The Chair’s Results

“Okay, time for the results! Keya, you can go do whatever you want.”

“Mind if I have a snack?”

“It’s already past midnight, but sure. The crates should be near the entrance. You almost vaporized it.”

“You were guarding it, so I knew it would be fine.” She had way too much faith in me, especially since she nicked me in the leg.

That wasn’t important right now though. The party’s faces were littered with questions, so I took my time to explain every detail.

“So, to review, this quest was for your B-rank promotion exam. It was meant to put you through a real life-or-death situation to test your collaboration, reactions, and composure. Parties often travel through dangerous terrain where you might not have information readily available. Even when you plan out everything, there will be plenty of times when you’ll have bad luck. You’re not expected to be prepared for every eventuality, but you should always have the necessary knowledge, respond calmly to spur-of-the-moment scenarios, and have an escape route at all times. I don’t think I need to tell you whether you passed; it should be obvious.” They looked at the ground, hands clenched. In the background, I could hear the sound of something crunching in Keya’s mouth, ruining the somber mood. I continued nonetheless.

“First, none of you bothered to do any research. The most you knew were assumptions about the name of the cave and where it was located. You could’ve asked the guild or the merchants selling goods for information about the area. They already knew about the rainstorm and how bad it would be. One or more of you could’ve been seriously injured or melted to death. A yellow rainstorm can overtake the regeneration strength of a mid-grade healing potion, so it was a real possibility. Of course, I’ll admit you did manage to come up with a decent counter strategy, but any misstep would’ve spelled your doom. Most of you were already exhausted and heavily injured before you got to the main portion of the exam.

“This brings me to my second point: your party doesn’t function as a party. From what I could tell, each of you fought independently, rarely interacting with one another on quests. If one of your members was in danger, you didn’t step in until they retreated, probably to avoid getting in each other's way. During that first fight, Aster did the brunt of the work. Ai only blocked the initial attack, and Rufus followed up with a quick punch of wind. Neither of you helped Aster; otherwise, the battle would’ve been over much faster. As you progressed, you did manage to cooperate, handling the gaps in your defense, but that’s supposed to be a prerequisite to forming a party, not something you figure out on the fly. Most parties would’ve died attempting what you did.

“Finally, you neglected to bring some items essential to your survival. Healing potions and crystals are common enough, so I expected you to have some on hand. However, you didn’t have a single return crystal on hand. Those are indispensable to adventurers, allowing you to teleport back to a set location. They are supposed to be used to escape a dangerous situation and report it to the guild. Every member is given one in case of emergencies. Any adventurer, whether beginner or veteran, should know to have one on hand at all times. And what did you do with yours? You used it to get back to town faster. They were simply a method of convenient travel rather than an expensive, life-saving tool. Because of your reckless usage, if this wasn’t a test, you would be dead right now.

“Any questions?” None of them responded. I didn’t expect them to. There was nothing they could refute; after all, it was true. If anything had gone wrong, they would’ve died. Of course, I would have made sure they survived no matter what, but I wouldn’t always be watching over them.

Luck and adaptability were the only things that kept them alive so far. If they wanted to be B-rank, they would need to take things more seriously from here on out. And judging by their expressions, I didn’t need to worry. But just in case…

“Now that that’s out of the way, I have a few more things I’d like to say.” Everyone tensed up once again. What? Did they think I was going to berate them further? “For being forced into a worst-case scenario, I commend you for your ingenuity and strength, being able to adapt on the fly. I saw how each of you improved as the days went on, refining your technique to survive the onslaught. It probably only took this long because you have only faced weak opponents. If you keep on improving, you should be able to pass the exam in a season or two.”

Each of them had a look of surprise on their faces, hearing me speak so highly. “Why do you look so surprised? I’m simply being objective as a proctor. I have no doubt you’ll rise to become A-rank adventurers before Rufus kicks the bucket.” Well, at least that got a laugh out of them.

“That reminds me…” I turned around, seeing Keya snacking on some chips, savoring every bite. She only noticed me after my shadow cast over her body. She stared with an open mouth before swallowing the rest of the chip, trying to escape. However, I easily caught her with my hand, gripping her head tightly.

“I remembered I still needed to scold you. I’m pretty sure I taught you how to use elemental magic that last few times I was here, and yet you chose not to use it. That would’ve made it significantly more difficult to counter your skills. So, why didn’t you use any?”

She stuttered, trying to get her excuse out. “Well, um, that’s because it's only been five years since you taught me! Yeah! I need more time to properly use it in battle!”

“Really now? And what about Water Magic? You know, the one you have been using in our practice bouts? Are you saying you forgot how to do so?”

“U-uhh…nerves?” I squeezed her head tightly. “Owie!”

“If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. I bet you were just goofing around.”

She averted her eyes, confirming my suspicions.

“Well, if you’re going to be like that, I guess I’ll just need to teach you some more. Expect a full training course starting tomorrow. I’ll work you so hard until elemental magic is ingrained in your being.”

Her face teared up as I dragged her away. “I’m sorry!”