Life went on as usual after these small emotional turmoils. And before they notice, there's only a day before the trainee's examination day.
Although they were given the time to prepare, it won't be enough, considering this was the first time they conducted a mission outside the protected zone. Even a tiger cub would have to fail a few times before knowing how to hunt, let alone people.
While the world outside the protected zone doesn't look much different, that was not the case. According to the records and what Hector shared, the level of danger would gradually increase the further they're out of the village.
Even the distance where Hector took Hespar out to study the Aura Manifestation skill was categorized as a Level-1 threat zone. And in Level-1, monsters such as goblins, kobolds, giant lizards, and killer hornets are everywhere.
Ten of these monsters might not be a threat, but they would if their numbers continue to increase. It was also impossible to meet merely one or two of these monsters at a time as they traveled in packs.
At Level-2 and 3, monsters capable of employing tactics and Aura appeared. Human soldiers were also categorized in these two levels. And for the threat level to reach this stage, one had to be far from a settlement. A rough estimation would be about ten to fifteen miles away.
Meanwhile, Level-4 and 5 can only be found in particular regions, such as the Forest of Rebirth located southeast of Lavos Village or the Necromancer Mountain Region situated on the kingdom's eastern front.
Instead of having a sparring class today, the trainees were gathered to be assigned into twenty teams.
Eight people in one team, there would be a total of twenty. And naturally, there would be a team with nine members due to the odd number of 161 participants.
A numbered drawing box happened to be the method used to assign them to their respective teams. But this method was only used to put eight trainees together into a group.
One of them would have to be appointed as the group leader. As for how the decision was made, it is entirely up to the eight members. Some would consider voting as the best and most suitable method, but unfortunately, not everyone was friends in the class.
The appointed leader also has to be reliable, as the leader's decision would collectively affect their safety, performance, and results. Choosing the wrong leader would fail to complete the task or lose their lives if things went wrong.
"Next person." said the teacher, who made sure nobody was doing any tricks to falsify the drawing results. Around ten of the baron's soldiers were also present to monitor the teacher instead.
This procedure shows how strict they were towards this examination.
After all, this is the first stage everyone has to go through in adulthood. It was no different from a civil student working hard to obtain a qualification seat as a Civil Servant.
"Next!" the teacher shouted. This time, it was Hespar's turn.
Under the watchful eyes of multiple experts, Hespar put his hand into the box and grabbed a piece of folded paper on his way out.
"First group, Hespar." the number written inside turned out to be [1] when unfolded. Then, it was Paul's turn after Hespar.
"First group, Paul." the teacher continued.
The two of them then checked the chalkboard written with names, and it seemed the two of them were the last 2 in this nine-member group.
Out of the nine, seven were male, including Hespar and Paul, and two were female. The other five males' name is Terry, Alex, Sean, Rory, and Victor. As for the two girls, they're Selene and Ashley.
It was quite a diversified team. Except for Hespar and Victor, everyone else here belonged to the bottom of the class. They're not the weakest few, but nowhere middle too. Luckily, everyone had their own reliable traits. Such as Paul, he's a great cook.
Since Hespar wasn't a bully in class like Lucas, a leader's position naturally falls to him. Paul naturally supports Hespar, and they quickly develop into a proper group. Using his talent for speaking and making friends, Paul is a natural icebreaker amongst them.
From its look, the group's fighting strength would be coming from Hespar, Victor, and Rory. Terry, Alex, and Sean would defend the support group, which consisted of Paul, Selene, and Ashley.
In this group of nine, the cook's job was given to Paul, with Selene as the Medic and Ashley as the camp manager. Since Ashley was the only one with plenty of experience exploring the wilderness zone, she would be the correct person to trust where they should make their camp.
"The group ready to select a mission shall come forward and choose a task! Only the leaders shall step forward! First come, first serve!" after feeling the trainees had enough time to organize themselves, the teacher continued.
Only half of the groups managed to organize themselves after gathering together. The remaining half was still in a mess as they argued about who should lead.
"Group 1 is ready to choose a mission." Hespar was the first to approach the teacher.
"Good. You may choose one of the missions from the twenty cards here and try accomplishing them. The total point obtained from completing this task will be evenly divided among everyone in your party, even if they're disqualified or removed from the examination. If you understand, then make your choice asap." said the teacher.
The stack of twenty cards with a task written on them was given to Hespar to choose from. The content in the mission was different from one another, and some were more challenging but gave better rewards.
This is also part of the examination, which test the leader's knowledge and judgment.
To be a wise and considerate leader, it is crucial to know which task they're capable of and incapable of. And with an extra member on his team, he had to take more risks than going for a relatively safe mission.
In a way, this kind of pressure was made on purpose. Their reason for creating the same situation was to strengthen their mentality before the trainees were thrown into the wilderness.
Still, even with this kind of course provided, the number of passing graduates always stagnates between 60-70% rate. This also means that out of the 161 trainees here, only a little over 100 could graduate in the end.
"Had you made up your mind?" the teacher asked after allowing Hespar to went the list. Although there are no time limits on the mission selection, they don't have a whole day to wait for Hespar.
If this was in real life, the good jobs would likely be taken by the others before he could settle on one.
"Yes, Sir! My team will be going on this mission." Hespar took the mission with the number [6] written on the card. He doesn't seem flustered or forced when telling the teacher his decision. Instead, there's a hint of confidence in his eyes when making his choice.
"Group 1, mission number six!" said the teacher. This call summarized everything they've been going through in this selection. Hespar's group was eventually allowed to leave and prepare for departure at their own discretion, as long it past today's midnight.