Otherworld Advance Team-Chapter 27 - 24 Graduation Exam_1

27: Chapter 24: Graduation Exam_1

27 -24: Graduation Exam_1

Suddenly, Baiyue’s eyes shot open.

Seeing Luo’er’s gaze, her own betrayed a twinge of panic.

“Did you see it?” Baiyue straightened up, clutching her hat tightly with both hands, she asked in a hushed voice, lowering her head.

“Uh, no, I didn’t…” Luo’er was clearly not a good liar.

After another long silence, Baiyue spoke again: “Is it ugly?”

“No, not at all!” Luo’er answered reflexively, noticing her slight inferiority complex, he emphasized, “I’m being honest!”

Baiyue lowered her head and murmured, “I don’t have the courage like you to expose my unique characteristic to others, so I can only live in the shadows.”

It was one of the few times that Baiyue had opened up to him.

Thus, Luo’er seriously replied, “We would never mock you because of your uniqueness, of course, we also respect your current choice.

If one day you choose to open up to us, we would be more than welcoming.”

“What about you?

Do you think I’m weird?” Baiyue hid under the brim of her hat and asked in a tone devoid of any emotion, her heart was actually beating out of her chest.

“No, not at all.

In fact, sometimes I think a serious you is…uh…quite adorable…” Luo’er scratched his head, turned his face away, and said shyly, visibly uncomfortable about saying such cheesy lines.

“Adorable…” Baiyue’s head lowered even further, disguising her mildly flushed cheeks.

She stole a glance at Tangmo who was snoring away on Luo’er’s bed.

Although there were still many questions she wanted to ask Luo’er, at the moment, she felt pretty content.

“I have a class to attend, wake them up!” Adjusting her hat, Baiyue lifted her head, resuming her normal cold expression.

“Sure!” Luo’er nodded.

As days passed, the first batch of hybrid students from the academy finally faced their graduation examination.

This would determine whether they could leave the academy to enter a higher education institution.

Considering that even up till now, the Origin Project was still top-secret military information, it was likely that they could only go to a military academy.

The examination consisted of Earth and Otherworld subjects.

Earth subjects were College Entrance Exam level topics like language, mathematics, English, and three optional arts or science subjects.

English was not frequently used so the regular grade was chosen as the examination score.

The Otherworld subjects were far more complicated, including the study of the Realm-human Race’s language and script, also known as Tastanian language.

It also included magic theory examination, Otherworld history, spot checking of other species’ languages, and more, ensuring that once the hybrid students entered the Otherworld they could seamlessly blend into society.

Following these subjects, was the military subject examination.

This included physical fitness tests, weapon shooting, operation of certain military equipment, magic usage, hand-to-hand combat with traditional weapons, horseriding, operation of magical weapons, and more.

The entire examination would last for five days, students who pass this exam would have the opportunity to leave Haiya Academy and head to higher military institutions.

There, they would be trained into professional soldiers, becoming the most crucial reliance for the country in the Otherworld.

Thanks to Baiyue’s crash course, they managed to scrape by in their grades.

Though not outstanding, they were making do.

After the graduation examination, the real highlight was to follow; the selection competition for the Otherworld Advance Team that everyone was interested in.

The Otherworld General Staff Headquarters had decided to conduct a selection to pick the most elite team from the first batch of students to carry out a reconnaissance mission, providing reliable intelligence for the upcoming military operation.

For Luo’er, this was a fantastic opportunity to enter the Otherworld.

If he missed this chance, he might not be deployed there again for a long time, so he had to grasp this opportunity, become the best team in the academy, and become part of the Otherworld’s Advance Team.

After the graduation examination, the team started intensive, targeted training without delay.

They practically spent their entire day in the Virtual Machine Room, honing their battlefield capabilities.

Despite not having killed any real-life enemies, they had become seasoned soldiers with extensive combat experience in the Virtual Battlefield.

In particular, the academy had recently introduced a team Battle Royale mode.

A dozen or so teams plotted against each other and clashed in an ever-shrinking battlefield.

This effectively honed their military skills and mental readiness in dealing with the battlefield environment.

The time for the selection competition’s draw soon approached.

Although the academy did not mandate student participation, the allure of team battles was irresistible to the students.

Hence, the draw was packed with teams that had signed up.

After discussing amongst themselves, they decided to name their team Zero Team.

As for their opponents, Luo’er picked a team named Flame Dragon as their competitor in the preliminary contest.

In alignment with Headquarters and the Academy’s vision, the entire competition will take place on a virtual battlefield, and the main combat environment for both sides will be the Otherworld.

In this world, none of the Earth’s electronic devices can be used, which poses a severe challenge to each team participating in the competition.

Being unable to use electronic communication devices means that their team’s real-time long-distance communication will be severely affected.

While there are magical couriers from the Otherworld as an alternative means of communication, it still puts a high demand on the team’s level of understanding and cooperation.

However, Luo’er and his colleagues were not overly concerned about this issue because he had anticipated this happening.

While in the simulated Otherworld environment used previously, students could still employ the Earth’s electronic devices as tools.

Luo’er knew that in the actual Otherworld, the Earth’s electronic devices were of no use.

That was one of the key reasons behind the multinational forces’ horrific defeat three decades ago.

Therefore, in response to the inability to use electronic devices in the Otherworld, he had carried out targeted training.

Gestures and orders were used as simple means of communication, and special attention was given to cultivating the team’s unspoken understanding to, at the very least, ensure that commands could be conveyed to every member of the team through body language, even without words.

“Flame Dragon, what a chuuni name!” In the classroom, Hu Daoke, lounging in his chair with his legs crossed and hands cradling his head, let out a leisurely rant.

The Graduation Exam had ended, so the entire classroom was perceived deserted.

The five of them used the room as a simple meeting room to discuss their countermeasures.

“You can’t say that.

The strength of a team isn’t determined by its name,” Luo’er retorted, flicking through files on his transparent display on the desk, searching for information on their team.

“I’m disparaging the enemy strategically!” Hu Daoke waved dismissively.

“Found it, Flame Dragon Team.” Luo’er quickly found information on the team and pulled up their member profiles.

This team solely relied on Earth’s automatic weapons.

Their average Magic Resistance was 35%, and their average magical affinity was 84%.

Meaning, even the member with the highest magical skill in their team could only barely operate second-stage Magic.

Luo’er pulled up their Magic class grades—it was an absolute mess, even worse than Hu Daoke, who had just taken remedial classes.

“As much as I want to regard the enemy tactically, this is plain trash.

Just activate a physical shield to their faces and attack them however we want!” Hu Daoke spread out his hands, speaking with a helpless look on his face.

“But their martial combat ability is not bad, at least their performances on the simulated battlefield are passable, and their shooting skills are okay too.

At least better than…”

Luo’er suddenly coughed and instinctively gave Tangmo a sidelong glance.

Spotting Luo’er’s gaze, Tangmo puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.

“In any case, they’re our first opponents, and tomorrow, we will battle it out with them.

Then, use them as our stepping stone to the championship.

So, we won’t train today, everyone rest well and prepare for the upcoming matches!” Luo’er said earnestly to his team, closing the display.

“Alright!”

In the Academy’s Principal’s office, an idle Luo Qishan sipped his drink, aiming to ease his recent gloom.

Already in his eighties, his body still robust and his brain still capable of handling the complex academy work, thanks to advanced modern medicine.

However, one matter gnawed at him—a knot he could never seem to untangle.

On his desk lay a photo of his deceased son, Luo Chuan, taken when he had just enlisted.

Unbeknownst to him, Luo Qishan’s only son had departed from this world twenty-three years ago, leaving behind a son with Elf bloodline.

As Luo’er’s grandfather, Luo Qishan often blames himself for his inability to protect his grandson.

He didn’t despise his half-elf grandchild; Luo’er faintly resembled Luo Chuan.

The war that had raged thirty years ago had snatched away his only son, and now his only grandson was on the brink of a new war.

Thirty years ago, he had regretted sending his son to the battlefield, and now, he attempted to deter his grandson from doing the same.

But he was not the same man he was thirty years ago.

He was powerless to oppose the Headquarters’ decision and could only, humbly, keep the Academy running.

No matter what, Luo Qishan didn’t want Luo’er to be sent to the Otherworld battlefield—even if it were for selfish reasons.

He wished that Luo’er would stay by his side, allowing him to watch his only grandson grow slowly as he approached death.

Yet, at some point, the relationship between him, the grandfather, and Luo’er had gradually become distant, reaching a point where it had become irreparable today.

Apart from the Academy, they could hardly find any common topic.

Luo Qishan yearned for Luo’er’s forgiveness, but for now, it was only a pipe dream.

Perhaps in Luo’er’s eyes, he had long lost his eligibility to be a grandfather.

“What should I do…” Luo Qishan put down his cup and sighed heavily.

He was feeling powerless, the same sensation he had experienced over two decades ago.

Unable to resist the pressure from the higher-ups, he reluctantly initiated the Origin Project, using Luo’er as a reference for the hybrid breeding research.

Now, with the decree from Headquarters, Luo’er had once again been granted the opportunity to go to the Otherworld.

He was still powerless to resist, watching Luo’er participate in the selection process helplessly.

Ostensibly the Principal, but in reality, a puppet.

Sometimes, he would deride himself as such.

“What should I do?” Luo Qishan heaved another long sigh.