Ch.115114. Final Exams (8)

# 114. Final Exams (8)

Amelia was taking her time before giving her assessment of Rachel.

Since Rachel hadn’t shown any particular weaknesses in this mock battle, it seemed difficult for Amelia to evaluate her.

Still, she apparently had something to say, as she took a moment before beginning her feedback.

“First off, there weren’t really any flaws revealed in this mock battle. At most, your magic power might be lacking, but from what I’ve heard, you have ways to compensate for that…”

It seemed she had already informed Amelia about “Two Suns,” a top-tier skill in terms of raw power.

“But if I had to point something out, it would be that you trust your teammates too much? Honestly, in that situation earlier, it would have been better to join in rather than keeping Elin tied up.”

When I fell into that trap earlier, Rachel chose to mark Elin rather than joining me.

That choice was possible because she trusted me and believed I would overcome the situation, but Amelia seemed to be saying that the choice itself wasn’t the right one.

Of course, I also don’t think that choice was correct, just like Amelia.

‘It’s too results-oriented.’

While it’s true that I managed to escape that situation and ultimately gained an advantage, if I hadn’t been able to do so, that judgment would have been wrong.

“Of course, you made that choice because you’re on Albert’s team and you trust him, but it’ll be different in real combat. You won’t always have people like Albert on your team, and in those situations, trusting your team too much can lead to bad outcomes.”

She was right.

Trusting your team is important, but only to a certain extent.

Too much of anything is never good.

Amelia left Rachel deep in thought after hearing her words and turned to speak to me.

“Even though you’re in a position where you move alone, it’s dangerous to be too solitary.”

“Didn’t you say you had nothing to say about me?”

“That was just a figure of speech. There will be times when you need to move with your teammates, so learn how to utilize them for those moments.”

Although I had been moving with teammates lately, my old habits hadn’t completely disappeared.

I was still making judgments alone and moving alone.

As Amelia said, I needed to reduce my self-assertion somewhat.

Of course, things might be different if I returned to the battlefield and acted in the same position as before, but for now, that was the case.

“Thank you for the good feedback.”

“Good… what… you both probably already knew all this.”

“That’s true, but thank you anyway. A valuable person like you took time out of your schedule for us.”

In truth, people usually know their own shortcomings best.

Feedback is just one of the ways to engrave that awareness in one’s mind.

“By the way… could you possibly spare a little more of that valuable time?”

“Hmm? I could, but why?”

“Would you be willing to spar with me?”

I would definitely lose.

Even if I had a positional advantage, the difference in our skill levels was substantial.

‘I’ll definitely lose, but still…’

My chances of winning were practically nonexistent.

But I wanted to clash with her anyway.

The experience I had with the Emperor before, the stimulation and competitive spirit that came as byproducts of that experience.

I wanted to feel that motivation again.

Of course, continuously experiencing such a gap could lead to doubts about one’s abilities—in fact, it would definitely happen.

But if I could overcome those emotions, I could reach even greater heights.

However, from Amelia’s perspective, this was clearly an unwelcome proposal.

“Um… I’d like to try too, but isn’t it too premature? It’s still exam period so pushing yourself is risky, and we just finished a mock battle.”

Amelia explained my situation and expressed her negative opinion about the proposed match.

Still, judging by her tone and expression, she didn’t seem to dislike the idea entirely.

“…”

“So, how about we do it next time?”

“Next time?”

“You’re coming with us during your vacation anyway. Let’s do it then.”

“Oh… okay, let’s do that.”

There was definitely a problem with doing it right now.

I wasn’t in good condition, and I also needed to prepare for the survival test that was only two days away.

Unlike the previous survival test, this one had announced team assignments a month in advance to allow for preparation, but I still needed to conserve my energy for my team.

‘But… it seems we’re really going with that group after all…’

To be honest, I would have preferred going with just her, but it seemed unavoidable.

We weren’t yet allied with the Persian Kingdom, and they boasted a fairly strong national defense, though not as strong as ours, which is why those people were accompanying us.

“So you guys are really going too, huh?”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“When Her Majesty the Empress mentioned it, I thought she was joking… but it was real…”

“I thought it was a joke too, since the members are so impressive.”

“We have to go, not knowing what might happen. Though nothing will probably happen, you should still be careful.”

“Of course.”

Still, nothing unusual would likely occur.

It’s true that many elves dislike humans, but they wouldn’t be so rude as to attack us without reason.

After all, we were guests coming to request an alliance.

“By the way… tomorrow is the last day I have to go for your exams, right?”

Amelia looked very tired as she asked this question, seeming reluctant to leave the academy again.

“Yes, that should be the case.”

“Should be?”

“It definitely will be.”

Amelia sighed with relief upon hearing this confirmation.

While nothing unusual had happened today, yesterday seemed to have been different.

Seeing her like this, I had to reconsider why she had rejected my proposal earlier.

“Well, I should head back now…”

“Yes, see you next time.”

With those final words, Amelia left the arena, and our party members were also preparing to return to the dormitory one by one.

I sat with her on the bench, waiting for the tournament bracket that would soon be sent to our phones.

Looking at the bracket I had received previously, I asked her:

“It won’t be any different this time, right?”

“I think it will be? Even the survival teams are different from the midterms.”

“Ah…”

Indeed, just like the survival teams, there was a good possibility that the one-on-one battle brackets would be different as well.

As soon as it turned 8 o’clock, I checked the message that appeared on my phone screen.

“Oh… it’s here.”

The bracket only showed my matches, so it was easy to check.

I confirmed the names of my opponents with my own eyes.

‘Hmm… it is different.’

In fact, it was more than just “a little different.”

During midterms, I had fought against 2nd and 3rd-year students, but this time it was different.

Still, the matchups made sense.

‘It means I’ve worked hard enough.’

It seemed our party members had now earned the professors’ recognition.

Of course, our party members weren’t the only ones listed.

“Who are you matched against?”

“I have you, Reina, Rachel, Chris, and… Leo.”

She was expected, and it seemed Reina, Rachel, and Chris had improved their standing among the professors thanks to their performance in the previous battle.

However, Leo was somewhat unexpected.

‘He was working hard… is he this good?’

I hadn’t fought against Leo specifically, so I didn’t know, but like Rachel, he must have been working hard.

These matchups weren’t created without reason.

“What about you, Noona?”

“Everyone except Albert is a 3rd-year student.”

“And you won against all of them, right?”

She nodded as if to say, “Why ask such an obvious question?”

“This time I’m going to win, so keep that in mind.”

“Last time I was caught off guard, but this time will be different.”

Though I said that, I actually wasn’t confident.

As she said, the more mock battles we had, the more she adapted to attacks using the Abyss, showing a growth rate that couldn’t be ignored.

As a result, my win rate in one-on-one mock battles with her didn’t exceed 30%.

“If I do well, I might win.”

“My recent win rate is good, but I still can’t let my guard down.”

“What matters most is winning when it counts.”

No matter how many times you lose in practice, it’s fine as long as you win when it matters.

Of course, losing a lot in practice means a higher probability of losing in real combat, but since that probability isn’t 100%, I still had a chance.

“By the way… are we doing this tomorrow?”

Last time, the time was specified on the bracket, but not for my match with her.

However, this time, the time was specified for our match as well.

And that time was tomorrow at 7 PM.

“Looks like it. Seems I’ll be doing this after finishing my written exam.”

“Looking at the time slot, I think there will be spectators again…”

“Don’t tell me you get nervous when people are watching?”

“Well… a little. It’s distracting, you know.”

Of course, in a match against her, I wouldn’t have time to worry about others, but it was still uncomfortable.

“Just relax, like usual.”

“If I relax, I’ll probably lose, so I’ll give it my all.”

“Then I’ll do the same.”

She was definitely not an opponent I could take lightly.

But the same was true for me.