CHAPTER 171: FOREST GROUPS

We arrived at the designated location that Instructor Sylvia had led us to - a cleared area at the forest’s edge that served as a staging point between academy grounds and the actual hunting territories.

Multiple instructor assistants were already positioned throughout the perimeter, their Transcendent-rank auras providing a reassuring presence. These were experienced awakeners assigned to protect students if anything went catastrophically wrong - strong enough to handle most threats that could appear in this relatively controlled region.

Sylvia waited until all students had assembled before speaking with her characteristic authority.

"Everyone, form groups of three. Choose your teammates wisely based on complementary capabilities."

Immediately, students began clustering together. The more social ones had obvious friend groups, while competitive students like Marcus sought partners with strong combat reputations.

Elen looked at me with shy uncertainty before gently nudging my arm. "So, um..."

I chuckled at her indirect approach. "Want to join me?"

Her head bobbed up and down enthusiastically like a chicken pecking grain, the nervous energy transforming into obvious relief.

"Sounds good," I confirmed, already mentally reviewing potential third members.

I glanced around, considering candidates. Emmet stood alone near the edge of the gathering, clearly uninterested in team formation. That wasn’t surprising - Emmet preferred operating independently and disliked being directed by others. Once he joined someone’s team, he’d lose the freedom to act as he pleased. Especially when the goal of the class was to kill as many beasts as possible.

Marcus had already formed a group with two other combat-focused students from noble families.

"Hey... can I join you guys?"

A hesitant voice interrupted my assessment. I turned to see who had spoken.

The speaker was a male student with average looks and an extremely low profile - someone I’d seen in class regularly but whose name I couldn’t recall. He maintained such a low-key presence that he practically blended into the background during most activities.

It was quite surprising that he would approach our team proactively. I’d expected someone with his reserved demeanour wouldn’t have the courage to initiate contact, especially with students who had gained some notoriety.

I nodded and glanced at Elen, who simply shrugged with acceptance.

"What’s your combat role?" I asked, wanting to understand his capabilities before finalizing the arrangement.

"Support role," he answered quickly, as if he’d prepared the response. "I’m a healer with ability amplification skills. I can provide small buffs to strength, speed, reaction time, and endurance. Nothing dramatic, but it helps in sustained combat."

That was actually valuable. Support specialists were rare compared to direct combat awakeners, and having healing capabilities could prevent minor injuries from becoming serious complications during extended hunts.

"Works for me," I decided. A balanced team with combat, magical support, and healing would function well together.

"What’s your name?" Elen asked, saving me from the awkward admission that I’d been classmates with this person for nearly a month without learning his identity.

"My name is Loko. Nice to meet you properly, Elen, Adrian."

Elen looked at him with genuine disbelief, pointing at herself. "You know my name?"

Loko smiled wryly. "How could someone not know the number one student in theory? Or the number one in combat in the entire first-year class?" He gestured between us. "You two are probably the most talked-about students in our year."

Elen’s face flushed with embarrassment at the recognition. "I’m not that special," she said humbly. "I just study hard and got lucky on the examination."

"Luck doesn’t get you perfect scores," Loko countered respectfully.

This time, Elen didn’t try to deny it, and simply remained silent.

With our team of three assembled - myself as primary combat, Elen as magical support with her water manipulation, and Loko providing healing and buffs - we turned our attention back to Instructor Sylvia as she prepared to deliver the mission parameters.

Once all teams had finalized their formations, Sylvia raised her voice to address the entire class.

"Listen carefully. Your mission parameters are straightforward: obtain ten mid-Elite rank beast kills per team. Do not venture too deep into the forest - stay within the designated zones marked by the red boundary flags. The instructor assistants will maintain perimeter security, but if you deliberately ignore safety protocols and go beyond approved areas, you’re on your own."

Several students exchanged nervous glances at that warning.

"For proof of kills, you may bring back heads or specific body parts from your prey," Sylvia continued. "However, once you choose a body part - such as claws or tails - you must bring back that same body part from every subsequent kill. This prevents students from harvesting multiple parts from single creatures and claiming inflated numbers."

Beside me I heard a few students murmur.

"Damn it...I wanted to do that, I thought we could ace the exam and perhaps get some sort of record." One students said to his teammate.

The teammate chuckled before whispering. "You are in the best academy in our kingdom, you would be foolish to believe that others before you didn’t try it, or that the academy didn’t take account for such things."

That made sense. Without that rule, someone could kill one or two beasts and return with ten different body parts, falsely claiming they’d completed the mission.

"Mid-Elite rank means creatures that pose genuine challenge without being overwhelming threats," Sylvia added. "Low-Elite specimens are too weak for meaningful evaluation since you are a group. High-Elite or above are prohibited targets unless you’re in genuine danger and fighting for survival. The goal is hunting practice, not reckless glory-seeking."

She swept her gaze across the assembled students with stern emphasis.

"Work as teams. Communicate clearly. Don’t take unnecessary risks. This is a controlled training exercise, not a competition to see who can be most reckless. You will not gain any rewards for finishing first, nor any punishments for finishing last. Also, the assistants are here for emergencies, not to rescue students who ignore common sense."

Students nodded understanding, the nervous energy shifting toward focused determination.

"You have until sunset to complete your missions. Use your time efficiently. Any questions?"

The clearing remained silent - everyone understood the parameters.

"Then begin. Dismissed."

Immediately, teams began moving into the forest proper, spreading out to claim different territories and avoid competing for the same prey.

Our team of three - myself, Elen, and Loko - moved together into the treeline. I naturally took point position given my combat focus, with Elen beside me and Loko maintaining position slightly behind where he could observe and provide support without being immediately vulnerable.

"Stay alert," I said quietly as we entered deeper forest. "Mid-Elite beasts in this region are usually forest wolves, steel-hide boars, or serpents. All dangerous if we’re careless."

Of course, these beasts weren’t dangerous for me, but for those with me, like Elen and Loko.

"I can detect water sources, which often attract prey," Elen offered. "My sensing range is pretty good."

"And I’ll maintain light buff enchantments on both of you," Loko added. "Nothing dramatic, but about a few percent improvement to reaction speed and physical output."

I felt the subtle enhancement take effect - a gentle increase in responsiveness that would provide meaningful advantage in combat without being overwhelming.

"Good team composition," I noted with satisfaction. "Let’s find our first target."

We moved deeper into the hunting grounds, our first academy group mission officially underway.

As we moved deeper into the forest, both Elen and Loko naturally deferred to my leadership without any discussion. The dynamic established itself organically - they’d both witnessed my performance during the previous class examination where our team had dominated every other class with an overwhelming difference.

"You’re leading, right?" Loko asked, confirming what was already obvious.

"Unless you have objections," I replied.

"None at all," Elen said immediately. "You know what you’re doing."

With that settled, we continued into the hunting grounds with clear role assignments.

Honestly, I wasn’t particularly invested in try-harding this examination. Mid-Elite rank beasts wouldn’t provide meaningful soul power for my advancement - I was already high-Elite rank, and reaching peak would require at least peak-Elite or Transcendent-rank kills. These mission targets were essentially worthless for my personal cultivation.

But that didn’t mean the expedition was pointless.

Instead, I decided to focus on strengthening my two teammates. Elen had become a genuine friend over the past weeks, someone I valued beyond simple utility. And Loko, while less familiar, was still a classmate who’d shown courage by approaching us. Helping them gain combat experience and soul power seemed like better use of time than rushing through for personal benefit I didn’t need.

"Elen, use your water detection abilities periodically," I instructed. "Check every two hundred meters or so. That should give us good range coverage without wasting excessive mana."

"Got it," she confirmed, already focusing her senses.

We moved through the forest, maintaining steady pace while Elen performed regular scans. The detection technique allowed her to sense moisture sources - streams, ponds, underground springs - which typically attracted prey animals and the beasts that hunted them.

Around six hundred meters into our expedition, Elen suddenly perked up with excitement.

"There’s a water source ahead!" she announced, pointing slightly northeast. "Pretty substantial flow, probably a creek or small stream. About a hundred and fifty meters in that direction."

"Perfect," I said. "That’s exactly where we want to go. Predators will be hunting near water sources, and mid-Elite beasts are smart enough to establish territories around reliable resources."

We adjusted our heading and approached it carefully, our weapons ready and senses alert for potential encounters.

The hunt was beginning properly, and my teammates would get the experience they needed to grow stronger.