Sometime later, Aaron and his teammates came together to discuss how they handled the fight and what they could have done better.
"Overall, I think we did good." Aaron said, bringing their discussion to a close. "Is there anything you guys wanna add?"
The others exchanged glances with each other, their gazes telling all they needed to know.
"No." Branson shook his head. "We may not be friends, but you've proven your abilities; both in combat and in leading us. We can continue this way…"
"Yeah…" Everyone agreed to his words.
"Thanks." Aaron nodded and then looked at the defeated monsters. "So what now?"
"We've eliminated them but there is still a lot of ground to cover." Rachel proposed, looking around the vast desert. "There might not be much in the sand, but those rock formations and hills could lead to cave systems or something."
"She's right." Johnson nodded. "Fighting monsters can't be the only thing we do here. Lord Alexander personally said this planet is teeming with resources we can get for ourselves. Surely, he must have placed us at one of those close by."
"True…" Aaron echoed in thought. A moment later, he looked at his teammates. "But we have to be careful about this. We shouldn't get careless because of one success."
"Mm."
Shortly after, the group started their journey towards the rock and hill formations, eager to explore the unknown.
....
Alex stood in the meadow observing all the different teams taking on the challenge. The majority of the students were doing well, and while there was a bit of struggle for some, they were safe.
'That's my brother alright…' Alex smiled slightly. '...Leave it to him to make everything look cool…'
That act of holding his sword that way was unnecessary, and despite Aaron's words, he was doing good as a leader.
His combat skills were also impressive. After all, he had taken a few lessons from his brother.
'Unfortunately, some have a poor understanding of their abilities and their applications.' Alex thought. 'Then again, it's not easy for everyone to have a perfect understanding of themselves and how to go about using their skills.'
"Note these students down." Alex spoke, referring to Xex. "I will give a brief description of what they're lacking and we'll work on that once this is over."
[Yes…]
The AI got ready as Alex began listing the names of some students, how they fought the monsters, how they related with their comrades, their ability applications and so much more.
"Even as fourth-year students, some have difficulty relating to others," Alex muttered after making his descriptions. "What do you think is the issue?"
[There could be a number of reasons…] Xex replied and began making a list of things it believed were the causes. [...for some, they could simply be arrogant.]
"Maybe…" Alex nodded. "But most of these students are trying their hardest to prove themselves in the hopes of catching my attention. With that in mind, you'd think they'd want to put on their best behaviour."
[People are complicated, and you of all people should know that.] Alex smiled at those words. [However, if I have to make a guess, I'd say it's their environment. Even if they were completely safe, the silent pressure on them brings out bits and pieces of their true selves]
"Yeah…" Alex nodded. "In any case, the kids are good. A few tweaks here and there will polish them nicely."
Time passed as the students continued to explore their surroundings, battling magical creatures whenever they came across them, mining resources they found along the way and getting to make new friends.
It was one aspect of Alex's school life he didn't get to do much. Mostly because of the fame around him and his desire to be alone with his closest friends.
Alex found a time when all the students were relatively less busy and sent a transmission.
"Okay, students." His voice echoed in their suits. "Take time to rest. The second part of your mission will begin soon."
Obviously, the students were taken by surprise. They had been led to believe all they needed to do was fight magical creatures and get rich.
"Relax…" Alex reassured them. "It's something you can handle perfectly fine. Each team will get one such challenge and I expect everyone to give their all.
"You have half an hour to prepare. Good luck."
...…..
"You heard my b--" Aaron quickly caught himself before continuing. "I mean you heard what Instructor Alexander said. Let's take a break here, eat something and get ready."
His teammates nodded, not minding his slip of tongue. Currently, they were within a large cavern with a lot of room to move around, even for people like them.
After spending most of their time fighting and mining, Aaron had gotten really close to them. He was slowly expanding his circle of friends.
What they or all the students didn't know was that the planet was created entirely by Alexander for this purpose. All the monsters, minerals and stuff they were experiencing were all made by him.
Of course, the only thing he didn't make or rather couldn't do was the void creatures. But that was a simple matter for him.
He had already gotten thousands of E-Tier void creatures, isolating them in a separate space he would release once the time came. Regardless of the location, each team was going to get one.
The students listened to their instructor, taking breaks and snacking on something. Then finally, the time came for the surprise.
"Get ready." Alex's voice echoed one last time.
Abruptly, Aaron and his teammates stood back to back in a circle, each one watching a different direction carefully. They didn't know what was coming, but Aaron and a few others had some guesses.
And right on time, a sudden chill ran down their spine. A chill they were very familiar with. Its sombre and sinister vibes caused a few to sweat under their headpiece.
"Fucking hell…" Johnson cursed as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "There…" The boy pointed in the direction of his gaze with shaky hands.
"Shit…" The others turned around only to see a vodi creature slowly floating towards them. "He didn't…"
While this was what they were training for, seeing a dead one and a alive one were completely different.
One was dreadful and harmless and this one was both dreadful and very much capable of killing them.
Regardless of how they felt, they had to fight. Aaron knew that, and with that in mind, he stepped forward, ready to take on his role as the one in charge.