Chapter 87: Kids!

Noah willed his mana to circulate through the mana meridians in order to control his body again.

Even the flow of mana felt restricted, as the external mana pressure made it difficult for his body to even circulate the mana within its own territory, let alone absorb new mana from the surroundings.

Not that it was easy to actively absorb mana from the surroundings for a mere Silver ranker.

But Noah wasn’t a normal guy either...

Being a protagonist had its own perks, and they indeed lived up to their fame.

Noah’s willpower managed to bypass the suppression that was being placed on his soul.

’Not enough.’

Noah wasn’t satisfied with the results.

He could see Kael entering the auditorium without even noticing him or his efforts.

Another humiliation.

Being ignored had bruised Noah’s ego more than any other act on Kael’s part.

One. Two. Three...

Noah forced his legs to move.

With every step, he could feel the suppressive force increasing, as if trying to warn him.

Noah tried to battle it by releasing his own mana pressure.

Well... his efforts amounted to the suppression reducing a bit—

But that was like a drop in the ocean.

Noah still hadn’t fully mastered the mechanics behind releasing mana pressure, let alone having enough control to execute such a move.

But his determination wasn’t unfounded.

Slowly but surely, he felt the control over his body returning.

The burden on his soul seemed to have reduced, if only by a percent.

But it was enough...

Noah stepped forward, making his way towards the entrance.

Today, more than anything, he wanted to prove himself.

Not only to Kael but also to everyone present here.

He wasn’t inferior to Kael...

Today he would show—

Silence.

Entering the auditorium, Noah expected to appear before Kael and surprise the latter.

But...

All he could see was Kael sitting at the far end of the auditorium... His eyes closed!

"Ha... ha..."

Noah let out a dry chuckle.

Kael had never even considered his act as a form of domination.

Even unknowingly... he should have at least felt that the reason behind everyone being frozen was none other than his own mana pressure.

But—

Maybe... for Kael, it was an everyday thing.

Nothing to waste his time over.

***

"I think that everyone is here. For the students who have just arrived, please quickly take your seats so that we can begin the session."

The instructor’s voice brought me back to reality.

It had been a few minutes since closing my eyes... and I had dozed off.

I had managed to get my sleep schedule on time... but I didn’t know what was causing this unnecessary dizziness all the time.

Honestly, as a Silver 3 ranker, my body should have become resilient enough that sleep shouldn’t have been something that could affect it.

On top of that, my regeneration and self-healing capabilities were top-notch.

Still, my body was behaving like a weak shell...

Haa...

"As you all already know, it is now time for your practical sessions to begin."

Seeing that the students had taken their seats, the instructor stood at the podium, his voice even.

"For those who don’t know, your entire academic year scores will be divided into a sixty-forty ratio. The tests related to combat will have the majority of the marks, while the theory tests and your general attendance will cover the remaining forty percent of your scores."

The instructor patiently explained for the students—commoners in particular, as they had little knowledge about the inner workings of the academy compared to the nobles, who were educated in all types of general knowledge since their childhood.

"As for your first practical... you don’t have to worry much."

The instructor had an easy-going smile on his face.

I turned to look at John, who had his wish fulfilled, as I could feel his body relaxing just from hearing the statement.

He was now back to normal—from his previous pale state.

Honestly, he looked like a zombie to me.

I had asked the reason for his uneasiness, to which he didn’t reply.

Though he did give me an, ’Are you for real?’ type of stare.

Instead of mulling over his antics, I turned my attention back to the instructor, who now had a display device in his hand.

It was similar to a tablet on Earth, for it displayed the required data to people through what could be called touch screens.

You just had to touch those screens in order to navigate through the device.

"The practical will be an easy deal, as you will have to perform in groups."

At the instructor’s remarks, many students let out a relieved sigh.

They might have been nervous about their first performance since joining the academy.

Having reliable friends by your side surely makes a difference.

That is, if those friends could be reliable... as I didn’t think they would be of any value to each other when death would be looming over their heads.

Even though most of the nobles had decent training in combat... real battles with your lives at stake were a completely different matter.

And I could see many of these so-called elites wetting their pants when—

Maybe I was being harsh on them.

After all, these kids still have a lot to learn. And even the academy had just begun.

"Just there’s a small catch."

The instructor added in a barely audible voice.

Though his words were enough to make many hold their seats in waiting breaths.

"The groups will be formed at random by the academy. This is to make you flexible enough in real-life combat."

"But can’t we just fight along with our friends for this one? I mean, isn’t it our first practical?"

A student in the middle rows raised his thoughts, to which many agreed with a nod of their heads.

Kids!

The instructor looked at the student for a moment, debating over his choice of words, but before he could speak—

Elsa stepped forward.

"Your allotted groups will be sent to your devices within a minute. Check them out and move accordingly."

Elsa’s voice had no room for negotiation.