The first exam.
Otherwise known as 'the culling.'
An exam known to be so difficult that not a single student had ever passed this exam.
Paper based, written response, 1 hour.
This exam was said to contain content which should be known by the students after attending a full 4 year program, and served not as an actual test of knowledge, but rather to show the students where they needed to be.
Even so, the consequences of failure were not reduced.
"No matter how unfair a situation is, our soldiers should be prepared to accept responsibility for not only their own actions, but also for that which they have failed to do. How often do people throw blame about as it bounces from one person to another- only to land on one who was in no way involved in the entire incident? Our soldiers should be prepared to take responsibility for themselves, and admit their own shortcomings so that they may learn from them."
Or so the principal said in his own precepts.
"Good morning everyone!! I hope you all studied well last night!! Ah, but I also hope that you didn't just cram everything in one night."
Walking into the room with cheerful expression was a woman with bright pink hair, and in her hands were a stack of tests.
"I know it's bright and early, so hopefully you aren't all too groggy. Wake up wake up, or you won't do as well as you could have!"
The woman walked around the classroom, handing off the tests with a skip in her step, cheerily smiling at each and every student.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
Many of the students thanked their instructor lightly as they received their exams, almost out of habit.
Looking up to this woman, Trevor pushed up his glasses with a confident grin as he received his own exam.
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome!"
Moving on, the instructor placed an exam on the desk of the girl who was lying on it with her messy hair covering almost the entire space.
"Wake up, Ally! Wake up, or you'll do badly!! It would be a shame if someone as talented as you were to fail due to something as silly as a bad nights sleep!!"
Looking up to the woman with baggy eyes, Ashley opened her mouth slightly with a frown.
"Did I look asleep?", she crackled. "That's my normal state, teacher."
"Ah, is... is that so? Haha.... next next...."
The instructor continued handing out the tests before finishing, walking to the front of the room as she eyed the clock.
"Alright everyone! Start!"
And with that, scribbling filled the classroom.
The sounds of scratching pencils filled the room, and the examinations had begun.
'It is beyond simple. With my own simulation capabilities and my continuous gathering of data on the inner workings of this world, there is not a question on this exam which could surprise me. Hah..... as a matter of fact, many of the 'answers' to these questions are actually incorrect. The elves believe that they understand the very nature of magic to a higher degree than anyone else in the world, however.....'
As he wrote furiously with one hand while thinking about something entirely different, Trevor took the exam without even needing to think about it.
'It would seem that their knowledge of magic is only that which exists on the surface. After all, they understand the basics of mana which anyone could find out through simple trial and error, and they've come up with a number of classification systems and discovered a number of spells. However, there are many spells and even entire categories of spells which no elves nor humans nor dwarves have ever even discovered.'
This was of course because many high tier spells were too complex for even the most powerful elves to discover. While the elven race was above the others in terms of innate magical abilities, they had their limits.
However, there were some fundamentals about this world which only the antiheroes and a few others knew about.
First was the actual composition of this world, which was the result of an insanely complex computer program.
Second was the concept of 'origin magic' which allowed one to tap into this 'computer system', changing parameters and as such affecting reality itself.
Third was the reality behind the hosts of sin, who had been selected by origins of sin to carry out a will with the origin magic which they had been granted.
As Trevor took this exam, he was reminded of the inferiority of the elves, who believed that they understood the workings of this world when in reality they had only witnessed the tip of the iceberg.
'These questions are excessively simplistic, however I suppose for one who has just begun study, it would be extremely complex.'
Looking around, Trevor noticed as many of the other students racked their brains, attempting to figure the exam out.
Even the two smartest students in the class, Griffen and Serina, appeared to be looking at their papers with blank stares.
'Of course they wouldn't know. How can one know if one has not yet been taught?'
With a smirk, he continued his own exam.
'But it would seem that my comrades are having no such issues. Excellent. Well, it would be excellent..... if we needed to pass this exam, after all.'
Writing his answers even faster, Trevor begun to fly through the exam at an immense- and inhuman speed.
It was as if he was simply writing down whatever came into his mind.
'However, according to my simulations..... passing this exam is impossible by all standards. Even if I were to get the questions correct, they would mark them as incorrect. As for why.... well, I suppose they truly do wish to send all the students on this remedial trip.'
Looking over, Trevor witnessed as Ashley sat at her own desk without having so much as touched her paper.
'Unwilling to put forth even a drop of effort.... as always. However, I suppose that is the best option, as it minimizes wasted energy. Even so, I must make it look like I at least tried. It would be out of character to simply sit back and do nothing. And the instructor has already become accustomed to the personalities which we have created.'
Finishing the exam, Trevor closed his test with a grin.
'Now then.... I wonder just who around us will give up first?'
----
'What the hell is this!?!?!?'
'I've never seen anything like this!!!!'
'What is this chart!? Am I supposed to read it upside down? No.... sideways? No!! That's gotto be wrong....'
'Ngh!! What the hell is innate propulsionary circumventing!! I feel like they're just making up words to confuse us!!'
One might think that having the ability to read minds would be nothing less than a blessing during an exam.
'Agh!!! My pencil broke!! I need a new one...'
'Shit! Did I write my name on the test? Do we get any points for that? I hope so, because they might be the only points I get!!'
However to Samantha, it was nothing less than a curse.
'Shit shit shit..... how much time do I have left!? SHIT! Already 15 minutes have passed!? I haven't even written anything!!'
'Agh!!! What the fuck even is this!?! Is this a different language!? There's only one language in this world, but it looks like they made up a new one just for this test!!'
Bombarded with tormented thoughts, a vein burst on the head of Samantha as she was unable to concentrate on anything.
'It's..... so..... damn..... noisy.'
Slamming her hand to her desk, Samantha grabbed her untouched exam papers, walking over to the desk of the teacher with them.
"I'm finished."
Placing the exam on the desk of the teacher, Samantha walked off without another word, causing everyone in the room to hold their breath.
"Sarah..... you haven't even written anything. Are..... you sure that you want to turn it in like this?"
The instructor sat forward with a strained expression, acting confused.
'Ah..... she certainly has begun playing the part of the caring teacher, hasn't she. Although, it surprises me that she would ask something like that when every student in here is going to receive a 0 anyways.'
"I can't concentrate. It's far too noisy in here."
With this reply, Samantha walked over, sitting back at her desk and crossing her arms.
The other students held their breath before they continued their own frantic scribbling.
'I can understand why Sarah would do that..... this exam is impossible..... of course someone would just give up....'
'But even so.... I won't stop until time is up....'
'I'll keep on trying until the last moment....'
'No matter what it takes.... I'll pass this exam....'
As these voices attacked Samantha's mind, she stopped herself from laughing at the misconception which the other students had come to.
'Ah.... so they believe I've merely given up? How..... logical. After all, there's no way they would think that I would just try to fail.'
With a smirk, Samantha relaxed her stiff posture, allowing her back to make contact with the cold seat.
'But that is not the case. For there was no point in trying to succeed in the first place.'
----
"Everyone failed."
Speaking these words with a pained expression, Elisa looked onto her students with sympathy.
"I'm sorry, but it looks like none of you were able to meet the standards which the principal set out for you. You'll all have to go on the remedial trip which is planned for next week."
"You're.... kidding...."
"We.... all failed?"
"Even Theo? He looked like he knew what he was doing...."
The students couldn't help but let out their surprise at the results, however to the antiheroes there was nothing surprising about these results.
The exam was rigged.
The questions were so difficult and vague that any students who argued that they got a question correct could be proven wrong with wordy arguments. This was even assuming a student was educated enough beforehand to be able to attempt this exam.
"Hey.... it can't.... be that bad, right? We'll go on this trip together, and we'll hopefully learn a lot!", Natalia said with a light smile, hopeful yet somewhat worried.
"That's right. I can't wait to use what I've learned in the field again.", Oliver added while pumping a fist with a smile.
This sparked conversation throughout the classroom, creating an uplifting atmosphere.
"Yeah! We may have all failed the paper test, but that won't matter if we do well in the field!", Edward exclaimed.
"What type of trip is it? Where will we be going?", Serina asked the teacher with a serious expression.
Walking forward, the instructor pulled out a set of documents.
"Well.... actually..... the remedial trip is quite problematic. As you should already have been informed, the remedial trip is not for the light of heart. It is so that those who failed may experience a true feeling of combat so that they may be inspired to better understand why they are fighting, and to experience combat firsthand. Usually we would have sent you to the dwarven mountains where attacks from the Empire were consistent, however for one reason or another those attacks have stopped and peace has engulfed the dwarven lands."
"Oh?"
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Isn't that because of that one legion commander who got killed recently?"
"That's right, that did happen."
The words of the instructor sparked a conversation among the students, to which she smiled, giving off the impression of satisfaction.
"I'm glad that you all are so well informed and interested in current events, however because of the peace which has engulfed the land, we've decided to change up the location of the trip. This was an order directly from the principal, after all. I'm a bit worried.... but knowing you guys, you should all be fine!"
Stepping forward, the woman pointed behind the students, in the direction facing East.
"Rather than heading to the dwarven front, you'll be heading instead..... to the monster realm."
As she made this statement, the eyes of the students went wide.
A couple of jaws dropped, and many looked to one another as if to confirm that they had heard things correctly.
"The..... monster realm?", Hailey whispered.
"That's right. You all will be facing monsters in order to show your own prowess among the soldiers of the Alliance. We understand that the situation is a bit unknown, but there's no way the monsters will be that dangerous. We've even done some inspecting on our own into the region, and so we happen to know a bit about them. They're mostly monsters who are of the 2nd tier, so defeating them shouldn't be a problem even for students."
As Elisa said this, many sighs of relief were heard.
"2nd tier?"
"Don't scare us like that, teacher."
"I thought we were gonna have to face some abominations!!"
"If they're only 2nd tier we'll be able to manage."
With a nod, the woman smiled as her students regained the flame in their eyes.
"You'll travel over the seas into the Southwest portion of the monster realm. There are many of a certain type of monster who are relatively prevalent in this area, and historically they've been weak- meaning there shouldn't be any stronger monsters within this area. Listen up everyone, because the rest of the lecture for today is going to be on everything we know about the opponents you'll be facing on this trip!"
Walking over to the board, the woman grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote on it a single word.
"Insectoids."
Placing the chalk down with a smile, looking towards her students, the teacher beamed forward.
"Within the next week, you're going to be prepared to fight these creatures. I'll teach you everything we know about their abilities and how to counter them. And starting next Friday..... whether you survive or not will be completely up to you."
Closing her eyes with a smile, the instructor folded her hands together.
"Please make sure that you pay close attention, my students."
----
A week passed.
With a combination of lectures focused on how to coordinate the teams, how to fight in groups, and specifically how to use their abilities to counter the abilities of monsters, the students were given all the tools they needed for success.
Gathered at a pier with a number of small ships having been prepared, one for each class, the students were currently practicing at the last minute before being sent off on the trip.
"You've gotten pretty good at that mana skin thing. You can now use it in such an interesting way, allowing it to extend beyond your body and wrap around your opponents."
Walking over to Victor, Edward approached him with a smile.
"And you? You've figured out how to use wind magic."
Holding out his fingertip with a grin, Edward shot off a small blade of wind which pierced the air before him.
"More or less."
Around them, a number of other students were training as well.
"Whhhooooooaaaaahhhhh... thiiiisssss... isssss... wiiiieeeeerddddd....."
Looking over, the two saw Oliver who was running forth as if in slow motion while Serina held out her hand towards him.
"I can now slow you by 60%. It looks like all this training has really paid off."
Stepping out of the way, Serina pulled back her hand, and the slowed warrior stumbled forward, too fast to realize the sudden change in trajectory.
"Agh!"
Tumbling as he landed, he stood up quickly with a laugh.
"That skill is really interesting. If you were fighting a real opponent, you'd surely be able to catch them off guard like that.", he praised.
"Ah, is.... is that so?"
Looking down with a smile, Serina seemed to be a bit overly pleased at the statement.
"It's just as Sarah said.... any skill can become a deadly weapon if you...."
Remembering the words of the girl, she stopped speaking.
"Well.... you know...."
Oliver looked to the girl with question marks above his head, shrugging it off.
"And what about you, Natalia? Your skill.... wow.... it really is crazy. Makes me feel almost useless. Can I try one more time?"
"Ah.... that's fine, I suppose. Go ahead."
The elven girl stood forward, holding out her hand and casting a spell on the man before her, who then rushed at her with a fist.
Thrusting his fist forth, he connected with the girl's head, slamming his own fist into her violently.
However, rather than the sound of a connecting fist, a soft and light tap was heard.
"This is crazy.... to think you can reduce strength by this much..... I really am starting to believe that physical strength is useless...."
Looking down and somewhat dejected, Oliver laughed the statement off as he put his hand behind his head, walking off.
"Don't think that. After all, she holds a perfect counter to you. She can reduce your strength by 80%, right?"
Walking forth was Garett, who was stretching his arm back and forth.
"Then all you need to do is become strong enough so that 20% is good enough."
Widening his eyes, Oliver let out a laugh as he nodded.
"That's about right. I need to keep training and getting stronger. That's all there is to it. But I guess times about up, right? First mission starts today..... and I'm pretty nervous.... or I would be, if I weren't surrounded by so many capable people."
"Capable? It pleases me that you would consider us to be capable, but perhaps you lack a sense of danger. After all.... this is the monster realm we're talking about here."
Standing forward with a smile, Trevor approached the group.
"Anything could happen."
This prompted a nod from Oliver.
"That's right.... even if they are only 2nd tier, that's only based off what we know.", Griffen added as he stepped forth.
"Ah, water magic user. Have you perfected your bullet technique?"
"I can fire off 3 at a time now, and it takes me 1 minute to regenerate the mana. But that's a whole lot more than what I could do before."
The dark elf seemed to be satisfied with his own progress.
An air of hope engulfed the area.
These students had been shown their own powerlessness as they were attacked by criminals, unable to do anything more than watch as they were saved by others.
Yet now, they were able to at least do something far beyond what they were able to manage at that time.
Except for one.
One girl looked around at all the others, furrowing her brows.
This girl had made next to no progress, watching as her classmates barged ahead of her while she lingered endlessly in a state of stagnancy.
"I'll.... do what I can.", she said with clear annoyance in her voice. "If I get the chance.... I'll beat those insectoids up with my hands if I need to."
'I'll become more than just a meat shield.', she thought. 'I..... need to do something. I need to show them that I'm not just useless.... tch.....'
This girl was Hailey.
The high elf who had no skill in magic, and had been assigned to the 4th division not due to athletic skill like Oliver, but rather due to her complete lack of skill in any other area.
'Even Oliver has become so strong.... and I can't even do a fraction of what he can..... why are they all so far ahead of me? I've been working just as hard.... but I haven't gotten any results.... I..... I need to show them.... I need to show the results of my work!'
This girl felt a hand on her back.
"Life is pretty cruel. Just because someone works hard doesn't mean they're rewarded. But.... you've worked plenty hard. So I'm sure you'll be rewarded..... in some way."
It was Samantha.
Hailey furrowed her brows at this statement, but as Samantha walked past her, an expression of confusion overcame her.
"Hm? What.... did she mean by that?"
"Ah ah..... I'm usually the one who is tormenting people. I guess she's been under a lot of stress lately? Hehe.... well, don't worry about it. Just do what you can. If it's not enough..... well, death wouldn't be so bad."
Hearing the crackling voice of another classmate, a vein burst in Hailey's mind.
"Hey! I won't.... I won't be a burden to anyone! You got that!? I'll show you all! I've.... made.... progress.... I think...."
Hailey shouted out, however lost her fervor as she spoke.
"Oh? Well, keep that energy up."
"Is that your way of encouraging her? Cruel as usual.", Garett stated for everyone to hear, causing many of the students around to laugh casually.
"Hey!! What's so funny? I..... I'll really do it you know! I'll show all of you that I can help you with just my physical abilities alone!!"
"We know."
Oliver spoke up, looking over to his fellow comrade with a smile.
"That's right, Hailey. You don't need to tell us."
A group of girls had gathered, and were now smiling at her.
Alexa, Serina, and Vivian were all standing there next to the others with nods as they faced Hailey.
"We'll protect you, and you protect us. That's how it'll go for everyone in this class. We stick together, and we survive together. No exceptions.", Vivian stated.
With that, the rest of the students gathered around, all bearing confident expressions.
"That's right."
"Mhm."
This was the class which the antiheroes had infiltrated, and they were about to head off on their remedial trip with the mission of fighting insectoids within the monster realm.
"Ah, I see that you've all made it. I'm here to wish you good luck, and to say goodbye for now. Your orbs will record your own achievements automatically based on kill count, assists, and support or survival maneuvers performed."
Stepping forward, the pink haired elf smiled as her students waved, each heading off to board the ship.
"Goodbye, teacher!"
"We'll see you when we get back."
As the students boarded, the woman turned around.
A wicked grin came across her face, and she begun to laugh to herself.
'Hahaha... good riddance. I was getting so sick of acting like this for that class..... ahh..... I couldn't stand them. Especially those four who were especially cocky. I hope they're put in their places.'
The remedial trip had begun.