Chapter 225

As we stepped out to attend the first experiential learning explanation of the second semester for first years, we began chatting.

“Did you hear? They’re assigning groups randomly!”

“Really?”

Unfortunately, this time it was impossible to do experiential learning with my friends like last time.

When assigning groups for experiential learning, the first classification is conducted based on prior evaluations to consider the students’ skills.

For this, we had several small tests before the experiential learning. It was to gauge the students’ levels, I suppose.

However, if only skilled students are grouped together, there are significant skill gaps, and they wouldn’t be able to learn teamwork properly.

The professors also said that in reality, one cannot always team up with people who match their own abilities.

To solve this, the academy mixed students with low and high skills in the second grouping.

This is a measure to achieve a sort of balance.

Therefore, it’s said that experiential learning is evaluated more on the process rather than the results.

The focus will mainly be on how we respond in unexpected situations and demonstrate teamwork.

“Ultimately, it’s a group project!”

Each group will consist of about 4 to 5 members, which is one or two more than in Polaris.

“There’s no way I’ll get to form a team with my friends.”

Most first-year students are likely inferior to our Violets. Since I have to be mindful of others, I’ll have to refrain from self-destruction.

My friends have adapted to my strategies, but I have no idea how to explain them to the other kids.

“Let’s sneak into the faculty room! We’ll change the team composition!”

One Violet came up with the idea, but immediately faced a barrage of opposition.

“Is it really necessary?”

In the end, they decided to hide their abilities appropriately.

“Intermediate-level magic is prohibited. It’s too high-level for a first year!”

“Melting Ray is banned!”

“Make sure to use the Inventory sparingly.”

“Don’t generate too many Clones!”

As we listed out the regulations, it became clear that there were quite a few things we shouldn’t do. One Violet asked.

“So, what do we have left?”

I answered myself.

“Friendship, swords, rifles!”

The three essential elements supporting Violets are always together.

“Alright, let’s check the roster!”

We turned on our smartphones and clicked on the Aegis Academy-exclusive application. After a few clicks, the results appeared.

“Let’s see who’s here…”

If luck is against us, we might have to team up with some complete strangers. After a brief white loading screen, the roster popped up.

I checked my name. Familiar names appeared below.

“Wow! It’s Levi!”

Seeing my friend who inherited the splendid meme of the Violet Legion, we lit up.

“Good timing! We’re short on ammunition!”

The problem was the three temporary allies.

“Alex?”

“Wait, this guy… he’s the one searching for the Holy Grail!”

I remembered. The foolish boy who dreamed of a romance with Senior Adela!

“First saved at Pastera Snowfield, second on the first day of school, and now this is the third time.”

Somehow, I see familiar faces.

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about being dragged down by weaker kids!”

Levi is a powerhouse who inherited our Violet’s total warfare spirit.

As a second-in-command, he should be more than capable of handling the inexperienced ones.

“And the group leader is us!”

“We’re the leaders!”

Until now, I had left all the important plans to Irene, but this time, it’s our turn.

“Let’s give it a shot!”

After stepping into the classroom to hear the explanation, we gathered with our team members to start the conversation.

“Ah, hello. Violet…”

Waving to Levi and sitting down, the gazes from the others focused on me.

“Uh, you’re that transfer student from last time, right? Violet, right?”

“I saw you dueling with Professor Masus last time. It was awesome!”

Fortunately, thanks to that duel, their first reactions were quite positive.

“Haha, thanks.”

This wasn’t the first time I received such reactions about the duel. Many had always been curious and asked when they saw me.

My group consisted of Levi, two boys, and one unfamiliar girl.

Somehow, the faces of the other kids looked familiar.

The bouncy boy spoke up first.

“Oh, sorry for the late introduction. I’m Alex. Those two are my friends.”

That’s when I remembered. They were the friends we rescued together in the Snowfield.

“That one over there is Yuri.”

“Yo, nice to meet you.”

The lighthearted boy smiled and waved.

“And over there is Lucy.”

“Uh, hi.”

The girl, who had been glued to her phone, raised her head and replied bluntly.

“I see. Did everyone read the notice? I’m Violet! I was chosen as the group leader!”

After finishing the self-introduction, Alex looked puzzled.

“Group leader? Isn’t that decided through discussion?”

“Yeah, but I just decided to take it.”

There are two reasons for this. One, I want to try it, and two, I can’t fully trust these guys.

They were reckless enough to jump into a high-level dungeon searching for the Holy Grail, after all.

“We need strong leadership in our group!”

Therefore, I had no choice but to assert my position using the Violet supreme leader principle.

I defiantly etched my standing in their minds.

The one called Lucy frowned with displeasure.

“What? Hey, don’t just decide without discussing it with others…”

Just when I was about to retort, Levi jumped in.

“Hey, is there anyone here stronger than a Violet? Violets are strong!”

“Just having strength doesn’t mean you’re fit to lead…”

“But, but Violets are good at magic too! Didn’t you see how Professor Sharia solved that problem?”

At those words, Lucy couldn’t retort anymore. Having shut down her argument, Levi gave me a strange smile. It was a look that said, “Did I do well?”

I responded with a subtle wink. Levi giggled with pleasure.

As expected, our ace sharpshooter!

I thought he was just good with the crossbow, but his verbal shots hit the mark too.

“Alright, then I’m the leader. Got it?”

“…Fine.”

Soon after, when the explanation for the experiential learning ended, we moved straight into our group meeting.

“Alright, everyone just needs to follow my orders. Got it?”

“Sure. Let’s all do well together!”

As Levi encouraged us, the other three just listened quietly.

Of course, there were those who raised objections along the way.

“But planning the schedule like this…”

Every time that happened, Levi quickly intervened to back me up.

“Oh, no. Violet’s right. Our group leader isn’t wrong!”

Inside, I felt deep satisfaction.

“Levi is such a good friend!”

A week later, after various minor schedules, the experiential learning began.

We arrived by bus at the Asterados highlands. Despite its size, the dungeon has a low density of monsters, and the level of the monsters residing there is quite low.

According to the professor’s explanation during class, it’s safe enough for even Non-Awakened to tour around.

“Everyone, check your equipment, and we’ll start entering in order in 30 minutes. If anyone needs to use the restroom, go now!”

The area in front of the dungeon was crowded with academy students. It seemed like there were other academy students besides us, as people who looked like professors and instructors were shouting everywhere.

Not to mention, there were also upperclassmen present. Behind them were academy staff and large boxes.

They hadn’t forgotten to provide various safety equipment, rescue gear, emergency communication devices, and black boxes.

I don’t know if it’s always been this way or if it’s because of the terrorist incident at Vittorio Dungeon, but the academy seemed to be particularly attentive to safety issues.

“Is it because of Sister Adela?”

Considering that the successor of the noble family was involved, they probably had to step up their guard.

Students who looked like upperclassmen were calling out to the group leaders.

“Alright, each group leader, come forward to receive your assigned Mech Hound!”

Waiting in line, it was my turn to step forward.

“I’ll explain once more. To operate it, first press this button… and absolutely do not press that button! That’s the reset button. Got it?”

“Yes.”

An unfamiliar upperclassman opened the box. From within the dark box, a smooth gray object sprang out.

It’s a quadruped robot equipped with a machine gun on its back. It reaches up to my waist.

“Woof!”

The robot barked like a dog.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

The Mech Hound assigned to each group is a robot hunting dog.

Its purpose is to guide and protect the academy students.

“Is it really right to call this a robot?”

“Well, if you’re being picky, it’s not exactly a robot!”

As I led the robot puppy back to our group, Levi’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Wow, that’s so cool…”

The robot dog lifted its head and barked in response, its rubber tail wagging playfully.

“It’s adorable!”

The other group members, watching, approached and petted it out of curiosity.

Not just us, but students nearby were all indulging in fun with the robot dog out of sheer curiosity and amusement.

A muttering came from behind that caught my ears.

“It’s cute? What are you talking about? They’ve just mashed a dog’s brain into that thing. Honestly, it’s creepy.”

“Hey, do you really have to say that in front of everyone? Do you hear how oblivious you sound?”

“It’s the truth though. They say it’s a robot, but really, it’s a cyborg with a dog’s brain…”

Hearing the whispers of the students, I snapped back to reality.

“Oh, right.”

The central processing unit of the Mech Hound uses a living dog’s brain.

“Looks like this thing is just like Stregonics.”

“Wait, Stregonics?”

I felt a sense of déjà vu.

I examined the body of the Mech Hound.

What caught my eye this time was the deep violet phoenix mark embedded in the robot.

“Ugh, aah! It’s the Rumyx Foundation!”

What the hell? The origin of the robot puppy was the Rumyx Foundation.

A chill ran down our spines in an instant.

“Who’s the Secretary of the Rumyx Foundation again?”

“That bastard Laplacian!”

Regardless of its performance, it’s scary knowing it’s something they made.

Feeling uneasy, I asked the robot dog.

“Are you… alive or not?”

The Mech Hound responded.

“Woof woof!”

No matter how many times I attempted to converse, this robot would only bark and act like a dog.

Even if it is indeed a real brain, it’s impossible to dissect it.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.”

Finally, as it was our turn, we followed the instructions and entered through the gate.

As soon as we crossed the gate, a bubble-filled sky and the wide views of green pastures and rolling hills greeted us.

Before performing the task, I declared to my group members.

“Alright, everyone listen closely. I want us to come in first.”

The three group members, excluding Levi, asked.

“Why? I heard it doesn’t count for much in the grading…”

“Just because it sounds fun?”

I placed my hands on my hips and declared.

“From now on, we’re going all out. Just follow my lead. Understood?”

Levi, standing next to me, murmured with a shocked expression.

“All out?”

“Don’t like it?”

“N-no, that’s not it. It sounds super cool… my heart’s racing…”

As expected, Levi is the only one who knows my heart.

Feeling a sense of pride, I patted Levi on the back.

“Then let’s go. Let’s get in there, kill all the monsters, and arrive first!”

“Okay!”

We began our swift advance.

“Nothing bad is going to happen, right?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got Rugilinn’s iron fist waiting near the gate!”

Suddenly, a storm of blood swept over the blue hills.

-PERFECTBOOM!

“Hahaha! Look at those trash monsters scatter!”

-SLASHHHH!

“Chop in half! Chop in third!”

The preliminary scouts of the Clones, long-range Ballista fire linked with Radio Violet.

Charge and annihilate.

“AYAAAGH! Hit the ground, it’s gonna blow!”

And boom!

After sweeping away the trial monsters released by the professors, we looked at our group members who were frozen in shock.

“Uh… uh…”

“T-this is what strength is…?”

“What are you doing? Hurry up!”

We advanced without hesitation.

“Haha! Let’s take them all out!”

At the same time, Irene, who had been thoroughly preparing and leading her group members, flinched at the distant sounds of explosions.

Heavy and intense, the ear-splitting booms ripped through the air.

It’s a familiar noise.

“With so many eyes watching, there’s no way they’re self-destructing, right?”

“Group leader, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s fine…”

Farther away, Daphne, who was climbing the hill with her group, scanned the area between the hills with anxious eyes.

“You heard that too, right?”

“Yeah, it seems like it.”

Daphne quietly nodded in response to Kalia’s question.

The noise of explosives used by her friend had long since become all too familiar.

“Geez, that guy… coming into this wholesome dungeon and already doing that crazy stuff.”

“Ah…”

The two friends simply sighed.

The other group members watched the two, puzzled over their behavior.

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