Chapter 29: Monoliths

Nikolai left the virtual reality after finishing his exam. His face was sweating, as some details were too basic for him to remember. Nonetheless, he felt good about his score.

Now, all he needed to do was to ace his practical exam. If he remembers it correctly, then the midterms and finals would be a conjoint exam of the different classes in the academy.

There were almost one-hundred-fifty students per year in Rohan academy. A single class had thirty students, making them five classes that competed against each other and among themselves.

The classes were Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning. These were the main elements, but not the only ones. The classes were said to be divided according to the stats of each student, not the skills.

There was no real relevance as to why these classes were chosen. The element didn’t express anything but simply a division to make things more competitive.

The practical exam was held in two parts, individual and team battles. Both of them rewarded different points of achievement that would be used to judge the ranks of each student.

“The first part of your exam for today is over.” After the theory exam was over, Mr. Heartwrath came over to explain. “I hope you’ve done well, but let’s see you put that knowledge into practice.”

He asked them to follow him and Nikolai’s class, which was Earth Class, followed after. They were escorted to the academy’s training field where students from other classes have already begun gathering.

The tension was high between the classes, who usually didn’t interact with each other than exams like this one. Based on the results of the entrance exam, the Lightning class was the strongest. They had the top-ranking student, heir of a major family in the Rosia Kingdom.

After that came the Water Class, who had a high-ranking archer in the lead. This class didn’t have a powerful leader, but their students were of equal strength more or less and had excellent teamwork.

The Earth Class, theirs, was third-rank in strength. This was due to the existence of several powerful people, and the rest following after them.

The Fire Class was also powerful, but they had a lot of internal conflicts. This made them rank fourth despite their strength. Even as they stood in the training field, they were split into groups.

The Wind class was the least powerful, but Nikolai didn’t know if they were weak or if they simply didn’t care. In his past life, it was from this class that several top spots were taken before anyone realized.

As the classes gathered, Mr. Heartwrath stepped forward and began explaining the practical test. The students quieted down as each of them held either nervousness or ambition.

“The practical exam will be held in an hour, starting with the team battles. After that, the individual exam will start. The class battles will consist of each class having a monolith to protect. That monolith can either be destroyed or captured.” Mr. Heartwrath explained and pressed a button on the remote control.

A hologram with images appeared in front of them. The monoliths were erected on several clearings in the middle of Rohan Academy Forest. They were giant pillars with a barrier constructed around them.

Purple for lightning, blue for water, yellow for earth, red for fire, and green for wind. Each monolith was colored differently.

“On top of each monolith,” Mr. Heartwrath pressed the remote again. “Is a single key.” There was a floating key in the new pictures. “If you destroy the barrier or snatch the key, you conquer that monolith.” The hologram disappeared and the teacher continued.

“The exam lasts five hours. The winning team will be the one who conquers the most monoliths. If two teams conquer two, and the last has yet to be conquered, another hour will be given.”

That means whoever conquers two and defends them guarantees first place. It was a race of who can conquer the three the fastest and defend them.

“The monolith will give buffs to its class, so stick to it if you want to defend it. That will be all. Go to the buses and pray the odds are in your favor.”

As they walked to the buses, Nikolai made sure to study the students of the other classes. As he suspected, the oddballs were there in the Wind class. The Lightning class was also dangerous because of that powerful lightning user.

‘This is getting exciting.’ Nikolai grinned. He was feeling competitive after being granted a chance to take on these geniuses for one more time.

They reached Rohan Academy’s forest after twenty minutes. They passed through the northern gate which was the safest and went toward the forest. The ancient-looking buildings disappeared and were replaced by green forests and steep cliffs that interlocked like the teeth of a giant monster.

Each class was on a different bus and they soon diverged. Each class was dropped at a different entrance of the forest, closest to their monolith.

“The exam begins in fifteen minutes. Gather next to your monolith before that time! Anyone who isn’t next to their monolith will be disqualified from the exam.”

This was to make sure no traps were laid beforehand. The classes split and entered the forest to head toward their monolith.

“Listen up, everyone.” Julian stepped forward. “Since I’m the strongest at the moment, I’ll be leading the class. If anyone has a problem with that, I’ll be happy to discuss it.”

No student objected because they all knew how violent Julian can get to those who disobey him. Sira and Marcus didn’t say anything as well, opting to stay indifferent.

“I don’t care how you feel about me or who you are, all I care about is winning. Follow my commands and I’ll make sure we conquer the other monoliths.” Julian said before sprinting in the direction of their yellow monolith.

After Nikolai followed his class for a while, he managed to see the monoliths in the distance. They were giant stone pillars with a height of over thirty meters. On the flat tip of the monolith was the key that can be snatched.

‘Indeed, with such a height, no one can snatch it easily. Furthermore, anyone approaching to make a jump or climb will be taken care of by the defending class.’ Nikolai saw his class spread around the monolith as Julian assigned roles. ‘Well, it’s time to make another plan.’