It was Monday afternoon at Vanguard Academy.
“This practical exam will be a ‘Capture the Flag’ match.”
Once all the teams had been decided, Diana Reed began explaining the test in a simple and clear way.
“The class will be divided into two sides. Your goal is to seize the flag placed in the middle of the field and bring it back to your base. The team that succeeds first will win.”
All the students listened closely to Diana Reed. Since this was their first practical exam, everyone was paying serious attention. After all, internal grades were extremely important.
“Since every team consists of three members, teamwork and planning will be very important. The objective isn’t to defeat the other team. Your main goal is simply to secure the flag.”
If this were a normal one-on-one fight, the stronger side would almost always win. But a Capture the Flag match worked differently.
Even a weaker team could win if they came up with a clever plan that avoided direct fights and focused on grabbing the flag.
Of course, doing that would not be easy.
“The exam will follow a tournament format. Teams numbered from 1 to 16 will compete, and each team may fight up to four matches.”
There were forty?eight students in the class.
With three students per team, that created sixteen teams.
That meant the tournament would have a round of sixteen, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final match.
Four rounds in total.
“Since this format is similar to a duel, teams that reach the finals or win will naturally receive higher internal scores. However, even if your team loses early, your performance during the match will still be evaluated. So don’t lose motivation if you’re eliminated in the first round.”
Even if someone had to fight monsters like Julian Vance or Damian Steele in the first round, they could still receive a decent score if they performed well.
“Alright, let’s move on to deciding the matchups.”
Diana Reed displayed the tournament bracket on the classroom’s smart board.
“The match numbers will be chosen randomly…”
Students began whispering when she said the word “random,” but I already knew it wouldn’t truly be random.
After all, I had seen this exact scene countless times in the game.
“…though that would be boring, wouldn’t it?”
Diana Reed looked around the classroom with a playful smile.
“I’ll allow each team leader to choose their team number according to their entrance exam ranking.”
“According to rankings?”
“Wait, does that mean…”
The students immediately turned their attention toward one person.
Countless eyes focused on Julian Vance.
There was no need to explain why. Julian had ranked first during the entrance exam.
Even though the exact scores of the other students weren’t public, everyone knew that Julian was number one.
“Then Julian Vance’s team will choose first. But only the team leader should come forward.”
“Yes.”
Julian and his teammates began to stand up, but the teacher stopped the others.
Lily Pierce looked slightly embarrassed. She scratched her cheek, then lightly tapped Julian on the shoulder and smiled as if telling him to go ahead.
Julian glanced at Lily briefly before walking toward the teacher’s desk.
I noticed a slight movement at the corner of his lips.
Hmm.
Those two seemed to have grown quite close lately.
That was good, but someone else was bothering me.
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“….”
Serena Sterling.
“Ah, Julian is just being polite, and she’s already acting like that again.”
“Exactly. Lily Pierce has been going too far recently.”
“Look at her. She just broke up with one guy and now she’s chasing another. That’s embarrassing.”
The girls who usually stayed around Serena kept whispering among themselves.
As always, they were criticizing Lily Pierce.
They were like weather vanes, changing direction whenever the wind shifted.
Maybe because Lily and Julian had been spending a lot of time together recently, jealousy had begun to appear.
“Can you quiet down? You’re giving me a headache.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Haha… I guess we were a bit loud.”
Serena’s calm voice immediately silenced them.
Those girls weren’t really her friends.
At best, they were followers she found convenient.
And they seemed to understand that.
“Good. I prefer silence.”
She glanced at them briefly before turning her head away.
Their constant chatter had annoyed her, but now the quiet atmosphere pleased her.
Serena ignored the tense girls and looked back and forth between Lily Pierce and Julian Vance.
The friendly mood between those two clearly bothered her.
“Julian Vance, which number will you choose?”
“….”
Julian didn’t answer right away.
The bracket was completely empty, so technically it didn’t matter which number he selected.
Finally, he confidently picked number 1 out of the numbers from 1 to 16. Not 2 or 3, but 1. The number carried meaning. It showed his confidence.
“Alright. Julian Vance’s team will be number 1. Next, Damian Steele, come forward.”
Damian Steele had been watching quietly. With a faint smile, he walked forward.
After glancing briefly at Julian returning to his seat, he casually chose number 2.
Team number 2.
Right beside team number 1.
Which meant…
They would meet in the very first match.
“Damian Steele, you chose number 2, correct?”
“Yes. Number 2.”
With a sly smile, Damian looked toward Julian.
Julian returned the look.
The two locked eyes.
“I’ve been wanting to fight the top student.”
“….”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m looking forward to it.”
“….”
The classroom filled with murmurs.
A clash between Julian and Damian had already been a popular topic among the students.
Fortunately, things were progressing exactly like they had in the game.
Damian’s choice came from his competitive nature toward Julian.
For the other students, a first?round fight between rank 1 and rank 5 would be exciting to watch. But their teammates probably didn’t feel the same.
Obviously, Damian had made the decision on his own.
Because of that…
“Damian, isn’t it too much to fight Julian right away?”
“What? You don’t believe in me?”
“No, it’s not that…”
His teammates looked uncomfortable.
Facing Julian’s team immediately was a heavy burden.
Even though Damian was extremely strong, Julian was not someone to underestimate.
Ideally, they would have faced weaker teams first and then fought in the final.
But Damian had jumped into the challenge without thinking about it.
His teammates must have felt frustrated.
Even if someone on the team is strong, acting alone can cause problems.
But our team was different.
“Next, Serena Sterling, please come forward.”
“Alright.”
As Serena walked toward the front, she passed by me.
I quietly whispered.
“Pick number 16.”
“Alright.”
Serena accepted my suggestion without hesitation as she continued walking.
Part of the reason was that she had already agreed to follow my lead during this practical test. But logically speaking, it also made sense to stay as far away from dangerous teams as possible.
That was why I hadn’t chosen Damian Steele earlier.
His unpredictable personality made him difficult to control.
Serena Sterling, on the other hand, was someone I could communicate with.
Also, now that I had brought up the idea of a “bet,” she would at least pretend to cooperate unless something important happened.
“I’ll choose number 16.”
“Okay. Serena Sterling’s team will be number 16. Next…”
One by one, the team leaders stepped forward until the entire bracket was filled.
Then Diana Reed spoke again.
“Lastly, I’ll announce the exam date. The assessment will take place ten days from now at Training Hall Four.”
Ten days.
That was a long preparation period.
Of course, the schedule was set this way on purpose.
The academy wanted the students to have enough time to analyze their opponents and create strategies.
Both fighters and support?type students needed time to prepare properly.
“Use the time wisely and prepare as much as you can. Class dismissed.”
So the main event of the practical assessment would start in ten days.
Since this was part of the main storyline, I knew almost everything about how it would unfold.
During this test, I needed to leave a strong impression on Serena Sterling.
If that happened, I would have a reasonable explanation for the actions I planned to take later.
I also needed to perform well so I could retrieve the hidden item when the upcoming dungeon incident happened.
Fortunately, making a good impression on Serena wasn’t that difficult.
In some ways, Serena could be compared to the historical figure Cao Cao.
Not because she chased after other people’s partners, but because she had a strong interest in talented individuals.
Serena wanted to become a famous hero by her own ability, not simply be known as the third daughter of the Sovereign Clan.
Because of that goal, she had always tried to gather capable people around her, both from her clan and from outside it.
After graduation, she would probably lead her own hero team under the clan’s banner.
So building a good relationship with Serena was simple.
I just had to prove that I was a useful and talented person.
And this practical test would give me the perfect chance to show my abilities.
Doing it alone would be impossible.
But fortunately, I had Serena Sterling and Nina.
Considering Serena’s personality settings in the game, things should work out.
I already knew her habits, interests, likes, and dislikes very well, so approaching her would not be difficult.
First, I could start a conversation about strategies for the upcoming exam.
That would naturally lead to more discussion.
Serena would probably also be curious about Lily, so she might ask me questions.
We could even go to a café for cake.
After all, Serena had a known weakness for sweets.
Still, Lily worried me a little.
She didn’t get along with Serena.
She might not like it if I started getting close to Serena.
Or maybe it wouldn’t matter.
Recently, Lily had been spending a lot of time with Julian Vance.
If she was busy being friendly with Julian, she probably wouldn’t care about what I was doing.
As long as she didn’t find out that I planned to meet Serena privately.
“…Oliver, what are you doing here?”
“?”
Huh?
Why is Lily here?
***
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