Mikhail let out a tired sigh as he walked out of the Spellcasting arena,
He was trying to ignore the shocked stares behind his back.
It was something he was going to need to get used to when doing this quest.
Even Raviel, who knew him better than anyone, was standing in front of him speechless.
Turning around, he saw the top 3 scores of the test written on the wooden board.
The second highest score was by a cadet named Clark Larrabee.
And that score was 74.
But then, his eyes went to the top scorer.
Mikhail Hendrix with a mind-breaking score of 86.
Spellcasting was a difficult field, especially early on.
The physics and mechanics behind it were known to break even the toughest and most intellectual of minds.
It was the reason not many picked it up as well.
Just scoring 80 or above 75 would place you as a genius cadet in the field.
But scoring above 80 in the early ranks? Unheard of.
And that was what Mikhail ended up doing.
It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if he was doing it continuously.
No, everyone could swear that he used to score between 65 to 70 before.
So how did this big leap occur?
That was what the Spellcasting teacher, Morgan Quagmire, tried to ask Mikhail.
Only to be rejected politely that he was tired for the day and he would answer her some other time.
It wasn't even a lie.
3 tests continuously had placed a high mental toll on him, making his head hurt.
Walking up to Raviel, he saw that the crimson-haired girl was now more worried about his condition than what he did.
"Are you okay Mika?"
Mikhail tried to force a proper look on his face.
"Yeah, I am. Just a little tired."
Raviel nodded, grabbing his hand.
"Then let's go back home, you can rest and we'll tell each other later how our day went." She smiled.
Mikhail nodded, letting Raviel lead the path.
But as he was being led, he saw an unnecessary amount of stares being directed his way.
Before he could say something, Raviel was quick to point out the reason.
"You have gained too much spotlight with these tests."
She turned back, her violet eyes interlocking with him.
"You are in their eyes now Mika. They finally recognize you for what you are."
For a moment, Mikhail could have sworn he saw a hint of sadness and inquisitiveness in her eyes.
But the next moment, Raviel had already turned and started leading him again.
Now, staring at the silent stares directed at him while he walked under the orange sky, Mikhail finally understood.
What the quest's purpose actually was with this.
***
[The Next Day]
Mikhail came out of his tent at the slightest sight of dawn.
After an early jump to bed last night, he was feeling perfectly refreshed.
He would usually wake up his squadmates whenever he'd wake up but this time he chose to not do so.
They had a tiring day yesterday so they deserved to rest.
Especially for today's tests as well.
After hearing about their performances, Mikhail was well satisfied with them.
The only time they ever placed under were if they competed against strong squadron leaders.
Otherwise, they mostly dominated the charts.
Whether it was Track Race or Alchemy tests.
Geared up after a shower, Mikhail started to head towards the physical grounds.
Physical Tests were held early on in the day to get a good measurement of everyone.
Where the air was fresh and everyone was on an empty stomach.
Reporting at the physical grounds, Mikhail found quite many people already there.
Not many females picked up the Physical Tests so there were mostly only males.
The female manatomy* was more designed towards magic rather than physical attributes.
They had a larger mana reserve and an abundance of mana veins in their body unlike the males.
It was a broad topic so Mikhail didn't want to get too into it.
Focusing on the main motive, he walked to a safe spot in the ground and started doing his warmups.
He could feel a multitude of stares cast his way.
Not just because people were familiar with his record in the Physical Tests but also because of yesterday.
From what he heard from Modric, the name Mikhail Hendrix was a famous topic in the academy now.
Mikhail couldn't care less about how it affected him anyway.
As he stood there doing warmups, Mikhail saw a familiar face enter the ground after a long while.
Daniel Blake.
Despite the signs of tiredness and aging on his face from the battle, his energy was as strong as ever.
To the point that a single step from him in the ground was enough to alert everyone.
Silence fell through the whole ground at his appearance after a long while.
Unlike the last time, even if someone wanted to this time, nobody dared to object or question him about the incident.
No one could.
That's how much people were terrified of this man.
"It's been a while." His raspy hoarse voice echoed in the ground.
People could see how weak he had gotten from the battle.
Yet, for some reason, they felt as if his will didn't waver at all.
And the curving of his lips into a sinister smile was all that they needed for confirmation.
That smile on his lips. It was infamous among every Physical Test candidate.
They called it the Smile of Doom.
Because if Daniel Blake, the head of Physical Training, was to smile like this,
Every cadet knew hell was about to come.
And that's exactly what it was.
Most of the tests followed the same structure of 100 Marks, like with Elemental and Spellcasting Tests.
And unsurprisingly enough, it was the same for Physical Tests.
Only that the 10 Tests carried out in Physical Tests were to vary instructor by instructor.
They could give you anything as long as it was related to your physical fitness.
A reason why not many people liked to pick this test up.
Especially not with Daniel Blake as the head instructor on it.
As if to illustrate the despair every cadet was feeling in their heart, Daniel pointed to a spot in the distance.
Following his cane, Mikhail's eyes landed on a large pile of rucksacks and weapons by some trees.
"You each will take a rucksack and carry two weapons on your back." Daniel ordered, sending a horrifying chill down the cadet's spine.
But his next words were what sent the nail down their coffins.
"Carrying at least 140 kilos on your back, you will climb the mountain behind your back and come back," he smiled deviously.
No wonder he was so infamous for his smile.