After hunting goblins for a few more hours, both Nine and Kyle were exhausted, so they decided to take a break.
Instantly, Kyle pulled out a fresh set of clothes from his storage ring, discarding the bloodied ones. He then set up a spacious corner with a large piece of cloth, big enough for a few people to rest on.
Satisfied with his makeshift sleeping area, he looked at it and nodded approvingly. Afterward, he grabbed some packaged food from his storage ring and began to eat.
All of this was possible because he had ventured into the back mountain before the ranking assessment. As a result, he had enough food and other supplies stored in his storage ring. That's why he was confident he could last a week in the goblin cave without any worries!
Opposite him, Nine blinked, dumbfounded. Then he started complaining in his head.
'What the heck! Why does it look like he's on a picnic? Also, how and when did he have the time to prepare all this?!'
Finding food and water was one of the biggest difficulties of the assessment. However, here Kyle was eating without any care!
The moment, Kyle saw Nine staring at him with a strange expression, he was embarrassed because he forgot to share. After realizing this, he quickly called Nine to eat and sleep together.
As Nine ate the food offered by Kyle, he almost felt sorry for the other students who must have been starving right now.
Unlike Kyle and Nine, who slept peacefully, the other students who entered the middle tunnel were not having an easy time at all.
They tried to find a water source immediately after entering the tunnel. But being inside a cave, it was almost impossible for them to find any water source.
"I can't go on, I need a clean place to sleep!"
"We're completely out of food and water, and all we see are these creepy-looking goblins..."
"I am tired of fighting all day!"
A few students indeed had something to eat on them, but because the number of students was too high, they didn't dare to bring it out from their storage rings.
In the end, they all gave up on finding water and started walking in the middle of the dark tunnel in search of a suitable place to sleep. But the further they advanced, the more the goblins appeared, making it impossible for them to rest.
Among the students, the one facing the most difficulty was Carcel. Being a prince, it was his first time dealing with such a dirty environment. However, he didn't show his discomfort to avoid burdening his teammates. He knew he would have to face similar situations sooner or later.
.....
Outside the dungeon, at the training ground, multiple big projections illuminated the air, displaying the performances of the students inside. Over seven professors, including Professor Liam and Professor Aliza, gathered at the center, observing the students' progress.
Alec and Carcel stood out among the students due to their potential survival skills and excellent teamwork. Other students like Nine and Kyle also caught the professors' attention as they seemed to be enjoying the goblin cave rather than struggling.
Some professors jokingly remarked how lucky Nine and Kyle were to have coincidentally stored water and food before the ranking assessment.
At the same time, Professor Aliza, who had been keeping a close eye on Kyle since the start of the ranking assessment, frowned. Despite Kyle's decent performance, he couldn't even be considered average compared to someone like Alec.
'Kyle lacks skill with a sword and doesn't have any noteworthy magic attacks, except for fireball. In real battles, one needs skills and experience, which he seems to lack completely.'
She shook her head, disappointed.
Aliza was aware that Kyle's talent was only (B)-Rank. She had initially thought that maybe he was trying to compensate for his lack of talent through hard work. After all, he advanced to (F+)-Rank in just a week. However, after witnessing his ineffective swordsmanship and haphazard attacks without any specific plan or pattern, she became certain that he wouldn't achieve much in the future.
Suddenly, she let out a sigh. It seems after seeing talents like Alec and Carcel, she was starting to compare everyone with them, forgetting not everyone was born with such over-the-top talent. In the end, it's only been a week since Kyle joined the Academy, and he can work on what he lacks in the future.
'I'll make sure to talk to Liam and ask him to pay more attention to Kyle. It's my responsibility, no matter what.'
After that, she shifted her gaze away from the projection displaying Kyle's performance and directed her attention toward the other students.