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In the afternoon, just before the trial ended, they hunted down several level one or two magical beasts, cut off their ears as evidence, and brought them back.
Aresia had the fortune of finding quite a few magical plants, including a level three plant worth 10 points. They collected them all. After calculating, their passing score of 60 points, plus almost 90 points in bonus, brought them to a total of at least 130 points.
According to past situations, this score was enough for them to secure a good position.
With their harvest, they returned full of joy.
On their way back, they encountered other teams. The closer they got to the gathering place, the more people they saw. Some teams had good gains, while others seemed to have gone through some difficulties. Overall, the atmosphere was not bad.
At the entrance of the trial grounds, some teams had already returned with their prey. This would increase their scores even more. The longer they took to return, the lower their ranking would be when they handed in their collected items.
As soon as Aresia and the others returned, Alvin came forward and asked about their performance with magical item. Aresia admitted that they had used magical item.
Indeed, they used magical item.
Alvin seemed relieved, though Aresia didn’t know why.
Alvin was one of the teachers responsible for monitoring the situation. Due to Aresia’s extraordinary performance, he had paid attention to their entire process. He knew that Aresia’s use of magical item was unintentional, so he comforted her, saying, “Don’t worry, we understand the circumstances. The teachers know it wasn’t a deliberate violation, and we will handle it accordingly.”
The implication was that they would deduct some points, but not too many.
Aresia thanked Alvin and turned back to her teammates. However, the person responsible for queuing had already left.
Aresia walked around and asked the others, “Where are they?”
Jorgus replied, “They went to inquire.”
Aresia felt puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong? Why do you seem upset?”
After Karina and Jorgus registered with the staff, they pulled Aresia aside to share the information they had obtained.
It turned out that there were three teams who had sent out magical distress signals. The timing of their calls for help was different, so it was difficult to determine who they were.
This made things easier. Since their task was to register first, they could check which team had chosen the level two magical beast, the arrow boar.
The person responsible for checking was Aresia, who had the status of a teacher assistant and was somewhat respected as a noble.
Everyone turned to Aresia, and one of them pointed to where the registration book was. They would wait until the others finished registering before asking.
Aresia replied, “I’ll observe the people around us. I think the guilty party might be among them.”
Aresia didn’t believe that the culprits had deliberately caused trouble. It was only after they saw the others using the magical signal flare that they decided to use it too. They even covered their faces to avoid being recognized.
If the group was interrogated, the chances of finding them would be higher. The probability of being chased would be too high if they panicked and made a mistake. They hadn’t considered this aspect at all.
After awhile, they regained their composure. It was likely that they were afraid of being confronted by Aresia and the others.
After a brief survey, Aresia and the others couldn’t find anyone suspicious in the crowd.
Unfortunately, it was difficult. The culprits must have hidden well.
After about half an hour, most of the teams had finished registering, and the scores for each team were recorded on a notice board for them to check.
Aresia quickly found their team’s score.
At the top of the list, their team’s name was written, accompanied by the score: 148 (mission completion) + 10 (trap identification) – 5 (violation of using magical tools) = 153.
Alvin’s decision to handle their violation fairly resulted in a deduction of five points from their base score.
With an additional ten points for identifying the trap, their final score was three points higher than the second-place team. It was a close call. If the deductions were slightly higher, they wouldn’t have secured the top spot.
Upon seeing their score, everyone cheered, “Yes, we’re in first place!”
Karina felt relieved. She had almost held the team back when they were chased by the arrow boars. Karina felt a mix of fear and relief. If it weren’t for Aresia’s quick reaction and the magical signal flare, Karina’s hesitation would have not only slowed them down but also endangered the entire team. She truly despised those who caused trouble. But now, they had achieved first place and Karina was genuinely happy.
Amidst the crowd, some were happy while others were worried. The results of the trial were out, and there was no chance for a comeback. Not everyone failed, but those who did have to extend their summer break and participate in make-up exams or face other punishments, such as additional training or cleaning duties.
With the announcement of the results, the atmosphere turned somewhat gloomy. They were arranged to board a carriage and prepare to return.
The carriage they sat in was arranged in advance. While waiting for departure, Aresia bid farewell to Amos and asked him to send a message, informing the school that she would be on break and request to Amos to sent someone to pack her belongings. She didn’t want to be burdened with unnecessary tasks.
Amos nodded in agreement. He would have the servants take care of the dormitory belongings, while she personally organized the materials in the laboratory.
As they boarded the carriage, Aresia sat next to Wendy and Karina. Wendy was the first to congratulate them with a smile, saying, “You guys are amazing, achieving such a high score!”
Aresia praised them in return, “Your score is not bad either. Being in the top eight teams is already impressive.”
Although Wendy’s team was assembled at the last minute, they not only completed the mission but also earned many bonus points. Despite the deduction for not identifying the trap, their final score of 130 points was quite good.
Blushing slightly, Wendy responded, “We were lucky. The mission we drew was an easy one to find magical plants. While searching for the targets, we happened to come across many other magical plants. Without those, we wouldn’t have achieved such a high score. We can’t compare to you guys.”
Knowing that a significant portion of Aresia’s team’s bonus points came from defeating magical beasts, Wendy understood that their success was based on their own strength. It was not something everyone could accomplish.
“Don’t be modest. Finding magical plants is your team’s specialty. Others might not be able to recognize them.”
Wendy blushed even more at the compliment.
Aresia found it a bit strange. In their past life, they would openly criticize and mock each other. It was a far cry from their current atmosphere of mutual praise. Wendy smiled shyly, seemingly happy. It seemed that she wasn’t used to receiving compliments.
At that moment, Karina muttered, “If not for those people causing trouble, our score would have been even higher.”
Wendy was taken aback and her smile faded. “What happened?”
Karina was about to vent her frustrations when she noticed she had an audience. She bit her lip and held back, realizing that it wasn’t the right time.
Aresia joined in, trying to lighten the mood. She changed seats with Karina and sat next to her, asking, “So, what’s the plan for the individuals who drew the short straws?”
They had discussed this issue during the trial. Jorgus and the others listed several potential candidates, but it would be difficult to investigate now that the school was on break.
The fact that a warrior from their own faction was involved in this matter bothered Jorgus and the others.