Chapter 197: The Disciple Evaluation is Here!

It had been a week since the continuous ascensions, and it was time for the disciple evaluations. With excitement and anticipation, disciples streamed to the courtyard. The new disciples moved with nervousness and anxiety, while the older ones moved as if they already knew what was going to happen.

Among them was the ragtag, yet powerful group of Bahamut consisting of Sel, Ren, Exildra, Lily, Alana, Apollonia, Rakia, and Gabi.

The flow of bodies toward the courtyard felt like a tide. Restless and unpredictable, charged with something just beneath the surface. Whispers followed them wherever they passed, some subtle, some not.

"That’s them..."

"All of them... together..."

"They’re actually grouping up?"

"Isn’t that overkill?"

Bahamut walked at the front, hands tucked loosely into his pockets, blindfold in place, his steps steady and unhurried. Beside him, Sel moved with his usual quiet indifference, eyes half-lidded as if nothing around him mattered.

Behind them was chaos.

Ren lounged comfortably on Bahamut’s head as if it were his rightful throne, occasionally flicking his ears at anyone who stared too long. Lily walked pressed against Bahamut’s side, her tail swaying lazily, her eyes sharp and daring anyone to look twice.

Exildra walked just a step behind, her eyepatch in place, her presence calm... but there was something different about her now. Something deeper. Her right eye occasionally flickered with faint, shifting colors.

Alana stayed close to Bahamut’s other side, quiet as always, though her gaze moved constantly, observing everything. Gabi trailed slightly behind, his expression unreadable, his presence colder than before.

Apollonia and Rakia brought up the rear, their contrasting auras: one radiant, the other heavy, creating a strange balance.

They didn’t look like a team.

They looked like a gathering of disasters.

...

The courtyard was already packed with hundreds of disciples, all gathered and waiting. The moment Bahamut’s group stepped in, the noise dipped slightly as everyone looked at them in awareness. All eyes followed them, measured and judged them, some with awe, some with envy, and some with clear hostility.

Bahamut ignored all of it.

"Feels like they want to eat us," Ren muttered from above.

"They can try," Lily replied with a grin.

"They’ll die," Gabi added flatly.

"You people are not normal," Ren sighed.

"You’re one of us," Sel said without looking at him.

"That’s the problem." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

A sudden pulse of pressure swept across the courtyard, and the chatter died instantly. Elder Hakar had arrived. He stood at the center platform, arms folded behind his back, his presence firm and unyielding like a mountain rooted into the earth. His gaze swept across the gathered disciples sharply, as he assessed everyone.

When he spoke, his voice carried effortlessly across the entire courtyard.

"No one here is unaware of why you have been gathered." He paused for what he said to sink in.

"You have trained. You have fought. You have survived."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"But survival... is not enough."

The air tightened.

"This is the Disciple Evaluation."

A wave of tension rippled through the crowd.

"For some of you... It will be your first."

"For others... just another step."

He let the words settle.

"This evaluation will be conducted in two folds."

Now, everyone was listening carefully.

"First. Missions."

A faint stir.

"Second. Group Combat."

That stirred more reaction: confusion and curiosity. Elder Hakar raised a hand slightly.

"They are not separate."

Silence returned.

"Your missions... will involve your combat."

A pause.

"You will be divided into teams. Each team will be assigned a mission, and each mission will have an objective."

His gaze hardened.

"Only your team... will know that objective."

Now, their interests spiked.

"You will be deployed into designated zones."

"Within these zones... You may encounter other teams." A faint smile touched his lips. "Or... they may encounter you."

The meaning was clear. There would be conflict, and it was unavoidable. Conflict was being encouraged in the evaluation.

"Your goal is simple."

"Complete your mission."

"Accumulate points."

He flicked his fingers, and dozens of small, glowing blue orbs materialized in the air around him, rotating slowly.

"These..." The orbs pulsed softly. "...are auxiliary objectives."

"Point Orbs. They are scattered across your assigned zones. Each one... grants fifty points."

A murmur spread. Fifty points? That wasn’t small. Not at all.

"Consider them... incentives... Or distractions." Elder Hakar’s gaze sharpened again. "Whether you pursue them... or ignore them... Is your decision."

He lowered his hand, and the orbs vanished.

"Points determine your evaluation. Your standing, and your future." There was a heavy pause.

"One more thing." The air stilled again. "You are not forbidden from engaging other teams."A ripple passed through the crowd, bringing back the tension. "But understand this..."

His voice dropped slightly, taking on a cold tone.

"If you choose to fight, then fight knowing that there are no instructors to stop you." Everywhere turned silent as they heard it.

"You will bear the consequences of your actions."

That statement landed deep and real, causing more than a few to shiver. A slow exhale left Bahamut’s lips.

"Finally."

Sel glanced at him.

"You’re enjoying this."

"Of course."

A grin formed on his lips as his eyes glowed beneath the blindfold.

"This... is real."

Lily chuckled softly.

"Try not to get stolen mid-mission."

"Try not to get distracted mid-fight."

"Oh? You want to test that?"

Ren groaned.

"We haven’t even started, and I’m already tired."

Exildra said nothing, but her golden eye flickered once, though faintly, as if something unseen had already begun watching, and far above, though no one noticed, something... lingered.

Groups formed instantly, voices rose, and arguments sparked. Plans began taking shape in hurried whispers and heated exchanges.

"We need a tracker."

"No, someone fast. Speed is more important."

"What if we get ambushed?!"

"Then don’t get ambushed!"

Some disciples moved with purpose, already gathering their teams, assigning roles as if they had prepared for this moment long before it arrived. Others hesitated, lingering, their eyes darting around as they searched for allies, uncertainty clinging to them like a second skin. A few stood completely still alone, knowing... they might stay that way.

The veterans? They were different: They appeared calm and detached. They walked away without a rush, their expressions unreadable, as if the outcome had already been decided in their minds.

"The teams will be announced at dawn tomorrow."

Elder Hakar’s voice echoed one final time across the courtyard.

"You have one day."

"Prepare."

That was all it took, and the dam broke. Disciples scattered. Some rushed toward training arenas, unwilling to waste even a second. The sound of clashing fists and weapons began almost immediately, echoing through the sect once more. Others headed toward supply halls, exchanging contribution points for pills, weapons, talismans, anything that could tilt the odds in their favor.

A few made their way to quieter places. Meditation zones, secluded corners, trying to stabilize themselves... or push just a little further before the evaluation began.

"Only one day..." someone muttered, gripping their weapon tighter.

"It’s enough," another replied.

Elsewhere, Bahamut’s group walked away without haste. There was no need for frantic planning and no loud discussions, just... movement. Ren stretched lazily atop Bahamut’s head.

"So... what’s the plan?"

"Eat," Bahamut replied.

A loud silence engulfed the place as everyone stared at Bahamut like he’d grown twenty heads.

"You’re serious?"

Sel shrugged.

"Thinking on an empty stomach is inefficient."

Lily smirked.

"I like this team already."

Gabi said nothing, but he didn’t disagree. Alana glanced between them quietly. Exildra’s fingers brushed lightly against her eyepatch.

"Preparation doesn’t always mean rushing," she said softly.

Apollonia nodded once.

"Clarity is also preparation."

Rakia cracked her knuckles.

"I’ll prepare by breaking something."

"Please don’t break the sect before the evaluation," Ren groaned.

Above them, the sky remained calm and clear, but beneath that calm, every disciple in the sect understood one thing. This was not just an evaluation. It was a battlefield waiting to happen, and tomorrow, it would begin.

Night settled gently over the sect once more.

Not tense like before.

Not heavy with omens.

Just... quiet.

The kind of quiet that came before something important.

...

On the rooftop balcony of their residence, Bahamut lay flat on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting loosely by his side. The cool stone beneath him still held a faint trace of warmth from the day, but the night air had already begun to claim it. Above him, the sky stretched endlessly. Ren sat beside him: rather, one leg stretched out, the other bent, ears drooping lazily as he stared up at the same sky. For once... He wasn’t talking.

"You’re thinking too loud." Bahamut’s voice broke the silence. Ren didn’t look at him.

"You can hear thoughts now?"

"No."

"Then shut up."

Bahamut chuckled softly. A few seconds passed.

"What do you think chaos is?" Ren’s voice was quieter than usual. Bahamut didn’t answer immediately. He stared at the moon for a moment longer, as if weighing something unseen.

"Dangerous question."

"I’m serious."

"I know."

Silence stretched again. The wind shifted slightly, brushing past them, carrying the faint scent of night-blooming flowers.