Class Division Exam (1)
The class division exam. It was the first trial for the new students of Terastial Academy and important enough to determine their entire academy life ahead.
As mentioned before, the chief instructor representing each department would only teach the class selected as the top performers through this exam, while the rest would be handled by assistant instructors. The assistants weren't incompetent by any means, but they naturally fell short compared to the chief in various ways—whether in knowledge or skill, there were undeniable gaps.
That's why students desperately wanted to be under the chief instructor whenever possible, making the class division exam one of the most fiercely competitive tests at the academy.
Hayes, who had brought all the first-year Combat Department cadets to the training grounds, spoke up.
"You will now take the class division exam, which will decide the classes you'll spend your semester in. I'll explain the rules only once, so listen carefully."
Hayes pointed to the assistant instructors who had arrived at the training grounds ahead of time.
"From now on, these assistant instructors will each carry ribbons of different colors."
Following Hayes's explanation, the assistants held up ribbons of various colors for the students to see. One had black, another white, and yet another red.
"You must find an assistant instructor in this training ground and secure their ribbon. A black ribbon adds 1 point, a white ribbon adds 2 points, and a red ribbon deducts 1 point. We'll rank you by total score and divide the classes accordingly."
"What if we don't want one? Can we just skip it?"
To the student asking if they could simply refuse the red ribbon, Hayes explained.
"Instructors with black or white ribbons will run from you, but those with red ribbons will charge at you the moment they spot you, trying to force it on you no matter what."
"Ah...."
"...So if we run into an assistant with a red ribbon, we'll basically get it whether we like it or not?"
"To secure black or white ribbons, just catch the instructor. To avoid a red one, evade them. If you don't get caught by an assistant, you won't end up with a red ribbon."
After finishing the explanation, Hayes outlined key precautions.
"Remember: once a ribbon is tied to your wrist, you must never cut or untie it yourself, regardless of color. Inflicting serious injury on an assistant is forbidden. Violators will be disqualified and assigned to the lowest class. Finally, you can't get another ribbon from the same assistant for ten minutes after securing one. Time can get fuzzy in the heat of it, so the assistants will remind you each time."
In other words, you couldn't keep grabbing the same instructor for more ribbons.
Hayes then explained what was allowed.
"That said, since you're competing against each other, feel free to interfere. You can steal ribbons from others or block someone else from getting one and snatch it yourself. Any interference goes."
"Anything at all?"
"Yes. Of course, no permanent injuries or murder. Use common sense and stay within bounds."
Hayes scanned the students.
"Any quick questions?"
While the students peppered Hayes with queries, Seong Hyun-jin glanced around the training grounds. It was a simple grassy field now, but behind Hayes and the assistants stood a dense thicket of trees. They'd turned the whole place into a makeshift forest.
Creating and maintaining this must cost a fortune, he muttered to himself.
"...Why not just make a whole mountain?"
It'd be way more fun to run around in.
As Seong Hyun-jin pondered alone, Serena approached.
"Seong Hyun-jin."
"Why so formal? Just call me Hyun-jin. We're the same age, same department, same year."
"Is that okay?"
"What's the big deal?"
Seong Hyun-jin made it sound so casual that Serena faltered slightly.
"But you never call me by name either."
"Huh, you're right."
He'd been treating her casually, but yeah, he'd never used her name. That might've made it awkward for her to do the same.
"Fair enough. Then I'll call you casually too, so you do the same, Serena."
"Ah... y-yeah, got it."
Hearing her name like that gave Serena a ticklish feeling, and she nodded a bit too eagerly. She quickly changed the subject.
"A-anyway, what do you think of the exam?"
"Straightforward and solid."
"The exam itself is fine, but... it allows students to sabotage each other. Even stealing ribbons."
Serena sounded a touch worried.
"Won't it get too heated? If rivalries flare up, things could spiral out of control...."
"That's exactly what they want."
"Huh?"
Serena blinked in confusion, but Seong Hyun-jin explained that it was Hayes's intent.
"This is the Combat Department, right?"
"Yes."
"In real battle, people lose their heads, blinded by rage, trying to kill each other. No holding back."
"Mm... probably."
"Can't kill here, so stealing ribbons is the substitute."
"They're trying to recreate a real combat atmosphere?"
"Bingo. Proper Combat Department exam."
Seong Hyun-jin looked at Serena.
"But you're pretty slick, casually prying info out of me. Forgot we're rivals too?"
"Huh?... N-no, I didn't mean to. Wasn't planning on it. Really."
"Sneaky one."
"N-no, I'm not...!"
Serena denied it vehemently, but Seong Hyun-jin teased her once more.
"Sneaky one."
"Urgh... f-fine, then I'll share what I figured out!"
"Oho, what's that?"
"The ribbons."
"Ribbons?"
Serena pointed at the instructors' ribbons.
"Look closely—the numbers vary. Fewest whites, most reds. Blacks aren't as plentiful as reds either."
"...So if blacks and whites get split among too many people, scores won't be that high. And with tons of reds, lots of penalties."
"Hard to rack up big points, so scores'll cluster together... making it tougher to stand out for the top class."
Seong Hyun-jin mulled it over, then grinned as an idea struck.
"Makes sense. Gotta hoard those whites somehow."
"...?"
His expression turned sleazier than she'd ever seen, and Serena's hand twitched upward involuntarily. She held back from slapping him, but asked out of sheer curiosity.
"What were you thinking to make that face?"
"What face?"
"Like a third-rate villain."
"...Harsh much?"
Seong Hyun-jin felt a bit absurd, but her read was spot-on. What he had in mind was pretty villainous.
"Not entirely wrong, though."
"Huh?"
Before Serena could press, Hayes clapped lightly, cutting off the questions. The scattered crowd refocused.
"The assistants will now enter the forest behind me. Students, gather ribbons as explained and aim for the highest score possible."
At Hayes's gesture, the assistants vanished into the woods en masse. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.
"Then, first-years of the Combat Department."
Hayes eyed them. They looked like clueless fledglings, blankly awaiting her words.
But this exam would change them. They'd become fitting talents for Terastial Academy—distrustful, cunning, ruthless, willing to do anything to survive the competition.
"The exam starts now. You have four hours. Rack up as many points as you can."
The Combat Department students scattered in directions they deemed promising, basing their paths on where the assistants had headed into the forest.
"Hey! Over there!"
The training ground forest was spacious but tiny compared to a real one. Within twenty minutes, students started spotting assistants.
"Black ribbon!"
"How do we catch 'em?"
"I'll flush from that side!"
At first, they cooperated. It was their debut exam, and teaming up seemed smarter than going solo for max ribbons. Even in competition, better to snag some than none—or so most thought.
The assistants were nimble, but these were academy entrants who'd passed the entrance exam—not your average lot.
"Instructors said anything goes as long as no serious injuries, right?"
The student invoking spirit power stirred a whirlwind in the forest heart, blocking the black-ribbon assistant's path. The instructor startled to a halt.
"Now!"
"Got it!"
The pursuers tackled and pinned him.
The assistant raised his hands.
"I surrender. Take the ribbons—just let go."
"All of them?"
"One each for the three holding me."
He untied three black ribbons, tying one to each wrist.
"Don't untie them yourselves."
"We won't!"
"I'm out, then."
He vanished far more swiftly than before. The students realized they'd been going easy and felt a bit silly.
"...Easier than I thought."
"Yeah."
"Got one already."
"Wait, I didn't get any?"
The complainer was the wind spirit user who'd blocked earlier but missed the grab. The others reassured him.
"Next one's yours. We'll help."
"Mm...."
He seemed mollified. But when they next met a red-ribbon assistant and fled, the wind user sacrificed again.
"Whew, barely escaped."
"Almost got penalized."
"...Hey, I'm the only one tied up. I missed the black one too."
"S-sorry... but no choice. Better than everyone penalized."
Cooperation's great—when fair. But when one keeps losing out, it crumbles.
The repeated sacrificial lamb eyed the profiteers, recalling Hayes's words.
"...Interference and stealing are allowed."
"...What?"
"You wanna go!?"
"Why not?"
Kwarunggrrr────!!
A fierce vortex engulfed them. Caught off-guard by the speed, the trio crumpled like fallen leaves.
"Bunch of weaklings. Waste of teamwork."
The vortex maker clicked his tongue, snatching the black ribbons from their wrists and tying them to his own.
"Solo's easier. Guess that's why the instructor said it."
Teamwork had perks, but unequal gains made it all cons. He wanted to ditch his red ribbon too but chalked it up as a cheap lesson.
"Oh, there you all are."
Someone appeared. Faces weren't too familiar yet, but no one missed this guy.
"Ch-chae-seok?"
Runner-up of the 35th entrance exam, Seong Hyun-jin.
He scanned the scene with mock admiration.
"Already had some fun, huh?"
"...What do you want?"
Seong Hyun-jin met the student's glare and smirked wickedly.
"What do you think? Can't tell after that?"
Shing. His sword slid free. The student shuddered, instinctively knowing what came next.
Just like what he'd done moments ago.
"Hand over the black ribbons. All of them."