Chapter 218: First Months Test (2)
Chapter 218: First Month"s Test (2)
The short trip only took them no more than ten minutes until they reached Hastterre Forest, a forest to the east of the capital city.
Elysia glanced behind her to see the city that was still visible in the distance. Apparently, the test site was not too far away.
All of the Gravy Ark landed in an open area. There were already several other instructors waiting for them. Once again, the students were ordered to line up for instruction before the test began.
"Attention! Your first test this time has the theme of hunting in the wild. However, as long as you don"t venture further than 40 kilometers, you will be fine and won"t encounter beasts over level 30. Then--" Teacher Ruth conveyed her instructions to students as representatives of the other instructors.
She explained in detail the rules and more. The description of the permitted hunting areas became the first topic of her explanation. The students were only allowed to venture up to the river 40 kilometers from their current position. Several other instructors were on guard for several things around the river, such as preventing dangerous beast and more.
Apart from that, various hunting gears were provided there if they needed some extra items for their hunting. It wasn"t training equipment, but the real one used to kill or incapacitate prey.
The points were calculated using half of the level hunting results, whether captured alive or dead. Then, the maximum number of points a student could get on this test was one hundred points. Their targets were only the beasts and animals in the forest. No cheating was permitted.
All the students" s.p.a.ce Bags were confiscated. They were only allowed to carry the s.p.a.ce Bags provided by the academy. However, the students were allowed to bring their own equipment to that s.p.a.ce Bag. So, what the students had were only hunting supplies and equipment.
Teacher Ruth"s instructions, directions, and warnings were finally over. Then, the students were ordered to create their hunting groups. Since most students were still at levels 21 to 24 and because the number of first-grade students was only 295, one group should be five.
It couldn"t be less or more than five to make things easier, guarantee their safety, and train their teamwork... But, it didn"t reduce the difficulty of the test.
Each group"s points would not be divided among every member, but all members would get the same number. If a group managed to bring twenty level-10 beasts, then full points were guaranteed for all the members.
"Ahh... How is it, how is it... One group can only be five people." Evelyn was absurdly jumbled as the students quickly made their groups.
She, Elysia, Joanna, and three other girls gathered in the same group. There were six of them, and that was the problem. Neither of them dared to expel one of the girls from the group.
Elysia looked at the other groups, but the surrounding groups were already in groups of five.
"Ely, look there. Thirty degrees to the left, there was a girl group with only four people. So, how?"
Hearing that from Elena, Elysia turned her head in the defined direction. Not far from her, four girls were in a group, and they were also looking for one more person.
Finding Evelyn and the other girls struggling with the five-person group rule, she decided to separate herself from the group.
"Ah, you are in the same group. Let me look for another group." Elysia suggested with a smile. She didn"t want to look like an unlucky girl.
"Which party are you going to join, Ely? Ah, I don"t mean that. Let me find another group, and you are in this group." Evelyn immediately grabbed Elysia"s arm as if she was afraid her best friend would run away from there.
"Well, to the group over there. I intend to join them." Elysia pointed to the group of four girls not far from where they stood. Evelyn and four other girls turned in that direction.
"Ah, that"s Serena"s group. Aren"t there any other groups, hmm... I don"t think so. Ely, let me go to that group. I don"t feel peaceful if you"re alone in that group." Evelyn suggested with a worried expression.
"Hmm? It"s okay, Eve. Don"t you remember? In the last three weeks, there has been nothing unusual between Serena and me. Nothing will happen, I promise. So, don"t worry, okay?" Elysia tried to persuade Evelyn after she freed her arm from Evelyn"s hand.
She wouldn"t be at peace if Evelyn was with Serena. No one knew what they would do if they spent a long time together. Maybe, an argument or a fight over something trivial?
"The group over there. Make groups of five people and immediately report your group members." An instructor suddenly exclaimed while pointing at Evelyn"s group.
"Uhh, the instructor has spoken. I better go there, Eve. Acc.u.mulating 100 points in this test is not difficult, really. Hope you all get the full points. See you later this afternoon~" Elysia waved her hand with a sweet smile and ran away from there.
She didn"t wait for a response from Evelyn or the other girls because she knew that no one would feel comfortable kicking a single girl out of the group.
Evelyn stretched out her hand as if she would catch something, but Elysia was already walking away. She couldn"t force her reasons at a time like this, considering what her best friend said was true. Inevitably, she could only go along with Elysia"s decision for now.
Even so, she did make a mental note of retaliation if Serena dared to harm Elysia in any form. This afternoon, she would conduct an investigation to confirm it after the test was over.
"Hi, may I join your group?" Elysia greeted the four girls. They apparently knew her arrival.
"h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo, hi! Of course, Miss Elysia. Welcome to our group. Cora, please put Miss Elysia into our member list and report it to the instructor on duty." A girl who was so enthusiastic welcomed happily.
Surprisingly, Serena just kept quiet and let things go. As if she allowed the girl and her servants to take care of everything.
Cora wrote the fifth member"s name on the form, then she rushed to report it to the instructor. It was nearing their departure time, so she shouldn"t be negligent.
"It"s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zofia Ward. But! Please just call me Zofia. Then, this one is Miss Serena Scott, this one is Nico, and the girl who is rushing to report is Cora." Zofia acted like a middleman and introduced all the members to Elysia.
She was a daughter of the Ward Viscount Family, and she already considered Elysia possessed a higher status than her. She only concluded that because Elysia hung out with many influential people without knowing the truth.
"The pleasure is mine, um, Zofia." Elysia returned the courtesy.
"Hey, we"re going to hunt, and I want the best in no time. Before all, let me tell you that the leader of this group is me. So, follow my n.o.ble orders for the best results." Serena opened her mouth with an arrogant tone spoken from there.
"Yes, I understand. Forest is a dangerous place. We will take care of each other"s backs. No one will be left behind." Elysia nodded in understanding. It wasn"t a problem for her, but Elena had other plans for Serena.
"Oow, that sounds good. Nee, Miss Elysia, is the white cat in your arms your contracted beast? Will this cat help you in this hunting test?" Zofia nodded too. She liked the last sentence in Elysia"s words.
"Yes, she is my contracted beast. Her name is Vanessa. She will help us find prey faster with her sense of smell." Elysia introduced the cat in a friendly manner.
"Meow." Vanessa meowed when her master stroked her head.
"Ho? That little cat? Well, hopefully, what your cat finds is not rats and lizards." Serena snorted as she glanced at the white cat. That little white cat for hunting? Maybe the cat would be hunted instead.
"By the way, are you ready with your hunting gear? Bows, arrows, swords, daggers, traps, supplies, and the like?" Zofia asked to confirm that. Ensuring the readiness of all members before leaving for the forest was mandatory.
"Of course, I carried it in this s.p.a.ce Bag." Elysia handed her s.p.a.ce Bag if an inspection was required.
Zofia accepted it and looked at its contents for a moment, then she returned it to Elysia. "Alright, now everything is ready. We just need to wait for departure. Oh! Cora, you"re back. What"s our group number?"
"Number thirteen." Cora showed the group an armband with a number printed on it. Then she handed it over to Serena. It was for the group leader to wear.
After all the reports were complete, the students were allowed to ask any questions about the test. Then, the groups were divided to depart at different starting points. The division was carried out with the aim that the groups would not easily b.u.mp into other groups.
Out of a total of 59 groups, they were divided into eleven divisions. The ten divisions left the camp area using the Gravy Ark towards the starting point within a certain distance.
"Group thirteen, you can go." An instructor declared after confirming the previous group had gone far enough.
"Let"s go." Serena walked ahead like the group leader.
Meanwhile, Elysia looked to the left. One kilometer from her position, Evelyn"s group had not yet departed. After one more glance, she walked over to follow her group.