Once the one-week break was over, classes started up again with a cruel swiftness. The professors restructured their courses to fit the missed lessons. They couldn't push back midterms since the schedule had already been set far in advance. So the students buckled in and crammed. Suho too.
Attending courses, volunteering at the temple after class, training in his free time with Sunghyun—it became his new normal. The episodes never came back, for better or for worse. And soon that anxiety was replaced by another, far more imminent one:
APRIL 2041
2 MONTHS INTO THE SPRING SEMESTER
MIDTERM EXAMS
“Wow, look at all those dreary faces,” Taehoon, 2-4’s brick wall of a homeroom teacher greeted as students streamed in.
They’d just finished written exams the day before. The kids were mentally exhausted. And they were about to get physically exhausted too.
“Now, despite how tired you are, you must all know what’s coming up,” he said as the students settled in.
Groans came from here and there.
“As your homeroom lecturer, it’s my job to explain the guidelines for the practical exam to you,” he continued. “These can be found in the student handbook, but it’s best to clear out your questions here, in case there’s anything you’re curious about.”
He clicked on the huge screen behind him, a presentation appearing.
“The second year midterm is very different from the first year midterm,” Taehoon explained, clicking to the next slide. “In your first year, you just had to prove yourself against a measuring device. For the second year—as you must have heard from your seniors already—you have to face real, living monsters.”
Nods and murmurs of affirmation. Everybody knew. It was the infamous shift, right in the middle of your time at the academy. Most of the kids who dropped out did so after not being able to handle this.
“I know it may seem daunting, but the academy is on your side,” he said. “A full catalog of the monsters you may encounter can be found on the website. And although it’s possible to be injured, there has never been a single fatality during this exam. All monsters are marked with paralysis spells that can be remotely activated at any time by test proctors, courtesy of our amazing magic department.”
A couple cheers came from the students. It was only at a school like this that something so complex could be used for an exam.
“You can choose to bow out at any time, so don’t go past your limits recklessly just to make it to the end. Remember: safety is the first priority! This is for a grade, not your life.”
There were nods of agreement from all around. Though inevitably every year there were a few students who refused to give up, and proctors had to forcefully remove them for their own good.
Click. Taehoon went to the next slide, which depicted a satellite map of a forested island the shape of a teardrop.
“The midterm will be an individual challenge,” he explained. “You will all be sent to this sector of the academy’s private island.”
The section was highlighted in red. It was in the northern half of land mass, borders stopping just short of the shoreline.
“Magic barriers will keep both you and the monsters inside the testing area,” Taehoon said. “Your task is simple: survive for 10 days inside this area while collecting points by killing monsters.”
He clicked to the next slide. A grid of photos showing different species of monsters came up.
“Different monsters have different point values,” he explained. “They will not be noted anywhere on the monsters during the exam, so check the catalog provided and write them down! You are allowed to bring your own written notes into the exam area. I also highly recommend doing research on the terrain and flora that will be present.”
“Professor!”
One student’s hand shot up, a male cadet on the right side of the classroom.
“Yes?”
“Does the catalog on the site also include what flora will be present?”
“No, it does not—but there is a comprehensive guide available on the site for all flora known to spawn in gates. You may find it helpful.”
“Oh… Thank you.”
The student deflated. No one wanted to read an entire encyclopedia just to maybe get an idea of what plants will be around. Especially not right after written exams had just finished. Suho scribbled that information down though, determined to check it out later.
“The bare minimum requirements for passing are… ”
Taehoon counted them on his fingers.
“Number 1: survive for all 10 days in the testing area. There is no plumbing, no electricity—it’s just the wilderness. You must make it all 10 days. And number 2: collect at least 100 points.”
He glanced around at the dejected faces in the room. 10 days without proper facilities would sound like a horrible experience to anyone, let alone kids who were generally from wealthy backgrounds. They had survival skill classes at National, but that didn't mean the kids wanted to do it for real.
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“The more points you earn from this, the higher your rank will move afterwards,” he said, finally catching their interest.
Right. The midterm was one of the few opportunities where they could change their ranking. And that also meant if they slacked off, they’d end up lower than where they started. A couple gazes flicked towards Suho. He was still unranked. But it wouldn't be for long.
“Points can be traded among students, and they can also be used to purchase survival goods from the exam store.”
Taehoon clicked to the next slide.
“The store can be accessed through your smartwatches,” he said. “It will open on the first night, the fifth night, and the final night. So think about what you will need, how much they’ll cost, and how to ration what you get. Again, the store catalog is available to you ahead of time, so you can start planning right away.”
Finally, students began to dig in and take notes, the sound of pencils and pens scribbling filling the room. These were details about the exam they hadn’t heard about or been fully sure of until now. The exact nights the store would be open, what they could buy… They needed to get on it quickly, or else the exam might turn into a living hell.
Suho, too, was already beginning to think about what he might need. He hadn't browsed the full store yet, but looking at the examples on the slide, he could see pots, pans, fire starters… As long as he got the points needed to buy them during the exam, he could make it work.
“The information for where the monsters are going to be will not be released,” Taehoon said. “You will have to look for them on your own, whether by tracking or by luck.”
Another hand shot up, this time a female student a few rows back.
“What’s the highest ranked species that will be present?” she asked.
“There are a few B-rank mid-bosses. The specific types are in the catalog, but the highest is B-rank.”
“Woah…”
Mumbles went through the students. B-rank was intimidating, especially if they’d never fought real monsters before.
“But don’t worry too much,” Taehoon quickly added, giving them a reassuring smile. “Those will be hard to come across. Many are specifically ‘hidden’ by the proctors so only those who really feel like they can take them on will be able to make the choice to confront them.”
A few sighs of relief accompanied by more groans. The challenge ahead of them was a lot to take in. But they had to face it, sooner or later.
“Just study up and do your best,” Taehoon said. “And remember: safety first!”
⊕
Waiting outside of 2-4 was Sunghyun, leaning against the wall. He glanced over once Suho finally emerged.
“Your class finished early,” Suho remarked.
Sunghyun joined him as they headed back towards the dorm buildings.
“Our homeroom prof isn't very talkative,” he replied. “There’s still a week left until the practical, so a lot of people skipped.”
Suho frowned.
“They'll be unprepared,” he said.
“They think they’ll be fine.” Sunghyun shrugged. “How are you feeling about it? It’s real monsters this time.”
Suho gave him a slightly confused look, and then he realized where his mistake had been. He was talking to the student with by far the most battle experience against real monsters in the entire school. Possibly in the school’s history.
“I mean, are you worried about anything?” he corrected.
“Worried…”
Suho trailed off, thinking. He did have a lot of concerns—things he needed to keep in mind, to straighten out, to plan for—but real worries…
“…The investigation,” he finally replied. “They haven’t concluded it yet.”
Sunghyun raised an eyebrow.
“About the orc incident?” he asked.
“Mhm.”
He glanced across the hall as they moved towards the exit of the school building. Students filled it, milling about, talking with friends, looking for classrooms. But just a month ago it had been covered in concrete dust and debris, monsters ravaging the campus outside.
The administration and the Bureau hadn't been able to close the investigation into the origins of the incident. They couldn't even locate any gate that they might've come from—it was like the orcs had been dropped onto campus out of thin air. People were still puzzled at how such an event had occurred.
“I’m worried about that,” Suho said.
“Are you worried it'll happen again?” Sunghyun asked.
He was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then shook his head.
“I don't know,” he replied. “I guess I’m just not used to stuff being left open-ended like this.”
Sunghyun sighed.
“That’s true. I’ve been fielding concerns left and right about how the school’s going to deal with midterms when the last incident hasn't even been concluded. I've got nothing I can tell them. We just have to keep going.”
“You've worked hard.”
Sunghyun chuckled.
“Maybe Yuna had the right strategy, acting distant and cold,” he joked. “They don't bother her like this.”
The valedictorian had very few official duties, but unofficially, people expected him to do a little bit of everything. It had gotten a little easier to bear now that he had somebody to complain to, though.
“Have you thought about making a team for midterms?” Sunghyun asked.
“I thought it was an individual test.”
“You’re graded individually, but you’re allowed to work together. A lot of people do it.”
“Would you team up with me?”
“It’d be fun, but…” Sunghyun sent him an awkward smile. “Our roles overlap too much. We’d end up fighting each other for points.”
That made sense. They were both melee-types. If they traveled together, they’d end up having to share the monsters they tracked down. Their grades would end up lower than if they’d just gone solo.
“Have you asked Kitae?” Sunghyun asked.
Ranged students tended to team up for safety. And Kitae wouldn't be a bad ally to have. Suho shook his head.
“I didn't ask, but… he said he planned to try it alone.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah. Something about wanting to see how much damage he can do on his own.”
That certainly seemed like something Kitae would try. Even the first shot he had taken during the entrance exam was a test bullet—like the control to an experiment.
“I guess we’ll be splitting up for the test then,” Sunghyun remarked. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out.”
They stepped out of the building, warm spring sunlight bathing them. Sunghyun nodded towards his dorm in the distance.
“I’ll be going,” he said. “See you later.”
“See you later.”
They headed in different directions. Sunghyun glanced briefly over his shoulder, eyeing Suho’s back.
The color of his aura was the same. Crystalline, reflective, glittering different colors in the sun.
Sunghyun had asked Suho about his worries. But he had a couple of his own.
The stress of midterms could bring the best and worst out of people. If they were all going to be traveling separately…
Suho could deal with monsters, no problem.
But could he deal with the people he might meet?
Sunghyun tried not to think about it.