How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game-Chapter 419: RE-EVALUATION

"Man… there really are a lot of people here," he muttered, glancing around. His voice rumbled, low and tired. "At this rate, we'll hit over a thousand participants."

He clicked his tongue.

"But then again, the offer was way too tempting to pass up."

A rare chance to climb the ranks through a special re-evaluation, with eyes from the upper brass and department heads watching?

Yeah.

No one with even a shred of ambition would ignore that kind of opportunity.

Scanning the crowd, he spotted a few familiar faces—Susan from his class, chatting with a couple of alchemy nerds; Gilbert, as well, stretching near the edge of the arena; even a few recognizable seniors from the other faculties scattered throughout.

But most of the participants… weren't exactly top dogs.

There were some but no one worthy to take note in particular.

As expected, it was mostly students from the lower end of their classes. The underachievers. The overlooked. And the ones who had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Kagami sighed.

"I figured it'd be like this, but still… kind of disappointing."

It wasn't that he looked down on them—okay, maybe a little—but it just meant he couldn't go all out.

With so many students cramped into this space, there wouldn't be enough room to properly let loose without risking collateral damage.

And if things got physical, which they always did during these evaluations, he'd have to hold back. Again.

He cracked his neck, eyes narrowing toward the center of the hall where the instructors were still preparing the formation.

"You will be given a chance to re-evaluate your final scores for the practical exams, your performance in the dungeon exploration and monster subjugation missions will be included in the evaluation. The academy will disregard your written exam scores for this process and base your overall grade solely on practical performance. This re-evaluation is entirely voluntary. If you choose not to participate, your current scores and rankings will remain unchanged. However, those who wish to take this opportunity should proceed to the Killian Hall training grounds and follow the instructions given there by Professor Ferdinand. S-ranked students are also not required to participate. However, any S-rank who chooses to join will have the opportunity to shift their current position in the rankings next semester. The same applies to all students below S-rank. If you believe your grades don't reflect your true abilities, this is your chance to prove otherwise. That is all. Thank you."

Was what was said to them back in the announcement grounds outside but he doubted that was really all to this re-evaluation.

Kagami was already an S-rank student, sitting comfortably in the top five of his year.

He didn't need to prove anything to anyone.

Yet here he was, standing in the middle of Killian Hall, surrounded by students who had far more at stake.

So why was he still here?

It wasn't for the grades. Not really.

It was the curiosity.

The feeling in his gut that this re-evaluation wasn't going to be as simple as a basic combat test.

Looking around, Kagami adjusted his stance, reaching into his pouch to pull out his gauntlets, readying himself in case things escalated sooner than expected.

But just as he began slipping one on, his sharp eyes caught sight of two very familiar faces weaving through the gathering crowd.

"Oh? Lucas, Janica—you two came as well?" he called out, raising an eyebrow.

Janica, with her signature fiery red hair tied into a high tail, beamed brightly at him and gave an energetic wave. "Oh, Kagami! You're here too? Not surprised. I guess meatheads really do think alike, huh~?"

Kagami let out a sharp chuckle, the kind that rumbled from his chest. "Kuhaha! Was that a compliment or are you trying to start something?"

"You can take it however you want," Janica shrugged dramatically, before placing a hand on her hip. "Honestly, I wasn't even planning to participate. My rank's already basically locked in, y'know? But—" her gaze shifted toward Lucas, who looked away with an awkward smile.

"This guy right here made some half-baked excuse about 'testing himself' or whatever. But let's be honest," she leaned toward Kagami with a mischievous grin, "all he really wants is to fight quite the musclehead right? I swear his training maniac days won't end until he can cut the world in half or something"

Lucas let out a small sigh, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's not completely fair… I mean, we don't even know if the re-evaluation is going to get that physical."

Janica rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Everyone knows it's going to get at least a little physical. I mean—it's a practical re-evaluation. If there wasn't combat or some sort of challenge, what would be the point?"

She gestured around with a lazy sweep of her arm.

"There are easily hundreds of students here already, maybe even a thousand. And it's not just the lower-rankers hoping for a second chance. I've seen a few Top 10 S-ranks from the senior years show up. That alone tells you how serious this thing might get."

As she scanned the crowd, her lips curled into an amused smirk. "Ohh~ This is going to be a mess."

Kagami grinned as he slipped the second gauntlet onto his hand, the metal clinking into place with a satisfying click.

"Heh. Sounds fun."

"Won't you have a hard time fighting with this many students?" Lucas asked, casting a glance at the thickening crowd of competitors around them.

Kagami cracked his knuckles, his expression unbothered. "That's true. But hey, my grades are on the line, bud. I won't go out of my way to fight others—but if they get in my way?" He gave a small shrug. "I'm not holding back. That includes you two, by the way."

"I see," Lucas replied, nodding with a soft smile.

While he didn't particularly enjoy the idea of hurting others just to climb a rank, he understood the pressure—there were always nuances to these things.

Gray areas that came with competition.

"Well, good luck to us then," he said.

"Yeah," Kagami grunted, adjusting his stance.

Lucas scanned the field once more, his eyes sweeping across the assembled students.

Something in his expression sharpened—as if he were trying to locate someone in particular.

But before he could focus, a shadow loomed closer than expected.

He turned his head—only to find Janica's face inches away from his own, her green eyes narrowed, an unimpressed look plastered across her face.

"J-Janica?" he stuttered, instinctively pulling back a little. "What are you doing?"

Janica raised an eyebrow, leaning in even more as if trying to peer straight into his thoughts. "Were you looking for someone just now?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

She crossed her arms, eyes flicking toward the section where the mage department students were gathered. "You were staring at the mage side like you were waiting for a parade. Don't play dumb."

"That's just… they happened to be in my line of sight, that's all," Lucas said quickly, his voice rising just a little in defense.

"Oh, really now?" Janica tilted her head with a sly grin. "You sure you weren't looking for someone? Maybe… blonde? With certain blue eyes?"

"N-No!" Lucas's face turned a shade redder.

"Kuhaha!" Kagami burst out laughing, finally catching on. "I knew it. Lucas just couldn't help himself—trying to catch a glimpse of his girl, huh?"

"S-She's not my girl…..."

"She's not his girl!!" Janica echoed at the exact same moment, cheeks puffing slightly in irritation.

Kagami doubled over laughing. "Ahahaha"

As Kagami watched Janica continue to scold Lucas with her usual fiery energy, his laughter gradually faded.

He found himself quietly observing the two bicker like they always did—though lately, something felt… different.

Ever since Lady Evelyn had become part of their group, the dynamic between Lucas and Janica had shifted.

Their relationship, once full of sharp remarks and awkward tension, had started to soften in a way that even Kagami hadn't expected.

There was a strange warmth there now, hidden beneath all the jabs and teasing.

He almost felt bad for Janica, though.

As much as her confidence masked it, it was painfully obvious where her feelings lay.

And yet, Lucas's attention seemed increasingly drawn elsewhere—to a different girl entirely.

Kagami couldn't help but wonder if Evelyn was doing all those flirtatious things deliberately.

Maybe it was her way of shaking things up, of pushing Lucas to feel something.

Whether it was just for fun or something more calculated, he couldn't tell.

But knowing Evelyn, she probably sensed Janica's feelings too—and was nudging Lucas just enough to stir things between them.

Still… with all things considered, it was clear Lucas had become more intrigued by Evelyn than anyone had anticipated.

It made Kagami feel a weird mix of secondhand discomfort and curiosity.

After all, Evelyn did look eerily like Lucas's long-missing friend/Rival.

Kagami's gaze drifted toward the crowd again.

"Looks like Miss Evelyn isn't participating," he muttered quietly.

Lucas, still distracted, gave a small nod in confirmation.

The subtle look of disappointment on his face didn't escape Janica's notice, and it irked her more than she expected. Her lips pursed, green eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

She had complicated feelings—she could admit that now.

But one thing she knew for sure: she loved Lucas first.

Long before Evelyn ever came into the picture.

And she wasn't about to let some charming newcomer sweep him away just like that.