Instructor Victor gathered our Elite class with a sharp whistle, his commanding presence cutting through the lingering tension.

"Form up," he ordered tersely. "We're heading back to the main campus."

my team assembled with quiet discipline, their earlier energy dampened by the decisive defeat. Victor led them away from the gate area, creating distance from the celebrating victors.

Once they were out of immediate earshot, Victor stopped and turned to face his students. His expression was stern but not entirely disappointed.

"Listen carefully," he began. "Second place means you performed better than every other class except one. That's not failure, that's excellence against extraordinary circumstances."

"But we lost Seraphina early," one student protested. "If she had stayed—"

"If, if, if," Victor interrupted sharply. "Combat doesn't care about your excuses. You adapt to losses or you fail completely. You adapted and still secured second place."

I remained silent, absorbing my instructor's words while my mind continued analysing where my strategy had faltered and where I had been out performed by Adrian.

"The Blackwood heir demonstrated his superior planning and strength, he didn't even need to use his power much. Unlike Kyle who had to fight multiple students to secure your spot," Victor continued bluntly. "Still, that doesn't entirely diminish your efforts. It means you've identified a competitor who requires different approaches. You did not plan well, and you need to learn from that."

He looked directly at me. "You have a powerful bloodline, heritage with immense potential. But bloodlines alone don't guarantee victory. Strategy, preparation, and adaptability matter just as much as raw power. You saw that with Adrian, despite being strong, he didn't need to use his strength."

I nodded slowly in agreement. "Understood, sir."

"Good. Now let's return to campus and begin analysing what we can improve for next time." Victor gestured for them to continue walking. "This examination was just one battle. The war is far from over."

-----

Sylvia's Class.

Instructor Sylvia gathered our victorious class with considerably more enthusiasm than Victor had displayed, though her professional composure remained intact.

"Follow me back to our classroom," she announced. "We have matters to discuss before you're dismissed for the day."

The walk back was filled with excited chatter among my classmates, the adrenaline from our victory still running high. Elen kept glancing at the total point rewards we would receive, practically glowing with satisfaction.

Once we reached our designated classroom, Sylvia waited for everyone to settle into their seats before addressing us directly.

"Congratulations on your performance," she began, her tone carrying genuine approval. "One hundred and twenty Crest Marks represents exceptional strategic coordination and execution. You should be proud of what you accomplished."

The class erupted in renewed cheers and applause, students exchanging high-fives and congratulatory gestures.

Sylvia raised her hand for silence. "However, I need you all to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say."

The celebration quieted as her serious tone registered.

"Do not get complacent, This was one examination. Yes, you dominated. Yes, you earned substantial rewards. But the moment you start believing you're invincible is the moment you become vulnerable." she stated firmly.

She paced across the front of the classroom, making eye contact with various students.

"Kyle Morrison's team earned seventy Crest Marks despite losing one of their strongest members early and facing coordinated attacks throughout the examination. That's not weakness - that's resilience and capability that you need to respect."

Emmet shifted in his seat, clearly still brooding over his personal defeat against Seraphina.

"The other classes will study the strength you have shown in the examination," Sylvia continued. "They'll adapt their strategies specifically to counter your approaches and bloodline strength. Your success today has painted a target on all of you for every future competition."

Elen nodded thoughtfully. "So we need to continue evolving our methods."

"Exactly," Sylvia confirmed. "Adrian demonstrated excellent leadership and planning during this examination. But leadership also means maintaining your team's focus and preventing arrogance from undermining future performance."

She looked directly at me when she said this.

"The hundred thousand points each of you earned are substantial resources," Sylvia explained. She did not dive deeper into the usage of these points.

"What about the swap card?" someone asked. "Does that mean we're safe from being replaced?"

"For now," Sylvia answered. "But the academy holds multiple examinations throughout the year. Every one represents an opportunity for ambitious students to challenge your positions. Elite class membership must be continuously earned."

"I'm not trying to diminish your achievement," Sylvia clarified. "You performed exceptionally well. I'm ensuring you understand that excellence requires sustained effort, not just occasional brilliance."

Elen raised her hand. "How do we prevent complacency while still celebrating our victories?"

"Good question," Sylvia acknowledged. "Celebrate tonight. Tomorrow, begin analyzing what you could have done better. Every victory contains lessons about your weaknesses if you're willing to examine them honestly."

She pulled out a stack of papers. "I'll be distributing detailed performance evaluations for each of you by tomorrow. These will identify your individual strengths and areas requiring improvement based on my observations.

This leads to your question about the swap card, since you guys have won the competition, the one with the most contribution to the team will be the one to gain the card. The swap card will be handed out tomorrow."

Marcus spoke up. "What's our next major challenge?"

"Various smaller personal assessments over the coming weeks," Sylvia replied. "Then another team-based examination approximately two weeks from now. Different format, different objectives, different opportunities to prove yourselves."

She returned to her desk and sat down, her expression softening slightly.

"I am genuinely proud of your performance," she said. "You worked together effectively, adapted to changing circumstances, and achieved decisive victory. But pride must be balanced with humility and continued dedication to improvement."

"Understood, instructor," several voices replied in unison.

"You're dismissed," Sylvia announced. "Enjoy your victory tonight, but return tomorrow ready to continue your development. The path to true greatness requires consistency, not just occasional excellence."

As we filed out of the classroom, the atmosphere had shifted from pure celebration to something more measured and focused. Sylvia's words had provided necessary perspective without completely dampening our satisfaction at the victory.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

After class ended, Elen filed out of the classroom, trailing behind me with obvious excitement radiating from her entire demeanor. Her eyes practically sparkled as she calculated her accumulated wealth.

"I've barely used the 200,000 points I started with, so coupled with these new rewards, I nearly have 300,000 points now! I'm so excited - I'm definitely going to have to splurge some of those points."

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "Just don't get too absorbed in spending. There are countless things that can deplete your points faster than you'd expect. Training facilities, specialized equipment, rare materials, supplies - the academy is designed to make those points disappear quickly if you're not careful."

She nodded her head, though her excited expression suggested she was already mentally planning her purchases. "I know, I know. But surely I can treat myself to at least a few nice things after this victory?"

"Of course," I agreed. "Just maintain some balance. You saw how expensive those blacksmithing and alchemy rooms were - a thousand points for just two hours. Those costs add up faster than you think when you're trying to improve your skills seriously."

"You're right," she admitted. "Maybe I'll limit myself to one or two purchases and save the rest for actual development needs."

As we walked through the academy corridors, other students were already discussing their point rewards and making elaborate plans for how to spend their newfound wealth.

After spending some time together, I tried to leave, but Elen grabbed my arm and dragged me along with her toward the academy's mall.

"Come on! You need blacksmithing materials too, right? We can go together," she insisted with infectious enthusiasm.

In the end, I decided to accompany her since I could use some additional blacksmithing supplies. A few hundred points wouldn't significantly impact my reserves, and having more quality materials didn't hurt, I still had alot of crossbows to experiment on.

The equipment exchange was bustling with students who had just completed the examination. Everyone seemed eager to convert their newly acquired points into tangible improvements for their capabilities.

Elen immediately gravitated toward the alchemy section, her eyes scanning the shelves filled with rare herbs, essences, and specialized equipment. I could see her mentally calculating which purchases would provide the best value for her point investment.

"Look at these purification crystals," she said excitedly. "They're only three hundred points and would significantly improve my potion quality."

I moved toward the blacksmithing materials section while she continued browsing. The selection was impressive - various grades of metal ingots, specialized tools, enhancement catalysts, and crafting supplements that could improve success rates for complex projects.

My eyes landed on a set of hammers designed for detailed metalwork. They would be particularly useful for the components required in my more ambitious projects. The price was reasonable at six hundred points.

They were certainly better than the ones found in the training room. Not that those were terrible, but better always existed.

"Finding anything good?" Elen called over from her section.

"A few things worth considering," I replied, continuing to evaluate my options while being mindful not to overspend on impulse purchases.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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