Chapter 162: The Practical Evaluation

The following morning, the academy was already awake before sunrise.

Unlike ordinary days, the training grounds were filled with students long before classes officially began.

The announcement about the Inter-High Tournament had changed everything.

Students who normally spent their mornings sleeping or casually eating breakfast were now running laps around the academy.

Others were practicing spells.

Some were sparring.

A few had even rented private training rooms throughout the night.

Everyone wanted to improve.

Everyone wanted a place among the fifty students who would represent the Academy.

And today was the beginning of the practical evaluation.

Kael stood at the edge of the massive training arena, staring at the students gathered inside.

He yawned.

“Why did they have to make this so early?”

Charlotte, standing beside him, immediately looked irritated.

“Because it’s training.”

“It’s torture.”

“You’ve been awake for twenty minutes.”

“Exactly.”

Charlotte sighed.

“You really haven’t changed.”

Kael glanced at her.

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“No.”

“I’ll take it as one.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes.

Kael looked toward the arena again.

There were hundreds of students gathered around the outer sections.

However, only a smaller group stood inside the main training area.

These were the students selected for the initial evaluation.

Kael recognized several of them.

Zion was standing near the center, stretching his arms.

Auriella stood several meters away, completely still.

She looked as though she had been waiting for this moment since yesterday.

Kael noticed her staring at him.

He immediately looked away.

“Nope.”

Charlotte blinked.

“What?”

“I’m not looking at her.”

“You didn’t even say anything.”

“I know.”

Charlotte stared at him.

“You’re weird.”

“I prefer cautious.”

Before Charlotte could respond, a clear voice echoed through the arena.

“Everyone, settle down.”

The conversations immediately died.

Sylvia walked onto the training platform.

The Student Council President wore her usual composed expression, though today she was dressed in practical combat attire instead of her normal academy uniform.

Behind her stood several instructors.

Kael recognized Professor Raphael among them.

There were also several other instructors from different combat departments.

Sylvia looked across the students.

“Today’s evaluation is not a tournament.”

A few students exchanged disappointed looks.

“You will not be rewarded for defeating another student.”

She paused.

“This evaluation exists to determine how each of you performs under different circumstances.”

The magical screens above the arena lit up.

Several categories appeared.

Combat Ability.

Mana Control.

Physical Ability.

Reaction Speed.

Endurance.

Tactical Decision-Making.

Teamwork.

Adaptability.

Kael stared at the list.

“That’s a lot.”

Charlotte nodded.

“That’s because this is supposed to prepare us for the tournament.”

“Couldn’t they just ask us to fight?”

“Apparently not.”

Sylvia continued.

“The Inter-High Tournament is not simply about individual strength. There will be individual matches, team battles, endurance events, tactical challenges, and situations where students will have to cooperate with people they may not know.”

Her eyes moved across the students.

“Being powerful is not enough.”

Kael nodded slightly.

That actually made sense.

The original game had treated the Inter-High Tournament as a major arc.

Kael remembered several matches.

Different academies.

Different fighting styles.

Elven magic.

Dwarven weapons.

Beastkin physical abilities.

Human combat techniques.

And somewhere in the middle of all that would be the Velvet Gang’s planned interference.

Kael’s expression became slightly more serious.

He couldn’t remember every detail anymore.

The more things changed, the more unreliable his memories became.

And that was becoming a problem.

He had originally believed knowing the game’s story would make everything easier.

Now?

It was becoming another source of uncertainty.

“Kael.”

He looked up.

Auriella was standing in front of him.

Charlotte immediately stepped slightly aside.

Kael sighed.

“Morning.”

“Don’t act so casual.”

“I just said good morning.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Sleeping.”

Auriella stared at him.

Kael shrugged.

“It takes a lot of effort.”

Her expression became colder.

“After today’s evaluation, we’re fighting.”

Kael looked at Sylvia.

Then back at Auriella.

“I thought you agreed to wait.”

“I did.”

“Then why are you telling me?”

“Because I want you to be ready.”

Kael smiled faintly.

“You’ve been waiting for this.”

“Yes.”

“Fine.”

Auriella nodded.

Then she walked away.

Charlotte watched her leave.

“She really wants to fight you.”

“I noticed.”

“You don’t seem worried.”

“I’m tired.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

Kael shrugged.

Before Charlotte could continue, Sylvia’s voice echoed again.

“The first test will begin shortly.”

The arena floor suddenly shifted.

The ground separated into several enormous sections.

Walls rose from beneath the floor, creating dozens of individual combat zones.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

“Interesting.”

Professor Raphael stepped forward.

“The first test is simple.”

He raised one hand.

“Defeat your assigned opponent.”

The magical screens changed.

Names began appearing.

Students immediately started searching for theirs.

Kael looked up.

His name appeared.

Kael Draven — Zone 7.

His opponent appeared beneath it.

Marcus Hale — Rank 86.

Kael blinked.

“Rank eighty-six?”

Charlotte looked at the screen.

“That’s pretty high.”

“Not really.”

“For most people it is.”

Kael shrugged.

He stepped into Zone Seven.

Across from him, a tall student entered the arena.

Marcus Hale carried a large spear and wore light armor.

He looked serious.

Very serious.

He raised his weapon.

“Kael Draven.”

Kael nodded.

“That’s me.”

“I’ve heard about you.”

“Hopefully good things.”

Marcus didn’t answer.

Instead, he lowered his stance.

Kael sighed.

“Guess not.”

The instructor raised his hand.

“Begin.”

Marcus moved immediately.

His spear shot forward.

Kael tilted his head.

The weapon passed beside his cheek.

He stepped forward.

Marcus twisted the spear around and attacked again.

Fast.

Much faster than Kael expected from someone ranked eighty-six.

Kael blocked the weapon with his palm.

The impact pushed him backward several meters.

His eyes narrowed.

“Not bad.”

Marcus’s expression changed.

Kael disappeared.

Vanishing Step.

He appeared beside Marcus.

Marcus barely managed to turn.

Kael tapped him on the chest.

The impact sent him sliding across the ground.

He stopped himself before reaching the barrier.

Silence spread through the arena.

Marcus stared at Kael.

Kael stared back.

“Are we done?”

Marcus gritted his teeth.

“No.”

He slammed the butt of his spear into the ground.

Mana exploded outward.

The entire zone shook.

Kael smiled.

“That’s more like it.”

Marcus charged again.

This time, Kael didn’t immediately attack.

He watched.

One strike.

Two.

Three.

Marcus’s movements became faster.

Kael continued dodging.

He wasn’t trying to win immediately.

He was observing.

The spear was reinforced with wind mana.

Every movement created additional momentum.

His opponent wasn’t simply swinging wildly.

He was building speed.

Kael realized it after the sixth exchange.

“So that’s your technique.”

Marcus’s eyes widened.

Kael stepped inside his range.

He grabbed the spear.

Then pulled.

Marcus lost balance.

Kael swept his leg underneath him.

Marcus hit the ground.

The spear landed several meters away.

Kael placed one foot beside his shoulder.

“You’re relying too heavily on momentum.”

Marcus stared at him.

Kael stepped back.

“Your first few attacks are dangerous. After that, your movement becomes predictable.”

Marcus slowly stood.

His expression wasn’t angry anymore.

Instead, he looked frustrated.

“You figured that out that quickly?”

Kael shrugged.

“I’ve fought people like you before.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

But Marcus didn’t need to know that.

The instructor raised his hand.

“Match concluded.”

Kael walked out of the zone.

Charlotte was waiting.

“You barely used any power.”

“I didn’t need to.”

“You were studying him.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Kael looked toward the other zones.

“Because the tournament won’t always be about overpowering someone.”

Charlotte smiled.

“That sounded almost intelligent.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

She laughed.

Across the arena, another match ended.

Auriella stood in the center of her zone.

Her opponent was unconscious.

The fight had apparently lasted less than thirty seconds.

Kael stared.

“She’s getting stronger.”

Charlotte followed his gaze.

“She’s been training constantly.”

“I know.”

Auriella looked toward him.

Their eyes met.

She smiled faintly.

Not warmly.

More like a challenge.

Kael sighed.

“She’s definitely going to be a problem.”

Charlotte glanced at him.

“You’re smiling.”

“I am?”

“Yes.”

Kael touched his face.

“Maybe I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.”

“Exactly.”

The second phase began.

This time, the students were grouped into teams.

Kael’s name appeared beside several others.

Charlotte.

Zion.

Two unfamiliar students.

And one more name.

Auriella.

Kael stared at the screen.

“…You’re kidding.”

Charlotte looked up.

“You’re with Auriella?”

“And Zion.”

Zion walked toward them.

He looked at the screen.

Then at Kael.

Then at Auriella.

“Well.”

Kael sighed.

“This is going to be annoying.”

Auriella crossed her arms.

“Try not to get in my way.”

Kael looked at her.

“Try not to attack me.”

“No promises.”

Zion laughed.

“I think this team is already doomed.”

Charlotte looked between them.

“What exactly are we supposed to do?”

Sylvia’s voice answered from the platform.

“Your objective is simple.”

The arena transformed again.

The walls rose higher.

The floor became uneven.

Illusions of forests, ruins, and monsters appeared throughout the battlefield.

“Retrieve the crystal at the center of the simulated dungeon.”

The instructors watched carefully.

“But there is a catch.”

The magical environment darkened.

“Every team will have the same objective.”

Kael smiled.

Now that was more interesting.

Sylvia continued.

“You may cooperate.”

She paused.

“Or you may interfere with the other teams.”

A bell rang.

The barriers opened.

Hundreds of students rushed forward.

Kael looked at his team.

“Stay together.”

Auriella raised an eyebrow.

“You giving orders?”

“No.”

Kael started walking.

“I’m trying to prevent you from doing something stupid.”

Auriella’s expression darkened.

Zion laughed.

Charlotte shook her head.

The four of them entered the simulated dungeon.

None of them noticed the instructor watching Kael carefully from the observation platform.

Professor Raphael narrowed his eyes.

“There.”

Sylvia looked at him.

“What?”

Raphael pointed toward Kael.

“His adaptability.”

Sylvia remained silent.

Raphael continued.

“Most students react to the environment.”

His eyes followed Kael as he effortlessly adjusted his pace after the terrain changed.

“Kael doesn’t.”

Sylvia’s expression became thoughtful.

“He adapts before the environment finishes changing.”

Raphael nodded.

“And that’s exactly what we’re trying to measure.”

Far inside the simulated dungeon, Kael suddenly stopped.

Zion looked at him.

“What?”

Kael stared into the darkness ahead.

“Something’s coming.”

Auriella tightened her grip.

Charlotte prepared her mana.

The ground trembled.

A low growl echoed through the ruins.

Kael smiled.

“Finally.”

A massive creature emerged from the darkness.

Its body was covered in black armor-like scales.

Six glowing eyes stared at the students.

Zion drew his sword.

Auriella’s mana surged.

Charlotte stepped forward.

Kael cracked his neck.

The practical evaluation had only just begun.

And already, Kael had a feeling this wasn’t going to be an ordinary test.