"Your batch is different from the previous batches. So your test will be different too," Franci responded to the questions. "If you don't like it, you may leave."
"As I said, your test is to face us. And there's going to be no change in that," Alexi said, smiling.
Hearing the confirmation, even Lucifer was surprised. Were they actually going to face their teachers for this test? He wondered if he could even win this time. He had never faced the teachers, but he knew that they were strong.
Even Cassius was frowning. He wasn't worried about facing the teachers. In fact, he was a bit happy since he could finally have stronger enemies, but he was also worried.
He couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen if he accidentally hurt the teachers or even killed them?
If the teachers knew why Cassius was worried, it was unclear if they were going to laugh or be angry at his childish thoughts.
Just as everyone was thinking about the test, Alexi gave more information.
"But don't worry, we all know that it would be too much to ask you to win against us. That's why we made it a bit simple too. To succeed, you don't need to win against us."
"Also, you don't need to face all of us. Only three of us will be in the test: I, Morbius, and Venton. As for the other three, they will be the judges."
"They'll give marks to you which will depend on your performance. Moreover, each of the three tests will last for only five minutes," he further explained.
"After the three tests are over, your ranking will be decided based on the marks you received. Everyone understood?" he asked after finishing the explanation.
All the students nodded their heads. Finally, this test made more sense to them. They didn't need to defeat the teachers. Instead, they just needed to face them.
"How many marks are needed to not fail?" Rune asked.
"Each teacher will give you marks out of five for each test. So you can get up to fifteen points per test. Get less than five out of fifteen, and you'll count as having failed that test," Alexi answered.
'Finally, I can get the top rank. No nonsense of other things in the test this time. I can go all out with my gifts and win. As for Alex, he can't win. And who knows, if my luck is good, he might even do something that gets him expelled,' Dash thought as a smirk formed on his lips.
After three years, he finally had a test where he believed he could shine.
"Alright. Your first opponent will be Venton. As for the first test, I'm sure you guessed it. You need to fight him without your gifts. Best of luck guys," Alexi said to the students before he walked back with the other teachers, taking his seat.
"Dray, you're first. The order students step back," Venton told the students as he chose the first participant.
Lucifer and the others stepped back, in wait for their turns.
And soon, the first battle began. The ordinary-looking Dray from the Great Family of Estoeia in the North was going against Venton, who was a Variant specializing in hand-to-hand combat.
Dray seemed fully determined to give a good show to get the best points. He put his flashy moves on display as he fought against Venton instead of using the ordinary moves he was good at.
Unfortunately, this show off soon came as a disappointment to him as he found himself lying on the ground. Venton's knee was on his chest.
"Flashy moves are good, but only if you have mastered them. Otherwise, they can just be your biggest weakness. Stand up and fight properly!" Venton said.
He soon removed his knees, giving Dray one more chance. Only four minutes were left.
Dray stood up and fought properly this time, using the moves he was good at. Even though he was still at a big disadvantage, being defeated, again and again, he was still holding on.
Soon, the five minutes were over, and it was the time for scores.
"One point from me. He was really bad. I don't see any good techniques in his fighting. It seemed like he was fighting more for us than he was fighting for himself," Franci said as he was the first one to give scores.
"Two points from me. As Franci said, he was bad, but I think he still did better than most would against a great warrior like Venton," Mirali said as she gave her scores.
Only Yovann was left. Dray looked at him with a pleading look, not wanting to fail. He needed two points if he didn't want to fail now.
"I would've given you one point, but oh well, I guess your determination counts for something. You did fight with bravery, not scared of taking attacks as you closed in on Venton. Two points from me," Yovann said, smiling.
"Alright. Dray, you have five points in the first test. You pass. You can go back," Venton told Dray.
"Rune, you step forward," he further said as he invited the next student.
The second battle was also over soon, resulting in another subpar performance. Rune couldn't land even a single attack, but he also seemed to have a better time than Dray.
In the end, he was given six points out of fifteen, bringing him to the first place.
"Next, Ren," Venton called out to the boy who was wearing the black glasses. This time, however, he looked serious as if he expected a tough fight this time.
Even though Ren was blind, his reflexes and everything else was pretty impeccable, making him a great hand-to-hand fighter.
As expected, Ren gave a great fight and even managed to push back Venton a few times.
Throughout the battle, he had taken more hits than he managed to land on Venton, but he hadn't fallen down even once.
All the teachers were impressed with his performance. As for giving him scores, they all gave him four points each. His total came to a twelve out of fifteen, making him first at the moment by a big lead.
"Alright. The final three now, also the ones that were top three in last year's exams. Dash, step forward. Your turn as you were third last time," Venton said, calling out Dash.
Dash stepped forward proudly. He was ready to give the best performance of his life. He even intended to defeat the teacher this time.
His aim wasn't to hold on but to dominate the entire field, even though he couldn't use his powers.