The test began, and each group received their own bracelet. It was some kind of device that let you know where your teammates were.
"Hey, can you walk any faster?" grumbled Tohime.
"Ugh, do I have to?"
I strolled lazily through the forest. There was nothing to be afraid of. All these monsters were just illusions made to look real. Every student received their weapons, though I couldn't help but feel bad for Tohime, who had to use a longsword even though her main weapon was supposed to be a katana.
"Tch, how can knights even fight properly with this double-edged thing?" she complained after cutting down a monster.
"Wow, you're amazing, Tohime," said Penlope cheerfully. She was darting around from branch to branch, cracking her whip at anything that moved.
Meanwhile, John and I just walked casually behind them. John had already yawned several times, and at one point, I was pretty sure he actually fell asleep while Tohime was still fighting.
"Are you just going to walk like that? You're slowing us down," Tohime snapped. The bracelet worked that way, the farther you got from your teammates, the more points you lost. Everyone had individual scores that depended on teamwork, but those who made the most attacks got higher points.
"I'll rely on the teamwork score. Being bait sounds like a perfect role for me," I said calmly.
After all, I could only rely on Umbros to slightly improve my weapon control. My attacks barely dealt damage, so it was better to focus on building stamina and running fast enough to distract the enemies.
On the other hand, Penlope was incredibly useful. She climbed trees and kept watch over the forest, preventing us from getting lost.
But something about her seemed off. Her height kept changing. Was that just my imagination?
"Hey, Penlope. Why do you keep changing size?"
"Hm? So you noticed?" she said, jumping down and showing me her bracelet. It was golden, engraved with floral patterns.
"This is an artifact my father gave me. It lets my body shrink or grow within a certain limit," she explained.
"Oh, that explains how you move so lightly," I replied.
"Anyway, aren't you all worried? If we don't kill enough monsters, we won't make it into the Elite Class," said Tohime.
I didn't really care. I'd rather not end up in the Elite Class with Arthur around being near him only meant constant danger.
"It's fine, look." I stabbed a small creature that looked more like an insect than a monster. My bracelet glowed, and my points increased slightly.
"See? I'm not aiming for the Elite Class, so I won't get in your way fighting the stronger ones," I said with a shrug.
From the start, I had no intention of taking this seriously. John seemed capable enough even while asleep, some kind of barrier surrounded him, protecting him from attacks. Penlope was only here to explore, killing whatever got in her way.
Even though we were a team, everyone had their own agenda. I killed weak monsters, John slept, Penlope swung around the forest, and Tohime fought everything big and dangerous.
The sunlight began to fade as we reached the final part of the artificial forest. The shadows grew darker, and strange rustling sounds came from all directions.
"Tohime, how many more monsters do we need to fight?" Penlope asked as she swung from a branch.
"Tohime?" I turned to look at her. She stood ahead of us, her body covered in dust and sweat, but her eyes still sharp.
"This is the final zone," she said coldly. "The instructor mentioned a guardian monster here. Once we defeat it, the test ends."
"A guardian monster?" I repeated slowly. "That doesn't sound good."
"Relax," Penlope said, patting my shoulder. "If you die, I'll make sure to collect your corpse."
"Thanks for the motivation," I muttered.
Suddenly, the ground shook. From beneath the tree roots, a giant creature emerged shaped like a bear, but its entire body was covered in black stone with glowing red cracks. Its eyes burned like embers.
"Stone Grizzly," Tohime muttered as she drew her sword. "A mid-tier golem-type monster."
Penlope whistled. "Cute. And big too."
John opened one eye, half-asleep. "Can I go back to sleep after this?"
"Not if you die first!" Tohime shouted, charging forward and slashing at the monster's leg. The blow was strong, but it only left a small mark on the stone surface.
I stepped back a few paces. "Umbros, any ideas?"
From the shadow beneath my feet, a soft voice answered, "Use your strength wisely. You don't have to be the hero, just be the right kind of distraction."
The right distraction… yeah, that sounded exactly like me.
"Tohime! I'll draw its attention!" I yelled.
"Don't be stupid! You'll—"
Before she could finish, I sprinted to the monster's side and slashed at its eye. The Stone Grizzly roared, swinging a massive paw toward me. I rolled backward, barely dodging in time.
Penlope took the chance to leap from a tree, wrapping her whip around the monster's shoulder and planting a small bomb in a crack. "Boom!" she said with a grin. A small explosion rocked the creature, throwing it off balance.
"Now, Tohime!"
With a fierce cry, Tohime sliced across the glowing red lines on its chest. The stone shattered, and a blinding blue light burst from within before the creature disintegrated into dust.
For a moment, everything was silent except for our heavy breathing.
"Ha… finally," Penlope said, sitting on a rock. "That was the most fun test ever."
John yawned. "Is it over?"
"Yeah, it's over," I said with a small laugh. The bracelets on our wrists glowed softly, and blue holograms appeared in the air, showing our final scores.
Tohime: 123 points.Penlope: 88 points.John: 60 points (I still had no idea how he managed that).Leon: 42 points.
"Guess I won't be in the Elite Class," I said casually.
"I figured," Tohime sneered, though her tone lacked the sharp hostility from before. "You're… not as bad as I thought."
"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm charming," I replied with a grin.
Penlope clapped my shoulder. "If you ever need bait again, call me."
"I'll think about it," I said.
A light circle appeared under our feet. The teleportation signal back to the academy grounds.
According to the story, Arthur should be facing the rebel leader who invaded the academy right about now. That boss was infamous, one hit from him, and you were dead unless you knew his attack pattern.
Thump. Thump.
Huh?
My head started spinning, my vision turning blurry. What's happening? I closed my eyes and heard Tohime's voice faintly.
"Hmph, perfect. We've got a pervert, a lunatic girl, and a half-asleep idiot. What a team."
Wait, what? Didn't she just compliment me a minute ago?
I opened my eyes, the scenery was different. The sky was bright again, and everyone was standing in the field.
"What the..."
Before I could finish my sentence, I realized it.
The day had reset.