How Is He Doing That?

The airships came down, opening and allowing the students to truly jump. The airships didn't touch the ground at all. Not that the pilots didn't want it, but because the terrain was too irregular and the passages too straight for these huge vehicles. 

The students could only jump, using their Magic Energy to reinforce their bodies and dampen the fall. Well, the airships weren't that far high, though. As long as you were a Magus, you shouldn't have a problem landing.

*Tud, tud, tud, tud...*

Students from various ranked classes descended one after another, creating a continuous stream of arrivals. Alvin and Connor were among them, their eyes widening at the sight of approximately 2000 students. The remaining 6000, older and more experienced, were undoubtedly dispersed across other regions of the Dark Cayons.

Linfel was a Wisp, while Felia and Tratil were Familiars. They had the ability to float as long as they used enough Magic Energy, so it wasn't a problem for them.

Alvin looked around apprehensively. "So... where now?"

Connor immediately pointed to the higher-ranked classes in the distance. "Let's tag them. It should be safer."

"You know that just tagging will give us no points, right?" Linfel asked him. "Anyway, Connor can do whatever he wants. Alvin, Felia, come with me. We are taking our own route and ignoring everyone else."

"What?!" Alvin was taken aback. "That's suicide!"

Linfel shook his head, though. "You said it yourself, the first 20 to 30% of the path should be safe. Now, stop complaining and come. Otherwise, forget about our training schedule. Also, I'll be the first one to tell Milia about your choices in here once we go back." By now, he already understood Milia was the best way to convince Alvin.

Linfel floated away, not waiting for Alvin or anyone else. If they didn't follow, then he would go alone. Simple as that.

Alvin found both reasons extremely unbearable, so he immediately ran after Linfel, who was already dashing away from the thousands of students around. The others noticed how Alvin, Linfel, and Felia ran in the front and snorted. How could a Rank F Student be faster than the higher-ranked classes?

Sure enough, as soon as Linfel's group left the landing point, several other students followed suit. They were all Class A and B students, making a total of 200 or something. In fact, they were still planning their own routes and joining their own groups. It's just that seeing a Rank F Student taking the front affected their own pride, so they quickly followed.

"W-Wait for me!" *Puff, puff...*

Connor took some time to make up his mind, but he did come after Linfel's group with his Familiar in the end. The only thing he found strange was how it looked like Linfel was the real one in command instead of Alvin. "Alvin, are you sure of this?" Still, he asked Alvin instead.

Alvin bitterly smiled, paying attention to Linfel in front. "You wouldn't understand. I have a lot more to lose than just getting on Milia's bad side. I have to."

"Through here!" Linfel immediately changed direction, taking a narrower path.

Alvin and Felia quickly changed direction as well, following him. Connor looked at that and could see that not many of the Class A and B students selected that path. Instead, they seemed to prefer the wider ones. Only a few more couragous ones did select this path. 

This didn't stop there. A few minutes later, the paths divided once again. Some went up, others went down, right, left, you name it. Linfel didn't take the narrowest one this time, though. "This one now." he selected one that seemed pretty wide.

Alvin and Connor noticed that they were pretty much alone now. Even counting the Class A and B students who dashed in the front with them, only around five or so remained. "Linfel, do you know where you are going?" Tratil, Connor's Familiar, couldn't help but ask.

Suddenly, an open space appeared in front of their group. And at the very center of that space, a Light Yellow Flag could be seen. "This..." Alvin and Connor looked at Linfel, surprised.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go, go, go!" Linfel's eyes seemed to be filled with the image of Academy Credits. He quickly approached the Flag, and his magical Signature was taken.

Alvin and the others quickly followed, also reaching within ten meters of the Flag.

"To the next one!" Linfel didn't stop there. He looked at the other paths ahead and immediately made his decision, selecting the upper right one.

Not far behind, the five students who followed them from Classes A and B also approached the Flag, having their Magic Energy Signatures taken. They were quite surprised to have found a flag this fast. Not even ten minutes had passed since the start of the exam, after all.

The reason they followed Linfel's group was basically because they didn't want to follow the others. They knew that the lower-ranked classes would also tag them, so they wanted to leave them behind by using these narrower and seemingly more dangerous paths. However, now, they all looked at Linfel'sd group ahead, having the same idea. 'Could it be they know where they are going?'

One particular pair of eyes especially looked at them in a different manner. The guy quickly dashed forward, following Linfel. The other four delayed for a second, not feeling especially good to follow a group of Rank F Maguses and Familiars. Nonetheless, seeing the action of the first guy, they also followed. The Flags were the most important at the moment.

A little bit ahead, Linfel spoke to Alvin, Connor, and the Familiars in a low voice so only they would hear. 'The instructor said that we need to go deeper to find more Flags. That is a pretty simple concept. All I have to do is feel the flow of Magical Energy, and finding the fastest route to the end becomes quite easy.'

Everyone was taken aback, especially Felia and Tratil. They tried to feel the Magic Energy in the surroundings, but everything looked the same to them. 'How is he doing that?'