Earth's Greatest Magus

All three teams successfully completed their missions, returning to their respective cities with a renewed sense of purpose and readiness for the next challenge.

Each team was eager to prove themselves again, and as soon as one group was prepared, Emery would carefully guide them toward the next best available mission.

Despite the addition of dozens of new missions, the sheer number of teams from the 120 participating halls meant that the more popular missions were quickly becoming scarce. This scarcity led to an inevitable overlap, where multiple teams from different halls found themselves competing for the same mission. The difficulty of the tasks increased exponentially as teams clashed, not only against the mission objectives but also against rival halls, each determined to secure the most points.

Klea and Ahaka, keeping a close eye on the broader situation, brought back news about the unfolding competition within the other halls. They had also managed to secure the latest rankings and points, giving Hall 60 a clear picture of where they stood.

[Mid Hall ranking]

[First place: Hall 42 – 4450 points]

[Second place: Hall 46 – 4200 points]

[Third place: Rank 41 – 4050 points]

….

[Tenth place: Hall 52 – 3500 points]

…

[18th place: Hall 60 – 2600 points]

Despite the commendable efforts of Emery and his Hall 60s acolytes teams, breaking into the top 10 rankings proved to be a formidable challenge.

The mid-hall acolytes they were competing against were not just any students; these were seasoned elites, many of whom were seniors with years of experience under their belts. These acolytes were not only skilled but also well-resourced and highly strategic in their approach to the missions. One of the most glaring disadvantages Hall 60 faced was their numbers.

While Hall 60 could field three teams at most, the other mid-halls could deploy anywhere from four to six teams simultaneously. This numerical superiority allowed their competitors to tackle more missions at once and accumulate points faster. The situation grew even more disheartening when Emery received some troubling news from Urix. Initially, the group exam had a strict limit of 20 acolytes per hall. This cap was meant to level the playing field, ensuring that smaller halls like Hall 60 wouldn’t be completely outmatched by sheer numbers. However, Urix was shocked to learn that the headmaster had changed this rule at the last minute, removing the cap and allowing halls to send as many acolytes as they could muster.

Emery couldn’t shake the feeling of unfair treatment. The rule change tilted the balance even further in favor of the larger, more established halls, making their already difficult task nearly impossible. It was as if the very structure of the exam was rigged against them.

Yet, the headmaster had his justification ready. He argued that the more acolytes participated in these missions, the greater the impact they would have on society. At the same time, Emery received troubling news from Shinta regarding Lucius and Hall 9, which was composed predominantly of half-blood acolytes. The hall had encountered a significant setback: several critical missions that could have earned them substantial points were excluded by multiple taskmasters from their list of available tasks. The exclusion was a blatant act of discrimination, an all-too-common occurrence in a universe where prejudice against half-bloods was deeply entrenched.

This act of exclusion wasn’t just a hindrance; it was a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle half-bloods faced across many worlds and factions. Understanding the gravity of this dilemma, Emery took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. Emery knew he couldn’t let this setback demoralize them. They had already proven their strength by getting this far, and now they needed to push even harder. They needed a new strategy to level the playing field.

Hence, as soon as the acolytes completed their next mission, Emery restructured the teams to optimize their effectiveness.

Damo and Kat would remain as team leaders, with Titus and Armenius serving as their tacticians. The third team would be led by Hardy, bolstered by the firepower of Blaine, Bellana, and Ullong. The remaining first- and third-year acolytes were evenly distributed among the three teams, creating small but focused squads of six acolytes each. These teams would continue seeking B-ranking missions from different cities, ensuring they complete as many missions as possible.

For the last three—Dillion, KingRig, and Ha Ron—Emery created a fourth team with a new approach. They gathered at the Khaos hub, ready for Emery’s command, when an unexpected guest arrived—Morgana.

The plan was straightforward but ingenious. He instructed the three acolytes to follow Morgana, and as they stepped through the Khaos gate, they emerged on one of the most distant planets in the Alpha quadrant, ready to take on one of the farthest missions available.

Emery’s strategy leveraged their unique advantage—the Khaos gate. While other factions relied on fast spaceships or powerful connections to secure missions, Emery had the Khaos waypoint as his secret weapon.

By sending Morgana to a remote mission location in advance and using the Khaos gate to transport these Khaos seeds, they bypassed the lengthy travel times that other halls had to endure. This not only saved them precious time but also ensured that they would encounter little to no competition from other halls at these far-flung locations.

As soon as the three acolytes completed their mission, Emery would be ready at a new location, prepared to teleport them instantly to the next mission site. This gave them an unparalleled ability to cover vast distances quickly, maximizing their efficiency and staying ahead of their competitors.

With Emery’s strategy in full swing, Hall 60’s points began to climb the rank at an astonishing rate. The sudden surge in their ranking drew attention from the Academy, prompting officials to send staff to investigate for any signs of foul play. However, they found nothing amiss. Each mission was completed solely by the three acolytes, their identities were verified, and no outside assistance was involved.

The following days were grueling for all the acolytes. Many were injured but continued pushing themselves to secure more points. The intense competition took its toll, with an incident occurring where an entire team was wiped out during a mission, marking a tragic moment in the Academy’s history.

After three exhausting weeks, the group exams finally concluded. Hall 60, against all odds, managed to secure a place in the top 10 of the hall rankings.

[8th place: Hall 60 – 8100 points]

Meanwhile, Lucius Hall found themselves once again at the bottom, ranked among the lowest five. This unfortunate position forced them to face challenges from the top five halls of the higher realm, setting the stage for even more intense battles ahead.