Amidst the crowd, Alec and Evan's eyes met. Their first instinct was to look at each other, just to be sure that the other thought the same thing. Both had a cold, calculative glint in their eyes.
A simple nod was enough to clarify. Evan had caught on too. The incense was working wonders, giving them both the clarity necessary.
Honestly, Alec couldn't help but wonder about the nature of this reward. Both the mid-terms and the final exam had perfect rewards as if they were hand-picked just for him. All of his questions seemed to accumulate and point toward one person.
'What is the headmaster up to? Did he really disappear? Or is he manipulating things in the shadows?'
Nonetheless, they had one single option. For a long time, their only achievement as a group was gathering information. Sure, that wasn't a simple or negligible gain, but Alec didn't feel closer to solving the mystery behind Lation Magic Academy. Not at all. Now, however, he could see a light at the end of the tunnel.
'I have to get the first place in the exams no matter what happens,' Alec thought. As the students started calming down, Professor Howard started talking once again.
"As for the teams, they will have a maximum of 4 people, all from the same grade level," he said. Considering the population of the academy, about 250 teams would form on each grade level, provided that everyone chose to utilize the maximum amount of team members. However, the word 'maximum' could imply many things. "Still, for those who want to act with fewer people, there will be a scaling point multiplication. Four-person teams will get 1x points, three-person teams will get 1.5x, two-person teams will get 2.5x, and solo students will get 4x points. This will be the same for the final exams."
With a quick calculation, Alec decided that the best configuration would be creating a two-person team. After all, that gave the highest multiplication per person out of the four choices.
On the other hand, there would be a plethora of other elements that would affect an individual’s results. After all, depending on the details of the event, having a four-person team could be miles better than having high point efficiency. Not to mention, Alec himself was an unstable variant amidst all this. Although having a two-person team seemed really attractive, he doubted there would be anyone who could keep up with his pace. Also, if he were to go solo, he could utilize the full power of The Author's Pen without worry. Provided that they wouldn't be monitored in real time.
Just as Alec was calculating his course of action, Professor Howard's eyes swept through the crowd. They only stopped after settling on Alec. This threw Alec's entire planning session off the window, causing him to shiver in place. 'Why is this madman looking at me?'
However, Professor Howard didn't seem like he was planning anything malicious. Instead, Alec caught onto an incredibly minuscule arch on the man's lips.
"For those who have concerns about confidentiality, you don't have to worry. Although you will be thoroughly searched before entering the training area, no one will be able to see what is going on inside the actual training other than your teammates," he said.
'Holy shit... This man has eerily keen senses. Though, I'm the one who benefits off of it so...' Alec thought. As for the search thing, I will just pre-emptively drink the potions and–
"And you will also be tested for any kind of doping. So don't get your hopes up if you want to use potions," Professor Howard added, once again cutting Alec's thoughts off.
'Great. Now I can only use regeneration potions. Anything else will be discovered. Hmm... I won’t be able to use the incense so I have to use a cleansing potion instead. I don't want to go unaware if something happens in the exam or the training.'
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The professor kept the announcement going for another five minutes, giving the newer students some much-needed information. After that, about half of the crowd dissipated while the rest remained to get their durability tested. The others could get tested any time they want, but they would have to do so as early as possible to utilize the training grounds to its full extent. It could only be utilized once per group each day.
"So? What will you do?" Evan asked, his arms crossed. Alexei and Thomas were slightly further away, chatting about something irrelevant for the moment.
"I think I will have to go solo," Alec said while caressing his chin. His unsure tone aside, he had already made his decision. Evan knew this, so he didn't press any further.
When the other two finished their chat, they made their way to Alec's side.
"Going as teams of four doesn't seem beneficial. I think we should split up into two teams," Alexei said. Thomas was nodding in agreement, they had probably talked this over.
"I was thinking the same thing, but Alec wants to go solo," Evan said. "Nevertheless, I had guessed this so I have a partner in mind. Don't worry about me."
"Huh? You do?" Alec asked, confused. Who would this introverted guy choose as a partner?
"Heh, you will be surprised," Evan said with a smug grin.
"We'll see..." Alec replied with a confused frown. As the crowd was dissipating, he decided that it was time to leave. With an apologetic smile, he bade his farewells.
"See you, guys. I want to get my durability checked as soon as possible."
"Mm, have fun," Evan answered.
Without further ado, Alec went to the testing area and approached the lady manning one of the cabins. He wasn't really worried about his high physical stats being exposed. After all, they couldn't get an exact amount but a general estimate. Also, he had already done plenty to expose himself, which had been ignored by many. Although he had absurd stats, not intruding into another mage's secrets was an important rule.
"Hi. Please hand over your student ID and reach out your hand," the lady said. Alec complied and waited for her to start the test. The woman used a spell to cut a straight line onto his palm, about five centimeters long. A small amount of blood stained Alec's hand, however, the cut quickly scabbed and closed before healing completely.
The woman raised her brows and adjusted her glasses. Then, she unleashed a third circle spell that Alec hadn't seen before. Nothing seemed to happen, other than a green light shining from Alec's whole body. The woman shook her head in disbelief and scribbled on her clipboard. Then, she gestured to Alec in another direction.
"Please punch that dummy as hard as you can," she said. The testing cabin was isolated and there wasn't anyone but Alec and the woman inside, so he didn't need to hold back. Rotating his shoulders to relax, Alec took a stance and looked at the dummy in front of him.
'It wouldn't break, right?'
Nevertheless, Alec cocked back his right arm and punched, putting his entire body weight behind it. With a bang, his fist connected with the heavy metal. Alec pulled his hand back in agony and massaged his knuckles. Even though it swayed heavily, the dummy was unscathed.
On the other hand, the lady had her mouth hanging slightly open, her brows furrowed.
"T- That's... Uh..." She muttered, trying to formulate a sentence. "Alec Greenwood, right?" She asked, constantly switching her gaze between Alec and his student ID card.
"Yes."
"Umm... I have registered your Health Point and Health Regeneration values," she said. Her bafflement seemed to dissipate as she regathered her composure and continued. "Your Health Points represent how much damage you can directly take from the illusions while the Health Regeneration value represents how much you regenerate. Your regeneration will go down to a tenth during combat, so be mindful of that. Also, any spell you cast relating to these numbers will be accurately shown. If you cast a healing spell, you will recover your health points. If you cast a spell that improves your regeneration, you will get a regeneration buff accordingly. That kind of thing..."
"Mm. Thank you very much," Alec said with a smile. After the woman made sure everything was correctly registered, she gave Alec his card back and let him go.
Alec took a deep breath once outside the cabin and stretched. Not being able to wait, he immediately went to the entrance of the illusory training area. He was one of the first ones to get tested so the place was mostly empty. He walked up to one of the testers. He only had mana and health regeneration potions, so they wouldn't be able to detect anything out of the ordinary.
Only the temporary stat-improvement potions were detected in such tests. The other students, too, would use them. Although this added a bit of a pay-to-win aspect to the exams, there was nothing to do.
And after all, Alec benefited from it so...
'Let's see...'