Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 94: The Group Assignment [3]—(Filler Chapter)

The hall buzzed with quiet murmurs as students sat scattered across the massive rows of seats.

Kyle sat with his team. Isolde, Sylvie, Roland, and Orion. At the center-left section, close to the front.

The ceiling stretched impossibly high above them, supported by wide stone arches.

From outside. The building looked like a normal auditorium, but inside, thanks to space magic. It was vast enough to seat over a thousand first-year students comfortably.

The walls were lined with glowing crystals that lit the room in a steady white light, and a massive magical projector stood at the front.

Casting slides onto the large transparent screen behind the stage.

Each student team would be presenting their experience with the monster they faced in the Artificial Rift trials.

The air was tense.

Most students sat straight in their seats, whispering with their teammates or nervously flipping through notes.

Some had their heads down. Already dreading what was coming. Kyle leaned back slightly, his long legs stretched out in front of him, and spun a quill between his fingers absentmindedly. freewebnσvel.cøm

His eyes flicked around the hall. Watching. Waiting.

He glanced toward the front where a line of instructors sat behind a long table.

Instructor Crater was there, expression stern as usual. Beside him sat Aurelia, calm but focused.

Seraphina, with her usual unreadable smirk. Brynn, who looked bored out of his mind, and several other homeroom instructors from A1 to J1.

Each first-year class had 100 students. Ten classes meant nearly a thousand students, and all of them were packed into the hall.

This wasn’t just a normal presentation. It was judgment day.

Every team’s performance and report during the Artificial Rift trial would be reviewed, questioned, and evaluated.

Harshly.

The presentation just before theirs, Team 13, had finished. The girl presenting bowed her head politely after wrapping up.

"...and that concludes our analysis on the Earth-Nature Golem," she said, stepping back.

Instructor Crater tapped his fingers together. "You mentioned its regeneration was tied to the moss growing on its core. Why wasn’t that your first target?"

The girl hesitated. "We... didn’t realize it at first. By the time we noticed, we had already exhausted most of our resources."

Another instructor leaned forward. "Did no one scan for magical patterns during the fight?"

She flinched slightly but answered, "Our mage was incapacitated early in the battle."

There were a few murmurs. Aurelia scribbled something on her notepad, lips pursed.

Crater gave a slight nod. "You may return to your seats."

The team walked off the stage quickly, clearly shaken.

It was obvious the instructors weren’t pleased. Out of nearly 200 teams. Only four had successfully completed their objective of defeating their assigned monster.

Most had failed to kill even the weaker Grade 3 Silver monsters. Dozens were assigned Grade 2 and still.

The success rate was miserable.

Kyle sighed. He could feel the pressure crawling across the room like a shadow. This wasn’t just about power.

It was about strategy, awareness, teamwork. Solvayne Academy didn’t hold back.

And the results were clear. The academy had no interest in keeping students who couldn’t survive.

Then, Seraphina stood up and called the next team. "Team 21."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. ’Oh... Eleanora and Cassian’s team.’

There was no order to how the teams were called. It was completely random. That meant Team 7 could be called next, or last.

He leaned back again, watching the platform. Eleanora stepped up confidently, her long golden hair tied back.

Kyle smirked. ’Makes sense. No way I see Cassian doing the whole model student thing. He’s smart, but... not that kind of smart.’

She clicked a button on a crystal remote, and the projector behind her lit up.

The image that appeared was of a large, lizard-like creature. Its scales were dark green, thick and plated, like armor.

Its limbs were powerful, with huge claws meant for tearing stone. Its jaws were sharp and wide, filled with jagged teeth. A long tail ended in a pointed bone blade.

Eleanora’s voice was calm and steady.

"This creature, classified as a Grade 1 Silver. Showed mixed traits of both reptilian and draconic species. We identified its weaknesses as targeting the soft underbelly and overloading its heat-sensitive vision using light magic..."

She went on about its attack patterns, defensive instincts, how it relied on ambush tactics and often camouflaged itself in dense terrain.

Kyle found himself nodding slightly. It was solid. Professional.

After she finished. The instructors shot her a few questions. Tactical, detailed stuff. She answered every one without fumbling.

Then, Seraphina called, "Team 7. Please come forward."

Kyle turned to his side and noticed Isolde sitting stiff. Hands clenched together in her lap. Her eyes were fixed ahead, and her breath shallow.

Sylvie leaned closer and whispered, "Y-You have got this. Just take it slow."

Kyle gave her a small, encouraging smile. "You are gonna kill it out there. Trust me."

Isolde looked at them, nodded slowly, then stood up. Her steps were firm, steady, more confident than before.

Kyle sat back, watching her walk to the stage, her shoulders straight. She held the crystal remote tightly as she reached the podium.

The hall quieted.

She clicked the button.

The screen flashed to life. Showing the monster they had faced. It has head of Bird. And humanoid body with hook like claws. Its skin pale as Corpse. Short black wings on his back which is useless for fight.

Isolde began.

"This is the Grade 1 Silver-class monster our team faced. It is called Vorthal."

Her voice was calm and steady as she continued.

"Vorthals originate from a region known as the Mire of Screams. They are known for their intelligence and adaptability. Despite this one being Silver Grade 1. They have the potential to evolve and grow all the way up to Diamond rank. This makes them one of the more dangerous species found..."

Kyle watched her, pride blooming quietly in his chest.

She nailed it.

Her words were smooth, practiced but not robotic. Confident but not arrogant.

When she finished, one of the instructors asked, "What would you have done differently if it had a healing factor like the moss golem?"

Isolde didn’t even blink. "We would have focused on sustained damage using pressure-based attacks. Roland’s hammer style works well to interrupt recovery cycles."

Another instructor nodded slowly. "Not bad."

A short silence followed. Then Crater gestured. "Return to your seats."

Isolde gave a respectful nod and walked back. As she sat down, Kyle leaned in slightly. "Told you. You were great."

Isolde smiled. A small proud thing.

And just like that. Team 7’s moment was done, but they had made it count.

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