"For A+!"
"Cheers!"
Beer mugs clinked together, and loud laughter erupted. Against the backdrop of the setting night sky, a bonfire crackled in front of a small cabin.
Around the fire sat two groups of students from Class A.
On one side were Simon, Rick, Meilyn, and Cami of Group 7. Not far from them sat Knox, Cindy, Claudia, and Merida of Group 8, gathered around the same bonfire.
In front of the flames, juicy skewers sizzled as they roasted, oil dripping onto the fire with a mouthwatering crackle.
"Khh, in this performance evaluation, it was basically a hard carry by me, Rick!"
Rick, his face flushed red, laughed heartily.
"If it weren't for me, you guys wouldn't even have scratched the Cyclops! Am I wrong? C'mon, just admit it already!"
"There he goes again."
Meilyn rolled her eyes and scolded him, though the smile tugging at her lips showed it wasn't her usual sharp tone.
"If even one of us hadn't done our part, we'd have failed, you idiot. And if we're being honest, you had the smallest role! All you did was throw around a few enchantments!"
Cindy, who had been quietly turning a skewer over the fire, suddenly burst out laughing.
"Pfft—! Wait, wait, hold on."
She wiped the corner of her eye. "You're calling that a hard carry?"
Rick turned to her with an offended look. "Hey! You're supposed to support me here!"
"Nope." Cindy shook her head immediately.
"If Knox said that, maybe I'd believe it. But you?"
Claudia chuckled softly. "To be fair, Rick did contribute."
Rick brightened instantly. "See?! Finally someone with eyes!"
Claudia calmly continued. "Just… not enough to call it a hard carry."
Cindy nearly choked laughing.
Rick froze. "...You people are unbelievable."
Across the fire, Knox calmly rotated the skewer in his hand.
"Confidence is good," he said casually.
"But exaggeration is another matter."
Rick pointed at him dramatically. "See?! Even Knox is attacking me now!"
Merida, who had been quietly roasting meat beside the fire, spoke without even opening her eyes.
"...Delusional."
The entire circle burst into laughter.
Rick slumped forward in defeat.
Meanwhile, Cami was staring seriously at the beer mug she held with both hands.
"You don't have to drink if you don't want to."
Simon said with a smile.
"Ah, no! It's not that…! This is my first time drinking, so I'm just a little nervous…"
"It's okay! Kami, it's totally fine!" Rick waved his hands energetically.
"As long as Kizen students can take responsibility for their own actions, anything goes! And it's not just us here tonight—we've got a 'guardian' too, right? Legal drinking! Totally legal!"
As Rick babbled on energetically, Cami cautiously turned to Simon and asked,
"If I drink this, will I become like Rick?"
Simon couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
Across from him, Meilyn broke into uncontrollable giggles.
Rick looked betrayed. "Kami, you too…"
Cindy clutched her stomach. "Okay, that one was brutal."
Even Knox quietly chuckled, covering his mouth slightly.
Claudia leaned closer to Cami. "You'll be fine. Just don't drink like Rick."
Merida nodded slightly. "...Low standard."
Just as Rick slurred his words while trying to recover the mood, someone stepped out of the cabin.
"Here, have this too!"
It was none other than Professor Hong Feng of Magical Combat.
She placed a pot onto the stand beside the bonfire. Inside it was a steaming meat stew.
"Wooooah!"
Enticed by the delicious aroma, everyone rushed toward the pot.
Even Merida slowly stood up and moved closer, drawn by the smell.
Hong Feng ladled out bowls of stew herself, handing them to her students.
"Thank you for the food!"
It was Hong Feng who had invited them to the cabin.
The skewers and stew were all made from game she had personally hunted.
Simon took a spoonful. "...It's delicious!"
Cindy's eyes widened. "Whoa, this is amazing!"
Claudia nodded in agreement. "The flavor is very clean. You can really taste the meat."
Knox tasted the stew quietly. "...This is excellent, Professor."
Hong Feng smiled brightly. "I'm glad you like it."
She looked particularly pleased when Knox complimented the food.
Rick quickly poured beer from the oak barrel and handed it to her.
"Thanks, Rick."
"Wow! Never thought I'd live to be invited to a party by a Kizen professor! Truly…!"
Rick shot a sly glance at Simon.
"Professor Hong Feng! You're kind of playing favorites with Simon, huh…"
Meilyn immediately raised her head.
"Hey, Rick!"
"He's right." Hong Feng replied calmly.
Everyone froze.
She chuckled.
"We're all growing together. It's natural to have students you like more than others."
Rick burst out laughing.
"See?! I knew it!"
Hong Feng lightly flicked Rick's forehead.
"Don't misunderstand."
She ruffled Simon's hair.
"You did very well today."
Then she turned her gaze across the fire.
"And Knox."
Everyone looked at him.
Hong Feng crossed her arms and smiled with interest.
"Summoning two Death Knights and controlling them that cleanly."
She nodded approvingly.
"That was impressive."
Cindy immediately raised her mug.
"See?! I told you our leader was amazing!"
Claudia clapped lightly.
Merida gave a small nod.
"...Strong."
Knox simply smiled modestly.
"Thank you, Professor."
Rick groaned. "Great, now there are two favorites."
Cindy pointed at him. "You're just jealous."
Rick sighed dramatically. "Life is unfair."
Hong Feng laughed. "I'm proud of all my students."
Then her expression softened slightly. "Things are tougher now that your protection period has ended."
"But that's not because the Kizen instructors dislike you. So hang in there a little longer, alright?"
"Yes! Understood!"
Outside the classroom, Hong Feng showed none of the strict authority of a Kizen professor. She felt more like an older sister watching over them.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere quickly relaxed.
"Next week."
Amid the lively gathering, Hong Feng stretched her legs and spoke.
Rick immediately leaned forward.
"Yes, Professor! Listening!"
Hong Feng smiled.
"Next week, you'll finally be going on a mission."
One of the core components forming the unique system known as Kizen.
After the student protection period ends, Kizen students are granted a time called the Mission Period.
It includes a weekend and typically spans 2 to 3 days, amounting to around 5 days designated as the mission period. During this time, students are allowed to take on various missions commissioned from the outside.
From simple errands and part-time jobs to monster extermination, bodyguard duty, assassination of key figures, and even proxy warfare.
The types are countless. Missions that even active necromancers would take on are opened up to Kizen students.
Depending on the difficulty and success of the mission, students receive an Evaluation Score, and they can also officially earn the commission fee. For Kizen students who are always low on funds due to massive spending on materials, this is the fastest and most lucrative way to earn money.
And just like Hong Feng said last night, Kizen designated a 5-day mission period that includes this weekend.