"Lynne might be able to help others with her ability but how about me?" Rachel said. She was a lady and weren't willing to carry people on her back like Leon did. She was the campus belle and the chances of the male students not taking advantage of her was close to nil. Her beauty was irresistible for the weak-minded students.
"You can carry the female students, but just the three of us wouldn't be able to help all the normal students. If we could get everyone to work together, the chances of everyone completing the exercise would be greater." Leon said after some thought. He had been helping the back-line students continue but it would be best if he got the others to do the same. If the instructor suddenly publicized him as an exemplary soldier-in-training for his act of not leaving any students behind, then it would defeat his purpose of not trying to stand out.
He had just wanted to earn some good will and didn't expect to discover that the simple exercise to turn into an examination. He decided to push the work onto the other awakened students. He had a feeling that all awakened students would be punished if the normal students couldn't complete the exercise in time. Although he had not revealed his elemental ability, others would have already discovered he was not normal with his monstrous stamina.
"Perhaps I can help." A person joined their conversation.
"You are…?" None of them knew who the newcomer was.
"Ah, pardon me. I am Reece Hallewell, an earth user. I can't help but admire your actions and feel embarrassed for my own selfishness." Reece had witnessed Leon's noble act of helping the normal students. He felt ashamed for only worrying about himself and not caring for the normal students, some of which were even his friends.
Running 40 laps of the field was an unfamiliar experience that made him unsure whether he could complete it in time, but he himself was already on his 23rd lap and realized it was not a problem. But most awakened students couldn't be blamed for not knowing. Who would be bored enough to ever run 100 kilometers in 8 hours before? The problem was that even after realizing, helping the normal students was not part of their consideration.
"I'm flattered."
"How can I help?" Reece asked.
"Can you make a jug?"
"Shouldn't be a problem with a bit of water." Reece survey the earth beneath feet and answered.
Leon gave Lynne a look and she nodded back, and assisted Reece by creating the necessary muddy paste with her water ability. Reece was only a 1st step awakener but he was very skillful in his control over the earth, as a rough shape of a jug was formed before it was smoothen out in the air. The process was much faster than doing it manually by hand. Although his level of control wasn't on par with Leon's, it was still enough to surprise him.
In the end, nobles were different to commoners. Leon underestimated the foundation of nobles that have been established over a few hundred years. They should have their own techniques for practicing elemental control. Just because Leon hadn't seen it, it would mean that the nobles didn't have it. Although Reece was at the same step as Arlo and Gower, they were far from being on the same level.
"What next?"
"Your turn to help." Leon looked at Rachel. She understood what he meant and used her fire ability to harden up the newly formed jug for usage. Her control over fire was also exceptional.
"Why a jug?" Lynne couldn't help but asked after.
"For you to fill it with water." Leon smiled.
"Huh?" Lynne didn't understand why they had to go through all the trouble just for a jug when people can just cup their hands. Leon already thought about that, but he had his consideration.
"It is inevitable that water would be waste drinking from cupped hands. I don't want you to overuse your ability and suffer a backlash." Leon explained. There were many students, but very few water users. Leon was made aware that awakener's abilities couldn't be used endlessly without a price. He could see that the leading students were lying down in pain in addition to their fatigue in the distance. The field was flat without obstacles in the center so he could naturally see the situation from afar. Leon assumed that overusing their abilities would cause instabilities in their elemental seed. Considering how close the seed was to the soul core, it would naturally be affected as well.
"Ah okay, thank you." Lynne filled the jug with water while feeling warm inside for Leon's concerns.
"Alright, lets give the students water to drink and convince the others to help."
"Okay." Everyone answered.
Quenching the student's thirst was only a temporary solution with limited effects and would still require awakened nobles to help in the end.
"Thank you." The students were grateful for their assistance.
More and more nobles joined their cause and started helping under their persuasion. However, not everyone believed them and continued their solo run. Leon did not join them in gathering helpers and just continue carrying some students.
"Test? What nonsense are you people spouting?"
"If there was a test, the instructor would have mentioned it."
"You expect us to believe your lies and help you pieces of trash?"
The normal students had joined them in gathering helpers but all they got were derision and insults. Leon shook his head at this scene. If they knew it was a test, then would the test still have any meaning? But even if they heard the truth, they didn't believe. In the end, it was still all speculation on his part, and he could be wrong. he wouldn't force them, but he thought the chances of being wrong was very low. He was confident in his speculation.
"Forget it. We already did what we could." Leon discouraged the rest from asking and to just focus on finishing their laps.
Three quarters of the awakened nobles had joined their cause and they were all from baron and viscount families. All the 3rd step awakeners from the earl and marquis families did not join them. They were arrogant and selfish to the extreme.
They continued their run with difficulty, but no one was left behind. Everyone was pushing themselves beyond their limit and they had become very united. They bonded and trust was established among their group. The selfish students that went ahead did not understand what happened to the leading students and ended up in the same situation as them, collapsing after overusing their strength and abilities.
18 laps… 26 laps… 33 laps… they continued completing their laps one after another, until their finally caught up to the leading student's lap. They were still collapse on the field and haven't been able to move a muscle.
"Please help." Some started pleading for help, but the group just looked at them coldly and continue. They started feeling regret for their selfishness, while others just looked back at the group coldly. They were from marquis families, proud, arrogant and conceited. Even when there are down, their refuse to lower their heads and asked for help. Asking in this situation was just the same as asking to be humiliated. Edric, Adrian and Cayden were among the leading students that kept silent. They had a look that says, 'I will not ask for help but you will help me anyway'.
"Why should we help?"
"Why didn't you help us before when we asked?"
"You people got what you deserved."
All sorts of derision were sent back at them for their earlier refusal.
"Stop everyone. We would be no different to them if we hit them when they are down." A student stepped up to stop the crowd from continuing their ridicule and mockery. "Let's just help them. It would be bad to leave anyone behind."
"Hmm, you are right, Kent. We are different to them."
"Take them with us. We will make sure everyone completes the exercise." Kent Tucker said happily.
That student saw an opportunity to take up leadership and be the leader of the group. Leon was happy to see this. He didn't want to be in the limelight.
"What an opportunist." Lynne pouted in a low voice only Leon could hear. Towards this comment, he just smiled. There would always be bad eggs mixed in a pot of good ones.
"Just let him be."
Rachel's eyes flashed coldly, while Fatty Ben and Reece was silent by his side. They all felt uncomfortable with the turn of events. Leon was the natural leader in their hearts for starting everything. Why is that Kentucky whatever trying to steal his position.
They collapsed students were picked up and carried along as their continued running. Edric and his friends were also carried but he wasn't feeling grateful. He just thought it was natural that they help him because of his higher status.
37 laps… 40 laps… Just when the last person completed the last lap, Instructor Eugene's voice was heard in the distance, "Time's up. You may rest for a while, before I announced some news."
"We did it!" Everyone collapsed to the ground in relief and silently cheered. They could finally rest! Their sweats had long soaked their clothes and their bodies were depleted of energy, but their faces were excited and full of spirit. They never knew the word 'you can rest' could sound so heavenly to their ears.