Supreme Magus novel 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.

"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." – _{ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com}