Chapter 112 Hell Week (2)
Chapter 112 Hell Week (2)
Cardon Academy's exam week was notoriously referred to as "Hell Week" by its students—a nickname earned through the grueling schedule and intensity of the lessons.
It wasn't just the volume of material that made the week so challenging but also the unique approach the academy took to education and evaluation.
Unlike traditional exam systems, Hell Week wasn't designed to test whether students had mastered the lessons of an entire year.
Such an evaluation would have been impossible, given the academy's philosophy.
At Cardon, every student grew stronger at their own pace, with progress measured not by standardized benchmarks but by individual growth and potential.
Instead, Hell Week focused on evaluating how well students could adapt and learn under specific conditions.
The aim wasn't to test rote memorization or past achievements but to push students to overcome their current limits in real time.
Throughout the week, students participated in a series of lessons tailored to challenge them in different ways.
Each lesson came with a clear objective that would be tested during the exams on Friday.
For instance, during Professor Orlen's practical combat lessons, students were paired for sparring matches where their weaknesses were identified.
Orlen would then give each student personalized feedback, pointing out areas that needed improvement.
However, he wasn't unreasonable in his expectations—he didn't demand perfection or ask for the impossible.
Instead, he focused on fixing smaller, manageable flaws, such as refining technique, improving stamina, or sharpening tactical awareness.
The same principle applied across all subjects.
In magical theory, students might be tasked with mastering a spell variation they had struggled with, while in strategy lessons, they might have to devise plans under pressure and adapt them on the fly.
Each task was designed to be just difficult enough to push the students out of their comfort zones, forcing them to grow.
Hell Week wasn't just about individual improvement, either. Many challenges required collaboration, encouraging students to rely on their peers and work as a team.
It was as much a test of their character and resilience as it was of their skills and knowledge.
By Friday, the culmination of the week's efforts came in the form of exams.
These weren't traditional written tests but practical evaluations that recreated the conditions students had faced during the lessons.
Success was measured by how well they had addressed the weaknesses identified earlier in the week and how effectively they applied what they had learned.
In the case of theoretical studies, though, written exams were still applied.
For the students, Hell Week was an exhausting, high-pressure experience. But it was also one of the academy's most effective methods for fostering growth.
But instead of halting, Alia's punch morphed mid-strike.
Something blue and translucent materialized around her hand. The glowing aura expanded, shaping itself into the form of a shark's head, complete with menacing, razor-sharp teeth.
The spectators gasped as the shark's jaws clamped down on the lion's torso, not biting through it but passing through as if it were butter.
What happened after was expected, the shark's mouth embodied Maria's face as a whole, threatening to separate it from her neck with its teeth.
Everyone was sure that Maria's neck wouldn't be different from the lion's body and that it would be cut through like butter.
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But Alia didn't strike. She stopped just short, her frown deepening as she lowered her hand. Even though Maria wouldn't die if she continued, she didn't complete the maneuver.
Then, she frowned at Maria's face once again angrily but didn't say anything and went down the arena.
The students clapped silently as if it was expected and players stood there with their mouths open.
Professor Orlen approached Alia as she stepped down.
"Well done," he said, waving his hand over her injured leg. A faint glow surrounded the scratch, and to everyone's amazement, the wound vanished in an instant.
Arlon's eyes narrowed as he observed the process. That wasn't healing magic, he thought.
Mages in Trion had healing spells, but it wasn't as effective as a priest's heal. So, Orlen, no matter how strong he was, shouldn't have been able to heal Alia's leg in a second.
It must be the area's effect. Since the area was magically created, Arlon assumed that it had a time-locking feature.
It was mentioned in A Magician's Secret that stopping the time was impossible. However, it was possible to create pocket universes with different timelines or locked times.
So, when Orlen created the area as a different dimension, he created it so that anything going inside would be locked in time.
Any injuries sustained here could be reset to the state the person was in when they entered—like a game checkpoint.
This wasn't an easy spell and it wasn't a real checkpoint, so it was impossible to fight against someone strong again and again until the spell caster won by resetting the time.
It was only good against these small scratches. Of course, Orlen could use it against students, making sure they don't die.
But even then he wouldn't bring them from dead. He would reset the time before they were dead.
Or that is what Arlon assumed.
Agema's book didn't teach Arlon how to use it, nor could Arlon achieve it even if it did.
Maybe after I met her...
NABC