"So that’s what we propose based on our party composition... this was the best plan we could come up with."

Lucian’s voice carried clearly across the classroom as the final slide settled into place behind him, the display illuminating his sky-blue hair in a soft glow that seemed almost deliberate in how it framed him at the center of attention. His party members stood neatly at his sides, their posture composed, each of them having contributed their part to the presentation in a manner that felt structured and complete.

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then the murmurs began.

"...ohh, it can be done like this as well...?"

"Yeah... after hearing it properly, it’s actually very efficient..."

"Hmm... the positioning makes sense... especially for support roles..."

The reactions spread quietly through the room, not loud, but genuine, the kind of response that came from students who were thinking rather than merely reacting.

At the front, Valerian suddenly brought his hands together—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

His applause was immediate, enthusiastic, almost childlike in its energy as his face lit up with unrestrained delight.

"Hahahahahaha! Good, good... great job!" he exclaimed, his laughter echoing lightly through the classroom as he nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased.

Lucian allowed himself a small, satisfied smile, his party members exchanging brief looks of quiet accomplishment before offering their thanks and stepping down from the front, returning to their seats with an air of earned confidence.

At the very back, Damon leaned slightly into his chair, letting out a soft yawn as he watched them pass.

Hmm... that plan was indeed feasible, he thought, his gaze briefly lingering before drifting away again, already losing interest now that the structure had been understood.

Soon enough, the next group was called.

Aelrion stepped forward.

Confident.

Almost overly so.

He carried himself with an unmistakable sense of self-assurance as he took the stage, his posture straight, chin lifted just enough to suggest that he fully expected the room to listen.

Behind him, however, his party members stood in a stark contrast, their presence noticeably awkward, their eyes shifting uncertainly as though unsure when—or if—they were supposed to contribute.

Aelrion began speaking.

"And then, at that point, I would take the frontline position, drawing their attention toward me while I break through their formation... from there, I can shift momentum as needed—adjusting based on their reaction... I can control the pace... I can force openings... I—"

The flow continued.

Centered entirely around himself. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Damon’s gaze slid sideways, landing on Vaelith.

"Is he that much self-obsessed with himself?" he asked casually.

Vaelith didn’t respond.

He simply remained as he was, head held high, expression unchanged, offering neither agreement nor denial.

Damon looked at him for a second longer then turned away.

That answers the question.

At the front, Aelrion reached the end of his presentation, finishing with a confident pause as he looked out across the room, clearly expecting a reaction.

.

.

.

None came.

A brief silence stretched.

Aelrion’s expression flickered ever so slightly before he turned his head just enough to glance back at his teammates.

They froze for a split second—

Then immediately began clapping.

"Y-yeah... great job!"

"That was... really impressive..."

The applause was forced.

But enough.

Aelrion’s expression brightened instantly, satisfaction settling across his face as he accepted it without question.

At the back, Eric leaned slightly toward Damon, his voice low, still carrying that exhausted edge.

"He is surely gonna get criticized for lack of team—"

Before he could finish—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Valerian’s applause cut through the room again, loud and excited as ever, his laughter following right behind it.

"Hahahaha! Good job... great, great!"

The energy shifted immediately.

Aelrion’s face blossomed with pride, his confidence reaffirmed as he stood there, soaking in the praise.

Meanwhile—

Eric’s expression twitched.

"Ahh...heheheh!"

A few more groups followed after Aelrion, each taking their turn at the front as they presented their strategies for clearing a level 2 breach based on their respective party compositions. Their approaches were neither particularly impressive nor outright flawed—structured, safe, and predictable, the kind of plans that showed understanding but lacked sharpness or originality. Each group spoke with varying degrees of confidence, some stumbling slightly, others maintaining composure, yet all ultimately delivering something that fell within expectation.

And every single time—

Valerian reacted exactly the same.

The moment a group finished, his hands would come together in loud, delighted applause, his laughter ringing out with the same childlike enthusiasm.

"Hahahahaha! Good, good! Excellent work!"

It didn’t matter whether the presentation had been average or barely held together—his praise remained unwavering, almost absurdly consistent.

The last group stepped down from the stage with polite smiles, yet there was something off about their expressions, a faint awkwardness lingering beneath their gratitude, as though even they weren’t entirely sure how to take the response they had just received.

At the back, Damon watched in silence, his eyes narrowing slightly as they drifted toward Valerian.

Did this maniac finally go mad...? he thought, a trace of dry skepticism settling in his mind.

Before the thought could linger further—

The next group was called.

Serena stepped forward.

Alongside her, Celdric and their remaining three party members moved into position, their presence noticeably more composed, more grounded than many of the groups before them. There was an unspoken structure to how they stood, a quiet understanding of roles even before a word had been spoken.

Serena took the lead.

Her voice flowed smoothly as she began outlining their approach, her explanation precise, her logic sharp as she broke down positioning, movement, and response patterns with clarity that immediately set her apart from the earlier presentations.

Yet—

Her eyes moved toward the back.

Toward Damon.

And Damon met her gaze directly.

No hesitation.

No avoidance.

His expression remained serious, unwavering as he held her eyes without the slightest shift.

For a brief moment, Serena faltered.

Her voice trailed off before she caught herself, her gaze shifting away as she continued speaking, regaining her flow—

Only to glance at him again and again.

Each time, Damon was already looking.

That same steady gaze meeting hers head-on.

Her words began to break rhythm.

Beside him, Khaira leaned back in her seat, her eyes flicking between Serena and Damon repeatedly, her expression slowly shifting into something far more curious.

She leaned closer.

"Hey..." she muttered under her breath, her tone low but laced with intrigue, "ya got some dirt on her or what...? Or—"

Her eyes widened slightly.

Then, a little louder than she probably intended—

"Did ya shag her as well?"

Damon turned his head toward her slowly.

The look he gave her was pure, unfiltered disgust.

Khaira only smirked in response, clearly entertained by her own assumption.

Damon didn’t bother replying.

He simply turned his gaze back toward serena

...This is fun, he thought quietly, the faintest trace of amusement settling beneath his otherwise composed expression.

At the front, Serena’s voice began to falter again.

This time more noticeably.

Her explanation lost its flow entirely as she paused, her thoughts seemingly slipping away from her as she stood there for a brief moment, unsure of how to continue.

Beside her, Celdric’s expression shifted.

Confusion.

Then realization as his gaze followed hers landing on Damon.

His brows furrowed.

Then, without hesitation—

"I will continue from here," he said, stepping forward smoothly as he took control of the presentation, his tone steady as he picked up where Serena had left off, guiding the structure back into place and carrying it through to completion with practiced composure.

As he spoke, murmurs began to spread quietly through the class.

"...what was that?"

"Huh... you didn’t understand as well?"

"I thought I was the only one..."

At the back, Eric leaned slightly forward, his expression already deadened with expectation.

"Huh... they are surely gonna get criticized..." he muttered, his tone flat, almost resigned, "just what mess was that?"

And then—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Valerian’s applause rang out once more.

Bright. Excited. Unchanging.

"Hahahaha! Good job! Great, great, great!"

The same enthusiasm.

The same praise.

The room fell into an odd silence.

Several students around the last row turned looking at Eric.

A dead expression on his face...

Then he snapped.

"What are you looking at?"

A brief pause followed after Serena’s group stepped down, the room still carrying the faint aftertaste of confusion and uneven delivery, before Valerian’s voice rose again, bright and expectant as ever, calling for the next group to present.

Khaira stood up immediately.

She didn’t hesitate.

Instead, she turned slightly toward Damon, her chin lifting with a sharp, confident tilt as her horns flickered faintly with heat.

"Just watch me!" she said, her voice carrying that rough, grounded beastman accent, as she cracked her knuckles one by one, the sound sharp and deliberate, "I’ll show ya how it’s really done."

Damon didn’t respond.

His gaze remained steady as Khaira and her party moved toward the front, taking their positions with far less structure than the groups before them, yet with a presence that felt heavier, more forceful.

Khaira stepped forward and began.

"First thing," she said, planting her foot firmly as she gestured outward, "ya don’t overthink it. These things ain’t invincible. Ya break ’em."

A few students shifted in their seats.

She continued without pause, her confidence unwavering.

"Frontline goes straight in, no holdin’ back. We hit ’em hard an’ fast, don’t give ’em time to adapt or surround. The more ya drag it out, the worse it gets, so ya crush ’em before they even settle."

Her hand moved sharply as she spoke, illustrating the movement almost like she was already in the fight.

"Two in front—me an’ whoever’s got the guts—draw aggro, keep ’em focused. The rest don’t stand back like cowards, ya move in right after, keep the pressure goin’. No gaps, no pauses."

She took a step forward as if closing distance with an invisible enemy.

"If one of ’em goes down, ya don’t fall back, ya push harder. Break their formation, don’t let ’em regroup. Hit joints, hit cores, whatever gives first—ya don’t stop till it does."

There was no mention of positioning finesse.

No layered tactics.

No contingency planning.

Only momentum and force.

Relentless forward pressure.

"And if things get messy," she added, a slight grin pulling at her lips, "then it means ya weren’t hittin’ hard enough to begin with."

She folded her arms.

Finished.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

The murmurs began.

"...hahah... what was that?"

"Was that even a strategy...?"

"Looks like we finally got our first group that’s gonna get scolded by the instructor..."

"Seriously... just ’hit harder’? That’s it?"

Laughter spread in small pockets across the room, some trying to hold it back, others not bothering at all.

At the back, a few students instinctively turned their heads toward Eric, their expressions already anticipating a comment, waiting for that dry, cutting remark that had come so reliably before.

But this time—

Eric said nothing.

He simply stared ahead, his face completely blank.

The students blinked.

"...this time, someone’s finally getting scolded..."

"...yeah, for sure..."

At the front, Khaira remained exactly where she was, arms crossed, standing tall with a pride that didn’t waver even under the murmurs, as if none of it mattered.

And then—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Valerian’s applause rang out once more.

Completely unchanged.

"Hahahahaha! Good job! Great, great!"

The laughter in the room died almost instantly.

A few students froze mid-expression, their expectations collapsing in real time.

Khaira’s grin widened, satisfaction flashing across her face as she accepted the praise without the slightest doubt.

At the back—

Eric suddenly burst out laughing.

"HAHHAHAHAHA!"

He turned his head slightly, looking directly at those who had been whispering just moments ago, his eyes carrying a sharp, mocking amusement.

"Serves you right..."

Their expressions tightened.

No one responded.

Damon, meanwhile, pushed himself up from his seat, rolling his shoulders slightly as he cracked his back, then tilting his neck from side to side with a slow, deliberate motion, loosening the stiffness as his expression settled into calm focus.

"Let’s go," he said simply, his tone even as he glanced toward his group, "now it’s just our party."