Failed Defenses and Duel Preparations
Seeing how everyone in Group 2 except Eden had failed to complete the defense phase and been eliminated, the members of Group 1 realized this wasn't your average easy evaluation.
"I'm really glad we're in Group 1."
"Yeah. At first, I thought we'd all get our points stolen by Ludenberg... but compared to that mess, at least grabbing the defense completion score is better."
Having thoroughly observed the scene, the students in Group 1 newly appreciated just how much of a boon it was to be in their group. Ludenberg, with his exceptional skill to effortlessly handle countless erosion beasts single-handedly—including even mid-level ones. With him as the core, he resolved everything before his teammates could even act, leaving them wondering if this was really okay. Of course, some students were undoubtedly disappointed. Ludenberg had swept up nearly all the solo erosion beast kills, which meant their own kill scores suffered. But even those with regretful expressions soon relaxed after checking their score sheets once the evaluation ended.
The score sheets, handed out only after the evaluation concluded, revealed that successfully completing the defense phase carried nearly as many points as personally destroying the illusion core during the occupation phase. Moreover, Ludenberg had no intention of knocking out the other students, and Evelyn had quickly grasped the evaluation's direction. All these factors combined allowed Group 1's students to secure quite high scores.
On the other hand, the students from Group 2 who had been eliminated due to Eden vented on their way to the waiting room, blaming him to the others.
"Eden went too far. He said let's team up and stick together, then poof—gone in an instant."
"Huh? You too? He did the same to me."
"Damn it. Eden used me. That bastard."
"Isn't that just 'cause you're weak?"
"Fair point, but it still pisses me off. Lures you in like we're grouping up, then dumps you right in the middle of erosion beasts and bails?"
"Hold on—if five of us got knocked out because of Eden... and the defense failed due to lack of manpower, then yeah, it's on him. Doesn't care about anything when points are on the line, huh."
Hearing this, the rest of Group 2 concluded their failure to complete the defense was Eden's fault. After all, they'd been eliminated at the very end due to a sheer shortage of defenders. But they couldn't bring themselves to confront Eden. If their own skills had been superior, they might have made the same choice. Watching the subsequent evaluations, Group 2 realized they were the weak ones. Other groups had students scheming to eliminate their own teammates, some even sweet-talking them before betraying at the crucial moment.
"Whoa, that guy's got brains. Though he'll probably get backlash later."
"Yeah... but man, the evaluation itself is way too ruthless. Without knowing the defense scoring, you can't help but act like that. They could've at least called it a 'cooperation battle' or something."
"True. No clue what the professors' intentions are."
As a result, far more students than expected dropped out during the occupation phase. In the end, only Ludenberg's Group 1, Eden's Group 2, Ashytara's Group 7, and Mion's Group 10 succeeded in defense; the remaining six groups failed. The students had fixated too much on erosion beast kill scores, missing the more crucial defense points.
With the evaluation wrapped up, the professors assigned rooms to the exhausted, drowsy students, instructing them to rest there before beginning their final assessments.
"Hmm, as expected... but I didn't think it'd be this bad. So many fixated on erosion beast scores and overlooked defense."
"First evaluation and all... they probably wanted to shine, so they chose that. Understandable. Plus, with the ranking system in play. Though yeah, our fault for not listing the scoring clearly. Next time, just proper point breakdowns should prevent this."
"True. It was modeled after Salvation Cult tactics from the start. The setup guarantees internal enemies... Still, now they know how those enemies act. They'll be cautious next time. And learn not to trust people easily."
The professors then detailed individual performance evaluations, only taking their own break once everything was done.
"Good call stretching it to two days. Could've ended in one, but they'd be wrecked for the duel phase. Nice we get rest too."
"Yeah. Let 'em crash fully tomorrow. Us too. Whew, this was more tiring than expected."
Professors Elun and Lian spoke in fatigued tones.
"Got it. And we've asked the Mare priests, so they'll be fully recovered by duels."
"Everyone worked hard~!"
Elun stretched as she spoke, and Hainkel along with the others wore equally weary faces. Judging students nonstop all day was plenty exhausting for them too.
* * *
The next day, the students rested. Having burned more energy than anticipated from the previous day's evaluation, many looked half-dead receiving treatment from Mare priests at the temporary clinic set up by the professors. Of course, Ludenberg and Ashytara were exceptions. Ludenberg was a given, but Ashytara was remarkably fit too—her explosive growth from Duke Leonard's special training last time meant a handful of mid-level erosion beasts barely winded her. They got check-ups just to be sure, though...
"You two did the evaluation yesterday, right?"
The Mare priest looked surprised at their fresh faces.
"Yes."
"That's right."
"Everyone else is half-dead, but you two look fine? Still, gotta do the exam. Come sit. Guy first."
"Understood."
The priest's Flowing Water sacred law swirled around Ludenberg's body. A refreshing energy spread through him in an instant. Flowing Water was a high-difficulty sacred law mastered by Mare priests for healing, allowing instant assessment of one's physical state. Scanning Ludenberg, the priest confirmed no issues and looked amazed.
"Not a thing wrong. Most others have fatigued muscles or stiffness. You're sturdy, kid. You're good to go—no precautions needed, just act normal."
"Thank you."
"Take care. Next, Your Highness. Over here."
"No need for formal speech..."
"Oh? Then casual it is."
The priest quickly checked Ashytara with Flowing Water too, nodding just like with Ludenberg.
"Mm. All clear, Your Highness. Rest up and ace tomorrow's evaluation."
"Yes. Thank you."
The two swiftly left the clinic.
"Lud. What's next for you?"
"Dunno... Probably review the materials the professors gave before we went to our rooms yesterday."
"Ah. No training then?"
"Nah. After that, I'll move a bit. No strain, just loosen up for tomorrow."
"Heh, top spot's locked in—do you really need to?"
"Won't know till results. You?"
"Same plan. Gotta scout as much as possible for tomorrow's duels—who knows who. Focus on the strong ones. I'll spend ages analyzing sword styles, so no sparring today."
"...Hope we don't draw each other."
"Yeah. But if we do, go all out—no holding back?"
"Obviously."
"That's all I need. Heading back now. Unlike you, I'm still a bit uneasy..."
"Yeah. Prep well."
"Got it. Good luck on your eval."
Ashytara waved to Ludenberg and returned to her room. He went to his, pulling out the Setra Record Book the professors had distributed to all students. Crafted from an eerily smooth metal etched with intricate sacred law formations, it was clearly no ordinary creation.
Yesterday's full evaluation should be in here. Let's check it out.
Placing his palm on the Setra Record Book, a starry window appeared, replaying Groups 1 through 10 in full. Manipulating it, Ludenberg was impressed. It didn't just play sequentially—it let him skip uninteresting groups effortlessly. But wonder faded quick; he dove into analyzing potential rivals' fights. Their movements, habits, quirks—he memorized, visualized attacks they'd throw at him, how they'd counter his. Impressive techniques? Polished forms? He cataloged it all, closed the book, grabbed his sword, and headed to the evaluation center's training ground. To inspect his own swordplay for flaws, bad habits. Even if others fell short, he had no plans to slack. Always give his best—that diligence, beyond Raha's trials or talent, fueled his rapid growth.