Expeditious

Élio and Frank came back as if nothing had happened. While Frank was preparing the strength test, Arthur approached Élio.

"What did you ask him?" he asked.

"If we had a break before the next challenge," Élio replied.

"And?"

"Nope."

"Damn, these teachers are always over the top," Arthur muttered.

Élio couldn't help but think it was strange. Arthur had phenomenal mental strength, yet he always complained that the teachers never went easy on the students.

"He has a problem with authority..." thought Élio.

"Everything is ready. Get into position," Frank called out.

This challenge was over in record time...

The classes lined up in single file, facing each other, each student gripping the rope. A red mark was placed at the center of the rope, and the goal was to pull it into their class's zone, which was marked by black lines on the ground. The distance between the center and each camp was two meters.

Frank gave the signal to start. At first, both classes were fairly even. In terms of strength, Azel seemed to be the strongest in Class 2, and Louis wasn't bad either. Darian and Arthur, despite being exhausted, held on, but it was Jason and Élio who maintained the balance.

However, after a minute, Azel slipped. Class 1 seized the opportunity and pulled with all their might, securing the victory.

Azel had a rough day. First, he failed to beat Darian in the race, and now his class had lost the tug-of-war because of him—even though without his help, they had no chance at all.

"You all gave your best today. I'm very pleased. Get some rest, because tomorrow, the top six students from each class will face off," Frank announced.

"Who are they?" Arthur asked.

"If you've been paying attention to the challenges, it's not hard to figure out, but since it costs me nothing, I'll tell you anyway. The selected students for Class 1 are Darian, Arthur, Élio, Phénix, Jason, and Léon."

"Oh, Jason qualified? I hadn't noticed," Élio thought.

Jason had placed sixth in the race among his class, earning his spot.

"Honestly, the second challenge wasn't really necessary... but well, things like this happen in this Kingdom. Sometimes, tradition takes precedence over reason," Élio mused.

As for Léon, he was a young man with brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin, who had excellent physical condition. However, his power was only rank C+, so he had to compensate. Unfortunately, his weapon was the bow, one of the weapons where physical strength mattered the least...

"For Class 2, the selected students are Azel, Valérie, Sarah, Isabelle, Kim, and Louis," Frank announced.

"Huh?! But I finished 20th!"

"Yes, but by that point, there were only five members of your class ahead of you. Well done!"

Louis flashed a big smile. He had surpassed his status as an average student, always stuck below the class average, and that filled him with pride. His revenge against Élio was no longer a distant dream. He shot Élio a subtle smirk, and our protagonist looked slightly disgusted.

"Rest well. Tomorrow's tournament will be of utmost importance. The Headmaster, as well as Professor Clarck, will be present. There may even be other high-ranking guests. Represent the school properly. You may return home," Frank concluded.

Everyone prepared to head back to the dorms. Exhausted, nobody spoke.

"Tomorrow will be a big day," Élio thought with amusement.

While the students were busy with their two challenges, the Headmaster had gone to a meeting as one of the Kingdom's Pillars, accompanied by Professor Clarck. There, they met with the three other Pillars of the Kingdom.

They arrived ten minutes late—thanks to Headmaster Clement...

"Good day, everyone. So, why this sudden meeting? This is seriously annoying," Clement said as he entered the room with the Vice-Headmaster.

Clarck instinctively covered his face in embarrassment.

"Ah, here comes the latecomer. We're used to it by now, so don't worry—we haven't said anything important yet," said a woman in her mid-thirties.

"Really?" Clement asked, suddenly relieved.

"Of course not, you idiot!!! But as usual, we'll repeat everything for you," she snapped.

Clarck pulled out a notepad and pen, ready to jot down everything the woman was about to say. Clearly, he was used to this kind of situation.

"Don't be mad, Lisa. I'm sorry. You know I'm very busy," Clement said, looking both apologetic and foolish.

Lisa visibly fumed with rage, but held back and proceeded with her explanation.

"First of all, there have been fluctuations west of No Man's Land. Monsters of level 20 have been appearing in level 10 zones... We still don't know what caused it. It could be due to the emergence of a divine monster, an ancient site, or even the consequences of a maneuver by Saba..."

"Nothing good, then..." Clement said, now in a much more serious tone.

"Wait—you haven't even heard the real bad news yet," came the voice of a man.