The day of the test was a confusing day, I spent a good part of the day inside the illusory matrix, even though I left after my third test that ended in a weird way, I had many gains during the test, but I still have the impression that my result final wasn't good, my grade could be high but i feel like i got a black mark on my name by killing the idiot during the second test, i still haven't figured out his name, maybe i should ask teacher Frey for help after things normalize.
Apart from Raziel who left the first day of the test, the rest of my friends only left the next day, not even who died which is very good news, but there are several failures and when I say several, I mean two. The Holt brothers failed the test and Erik was seriously injured he almost lost his arm, he is undergoing a very intensive and expensive treatment, but he had recovered completely after resting for two weeks, it seems that there was poison involved with his wound and this complicated the treatment.
That's what I found out about what my friends will experience within the illusory matrix, I found out that everyone got screwed at some point during the tests, and I ended up also finding out that although many tests have their different methods to finish, strategy, patience and teamwork were what the groups needed to be able to pass the tests, but this is a very tricky thing to achieve and after hearing my friends' reports I realized how lucky I was to have a good group.
Erik wasn't the only one injured, in fact they all came out injured and worn out from the illusory matrix, that's not exactly a surprise, everyone was expected to end up hurting the test, if I wasn't lucky, it's the white flame, I used to pass during the third test if it was a strange flame, I would have passed the test, but I would have come out pretty toasted. I would probably have come away with several nasty burns and a lot of my hair gone.
Torris had some broken bones, by the explanation he gave his team had to face a golem shaped like an orc knight, Torris not only kept him busy but basically defeated him alone, he was only helped in the end when the knight orc was already was wounded on the ground.
The fire-element mage who killed the orc knight in the end was bragging about how he saved Torris' life, that kind of person is very shameless and, in this case, my useless according to Torris' narrative. The magician only attacked when the enemies were almost dead or badly wounded and behaved as if he had singled out all the enemies, this kind of shit only has courage when he is in a large group, if he gets in a bad situation, he is the first to try running away, even if it means leaving a teammate behind, is very dangerous to have that kind of person in your group, but according to Torris' account he must have gotten a good grade, his team was basically saved by Torris' defensive abilities.
Sten stood out because of his studies on runes, he saved his team more than once, his group faced a test that was exploring an ancient ruin, I wish I had that test. But during their group's third test, they faced a team of hobgoblins that ended up killing two members of their team and because of that they failed the test, they didn't have enough combat power to clear the goblin nest.
Already Erick had a lot of bad luck in the formation of the groups, he failed in the second test their team had a very bad lead, this was also the reason why they got stuck in the first test for thirteen hours. It seems that the idiot mage who was in the final stage of the gray core couldn't read a map, he guided them in circles and insisted on his mistake, and as the 'team leader' he didn't need help from others and as he had the high combat power, his team had to be led to humiliating defeat during the test.
If I had that kind of leader, I would stab him in the back just to get rid of him, a stupid tyrant is a death sentence. Erick was lucky to have almost died, the other two black core warriors were sacrificed because of the mistakes of the inept leader of Erick's team.
Ingredi had a much calmer time, she only came out with a few scratches and an ugly sprain in her arm and leg, she was the only one not to have a broken or cracked bone among my friends, in her test she got a less idiotic leader than Erick, this wasn't very difficult since if the leader has the ability to read a map is to realize that this is a group test and group means everyone working together, you already have a better leader.
She just like me had to defend a fort, but she didn't have to invade it before like my group had. In the other tests your group had to eliminate monster nests, intercept a shipment and escape from a forest, this last one was where Ingredi got injured, running in the forest is always dangerous for a mage who doesn't put a lot of emphasis on physical skills.
Her test of stealing a shipment was a lot of fun for her narrative, it was a classic theft, they closed the route with a tree trunk and when the target stopped to remove the tree, Ingredi's group ambushed them. It was a one-way massacre because there were two decent archers from Ingredi's group, Ingredi's result must have been the highest in our group, she did more testing and performed solidly and well in all.
Hilda was a test very similar to me, the biggest difference is that she didn't even kill another student during the test as I did, in fact I was the only one to kill another student at the institute. Everyone was very surprised when I told them I had killed an idiot, Hilda was the only one who reacted by laughing as if she had heard him the best joke or prank of his life, the others expressed amazement and concern for me in their own ways, some they'll allay your concern with witty, acidic comments like Raziel made yesterday, but it's avia Ingredi who was really worried about my safety.
Most don't believe I wasn't scolded, punished or called in by the teachers for an interrogation, but as the exam is just ending now there must still be plenty for the teachers to do before coming to interrogate me or give me my punishment.
During Hilda's test she led her group through three tests, they focused on killing golems or defending themselves from golems, these were the most popular themes within the illusory matrix, the first thing that came out of Hilda's mouth when she explained the tests, was why golems dressed like courtesans, she found it weird that a warrior wasn't wearing armor or was wearing one that covered almost nothing compared to real armor.
It took a while for Hilda to realize that the golem warriors' and mages' clothing had a bold style and that the stylist wanted to save on the material for armor and clothing, which makes sense since the golems' body is their main defense. Hilda is by no means a slow or inattentive person, but as she was extremely excited to enter the test, she focused much more on killing the golems than comparing their armor or noting that the mages had their underwear almost exposed through the openings of the mantle.
In my opinion about golem clothes, for me it was clearly a way to save on the cost of golems, that's what I said to Hilda, but she laughed at my evasive comment and when she finished her laugh, she had a mischievous smile on her face while looking at me.
I felt that she will use my comment as an excuse to make me suffer a little bit, she doesn't even leave a chance to have fun using my mistakes and comments with more than one sense of purpose. It's hard to date someone like that, but it's always fun.
Hilda's group did not lose a single member because she saved the group mage by protecting her with her body, and was the reason for Hilda's injuries. The golem that would split the mage in half, I managed to break two of Hilda's ribs and crack a few more bones.
If it weren't for Hilda's sacrifice the mage named Nightingale would have her skull shattered by the golem's hammer, I found out her name because Nightingale tracked Hilda down after the test ended and stayed by her bedside helping and keeping her company. It seems Hilda has got a follower, Nightingale is one of the few commoners who have managed to get into and support herself at the institute, she is in the middle stage of the gray core and is only two years older than us.
She may not have a high-level cultivation for her class at the institute, but by Hilda's compliments she has very good control and creativity with her elemental magic, she's almost able to create the composite magic of lightning, it looks like she's much better than me in the control and fusion of the fire and wind elements. I had a good chat with her when I asked her about her magic, but before that she looked at me with a little hostility.
But my moments of relaxation ended when I got a text from Professor Balder. He requested my presence in one of the institute's rooms tonight after dinner.