Lin Yi answered, “Ms. Hasegawa, I chose this sword because it’s light, sharp, and has high attack.”

Ying answered, “Ms. Hasegawa, the reason for me is the sword light, no noise, and his high attack.”

Asagi Hasegawa looked at Ye, seeking help. Ye then moved forward, inspected the sword, and both students.

Ye asked, “Both of you are high mobility and high attack. May I know how many times you will strike in a chance?”

Lin Yi answered, “Sir, as many as I can.”

Ying answered, “Once. As deep as I can.”

After receiving the answer, Ye continued, “Lin Yi, you chose a weapon that is light and sharp, which is not wrong. But this sword’s durability is low. Not suitable for you who will strike multiple times.”

“Ying, based on your answer. Your choice of weapon can produce a deep cut. This sword has a short length and is not good for thrusting.”

“Lin Yi, I would suggest you look for a weapon that is light and highly durable. If your budget is enough, you can look for a weapon with a critical trait.”

“Ying, I would suggest you look for a weapon that is light and can be used for thrusting. If you have the budget, you can look for a weapon with a deep wound trait.”

Both students bowed down and thanked Ye. Then, quickly return to select a weapon based on Ye’s suggestion.

Finally, Ye found what he needed. The materials to craft instant skill, the predecessor of gadgets. People were not fond of these materials because of the popularity of gadgets. However, gadgets could malfunction, or the rules could ban their use. Ye had experienced this before. Hence, Ye wanted to craft some as spares. 

At the end of the shopping, everyone purchased what they needed. Asagi Hasegawa invited everyone to dinner, as she wanted to treat them. The atmosphere was better compared to before shopping. The students chose a fried chicken restaurant. At the same time, they sought permission to have alcoholic beverages. When everyone was on the brink of being drunk, Ye cast a buff on them. 

After the dinner, Ye and Asagi Hasegawa sent everyone back to their home. The atmosphere between Asagi Hasegawa and Kyosuke Sato was peaceful. It seemed the two youngsters were the ones who couldn’t let go of the relationship.

***

After a night of rest with the help of alcoholic drinks, everyone woke up at noon. Every student hurried to take a lunch and headed to the assembly point. What made them reliefs was that they were not the only ones who hurried.

Asagi Hasegawa, “Gather up and collect the supplies provided by the academy. Don’t rush, everyone will have the supplies.”

Sakura Hasegawa and Murasaki Kubo were distributing the supplies to the students. As for Ye, he was sitting in the corner and observing. Ye did notice some of the students gained an obvious result from the buff. Long Kai, Lin Yi, and Ying were the students who had the best results.

After collecting the supplies, everyone changed into their own battle suit. On the other hand, Ye wore the military suit provided by Jin Sheng, Yuan Zhu. Ye’s outfit would showcase that he was representing Yuan Zhu. The suit Ye wore had no insignia indicating the rank. The suit was black and had pockets for gear on the arms, chest, thighs, and calves. The suit was made in a thread produced by a certain mutated monster. The thread showed some resistance to sharpness, blunt force, heat, and cold.

Then, they were guided to the flyship they used for this task. The ship was black and had a crest to indicate the team. It had two energy canons on the sides and a warp engine configuration. The warp engine was used for emergency escape. The usual engine was the Yuan He engine created by Qian Hui. The Yuan He still retained the ability or trait of the deceased Huang or the mutated monster. As for this ship, the Yuan He had the ability to float. Additionally, the flyship also had radar and stealth technology. 

All of them were seated in the flyship. Asagi Hasegawa briefed the students on what they should be cautious of. Including various academies and races that may contact. The identification of high social status and royalty. Aside from that, she also explained Huang and the mutated monster in the maze. The difference between the outskirts and the wasteland. Lastly, the maze’s location.

The Negative and Corroded Yuan Li created the Huang and the mutated monster. However, the mutated monster was transformed from a normal being. Huang, on the other hand, was created purely from Yuan Li. Similar to those intangible races, but with different Yuan Li. This was why Huang never viewed the mutated monster as an equal. And, treat the mutated monster as a combat pet.

However, for the living, they were the same. Hence, most people would still call Huang for both Huang and the mutated monster. The living were those created by Positive Yuan Li, and the undead were those created by Negative Yuan Li.

The outskirts were the undeveloped areas on the planet. But, they could still be developed and inhabited. Nonetheless, the outskirts may be occupied by mutated monsters. WuJi would give suppress or expel missions to develop the outskirts. On the other hand, the wasteland was where only Huang and the mutated monsters could inhabit.

The maze was located in the Eastern continent. It was far west of WuJi and near the sea. The flyship served as air support and emergency escape. Since Ye had said it was a trap, Jin Sheng wanted to have a countermeasure. Jin Sheng knew that at least one kingdom had helped them to make it happen.

After the briefing, everyone was adjusting their condition for the upcoming battle. Everyone could only hear the engine’s sound. Asagi Hasegawa returned to her seat beside Ye and Sakura Hasegawa.

Asagi Hasegawa looked at Ye and whispered, “What buff did you cast yesterday?”

Ye answered in a whisper, “A buff to let someone familiar with their body.”

Asagi Hasegawa nodded and asked in a whisper, “No wonder. Can I know who has the best result among the students?”

Ye answered in a whisper, “Sure. Long Kai, Lin Yi, and Ying are the best results. Their results are better than the teachers'.”

Asagi Hasegawa knew the three were talented. They always had a close in scores with Rinko Yamamoto and Yukikaze Mizuno. However, for them to be on top was something she had never expected.

Asagi Hasegawa asked in a whisper, “What about Rinko, Yukikaze, and Asuka?”

Ye whispered, “They were great and had shown their talent. I think you have noticed it too. But what really exceeded my expectations were Kotaro Fuuma and Kousuke Sato.”

Asagi Hasegawa asked in a whisper, “What do you mean? Are the results bad?”

Ye shocked and whispered, “No. Their results were the same as yours.”

Asagi Hasegawa was stunned after listening to Ye’s answer. Based on Ye’s answer, the top ranks were Long Kai, Lin Yi, and Ying. Followed by her sister and herself. Then, Rinko Yamamoto, Yukikaze Mizuno, and Asuka Hasegawa. Last will be Hebiko Nohara and Shikanusuke Raiden. This ranking order had never happened in the academy.

Sakura Hasegawa, who had observed Ye and her sister whispering. She giggled and pondered something. On the other hand, Kousuke Sato and Asuka Hasegawa were gloomy when they saw it.

***

Upon arriving at the sky near the maze, the flyship was hindered and unable to approach. 

The captain of the flyship, Yoruichi Mochizuki (望月 夜一), “Ms. Asagi. We are unable to head to the maze with the flyship. There is turbulence around the maze.”

Asagi Hasegawa nodded and requested, “Could you land at the place where you could reach as far as possible?”

Yoruichi Mochizuki replied, “Sure.”

Thus, the flyship landed as far as it could. The remaining distance would need to be covered on foot.

Asagi Hasegawa suggested heading to the maze as a group. For now, they should stay together. While in the maze, they would be separated into groups. No one objected, and Asagi Hasegawa’s suggestion was followed. Asagi Hasegawa suggested that two instructors led the way. And one instructor and Ye brought up the rear. This formation could protect the students and march forward at the same time. 

However, Ye objected to this suggestion, stating that the students were overprotected. Ye said that a strong soldier was trained by escaping from death. They could not become strong by staying under the protection of a senior. Most of the students agree with what Ye had said, which led to a new formation. Where a party of students would be leading the way, and the instructors would be bringing up the rear.