Chapter 251: The Practical Assessment [8]

By the time Team Seven returned to the waiting area, the next group had already entered the fortress.

Several students were gathered around a projection displaying the ongoing assessment. Unlike the participants inside, spectators could observe the entire training environment, including the positions of constructs and the mechanisms concealed throughout the fortress.

Ilya found that arrangement rather unfair.

If he’d been allowed to watch someone else complete the exercise beforehand, he could probably have saved another two minutes.

Then again, the instructors had deliberately scheduled the teams without revealing their objectives in advance. Those who finished early were permitted to observe subsequent attempts, but the remaining participants had been kept in separate waiting rooms.

At least Holy Trinity had thought that far ahead.

"How’d it go?"

Garen approached them with Wolfram and Ma?lle, looking considerably more interested in their assessment than his own disappointing results.

"Eleven minutes and thirty-eight seconds," Elise answered.

"Seriously? That’s fast!"

"Is it?" Ilya asked.

Garen pointed toward the projection. "The previous team barely made it out before the time limit. And one of their members lost his protective seal fighting the constructs."

That put their performance into perspective.

Ilya had been concerned about the time spent navigating the northern passage, particularly when the alarm formation delayed their progress. However, the fortress had been designed to punish students who wasted resources fighting every obstacle they encountered.

Their decision to avoid unnecessary engagements had evidently paid off.

Solenne examined the projection, where another team was attempting to force its way through the eastern corridor.

"They’re going straight for the chamber."

"Shortest route," Wolfram observed. "But they’re going to run into the defensive formations."

As if responding to his prediction, the corridor’s walls suddenly illuminated.

Several constructs emerged from concealed compartments, cutting off the team’s retreat while a barrier sealed the passage ahead.

Garen winced.

"That looks unpleasant."

Ilya agreed.

The students inside responded quickly, establishing a defensive formation before the constructs could surround them. Their coordination was respectable, although they were now spending valuable time clearing a route that had appeared convenient only moments earlier.

One of the participants attempted to disable the barrier while the others held off the machines.

It was a reasonable recovery.

The problem was that the constructs were designed to keep intruders occupied, and every additional minute increased the pressure on their mana reserves.

After watching for a while, Ilya turned his attention toward the evaluation notices.

The instructors had yet to announce the final results, but each completed team received a preliminary assessment outlining its performance.

Team Seven had earned high marks for cooperation, resource management, and objective completion.

Their combat evaluation was more modest.

Apparently, avoiding nearly every enemy in the fortress did little to demonstrate one’s ability to fight them.

A tragic consequence of being sensible.

Still, Ilya was satisfied.

The exercise had never required them to defeat the constructs, and wasting mana on unnecessary battles would have undermined the very efficiency the instructors claimed to value.

He suspected Professor Eklund would appreciate that distinction.

Elise noticed him reading the evaluation.

"Anything interesting?"

"We did well. Though apparently we didn’t fight enough."

She leaned closer to examine the notice.

"That’s ridiculous. We completed the objective."

"To be fair, they gave us a separate combat score. I suppose defeating more constructs would’ve improved it."

Solenne joined them.

"But that would’ve cost us time."

"Exactly. Which is why I think we made the right decision."

Neither girl disagreed.

The evaluation system rewarded several different qualities, and maximizing one category could easily come at the expense of another. An excellent combat score would mean little if the team failed to retrieve the objective before the time limit.

Besides, all three had already demonstrated their individual abilities during the previous stage.

There was no reason to risk their cooperative result simply to earn a few additional marks.

Their discussion was interrupted when another team returned from the fortress.

The students emerged looking exhausted, with one supported by his companions after losing his protective seal during the final engagement.

The instructors recorded their results before directing them toward the medical staff stationed nearby.

Fortunately, the protective formations had prevented any serious injuries.

Ilya watched the departing students for a moment.

It was easy to forget that the exercise remained physically demanding despite its controlled environment.

Several of the constructs possessed enough force to overwhelm an inexperienced wizard, and even a brief lapse in concentration could end someone’s assessment.

Holy Trinity certainly wasn’t generous with its practical examinations.

Then again, he supposed that was preferable to graduating students who couldn’t survive their first encounter with a hostile magical creature.

A little embarrassment now was considerably cheaper than a funeral later.

As the afternoon continued, the instructors gradually completed the remaining evaluations.

Tristan’s team emerged shortly before the final group entered.

Naturally, the southern nobleman appeared perfectly composed.

His companions looked rather less fortunate.

One was breathing heavily, while the other seemed to be nursing an injured shoulder despite the protective seal’s intervention.

Ilya approached them after the instructors finished recording their results.

"How’d it go?"

Tristan glanced toward him.

"We completed it."

"That much I gathered."

"Nine minutes and fifty-one seconds."

Ilya raised his eyebrows.

That was impressive.

Tristan’s team had completed the exercise almost two minutes faster than his own, although their appearance suggested that the victory hadn’t been entirely effortless.

"Congratulations," Ilya said.

Tristan accepted the praise with a satisfied expression.

"Your time?"

"Eleven thirty-eight."

"I see."

Ilya recognized that look.

The fellow was enjoying himself.

Before Tristan could say anything else, however, one of his teammates interrupted.

"We would’ve been faster if we hadn’t activated the courtyard formation."

Tristan’s expression darkened.

"That formation was supposed to be disabled before we entered."

"It was disabled!"

"Then why did it activate?"

"Because you destroyed the supporting pillar!"

Ilya wisely stepped aside.

Apparently, even a successful team could have disagreements about how the objective had been completed.

From the conversation that followed, he gathered that Tristan had chosen an aggressive approach. His team had destroyed several constructs while advancing through the fortress, using his extraordinary spell control to overcome obstacles that other students had attempted to avoid.

It was an effective strategy, particularly when supported by capable teammates.

However, their attempt to bypass the courtyard’s defenses had triggered an additional formation, forcing them into a prolonged engagement before they could retrieve the objective.

That explained their exhausted appearance.

Tristan, evidently realizing that his teammates were about to continue arguing in public, ended the discussion and directed them toward the waiting area.

Ilya found the whole thing rather entertaining.

Even geniuses had to deal with troublesome group projects.

Eventually, Professor Eklund gathered the students for the announcement.

The final evaluations would be published the following morning, once the instructors had reviewed the recordings and confirmed the individual contributions of each participant.

That last detail attracted Ilya’s attention.

Apparently, simply belonging to a successful team wouldn’t guarantee an excellent personal evaluation. The instructors would examine how each student had contributed to the objective, including their decisions, cooperation, and ability to respond to unexpected circumstances.

A reasonable arrangement.

Otherwise, students could simply attach themselves to someone like Tristan and allow him to carry the entire examination.

The announcement concluded with a reminder that ordinary lectures would resume according to schedule.

With the practical assessment finally complete, students began dispersing across the academy grounds.

Garen immediately suggested celebrating.

Ma?lle reminded him that he hadn’t qualified for the final stage.

"All the more reason to celebrate everyone else’s success," he replied without missing a beat.

Somehow, that argument proved persuasive enough for several members of their group to agree.

Ilya declined for the moment. He had promised Hakon that he would continue his training after the assessments, and there were several matters he wanted to discuss concerning his mana expenditure.

Elise looked mildly disappointed when he explained.

"You’ve been training a lot lately."

"I have plenty to catch up on."

"You’re already doing better than most students."

"That doesn’t mean I should stop."

She couldn’t really argue with that.

After a moment, she smiled.

"Just don’t overdo it."

"I’ll try."

Solenne, who had been listening nearby, wished him luck before departing with the others.

Ilya remained in the courtyard for a little longer, reviewing the preliminary evaluation.

His performance had improved considerably since transferring departments, although the examination had exposed several weaknesses he couldn’t afford to ignore.

Most notably, his mana expenditure remained higher than he wanted during prolonged engagements.

Against ordinary students, his mobility and unconventional techniques provided a substantial advantage.

Against someone like Tristan, however, those same abilities could become liabilities if used carelessly.

There was still plenty of work ahead.

Fortunately, the practical assessment had given him several useful ideas.

And now that the examination was finally over, he intended to put them to good use.