Souta looked straight at Lynn's purple eyes.

Lynn averted her gaze quickly when she saw Souta looked at her. She fiddled her purple color hair.

"Um..." She hesitated whether she should say something or not. In the end, before she could say something Souta interrupted her.

"Wait!" Souta walked towards her and stopped in front of her. He put his face closer to her and narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth and asked, "Why do you want to join my group?"

"I..." Lynn lowered her head not daring to meet Souta's gaze. She didn't know what to say right now that Souta asked him.

Lumilia stepped forward between them. She looked at Souta and said, "Souta, she just wanted to help you. I'm sure that Lynn will not burden you."

"I'm not worried about that." Souta stepped back and replied to her. He glanced at Lynn before he sighed. "Okay, fine. It's okay."

"Really?" Lynn looked at him with bright eyes.

"Yeah." Souta nodded his head.

"Thanks, I will help you with everything I can," Lynn said with a happy expression.

"I don't need your help. I just wanted one thing from you. And that is don't get in my way no matter what happens." Souta said to her.

"Okay, I understand." Lynn nodded and flashed a bright smile at him.

"Good." Souta nodded at her with a satisfied expression.

"Thanks." Lynn once again thanked him.

"Hais..." Nayo sighed while looking at this scene. She looked at Lumilia and said, "She's hopeless. She couldn't even see the reality anymore."

"Eh...?" Lumilia was surprised at Nayo's words. She couldn't understand what Nayo meant by that.

"You too..." Nayo turned her eyes at Lumilia.

"Me? Why?" Lumilia pointed at her nose.

...

The group that will gather the red flag of other classes was divided into five teams. The remaining people will stay in their position and protect the red flag. They couldn't change the position of their red flag, so they didn't have any other choice but to protect it.

Souta's team was the only team that has two people as its members. Souta and Lynn were the only members of this team.

Their team target was the strongest class in the first-year. It means that all the Class 1-A were his target. He wanted to test his strength that's why he will target the strongest.

Bryan's team was different Souta let them do what they wanted. Bryan could handle himself as Souta knew how powerful Bryan is.

Souta advised the remaining three teams to hunt the Healer Class. It's easier to hunt down support class other than the combat class like Mage and Swordsman. But it's still not going to be that easy.

Just like Mage Class, there's a subject in Healer Class which was teaching self-defense skill. Also, there were still a few people that knew combat skills in Healer Class, just like the number 5 in the Institute Ranking.

Bargan looked at them for a while before he opened his mouth and said, "The special test is going to start. Follow me, I will lead you to your red flag." He then turned around and left.

Lumilia looked at Bargan's back before she faced her classmates and said, "Everyone let's go!"

Bryan, George, and the rest of the students of Mage Class 1-B nodded their heads. Under the lead of Lumilia, they began to follow Bargan to the position of their red flag.

Souta turned his head and looked at the other classes. He saw them following their homeroom teacher. The position of each class was unknown to him. He just remembered where they were heading as it will give him a bit of understanding of each position.

Lynn, who was beside Souta, saw him looking at the other classes.

"W-What are you looking at?" She stuttered while asking. Her courage comes from her wanting to talk to him.

Souta heard Lynn's voice, so he looked at his side and saw her. He was a little bit surprised that she was still here. He looked up and said, "You're still here?" He was shorter than her, so he had to raise his head to look at her eyes.

He was at her eye level. His height was short but on the same level as dwarves. He was still higher than them.

"Um... Yeah... We're in the same team, so I thought I should follow you..." Lynn said as she lowered her head and didn't meet his eyes.

"I see... Then, let's go." Souta nodded before he started to walk and followed his classmates.

Lynn looked at his back and quietly followed him.

'Damn, I'm really short.' Souta cursed in his mind. He glanced at Lynn who was following him.

Since Lynn was watching him, she saw Souta looked at her. She immediately lowered her eyes and asked, "Um... Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing." Souta shook his head. "I just thought that you're quite tall for a woman."

She was a little bit surprised at his words. It's true that Souta was shorted than her but she wasn't bothered by it. She thought that it was cuter that way.

"I'm just average in height." She said in a low voice. Although she said it that way, Souta still heard it.

"Tsk." Souta clicked his tongue.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me." Lynn quickly apologized.

"It's okay." Souta shook his head.

In terms of height, he was the smallest in his class. He was even smaller than some of the girls in his class like Alice and Lynn. But he was taller than Lumilia and the rest of the girls.

Soon, the class arrived in front of the red flag. There were three tents beside the red flag.

"Class..." Bargan said and everyone looked at him. He then added, "This is the Mage Class 1-B's red flag. Protect it with all you've got. I have high expectations of you. I want you to score the highest."

"Yes, teacher. We will do our best to win this special exam." Lumilia said. "Am I right, everyone?"

"Yeah!!" Everyone shouted.

At the same time, Souta heard a sound in his mind.

*Ding!*

[Quest triggered!]

[Special Test]: Score the highest score in the special test of the Ladro Institute. Rewards: 10,000 exp, 5 free attribute points, 2 skill points

"Really... What a great timing. Since I already plan to test my strength with the students here, I will go out now and bring our class to the 1st place." Souta grinned widely. There's no reason to hold back now.

Lynn looked at Souta. She heard him muttering something. She opened her mouth and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Souta remembered that Lynn was beside him. He replied, "Nothing. I'm in a good mood today. You better not hold me back. If you want you can also watch me from the sideline."

"O-Okay, I will try my best," Lynn said as she clenched her fists and raised it in the air.

"Good." Souta nodded with a satisfied expression.

Bargan raised his hand above him before he opened his palm. He looked at his students and said, "The special test will start now. You have 1 hour before the special test end."

He gathered his mana in his palm and he shot it in the sky.

Boom!!

Boom!!

Boom!!

It was followed by several explosions in the sky. These explosions were the signal that the special test has started.

Souta looked in the sky. This was a hint. Those explosions revealed the position of the other class. Every homeroom teach shot those energy in the sky as a signal but this was also a hint.

He then noticed that Bargan was gone. No one noticed him leave. As expected of a teacher of Ladro Institute and the Flame Master of Melosa War.

Souta looked at Alice and said, "You're going to stay here."

"Yeah, I prefer it that way." Alice nodded at him.

Lynn looked at Alice then at Souta. She knew that Alice was only talking to Bryan and Souta. She wondered what kind of relationship they have.

"Okay, we will go now," Souta said as he stretched his arms.

"Our team too will go now," Bryan said.

The other teams also announced that they were going to leave.

"Okay, everyone be careful." Lumilia nodded at them and said.

Bryan and the rest of the group nodded before they turned around and went into different directions.

Souta and Lynn were the only ones left in the camp.

Lynn looked at Souta and asked, "W-What should I do now?"

Souta looked at her and said, "Come here."

Lynn looked at Souta when he said those words. She shyly went beside him. "Here?"

"Good luck, Lynn!" Nayo said to Lynn.

"Good." Souta hugged her waist and he bent his knees. He gathered his mana in his feet.

"Eik!!" Lynn was stunned when Souta wrapped his arm around her waist.

But then...

Boom!!

"Ahhh!!" She screamed as she found herself up in the air.

Souta jumped in the air with Lynn in his arm. He looked around the whole place. He recalled where the other explosion came from.

"There, I found it!"

[Air Walk]!!

Souta launched himself towards the north.

...

In the camp of the Shield Class 1-A, they heard a booming sound in the sky. The sound was getting closer every second.

Boom!!

A figure crashed on the ground creating a small crater. Smoke and dust formed around the crater.

Brando frowned and he gripped the shield in his hand tightly. He looked around him and said, "Everyone, prepare yourself."

They saw a silhouette stood up in the smoke. The smoke slowly dissipated and it revealed a person.

"What a coincidence. I didn't think that this is your class's campsite."

"Really, what a coincidence, Souta," Brando said with a wry smile.