Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)

Chapter 214: Interim Group Leader

The cries for help were quickly drowned by the sounds of the crashing waves. The deck was full of people, including crew members frantically trying to stabilize the ship. In that chaotic scene, no one cared about who fell into the sea.

In just that short time, the warship had already moved quite a distance. Xiao Lin turned back to look at the sea, but should not find any trace of a person. He opened his mouth, but finally sighed in resignation.

The person who fell in could only count himself unlucky. They had already been eliminated from the monthly examination. There was no way the warship would stop to save someone, and in these violent waves, the ones alive on the ship might even be dragged down with that person if they tried.

From the moment they opened their eyes, they had basically crossed eras and entered the realm of this simulated war. Even if it was cruel, Xiao Lin could only pray that that unlucky person still had enough left in his lifespan.

The waves only started to die down in the evening. The dark sky started to clear, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief after suffering for a half a day. They could not help but collapse on the deck, which was filled with the smell of seawater and was extremely wet. Everyone was lying down on the deck in complete exhaustion, not even having the strength to speak.

Xiao Lin was exhausted as well, but as the acting class monitor, as well as the commanding officer for the examination, he had a lot to do. The constant swaying earlier had made him very dizzy, but the sea was relatively calm at the moment, so he cleared his throat and shouted, “Class Seven, let’s report first. Get our numbers sorted out!”

Xiao Lin looked around, and even though he could not remember the names of most of them, he could still recognize practically every face. It was clear that the ship was filled with his classmates, so he had to determine how many of them had fallen into the choppy waters.

After a brief silence, everyone exchanged looks with some apprehension. Some of them, such as Wang Dalin, even shut their eyes, pretending not to hear Xiao Lin. Even though this was a team-oriented examination, and Xiao Lin had obtained command from the academy, the fact that some people wanted to make things hard by causing trouble did not change.

There was only one class monitor. If the academy decided that Xiao Lin was unworthy of being one after the final evaluation, then one of them could very well be chosen.

“One!” someone shouted from nearby. Xiao Lin looked over, and he smiled.

The first one to report was Zhou Feng. The bald and muscle-bound man was currently drenched, revealing his scar-ridden body and the tattoo on his back, causing him to look very menacing.

Xiao Lin was quite familiar with the man. During the first examination, he had saved the man from a desert iguana, which caused Zhou Feng to be quite loyal to him, probably as thanks to his savior.

“Two.” A clear voice followed closely; it was Gu Xiaoyue’s.

“Three.”

“Four.”

Following Zhou Feng and Gu Xiaoyue, the other classmates slowly started to report in. That was especially true when Xiao Lin looked at Zhou Feng and Gu Xiaoyue happily, saying, “I looked at the information earlier, and as the commanding officer, I have the authority to appoint lower-ranking officers. So, let’s do it this way: the class monitors have the right to choose group leaders later on. I’ll just do it here. Zhou Feng and Gu Xiaoyue, until you die in this monthly examination, the two of you are interim group leaders!”

“Interim group leaders?” someone exclaimed.

Xiao Lin heard that and added, “If nothing goes wrong, after this examination, the ‘interim’ will be taken away!”

It was as if a fire had been lit in everyone’s eyes. The academy operated on a strict hierarchy; it was something everyone felt in the three months they had been there. A few of them immediately had some thoughts of their own. They knew they could definitely not become a class monitor, year leader, or any official position of that sort.

However, group leaders were different. As the lowest possible official, the class monitors could appoint them as they wished. How would the class monitors appoint their group leaders? Was it by skill or by obedience?

The answer was obvious, so everyone started to get a bit more spirited. Only a few remaining students lied on the floor pretending to be dead. However, the deck was not that big, so those who did not report were quickly found, attracting countless looks.

Wang Dalin was green in the face. He did not expect that Xiao Lin would use his group leader position to so easily persuade everyone. If that plan went so smoothly, Xiao Lin’s leadership abilities would definitely shine in that examination, unlike the first one where a lot of them refused to listen.

Even if they were not willing, the last few students finally relented. They did not want to isolate themselves from the rest of the class right as the examination started, especially since it was a group examination.

There were a total of 57 people, which meant three of them had fallen into the sea. Their identities were also quickly verified. Two women and a man. Only a few of their closer friends were sad, but after verifying that they still had plenty of lifespan left, Xiao Lin let out a breath of relief.

“Where is the instructor?” someone asked.

Xiao Lin had forgotten about that, but he could not see Qin Chuan at all. Just as he was about to search, Qin Chuan walked over from within the ship with a middle-aged man with a large beard. The two of them chatted as they walked, and when they reached Xiao Lin, he introduced, “This is the captain of the ship.

Xiao Lin gaped when he saw how well the two of them seemed to get along. He cursed inwardly. It was obvious that Qin Chuan had gained the captain’s favor. Qin Chuan was the vice-captain in this task. The academy probably wanted the experienced instructors to help their class monitors with the arrangement, but would the instructors really be willing to submit to their junior?

Looking closer at the ship captain, his skin was extremely dark, probably thanks to being at sea so much. Xiao Lin’s gaze quickly stopped at his shoulder, where two stripes and a star were clearly seen. He knew that the academies used modern army ranks, so that man was probably a major.