Daily Rewards! Transmigrating into a novel as a side-character!

The Commander's expression grew slightly more serious as he continued.

"The second environment consists of various Ruins and Shrines scattered throughout the eastern section," he said, indicating a area dotted with ancient stone structures. "In this zone, you will need to complete different puzzles and locate hidden chambers where Crest Marks have been concealed. Mind you, while this area doesn't contain as many predators as the Dense Forest, the puzzles are genuinely difficult to solve, and there are magical traps throughout these ruins that might disorient you, mislead you, or even cause serious injury."

He paused to let the information sink in before delivering what seemed to be the most important part.

"The examination will last exactly Two days. At the end of this period, all Crest Marks will be tallied by class. The class with the highest total number of Crest Marks wins the examination and gains access to the swap card. Individual contribution within the winning class will determine who receives the card itself."

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd once more.

"I will say this only once more - the dangers in both environments are real and potentially lethal. The academy is not responsible for injuries, permanent disabilities, or deaths that occur due to student negligence or overconfidence. If you are not prepared to accept these risks, you may withdraw now and receive a failing grade rather than risking your life."

The silence that followed was absolute. Not a single student moved to leave, though I could see the fear and determination warring in many faces around me.

"Excellent," the Commander said with what might have been approval. "You have ten minutes to strategize with your classmates before the examination begins. Use this time wisely, it may be the difference between success and failure...life and death."

As he stepped back, the reality of what we were about to face began to truly sink in.

After the Commander stepped down, Elen turned to me with obvious concern written across her face. "So... what are we going to do now?"

I shrugged my shoulders, keeping my expression neutral. "Our team needs to decide on a leader first. What I say now won't matter if we don't pick a leader to coordinate our efforts."

Elen tilted her head thoughtfully. "Why can't we just have different leaders for different aspects? You know, someone for the forest team, someone for the ruins team?"

I shook my head firmly. "There's a reason why there's only one king in a kingdom. Having multiple leadership structures will make things chaotic. Different people will have different ideas and conflicting strategies, and internal conflict will inevitably emerge. Agreeing on one leader is the best course of action to ensure we remain united as one cohesive unit without any destructive internal disputes."

"That makes sense," she nodded, her mind immediately grasping the logic behind unified command.

Before I could continue elaborating on leadership strategies, Emmet approached with his casual stride, hands buried deep in his pockets. He didn't say anything, just positioned himself near me and remained there with his typical stoic expression. His action was clear without words - he was indicating his willingness to follow my lead.

As if encouraged by Emmet's obvious show of support, other students began converging toward our position. One by one, the members of our Elite class gravitated toward where I stood, forming a loose circle around me.

In less than a minute, the entire Elite class had gathered in our vicinity, including all of the most talented individuals. Even Marcus Ironhold, who typically maintained his own independent stance, had moved to join our group.

With a knowing smile spreading across her face, Elen looked at me expectantly. "Adrian, what should we do now?"

I looked around at everyone who had assembled, taking in the faces of my classmates who were now looking to me, waiting. The weight of their expectations was obvious, but I needed to handle this properly to avoid any resentment or challenges to authority.

"We need to pick a leader for this team examination," I announced clearly, ensuring my voice carried to everyone in our group. "Anyone who wants to apply for the leadership position should raise their hands now. This is your opportunity to make your case for why you should guide our strategy."

I deliberately kept my own hand down for the moment, wanting to see who else might step forward and what kind of opposition or support might emerge. Leadership needed to be established through consensus rather than assumption, even if the outcome seemed predetermined based on how everyone had naturally gravitated toward my position.

"Just hurry up, Blackwood. Nobody here is going to take leadership, not after you've broken multiple records already," Emmet said with an exasperated roll of his eyes, his hands still firmly planted in his pockets.

A few of our classmates chuckled at Emmet's blunt assessment, clearly finding his directness amusing while also agreeing with the underlying sentiment. The laughter carried a note of acknowledgment - everyone understood that the leadership question had essentially been decided the moment they all gravitated toward my position.

I glanced toward Marcus Ironhold, whose expression remained neutral but showed no signs of objection or challenge. His silence was as good as an endorsement, and I could see similar acceptance in the faces of the other students around me.

"Alright, I will take charge," I announced, stepping fully into the leadership role that had been implicitly offered to me. "We're going to split our class into four different specialized teams, each with distinct responsibilities that will maximize our efficiency and coverage."

I gestured to different sections of our group as I explained the structure.

"Hunters and Frontliners: This team will be responsible for directly engaging the Elite-rank beasts in the Dense Forest and hunting the white donkeys. You'll also serve as our primary defence against any rival class raids or interference."

Several of the more combat-focused students, including Emmet, nodded their understanding. This was the role they fit in and were interested in.