Chapter 41
Boom.
A resounding explosion occurred, and a four-meter-long monster crawling on multiple legs blew into smithereens.
Mathew exhaled.
Instead of rapidly launching fireballs and volleys of arrows, he had started compressing mana into smaller, compact bomb-like spells.
At first he struggled, but the others made sure to take care of things while he practiced. Slowly he started improving, and now the result was astonishing.
Crack.
He looked behind.
The four monsters that Rebecca had lured away into the forest got caught in the vines Edrin had planted beforehand, their bodies completely crushed.
It was night time now.
They had started slowly, attracting only one or two monsters at a time, laying in wait in the forest and making quick work of them.
Gradually their speed improved.
they could now handle a wave of twelve monsters with relative ease.
Rebecca shook her hands and stone shards shot toward the monster nest, instantly killing the remaining few fledglings.
They had already wiped out two entire monster bases, and the third was underway.
Monster corpses surrounded them. At a glance you could easily count a hundred corpses, which was far more than the original monster count in the base.
Earlier in the day they had discovered something.
As long as they didn't place the mana crystals in their bags, monsters continued to be attracted to them.
Their bags were made of special material that didn't allow even a single particle of mana to leak. The moment the crystals were stored inside, monsters stopped gathering around the white flag.
Realizing this, Mathew suggested something different.
They were finally getting the taste of practical training and improving their mana handling techniques.
This was a rare opportunity.
So he proposed collecting the crystals later and instead practicing against as many monsters as possible.
Rebecca vehemently agreed, her eyes sparkling.
Fighting alongside Azek had been an eye-opener for her since she was an earth-elemental mage as well.
She wanted to refine her own methods.
Edrin simply smiled mischievously, showing his approval.
So they had been at it for hours.
The moon shone brightly in the night sky.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Azek's fingers recoiled from the impact.
He was trying a new spell.
Boom.
The compressed bullet tore through the monster's shell before detonating inside its body.
A gaping wound opened but the monster limb still remained intact.
Edrin came forward to help after collecting the mana crystals, while Mathew trudged toward the edge of the base.
Rebecca placed both hands on the ground and began casting the large-scale basic spell she had practiced throughout the day.
When she finally chanted the final incantation, the earth split apart and massive spikes erupted toward the sky.
The smaller monsters were trapped immediately, while some of the larger ones were impaled.
The area of effect wasn't wide, but the impact was immediate.
Her teammates quickly finished off the injured monsters and eliminated the remaining ones.
A fire crackled in the middle.
Azek took out water bottles and food from their bags and distributed them.
They were sitting on a small hill that was devoid of monsters, as all the nearby flags had already been claimed.
After collecting the last crystal, they decided that high ground would be the safest place to rest, so this hill became their resting point for the night.
Crackle.
Edrin tossed another log into the fire.
Azek looked inward at his mana core.
It was still holding up well for now, though he had already used three holy amulets for safety.
Since earlier that day he had been experimenting with a new theory.
Compact explosion.
That was the basic principle.
He wanted to excite the mana and make the bullet explode upon impact.
After all, he couldn't rely on hitting weak points every single time.
He needed sufficient firepower to at least injure the monster.
But he still wasn't satisfied with the result.
Haaaaa… I guess I can only take it slow.
He sighed and continued thinking about the mechanics.
Gasps.
He looked toward his companions and saw their shocked expressions.
"Azek, look at the screen."
He glanced upward.
Almost all the teams had already handed in their results.
Seven gave up halfway.
Six teams failed.
Fifteen teams had passed.
But the ranking list showed something surprising.
Daniel Rotherham
5th Position — Passed (B Grade)
Kill Count: 11
Mana Crystals: 5
Callisto Reinhart
4th Position — Passed (B Grade)
Kill Count: 12
Mana Crystals: 5
Marian Ironhood
3rd Position — Passed (B Grade)
Kill Count: 13
Mana Crystals: 5
Lilian Winterfall
2nd Position — Passed (B Grade)
Kill Count: 15
Mana Crystals: 5
Azek Willowheart
Position: ???
Current Grade Evaluation: ???
Kill Count: 152
Mana Crystals: 7
Their name appeared at the very top.
To their surprise, unlike the initial announcement, performance evaluation was also involved.
All the other markers had already gone dull.
Only their team's name was glowing green at the top without specifying a position.
And that meant only one thing.
They were still in the exam.
Azek looked back at his teammates.
"What are your thoughts?"
A smile appeared on Edrin's lips.
"I would certainly like to see Lilian's face after we hand in our results."
Mathew burst out laughing.
"I knew it! You aren't going to let it go easily!
Hahahahahaha!"
He laughed until tears formed in his eyes.
"Um… I would like to practice a bit more,"
Rebecca said.
"For that we need a resting place," Azek replied.
"And unfortunately we neither have permission nor the supplies to spend the night in the wilderness."
"But we can start heading toward Mountain Hill now and get as much practice as we can along the way."
Edrin chimed in.
"And even if we get surrounded and need help, we've already met the passing criteria. Now we can break through our limits."
Azek smiled.
Soon they started sprinting toward Mountain Hill at full speed.
Mathew constantly cast fire spells to illuminate their path.
Meanwhile, Edrin went wild, snapping the limbs of monsters that crossed their path.
By the time they reached the destination and handed in their results, it was already midnight.
And they had claimed two more mana crystals.
After returning from the exam, they went straight to their rooms.
Not a single word was exchanged before they collapsed into their beds from exhaustion.
The exam ended on Saturday.
None of them knew that their results had already caused a commotion among the examiners.
Several professors had stayed awake the entire night reviewing the combat records.
When the results were announced on Monday morning, it sent a shockwave throughout the academy.