Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)
chapter-62

Chapter 62: Split Ways

Should they advance and enter Sunset Canyon or turn back and enter the Thunder Kingdom’s territory for reconnaissance? Everyone faced a dilemma as soon as they were on the simulated battlefield.

“Let’s analyze the exam tasks first. Everyone has heard the prompt from the central computer, and it’s interesting that there’s a bit of difference from the information we were given yesterday.”

Xiao Lin said slowly, “It’s a little different from what I expected. Not everyone needs to escape the enemy’s pursuit and reach a safe area. The mission is completed even if only thirty percent of us reach there.”

“What does this mean?” someone still failed to understand.

“It means that seventy percent of us can be treated as expendable, as bait to corner the enemy, so the remaining thirty percent can safely pass through the canyon. Isn’t that right, Monitor Xiao?”

Xiao Lin frowned. He did not even need to look up to know who it came from. Wang Dalin and Xiao Lin were at loggerheads during the admissions test, and Xiao Lin later used his class monitor’s authority to directly mute Wang Dalin on the Dawning Forum for a month.

The two of them did not like each other in the first place, and Wang Dalin showed aggression toward the monitor’s position, especially when everyone basically knew that Gu Xiaoyue would assume the position. Based on strength however, Wang Dalin—whose basic attributes were quite strong—would be a big threat to Xiao Lin’s position in the comprehensive exam three months later.

The conflict of interest caused Wang Dalin to find every opportunity to attack Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin had to admit that Wang Dalin’s analysis was correct, and when first saw that regulation, he immediately thought of that possibility too.

Although the difficulty of the examination has dropped somewhat, both the instructor and Department Head Song had repeatedly emphasized that the strength of the Thunder Kingdom’s border defense was still far superior to theirs. Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to avoid head-on conflict, but when facing enemy troops, it was better to assign some people as bait to confuse the enemy.

It was clear that Wang Dalin mentioned that without actually having any good intentions. He had a distressed expression on his face as he waved his hands around. In that way, more students next to him came around and said loudly, “Everyone knows that every death deducts ten years from your life span. Which one of you can guarantee that you won’t die if you become bait? The instructor also said that the army is stronger than ours!”

Many people immediately understood the truth of that statement. The decoy tactic could guarantee easy completion of the required tasks, but the price of a bottle of Lifewater was 1,000 redemption points. It was definitely not worth risking accidental death.

The sacrifice of a small number of people could be exchanged for the success of the entire mission, but such cohesion was all but absent in such a newly-formed team of classmates. No one was willing to be taken advantage of by a small number of people and be sacrificed in vain.

“What are you going to do, Acting Monitor? You’re the commander of Class Seven!” Xiao Lin’s silence prompted a trace of emotion to flash across Wang Dalin’s face. He deliberately emphasized ‘commander’ and reminded others that Xiao Lin was likely to make such a decision as the commander of that mission.

As expected, everyone looked at Xiao Lin with uncertainty. Wang Dalin’s words were rather harsh, and whether or not Xiao Lin actually planned to suggest the decoy plan, many people would be wary of it if it was mentioned so openly.

As the acting monitor, Xiao Lin was tacitly approved to be the commander of that mission, much to the displeasure of Wang Dalin. He could not go against that rule, but he could attempt to make others undermine Xiao Lin and lose their trust in him. Even if he could sow a tiny little seed of doubt, Xiao Lin would slowly become commander in name only.

Xiao Lin still did not respond and never even looked at Wang Dalin directly. He carefully looked at the notebook in his hand the entire time. It contained the topographic map that he drew quickly, because Song Junlang reminded him that a map was crucial in the simulation battle. He had forced himself to memorize the entire map since the night before, and at that moment, his drawing was the most faithful to the actual map. Even the icons were 70% to 80% reconstructed.

Xiao Lin’s silence disinterested Wang Dalin, and someone then said, “We should first complete the reconnaissance task and get out of here as soon as possible, before the Thunder Kingdom’s army notices our movement!”

“Why should we complete the reconnaissance first?”

The person who spoke was a tall, short-haired, rather beautiful woman who seemed very capable. She said, “The mandatory mission is to escape the canyon and reach the safe area. This is in direct conflict with the reconnaissance mission. I believe the academy is giving us a choice of one or the other.”

“The key to this mission is to avoid the enemy’s scouts. The risk of being discovered increases with each extra day we stay here. We’re too weak. We can’t beat them if we’re discovered. If we don’t want to take risks, the best choice is to enter the canyon and complete the required tasks directly.”

But we’ve worked so hard for an entire month. Will all our hard work be for a mere 100 redemption points?” a sturdily-built boy opined loudly.

“We should complete the first optional task while the enemy hasn’t noticed us yet. Once that is done, we can all retreat. I’m sure we can ensure that most of the people here can leave safely. As for who would end up being killed, well, that depends on your luck.”

“Then what about the last optional task: kill the wolf cavalry squadron captain?”

“That’s out of the question. I don’t think we can kill the wolf cavalry squadron captain. After all, we don’t have any talented students in our class, unlike the other class monitors. They’re all talented students, and their strength is just inherently different from us. All we can do is give up this last task.” Someone flashed their palms in helplessness.

“Although it is a bit dangerous, there’s still a chance of success. If you want to get the redemption points, you’ll have to take a bit of risk. I agree!”

Xiao Lin occasionally looked up at some of the more enthusiastic individuals. Usually, he would use his class monitor’s authority to check the changes in their attributes, as well as their skill levels, whenever he had time to spare. If he remembered correctly, most of those people got Grades A or B in the admissions test. Although they were not as good as the talented students, they could be ranked as second best after the talented students, but in terms of mental fortitude or attribute skill level.

Their analyses were also somewhat reasonable, and their options were what most people could think of and understand at the moment. They could not possibly defeat the kingdom’s army in a head-on conflict, and it was better to complete the task as soon as possible.

Some people stood beside Xiao Lin hesitantly. They did not seem to trust Xiao Lin very much and were worried that they would be used as bait, but at the same time, they did not want to investigate the enemy’s barracks either.

Soon the crowd divided into two factions. Wang Dalin and the few who received high grades believed that they should take the initiative to attack. They were capable enough in terms of strength and were ambitious enough too.

Since the acting monitors of the other classes were talented students, there was almost no possibility of a change in the monitor position after three months as long as they worked hard by themselves. However, the situation in Class Seven was very complicated, and many people felt that they were able to fight for the monitor position. An example would be the radicals in front of Xiao Lin, the number of which nearly accounted for the majority of the class.

Even if Xiao Lin was the acting monitor and the commander, those people felt that the exam results would be higher than that of Xiao Lin, so long as they can persuade the rest of the people to act together. After the comprehensive examination in three months, their chances of getting the monitor position would increase even more.

Wang Dalin’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Gu Xiaoyue pausing and concentrating not far away. Her high intelligence value was absolutely terrifying, and everyone had witnessed it for themselves in the admissions test. In particular, Gu Xiaoyue’s apparent disinterest in the monitor’s position made Wang Dalin feel that he could win her support.

Barely a few steps later, Xiao Lin—who had been keeping silent all the while—closed his notebook suddenly, then got up and looked around. He said to Wang Dalin as the latter walked over, “Let’s split ways then. I may be the monitor, but I can’t force everyone to follow my orders. That being the case, we might as well split into two groups for now.”