

　　Dick crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

　　"That plan makes you the star and leaves us as chumps. You, the curse specialist, are the one fighting, while we just stand back and spam curses like machines?"

　　"Do you have a better idea? Let’s hear it."

　　Dick was momentarily stumped but shifted his line of attack.

　　"Besides, your whole plan hinges on you being able to cast Dark Flare while dodging the Cyclops’s attacks. Can you actually do that?"

　　"Why wouldn’t I be able to?"

　　"Let’s be real, your stamina is garbage. You were panting at the back of the pack during our run in Combat Magic, and you couldn’t even make the jump over the ravine without Professor Hongfeng’s help."

　　This time, Meirin’s face flushed crimson.

　　"Th-That’s true, but…! No! As the support team, it’s your job to make sure I don’t get hit in the first place! If I take damage, it means your curses are pathetic!"

　　"We’re not curse specialists!"

　　As Meirin and Dick snarled at each other, Kamibarez, caught in the middle, looked back and forth, completely lost.

　　They both flinched at the sudden sound and turned. Simon had slammed his palm on the table, his expression serious.

　　"Then let’s do this."