Why Did You Summon Me?

Mount Parazonium was harsh. As a natural wonder it was severe on its appearance, displaying no sylvan pleasantries nor soothing creeks; As a land, it was austere on what it could give, as there was a total absence of lodes for the mining of precious ores.

However, standing as a testament to the might and untamed side of nature, it radiated a charm that was both dangerous and provocatively welcoming, with its crests and valleys goading the valor, abandon, and the hidden thirst for conquest from men who found themselves deposited in the middle of it.

That was precisely the reason why it was the perfect location for a year-end battle exam for fledgling fighters.

The effects Mount Parazonium exerted had not dulled even to seniors who had been here three times before. Their chests were puffed as they swelled with a renewed passion to conquer the challenges ahead. Of course, if veterans like them were this charmed by the landscape, one could only imagine how much ardor was boiling within the freshmen.

Students from all four academic years would be staying here for ten days, tasked with a few individually-assigned missions, with their difficulties varying according to the student’s current seniority. When they completed their mission at the end of the period, they would then be evaluated by their performance. It was known as The Trial of Parazonium.

Their specific missions may differ, but one task remained the same: they must survive.

The only tools they were allowed to bring were their preferred weapons as well as utility items such as tents and blankets; Essential needs, however, were strictly prohibited— which meant no water, no ration, no medicines, etc. This was because these students were expected to gather these resources from nature through their mettle and resourcefulness. Hence, surviving the wild was effectively the first, and the most rudimentary, mission.

Those who had failed to survive would automatically be removed from the test along with any hope to gather more merits for the year. Still, survival alone was proven to be a challenge of its own, because the students were not only expected to compete with their fellow classmates, they would also often find themselves prying resources from the jaws of the beasts and other beings native to Mount Parazonium. Forced to strive under the harsh environment, these creatures developed brutal tenacity and savagery; Trying to get the necessary resources from them was no different from trying to grab a piece of meat from the mouth of a hungry tiger.

Commendably, despite the atrocious conditions, there had not been a single casualty throughout these ten years— mild to slightly graver wounds notwithstanding. On one hand, it was all thanks to the faculty’s watertight emergency procedures, yet some credits had to go to the students themselves for being accustomed to such tests enough to come up with various survival strategies.

Once the admiration for Mount Parazonium passed, the students turned to the task at hand. Gradually but surely, the plateau was starting to be filled with shouts like these:

“We’re a team of second-graders with actual skills! We need an experienced tank over here— first-grade noobs get out of the line!”

“Self-sufficient first-graders… assemble! We welcome you so long you have something to bring to the table! Wanna show some girl power? Wanna prove that might makes right? Come aboard!”

“This is a team of three fourth-graders who just wanna get this over with. All we need is a cute girl who knows how to make moralizing food! Don’t worry, you’ll just make us some sandwiches while a group of high-scoring veterans hardcarry you throughout the Trial… Oy, I said ‘cute girls only’! Don’t play deaf!”

“Calling all with desirable skills! We don’t care about your seniority, we just need your skills! Right now, we’re looking for someone who’s an apothecary adept, good in alchemy, and an archer. Sorry, we have more than enough close combatants already…”

Only the most prodigious may stand a slim chance to survive Mount Parazonium on their own, so the number one survival strategy for any sensible student was always to team up. While most would look for kindred spirits or others with complementary skills, a few of them would target only the A-listers. Apparently, if one managed to leech onto a sufficiently good teammate, they could kick back and relax knowing that they had essentially passed the test.

Take the Kitty Cat Maid, Attie, as an example. Far from being the token moe character whose main contribution was squealing her teammates’ names to boost their resolve and motivation, she was the ace herself. A powerful, strong, and (incredibly) thicc fighter whose War God’s Sword was just the cherry on top!

She had been hardcarrying anyone who was lucky enough to be a part of her team on all four of her Trials. One might wonder if this was one of the factors why Attie was a mainstay in the top spots of popularity polls every year— it was not just because she was beautiful and had a bodacious body, but also because of her lingering reputation as the “Grade Savior” even after her graduation.

At first, Baiyi was staunchly against this team-up system because it provided a massive loophole for one to abuse. The Hitman, however, managed to convince him that it took an assortment of skills to work together effectively, ranging from covering their teammates’ to complementing the others’ skillset with one’s own. Besides, as most of the students who joined Da Xue were crowned as geniuses and prodigies by their respective communities, the pride and ego bred by that sort of lavish reverence would stop them from incessantly relying on others.

As for those who managed to join Da Xue only because their parents contributed enough money to the academy… well, this loophole was probably the only mean they had to pass the Trial. It might even be the perfect chance for these privileged brats to experience what it was like to be at the mercy of other people’s kindness (and lack thereof) too, since their privileged life most likely sheltered them from the darker underbelly of society.

In the end, the team-up system remained as a staple of the Trial of Parazonium, which was why the same scene of students looking to form teams in a frenzy repeated every year. As time passed, the remainders became more and more frantic as they hurriedly persuade other teams to let them join in. The ones with finalized teams, meanwhile, sat and watched them with apathy.

The exchanged students from the Northern Continent made no attempt to hide their contempt as they sat far away from the Southerners. Although they were technically second-graders, this was their first Trial— during their first year in the academy, the faculty had decided that they were still too unfamiliar with their new environment to join in.

Now, finally permitted to join the renowned Trial of Parazonium, these Northerners were practically beaming with excitement, pride, and confidence. They were likely just happy to flex their skills since wilderness survival was a popular form of training back in the Northern Continent.

With ten of them divided into teams of two, the Northerners sat in a circle around their bald leader.

“Look at they Southern scunners! Scampering fur thair teammates at th’ last-minute lik’ that. Hou pathetic,” One of them sneered in amusement.

Looking up from a book titled “The Complete Guide to Surviving in Mount Parazonium”, the bald leader scowled. “‘Twould nae matter. According tae this book, everybody is merely banding th’gither tae survive. In truth, thair heids are set on different missions.”

These Northern students rarely interacted with their Southern peers, so they had heard very little specifics about the battle exam in Mount Parazonium. Hence, when they managed to find a guidebook on the Trial in the students’ market a day before the exam, they were beyond ecstatic.

It was not forbidden for students to conduct business within Da Xue. A few of them regularly partook in trading and selling all kinds of merchandise around their dorms, sometimes even setting up stalls. Most of their business revolved around equipment and popular pastimes, the bestsellers being the Archmage’s (in)famous gatcha trading cards. However, when the exam season hit, these leisure items were quickly replaced by exam aids— past year exam questions, revision materials, equipment and paraphernalia that could be useful for practical tests, and more. Most of these were made or prepared by the students themselves, especially those from the Engineering, Smithy, and the Alchemy Faculties.

The bald leader had purchased his manual on the market yesterday, costing him twenty gold coins in the process. After reading through the manual thoroughly, he finally understood what and how the Trial was going to be. Realizing that the Northerners were severely underequipped, he ordered all of his friends to quickly sweep up every camping and survival equipment they could salvage. Fast forward today and it seemed like they were the most prepared today.

Just thinking about how fortunate they were made the bald leader beamed proudly. By the gods, he had stumbled upon a true treasure!

Little did the bald leader knew that the seller — a student from the Business Faculty, no less — considered him a true treasure, too. That manual would have been sold no more than a few silver coins if he even managed to con anyone to buy it at all, but this Northern sucker just readily handed over twenty gold coins without questions. Now, successfully selling a massively overpriced item was definitely the achievement to grant that him a tide of merits in his practical assessment!

Even more incredibly, that student was far from the only one benefitting from these Northerner’s “generosity”. As the Northerners had failed to prepare everything before their leader read his enlightening manual, they were practically sweeping everything off the rack, prices be damned. Unsurprisingly, the Engineering and Smithy students’ eyes were sparkling as these unexpected Northern cash-cows lined their pockets.

“The condition tae pass is simple: we must fulfill every individual mission asked o’ us. Natheless, thare wull be side quests to accrue more points,” The bald leader said rousingly as he waved his favorite book. “Hark, lads, that is oor goal. We shall complete every single mission ‘n’ side quest there is, tae prove tae these Southern scunners th’ honor ‘n valor of us Northern men!”

“Aye, Chief is right. We’re fully prepared fae oor minds tae th’ body. Victory is awready within oor grasp!” Another Northerner chimed in. “Oan that note, might ah share a delightful ware ah hae gotten yesterday? ‘Tis a mighty metallic wok that warms food!”

Giddily, he fished out an object resembling a rice cooker from Earth out of his storage pouch.

“Huh! Is this one forged by they engineers?” The bald leader’s eyes twinkled as he turned his head sharply to it, his voice laced with interest.

“Aye. Wi’ this, we shall ne’er be short oan steaming hot grubs,” The Northerner grinned, obviously pleased. “It cuid even git us warm water if we ever need it… Truly a fine luxury tae possess in th’ wilderness.”

“Mm. ‘Tis surprising that this…’engineering arts’ o’ th’ South is capable o’ such ingenuity,” The bald leader praised earnestly.

“Fie, if only it teuk less… toll. Th’ seller charged me thirty gold coins, Chief— my entire year o’ allowance,” The student admitted in a softer voice, wincing a bit as if the money had sore him.

“Ha! Ur a dunce fur paying that much over that wee thing. Wi’ only fifteen gold coins, ah hae bought a special tent that cuid lower or raise its interior temperature. We shall ne’er be at th’ mercy o’ biting cold!” Another student interjected proudly. “Thay say that these Southerners are cunning schemies, but nae all are good in business as rumored efter all!”

“Hmph. This is a test of brawn, mettle, ‘n’ spirit! Yet, these Southerners cannae stand tae leave themselves unpampered fur ten days.” Suddenly, a new voice — unimpressed and outstandingly righteous-sounding — snorted. “We best not follow thair examples ‘n’ weaken ourselves.”

Apparently, this righteous-sounding one had only bought a military shovel forged by the Smithy Faculty at the price of one gold coin.

The Northerners were still happily lambasting the Southerners for their apparent indulgence when the Hitman, sensing it was almost time, bellowed above the hubbub, “Silence! It is time to receive your mission.”

The students immediately quieted themselves upon hearing him, their feet shuffling quietly as they gathered around him.

“Good, now take a random draw. May the odds be with you,” He continued.

The faculty’s instructors gathered around him, carrying a few wooden boxes and waiting for the students to come forward. Per their grades, each of them would receive their missions with corresponding difficulties by drawing a pouch from the assigned boxes. Then, their missions would be inscribed on the metallic sheets stored in the pouch.

Soon, every student had received a pouch and was eager to find out about their mission. Before they could even pull out any metallic sheet, however, the Hitman suddenly declared loudly, “The exam begins right now !”

Just as sudden as his announcement was the Principal Soul Armature Practitioner’s presence. He stepped out from behind the Hitman, his hand holding a cage containing none other than Women’s Best Defender and Men’s Best Friend— the Jawflower.