Parting Ways

Without waiting for even a moment, all the present cadets dashed inside.

No one even had gotten the message describing the four mana beast targets yet, still, they all instantly trailed inside to get in the lead.

Of course. Lucas wasn't in a hurry.

He didn't care about this stupid test. After all, it was already guaranteed that his unit would be placed in the top 5 winner rankings.

But there was a big problem with this test. 

The test wasn't all that difficult and would have normally been a walk through the breeze for his unit but there was one factor that changed everything. And what's worse is that only his unit will be the one to suffer the most due to this factor.

The factor was none other than Lucas himself.

The reason being that Lucas has the ability to repel monsters with his mere presence.

Although he had already expected the content of the test, it didn't make his situation any easier.

He had already noticed this before when he came to the 5th district last time, that no monster in the entire forest dared to show its presence to him.

This means that as long as Lucas is present, his Unit won't be able to hunt a single monster. Far from hunting, they wouldn't even be able to come across a single monster.

For his Unit to be able to pass this exam he has no choice but to separate himself from others.

"Lucas, come!"

Suddenly, a loud worried voice shook Lucas out of his thoughts.

Lucas looked up and found the figure of a blue-haired boy standing at the entrance gate.

And with the way he was huffing and puffing Lucas was able to determine that he had come back to get him after going into the forest.

"Kent, I am afraid we will have to go our separate ways for this exam. Do me a favor and inform others will ya."

With that, Lucas entered the deep forest and disappeared without even giving a chance for Kent to respond.

******

Everyone except Anastasia was huddled under a towering tree. The thick canopy provided much-needed shade from the sweltering sun, and the sturdy trunk offered a good resting spot.

"Argghhhh! Seriously!? Did that guy really run off on his own leaving his unit behind?!"

Amelia complained in anger as she glared at Kent. Just a few moments ago, Kent informed them that Lucas was going on a different path and had told them to continue with the exam.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have cared about Lucas's actions but now was different. It was a test they had to give as a team and his absence would cause a major dent in their assessment. What's more, Lucas's strength was crucial for them to be ranked in the top 5.

Amelia didn't doubt their team's strength, she was confident that she was stronger than Lucas, and with the addition of Nero and Anastasia they would have no difficulty getting a spot in the top 5. But with Lucas's absence, everything has changed.

"Why didn't you stop that guy?" Amelia asked almost accusing Kent.

"Do you think I can?" Kent answered as he shrugged his shoulders.

Amelia's brows furrowed at his answer. She knew what he was talking about. Considering Lucas's strength, it would be too much for Kent to stop him alone. In the end, all Amelia could do was continue with the exam without Lucas's help.

"Let's think about Lucas later and concentrate on the exam for now. The message should be– Oh, it's here!"

Tring—!

Right when Nero was in the middle of his speech, a message notification popped up in all of their smart bracelets.

However, as if agreed upon beforehand, both Kent and Amelia ignored the message and only Nero clicked on the notification. They both gathered around him when a bright blue holographic screen projected out from his bracelet.

"It says here, our preys are Winged Jaguar–"

"Pass."

"Hard pass."

 Both Amelia and Kent immediately rejected the Winged Jaguar as their target.

"—Black Scaled Bull, Silver Skinned Giraffe, and lastly, Steel Winged Eagle. All of them are described to be [Bronze 1] ranked mana beasts. There's also the map of the outer forest linked with the message."

"Hmm, those are all hard choices," Amelia touched her chin and commented. "I think we should discuss our team's composition first."

"Agreed," nodded Nero. "We have two archers excluding Lucas, one swordsman, and 1… Wait, Kent, what are you?"

"Oh me? I'm an archer."

"..."

"..."

The silence was deafening. 4 archers in a team of 5 clearly showed that something was wrong with the Academy. That's just how unbalanced their team was. But right then, Kent began laughing as if enjoying the reactions of the both.

"Hahahahaha! I'm kidding! Oh my god! Look at your faces you all! Nyahahahaha!"

One look was enough to tell that both Amelia and Nero were barely holding back the urge to beat the living shit out of the elven boy's face. As if Lucas wasn't enough, even Kent started to become a major headache for them.

"G-Guys, stop gritting your teeth and clenching your fists. I was only joking!"

"Haaa," sighing, Amelia rubbed her eyes and said. "Just tell us what you are."

"I'm a scytheman," Kent confessed. "Although I wanted to use a bow like my mom and dad, I had a talent for scythe."

"You have no talent for sharpshooting even though you're a pure-blooded elf?" Nero asked, genuinely curious.

"Nhh hmm," Kent shook his head.

"Weird," Nero couldn't help but mutter to myself.

Elves are known for their exceptional skills in sharpshooting, while dwarves have a natural inclination toward crafting and forging.

Additionally, humans are known for their ability to adapt, and vampires for their ability to deceive.

There's even a saying in this world on that: Act like a vampire, shoot like an elf, create like a dwarf, and adapt like a human.

"Hey, expecting me to shoot well just because I'm an elf is racist you know."

"But there's even a saying on–"

"That saying is racist too!"

"But–"

"Racist!"

"They say–"

"Racist!"

"Your mom's—"

"Racist!"

"Okay fine, I'm sorry."

"Hehe, good."

 After one-sidedly winning an argument, Kent finally got an apology from Amelia which he accepted with a goofy smile.

"You guys done?" asked Nero with a sigh. "Now let us focus on the test at hand. Since we have two long-range, one close-range, and one mid-range fighter, our hunting target should be Steel Winged Eagle. Does anyone have any objections?"

"Nope."

"...."

Due to there being no response from the last person in their group, both Kent and Nero turned to look at Amelia who was standing with her back against a tree, deep in thought. Her charming forest-green eyes were lost in a world of her own and her fingers were pressed firmly against her chin.

"Amelia," Kent called out to her.

"Uh- yeah?" shaking out of her thoughts, Amelia replied.

"I asked a question," said Nero. "Do you have any objections to setting Steel Winged Eagle as our hunting target?"

"Oh, no. Not at all."

"Okay, so it's decided," declared Nero before turning back to Amelia. "By the way, what were you thinking?"

"Oh, uh, you know we have three archers in our Unit. That doesn't seem to be the right team composition."

"Right team composition?"

"Yeah. You know, the Academy assigned us the Units based on our rankings and preferred weapon of choice. So why did they think putting three archers in one Unit would be a good idea?"

"Wait, they assigned us the Units based on our rankings and primary weapons?"

"Yeah, I didn't know that either. They did that?"

At Amelia's explanation, both Nero and Kent frowned in puzzlement.

"If you take one look at our unit then you will realize it right away," Amelia began to answer as she noticed their confusion. "Kent and Lucas are at the bottom of the ranks. To balance things out, the Academy paired them with three high-rankers."

"I-I see," said Kent, scratching his head. "Man, I should start training seriously."

"Oh, I never noticed," Nero frowned his eyebrows even deeper.

Amelia continued, "Additionally, upon examination of other units, it is apparent that their composition is not as disorganized as ours, for the most part."

"Now that I think about it, all the other Units have only 1-2 long-range fighters, that's it," Kent exclaimed as he just noticed this fact.

"Yes, so the question arises, why is our Unit assigned three archers? I really don't understand." the black-haired girl clicked her tongue.

Amelia wasn't wrong in her assumption about their team's composition. But she overlooked one crucial factor.

The academy didn't assign students to their Units based on their primary weapon usage. They assigned them to the Units based on the weapon and type of fighting style they have the most potential in.

Before he regained his memories Lucas's main weapon was a spear rather than bow.

Anastasia, despite being the best archer in the world, excelled more at hand-to-hand combat.

So both of them were not using the weapons they had the most potential in. It wasn't the Academy's fault that the composition of their Unit was messed up.

"Wait, what if someone in our Unit has a dual profession?" Amelia snapped her fingers as she began to realize the Academy's process of assigning Units.

For Amelia to be able to notice this fact clearly showcased that her analytical abilities were good.

Unfortunately for her, she would never be able to guess who has the dual profession in their group. Anastasia who excelled at hand-to-hand combat and the current Lucas who was proficient in every weapon were very hard to figure out considering their proficiency with the bow. 

Step—! Step—! Step—!

However, before Amelia could think further, she heard the sound of someone coming their way.

Kent immediately guarded up, but Nero nonchalantly waved his hand and said:

"Don't worry. It's Anastasia. I sent her to do a reconnaissance of our surroundings since she said her eyesight is good."