Chapter 232: Difference
Why Should I Stop Being a Villain
Lishia stood up, drawing many eyes as she approached Elsa.
"I will also choose Early D Rank," Lishia decided, picking a monster similar to Elena's.
She was the Rank 5 student, above Elena, who was Rank 6.
Up until now, aside from Eva, none of the students had come close to Elena, so many were expecting something interesting.
"Let's see the famous Princess of Halycon," Elena said, staring at the screen.
Eva glanced at Elena's face and merely shook her head.
She knew that Elena took great pride in her mage abilities and aspired to be an exemplary mage.
Elena watched as Lishia stood before a giant monster, massive in both body and arms. But the monster lacked eyes.
Instead, it had extraordinarily large ears and a keen sense of awareness, sensing Lishia the moment she entered the room.
"VAAAAARGHHH," the monster bellowed, moving in Lishia's direction.
"Mana Barrier," Lishia deployed a protective barrier around herself while simultaneously casting another spell.
"Firestorm," Lishia summoned a storm of fire, a Tier 2 spell.
Her spell usage was on par with Elena, and her calmness in the face of a massive monster was admirable.
Elsa smiled as she observed the Princess of Halycon effortlessly controlling the flames while chanting another spell.
Lishia had affinities with Fire and Black Elements.
Seeing her control over the Fire Element, Elsa was also impressed.
The Firestorm Lishia employed was among the more difficult Tier 2 spells, in terms of a Mage's control over it.
While anyone could cast it, controlling the flame in such a precise manner was quite impressive.
"Shadow Pierce," Lishia cast, and a sharp pole emerged from the monster's shadow, piercing its heart and killing it.
Upon confirming the beast's death, Lishia turned towards the teleportation gate to exit the room.
Clap Clap
Numerous students applauded Lishia's performance, and Elsa offered her congratulations as well.
Lishia returned to her seat, and the test resumed.
One by one, students descended to face a monster.
"Nothing too special about them," Arman commented, grading the student who had just returned, his hands trembling.
The choice of monsters and beasts with high bloodlust was intentional, meant to provoke fear among the students.
Overcoming such fear and hesitation was a must for a hunter.
"Amelia Greville," Arman announced the next name.
Elena and Eva turned their gaze to Amelia, who walked down to the center and chose a monster for herself.
Asher watched Amelia, who chose an E+ Rank Monster. She was currently at E+ Rank but was on the verge of advancing to D- Rank.
Currently, due to Asher's intervention, the Kalvas Gala was postponed and the Mid-Term examination was conducted two months earlier than in his previous life.
Usually, the World Academy would delay the Mid-Term examination to ensure it didn't coincide with the start of the Kalvas Gala.
"Go ahead," Elsa told Amelia, who then entered the room.
Elsa observed Amelia, who had a rare talent. She was an Augmenter, not a normal mage.
This meant she was one of the few who could cast spells that amplified the strength of their allies. Augmenters were highly coveted in any Hunter teams as they were the most desirable support one could ask for.
Asher noticed Amelia begin to chant augmenting spells on herself, significantly increasing her power.
Her crimson red eyes focused on the Chained Monster in front of her, a creature with multiple horns and eyes locked onto their prey.
The monster became agitated as it sensed Amelia's mana, and it dashed towards her.
"Crescent Strike of the Wind," Amelia chanted, silently casting augmentation magic on herself.
Upon finishing her chant, a wind blade appeared and decapitated the monster in an instant.
Maintaining her composure, she turned to exit the teleportation gate. Internally, however, she was pleased with the results. Despite their supportive role, Augmenters were far from weak.
"Good job, Amelia," Elsa congratulated Amelia, who acknowledged her with a nod.
"You can go back," Elsa instructed as she looked at Arman, who had finished writing Amelia's score.
With not many students left, the next one Arman called was Alyssa, who was sitting a bit distant from Asher.
She navigated her wheelchair to the center and looked at Elsa.
"So, what monster do you want to choose?" Elsa offered Alyssa multiple options.
"I will choose a Mid D Rank beast," Alyssa replied, meeting Elsa's gaze.
"Are you sure?" Elsa asked again.
Elsa sensed that Alyssa was nearing Mid D Rank, which showcased her talent. However, she also knew that all of it might be in vain as Alyssa wasn't cut out for the lofty ambitions many Hunters possessed.
Merely looking at Alyssa's condition, one might question her capability to fight.
"Yes," Alyssa responded, her dull eyes fixed on Elsa.
"Okay, you can enter," Elsa permitted, tapping her ID Bracelet.
The teleportation gate lit up, and Alyssa entered the room.
Before her stood a Mid D Rank beast.
The beast's eyes gleamed as it eyed Alyssa, who was hovering in the air.
"Can she even beat that?" one of the boys asked.
"Let's hope she fails; nobody wants to see her win," one of them replied with a look of irritation.
Alyssa regarded the beast, which was pacing its territory, ready to attack her.
It was a cautious beast, which made it even harder to kill.
But not for Alyssa.
'This much should be enough,' Alyssa thought, flaring her mana, which alerted the beast.
"GROWWL," the beast growled, trying to leap at her.
Asher watched Alyssa, knowing that in her current state, she could defeat a C- Rank Monster.
"Halt," Alyssa murmured, raising her hands.
"Wait, why did the beast stop?" Some students watching the screen voiced their confusion.
However, Elsa and the other professors and staff guessed that Alyssa had employed her gravity magic to freeze the beast in place.
Halting a Mid D Rank beast while being a D- Rank was noteworthy.
"Descend of Ice Lance," Alyssa combined her two spells to create new Ice Spears which, aided by the heavy gravity surrounding the beast, fell and killed it.
Many students silently watched the screen, but no one applauded.
They were surprised to see Alyssa easily kill a Mid D Rank beast, one that no one had dared to challenge until now. But unlike the previous students, none of them applauded after her performance.
Elsa noticed this, as did the other two professors, but they couldn't compel the students to cheer for someone they disliked.
Alyssa's situation was complicated enough that even the professors didn't want to get involved.
Unsurprisingly, Alyssa hadn't expected any cheering directed at her.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Elena and Eva watching her.
But she didn't react to them.
She was careful not to appear too strong but she didn't wanted to lose to others as well.
Alyssa used her wheelchair to return to her spot, which was mostly empty as no one was sitting around her. Elsa continued calling the remaining students to choose what monsters they wanted to fight against.
"Die," one boy shouted, using almost all his mana to kill the beast.
"Why is it so hard?" another girl reacted similarly.
Not all of them were having an easy time defeating the monsters.
Then there was Gavin, who didn't perform too well, especially when he noticed Asher's gaze on him.
"Last one, huh?" Elsa said, looking at the list of students who were left.
"Asher Greville, it's now your turn," Elsa called out.
Asher rose from his seat and walked forward, standing before Elsa.
"Now, choose the monster you wish to fight," Elsa said as she looked at Asher.