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A mana bullet sent flying into the air by a whirlwind soared towards the cliff.
But it exploded before completely clearing the cliff.
Professor Mateo hastily erected a thick ice barrier, protecting the students who were in the pit for throwing practice.
Fortunately, there were no major casualties.
Luna Puella bowed to the assistant who had created the whirlwind.
"Thank you! Assistant Rubens."
The very person who had created the whirlwind and sent the mana bullet towards the cliff.
It was Rubens, the assistant of the Department of Magic.
Other students nearby also bowed their heads in unison to express their gratitude.
"Thank you!"
"You saved us, Assistant Rubens!"
Rubens smiled brightly and replied.
"I'm glad everyone is safe. There's no need to thank me. It's part of our assistants' job to help you study safely while you're at this school. Is everyone okay? Is anyone too shaken up?"
He must have moved so urgently, as Rubens' usually well-groomed blond hair was disheveled.
After roughly sweeping his hair back, Rubens said to Professor Mateo.
"Professor, I think the students must have been too surprised today, so how about continuing the mana bullet throwing practice next time?"
At Rubens' warm suggestion, considerate of the students, some of the female students' faces turned red.
That was because Rubens' handsome appearance was already a hot topic among the female magic students.
Moreover, with his always kind personality and pleasant soft voice.
Rubens possessed very good qualities for countless female students to harbor feelings of affection.
And even today, the sight of him using magic to protect the students was impressive.
Even Bellum, who had never seen Rubens before because her major was different, was blushing before she knew it.
Professor Mateo's answer followed.
"Alright. Let's do that. And you."
The archery student, who had inadvertently thrown the mana bullet backward, looked up at Professor Mateo with a pale face.
"100 demerit points. Go back to the dorm and pack your bags."
The archery student, who had thrown the mana bullet with the safety pin pulled at his classmates' feet, did not dare to argue and hung his pale head down.
100 demerit points.
Accumulating 100 demerit points results in automatic expulsion.
Demerit points can be offset with merit points, but unfortunately, this student had no merit points yet.
And even if he had merit points, Professor Mateo would probably have given him even more demerit points to eliminate all those merit points.
"With such a weak attitude, you won't be able to graduate from Elton Academy anyway. It's better for you to go back early."
The students who came down from the mana bullet practice field gathered again in the common subject lecture hall.
Professor Mateo, standing on the podium, opened his mouth.
"Since things have turned out this way, I will announce the group practice assignment that will take place this week. The unfinished mana bullet throwing training will continue next week."
The students began to murmur.
"Practice assignment? Already a practice assignment?"
"It's a group assignment? Are we going into some dungeon or something?"
"Already? No, I heard we only go into dungeons during the midterm exam."
"Everyone be quiet!"
At Professor Mateo's words, the murmuring students fell silent.
"This practice assignment is 'Winter Training'. You will explore and return from the northern ice region of the continent for two days, Thursday and Friday. Now is the perfect time to explore the northern ice region, as the Gray Witch is deeply asleep. During this time, not only the Gray Witch but also most of the monsters under her control are not active."
Exploring the northern ice region.
Elton Academy's first group practice assignment, and Davian's first main quest.
"Now, use the remaining class time to form groups. The number of people in a group is free. If there are too few people, it will be difficult to cope with crisis situations, and if there are too many people, it will not be easy to explore properly. After completing the one-night, two-day exploration, each group will submit a report on the results of the northern ice region exploration."
Ding.
As Professor Mateo's explanation ended, a notification window appeared before Davian's eyes.
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[Quest: Northern Ice Region Extermination]
―Objective: Subjugate the final boss, the Gray Witch
―Reward: 6,500 Mana Points
―Failure: Death
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It was the same this time as well.
The content of the practice assignment is 'exploration', but the quest name is 'extermination'.
The fourth quest he has experienced.
Students who were given the assignment to explore the northern ice region using the Gray Witch's sleeping period.
However, on the day they arrived in the northern ice region, the Gray Witch suddenly awakened.
Davian bitterly recalled the memories of the previous playthrough.
During the first playthrough, he went to the northern ice region wondering why the quest name was 'extermination' and faced death several times.
At Davian's level at the time, it could be said that it was a miracle that he survived without dying.
And then, the aces of each department, centered around Latia, barely managed to defeat the Gray Witch.
In the process, nearly half of the students died or suffered irreparable injuries.
A prime example of this was Bonita Fortis from the Department of Swordsmanship.
Bonita, who faced the Gray Witch at the forefront and bought time, eventually suffered a major injury that rendered her entire lower body unusable, forcing her to give up her path as a swordsman.
Next, the second playthrough, where he knew all of this and proceeded.
Even though he knew what would happen, his skills were too lacking to face the Gray Witch.
He merely survived more easily than in the first playthrough with the knowledge he already had and a little more mana.
Even this time, the aces of each department gathered and defeated the Gray Witch.
As in the first playthrough, it was natural that many students died or were injured.
The third playthrough.
Only then did Davian succeed in inflicting a critical hit on the Gray Witch along with Latia.
Thanks to Davian, the students' damage was also greatly reduced.
Bonita Fortis also survives without major injuries.
And now, the fourth playthrough.
Davian turned his head and looked at the friends sitting around him.
Luna, Nubes, Bellum, Bonita.
For the sake of the numerous quests ahead, these children must be grown stronger.
And it would be good to reduce the damage to other students as well if possible.
In any case, academy classmates will be reliable supporters in the various quests ahead.
In addition, there was a hidden reward that he had only ever confirmed through the notification window but never obtained.
A hidden quest that appeared with a ding the moment he faced the Gray Witch, but he had never met the clearing conditions.
'The reward is the fire... what kind of skill was it?'
Davian's thoughts did not last long.
'Take these kids to the Gray Witch's cave and clear the quest.'
There was no longer any need to be dragged around by quests.
Now that he already knows what will happen and has mana at the level of a 6-star magician, it is time to actively use the quests.
At least until he faces quests he has never experienced before.
Davian asked.
"We're doing this together, right?"
"Yeah! Of course we have to do it together."
"Me too. You guys are the only friends I have yet."
"Of course. Hohoho. We have the male and female representatives here, is there any need to join another group?"
"Well, I don't have any intention of going to another group either. Let's do it together."
In order, Luna, Nubes, Bellum, and Bonita answered.
The classroom was noisy with students trying to form groups.
"Then should we write down the names of these five people and submit them to the assistant?"
Bellum grabbed Davian's arm as he was about to write the group members' names on the paper.
"Wait! Hold on."
Bellum, who jumped to her feet, disappeared somewhere.
"What is it?"
Luna replied.
"Maybe she has another friend to bring? Like a new friend. Let's wait, Davian."
"If it's just some mediocre kid, it'll be a problem."
Bringing a student who is neither here nor there as a group member would only be a burden.
Everyone else may be thinking of this assignment as just exploring the ice region, but Davian's group is a party that is going to take the Gray Witch's head.
After a while.
A new group member appeared before Davian, who was thinking of the direct route to the Gray Witch's cave.
Davian's eyes widened, something that rarely happened.
If Davian was this surprised, the reaction of the other friends was unnecessary to see.
Nubes unknowingly blurted out the name of the female student whom Bellum had brought arm in arm.
Long blond hair and a doll-like appearance.
"La... La, Latia?"
Bellum smiled brightly and sat down on an empty chair with Latia.
"She may be this pretty, but she doesn't have any friends yet. Everyone, is it okay? Even if we do this group assignment with Latia."
Luna asked.
"What are you talking about? No friends? If it's Latia, there would be a line of students trying to form a group with her no matter what?"
"That's right. But it seems like our Latia didn't like any of the groups. That's why I brought her here."
Davian asked.
"So, Latia, are you really going to be in the same group as us?"
Latia replied in a sulky voice.
"It's just enduring the cold and exploring and submitting a report. I don't care who I do it with."
Bellum poked Latia in the side.
"Hey, Latia. I saw you leaning against the wall with a face you didn't like, rejecting all the other kids? That's why I brought you here."
"Me, when did I ever do that?"
"Davian, what are you doing? Hurry up and write Latia's name on the paper and submit it. Before she changes her mind. When else will you be in the same group as the continent's top genius magician?"
Regardless of what happens later, she is not yet under the mind control of the Lich's magic, and in fact, bringing her would be a great help.
More than anyone else in this classroom.
Davian stared intently at Latia's face.
'Let's plan to deal with her when I get a chance before I become a third year. Anyway, she'll be helpful for now.'
"Okay. Let's do it together, Latia."
Davian finally wrote Latia's name on the group formation paper.
In fact, the reason Latia was standing there with a sullen expression without forming a group was simple.
Davian and his friends, who seemed to have already formed a group and were chatting.
That red hair, who had started hanging out with him since some point, was said to be the ace of the Swordsmanship Department.
Davian, who possessed mana that was not much less than her own, and the ace of the Swordsmanship Department.
It was not easy to find or create a group that could beat the combination of those two.
Speaking of a Swordsmanship Department student with skills comparable to the red hair, there was Rex Flumen, who had already formed a group in that corner and was wearing a sly smile.
But she didn't want to be in the same group as a guy who boasted while leading his friends like subordinates.
In the midst of this, Bellum approached with a bright smile.
From the beginning, Latia's goal was only first place.
The judgment was that if she was dragged by Bellum to join Davian's group, pretending to be unable to win, no more groups with greater power than that could emerge.
Latia had a much greater desire for first place than pride or a sense of competition.
'Let's do the group assignment together for now. I'll completely crush him in the individual evaluation. Davian Nao's, huh.'
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