Perhaps Charon sensed the instructors' intentions behind the raid. Otherwise, he had no reason to say something like that at such a critical moment. In any case, despite his blatant provocation, I found myself surprisingly calm.
Setting aside his strength, I found it pitiful to watch him obsess over the competition while people around him died. It was also ridiculous to get genuinely angry at such a pathetic provocation. Reacting to his taunts would only mean acknowledging that we were on the same level.
I looked up without replying. Charon shot me a cruel look before turning away to fire arrows and kill monsters once again.
Has he staked his life on his grades? I wondered.
His skills were exceptional, even among the hero disciples, who were already considered the best. In the distance, Hector, Seren, and Evan were fighting desperately. Yet, Charon stood out even among these proven geniuses.
In my opinion, their talents were similar. The difference lay in experience. Charon had likely faced countless life-and-death battles from a young age, making the current situation feel less like a crisis to him. This allowed him to remain calm and execute efficient movements.
However, his actions reflected an undercurrent of impatience, as though he were being chased by something.
This contradiction intrigued me, but I turned my attention to aiding the other hero disciples instead of dwelling on Charon. I meant what I had said earlier—they were too young to die.
...
Time passed, and the giant centipede's body collapsed with a thunderous crash.
A moment of silence followed, broken only by Evan's weary voice. "It is over."
One by one, the hero disciples relaxed, some flopping to the ground in exhaustion while others remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings.
Although the great crisis had passed, there were no cheers—only an uneasy quiet.
The silence was shattered by sudden applause.
A few hero disciples were startled to their feet, but there was no need for alarm as it was an instructor who showed up.
"Wonderful!"
I wondered what kind of person would clap in such a situation, but when I looked up, I understood.
Juan, the Martial Arts Master, stood there with a smile. "You did an excellent job holding the line. As expected, this class is truly outstanding."
"Instructor Juan?"
"What's the meaning of this?"
Juan addressed the stunned hero disciples. "Congratulations on passing your first special trial."
Unexpectedly, many of them still hadn't grasped the situation, and a murmur of confusion rippled through the group.
"A trial?"
"D-don't tell me that these demonic monsters' raid was..."
"Yes," Juan replied nonchalantly. "It was a scenario we orchestrated."
The hero disciples' expressions hardened. Some turned red with anger.
"You planned this?!" one shouted.
"How can something so dangerous be considered a trial?!" another demanded.
"I almost died in that battle!" a third cried out.
"So?" a cold voice interjected.
It was Tanko, the Hunting Master. He had arrived with several others, and I recognized their faces immediately.
The Great Masters have gathered for the first time, I mused.
There were ten Great Masters in total, but only eight had arrived. Even so, the atmosphere was grand, heightened by the family's knights flanking them like two wings.
Tanko smirked sarcastically. "Did you say that you almost died? That is good to hear. One of this training camp's goals is to bring you to the brink of death."
"T-then..."
"Still, this is too much."
Tanko's mouth twisted, a habit that seemed to surface when he was annoyed. "Too much? Let me ask you one thing. Do you think you'll never get attacked in the middle of the night as a hero?
"Today's situation was quite kind. We woke you up in advance, and you had time to prepare before the demonic monsters attacked. In a real battle, you wouldn't have this much time. By the time you sense something's wrong and open your eyes, the knife could already be at your throat."
A large, non-human figure with a tail spoke up. "But this wasn't a real battle, was it?"
"That's a half-baked excuse that makes me want to beat you senseless," Tanko spat.
"That's enough, Instructor Tanko." Juan restored the atmosphere. "We aren't here to scold them, are we?"
Silence followed once again.
"Look. Amazingly, all the hero disciples survived. It isn't unprecedented, but it is a great achievement," Juan remarked and clapped again.
The Great Masters and knights joined in the applause, though some instructors remained stoic, their hands clasped behind their backs.
It doesn't seem like they are friendly just because they are all instructors, I noted. There must be factions among them.
I quietly memorized the instructors' faces.
"As I said, this was a trial. Each of you has been graded on your performance. It is late, so we will share the results tomorrow," Juan said.
"So, is the trial over?" Hector asked.
Juan nodded. "That's right."
Sighs and relieved laughter broke out as some hero disciples turned to head back to their rooms, eager to rest.
At that moment, Tanko's icy voice stopped them in their tracks. "Where do you think you are going?"
The weary hero disciples turned back, their expressions sullen.
"You aren't children. If you have made a mess, clean it up."
"What?"
Tanko laughed as he gestured to the monster corpses littering the training hall. "Clean this up, then you can sleep."
***
The next morning, I woke up feeling slightly fatigued.
If even I, who was used to short naps, felt this tired, the other hero disciples were probably on the verge of collapsing.
A groan came from the bed next to mine. Evan, usually so lively, now looked like a zombie, his bright demeanor completely gone. He dragged himself out of bed like wilted seaweed, his movements eerily sluggish.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah," he mumbled, though he clearly wasn't.
I said nothing more, simply tapped him on the shoulder, and walked past.
When I stepped into the training ground, it was filled with more zombies. After last night's near-all-nighter and barely an hour of sleep, it was no wonder.
I yawned, but this was because the sun hadn't risen yet. Soon, it would be bright. I just needed some sunlight to restore my condition, though I knew I'd be insanely sleepy by evening.
At that moment, someone emerged from the instructors' building. It was Tanko, his face as cold as ever.
His mere presence seemed to bring order to the surroundings. It appeared these arrogant hero disciples had realized which instructors they needed to be especially wary of during this training camp.
After a quick headcount, Tanko nodded expressionlessly.
"Keep up today," he said curtly and started running without delay.
Perhaps this early morning run would become a routine until the training camp ended.
This was good for me. Nothing improved basic physical strength like running.
The rankings today were about the same as yesterday. Charon was in first, followed closely by Seren and Hector. Behind them were Evan, Mir, the Nightwalkers' next Chieftain, the Rubietas' daughter, the Chevaliers' only son, and so on.
My pace was about the same as yesterday, but I was further behind, now in the middle of the pack. Perhaps those who realized the value of points were showing their grit.
I wasn't in a hurry, though. Grades didn't matter much to me.
By the time I finished my thoughts, the run had ended.
" Gasp, gasp... "
"I'm going to die, really..."
Fewer hero disciples lagged behind compared to yesterday, but far more people were sprawled out in exhaustion.
I was also drenched in sweat and spent a while catching my breath.
Fortunately, the morning schedule was more relaxed. We were given time to eat breakfast and a short break afterward. It seemed the instructors had acknowledged that yesterday's unscheduled trial had been overly demanding.
The break was supposed to last half an hour, but the sleep-deprived among us used the time to doze off.
Soon, we gathered again in the training hall.
"There's really no time to catch a break," one hero disciple muttered.
"If I could only sleep for one hour, I would have no more wishes," another said.
"At least Instructor Juan's class is in the morning. That's something," a third added.
As expected, Juan stood on the stage with his characteristic gentle smile. "Good morning, everyone. Are you very tired? Feel free to sit down."
" Uwah. "
"Thank you...!"
The exhausted hero disciples sat down.
"Before we begin the morning class, I have a quick announcement regarding the results of last night's trial. We witnessed and documented every fight, grading each of you through a rigorous and objective evaluation."
It had happened early this morning, not yesterday. Analyzing the results meant the instructors hadn't slept last night. They were likely in worse shape than the hero disciples who had managed to nap, yet all the instructors I saw today appeared perfectly fine.
"It would take too long to announce everyone's results, so I'll only announce the top five. These are the only ones who will receive points: ten, eight, six, four, and two points, respectively, from first to fifth place."
The hero disciples were stunned because the points rewarded were far more substantial than anyone had expected.
"Let's begin with fifth place. Evan Helvin," Juan announced.
"Me?" Evan exclaimed, his expression a mix of pride and regret.
I nodded. Given his future reputation, it was a low ranking, but Evan was still growing.
"Hector Badniker is fourth, and Seren Goodspring is third."
Hector's expression stiffened, while Seren remained calm. She seemed to think the ranking suited her current level. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, she glanced around before her eyes settled on me. She seemed curious about my ranking.
Another gaze lingered on me—ten times more intense than Seren's and a hundred times more irritating. Charon stared at me with blazing eyes.
"Ah, I almost forgot to mention," Juan continued. "This raid is one of the special trials we'll hold weekly from now on. The first-place finisher in these trials will receive a special reward in addition to the points."
A special reward exclusive to first place?
After dropping this bombshell, Juan smiled and added, "I'll explain the special reward after announcing the rankings. Now, second place..."