Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 62: Strategizing

"This..."

The class was stunned into silence, an uneasy atmosphere hanging above them.

Closing a Nirad Gate?

That was something veteran Awakened from guilds did. This wasn’t the job of students, right?

Everyone thought the same, feeling a bit unnerved by the idea of doing the job themselves. Although they were also Awakened, they were still green and only at the first rank.

How were they supposed to face the dangers of the dungeon?

"Hahahaha." Sebastian laughed boisterously, closing his little mirror shut. "Closing a Nirad Gate? This will surely be interesting! Very interesting!"

The others cast displeased glances at him, but he ignored them all.

At the front, Logan also grinned, his red eyes lit with fighting spirit.

’If it can help me train, get stronger, and obtain more Relics, I’m in!’

A few others who were confident in their combat strength weren’t unnerved. Still, the majority of the class was worried.

"Rest assured, the academy wouldn’t just throw you into a den of wolves to die. The dungeons have been examined, and they do not exceed the limits of what first-year students can clear."

Rina explained, causing a wave of relief to sweep through the class. At least the academy had said it wouldn’t be dangerous.

Looking at the relieved faces, Rina felt disappointed.

’They have no fighting spirit—idiotic fools. This will surely teach them a lesson.’

"Instructor, you haven’t spoken about the rules of the evaluation."

Liam calmly spoke up, his brown eyes fixated on her.

Rina nodded, then switched the screen displayed.

"There are four important things to know in this evaluation."

"The first. You are not allowed to leave the dungeon without the permission of any staff."

"The second. The evaluation only comes to a close when the gate itself has been closed."

"The third. No class is allowed to directly interfere with other classes during this evaluation. It’d result in a deduction of fifty Class Rank Points."

"The last. There is no time limit for the evaluation and the classes are ranked according to how fast they closed their respective gates."

The whole class was quiet, but one could feel their fighting spirit ignited. This was their chance to increase their Class Rank Points, and they were motivated because of a single reason.

’We have to reach Class-A.’

The allure of the rewards was just too high for those from common families—the majority of Class-E.

"This Evaluation will begin on February 17, so you all have two days to prepare."

"Lastly, the rewards are as follows..."

1st place — + 100 Class Rank Points

2nd place — + 50 Class Rank Points

3rd place — + 20 Class Rank Points

The display on the projector made their eyes glued to it, while Rina packed her files.

"That’ll be all. You can all use the next few minutes to have a class meeting."

After saying this, she left the class just as she came. Immediately, the students turned to each other, hushed whispers spreading among them. Before it turned into something that could deduct their points, Liam quickly took to the stage.

"Let’s be calm, guys. There’s still a lot we need to discuss."

Everyone paid attention to him, as he was subconsciously the class leader in their hearts.

"We have two days to think about our plans, and we have to be serious about it. Why? Because our objective is getting the first place."

His words made their blood boil, and everyone subconsciously looked at the rewards displayed on the screen. If a hundred points were added to their total, the gap between Class-E and Class-D would narrow significantly.

"To ensure that we succeed, I’ll be holding a meeting with a select few among us."

Smiling gently, he scanned the class. Even a blind man could tell those who were qualified to be the select few. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Ysabella, Hazel, Astron, Sebastian..."

As he called the last name, he turned to the golden-haired student who was humming to himself.

"Hoh~ You’re planning to include me in your strategic meeting? Not interested."

His reply earned him a wave of displeasure from the others, but he didn’t care at all.

Grinning, he continued. "However, you don’t need to worry about me. I would participate fully as long as it is fun and beautiful!"

Liam gave a bitter smile, then nodded helplessly. Even though Sebastian wasn’t going to participate in the meeting, he was still invested in the evaluation itself.

"Also, I’d like Kaiser to participate in this meeting too."

Being specially addressed, Kaiser immediately received the attention of the whole class. Although it was never confirmed, everyone believed him to be a very strong student among them.

Also, his existence was quite odd, not relating to anyone enough to consider anyone a friend. The fact that no one knew much about him further heightened his mystery.

Kaiser raised his head, looking indifferently at Liam. Although the guy’s demeanor was mild and likable, Kaiser had no special opinion of him.

’Well, ignoring the fact that he has no color... he isn’t annoying at all.’

Concluding on that, he nodded quietly.

Hazel was surprised, as she had expected him to refuse. Still, she was glad that he had agreed to join them.

’What’s his motive for joining? He wouldn’t normally agree, and I can’t get a read on him at all.’

Ariel’s expression remained unchanged, though he kept stealing glances at Kaiser.

"Alright. Thank you all. We should meet after school period. To ensure secrecy, let’s have the discussion in my room."

No one objected, and Liam returned to his seat. Discussions continued among the students, each one chatting excitedly.

"Ariel, will you be attending this meeting?"

Hazel turned to her deskmate, curious about his stand. Although he agreed to help her, she couldn’t force him every time.

"I wouldn’t. However, we can have another discussion when you’re done over there."

Ariel spoke without looking at her, his silver hair glinting sharply.

Hazel raised a brow. "Still acting from the shadows? You want me to be your informant."

"Whatever makes you comfortable." Ariel rested his head on the table. "Do not forget, I am the one helping you."