Walter looked at the young Paladins gathered behind him and gave the explanation about this exam,
“Paladins, you all have already experienced the first monthly evaluation so this time the exam would be a bit different from the previous two formats you have experienced back there. It is because of the reason that now all of you are much higher leveled than your past self.”
“This exam would be conducted in just a single format for the combat class. Player party versus player party. However unlike the previous formal duels this time your party will be sent to a special facility that will simulate a random biome where you have to fend for yourself for half a day with whatever you have on your inventory and what you can forage from the environment.”
“During those times if you come across another player party then you're to engage in combat. There are no rules of not going for a fatal attack or anything. You don't have to worry about your safety as the special facility can detect if the damage about to be done was lethal or not thus it will teleport you back out here in case of danger.”
“An additional rule was that there can be no truce or temporary alliance formed during the encounter. It must be an all out fight where either your party stands or the opponent remains. Of course, you're allowed to retreat if you find yourself in an unfavorable situation. The rules do allow you such breathing rooms.”
“During the fight if other parties end up encountering the battle then they could also join in so be sure to keep an eye on the surroundings. Don't hesitate to retreat. A Paladin should not let his party members suffer because of their hubris of trying to stand against anything thrown in their way. In a chaotic battlefield your life and your party members are the first priority when you go out there. Make sure to remember this lesson.”
“Additionally there would be batches of students sent in one go. Such as those on the lowest rank will be sent first and this number concludes all those below the one hundred thousandth rank. After that from that rank till those below the one thousandth rank. Then the next will contain those below the top hundred, after that the top hundred and finally the top ten.”
“By the way, this doesn't refer to your student ranking but your party's ranking. The teachers have concluded your party ranking with the performance you showed back in the first monthly evaluation. There's no need to feel any surprises if it turns out your party's ranking was lower or higher than you imagined.”
He then looked at student Blue and explained further,
“You may take student Blue’s party Azure Sun as an example. It is ranked among the top ten. It was not because student Blue, the party leader, was the fourth ranked student but it was their performance quality that gained his party the position among the top ten. So similarly all of your party had also been ranked with that criteria.”
“That concludes the explanation of the second monthly evaluation. Remember, after you graduate you will keenly notice that individual strength is ever weaker than group strength. Of course, there are exceptions but as I once said those exceptions couldn't be considered as the norm. A player might have tremendous personal might but a player party that consisted of all the players having a balanced distribution of strength, during combat, they could easily contend or overwhelm that individual effortlessly.”
“Our Tri Domain Union believes in strength in unity. That's the whole reason why we also have multiracial player parties as common place within the union. You naturally don't need to worry about it during your academy life as we all conduct ourselves in a competition format against the other two domain’s academies.”
“I side tracked a bit. What I want to say is that… Believe in yourself! Also have faith in your party!! Without having the trust to entrust your back to them you wouldn't be able make much progress so be sure to keep this point in mind. At attention!”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Walter concluded his explanation as he noticed the vice principal arriving in the exam center at ten on the dot.
With young Paladins in attention the exam began
°°°°
Blue listened to Walter's explanation and started drafting up plans for this exam.
It wasn't much surprise to him that the academy had taken the player party combat approach at this exam. The union was known for always trying to overwhelm outsiders with their number in any clash they had.
He was sure that from this point on the player party would be the main focus as he had long since gained such information from Clara. That's the whole reason why he had been serious about choosing his party members way back at the first monthly evaluation.
Even the recent addition of Darwin and Dawson was also kept an eye on by him from the first month. They were among the numerous candidates and after they fulfilled some stringent conditions he gave them the invitation to join his party.
A bonafide player party had ten members.
From now on the Azure Sun party has been completed. That being said he did have other plans for the future but for the academy period this party wouldn't see any changes.
Blue watched the highlight screen showing the combat class's performance in the second monthly evaluation. It was boring as he saw how these newbie players were fumbling about in a desert biome.
Though Walter said they will need to fend for themselves for half a day, meaning twelve hours, but outside it was just an hour's equivalent. The five batches sent would take up five hours to conclude so the exam would end at three pm. There's obviously a time acceleration effect within the special facility that provided such a convenience.
Otherwise, who knows how long it will take to finish the exam of over three hundred thousand students and it was just the first year batch.
As he watched the hour-long highlights of those in the lowest rankings he reviewed the information of his current party members.
The Azure Sun party has ten members thus becoming, with the addition of two new support class players it now followed the norm seen in the Inner Area of Jester's Domain within the union.
The four roles of leader, controller, striker and defender had been occupied by the previous eight members so the two new members only had support roles, an unmentioned role, as it didn't have any place during the combat. They only showed off their usefulness in pre-combat or post-combat.
The party now has one unique grade class, four very rare grade classes, four rare grade classes and one common grade class. Blight Paladin being the unique, Paladin and Gunslinger with the added Diviner were the four very rare grades while there were two people with the same class of Paladin.
Warden and Assassin along with Inquisitor was the rare grade. Just like the earlier case there were two people with the same Warden class. There was only a single common grade class present, the Restrictor class.
With the addition of the Diviner and the Inquisitor, the pre-combat preparation and activities were now covered. He had chosen these two classes intentionally as the synergy between the two was very good. On top of that the players who had these two classes were both young prodigies.
They had a ranking close to the top hundred after the first monthly evaluation.
“I have to truly dominate in this exam or Julie would be appalled. With all the money she threw at me and my current level along with the shown three attainments' stages, if I don't make my peers suffocate from shock then I might as well stop being a schemer. Playing the weakling trope had to end at some point. Being too engrossed in it will end up being detrimental for oneself.”
He planned inwardly as the second batch entered the special facility. This time the combat was of better quality than the previous one. Of course, in his eyes it all seemed the same since from the view of a top powerhouse like him, at least in his previous life, these were all too green to even take a step on the true battlefields.
That being said he was among these weaklings so he had to keep pretending as if they were all his “peers” after all. Now that he had the backing of a noble and her loads of investment he had gained a bit of mobility to show off just some tip of his true strength. He was, after all, level 14 where he had already unlocked two more new skills than the present students who only had one skill unlocked back at level 5.
His vast difference from his “peers” from now on would remain consistent.