Chapter 423:Assessment.

Chapter 423: 423:Assessment.

"Sometimes winning means defeating the opposing class." Peter looked around. "Sometimes attacking the opposing class will be the fastest way to lose."

Silver liked that.

Ravenna did too.

He could tell.

A student near the front raised his hand.

"Sir, are there rewards?"

Peter looked at him.

"Yes." The room became attentive. "Class privileges. Training-resource priority. Additional facility access. Field-operation priority. Individual performance credits." He paused. "And sometimes the reward is simply not being the class that lost."

Several students laughed.

Peter didn’t.

They stopped from the blank stare they were getting from him.

Silver smiled.

Peter changed the display.

LEADERSHIP

The atmosphere shifted again. Everyone knew the preliminary rankings. Silver could feel several eyes move toward him, then Ravenna, and then Helena.

Peter noticed.

"Stop."

Eyes returned forward.

"The leadership board is not a monarchy."

Silver almost laughed.

Peter continued.

"Silver Ruddington ranked first."

More eyes tried not to move.

"Ravenna Arkland ranked third."

Ravenna remained still.

"Helena Seer ranked tenth."

Helena’s expression didn’t change.

"Those results matter." Peter paused. "They do not make any of them permanent leaders."

That caused several reactions.

Silver wasn’t surprised by that.

"Class Four will have provisional leadership positions during certain activities. Those positions will rotate."

Peter looked toward Silver.

"Ruddington will lead."

Then Ravenna.

"Arkland will lead."

Helena.

"Seer will lead."

Then his gaze moved across everyone else.

"So will many of you."

A student frowned.

"Even if we’re not on the leadership board?"

Peter looked at him.

"Especially if you’re not."

That answer quieted the room.

Peter walked closer to the first row.

"The academy already knows Silver can make decisions under pressure," he glanced briefly towards him. "We already have evidence that Ravenna can prioritize an objective while fighting."

Ravenna’s expression shifted slightly.

"We already know Helena can organize defensive positions."

Helena looked toward him.

"What we don’t know is what happens when someone who has spent their entire life following the strongest person in the room suddenly becomes responsible for four people."

Peter tapped the desk.

"Leadership isn’t a reward."

Another tap.

"It is a skill."

One more.

"And sometimes it’s a burden."

Silver found himself agreeing completely.

Peter continued.

"If you are assigned squad leader and your squad fails, I don’t care that another student was stronger than you." His eyes hardened. "You were responsible."

"If your teammate makes a mistake, I want to know why you didn’t account for it."

"If your scout gives you information and you ignore it because their Soul Capacity is lower than yours, I will personally make your next week unpleasant."

Several students straightened.

Peter stepped back.

"Likewise, following orders is a skill." He looked toward them. "Some of you are talented enough that nobody has told you what to do in years."

Silver could think of several people.

Ravenna could too.

"That ends here."

Peter returned to the center.

"Sometimes you will lead."

"Sometimes you will follow."

"Learn both."

The display disappeared.

Peter looked at the time.

"Now."

Several students visibly prepared themselves.

"You have approximately thirty minutes before we begin your baseline evaluation."

Someone groaned quietly.

Peter heard it.

"Who was that?"

Nobody answered.

"Excellent. Collective cowardice."

A few students laughed nervously.

Peter continued.

"This is not another entrance examination."

That relieved several people.

"Nobody is being eliminated."

More relief.

"You are already students." Peter looked around. "Today I establish what kind of students."

The display activated again.

CLASS FOUR - BASELINE ASSESSMENT

PHYSICAL CONDITION

STRENGTH

SPEED

ENDURANCE

REACTION

ABILITY DEMONSTRATION

PRIMARY WEAPON

SECONDARY WEAPON

WEAPON PROFICIENCY

COMBAT ROLE

The classroom became quiet.

Peter pointed toward the screen.

"Those results establish your starting record." He looked toward Helena. "If Seer can maintain a defensive barrier for thirty seconds today and ninety seconds six months from now, that’s development."

Helena nodded.

"Arkland." Ravenna looked up. "If your fire output increases but your control becomes worse, I don’t consider that improvement."

Ravenna nodded.

"Understood."

"Ruddington." Silver looked forward. "If your spatial ability becomes stronger but you still require three times more energy than necessary to solve a problem, I don’t care how impressive it looks."

He smiled faintly.

"Understood."

Peter’s gaze lingered on him.

"Your publicly recorded Soul Capacity is seven."

Silver immediately felt the room change. Some students already knew while others clearly didn’t.

A whisper came from behind.

"Seven?"

Another.

"He’s number one."

Silver ignored them.

Peter didn’t.

"Excellent."

Everyone quieted.

Peter looked toward the students who had whispered.

"You’ve discovered the first lesson of the morning."

Neither student spoke.

"Numbers don’t fight." His eyes swept across the room. "People do."

Silver felt Ravenna’s thumb move across his hand.

Peter continued.

"I don’t care whether your Soul Capacity is nineteen."

His gaze passed Ravenna.

"Seven."

Silver.

"Nine."

Another student.

"Fifteen."

Another.

"I care what you can actually do with what you have."

Ravenna smiled faintly.

Silver noticed.

Peter returned to the desk.

"You’ll be evaluated individually, but you’ll observe one another."

That interested Silver.

"You should know what your classmates can do." Peter gestured around the room. "Eventually these people will stand beside you during field exercises."

His expression became serious.

"You should know which one can hold a defensive line."

Helena.

"Which one can scout."

Another student.

"Which one can reach an injured teammate."

Silver.

"Which one can break through a beast."

Ravenna.

"And which one panics when things stop following the plan."

Nobody moved.

Peter smiled for the first time but it wasn’t reassuring.

"We’ll find that one too."

The bell sounded.

Peter turned toward the side doors.

"Training Hall C-Four. Thirty minutes."

Students began standing.

"Bring your primary weapon. Secondary if you have one. Academy-standard equipment is available for anyone whose personal equipment hasn’t been approved."

Chairs moved as they stood up and conversation immediately erupted.

Silver stood.

Ravenna stood beside him, their hands had finally separating. For approximately three seconds before she reached for his again.

Silver smiled.

"You know we’re going to have to let go during the physical assessment."

"I know."

"You sound unhappy about it."

"I’m not."

He raised an eyebrow.

Ravenna just stared at him expressionless.

Silver laughed.

Helena passed their row and stopped.

Up close, she had the calm posture Silver associated with people who didn’t waste movement.

"Ruddington."

Silver looked toward her.

"Seer."

Helena’s gaze moved toward Ravenna.

"Arkland."

Ravenna nodded.

"Helena."

She looked between them.

"First and third."

Silver smiled.

"Tenth."

Helena nodded once.

"Looks like Kanister intends to make the three of us miserable."

Ravenna’s mouth curved slightly.

"Probably."

She adjusted the shield case on her back.

"Good."

Silver raised an eyebrow as he watched Helena walked away.

Ravenna looked at him.

"I like her."

Silver smiled.

"You like everyone who seems excited about suffering."

"That’s not true."

"You liked Peter within thirty seconds."

"He’s competent."

"Helena just said she wants him to make her miserable."

"She didn’t say she wants it."

"She said good."

Ravenna considered.

"That’s different."

Silver laughed.

They started toward the exit.

Shirley stood several rows away speaking to two girls.

She noticed them.

Her eyes moved toward their joined hands again, then toward Silver.

The curiosity hadn’t disappeared. If anything, Peter announcing Silver’s Soul Capacity had made it worse.

Whatever image Shirley had constructed of Silver before meeting him was continuing to collapse piece by piece.

Ravenna saw her looking but she deliberately turned away.

Silver didn’t comment.

They stepped into the corridor.

Students around them were already discussing the assessment.

Some worried about strength while others about weapon proficiency. One boy confidently told his friends he would score highest in speed.

Another girl was complaining that she’d left her preferred weapon at the dormitory because she hadn’t expected testing today.

Silver looked toward Ravenna.

"Nervous?"

"No."

"You said that yesterday."

"And I was right."

"Fair."

Ravenna looked toward him.

"You?"

Silver thought about the system. He hadn’t tried opening it since last night and wasn’t going to now. He knew what he could do without it.

"Not really."

Ravenna smiled.

"Good."

They reached the stairs.

Silver kissed her cheek.

Ravenna turned immediately.

"What was that one for?"

"Good luck."

"We’re taking physical measurements."

"Still."

Ravenna smiled, then kissed his cheek.

"Good luck."

Silver squeezed her hand.