Arcane Heir: History's Strongest Mage

For the next thirty minutes, Michael and the others continued to test their grasp on the combat technique. It was rather clear by the end that Melody and Rudy were better than him, both in speed and power.

The truth was difficult to swallow for Michael who had been only a little worse than Rudy throughout the first semester. Now not only had the guy improved, but Melody had now also surpassed him.

However, he didn't have time to dwell on the gloomy emotions for long before a chirpy voice entered their ears.

"Oh? Looks like we've got some eager students today."

The trio froze, hearing professor Quinn who had arrived at the field. She was garbed in her usual tight bodysuit, but for some reason, the expression on her face seemed even more sadistic today.

"Good afternoon professor…" the three chimed respectfully.

"Mmm, it certainly is." She commented, wearing a crooked grin.

Michael resisted the urge to shudder, turning his attention to the group of first-years flooding out of the castle. Braydon was at the forefront, flanked by Craig his only remaining lackey.

"The exam will be taking place at the arena, follow me." Professor Quinn announced, turning on her heel and gesturing towards the north.

Arena? There's something like that at the academy? Michael questioned with surprise.

Though he'd lived in the castle for over four months, he'd explored less than thirty percent of the grounds. Not only were many parts off limits to him as a first-year, but he also had no business in these places.

Were he to be caught, there might be some punishments as a result.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who was surprised at the mention of an arena.

However, no one spoke up in question—not wanting to draw the attention of the sadistic professor Quinn. The students followed the woman around the castle grounds at a brisk pace, trying to keep up with her.

After around ten minutes, a stone structure separate from the castle came into view. It was fifty feet high and circular in shape, standing out significantly against the backdrop of the magical forest.

But it wasn't until they walked into the odd structure that its purpose was evident.

On the ground floor was a circular platform made of stone, cracks and blemishes marred its surface, giving off an ancient aura. In the surroundings, the structure shot into the sky surrounding it. There were at least a few thousands seats that stretched upwards and around, like that of an amphitheater.

"Welcome, to the arena." Quinn said, walking to the center of the platform and addressing the students. Her expression was filled with a certain fervor that made the first-years uncomfortable.

"This is where most of our combat exams take place, and where you'll be fighting the tier-two ferocious boar." She continued, uncaring of their reaction.

"You might not know this, but we hold an end-of-year tournament to rank the students prior to moving up to the next grade. Of course there will be no restrictions in place for magic—so you'll be able to fight to your hearts content."

Her words brought a wave of nervous whispers from the students. The professor had not let them use a single spell in combat class, yet all of a sudden there were no such restrictions?

Yet as they saw the woman's smile rescind, everyone quickly shut their mouths, not wanting to arouse her ire. Everyone present knew just how quick she was to exact punishment.

Michael wouldn't be surprised if she made them miss the exam in order to carry out their punishment.

Seeing that everyone had stopped talking, professor Quinn's smile returned. "All of you go take a seat in the nearby stands, we will begin the exams shortly."

The students didn't have to be told twice. Michael followed behind the others and made his way up the stairs, finding a spot close by for when his name was called.

"As I explained, you will be fighting a tier two magical beast: a ferocious boar." Quinn announced, still in the center of the arena. "Your goal is to take down the beast using the martial techniques we've practiced all semester."

Michael nodded, this was not the first time that she'd explained this to the class. What he was more interested in was how the woman was going to evaluate them.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long for an explanation.

"You will be marked with three criteria," she stated, holding up three fingers. "Your utilization of the combat techniques, your teamwork, and your contribution towards the fight."

Quinn let the words sink in, her smile widening a few moments later. "I will also remind you that any group who requires my intervention during the exam—or utilizes any other magic—will fail and be required to take supplementary classes next semester."

Her words caused the group to shudder subconsciously.

"Professor Quinn," Lilly raised her hand, calling out.

In an instant, almost a hundred pair of eyes locked onto the red-headed girl, watching her intently. It was clear that if she said anything to piss the professor off, there would be dire consequences.

The professor frowned slightly before nodding her head, gesturing for the girl to ask the question.

"What if the reason you have to intervene is because of a single student's mistake? Will the whole team still fail?" she asked rather meekly, clearly affected by the glares directed her way.

Quinn scoffed, looking rather displeased. This led to the whole class visibly tensing—as if waiting for punishment.

"This exam is meant to simulate real combat. The mistakes of a single team member could potentially lead to the death of everyone in the group, therefore you must work together and cover your weaknesses." She explained impatiently.

"While I'll be evaluating you all individually, your results will still depend on your ability to work together as a team." The professor concluded, her words sharp.

"…Thank you professor." Lilly replied, quickly lowering her head.

"Are there any other questions?" the woman asked, her eyes gazing over the first-years. But after receiving no response, her smile returned.

"Excellent, Team A will begin the exam first. Braydon, Craig, Toby—you're up!"