Chapter 111: Final Evaluation (1)

If you asked cadets attending a hero academy what the most important thing was, nine out of ten would answer without hesitation that it was the overall ranking. Whether they were a superhuman blessed with the soul stigmata of the Seven Gods or a savior destined to protect humanity from demons and demonic monsters, heroes were still human in the end, just like any ordinary person without a soul stigmata. At their core, humans lived for their own benefit and comfort.

Heroes were no different. Even though every cadet held the same status while attending the academy, once they graduated, their paths diverged dramatically. Some would return to their home countries to assume prestigious positions or join powerful guilds and live in luxury. Some would scrape by in mid- or low-tier guilds. Others would end up in no-name mercenary bands, crawling through mud as bottom-rank soldiers.

It was no wonder cadets were obsessed with their overall rankings. And these rankings were dependent on a few key factors.

First was class attitude and diligence. This actually didn’t carry much weight, as compared to others. As long as one wasn’t completely incompetent, this wouldn’t dramatically impact their ranking.

Second was the bonus points a cadet could earn during class. This didn’t matter much for the mid- and lower-ranked cadets, but for top-ranked cadets, it could significantly affect their standings.

Finally, the last was the midterm and final evaluations. These, especially the final evaluation, had the most impact on a cadet’s ranking. It was no exaggeration to say that a cadet’s entire semester’s performance hinged on this one exam.

The final evaluation was usually a party-based assessment. Grades obtained during this assessment could vary greatly depending on party composition, so the academy always turned into a chaotic marketplace during exam season.

When I stepped into the lecture hall, it felt more like I had walked into a cult gathering, thick with heat and madness. Conversations were taking place in every corner.

“Hey Morris, did you find a party for the finals yet?”

“I-if you don’t mind, do you want to team up with me?”

“Anyone from the Mage Division still without a party?”

“Hey, are you out of your mind? Why the hell would you make a five-man team with five warriors?”

“How was I supposed to know? I don’t have any contacts in the Support or Mage Divisions!”

“Damn it! We need supports! SUPPORT-TYPE MEMBERS, WHERE ARE YOU?”

“Looking for a strong party member for the finals! No deadweight, freeloaders will be expelled on sight!”

It was a mess, and that was normal. If cadets didn’t form a party within the allotted time, they would be randomly assigned one through the dreaded lucky-draw system. No wonder everyone was desperate.

In my past life, I had gotten stuck in that stupid lucky-draw system every time. I still remembered the look of utter misery on the faces of the cadets whose party I was forced into. It stung, even now. But this time, the situation was different.

I leaned back in my seat at the back of the lecture hall and crossed my legs, watching the frenzied party-seekers with a relaxed expression. “Hmmmm.”

The cadets’ eyes all gradually turned toward me. Well, that was natural. Usually, Support and Mage Division cadets were treated like nobles, especially compared to the Warrior Division cadets, who were common and were greater in number. But that was only true in normal circumstances. When it came to top-tier Warrior cadets, it was actually the Mage and Support cadets who lined up, hoping to party with them.

My current academic ranking wasn’t even close to the top. Officially, I was near the bottom. Unofficially, however, the common belief was that I was easily in the top five of the entire Warrior Division.

I had earned that reputation. During the Sealing Ritual, I had cut down dozens of demonic monsters. Besides, I had also overwhelmed Assistant Instructor Vincent in our sparring class. Those moments had become hot topics within the academy.

In other words, based on reputation alone, I was considered on par with top Warrior cadets like Yurina, Morris, and Camilla. Surely, plenty of cadets were eager to recruit someone like me.

I’m no longer some cursed leftover nobody wants, like in my past life. Ah! What a wretched time that was, I thought.

Rotten stock, dead weight, expired garbage: all those humiliating insults from my past life came rushing back and made my chest tighten. I thought I had forgotten stuff like this, given everything I went through in my past life. But they say the trauma you experience in school stays with you forever. No matter how much time passed, the shame and helplessness I felt during those years were etched in my memory.

Things were different now. In my past life, I was the one groveling. Now, I was the one they had to bow to. Back then, I was untouchable, in a bad way. Now, I was untouchable, but in a noble way.

Come! Come wag your tails for me, you bastards!

I smirked at the cadets casting hopeful glances in my direction. But, something didn’t feel right. They were continuing their conversations without ever once mentioning me.

“Damn! We still need more Warrior types.”

“Anyone decent from the Warrior Division?”

“Should we ask Yuren?”

“Come on. You think Yuren would join our party?”

“What about Camilla?”

“Camilla would be great, but she’s probably following the Saintess, no matter what.”

“Yeah, true.”

“Oh! What about Jules? Jules Kang?”

“Already asked. He’s with that party of rich kids from the Republic.”

“Damn! Even here, it’s all about connections?”

“Seriously, this isn’t fair. How are broke kids like us supposed to find a party?”

“I heard most of the top Warrior cadets have already joined parties.”

“Ugh. Is no one left?”

“No choice. Let’s try asking Felix.”

“Felix is great and all, but his personality is kind of…”

I couldn’t believe it. I thought, Wait. Are you serious? At this rate, am I going to get stuck with the lucky draw again? What the hell is this? I mean, okay. Fine. I can accept losing out to Yurina or Camilla. But how the hell am I losing to Jules and Felix too?!

Weren’t they all saying I was stronger than Yurina just a few weeks ago? Making such a big deal out of it? Shouldn’t they be begging me to join their parties? Throwing themselves at my feet like a swarm of bees? But why aren’t they approaching me?Why isn’t a single person coming to ask me to join their party?

The conversations continued.

“Ugh, seriously, there’s no one left to recruit.”

“I already feel like I’ve failed this exam.”

“Let’s try convincing someone from the Support Division first. I heard if you get someone from their party, it’s easier to recruit top-ranking Warriors too.”

I let out a deep sigh, unable to understand what was going on. So much for being famous among the fourth-years. Was all that talk just nonsense?

Suddenly, Raios’s words flashed through my mind.

“Ahh, right. That weirdo. The guy among the third-year cadets who hides his real skills and intentionally tanks his evaluation scores.”

That was when it finally clicked. “Ah!”

I realized the reason behind this baffling situation. The rumors had it that I was deliberately scoring low in the evaluations. In other words, from the cadets’ perspective, I was someone with a weird obsession for bad grades, no matter how skilled I was.

“What the fuck….”

Who would want to sit in last place? Honestly, I didn’t care much about academic grades. What mattered more was recruiting allies and preparing for the coming disaster. Grades were the least of my concerns.

Still, this situation was kind of pissing me off. I hadn’t expected the label of bottom ranker that haunted me in my previous life to follow me here as well. As I buried my head in my hands, groaning in frustration, a familiar voice tickled my ears.

“Um, this is Dale’s class, right?”

The voice belonged to Yurina. The moment she appeared in the classroom in Yuren’s disguise, murmurs erupted in every corner.

“Ah! I-it’s Yuren!”

“Yuren Helios from Class A, right? The heir to the Knight of the Sun.”

“Rumor has it he’s stronger than the professors.”

“Damn! He’s seriously good-looking.”

“What’s Yuren doing in Class C?”

Yurina seemed used to the attention and calmly walked over to me. “There you are, Dale.”

“What’s up?” I replied.

“Oh, well, I wanted to ask…” She glanced around cautiously before continuing, “For the final evaluation, want to team up with me?”

I had no words to reply. Was I expecting this? Well, yes. Yurina and I had been training together nearly every day. We were on good terms, so I figured we would probably end up in the same party. Still, thinking about it and hearing it out loud were two completely different things. Especially in a moment like this, when I had just been feeling let down by everyone.

Overcome with emotion, I pulled her into a sudden hug. “I knew I could count on you, Yuren!”

She looked startled, eyes darting around nervously. “Uh, huh? Dale?”

Then she let out a small cough, her face turning red. “W-well, I can trust your skills, Dale.”

I pounded my chest with a grin. “Heh. Just leave it to me.”

As Yurina and I were chatting and laughing, Iris approached us. “Hm. So, the fourth member of our party will be Yuren?”

“Huh?” I couldn’t find any other words to say. I just looked at her.

Our party? Fourth member?

“Um? Why are you looking at me like that?” Iris said.

“Wait, did we ever talk about forming a party together?” I asked.

Iris tilted her head like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “No? But do we need to say it out loud? You, Camilla, and I are obviously in the same party. Don’t tell me… Were you planning to recruit someone else from the Support Division?”

I quickly shook my head and forced an awkward smile. “Oh, come on, who could possibly be better than you, our dear Saintess?”

So, that means our party will be me, Yurina, Camilla, and Iris? I thought.

The heir to the Knight of the Sun, the next candidate for the Sword of the Holy Empire, and the Saintess herself, all in one party? It looked like I could finally get to be number one for the first time in my life. If we didn’t win first place, it would be ridiculous. Even before the final evaluation began, I was already mentally celebrating victory.

Then, Camilla came over and asked, “By the way, do you have someone in mind for the last party member?”

I pondered it. “Hm, the last one, huh.”

I couldn’t call on Berald since he was in a different year, and I had heard that Jules had already joined another party. Honestly, with a lineup like this, it could be better to add someone weaker.

The main focus of the final evaluation was on the party’s overall performance. But within that, each individual’s contribution was also assessed, and bonus points were awarded, and those bonus points could be pretty significant.

It was a kind of balancing measure, to discourage top-ranking cadets from forming all-star parties. In other words, cadets had to weigh whether they wanted a high group score or individual contribution bonuses. Given that, our already stacked party didn’t need any more strong competitors.

“Maybe we should just leave the last spot to the lucky draw?” I suggested.

Iris and Yurina nodded.

“Hmm! I don’t really want to team up with someone I don’t know, but I guess we don’t have a choice.”

“Agreed.”

I smirked and silently offered condolences to our soon-to-be last party member.

Too bad for whoever gets randomly assigned to our group. Let’s be real, who among the remaining cadets could make a meaningful contribution to this team? Well, it’s not really my problem.

***

On the day of the final evaluation, the last member of our party, drawn at random, turned out to be a familiar face.

He had a freckled face with a clueless expression. The cadet who kept darting his eyes around nervously introduced himself. “Uh! H-hi? M-my name’s Albert! Albert Hoover!”

It was Albert Hoover, the so-called Chosen One, who became the last member of our party.

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