Chapter 510: Evaluation For Freshmen and Seniors 4

SWIIISHHH!!!

The blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle.

ROOOAGGHH!!

A guttural roar tore through the forest as a towering A-class monster—part wolf, part armored lizard—was cleanly split in two.

Its glowing amber eyes dimmed as its body collapsed with a heavy thud, steam rising from its freshly carved corpse.

Reina stood still for a moment, her breathing steady but heavy.

She wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her gloved hand, golden strands of hair sticking to her forehead as she glanced upward at the sky.

A massive, glowing projection hovered above the battlefield, visible to all participants.

[POINT RANKING: REINA HELL — 16]

“Tch…” she clicked her tongue.

“Still not on the top ten, huh?” she muttered, slightly annoyed. “That was an A-class monster, you know…”

Her blue eyes scanned the skies again, irritation flickering across her face.

After nearly an hour of relentless hunting and non-stop movement, her name had only just cracked the top 50—landing her at rank sixteen.

That alone was a testament to her strength, especially given the steep competition among the freshmen.

But Reina wasn’t satisfied.

Not by a long shot.

“…Should I start hunting students now?” she asked herself, her hand gripping her blade tighter.

She wasn’t the type to enjoy picking fights unnecessarily—but this was a battlefield.

A real one.

And she had no intention of being anyone’s stepping stone.

The Evaluation Exam had officially begun.

Held deep within the sprawling northern forests near the academy, the terrain had been magically modified—amplifying mana density and increasing monster activity.

B-class creatures roamed freely, while A-class monsters appeared in scattered territories.

Occasionally, elite-type variants even spawned, each worth massive points for any student bold enough to take them down.

This wasn’t just some mock exercise.

It was a brutal, survival-based ranking war—where students were thrown into nature’s merciless embrace, tasked to survive, fight, and outperform one another.

There were only a few rules for this year’s special evaluation:

[1 Only freshmen and seniors from Class A and below were allowed to form teams, with a maximum limit of five members.]

[2 Senior participants, assigned as mentors for the past month, were prohibited from assisting their designated juniors during the event.]

[3 Top 10 freshmen and seniors of each department—the elite S-class students—were required to participate solo. No teammates. No help. A true test of their capabilities.]

Reina’s blue eyes lightly gleamed as she tied her golden blonde hair she looked at her points up above.

Her name being ranked 16th meant Reina was already among the elites—at least in terms of raw point accumulation.

But if she wanted to surpass the others—especially the monsters at the top of the list—there was only one real option left:

She had to fight other students.

Even with all the A-class monsters she’d hunted, the truth was clear.

Monster hunting alone wasn’t enough.

In the academy’s official point system, monster eliminations were graded by class:

[D-class monster – 10 points]

[C-class monster – 30 points]

[B-class monster – 50 points]

[A-class monster – 100 points]

Those numbers were fair—generous, even, for freshmen-level combatants.

But compared to the student rankings, they paled.

Combat between students awarded far more depending on the target’s classification:

[Class D student – 50 points]

[Class C student – 70 points]

[Class B student – 80 points]

[Class A student – 150 points]

[Class S student – 1000 points]

Yes.

1000 points.

That was the value of defeating a single S-class student—like herself.

And likewise… the danger of being hunted for that same reason.

Reina let out a quiet sigh, her sword resting on her shoulder as her crimson eyes glanced again at the holographic leaderboard hovering in the sky.

[#1 – ??? – Unknown Points]

[#2 – ??? – Unknown Points]

[#3 – ??? – Unknown Points]

…

[#16 – Reina Hell – 880 points]

“I didn’t want to resort to this… but I have no choice, do I?”

Her voice was quiet, almost regretful.

She didn’t like the idea of fighting fellow students.

Not because she lacked confidence—but because it felt…

Unnecessary.

Some of them weren’t even fighters.

Some were her friends.

Others were simply trying to survive this exam and pass like everyone else.

But Reina was different.

She was S-Class.

A member of the Hell family.

She had someone she needed to surpass.

She couldn’t afford to stay at 16th.

“It’s not like they’ll actually die anyway…”

Every student wore a special artifact bracelet, a powerful magical tool developed by the academy’s research division.

Designed with life-saving enchantments, these artifacts served as fail-safes for this brutal exam.

They absorbed most of the fatal damage from spells and weapons and automatically teleported the wearer to the academy’s medical center the moment their vitals dropped too low or their mind was about to collapse from the trauma of ‘death.’

It was, in a way… a second life.

No one truly died in the exam.

It was a new special guarantee the academy created to avoid all the scandals they’ve had so far.

“Haah…”

Letting out a steady breath, Reina calmly expanded her mana sense, preparing to scan the area once more for monsters—or potential threats.

The forest around her crackled faintly with tension, but she remained composed.

Until—

“Hallo~”

A light, sing-song voice echoed from behind her, casual and playful—completely mismatched with the atmosphere of the brutal evaluation exam.

Reina’s expression immediately soured.

Her eyes narrowed as she spun around in an instant, blade half-unsheathed and her guard instinctively up.

Her mood plummeted.

“Tsk… Why are you here?” she asked sharply, her tone edged with obvious annoyance.

The girl floating lazily in the air giggled, descending softly atop an invisible spirit mount that shimmered like glass in the moonlight.

“Hey, hey~ Is that any way to greet your best friend? I might actually cry, you know~” she said in mock offense, cupping her cheek dramatically.

“First of all, you’re not my best friend,” Reina snapped.

“Second, even if we’re technically friends, we’re enemies in this exam.”

Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword.

“And lastly—scram.”

The other girl pouted.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk~ You’re always so uptight, Reina. That attitude of yours is why you don’t have many friends, you know~”

Her words were playful, but Reina could feel the deliberate provocation layered beneath each one.

Landing gently on the ground, Flamme tilted her head, her light gray hair falling like silken threads over her shoulder.

Her equally pale eyes flicked toward the glowing leaderboard high above the forest trees.

“Hmm~ Still not in the top 10, huh?”

She grinned with a sing-song chuckle.

Reina’s brow twitched violently.

“Do you want me to change that right now?” she growled, her voice low as she fully drew her sword, its cold steel glinting under the moonlight.

Flamme simply smiled wider, unfazed.

“So scary~” she chimed, twirling her finger in the air.

“You can try, but trust me—you’ll only end up embarrassing yourself~”

Reina took a deep breath through her nose, doing her best to stay calm despite the mounting urge to strike her.

In truth… Flamme was annoying.

Really, incredibly annoying.

But even Reina had to admit something.

Beneath that smug grin and playful tone, Flamme wasn’t just some whimsical girl with a big mouth.

She was powerful.

The strongest among the first years—undisputed.

And Reina knew it.

That was the problem.

That was the only reason she hadn’t attacked her yet.

Reina clicked her tongue and sheathed her blade with a frustrated sigh.

“Sigh… So why exactly are you here?” Reina asked, letting out a long breath as she crossed her arms.

“Don’t tell me you came all this way just to eliminate me?”

Flamme giggled, a teasing lilt in her voice as she twirled a lock of her gray hair between her fingers.

“Fufu~ As fun as that sounds, it also sounds terribly boring.”

Reina’s brow twitched.

Her patience was already wearing thin.

“You’re starting to piss me off, you know that?”

Flamme shrugged, still smiling with that same unreadable grin.

“Look, I know you hate me—though I still can’t imagine why~ Even someone as great as myself is left clueless about that one.”

She tapped her cheek thoughtfully.

“But… let’s put our differences aside for now, Reina. I actually need your help”

“Huh?”

Reina blinked. Of all the things she expected Flamme to say, that was not on the list.

“Come on~ Let’s rack up some points together, yeah?”

Flamme’s voice was sweet—suspiciously sweet.

Reina narrowed her eyes.

“You do realize us S-Class students aren’t allowed to team up, right? The academy made that rule very clear.”

“I know, I know~” Flamme said, waving her hand casually.

“But trust me… points aren’t the only thing being evaluated in this little exam.”

Reina didn’t respond. Her expression remained skeptical.

Flamme’s smile widened, as if she was waiting for that exact reaction.

“You really haven’t noticed it yet, have you?”

“Noticed what, exactly?” Reina asked warily.

Flamme turned her gaze upward and gestured toward the massive floating screen above the forest canopy.

“Look up.”

Reina followed her gaze.

The glowing scoreboard shimmered in the sky, its presence omnipresent throughout the forest.

It was constantly updating, showcasing the current rankings of the students participating in the exam.

“Well?” Flamme asked, grinning.

Reina studied the names and numbers but found nothing particularly unusual—until a few seconds passed, and something finally clicked.

The scoreboard wasn’t just showing students.

It was only showing freshmen.

“…There’s no seniors listed,”

“Exactly~” Flamme purred.

“If this is really about assessing the growth of juniors through their interaction with seniors… then why are all the rankings so… oddly incomplete?”

With a flick of her finger, Flamme brought up a secondary screen.

Only visible to her—and now Reina.

She smiled mischievously.

“Here, let me show you the real scoreboard.”

The leaderboard shimmered, flickering like a projection trying to hide something.

[#1 – ??? – Unknown Points]

→ [#1 – FLAMME – 87,200 Points]

[#2 – ??? – Unknown Points]

→ [#2 – VANESSA – 9,820 Points]

[#3 – ??? – Unknown Points]

→ [#3 – STACIA – 6,400 Points]

Reina’s eyes narrowed.

“The top three names… they were hidden until now? ….. Stacia ranked up again as well….”

Flamme nodded.

“Yep~ A special privilege, only for the top three performers in the entire evaluation. We get to hide our names and exact scores from everyone else…”

Her voice trailed off before smirking.

“But in return, our locations get pinged every 30 minutes—publicly—on the screen above.”

“…Risk and reward, huh?” Reina muttered.

“Exactly~ And guess what?” Flamme tapped her own chest proudly.

“Only we—the top three—can see each other’s true names and scores. Think of this as a special privilege I’m sharing with you… my dear, uptight best friend~”

Reina grumbled.

“Now~ Now, don’t get all annoyed just yet,” Flamme said with a sing-song tone, twirling a knife-shaped mana construct in her hand. “There’s actually much to do. This sort of setup? It’s way too suspicious, don’t you think?”

Reina crossed her arms.

Her expression remained stern, but the furrow of her brow hinted that she was listening.

“Even if that’s the case, seniors not being on the top 10 rankings could still be explained,” she said coolly. “You do get more points for defeating a senior, right? And not just a bit—double the normal amount based on their class.”

Flamme nodded along, smiling as if amused by a child trying to solve a riddle.

“It’s only natural they’re being targeted,” Reina continued, ignoring her tone. “I even saw a bunch of A-Class freshmen earlier plotting to gang up on a single B-rank senior. And let’s not forget—” she glanced at Flamme, “judging by the absurd amount of points you have, I assume you’ve already dealt with your fair share of seniors too?”

“Fufu~ Guilty as charged~” Flamme said, mockingly raising her hand.

“But even that doesn’t explain what’s wrong with the rankings.”

“Huh?” Reina blinked.

Flamme sighed dramatically.

“Gosh, why are you always this slow? You’re supposed to be a top knight, in your deparment right? she pouted. “Okay, let me spell it out for you: even if all the things you said were true—even if seniors were being hunted down for points, or waiting to join the fray later—it still doesn’t explain why none of the top 10 seniors from the knight or mage department are on the leaderboard.”

Reina frowned. She hadn’t thought about that detail too deeply before.

“They’re supposed to be the pinnacle of the academy,” Flamme said, more serious now. “Our goals. Our benchmarks. The elite who trained with archons and graduated dungeons solo… And not a single one of them has made it into the visible rankings yet?”

She tilted her head.

“Don’t you think that’s strange?”

Reina’s expression tightened.

Now that she thought about it… it was strange.

She had seen several seniors hunting monsters and mentoring students across the northern side of the forest.

It wasn’t like they were absent or asleep.

And yet, not even one had breached the top of the board?

Not even her own monstrous like brother’s name was there.

That made no sense.

“I get what you’re saying,” Reina admitted, her voice more thoughtful now, “but… why exactly is this such a big deal?”

“Huh?” Flamme blinked, then gave her an exasperated sigh.

“I mean… if the top seniors haven’t shown up yet, that just gives us more time to solidify our ranks. Isn’t that a good thing?” Reina said. “Once they start moving, most of the freshmen—even us—are going to be knocked off the board. So, this is our chance to rack up as much as we can before then.”

Flamme smiled—but it wasn’t her usual playful smirk.

This one was quieter.

Sharper.

“Unless…” Flamme’s voice dipped into a lower, almost conspiratorial tone. “They’re not going to appear at all.”

Reina’s brows furrowed as she narrowed her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Fufu… you really are such a simple-minded idiot sometimes, you know that?”

“What did you just say—?”

“Relax,” Flamme waved her hand, amused. “No need to swing that around. I’m not trying to insult you… well, maybe a little”

She stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with mischief and a sharp edge of truth.

“You really think the top seniors—those freakishly strong monsters we’ve all heard and seen about—are just going to wander around and let themselves be hunted like normal students?”

Reina opened her mouth to argue but paused.

“Look at the point classifications again,” Flamme said, voice calm now, almost instructional. “You get more points the stronger the monster—or student—you defeat, right?”

The information clicked like falling dominoes in Reina’s mind.

“You notice something missing right?”

Monster Rankings:

D-Class: 10 points

C-Class: 30 points

B-Class: 50 points

A-Class: 100 points

Student Classifications:

Class D: 50 points

Class C: 70 points

Class B: 80 points

Class A: 150 points

Class S: 1,000 points

“Yup~” Flamme grinned like a cat who just caught a bird. “The reason the top seniors aren’t moving… is because they were never meant to be treated like other student targets in the first place. They’ve been classified as monsters. Literal S-Class ‘boss monsters,’ worth more than any student alive.”

Reina’s jaw clenched.

“In fact—” Flamme continued, “after I took first place in the leaderboard, a special message popped up just for me.” She twirled her mana knife again lazily as she recalled the words.

“It said: The top ten seniors of each department are now considered elite monsters. Each one defeated awards 10,000 points.”

She clapped her hands softly. “Isn’t that so generous of the academy? A proper free-for-all, no matter which one we pick~”

Reina’s eyes widened, her brain catching up to the implication.

“And it just so happens,” Flamme’s grin widened, “I found the location of one of those waiting seniors. I tracked their mana signature myself.”

She turned to Reina with a playful wink. “That’s why I need your help. Actually, not just yours—I’ll probably need everyone on the leaderboard too. Even I can’t handle this one alone, it’ll be beneficial for you as well you want to rack up more points right?”

Reina stared at her, almost stunned.

“You’re insane. You know the rules—S-Class students can’t form teams or collaborate. It’s part of the restrictions of our ranking.”

“Tch, screw the rules,” Flamme said bluntly, flicking her hair with a roll of her eyes. “You think the professors care about that? What they really care about is the performance. The spectacle. The points might be how they measure us on paper, but the real judgment happens in those observation towers. They’re watching us right now, Reina. Every move we make.”

Reina gritted her teeth, but didn’t speak.

“So,” Flamme said softly, her voice lowering once more, “how about we give them a show?”

She leaned closer, her lips just a breath away from Reina’s ear as she whispered,

“Let’s go fight the Archmage of Light in the heart of the forest.”

Reina felt a cold chill crawl down her spine.

There was only one person that title could refer to.

‘Rose Brilliance’

“You’re crazy…”

Reina muttered.

That was all she could say.

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