Ian and his group were drowning in a wave of people when Asha raised her voice and shouted:
"Everyone! If you want to be accepted into our group, you must first line up properly!"
Hearing her words, the crowd stopped their rush and quickly formed a line in front of them. Once they were lined up, Ian stepped forward and looked over them. Among the faces, he noticed several nobles, then began to speak:
"My name is Ian Guardians, and I will be the leader of this group. I don't care about your lineage. What I need are your skills. Whether you are a commoner or a noble, I will treat you all equally."
These words made the commoners happy, while the nobles felt slightly offended. But Ian ignored their reactions and continued:
"Our group will challenge an S-rank monster colony to obtain the best Photon Elixir."
The moment Ian said that, the expressions of many people darkened. One of them stepped forward and said:
"We came here because we thought your group was powerful and could help us pass the exam easily. But an S-rank colony is far too much for us. We can't take that risk."
After those words, most of the people turned back and left, hoping to join other groups. In the end, only four remained. Two of them were nobles. Ian looked at them and continued:
"More stayed than I expected. That means you don't have a problem with us aiming for an S-rank colony, nor with me being the captain. Then, how about you introduce yourselves so we can get to know each other?"
The first to step up was a muscular commoner boy carrying a massive sword on his back.
"My name's Jacob. I'm skilled in swordsmanship, and I awakened a three-star aura with the Earth element. I ranked 36th in the exams. I might not be the strongest, but I'll do my best not to drag the group down."
Next was a small girl with reddish hair and a petite figure.
"Hello, I'm Nilo. I specialize in archery and awakened a three-star aura with the Wind element. I'm ranked 28th. I hope you'll take care of me."
The third to speak was a proud noble boy with brown hair. He looked at Ian with disdain.
"Hmph. I don't like the idea of you being the leader, but for Lady Asha's sake, I'll let it slide. Listen well, commoner boy—I am Joseph Cross, from a branch family of House Cross. Like Lady Asha, I am skilled with the spear, and I awakened a three-star aura with the Water element. I'm ranked 20th, so you could say I'm quite strong."
Ian didn't pay much attention to Joseph's words and waited for the last one to introduce herself. A girl with long dark purple hair flowing down her back and a pair of glasses on her face stepped forward. Her noble aura was undeniable, and her deep violet eyes reflected her pure bloodline.
"My name is Emilia Magnolia. I ranked 5th in the exams. I specialize in archery and awakened a three-star aura with the Fire element. I'm glad to meet you all."
The group was shocked and delighted to have such a powerful individual join them. After informing the instructors about the completion of their team, one of the examiners soon announced that all groups had been formed. Each leader was then summoned into a separate room to choose the colony they would attack.
An hour later, the leaders began returning—some with grim expressions, others smiling. When Ian stepped out, there was a confident smile on his face. He turned to his group and declared:
"The S-rank colony we've chosen is a colony of…!!!"