‘Ha….’

This damn school. Never fails to disappoint me.

The teammates I’ve been syncing with for the past two weeks have all been scattered, and now I’m supposed to take an exam with people I’ve never trained with, not even for a single day.

But they planned this from the start. I’m sure of it.

‘…The difficulty couldn’t be adjusted otherwise.’

In a situation where it’s questionable whether they can even select passers, I figured the school was preparing something… but facing this reality still catches me off guard.

[Lucas Askanian / Oswald Schmidt / Elias Hohenzollern / ….]

Seeing the next name written, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘Thank fuck.’

If I had to face Narce and Leo alone, it would’ve been an insane difficulty, but with a powerhouse like Elias by my side, things are different.

It’s a game worth playing.

Then, the names of other students were written in golden letters, streaming across the air.

‘The other two are average.’

Just as I was about to look away, an unbelievable name appeared.

[…/ Yulia Tsheringen]

“Huh?”

Tsheringen is on my team too?

Our eyes met from afar where she stood.

But the joy of having two strong teammates quickly faded.

I hurriedly turned my head to check the Team 1 roster again.

‘…As expected.’

Ulrike Kleist. The undisputed top of Class 1 is on Team 1.

Aside from the magic potion experiment competition, I hadn’t had much interaction with her, and since I was focused on Leo and Narce, I hadn’t paid her much attention.

‘This is starting to show the school’s intentions.’

The announcement ended quickly. Even though there were only 24 students in this vast space, the noise of shock and disbelief gradually filled the area.

“They’re really switching teammates?!”

“They’re going through with this? Why?”

[This third selection exam will proceed based on the teams just announced. We understand that the change from previously announced teammates may cause confusion, but the academy finalized the exam questions a month ago. It was designed so that students who diligently trained as instructed should face no issues. This exam reflects unexpected situations that occur in real field operations, testing your ability to effectively demonstrate your skills and balance teamwork with individual performance despite unforeseen teammate changes.]

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Telling us on the day of…!”

Voices of disbelief echoed from all around.

I’m no different.

They made us train our asses off in teams for two weeks, and now they’re reshuffling them?

That’s fucking ridiculous.

But if we’re splitting hairs, dropping us in the Alps was even more ridiculous.

‘They never do just one thing.’

More importantly, there’s something else to focus on.

Unlike the second exam, they announced the exam’s intent upfront.

That means they expect most students won’t be able to execute it even if they know the purpose.

‘Is the difficulty higher than I thought? Or….’

Is there something more?

I rubbed my chin, sinking into thought.

[With the team composition announcement concluded, we will now explain the exam procedure. Please move to your assigned team’s position.]

“Hey, hey! Team 4! Gather up!”

“Shouldn’t we protest? How can they announce this on the day of?!”

“Feels like they did this on purpose… protesting won’t change anything.”

“Seriously, are they insane…?”

The 24 students, who had been standing in order of arrival, began moving in unison.

Heike Ainsidel, showing rare signs of panic, glanced at me before heading to her newly assigned team’s spot.

Narce, standing beside me, placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Lucas. We…”

“…….”

“Turned into enemies overnight, huh~ Haha.”

“You didn’t know about this?”

“Nope.”

Come to think of it, he didn’t know about the magic potion competition either.

It seems he avoids using his powers for things he has to accomplish with his own abilities.

“The past two weeks training with you were fun, but this is how it turned out. Oh well…”

A calloused, pale hand was extended toward me. Narce, for some reason, grinned with a playful glint in his eyes.

“Let’s do our best with a fresh start.”

“A handshake too? Even if there’s a score comparison, we’re each fighting our own match.”

“Haha, let’s just give it our all~ And you can tell your teammates about my ability. It’s an unavoidable situation, so I won’t mind.”

“Hm, all of a sudden?”

Narce just smiled without answering.

I lightly shook his hand and moved to Team 3’s position.

I get why Narce is acting like this.

A score-based competition means we’re both on the same field, but Narce’s Insight ability works on me even from a distance… Now that we’re on opposing teams, Narce can read my strategies.

‘Of course… even if he reads my thoughts, from the outside, it’ll just look like Narce’s team is lagging behind, copying me. He’d be better off using his own brain instead of wasting time on that.’

I might be overanalyzing. Maybe Narce just offered a handshake to wish me luck.

As I joined our team’s line, I saw Tsheringen smiling and waving at me.

“We’re on the same team, Lucas. I was hoping we’d be together again, and it actually happened—surprising, right~”

“Yeah, no kidding. We work well together, so this is good.”

“Luca, what about me~?”

Elias, who had been bouncing with energy the moment he saw me, butting in before Tsheringen, cut in abruptly.

“You’re good too. But we’ve never trained together even once.”

“Aaah… such a shame. I’ve always wanted to work with you~”

Regardless, we’ve never synced up.

As if he read my thoughts, Elias slung an arm around my shoulder and laughed.

“I’ll match your pace perfectly. You can count on me.”

“Sure.”

Expecting a skeptical response from me, Elias widened his eyes before grinning. He then turned to the students lined up for Team 3 and shouted.

“Alright, who’s the ace of our Team 3~? Time to strategize!”

“With three of you, can you even call it that? It’s you, Lucas, and Yulia. Why ask?”

Oswald responded with a face that said he couldn’t believe he had to hear such a dumb question.

He was on my team until the third training session. On the first day of training, when we shared our unique abilities, he mentioned having an enhanced sense of smell.

And his ability was genuinely useful.

Every training session, he located hidden enemies, tracked down missing teammates, and helped us utilize the terrain more effectively thanks to his nose.

I said to Oswald,

“Good thing you’re with me at least.”

“That’s my line, isn’t it? Man, I almost screamed when I saw my name come up after yours. Dude, I’m saved, fuck…”

“Yeah, lucky us.”

I cut him off as soon as the curse slipped out and scanned the students.

First, Yulia from the original Team 1, me and Oswald from Team 2, and Elias from Team 3 made it here. Also, Florian Osterhagen and Auguste Rosenheim from Team 4.

The only one I don’t have info on is Auguste Rosenheim, but he’s among the top in practical skills in our department.

Our team luck isn’t bad.

Then, Tsheringen, who had been looking around, said to us,

“Lucas, Elias. You know that Team 1 over there has the same partners from the second exam, right?”

I know.

Narce and Leo. Those two were on the same team during the second exam and worked together.

Just like me and Tsheringen.

“I think the school…”

“Wants to pit Team 1s against each other.”

Auguste Rosenheim, who had been quietly tense, suddenly spoke up.

The other students nodded.

No one was confused about which ‘Team 1’ he meant.

The school set up today’s exam to make the students likely to be officially selected for Team 1, those vying for the top six spots, compete against each other.

They’ve clearly orchestrated this to compare our abilities and score us easily.

‘…We’ve become the school’s prime grading targets.’

A strange tension rises. Judging by the ambiguous smile on Yulia’s face, she’s feeling the same way.

I said to the students gathered around me,

“We’ve all been training our hardest in our respective teams, so don’t get nervous. Focus on adjusting your pace to others’ movements as you practiced, and we’ll pull this off. Let’s do this.”

“Alright. It’s just a teammate switch, and with this lineup, it’s not like we’re screwed!”

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

The teammates started chiming in one by one.

At least this team has quick-witted kids. Instead of panicking, they’re coming together, which is satisfying.

[We will now introduce the exam procedure.]

As the announcement resumed, the students’ voices gradually quieted.

[The exam will proceed in the order of Teams 1-3, then Teams 2-4. Teams 1 and 3, and Teams 2 and 4, will each take the exam in the same field…]

Of course, like the second exam, it’ll be in the same field. That makes it easier to rank by scores.

[This time, both teams will be deployed in the same field simultaneously.]

“…?!”

“Huh?”

“What did the professor just say?”

The surroundings grew noisy again.

My eyes met Tsheringen’s and Elias’s.

The same field?

So, they’re throwing both teams into the same space to make us clash directly?

That’s the only possibility the professor’s words point to.

[The exam format is as follows: The two teams will treat each other as enemies and must locate and rescue one victim caught in a berserk incident. The team that rescues the victim first will receive an additional 1 point for all team members.]

“What? What about the berserker?”

“This isn’t how the exam was supposed to be!”

Cries of irrelevance rang out from all around.

No, it’s not irrelevant.

It’s more like, ‘They’re making us do *this* too?’

“…….”

This isn’t about handling victims or secondary damage—it’s closer to Pleroma extermination. It’s packaged as a rescue mission, but the essence is to treat the opposing team as Pleroma and eliminate them to prevent their rescue efforts.

At this point, Narce’s earlier words flash through my mind.

‘…He said we became enemies overnight.’

For real. Not just score rivals, but enemies to be taken down within the same field.

‘He used his ability here….’

I let out a hollow laugh and glanced at Team 1’s spot. Narce met my eyes and gave a bright smile.

Anyway, now there’s a problem.

Thanks to training with me every single day for two weeks, Narce knows my attack, defense, and strategic patterns inside out.

Leo, needless to say. Everything about my magic was shaped by him.

‘Hm….’

Two of the three formidable enemies on the opposing team know every detail about me. It’s a problematic situation, no doubt.

Then, Leo, who had been standing among the students with a troubled look, raised his hand, cast an amplification spell, and spoke toward the broadcasting room where the professor likely was.

“Professor, many of us feel it’s unfair to be informed of changes on the day of the exam.”

‘Looks like the kids got to him.’

He’s not the type to protest like that.

As expected, Elias, thinking the same, covered his mouth dramatically and chuckled.

[The academy has never provided prior notice regarding exam procedures. However, we acknowledge that students had sufficient grounds and motivation to assume this exam would follow the same format as the second exam. Therefore, we will provide one hour for strategy planning. Additionally, we have prepared training footage from the First Academy’s student militia, conducted in the same format as this exam. All teams, please proceed to the situation room on the second floor immediately.]

“…….”

“They had this ready all along?”

Yeah, they really did.

Nice move, smoothly transitioning to the next step.

As it concluded, students shouted in confusion.

“Professor, seriously…!”

“You said we just had to follow what’s stored in Mimesis…!”

The school would probably counter like this:

The field you’re being deployed to is also run by Mimesis, so it’s not a scam.

I should’ve learned in the Alps not to expect common sense from them.

I said to the stunned Team 3 students,

“Pretty shocking, huh?”

“Uh…”

“Should I go ask if they can at least keep the teammates as is?”

“Would that even work?”

The students muttered among themselves.

They were half out of it. And why wouldn’t they be? Being told to take an exam with teammates they’ve never trained with, in a format they’ve never practiced, isn’t a normal demand.

Looking at the dazed students, I said,

“This is exactly when we need to stay sharp. We’ve come this far; we can’t let ourselves get pushed out without showing our skills. Right?”

“…….”

“Right. And…”

Auguste Rosenheim, who had been quietly serious, spoke up with a grave face.

“I’m desperate for that 1-point bonus. You guys aiming for Team 1 might not get it, but… the score gap between Team 2 and Team 3 was brutal last time. If six people from other teams each get that 1 point and I don’t, I could easily slip to Team 3.”

“…Same here. I can’t afford to fail here.”

Florian, who had been standing with a dark expression, chimed in.

He relied heavily on team luck to make it through the second exam, so it’s natural he’s worried about failing.

“Got it. That settles it.”

I looked around at the students and said,

“Team 1 is a tough opponent. This is disorienting as hell, but let’s put other emotions aside and focus on our goal.”

“Yeah.”

The students responded, looking a bit more focused than before.

To lighten the mood, I gave a quick smile and nodded toward the stairs leading to the situation room.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

[Found it. Block Team B’s entry.]

In the footage, a mage from the First Academy touched a building and said so.

The teammates, who had been watching the video without blinking, finally paused it and shook their heads.

“Man, we have to find the victim ourselves too?”

“Probably. In real situations, you usually don’t know where they are.”

The exam itself wasn’t anything special.

Two teams, starting from opposite ends, must find multiple victims in the area and warp them to a rescue point.

Victims, in this case, are essentially game pieces. If it looks like the other team is about to find a victim, you have to interfere. From their perspective, our team is the Pleroma, and vice versa.

With that in mind, I leaned back in my chair.

Then, I noticed Yulia, sitting beside me, pulling out a bandage and wrapping it around her wand and hand. Watching her, I asked,

“That’s from the medical kit, right?”

Every exam, they hand out a medical kit.

It’s implemented within Mimesis, so anything used here can be used in Mimesis too.

It’s meant for treating injuries that hinder activity, but…

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“You can wrap it around the wand?”

“Yup, seems like it doesn’t matter how you use it~ I started training with it connected to my hand during the third training, and it worked well. Want me to wrap yours, Lucas?”

“Nah, I’m good. I prefer just holding it.”

Our team watched the footage one more time, and with 30 minutes left for strategy planning, we turned it off.

“Now we get how the exam works. We need to find the victim’s location first, but since the other team will attack us… we should prioritize strategies against them.”

“Yeah.”

I looked around at the students and said,

“First, Team 1 has Leonard Wittelsbach and Narce Farnese. Those two will handle everything from strategy to action, just like in the second exam.”

“Most likely. Especially Leonard Wittelsbach—he’s a strategy master. He’s the one we need to mark first.”

I nodded at Tsheringen’s words.

Elias, with a rare humorless expression, said,

“Yeah. Take out the strategist first.”

Exactly.

If the commander’s gone, the rest scatter like a mob, so it’s definitely the best approach.

The problem is, he’s the strongest in many ways, making it tough to pull off.

I looked up to check the team’s faces.

Among the five, Elias’s expression stood out as particularly grim.

I know why. I’m worried about the same thing.

“Guys, there’s something you need to know.”

As I spoke with a serious face, all eyes turned to me.

Looking around, I said,

“The biggest issue in this exam is something else. We need to focus on Narce Farnese this time.”

* * *

“We mark Lucas Askanian from the start.”

Leo said, placing a clipboard on the table.

“You get it, right? Let me emphasize again: Lucas Askanian is the brain and core of Team 3.”

Team 1 members nodded with serious faces.

They’d already gone over their strategy once, with only 10 minutes left until the exam started.

Leo reached out to Narce and said,

“Once we’re in, Narce will use his ability right away. He’ll tell you exactly what Lucas Askanian is thinking…”

Leo scanned the students with sharp eyes and said,

“And you block it.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep