The instructors walked in a group, exchanging glances and nodding with approval.
"That was unexpected," one of them said in surprise observing the students who walked in a group.
Despite Gale's words that one might get plus points if they moved alone, the students had decided to move in a group, so the surprise wasn't uncalled for.
But it wasn't all bad.
"Well, they saved their points by doing so." Another one shrugged as Gale's words were bait for the children—a way to determine which student looked at the bigger picture and which thought of personal gain.
"And lives," another instructor added, arms crossed. "Had even one of them broken away, chasing after points, it would have cost them heavily."
Yes, anyone who had gone alone would've been given a minus.
Instructor Hale, walking in the group, squinted his eyes as he expressed. "For some reason, I felt like they had planned to move in a group before the test even started."
His words made many other instructors rub their chins thoughtfully. After all, many of them had noticed how they all banded together without any discussion.
Hamilton, stroking his beard, chuckled. "Do you see who's leading them? It's the record-breaker. Don't we already know what kind of child he is?"
His words made many instructors shake their heads.
No matter how much Raven had hidden his deeds, the instructors could tell what was happening.
The only problem was that no one had any proof.
Most of them didn't care, though.
After all, the Vaise family was a place where power ruled.
The one with more power decides what to do and not to do.
...............................
While the teachers kept exchanging thoughts, the students pushed deeper into the Ashen Expanse, the wasteland growing increasingly sinister.
The cracked ground beneath their boots felt hotter, and occasionally, faint tremors would run through the ash-laden air.
They had long left the safer zone behind—this was where the real test began.
The instructors moved behind them, maintaining a slight distance, their pace relaxed. With the students grouped together, it was far easier to monitor and assist if needed.
Soon, however, a change occurred on the field.
As they advanced, a guttural roar echoed through the barren land.
A single corrupted creature emerged from behind a crumbled rock formation—a malformed wolf-like beast, its back hunched and bristling with jagged bones.
Black saliva dripped from its open maw, sizzling as it hit the ground.
The students tensed, weapons drawn. However, none moved forward. The beast was the same, it stared at them.
The corrupted beasts have low intelligence, but that doesn't mean they were blind. There was no way a single beast would attack a group of people.
It was by chance that they found one of them alone.
Raven, seizing the moment, stepped forward, his expression calm.
"First one's alone," he said, glancing back at his teammates—which included the other students. "Anyone want to try their luck? We'll do rock-paper-scissors."
He raised his hand lazily, but no one moved.
The atmosphere was too heavy. Looking at the beast up close was intimidating—especially since this was their first time seeing a creature that wasn't a drawing.
It was the first encounter. They all knew how strong the creatures were, they also knew ways to defeat them, but it was all in theory.
No one wanted to be the first one to test out how strong the beast was—
—Except Alex.
The thick-headed boy stomped forward with a crazy wide grin. "Screw that!" He yelled, pounding his gauntlets. "Let me go, Raven! I'll smash it!"
For the first time in his life, Alex found a real beast.
Now, he wanted to test how strong real beasts were compared to him.
Raven smirked, stepping back with an indulgent nod. "Be my guest."
"Don't let your masochistic traits show up, you thickhead," Clara smirked from the side, making Alex almost curse at her. Almost.
"I will be the bigger one and let you go." He shook his head with a sigh as if he was letting Clara go.
Though, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"Huh? What did you say?" Clara asked, but the thickhead kept his mouth shut.
Jake, on the other hand, just nodded at Alex, who, after nodding back, broke free from the group.
The ground thudded beneath his boots as he charged forward, muscles coiling under his loose clothes.
The beast snarled, its body low to the ground.
Unlike before, when it hesitated to fight the group, a single person was not something it would run away from. It pounced—
SWOOSH!
Alex ducked under its swipe with surprising agility for his size, slamming his gauntlet straight into the creature's ribs.
BAM!
A shock wave spread through the beast's body as it howled, black blood spraying from its side.
Alex had used a mana-enforced attack, sending a shockwave inside the beast's body. It was something he could do easily as he was a plate three magic swordsman.
He didn't end it there, though.
As the beast jumped away, he sent a fireball at it. The fireball's power was enhanced as the basic element he had selected was fire, and the beast, not expecting it, took the attack head-on.
"AWOOOOOO!!!"
It howled in pain, but like any other corrupted creature, it healed quickly.
With a snapping snarl, it lunged again, this time quicker.
Alex barely managed to dodge, the beast's claws grazing his shoulder, ripping through fabric and drawing a thin line of blood.
"Tch," Alex grunted, wiping the blood with a thumb and grinning. "Not bad!"
His body dropped lower into a stance that mimicked a beast's movement—one of the animalistic martial arts he specialized in.
His gauntlet curled into claws and his spine flexed.
"Come on!" Alex roared.
The corrupted wolf lunged. Alex met it head-on.
THUD! THUD! CRACK!
The two clashed violently. Alex grabbed the beast by the foreleg mid-attack and slammed it into the ground, the land cracking beneath the impact.
"Gwoooooo!!!" The monster screeched, rolling free with unnatural flexibility and leaping at him again.
This time, Alex couldn't dodge in time—he raised an arm and tanked the hit, sliding back several feet, boots scraping against the ground.
Thanks to the gauntlet though, the attack didn't cause any serious damage.
"Shit, you're tougher than you look!" Alex laughed, his blood pumping.
Alex sent more fireballs, trying to hit the beast, but now, it was aware of the power behind the fireballs.
The beast circled, faster now, feinting left and right before darting in low.
It avoided almost every fireball.
Alex roared, leaping over it and grabbing onto its back mid-charge. Muscles bulging, he wrestled the beast down.
RIP!
The creature thrashed, black spikes on its back tearing into Alex's sides, but he didn't let go. Gripping tight, Alex jammed his fingers into the beast's face.
The monster thrashed harder, but with a savage grunt, Alex forced his fingers into its eyes.
SQUELCH!
The corrupted wolf shrieked in agony, its body convulsing violently.
Alex yanked back as the beast staggered, now blind and frenzied. Without hesitation, swirling mana covered his gauntlet, showcasing his powers of a plate three magic swordsman.
The next instant, the heavy punch whooshed toward the creature—
BOOM!
—and smashed it straight into its temple.
The creature collapsed, twitching, then went still.
A heavy silence followed.
Alex wiped his hands on his pants, breathing hard, blood—both his and the beast's—splattered across his clothes. He turned back to the group with a massive grin splitting his face.
"Piece of cake!" He shouted, despite the bleeding gashes on his arms and sides as he knew they would heal in time—one of their overpowered physique's advantages.
Raven raised an eyebrow but smiled faintly. "Sure, you almost made it look easy."
The others let out small chuckles, the heavy tension easing just a little.
Behind them, the instructors observed quietly.
"Wild," one muttered.
"But effective," another agreed, noting down points.
Hamilton, Alex's master, stroking his beard, nodded. 'He has mastered the technique. He needs to grow stronger to use it to its full potential.'
With the beast defeated, the students gathered again, Raven stepping back to the front, leading them deeper into the ashen lands.
One beast down. Many more to come.