Chapter 42
After the performance evaluations of both the morning and afternoon teams had concluded, the entirety of Class A gathered in the Elementary Black Magic classroom.
"You all did well today."
Said Jane.
"Regardless of the results and scores, I’m satisfied as your professor that all of Class A completed the live evaluation without any accidents."
"Thank you, Professor!"
Finally freed from the pressure, the students shouted energetically.
"But at Keyzen, results are what matter most."
"......."
After setting a touching mood, Jane poured cold water on it as if it were only natural. Everyone was used to it by now and chuckled softly, waiting for what she would say next.
"I’ll begin the evaluations from Group 1. Group 1, step forward."
Simon remained seated, calmly listening to the evaluations of the other groups.
It was so like Jane, analyzing each group's strengths and weaknesses with an almost frightening level of accuracy, even suggesting areas of improvement. Even those unfamiliar with the group in question found themselves nodding unknowingly at her logical and analytical assessments.
And then,
"Karell Oxara, Yona Kasumi."
"Yes!"
"Shake hands."
……A handshake, all of a sudden?
The two, startled, blinked in confusion, and the assistant gave them a nudge. They did as they were told for now.
"You didn’t ruin your teamwork like amateurs, but if there's any hard feelings between you, it's best to resolve them quickly."
"......!"
"Next group, step forward."
Jane had even seen through the students’ relationships and emotions. It was almost eerie how perceptive she was.
What also stood out to Simon was how many groups had successfully hunted the Cyclops.
In the initial simulations, just over 40% of the teams had succeeded. But in the actual live evaluation, 13 out of the 16 groups managed to defeat their Cyclops.
Even accounting for the difference in practice time, it showed an impressive resilience in live combat, a testament to the underlying potential of Keyzen’s students.
And with that, the question was no longer whether the cyclops had been defeated, but how high a score each group had achieved.
"Group 3’s final score is an A+. Well done."
Group 3, led by Hector, was overwhelming. Cheers, applause, and envious glances poured in from all directions.
"Group 3 had little to be criticized."
Hector’s outstanding combat power and leadership, the clear roles and teamwork among group members, the unmatched hunting time of under three minutes, even the barrier gauge had exceeded 90%, showing incredible stability.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them the flagship team of Class A.
"Each of you shows strong potential for future growth. Well done."
"Thank you!"
Another notable strong team was Group 5, led by Cindy Vivace.
Their hunting time was comparable to Group 3, but their score dropped significantly in teamwork and stability, a direct result of it being a Cindy Vivace one-man show.
And then,
"Group 7, step forward."
Finally, the notorious Group 7 was called before Jane.
Though Group 3 had achieved the highest marks, the group that caused the most buzz was undeniably Simon’s Team 7.
With their overwhelming performance, they had stirred up a frenzy of excitement.
"Group 7 is……"
She rustled the grading sheet. The room went completely silent.
"Terrible."
Thud.
Simon felt his heart plummet. Maelyn clenched her eyes shut, and Kamibarez’s lips trembled.
"Total time: 13 minutes 58 seconds. The participating members’ barrier gauge was at a meager 7%. And none of the planned tactics were actually executed, it was all impulsive and uncoordinated."
Lowering the papers, she looked at Group 7 with a blank expression.
"Anything more to say?"
"......."
Faced with such exact figures, they had nothing to argue. Even if they had ten mouths.
All four remained silent as Jane continued.
"Group 7 receives a D."
Any team that failed to defeat a Cyclops received an F or below. So among the teams that did succeed, this was the lowest score.
Just as the team turned dejectedly to return to their seats.
"However."
The assistant handed Jane a new document. Jane laid it over the grading sheet and spoke.
"This would be the assessment without reflecting this additional information."
"......?"
Group 7 paused mid-step, faces puzzled.
"Upon performing an autopsy on the Cyclops hunted by Group 7, we discovered traces of abnormal side effects caused by the curse and drugs used during capture."
There was also “highly suspicious information” in the autopsy report, but that was classified as Keyzen’s Level-2 Confidential.
This much was all the students could be told.
"The Cyclops exhibited extreme aggression, and once the curse wore off, it went berserk, momentarily enhancing its physical abilities significantly. The administration of Keyzen determined that the difficulty level was clearly different compared to other teams’ Cyclops."
The administration of Keyzen! The classroom erupted in murmurs.
Jane waved the report, which bore Keyzen Headquarters' seal, for everyone to see.
"Considering the aggression, strength, and curse resistance of this Cyclops, Group 7 is now considered to have fought a higher-grade monster, equivalent to a Red Cyclops. Based on that, we’ll apply a revised scoring result. It’s only fair."
Jane’s eyes turned to Hector.
"Don’t you agree?"
"......."
Hector’s expression hardened.
If it was a decision from the administration of Keyzen, students had no room to complain. And the truth was, everyone in Class A had wondered the same thing.
Wasn’t Simon’s Cyclops... far too strong?
"I will now announce the revised results."
Jane began reading through the new data.
"Maelyn Villene."
Maelyn jumped in surprise and answered.
"Yes, Professor!"
"With Darkness Elemental Magic far exceeding the average for Keyzen’s first-year students, you played a key role in protecting your team. I’m awarding 80 points."
Ooooh—!
Exclamations burst out across the classroom.
With Hector, the current top scorer, receiving 90 out of 100, Maelyn’s 80, without the bonus given to the official selectees, was a solid result.
Maelyn trembled with emotion, and Kamibarez hugged her in congratulations.
"Though injuring yourself from overtraining and lack of self-care was a clear mistake…"
Jane’s gaze dropped to Maelyn’s bandaged leg.
"Your tenacity in fighting through the injury was impressive."
Maelyn couldn't respond right away, her shoulders trembling. She had likely suffered the most emotionally out of her team.
"Next, Dick Hayword."
"Yup!"
"Skillful use of high-grade Darkness enchants at crucial moments made you the lubricating force in Group 7’s strategy against the Cyclops. I also award you 80 points."
More impressed reactions echoed through the room. Dick raised both arms in triumph.
"Kamibarez Ursula."
"Ah, yes!"
"As a student of Haematology, you fulfilled the role of primary damage-dealer for Group 7."
Jane smiled gently.
"Even among active necromancers, that level of blood magic is rare. I award you 85 points."
"Ah……!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Kamibarez’s eyes welled up.
"Kami!"
"As expected!"
Maelyn and Dick hugged her, repeating “Well done!”
"Lastly, Simon Follentia."
Silence descended over the classroom.
Hector, who had been nervously watching Group 7’s comeback, looked ashen. His butt lifted slightly from his chair.
"As a participating member, you fulfilled your role. Despite unforeseen variables, you looked after your teammates, dodged attacks to buy time, and used your summoned creature to inflict wounds and set the stage for Bleeding Overflow. Your use of Restoration magic was also notable. And finally, you struck the killing blow on the Cyclops."
After reading the evaluation sheet, Jane exhaled lightly before concluding.
"......Flawless. I award you a personal score of 100."
Score: 100!
The classroom shook with explosive cheers.
Even the other students of Class A had to acknowledge Simon’s performance. Group 7’s display had been that motivating.
And so, Group 7’s revised total score was the highest possible, A+.
Their score had jumped several ranks, putting them shoulder to shoulder with Group 3, the strongest in Class A.
And then,
"It's a shame there’s no score higher than A+."
With Jane’s words, it was made clear that Group 7 was, in fact, the top group in Class A, sealing the result.
Hector closed his eyes tightly and leaned deeply back into his chair.
"Hector……"
"Don’t talk to me. Not unless you want your mouth torn open."
The members of Group 3 immediately shut their mouths and could only glance at Hector cautiously.
* * *
"For A+!"
"Cheers!"
Beer mugs clinked together, and loud laughter erupted. Against the backdrop of the setting night sky, a bonfire crackled in front of a small cabin.
Around it sat Simon, Dick, Maelyn, and Kamibarez in a circle, while in front of the fire, juicy skewers sizzled as they roasted, dripping oil deliciously.
"Khh, in this performance evaluation, it was basically a hard carry by me, Dick!"
Dick, face flushed red, laughed heartily.
"If it weren’t for me, you guys wouldn’t even have scratched the Cyclops! Am I wrong? C’mon, just admit it already!"
"There he goes again."
Maelyn rolled her eyes and scolded him. But the smile tugging at her lips showed it wasn’t her usual sharp tone.
"If even one of us hadn’t done our part, we’d have failed, you idiot. And if we’re being honest, you had the smallest role! All you did was throw around a few enchantments!"
"Wow! Seriously, unbelievable! Is this how you treat your MVP?!"
"Ugh, go away! You reek of alcohol!"
"What? Me? I only had one drink!"
Dick blew into his palm and sniffed, looking confused. Maelyn shook her head in disgust.
Meanwhile, Kamibarez was staring seriously at her beer mug, held with both hands.
"You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to."
Simon said with a smile.
"Ah, no! It’s not that……! This is my first time drinking, so I’m just a little nervous……"
"It’s okay! Kami, it’s totally fine!"
Dick waved his hands energetically.
"As long as Keyzen students can take responsibility for their own actions, anything goes! And it’s not just us here tonight, we’ve got a 'guardian' too, right? Legal drinking! Totally legal!"
As high-spirited Dick babbled on, Kamibarez cautiously turned to Simon and asked,
"If I drink this, will I become like Dick?"
Simon couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
Across from him, Maelyn broke into uncontrollable giggles. Dick looked betrayed.
"Kami, you too……"
Just as Dick slurred his words, trying to liven up the mood, someone stepped out of the cabin.
"Here, have this too!"
It was none other than Professor Hongpeng of Magical Combat.
She placed a pot onto the stand by the bonfire. Inside the pot was a steaming meat stew.
"Wooooah!"
Enticed by the delicious aroma, everyone rushed to the pot. Hongpeng ladled out bowls of stew herself, handing them to her students.
"Thank you for the food!"
It was Hongpeng who had invited them to the cabin. Upon hearing the rumor that Simon had achieved the top score, she hosted this celebration and invited Simon’s teammates as well. The skewers over the fire and the meat stew were all made from game she had hunted herself.
Simon took a spoonful of the stew.
'......It's delicious!'
He had never tasted anything like this before. It was astonishingly good, mild and natural, with no strong spices, yet the depth of flavor was unbelievable.
"Amazing!"
"Professor, you’re the best!"
"Fufu! Eat as much as you want!"
Hongpeng sat down with them.
Normally, a drinking party between students was unthinkable within Keyzen, but thanks to her providing the venue and taking responsibility as their guardian, such a gathering was possible.
Dick quickly poured a mug of beer from the oak barrel and handed it to her.
"Thanks, Dick."
"Wow! Never thought I’d live to be invited to a party by a Keyzen professor! Truly……!"
Dick shot a sly glance at Simon.
"Professor Hongpeng! You’re kind of playing favorites with Simon, huh……"
Maelyn, eating stew, suddenly raised her head.
"Hey, Dick!"
"He’s right."
Hongpeng smiled lightly as she replied. Everyone paused, looking at her.
"We’re all growing together. It’s only natural to have students you like and don’t like, right?"
"......Ahaha! When you put it that way, it makes sense! Cheers!"
Dick quickly raised a toast.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Simon clinked his mug, his face turning red. Hongpeng laughed softly.
"I’m joking. I’m proud of and fond of all my ztudents!"
Even as she said that, she affectionately ruffled Simon’s hair.
Dick and Maelyn’s envious gazes stabbed into Simon, while Kamibarez looked between Simon and Hongpeng, then quickly lowered her head.
"Things are tough now that your protection period has ended. But it’s not because the Keyzen instructors dizlike you. So hang in there a little longer, okay? Got it?"
"Yes! Understood!"
Outside the classroom, Hongpeng showed none of the authority or formality of a Keyzen professor. Her warm, approachable nature made her feel like a friendly older sister from the neighborhood.
Thanks to that, everyone quickly warmed up to the atmosphere.
"Nezt week."
Amid the rising energy of the gathering, Hongpeng stretched out her legs and spoke.
Dick leaned forward eagerly and said,
"Yes, Professor! Listening!"
"Nezt week, you’ll finally be going on a ‘mission’."
Superb.