98 Chapter 98: Mission Accomplished (1/2)

”Good job, you guys.” Instructor Feng Hai was applauding when we emerged from the forest, battered and bruised. Even though we tried to exit as quickly as possible, we ended up running into a bunch of Rank E monsters that were led by a single Rank D monster, which hampered our process. Fortunately, our skills were more than sufficient to exterminate them without us suffering any casualties. ”You're the first group to achieve the objective!”

”…we are?” I asked in disbelief. It wasn't that I didn't have any confidence in the strength of my group, but I thought the strongest Holy Saints or the renowned Black Rose would accomplish the mission ahead of us.

”Yeah, you are,” Feng Hai assured us with a smile. ”Which is quite the surprise, considering that the five of you are from four different societies. Seems like it didn't really hinder your teamwork. I'm heartened to see you cooperating with each other as if you're from the same society.”

Craig snorted. ”Who cares about societies? Out here, we're a team. We have to rely on each other and cooperate if we want to survive and achieve the objective. This isn't the time for petty rivalries and politics.”

”I'm so glad you think that way.” There was something about Feng Hai's tone that bothered me, as if he was critical of the other groups. At least, that was what I concluded when I saw him glance back at the forest, his eyes taking on a faraway look. I was aware that he had been monitoring our progress, using the same surveillance technology that Jing Tian Academy used to watch us while we conducted our missions outside. ”However, some people still fall prey to political infighting and backstab each other even though they are from the same society.”

I didn't know if he was referring to Holy Saints or Black Rose, and it didn't seem appropriate to ask, but as usual I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me.

”Who are you talking about?”

Feng Hai smiled slyly at me. ”None of your business.”

”Sorry,” I muttered as I shrank back, intimidated by his expression. The graduate and our senior was really terrifying. I knew that he was on a completely different level, when compared to us.

”But I saw you guys defeat a Rank C monster,” Feng Hai said, returning to the topic at hand. ”Great job! Even I would have trouble defeating a Rank C monster alone.” He glanced at the other instructors. ”I would have to work together with my colleagues. That's how good your teamwork was, covering each other and making use of everyone's strengths.”

We glanced at each other, not sure what to say. I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the praise, and I was sure the others were experiencing the same thing.

”Oh, well…we did our best.”

Craig rubbed the back of his head as he grinned, but he was evidently taken in by Feng Hai's flattery.

”I didn't do much,” Theodore murmured bitterly as he glanced down at his feet. ”I only got in the way.”

”No, you didn't,” I assured him. ”Your attack helped to crack the Crimson Spider King's carapace and weakened his defenses. If you didn't hurt him with your Mjolnir, it would have been a lot more difficult to destroy him.”

”Yeah,” Dong Fang Yue Chu agreed whole-heartedly. ”I can confirm that the Crimson Spider King's movements grew a lot more sluggish and slower after both you and Craig delivered a massive amount of damage to him. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to dodge all of his attacks.”

”Your team displayed the right amount of aggressiveness, while tempering it with adequate caution,” Feng Hai continued with a sagely nod. He had been listening to our exchange, and waited until we were finished before speaking. ”Holy Saints was overly aggressive, and focused too much on hunting monsters to raise their score as high as possible to the point they still have yet to achieve the objective. They are close, but they have suffered quite a few casualties and injuries in the process, and thus aren't quite able to make that final push to grab the mission token…yet. In contrast, Black Rose is overly cautious. The group is made almost entirely of girls, which might or might not be a factor, but they overly focused on avoiding combat to the point where their progress has slowed down to a crawl.”

Nodding excitedly, Feng Hai seemed pretty pleased.

”You guys will definitely get my seal of approval for the upcoming national tournament. I'm sure the five of you will make it into the representative team.”

”Well, we've to see how the others perform first,” I mumbled, trying to stay modest. Even though Feng Hai's declaration sent a thrill throughout my spine, I was aware that nothing was set in stone. If the other teams put on a more impressive performance, then they would get selected over us. Our part was done. There was nothing more we could do to improve our score.

Given how Holy Saints went around hunting monsters, I was certain that they would get pretty high scores, especially when compared to us. In contrast, I was worried about Black Rose. I hoped their members, especially Alicia, were able to get into the team. Alicia, in particular, would be devastated if she didn't become a representative. And having seen the skills and abilities of everyone in the academy, I felt that it would be a total loss to exclude her from the representative team.

”Well, you guys can go rest now!” Feng Hai clapped his hands and gestured for us to return to our bunks. We glanced at each other, a little taken aback, and then nodded.

”Yes, sir!”

Tramping off, we went to get some rest.

*

As it turned out, we were graded as individuals, and not as a team. According to Feng Hai, every member in my team did well, and we were selected as representatives.

Just as he said we would. Then again, Feng Hai was the one deciding everything, he probably already made his mind up long ago. However, I knew him to be a fair and impartial instructor, so I was sure he gave everyone a chance to impress him.

Therefore, a good number of Holy Saints made it with us. To my complete lack of surprise, Cody and Lily, and as everyone anticipated, so was Harrison Reed. There was no way the president of Holy Saints wouldn't be selected. I had seen him fight in the arena before. His ability was the real deal.