"I don't understand why, but whenever points are mentioned, they maintain complete silence about specifics. Actually, they're secretive about most academy matters, but the point system seems to be particularly sensitive information."

Of course, I knew the mystery surrounding the points.

"Perhaps the secrecy serves a purpose," I mused. "If students knew exact point values, they might focus too heavily on optimizing for rewards rather than actually learning and developing their abilities."

Emmet returned some time later, blood coating his hands completely. It appeared he had used his bare fists to kill the wolves rather than drawing his weapon - a brutal but effective approach that spoke to his current emotional state.

I observed him silently without offering any commentary. Emmet sat down by the fire without saying a word, his expression still dark and brooding.

The silence stretched between us as he stared into the flames. His violent handling of the wolf pack had clearly provided some outlet for his frustration, though he remained visibly troubled by his earlier defeat. The blood on his hands served as a stark reminder of the intensity he had brought to what should have been an easy elimination

Elen glanced between us uncertainly, sensing the tension but unsure whether to address it or maintain the quiet atmosphere.

The crackling of the campfire was the only sound as we sat in this uncomfortable stillness. Emmet's mood was affecting the entire group dynamic, though I understood his need to process the loss in his own way. Combat had always been his primary method of working through emotional difficulties.

Eventually, someone would need to break this silence, but for now it seemed appropriate to let him have the space he clearly needed to work through his thoughts about the day's events.

Time passed steadily throughout the night, with occasional monsters venturing into our area. Several white donkeys actually appeared as well, drawn perhaps by the scent of dead monsters or the nearby water source.

Emmet handled all these threats efficiently. Having someone as powerful as him deal with these disturbances was genuinely convenient, it removed the need for me to interrupt my own activities and allowed me to focus on personal improvement during the watch.

Throughout the entire night shift, I practiced strengthening my weapon enhancement abilities. I was careful not to overuse my mana reserves, instead working slowly and methodically to build proficiency. Maintaining a substantial mana reserve was crucial in case any serious threats emerged that required my direct intervention.

Periodically, I ventured away from the campfire to consume my stored blood supplies. These discrete trips were necessary to maintain my enhanced capabilities, though obviously I couldn't drink blood in front of my teammates without raising uncomfortable questions about my true nature.

The routine was meditative in its own way, maintaining vigilance, practicing enhancement techniques, and managing my physiological needs while ensuring the camp's security. The steady progression of small improvements felt more valuable than dramatic breakthroughs that might attract unwanted attention.

By dawn, I had made measurable progress with my weapon enhancement control while successfully maintaining our defensive perimeter throughout the night. The examination would conclude today, and our accumulated advantages positioned us well for victory.

[Your trait Blood Enhancement has reached level 3]

A smile erupted across my face as my night-long practice finally bore fruit. At level 3, the enhancement required less blood essence, consumed significantly less mana, and provided even greater strengthening effects.

The night faded as the sun emerged over the horizon, signalling another day. It was time for the team to wake up. I felt energized despite not sleeping, the successful training had left me in good mood and my body was in excellent condition.

When everyone had roused and gathered around the dying campfire, I began issuing new orders for the day.

"Listen up, everyone. Don't become complacent just because we've had success. We're still not guaranteed victory," I announced firmly. "By removing Seraphina from Kyle's team, we've created a dangerous enemy. They'll be looking for opportunities to strike back at us."

A classmate nodded thoughtfully. "What's our strategy for the final day?"

"We're abandoning this camp," I declared. "With our resources secured, there's no need to maintain a survivalist team anymore. I'm redistributing everyone into expanded scouting and hunting teams."

Elen looked concerned. "Are you sure we should give up this defensive position?"

"We won't be staying another night, so there's no point worrying about losing the site or someone taking it over," I explained. "Pack everything up, we're going mobile. Staying in this place isn't safer, it's actually more dangerous. A team might've already found our location without our knowledge. The news could be sold to other classes that could attack us or they could even attack us themselves."

I turned to Marcus specifically. "You're going to captain a new team. I'm placing Elen with you along with several others."

The reason I placed Elen with Marcus was simple. When Kyle's team inevitably attacks to retrieve Crest Marks, they'll assume I'm carrying them personally. But the marks will actually be with Marcus's team, a strategic misdirection that should give us tactical advantages.

Protection through misdirection. They'll focus their efforts on the wrong target while the magical crests remain safely guarded.

When the time was right, we began our coordinated movement across the examination grounds. We currently possessed 40 Crest Marks, a substantial accumulation that put us in an excellent competitive position.

Approximately 20 hours remained in the examination period, giving us ample time to secure additional resources while maintaining our advantages.

We moved as a unified group rather than splitting into smaller teams. While this made us more difficult to conceal, stealth wasn't our objective at this point. Our numerical superiority meant we could afford to operate openly while deterring attacks from rival teams.

Our approach continued to yield results as we encountered additional opportunities. We discovered and solved two more shrines during our sweep of the western territories. These puzzles proved easier than the complex four-floor shrine we had conquered earlier, though their rewards were correspondingly smaller, each provided 5 Crest Marks rather than the 10 we had claimed previously.

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