Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 245: Flagpole Special Evaluation

"Hm? Has your condition improved?"

Ignoring that hot look on her face, he asked casually.

Mordica immediately bit her lip to regain her composure, struggling to construct her signature stoic expression.

"I-I’m fine now."

She said in a shaky voice, then stood up. Taking a deep breath, she felt the heat and the cold leave her body, making her relax.

Touching her shoulder where an injury had been, she was surprised to see that it was gone.

"You really healed me?"

She looked at him in disbelief, wondering how many abilities he had. Shouldn’t an Awakened only have one ability, and if lucky, one or two traits?

Kaiser nodded and flexed his fingers.

"You should change your clothes. They’re torn in many places."

Mordica stiffened, and Kaiser gracefully exited himself from the room.

When she looked down, she was surprised. Except for the tear on her shoulder and her abdomen, there were no tears on her clothes.

’Huh? Was he... teasing me? Damn guy!’

Meanwhile, Kaiser returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed.

Blood leaked from his mouth, dripping onto the bed and staining the sheets.

’Ah... my internal injuries are worse than I expected.’

Swallowing back most o the blood, he gritted his teeth and calmly waited for his physique’s healing ability to mend the wounds.

"Vladimir, huh..."

He hadn’t expected to meet one of the old families that came from the same era as the Solace family.

"Chairman Jonathan naturally has a scuffle with them, and now I’ve dragged myself into it."

He covered his eyes with the back of his hand, sighing deeply.

"Ugh. This is why I hate clan politics and all. It would have been good if Uncle Ture could just handle them. But I bet he won’t."

That strange, jovial man was always about letting challenges bloom before facing them.

"I mean, sure. But not when the challenge is enough to kill you already. I’m merely an Awakened, yet I’ve fought three Evolved already. This is pure nonsense scriptwriting."

Mumbling complaints to himself, he didn’t even know when he fell asleep.

.........

The next day, the results for the midterm exams were announced, and everyone was joyous in Class-E.

No one had failed any subject, and they had even improved beyond their last semester results. Those with the most surprising results came from Kaiser’s group, naturally.

Ysabella achieved a high score of 84 in Advanced Mathematics which was usually her weakest subject.

Charles’ weakest subjects were History, Chemistry, and Biology. In the three subjects, his lowest score was 77, a stunning feat.

As for Kiera, who was pretty average, her lowest score was 69, and her highest score was 88 in History.

It was surprising, and everyone finally realized that Kaiser wasn’t just a smart student, but also a good teacher.

Some already had thoughts of moving to his group once it was time for the final exams.

Unfortunately for them, Kaiser had already lost interest in teaching. Though, none of them knew this yet.

"I’m glad you all could achieve something this good. I hope you continue to perform better in the future. Perhaps you may have the chance to rise in the class rankings."

Several students beamed at Instructor Rina’s words, and they couldn’t help but feel motivated.

Unfortunately, they didn’t know what was coming next.

Rina smiled, then continued. "Concerning your rise in the rankings, an opportunity is at hand."

Her smile sent a chill down the spine of the students.

"Eh? A Special Evaluation?"

Ysabella’s eyes widened in surprise as she spoke what was in everyone’s mind.

Rina nodded. "Yes. There is a Special Evaluation coming up tomorrow for all first-year classes. I will now explain the details to you."

Smiles and laughter faded, replaced by an oppressive silence as the students stared at her with full attention.

A Special Evaluation deserved that much seriousness, after all.

"This Special Evaluation is called the Flag Pole Special Evaluation."

Rina started, her green eyes narrowing.

"It’s to take place in a random terrain, and all the classes will be assigned with a territory and a flagpole to protect. Every class will be assigned with their target, and what class will target them."

"For Class-E, your target is Class-A, while the ones targeting you will be Class-C."

Several faces turned pale at the revelation.

Liam’s expression stiffened. "Instructor... does that mean we’re protecting our flag from Class-C while trying to steal Class-A’s flag?"

Rina nodded with a wide, excited smile.

"You’re absolutely right, Liam. That is the essence of this Special Evaluation."

"You will only be allowed to use relics provided by the academy, and no killing is allowed. Now, I hope you can prepare yourself for this awesome event. Good luck, Class-E."

Packing up her files and tablet, she walked out of the class.

Instantly, whispers of unease spread among the students, and even Liam had his brows furrowed.

Only Hazel remained calm. She didn’t stand immediately to address the class. Instead, she waited.

After about five minutes of vain discussions, gazes began turning to her, waiting for her to stand up and speak to them.

Beside her Kaiser laid his head on the table and whispered. "Hm? Looks like someone’s being seen as a leader now."

Hazel’s lips twitched, but she didn’t answer him.

She stood up calmly as expected, then climbed onto the podium to face everyone.

"Silence please."

Those who were still whispering instantly fell silent without resistance.

Looking at Hazel, something seemed to have changed about her. She didn’t look like a girl trying to coordinate a class. She looked like a commander ready to lead an army.

"This Special Evaluation is just like the others. A means for us to gain Class Rank Points. Nothing has changed. Only the difficulty."

Her voice was calm and authoritative, and her words eased the students of their worries slightly.

"Naturally, we are to face two of the toughest classes in the First-year, but that is not our concern."

Confusion spread like a ripple, and they wondered what she was driving at.

"Our concern is protecting our flagpole, and taking our target’s flagpole."

Hazel’s brown eyes shone with determination, just like her voice was filled with it.