I Entered Magic Academy With F-Rank Stats

Chapter 7 - Forming The Group

“Panic.”

Evelyn’s answer made Ryan stop playing with the dagger in his hand.

She was still standing near the window, watching the courtyard full of Blight Goblins as though she were observing an experiment rather than dozens of people struggling to stay alive.

“Blackthorn didn’t make this exam physically overwhelming,” Evelyn continued. “The Blight Goblins are slow, their attacks are easy to read, and most of the candidates have higher attributes than you. The real problem is that none of us are used to seeing creatures like that charging at us.”

Ryan decided to ignore the last part, which once again reminded him of his miserable attributes.

He walked over to the window and saw several candidates trying to fire arrows from a distance.

Out of six shots, only one hit a goblin.

The rest struck the ground or flew off somewhere useless.

One of the wand users wasn’t doing much better.

His Arcane Bolt curved too far to the side and nearly struck another candidate.

Ryan finally understood.

“So ranged weapons look safer, but they’re actually harder to use.”

Evelyn nodded.

“That’s probably why Blackthorn handed out so few of them. It isn’t giving us an advantage. It’s preventing too many candidates from ending up with weapons they can’t use properly.”

In a game, all someone had to do was point a cursor and press a button.

Reality was different.

A bow required actual aiming technique, and Arcane Bolt didn’t even travel in a perfectly straight line.

Ryan had already experienced firsthand how difficult it was to control a spell’s trajectory, even when firing harmlessly into the sky.

Out in the courtyard, another group fell apart after an archer accidentally shot one of his own companions in the shoulder.

The Blight Goblins immediately swarmed them.

Screams rang out for a few seconds before their bodies dissolved into light.

“How many have made it to the Sanctuary Zone?” Ryan asked.

“Eleven. Maybe twelve. It’s hard to see everything from here.”

Evelyn looked toward the glowing gate on the far side of the courtyard.

“Most of them were injured, and almost none managed to kill five goblins. They just ran straight for the gate.”

That number was far lower than Ryan had expected.

More than half the candidates had already left the building since the exam began, yet only about a dozen had completed the mandatory mission.

Ryan slid the dagger back into its sheath.

“Then it’s time to find the people who still have enough courage to go outside.”

They returned to the building’s main hall.

After counting everyone who remained, Ryan found twenty-six candidates still inside.

Some stood near the entrance, watching the courtyard.

Others had already sat down on the floor with defeated expressions.

Ryan was about to say something when a tall, muscular man walked toward Evelyn.

He carried a longsword in one hand, while his sleeveless shirt looked almost deliberately chosen to show off the arms he had built through years of training.

“Evelyn Ashcroft. There you are. I was looking for you earlier.”

The man held out his hand with a confident smile.

Evelyn stared at it.

“Who are you?”

His smile stiffened slightly.

“Marcus Hale. Total attributes, thirty-two. My Strength, Vitality, and Agility are all above ten.”

Ryan nearly laughed.

The man had introduced his attributes before saying anything else about himself.

Marcus apparently recognized Ryan as well.

His eyes moved over him from head to toe.

“You’re Ryan Volde, right? The guy with nine total attribute points?”

“Unfortunately, I’m already famous.”

“Hard to forget someone who loses to a chicken.”

Several candidates laughed.

Ryan only shrugged.

“The chicken hasn’t taken the exam yet. So technically, we still don’t know which one of us will score better.”

This time, the laughter turned toward Marcus.

Before he could respond, Evelyn adjusted her glasses and looked at the others.

“We’re forming a group. Moving alone only increases the chance of getting surrounded.”