Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey
Chapter 281: Protagonist Of This Novel [1]

There are two goals in my mind for this midterm exam.

The first is to reach the top 100.

Yes.

I didn't misspeak. Top 100.

There were several reasons as to why I set my goal to be that high...but it primarily boiled down to important reasons.

—Facilitate recruitment of people whom I want to join my mercenary group.

The first point was self-explanatory. Who would want to join someone's mercenary group when the current leader of the group was only ranked 1001 in the Nova? It just didn't make sense.

I mean, in all fairness.

If someone ranked 1001 approached me and tried to recruit me, I'd probably laugh at their face.

I gave three important documents to Jonathan and I have told him these three people must join.

One is the hacker kid who is in prison right now, the second is Verten mercenary and last but leastlist.

A classmate of mine, Elera Frostwind. The current ran 10 students.

She has very much potential but because of people like Isabella, Emma, and Isla. She was out shadows.

By bringing her into the fold, I hoped to not only bolster the strength of my group but also provide her with the opportunity to shine and reach her full potential. After all, in the world of mercenaries, strength in numbers was key, and every skilled individual counted.

-Ding! -Ding!

Disrupting me from my thoughts was the loud sound of the alarm I set on my phone.

"Ah, I guess it's time for me to head back"

It was already 10 P.M. signaling that it was time for me to wrap up with what I was doing and go to sleep.

I determined that for me to be in optimal conditions each day, I had to sleep at least eight hours a day.

Especially since the mid-terms were now right in the corner.

In the morning I would study, and in the afternoon and night, I would train my body. That was my current lifestyle.

Couldn't say I liked it, but...well, I needed good grades. Especially since I had a goal to accomplish.

Thus, I went back to the dorm.

As I made my way back to the dormitory, the halls of the academy were unusually quiet, the only sound being the soft echo of my footsteps against the polished floors. It seemed that most of my fellow cadets had already retired for the night, no doubt seeking to recharge before the challenges of the upcoming midterm exams.

Slipping into my room, I quickly shed my outer layers and changed into more comfortable attire, preparing myself for a well-deserved rest. Despite the late hour, my mind was still buzzing with thoughts of strategy and preparation, the weight of my goals pressing down on me like a heavy burden.

But as I settled into bed and closed my eyes, I allowed myself to let go of those worries, if only for a moment. In the darkness of my room, I found a brief respite from the pressures of academia and the demands of leadership.

With a deep sigh, I let the exhaustion of the day wash over me, pulling me into the welcoming embrace of sleep. At that moment, there was nothing else to worry about, no looming deadlines or looming challenges.

There was only the blissful oblivion of rest, and for that, I was grateful.

As I drifted off into sleep, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the days ahead. The midterms loomed on the horizon, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for me to prove myself.

But for now, I allowed myself to sink into the darkness, surrendering to the gentle pull of slumber.

***

The next morning, the Practical Exam day.

-Beep! -Beep!

In a remote area of the academy, standing in front of a large portal, a group of students nervously stared at the professor before them.

"Students please form a single line"

As the professor spoke, a thick wave of residual magical energy emanated from the blue portal that was a few meters behind him. Though it wasn't overbearing, it still caused every student present to feel some form of pressure.

[Cave of Doom]

That was the name of the dungeon in front of us.

It was a multilayered dungeon, meaning that it had different levels of difficulty, with the highest being <C> rank, and the lowest being <G> rank.

Because of how the dungeon had different levels—the Nova desperately fought for the ownership of the dungeon.

It was the perfect place to train students.

With the dungeon having the same layout regardless of the level of difficulty, it was a perfect dungeon to assess students' performance.

Moreover, it was also capable of fairly assessing students regardless of their rank. If you were <G> ranked, you would have to enter the dungeon in <G> difficulty, and so on with higher ranks...

This way, there was no element of unfairness as the monsters and layout were the same with each dungeon difficulty.

Thus, in reality, this test was used to assess a student's combat ability rather than talent.

"Alright, everyone please pay close attention to what I'm saying as safety always comes first."

"The dungeon you are looking at right now will be used for your practical midterm exam."

Pausing and staring at the students before him, the professor continued

"For your practical assessment, for you to pass, all you have to do is get to the other side of the dungeon. Simple as that...Just crossing over is considered a pass."

"However, for your grade, you will be assessed on two things."

Raising two of his fingers, the professor's tone became stern

"Time is taken for you to reach the end of the dungeon, and how many monsters you kill throughout the raid. For each extra monster you kill, you will be given an extra point and so on."

"Also this will be an individual exam, which means you will be working alone in this dungeon. You will not get any help from your teammates. This was done to see how stronger you are when fighting alone the monster."

He paused for a moment and looked towards the rest of the students.

"Shit bro, what am I going to do?" Sunny cursed under his breath as he looked at me nervously.

I, however just sigh at the expression of sunny.