Chapter 15: Group practice (1)

“Would you mind if I join you?”
“Do as you like.”

Clunk—
As soon as I gave permission, he immediately took a seat to my right.
A disapproving gaze from Aisha, sitting across from me, pierced me.

“Do you two know each other?”
“No, we just met today.”
“Then why…?”
“Aisha, it’s not good to exclude classmates.”

Aisha, looking startled, exclaimed, “Exclude? That’s slander!” as she flustered.
It seemed that Aisha didn’t particularly like George Arteo.

That was the case in the game too.
Aisha was always the one who kept her distance from George Arteo.

I used to wonder why, but then again, seeing George Arteo’s face makes sense.
The ever-present sly smile, the perpetually squinting eyes.

It’s not good to judge people by appearances, but George Arteo really looks like the embodiment of shadiness.

“Fufu, Aisha, was it?”
“…You heard it right.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m George Arteo, recently transferred to S-Class.”
“Aisha Rustichel.”

At the mention of “Rustichel,” Arteo’s lips briefly twisted, though he quickly returned to his usual smirking expression.

“Oh, my! To think I’d meet the guardian of the frozen sea here. What an honor to meet the young lady of the distinguished Rustichel family.”
“Cough…!”

Aisha cleared her throat at the overly flattering words.
I noticed her earlobes turning red like tomatoes.

Well, that’s typical of Aisha.
I couldn’t help but chuckle and then turned to Arteo.

“So, what do you want from me?”
“Oh, I didn’t really come with any specific reason.”
“Really? Just wanted to be friends, huh?”
“Haha, you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”

Arteo scratched his head sheepishly, as if embarrassed.
I could only admire how his facial expressions were so different from his actual intentions.

“Hmm.”

What should I do?
Honestly, it’s better to keep Arteo close rather than leaving him to roam freely.

Arteo won’t reveal his true nature until Stella leaves for the academic conference.
In other words, he’ll act like a regular student for the time being.

Moreover, teaming up with him would guarantee high scores in the upcoming group practice, so there’s no reason to avoid him.

After all, practicality is key.
Even if he’s a villain, it’s best to make use of him while I can.

“Nice to meet you. Let’s get along.”
“Of course, Luke.”

I turned to see Aisha, who seemed to have relaxed a bit, no longer wearing such a stern expression.

“Nice to meet you.”
“Haha, likewise.”

As the two exchanged greetings, I drifted into thought.

[ Lv 78 ]

George Arteo is incredibly strong.
Since the Holy Kingdom sent him on purpose, there’s no way they’d send someone weak.

He’s not only the childhood friend of Saintess Odette but also the Holy Kingdom’s hound.
The reason he came to the academy is simple:
To capture Odette and return her to the Holy Kingdom.

“Arteo.”
“Yes, Luke?”
“You know about the upcoming group practice, right?”
“Of course.”

The group practice for S-Class is conducted in teams of four.
Unlike the <Duel> event, the <Group Practice> event doesn’t significantly alter the storyline.

Plus, the team formation process is quite flexible.
Right now, my plan is to recruit Arteo as a team member.

It’s reassuring to keep him nearby, and above all, until he turns into a villain, he’s a reliable bus driver.

After all, there’s no such thing as a weak squinty-eyed character in this world.

“Want to join us?”
“……”

I have no idea what he’s thinking.
I just sat there, waiting for his response.
As expected, his answer came soon enough.

“Of course.”

Me, Aisha, and Arteo.
Now, the only one left is Odette.

Recruiting Odette

Surprisingly, recruiting Odette was way too easy.
I was prepared to be rejected a few times, but contrary to my expectations, she agreed on the first try.

“Odette, would you like to do the group practice with me…”

Should I even call that acceptance?
It was a bit baffling, but hey, good things are good, right?

Anyway, with that, the four-person squad was complete.

———————————————————-

[ Squad Members ]

• [ Lv 51 / Aisha Rustichel ]

• [ Lv 53 / Odette Oswald ]

• [ Lv 78 / George Arteo ]

————————————————————-

What a rock-solid lineup.
Honestly, even if I’m not there, it seems like they’d do just fine.

—————————————————————

[ Status ]

Name: Luke Richter

Lv: 43

Gender: Male

Mana: 6,850

< Synchronization Rate: 5.1% >

——————————————————————-

I did manage to grow significantly after defeating Bride, but I’m still far behind compared to the others.
Still, reaching the average level of an S-Class freshman is quite an accomplishment.

After a few days, I discovered something through daily memory reviews.
The skill Sleepwalking activates whenever I fall asleep.

However, simply falling asleep doesn’t increase the synchronization rate.
It’s probably a matter of balance.

And one more thing—
Sleepwalking is a more reasonable skill than I thought.

It always activates when I fall asleep, but that doesn’t mean I’m constantly wandering around.
In the memories I reviewed, if there were no sounds or disturbances nearby, I just lay there without moving.

Thanks to that, I set up a soundproof barrier and finally got some decent sleep.

But that’s not all.

—————————————————————–

[ Transcendence of the Soul ]

Rank: S

Type: Passive

You have taken a step into the realm of transcendence.

Greatly increases mana efficiency.

Significantly boosts mana recovery rate.

Enhances magic output considerably.

Significantly raises the quality of the soul.

————————————————————————

A passive skill that grants me a clear boost to my mana abilities.
It must have been unlocked after my battle with Bride.

“Finally, something good…”

With this, I’ve taken a big leap forward.
No matter how strong they are, I won’t just be a burden.

The First Use of 9-Star Magic and Its Consequences

The first time I used a 9-star magic spell, it granted me a default skill:
Passive Skill [Transcendence of the Soul].

At first, I wondered why I acquired such a skill, but the reason was clear.
When my unconscious self faced Bride and recklessly unleashed a 9-star magic spell, the condition for unlocking it was fulfilled.

As stated in the description, there’s no passive skill more efficient than this in terms of single utility.
Thanks to it, my combat ability has increased significantly.

I’ve finally reached a level befitting an S-Class student.
‘This should be good enough.’

Though I can’t use Sleepwalking for the time being, honestly, I’m grateful just to have this.
While I was inwardly sighing with relief—

Group Practice Evaluation Announcement

“I will now begin the group practice evaluation,” Louise’s voice echoed.

“This practice will be conducted in teams of four. The location is the entrance to the Route Great Forest, as you can see.”

The mention of the Route Great Forest caused a stir among the students.
It was a familiar and somewhat intimidating name.

“This evaluation will be conducted for each grade level. The main criterion is teamwork. Please check the bracelets you received in advance.”

At Louise’s words, all the students glanced down at the bracelets on their wrists.

“These bracelets are specially crafted with magic. They count the number of monsters defeated as a team. The score varies depending on the grade of the defeated monster.”

The practice is simple: defeat as many monsters as possible within the time limit.
What matters most here is teamwork, as taking down monsters alone would be too much to handle.

“The bracelets contain a special barrier. If a threatening attack breaks the barrier, the student will be instantly teleported back to this starting point. Keep that in mind.”

In short, it means you have to work well together so no one gets left behind.
It’s an obvious but essential rule.

“Also, the score of a disqualified member will not be included in the team’s total. Since the final score is the sum of the four members’ scores, losing even one person is a significant loss.”

“This practice prohibits fighting between students. Any violation will result in immediate disqualification and additional penalties.”

The room fell silent after Louise’s declaration.
Those who had hastily formed teams based solely on friendship were probably already regretting their choices.

As expected, one student raised his hand and started to complain.
“Professor, this isn’t fair. If I had known, I would have chosen my team differently…”
“Jaiden.”

Louise’s voice dropped to a cold, low tone.
“Did I say I was taking questions?”

You shouldn’t have jumped out if you didn’t want to lose face.
Louise clicked her tongue and continued her explanation.

Rules and Instructions

• Time Limit: 24 hours.

• Location: Only within the Route Great Forest.

• Voluntary Withdrawal: Allowed anytime with the agreement of the team.

• Real-time Ranking: Displayed on the bracelet screen.

This sounds more interesting than I thought.
I’ve been itching to test my enhanced combat abilities.
And luckily, I have nothing to worry about when it comes to teammates.

Our team composition is perfect: tank, support, ranged DPS, and melee DPS.
Even Aisha, noticing this balanced setup, mumbled,
“As expected of the Mage Tower’s information network…”
Meanwhile, Odette glanced at Arteo with a slightly annoyed look as he smirked.

“That concludes the explanation.”

I could hear the sound of nervous students gulping.
While the Great Forest sounds dangerous, that’s only in the deeper parts.
The entrance area is regularly patrolled and cleared by Stella and the professors.

Setting the Goal: First Place

The goal of this practice is to secure first place.
Doing so will unlock a reward that allows me to accompany Stella on her academic conference trip.

Since there’s a villain who turns dark when Stella is absent, taking Odette along as part of the first-place reward will delay Arteo’s descent into villainy.

As the chilly tension filled the air—
“The practice starts now.”
With Louise’s announcement, the group practice evaluation officially began.