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Ethan smiled awkwardly before stepping aside.
The next person to introduce herself was a black-haired girl.
"I'm Serena Holt, a War Mage."
She stood up a little straighter.
"I mainly focus on offensive spells. Long-range combat is my specialty."
She folded her arms confidently.
"My strongest attacks can seriously injure beasts at our level."
Ash interrupted before she could continue.
"I already know what a War Mage does."
"My master specializes in that field."
Serena paused for a moment before lowering her arms.
"...Right."
Although slightly embarrassed, she continued.
"I know several powerful offensive spells."
Ash simply nodded without commenting.
Knowing spells and using them under pressure are two completely different things.
Next came the taller of the two girls.
"My name is Claire Ashford."
She rested one hand on the hilt of the slender estoc hanging at her waist.
"I'm a Magic Knight."
"We're trained to protect allies in close combat while using magic to strengthen our bodies and weapons."
She drew the estoc halfway from its sheath before sliding it back.
"I specialize in defending teammates rather than fighting alone."
Ash looked at the sword before nodding once.
"At least you actually carry your weapon."
Claire blinked, unsure whether that was praise or criticism.
Finally, the last member stepped forward.
She rubbed the back of her neck before giving a sheepish smile.
"I'm Nina Everhart."
"I'm the team's Battle Mage."
She looked around at the others before continuing.
"Battle Mages are supposed to adapt to different situations. We help wherever we're needed, whether it's attacking, defending, or supporting the front line."
She laughed awkwardly.
"To be honest... I don't think I'm very good at it yet."
"During the fight earlier, I completely froze."
"I knew what spells I wanted to cast, but by the time I made up my mind, everything had already fallen apart."
Ash looked at her for a few seconds.
Unlike the others, she wasn't trying to make herself sound impressive.
She had admitted exactly what had gone wrong.
That honesty made it much easier to identify the real problem.
These students weren't lacking knowledge.
They were lacking experience.
Ash leaned against the cave wall and folded his arms.
"So none of you are incompetent."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"You simply don't know how to fight outside a classroom."
The four students lowered their heads.
None of them could deny it.
Everything Ash had said was true.
"Still," Ash said, his tone softening slightly, "it was your first real battle, so making mistakes is understandable."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"But remember this. In a real life-and-death situation, you cannot expect someone else to save you while they are also fighting for their own life."
The four silently listened.
"My assigned role is the healer," Ash continued.
"Yet I was the one who fought a magical beast alone and defeated it."
He then pointed at the four of them.
"The four of you fought only two beasts together, yet you still couldn't handle them."
None of them could refute his words.
"The magical beasts were strong, there's no doubt about that," Ash admitted.
"They can cast powerful spells silently, just like experienced mages."
He paused for a moment.
"But they weren't even fighting seriously."
The students looked at him in surprise.
"The Byk could have used Earth Magic to hide its footsteps before charging at us."
"It deliberately made enough noise for us to notice it."
He then continued.
"And the crow didn't need to screech before attacking me. It could have silently dived from above and caught me by surprise."
Ethan frowned.
"What are you trying to say?"
Ash folded his arms.
"I'm saying this is still an examination."
"The magical beasts are treating it like a game."
"They're attacking us, but they're clearly holding back."
He looked at the group with a serious expression.
"Even so, don't underestimate the danger."
"If you're careless, you'll still end up with broken bones."
"If you're really unlucky, you could even lose a limb before the Professors arrive to rescue you."
The cave became silent.
"So take this exam seriously."
He looked at each of them one last time.
"You've already experienced your first battle against magical beasts."
"I expect all of you to perform much better the next time."
The four students nodded firmly.
This time, there was no hesitation in their eyes.
Ash looked at them and gave a small nod.
"Good. Now that we've settled everything, let's get some rest."
The others nodded in agreement.
Just then, Nina raised her hand.
"Um... what are we going to eat?"
Ash looked at her.
"Don't any of you have food stored in your dimensional rings?"
The four exchanged glances before slowly shaking their heads.
Ash stared at them for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh.
"I see."
"I guess we'll have to hunt something."
The four looked at one another again.
Ash immediately understood what those looks meant.
He rubbed his forehead.
"Don't tell me..."
He looked at them one by one.
"None of you knows how to hunt either?"
The four lowered their heads without saying a word.
Ash sighed even louder.
"Right."
"Of course you don't."
His voice became slightly sarcastic.
"You've spent four years learning magic, yet none of you thought you might need to learn how to find food during a survival exam."
Nobody dared to answer.
Ash shook his head.
"Fine."
"I'll teach you that as well."
He stood up and walked toward the cave entrance.
"The first rule of hunting is not to rush after the biggest beast you can find."
"We'll look for small prey first."
He pointed toward the forest outside.
"There are plenty of animals that aren't magical beasts."
"They're easier to catch, safer to hunt, and they taste better."
Ethan raised his hand.
"So... are we just going to use magic to kill them?"
Ash shook his head.
"Not unless we have to."
"Loud spells scare away everything nearby."
"If you want food, you stay quiet."
He looked at the group.
"Watch the ground."
"Look for footprints."
"Broken branches."
"Fresh droppings."
"Scratches on tree bark."
"They all tell you what has passed through an area."
The four students listened carefully.
None of this had ever been taught in their classes.
Ash walked out of the cave.
"Come on."
"Today's lesson isn't about fighting."
"It's about surviving."