The Cornflower Witch

The month-long assessment period ended, and the students of Tetis College once again gathered at Eagle Cry Mountains.

On the plaza, people stood in small groups, waiting for the professors to arrive. As they met again, the apprentices discussed their experiences over the past month.

"In the early stages, I tried many methods to track down monster traces, but the results weren't great. Later, I hired a local guide, and that sped things up."

"I wasn't too worried about finding monsters, but my specialty is enchantment crafting, not combat. Every time I had to deal with a monster, I had to be extremely careful."

"I heard over forty people achieved the assessment target this time. That's really impressive."

"What about the Chief? I wonder how she performed?" Everyone was curious about how many monsters that young girl had slain.

As the crowd was discussing, several professors arrived at the scene, along with a few senior students.

The scene quickly quieted down. Then the professor opened the book in his hand, and golden names appeared, shimmering in the air.

"This assessment is now concluded. The students above have successfully completed their objectives. For those who didn't, don't be discouraged—after all, everyone's talent and starting point are different."

"However, since some students have worked hard, endured painstaking research, and fought fiercely to achieve the goals set at the beginning, rewards are also essential."

"First, every student who completed their objective will be awarded a 'Steel Thorn Badge' crafted by the 'Western City Alliance.'" As he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and gleaming badges flew toward the students who had met their targets.

Sylutia stood on the plaza and reached out to catch one, examining it in her palm.

[Steel Thorn Badge] (Third Tier·Excellent); 'A badge awarded by the Western City Alliance to those who have made outstanding contributions in resisting monster invasions. Holders of this badge can receive assistance in towns under the Western City Alliance and are deemed trustworthy.

Effect: Can cast 'Steel Thorn Cage' once every three days. This spell can be used to trap monsters and magical beasts, as well as for defense and blocking attacks.

Seeing everyone accept the badges, the professor continued speaking.

"A total of 42 people achieved the goals set at the beginning this time. Among them, 11 killed more than 150 monsters, 3 killed more than 200 monsters, and 1 killed more than 300 monsters."

At this point, many students turned their gazes toward Sylutia. Everyone felt she was the most likely to have the top record.

"That's right. Many of you have probably guessed it. The one who killed the most monsters is this year's Chief, student Hedra." The professor looked at the young girl approvingly and nodded slightly.

"In addition, students Imei and Moria also performed exceptionally well. They killed 217 and 208 monsters above Third Tier respectively." As he finished, everyone's attention shifted to the two.

"Next are the students with records above 150 monsters. They are Aransh, Mograi, Qin, Spencer, Xavier, Marg, Hoanes, and Stuka." After the introductions, the professor continued distributing rewards.

"Hedra receives 6 pieces of 'Smoky Crystal Steel.' Imei and Moria receive 4 pieces each. The rest who killed more than 150 monsters receive 3 pieces. Those who completed the objective receive 2 pieces. The remaining students who didn't meet the target will also receive 1 piece of 'Smoky Crystal Steel.'"

"The 'Smoky Crystal Steel' given to you is refined from 'Sludge Charcoal' and 'Phosphorus Iron Ore.' Both key materials come from the mineral veins in the Western Mountains, crafted by the artisans of the 'Western City Alliance.' Each piece is of quality above 'Fourth Tier.' Armor and weapons forged with it are over six times stronger than ordinary 'Black Steel.'"

After the instructor finished his explanation, he nodded to the senior students beside him. Two of them then carried over a heavy iron chest. When opened, it revealed neatly arranged black 'Smoky Crystal Steel,' somewhat crystal-like but with a luster akin to steel.

"The refining of that 'Smoky Crystal Steel' isn't easy. The current output of the City Alliance is still low. Most of it has been given to you as a reward. Since 'Smoky Crystal Steel' is a newly developed synthetic crystal steel in recent years, many workshops within the Mage Alliance are very interested in it but struggle to obtain sufficient supplies."

"If you're not in a hurry to use this material for crafting, you can take it back to Tetis and exchange it with major workshops for suitable resources and materials. Most of them will be happy to accept." The professor offered advice to the students.

"Yes." The students curiously took the hefty crystal steel. Each piece, only the size of a fist, weighed about ten jin, similar to lead.

When the senior students distributing the rewards reached Sylutia, they directly brought out a larger carrying case, inside which lay six pieces of 'Smoky Crystal Steel.'

"This is student Hedra's reward."

"Thank you." After accepting it, she also examined it closely.

[Smoky Crystal Steel] (Fourth Tier·Excellent), 'A crystal steel of considerable strength, usable for crafting armor, weapons, and golems, with excellent defensive effects.'

It seemed that after the Mage Alliance occupied the Western Mountains, they hadn't come away empty-handed. This 'Smoky Crystal Steel' should offset a lot of the early investment. And Sylutia suspected that the greatest use of this kind of crystal steel might not be ordinary weapon and armor crafting but rather application in large-scale war machinery.

It was said that the formula for 'Smoky Crystal Steel' was developed by mages of the 'Forging School,' a faction especially skilled in crafting large golems and machinery. Many of the City Alliance's current artisans had also been trained and taught by them.

After the rewards were distributed, the professor offered a few words of encouragement, then announced three days off for rest. After that, he and a few other instructors would teach everyone some additional knowledge here, addressing the situations and doubts encountered by each student during battle over the past month, as well as sharing their experience.

Hearing this, many were quite happy. After all, vacation time was rare, and they could also take the opportunity to explore this foreign land.

The students first gathered at the mess hall in the mountain garrison for a good meal, then sat together to exchange their gains and experiences from this period.

In the afternoon, at a corner of the mess hall, many students had gathered. Sylutia sat alone on a wooden chair with a backrest, while others either stood or sat on benches, forming a circle around her.

"Ahem, since everyone's giving me the chance, I'll temporarily act as today's host." Og's deep, resonant voice rang out. He now stood in the open space surrounded by the crowd, facing everyone.

"First, let's celebrate the successful conclusion of this assessment. Everyone came back safely, and no one was seriously injured." With that, he led a few rounds of applause, then continued.

"Next up is sharing everyone's experiences and insights." Seeing the group's enthusiasm rise, he pressed on immediately.

"There's no need to say much about Chief Hedra—she's the strongest among us. We'll save questions about her for the grand finale."

"I know everyone is very curious about Imei and Moria—how they achieved such results and feats. Now, let's invite the two of them to share their stories." He made a gesture of invitation.

"Indeed, I really want to know."

"I'm curious too."

"Where are they?"

"There, Moria's already standing up."

As the crowd buzzed with excitement, Moria stood up with a slightly helpless smile. First, he raised his hand to calm everyone's curiosity and excitement, then stepped into the open space in the middle.

"The results are indeed quite surprising. Even I didn't expect things to turn out this way at first. Alright, no more beating around the bush. Let me recount what happened back then..." Then the rather handsome young man began to recall and narrate his story.