Group Formation

After finishing their meal, the students of Class A returned to the lecture hall for their second Beginner Dark Magic class.

"What? The results are already out?"

The moment the students stepped into the room, chaos erupted. The results of the exam they had just taken were plastered across one wall.

"Whoa! That was seriously fast!"

"Move!"

They barely made it through the door before stampeding over. Every single Class A student's scores were on full display.

"Kyaaaah! Eighty-five in Curses!"

"Ugh, Hemomancy dragged my average into the dirt."

"Should I seriously switch majors?"

"See? I told you to push Martial Combat as your fifth!"

"You're so fake it makes me sick. You were crying about bombing Curses and you still got an eighty?"

Ainz scanned the wall for his own name as well.

Hemomancy, Poison Magic, and Martial Combat — none of them Ainz's specialties — were inevitably lower. Martial Combat at least had the benefit of an actual class under his belt, so he had managed to clear seventy. The other two, however, he had been forced to tackle with nothing more than a thin layer of prior study, and the foundation needed for real insight had simply been too thin.

Holy Defense was another matter entirely. The original Ainz — that is, Ainz Ooal Gown, protagonist of Overlord — had prepared exhaustive countermeasures against holy attributes, and that knowledge left him with a perfect score. No wrong answers.

Curses, while not a full hundred, still put him at the top of the class, exactly as one would expect from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a debuff specialist. Jet-Black Magic, with the sheer variety of offensive tools at his disposal, had also scored well. Summoning likewise — he commanded as many kinds of summons as he did debuffs — and he was one of only two students in Class A to break into the nineties, alongside Pierre Berkeley, the boy Hector had recruited.

All in all, Ainz figured he had done rather well for himself.

Meyrin, who had studied relentlessly even before entering Kizen, was the only student in Class A to average in the nineties.

Dick hurried over to Simon.

"Simon! How'd you do on the test?"

Simon gave a bitter smile.

"Seventy-six in Summoning. Everything else is trash."

"Whoa! Seventy-six?"

Dick clapped him on the shoulder.

"Nice work! Honestly, for someone who didn't do any prep, that's better than expected. Having one subject you're actually good at beats a mediocre average across the board any day!"

He sounded pleased — then his face hardened.

"That said, this is a development we didn't see coming. They dumped everyone's scores out in the open from the very first class."

Their plan had been to lock down capable teammates quickly, while everyone else was still short on information about each other. Now that every score was laid bare for the world to see, the rest of the class would have clear, visible criteria for choosing their groups.

"Um… e-everyone!"

The students, still running wild over the posted results, were completely out of control. A teaching assistant fretted at the front.

"Please return to your seats! The professor will be here any moment…"

"Leave them."

The lecture hall door opened and Jane walked in. The noise cut off at once.

"You have thirty minutes."

She set her bag on the lectern.

"Confirm your own scores, then form groups of four. Barring special circumstances, these groups will hold for the entire semester."

Every face in Class A went rigid.

"From here on, Beginner Dark Magic will be conducted as group lessons. You will be given assignments that can only be solved by combining your strengths. Individual scores and group scores will be calculated separately. Even if one of you is outstanding, a lack of teamwork among group members will result in deductions."

She adjusted her necktie, the corner of her mouth curling slightly.

"So choose your teammates carefully."

That single line flipped an emergency switch in every student's head.

Jane looked over the class and delivered her verdict.

"Thirty minutes. Anyone who has not formed a group by then will be bundled together with the other leftovers into separate groups. Begin."

Her words had barely finished before voices flooded the room like a broken dam.

"Jasmine! Who's Jasmine?"

"That's me?"

"Your Curses score was high! Want to join us? We've got Jet-Black and Necromancy applicants!"

"Looking for three for Curses-Jet-Black-Summoning! Sixty or above!"

"Any group still looking for a top-tier Necromancy student?"

The scramble for teammates was already cutthroat. Simon and Dick exchanged a nod and split up to move.

Ainz rose to join Eshu —

"Ainz! You haven't made a group yet, right? I got an eighty-eight in Hemomancy! If I join, I'll take full responsibility for the blood side!"

—and several other students launched into self-promotions of their own. Ainz walked straight past them to Eshu, who had likewise brushed off a handful of offers to come his way.

"You made it! Wow, I had no idea you were this good at studying! I really did pull the best card in the deck! Jackpot!"

Some of the students who saw Eshu cheerfully take her place at Ainz's side began to murmur.

"Isn't that Eshu Arzel? She was in the eighties for Curses and Summoning."

"What? So he just solved both Curses and Summoning in one go?"

Eshu overheard and quietly leaned in to whisper.

"They say that, but strictly speaking, I'm a Summoning student."

Ainz nodded.

Everyone was racing to lock down applicants for the three core subjects first, so Curses, Jet-Black Magic, and Summoning students were vanishing at an alarming rate. With Eshu covering Summoning — and ranking high in Curses besides — and Ainz more than capable of carrying all three core subjects on his own, it made more sense to fill the remaining two seats from the four secondary majors.

Ainz's true specialty was necromantic magic, but in this world, Necromancy meant the study of souls. The necromantic magic he used revolved primarily around instant death and curses — so for now, he had decided to take Curses as his official role.

Dick was talking with Claudia Menzies and Jamie Victoria, but it did not seem to be going well. Simon had approached Sindy Vivace, only to find she intended to form a group of her own.

"Leader, shouldn't we hurry too? Everyone's moving like that — if we're the only ones who can't put a group together…"

Eshu was a little anxious, but Ainz was scanning the room with a sharp eye. No groups had fully solidified yet. He was waiting for an opening to recruit Claudia.

And just as he intended, Simon's voice carried from a corner of the lecture hall.

"Meyrin Bilene. I'd like you to join our group."

Simon had been watching the situation as well.

The mid-tier students were already clustering together. The absolute top ranks were still holding back, observing. Simon decided it was all or nothing and approached Meyrin.

No one else had dared speak to her. With an average in the nineties, any half-baked score would make persuasion impossible from the start.

Meyrin, for her part, was already planning to join Simon's group — just as Ainz had told her to.

"You got a seventy-six in Summoning, right? Doesn't look like you did any prep work."

Simon: seventy-six in Summoning. That much was solid. His overall average was only thirty, and Meyrin's own Summoning score of eighty-five was higher than his — but factoring in that he had done no prior study, it was within acceptable range. Scoring a seventy-six in Summoning with zero preparation was, if anything, proof of exceptional talent.

Dick, who would be in the same group, had a seventy-four in Jet-Black Magic and an overall average of seventy — nothing spectacular, but as an all-rounder support for her, he was acceptable enough. Since no one in Class A could outscore Meyrin on written exams, what she needed was a practical fighter like Simon and a support-type all-rounder like Dick.

After a brief show of deliberation, Meyrin decided to play hard to get.

"I'll say this up front — my brother is forming his own group. If you're trying to recruit me off his name and his scores, you'd better drop it."

Simon took her words in stride and simply said he wanted her for her own sake. Meyrin, feigning reluctance, accepted.

"Fine. I'll join your group."

The other students immediately started whispering.

"Whoa, those two are in a group?"

"Special Admission Number One and the written-exam top scorer in the same group? Is that even balanced?"

"Though from what I saw earlier, Simon's scores outside of Summoning weren't that great. Guess we'll have to wait and see."

The onlookers dispersed, and a moment later Dick joined them.

"This is insane, Simon! At this point we could pick almost anyone and still be fine! You actually landed Meyrin!"

"Haha…"

Watching Dick celebrate so vigorously, Meyrin cut in dryly.

"Save the tearful male bonding for later. Who's the last member going to be?"

"Just say the word! First, let's lock down our roles. Your scores are higher, Meyrin, so you take Jet-Black Magic. I'll put myself down for Curses for now and support the rest."

Aside from Summoning, Meyrin was essentially an all-rounder herself, and Dick was solid across the board. Making Meyrin the main and Dick her support was the right call. They still needed the Curses-Jet-Black-Summoning combination covered, so Dick would hold Curses for the time being.

"Hmm. Not bad. Then for the last seat…"

Meyrin thought for a moment, then offered her opinion.

"We should pick someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the Necromancy-Hemomancy-Poison-Martial applicants. Hemomancy would be best. It's calculation-heavy and takes forever to solve."

"Hemomancy, huh… Okay. You two sit tight. I'll bring someone right over."

While they waited, Meyrin and Simon sat in awkward silence until she spoke first.

"Where are you from?"

"Baldwin Kingdom. Minor nobility. We manage the Reshil territory."

"…Never heard of it."

Reshil was such a backwater that plenty of people within Baldwin itself had never heard of it, so Simon let it slide.

"What about you?"

"Huh? You don't know who I am?"

"I don't. Only that you're Ainz's sister…"

"I'm from an Ivory Tower faction family."

"Ivory Tower… ah, the place that used to be called the Magic Tower, right?"

"That's right."

Dick had told Simon various things about the Ivory Tower, and a few of those details proved useful here.

"You know… you don't really look that much like Ainz…"

Meyrin caught what he was driving at.

"We're not blood siblings. When I was nine, my father brought him back from a neutral zone."

There was a brief incident when Simon mentioned Serne and Meyrin's voice went cold as if a rival's name had been spoken, but somehow the conversation continued. They managed to chip away at the awkwardness with small talk — until Dick returned with someone in tow.

"Miss me?"

Beside him stood a short girl with pink hair. She was the same student who, during Martial Combat class, had struggled to mount a hippo until Ainz discreetly boosted her up. Simon recognized her too.

"Huh? You're the one from Martial Combat who…"

"I misjudged people earlier! This is Kamibarez Ursula. An eighty-seven-point Hemomancy applicant!"

"I-I'm Kamibarez Ursula! If the name is too long and inconvenient, please just call me Kami. I'm not much, but I'll work hard so I don't become a burden to any of you!"

The pink-haired girl flushed and bowed shyly. Meyrin's eyes widened a fraction.

"Ursula? Is that the Ursula I'm thinking of?"

"Y-yes… that's right…"

"Hm?"

Meyrin explained to a baffled Simon, her voice carrying a note of awe.

"Ursula is considered the greatest of all vampire houses. It's the family of the current Vampire Lord!"

Simon had not known she was a vampire. He looked at Kamibarez more carefully — and sure enough, a pair of distinctive pointed fangs showed in her gentle face.

"I-I have wings too… They're hidden right now because I couldn't get my uniform altered."

Dick crossed his arms, looking puzzled.

"That's weird, though. If she's a young lady of House Ursula, shouldn't she have been a massive topic at Kizen already?"

"Ah, that's…"

Meyrin shot him a glare.

"You can't just ask that. Prying into someone else's circumstances is rude."

"Hey, pure curiosity is allowed, isn't it…?"

Kamibarez waved her hands and stepped in.

"I-I'll tell you. The truth is… my mother is an ordinary human, so…"

"Ah…"

Hearing her family situation, Simon understood at once why a vampire of the great House Ursula had arrived without any fanfare. Meyrin shot Dick another look for dredging up personal history, though her expression held a touch of pity for Kamibarez as well. Dick, now that he knew, looked thoroughly awkward.

"I… I'm sorry. That was a rough situation and I went digging for no reason…"

"N-no, it's really fine. Hehe…"

"It's not much of a trade, but… I'll tell you about my family too. I'm the son of the White Ox Merchant Guild's master."

"What? That's one of the most famous trading houses in the entire Dark Coalition!"

Kamibarez was startled. Simon, short on background knowledge, simply looked impressed. Meyrin was surprised too, but refused to show it and turned her head slightly.

"More precisely, I'm the third of the guild master's eight sons. Father plans to pass the business to my eldest brother, so every scrap of education in the house is concentrated on him. The rest of us… well, we're just used however it suits them."

"However it suits them?"

"Yeah. In my case, I had a little talent for dark magic, so they sent me to Kizen under the pretext of figuring out necromancers' needs and doing market research."

That was why Dick prioritized weekend schedules in Rochester over weekday classes.

"But I'm not giving up. I'll graduate from Kizen, and I'll build a trading house in Rochester with my own name on it. Maybe then Father will look at me differently."

Simon and Kamibarez genuinely cheered him on. Meyrin, at least, did not say anything cutting.

"Do whatever you want."

They were still smiling at her response when one of Jane's teaching assistants approached with a sheet of paper.

"Is everyone here? You are Group Seven. Write your names and preferred subjects here, and decide on a group name and a leader."

Group names were not particularly important — all sorts of strange ones were floating around — so they settled simply on Group Seven. Meyrin was named leader.

Ainz and Eshu had been watching the situation unfold.

Ainz was tracking two things. The first was confirming that Meyrin and Simon ended up in the same group — and he watched them complete registration without issue. The second was the surface-level goal he had mentioned to Eshu: monitoring the current status of the girl he wanted for his own group, Claudia ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Menzies.

"I've been watching like you said, Leader… and as you can see, she's insanely popular!"

Claudia, surrounded by a cluster of students, came into view. Several had already made offers; she was turning them down with a look of mild distress.

"Well. All or nothing, right?"

Once the others drifted away, Eshu and Ainz stepped up together.

"Hi! If you're free, want to join our group?"

Her violet eyes settled on the two of them — snake-like purple irises beneath long, gently waved green hair. Claudia Menzies, widely regarded as Class A's Poison Magic ace, answered Eshu's request.

"Eshu. And… Ainz, was it? This is the first time we've actually spoken."

"That's right! Are you tired right now, by any chance?"

"…A little. But I can still listen."

She pressed her fingertips around her eyes as if massaging them, then looked at the two of them again.

"So you want me as a teammate. I understand the pitch. …But."

Her gaze shifted to Ainz.

"I don't really know you yet. I know what kind of person Eshu is, and I've heard of your reputation, but joining still feels a bit uncertain."

"Mmm… I get the uncertainty! It's natural when you don't know someone well. But if you join our group, you absolutely won't regret it!"

"…Why?"

At Claudia's question, Ainz spoke up.

"See those kids over there?"

"Hm?"

He pointed toward a cluster of students who had tried to form a group purely on connections and ended up with three Jet-Black Magic applicants, now unable to fill the fourth seat — the so-called Triple Jet-Black. By any measure, it was the worst possible group.

"Even if I walked into a disaster like that Triple Jet-Black, I can guarantee it would become the best group in the class. Or…"

A hint of mischief touched Ainz's expression.

"Would you rather join them?"

"Wh-what?! No!"

"I'm kidding. Kidding. I have zero interest in joining them either. If I'm going to form a group, I want to do it properly. That's why I want you — to cover Poison Magic and Hemomancy, where I'm weak."

"…I see."

Claudia rubbed the corners of her eyes again and opened them. The look she gave them was similar to before, but brighter, more alive.

"Then I'll join."

"R-really?!"

She nodded slowly.

"I've heard countless offers today, but you two are the only ones who came at me this earnestly. Most people just wanted my scores, or planned to ride my coattails for an easy free pass."

A shadow settled over her face.

"Recruiting capable teammates matters. Of course it does. But I don't think a group built purely on scores lasts. Group evaluations demand cooperation — so even when you look at scores, you have to check whether the people actually fit together."

Simon and Dick, she added, had not approached with that mindset either — but their middling scores had made the decision hard to finalize.

Then a pale hand extended toward them.

"Both of you — looking forward to working together."

"I'll live up to the expectation."

Ainz took her hand and shook it. The distant sound of grinding teeth was best ignored.

"Hehe. I'm so glad you came! Looking forward to it, Claudia!"

Claudia nodded with a quiet smile.

"Ah — wait! What about our last member?!"

Eshu asked in sudden panic, as if the thought had just struck her.

"About that — if it's all right, can I bring the last member myself?"

"Huh? Really? Who?"

"Don't worry. You'll like her too."

Ainz did not particularly care. Now that Claudia was secured, the fourth seat could go to anyone.

The girl Claudia brought over had red hair tied up in twin buns and bright green eyes, with a cheerful air about her.

"Allow me to introduce her. My friend Sindy Vivace — Necromancy applicant."

"Hey, everyone! So you're the ones who finally cracked Clara's iron fortress, huh?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?!"

Claudia flushed and swatted Sindy's arm.

"Ah, Clara's a nickname. A title reserved for close friends, you could say?"

Sindy explained with a playful grin.

"Man~ Clara, you really landed some incredible teammates. A Summoning applicant with her own personal summons who also excels at Curses… and the Ivory Tower's Black Monarch, who can solo the entire Curses-Jet-Black-Summoning trio!"

"So — are you in?"

At Ainz's question, Sindy nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Obviously! Only an idiot would pass on a group like this. And Clara's here, so I feel comfortable too!"

"Good. Then our group is complete. Looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to it too!"

Sindy bumped her fist against the hand Ainz offered. The grinding teeth from somewhere far away could once again be safely ignored.

"That group over there is no joke either."

"Ainz already locked down Eshu, and now he added the Poison Magic ace and a top Necromancy student on top of that? Isn't that scarier than Simon and Meyrin teaming up?"

"Weren't Poison Magic and Hemomancy the subjects Ainz was relatively ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weak in?!"

Opinions varied, but everyone agreed on one point: Ainz's group was going to be the strongest.

A teaching assistant approached promptly with a form and informed the four of them that they were Group Eight, repeating the same instructions given when Group Seven registered. Ainz was named leader, and the group name was simply Group Eight.

While the students who had already formed groups chatted in a relaxed atmosphere, Ainz observed the rest of Class A. His group was number eight — meaning thirty-two students had already organized. With more than half the class locked in, the competition among those remaining had gone past fierce and into vicious.

Almost no one was still operating alone. The pattern now was pairs and trios trying to pull in the last bodies they needed.

"Wouldn't it just be better to merge with us?"

"You already have two Poison Magic students! Like hell we'd take that!"

"Wow, those guys are actually hopeless. Jet-Black, Jet-Black, Jet-Black — what even is that?"

Forming groups rationally was fine. Forming them purely on personal connections was where the problems started. Shared interests and preferred majors made for quick friendships — but clustering same-major applicants together for group lessons was the worst possible move. The result was exactly the Triple Jet-Black Ainz had used as an example when persuading Claudia.

Beginner Dark Magic evaluated all eight remaining subjects. Even with four members covering four different preferred majors, it was barely enough. Any overlap was pure loss.

"I'll save exactly one of you from your group."

A blonde girl stepped forward with an arrogant expression and crooked a finger. She already had three members locked in.

"Get lost!"

"If you hadn't used dirty tricks to steal Lucy, we'd already be four!"

Two girls snarled at her with open hostility — and then another girl walked forward.

"L-Leader?"

"Sorry, guys."

She did not look back.

"I'm a Hemomancy applicant. No overlap, right?"

"Welcome aboard! Sharp thinking, as expected. Teaching assistant! We'll register now!"

A group leader who had built her own team simply walked away, and another group of four was complete. The abandoned students trembled with rage and betrayal.

Ainz regarded that group with quiet disdain. The blonde leader, in his view, was no leader at all. Everything about her reeked of nobility, and he could guess the others were commoners. Humans ranked each other over the smallest differences. A noble leader and commoner teammates — she would look down on them as a matter of course, and that, to Ainz, was self-destruction. Add the fact that they had poached a member through dirty means, and friction was inevitable. Two members had already betrayed once. Why not twice?

Simon watched the two girls who had lost a teammate early and then their leader with a bitter expression. Meyrin, unmoved, said flatly:

"I don't feel particularly sorry for them. Lack of effort, lack of preparation, lack of ability. They've been at Kizen for four whole days — what were they doing? Even with weak scores, there are plenty of other ways to secure a group."

Meyrin and the other students seemed well accustomed to this kind of ruthlessness.

Meanwhile, Jane's thirty minutes ran out. Eight students remained. They had splintered into a pair and two trios, sniping at each other until none of them managed to complete a group.

"Students who have not formed a group, come forward."

Jane arbitrarily created two groups.

Jet-Black Magic was a required subject, so even students aiming for other majors tended to score relatively high in it. As a result, demand for dedicated Jet-Black applicants had cratered in the market, and five of them were left stranded until the very end.

The students called up to the platform hung their heads with rigid faces. A few of their classmates smirked openly.

"Whoa, Group Sixteen is actually Triple Jet-Black?"

"Pfft. They'll be gone the moment next week starts."

"One Curse question and they're wiped."

The snickering only made Groups Fifteen and Sixteen shrink further into themselves.

Ainz had no intention of joining in — but even less intention of stopping it. In a competitive society, this kind of atmosphere would serve as motivation. If they could not endure it, it simply meant they did not deserve to remain at Kizen.

Having assigned leaders arbitrarily as well, Jane spoke to them in a low voice.

"Are you angry?"

The students nodded slightly. A few showed the glint of tears.

"A slightly crooked start does not mean the finish will be crooked as well. Hold on to this anger, and work even harder. Even as Jet-Black applicants, divide the other subjects among yourselves and pull every score up to average or better. Then you will see light."

They nodded with faces twisted by sheer spite.

Groups Fifteen and Sixteen returned to their seats, and Jane stepped forward.

"First, a major announcement. Next week, in the first Beginner Dark Magic class after the student protection period ends, we will conduct a group practical evaluation."

Stifled gasps rose here and there. A practical evaluation meant a test that counted directly toward their grades. This was where things truly began.

"I will now explain the contents of the evaluation."

At her signal, a teaching assistant activated a mana projector, and the image of a monster appeared in light before the students.

"That's…!"

A cyclops. A mid-sized, one-eyed monster of overwhelming physical power. They primarily inhabited the western mountain ranges of the continent, where they reigned as kings of the peaks.

"Yes. Your next opponents will be cyclopes."

Every mouth in the room fell open.