“Good morning class. I have news. Your first special test is finally prepared.” Mirai said. Everyone just looked at her with eyebrows up. Nobody knew what she was talking about. “...I guess I didn't explain this, didn't I? Well, basically, to judge if the special class can continue to exist, all of you will have to go out on the field and do stuff, all related to your fields.”

“Like a military unit of some sort?” Katia asked.

“More or less that. The basics of this test, and very possibly all the other ones in the future, is that you will be sent somewhere with a problem and you will have to resolve it in a determinate amount of time. Depending on what and how you do things, you will be graded not just by the academy but by people in power in the area you will go to. The special class has a lot of privileges that can only be awarded to it due to those people and we have to show that they aren't making a bad investment.” Mirai explained. Mia couldn't help but agree with her point. When you invest into something you want to see if you are getting whatever you invested back.

“When is this test?” Luminus asked.

“Tomorrow. After the classes end today you will be given the contents of the test along with a letter explaining what you will do for those that aren't in the care of the academy so you can give it to your guardians. You are not to participate in club activities or anything similar today. Some basic supplies will be given but all of you will have to procure anything extra you think you might need as well as a way to transport it.” Mira explained.

“Is this an individual test or a group one?” Narissa asked.

“Both. You will be graded both on what you did related to what you have to do and how the group did overall.”

With that the day continued like normal. Mia was very giddy. She couldn't help but imagine what they were going to do.

During lunch the class discussed what they were going to do but without knowing exactly what they were going to do and where they would go, they would just walk around in circles. Maybe getting extra supplies on little time was also part of the test. Narissa explained that it was not uncommon that small military forces had hours to get ready for a long period of combat.

The physical classes were on the lighter side as it was expected that everyone would go around getting what they think they would need.

Once the classes ended, everyone was gathered in their classroom and the documents cited before were given.

Their test would consist of a 1-week deployment as a special military unit. About 2 days ago a coastal city in a country north of Azuria was hit by everything that could go wrong. First an earthquake generated a tsunami that washed over part of the city. Then a dungeon appeared and to finish things off a giant gang of bandits from the area are trying to siege the rest of the city. The military of the area is doing their best but they can only do so much by themselves. Various relief forces from allied nations are being sent and the class was going to be one of them.

Their job was to do what they could to help. They would be teleported straight to the city but once there they were on their own. As for their individual tasks, or more like guidelines they had to follow:

Mathias, Moon, Kaki and Luminus were to act as the front line of the group. Be it going to fight on the front lines or guarding people and/or places.

Katia was to help the people in charge of the city to reestablish the government there since a lot of people in charge of important stuff died.

Cassandra was to help the merchants there re-open the markets in a way that won't put the citizens of the city more in the red than they are. Food in a crisis is indeed more expensive but there should be a limit and she was to at least make sure nobody was going hungry if they had the money to buy food. There was still a supply line into and out of the city so goods were circulating there, just slowly.

Shishen and Klaws were to help with rescue and relief efforts. Shishen healing and Klaws was to take part in the more physical part of rescue. Stuff like lifting the rest of houses or breaking walls.

Narissa was to help the military groups there mount a strategy to deal with the bandits and take command of the fighters in the special class if needed.

As for Mia. She had to deal with the dungeon.

“Why is Mia in charge of conquering a dungeon alone?” Everyone more or less asked the same question.

“The dungeon is an underwater dungeon and there isn't anyone available that can conquer it as fast as we need it. The dungeon is still small but since no one can enter it, it will grow uncontrollably to lure people to it. The area is very mana rich so it can feed on it.” Mirai explained.

“Mia can't breathe underwater.” Narissa said.

“I actually can.” Mia said. “I can create an air bubble around my head and breathe.” She said as she first made a water ball around her head and then created a bubble of hair she could breathe. She would have to get a little more creative to actually move underwater but that wasn't really a problem.

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“Well, now you are on your own. I will meet all of you here as normal tomorrow. Bye.” Mirai said before quickly leaving.

“Is there anything you guys think we will need?” Cassandra asked.

“Food. Lots of food. I can see the academy giving us just the bare minimum to survive and I know that we eat a lot more than the bare minimum.” Mia says.

“Even if I brought food, I don't have a way to get all the way there. Did you see where we are going? It's the Lagosa Kingdom. They barely have roads, much less a way for us to get the amount of food you are thinking there in less than a week.” Cassandra explained.

“If you can get all the food here just before we leave I can hold it for about an hour. I learned how to create these pocket dimensions that allow me to carry stuff without really much effort. Here, see for yourself.” Mia created a basic pocket space and put a few chairs they had in the classroom there. A few moments later, after she walked a little, she got them out. “I can maintain stuff inside one for around an hour. More if you have an item that can handle my mana for longer.” Mia explained.

“What do you mean?” Katia asked.

“If I want to move this pocket space I need to create its opening somewhere or on something that I close from the outside world, like a bag or a room. At the moment I use a small space inside my hand but it isn’t very good as I can't maintain it for more than one hour as I am constantly using mana for other stuff.”

“Do you think you can teach me that?” Cassandra asked.

“It's the principal that is teaching me. You ask him.”

“...Ok. How much should I bring?”

“I can consistently create a space around half the space of the classroom.”

“... Just this once I will help you all for free. I will bring food for everyone but I want help protecting it and selling it.” Cassandra said. Nobody really had a problem with that.

A few more ideas were tossed around but anything they would need, they would get individually.

They soon parted ways and Mia found herself at home a few minutes later.

“Welcome back. Early today.” Marry said in surprise as he saw Mia and Onyx enter the house.

“I have a special test tomorrow and I need to prepare. Here, there is a letter explaining it.” Mia said before giving the letter to her mother.

“Let me see it.” Marry said as she began to read the letter. Any cheerfulness in her face left once she finished reading the letter. ”Mia, I am going out for a while. Please watch the house.”

“Ok.”

After storing her belongings in her room, Mia took a book that the head of the book club lent her and began to read in the living room. It wouldn't take long until the rest of her family began to arrive so she had to be somewhere they could see each other.

15 minutes later at a guard station

“...I can't believe I am saying this, but we need to allow her to go.” Huang said to Marry.

“Why? It's a battlefield there, right? I don't want to send my daughter to something like that.” Marry complained somewhat angrily.

“That it may be but if we truly want what is best for our daughter we need to trust the academy. I don't believe that Mia's master would send her to a death trap.”

“Huang! I...I...I don't want to lose my daughter again...” Marry said, almost crying. She was distressed but not solely by the contents of Mia's test.

“My love. Here.” Huang said as he hugged Marry. “I know you have bad memories about the contents of the letter but we can't let our fears block her path. Besides, from what I am hearing, Mia is probably stronger than you now.” Huang said, trying to cheer Marry up.

“Shut up...Mia is our baby girl and she needs our protection.” Marry said, pouting.

“Better?”

“Better.” Marry said before giving Huang a kiss.

“Now that you calmed down. Let me reassure you that I don't plan to just let things happen. I have something in mind so can you please go back home and get Mia ready for me?”

“...Sure.”

After Marry left, Huang asked his superior if he could take the rest of the day off to help his daughter. The man was more than happy to allow it. Soon Huang, Marry and Mia found themselves in a smithy.

“Old man, I will have to call in that favor now.” Huang said to the owner of the smithy. An old man that looked like a grown dwarf.

“There is a free forge in the back.” The old man explained.

“Thanks.”

“What are we doing here?” Mia asked as they moved to the back of the smithy.

“I was planning to make a weapon for you once we had a smithy in our home but since you are going on an important mission tomorrow I have to give you something, don't I?” Huang explained.

“You are going to make a weapon for me?” Mia asked, expectantly.

“Yes.”

“Yay!” Mia said in happiness. Then, like a kid in a candy store, Mia started to tell him everything she wanted. It took some help from Marry for Huang to explain that he would only have time to make a basic weapon.

Mia and her mother went back to the house to prepare what Mia needed to take with her on her mission. Mostly changes of clothes and Collars for Onyx to identify him as a tamed monster. Mia knew that for the first time in a while they wouldn't be near each other all the time.

Mia was really excited for her field trip. She barely managed to fall asleep that night as she was waiting for her father to come back.

When morning arrived and Mia was getting ready to leave, Huang finally appeared and in his hands was an O-Katana similar to what Mia used during classes.

“Here. This will protect you.” Huang said, clearly exhausted from working on the weapon.

“Thanks dad. You are the best, I love you.” Mia said as she gave him a kiss and began to run towards the academy.

Seeing their girl happy, the rest of the family went their own ways. Huang on the other hand went straight to bed. He might have tried a little too hard this time.