"Make groups of five students, then you may begin."

After hearing the instruction, Theo looked around and counted the number of students as fast as he could.

There were exactly a hundred students in the class, and not a single one was absent.

By the time he looked to his right, students were already forming groups of five at a rapid pace. Within the first minute alone, several groups had already been formed.

Theo decided to wait and see who would be left behind. In less than five minutes, almost every student had found a group.

And now, only ten students remained, wandering around in search of teammates.

It was strange seeing them being left out, especially since most of the students had witnessed the tournament. But in the end, it all came down to how good of friends they were and their familiarity to make the others comfortable rather than actual capability.

Theo made his move finally and went to the first boy he saw, a thin guy wearing glasses.

Finally, Theo made his move and approached the guy.

The moment the boy looked up and recognized Theo, his back immediately straightened, and his expression turned stiff.

"Would you like to join my group?" Theo asked.

The boy didn’t bat around for long and nodded right away, eliciting a nod from Theo before he turned to look for the next one.

A fit-looking girl stood off to the side with her arms crossed and one leg slightly forward.

The moment she saw Theo approaching her way, her frown became evident.

"Would you like to join our group?" Theo asked with a smile.

The girl shook her head.

"I don’t want to join any group," she replied with a hiss.

Theo simply nodded calmly.

"Fair enough."

Without pressing any further, he turned away and began searching for the next one and moved away.

The girl stared at Theo’s retreating back, biting her lips in frustration before returning to her spot at the side.

Theo only gave each person a single chance, and within barely two minutes, the group was ready.

After quick introductions and learning their names, Theo glanced at the empty area where no one else was present.

There, people were merely talking with each other.

"Sir Orrin, Miss Kaela, Sir Mikel and Miss Lysa, welcome to the group. We will first brainstorm what we think will be an adequate shelter, then we will work on it quickly," Theo spoke as they formed a circle.

Orrin, the boy with the glasses, nodded. He looked like a bookworm, but now that he was part of a group, his demeanor was a lot calmer.

"We will need a campfire for starters," Orrin said. "We can’t really do anything without one."

Theo nodded and pointed toward a nearby area.

I can see plenty of fallen branches and dried leaves over there. Let’s secure that spot before anyone else does."

After receiving a nod of agreement from everyone, Theo immediately moved forward.

He had no intention of making friends or connections with them yet. As of now, he didn’t see much value in them.

Once they arrived, Theo picked up several of the branches and smiled.

"These are all dry. The professor clearly knows what he is doing."

Theo then walked toward a nearby tree and began snapping larger branches into smaller pieces for firewood.

"Do any of you have a beast that can help break these branches into smaller parts?" Theo asked.

Mikel raised his hand and so did Lysa.

They looked to the side and then at Theo again.

"But the professor didn’t say anything about us being allowed to use our beasts, Sir Theo," Kaela spoke hesitantly.

Theo’s expression turned serious.

"Miss Kaela, we are tamers. Our beasts are our greatest strength. We will use them, and if the professor has a problem with it, he can tell us about it himself."

Despite his words, Theo kept his tone calm, careful not to sound too authoritative.

Kaela slowly nodded, and a white light flashed beside her.

Soon, a small rodent-like beast appeared on the ground, sniffing everything curiously.

"I-It might look useless, but it can break those branches easily, Sir Theo," Kaela explained nervously.

Theo chuckled softly at that.

"Miss Kaela, no beast is ever useless. More often than not, it’s the tamer who fails to use them properly."

Kaela nodded again to that, now looking at Theo in a completely different light.

"Should I summon my beast as well, Sir Theo?" Lysa asked with her usual blank expression.

Theo simply nodded back with the same serious look.

He liked how naturally they had accepted him as a leader and were asking before acting. That way, Theo felt like he now had full creative control over the group.

Lysa’s forehead shone as well, and soon a normal-looking grey wolf appeared before the group.

She gave the wolf a mental command, and it moved toward one of the fallen branches on the ground.

Theo immediately noticed its claws—the first thing in the entire scenario that carried a metallic glint.

The wolf swiped at the branch right through the center, cutting the branch cleanly in half.

Theo clapped his hands in appreciation.

He glanced at one of the nearby trees before looking back at the different groups that had already settled into their spots.

"Everyone is going to make a campfire no matter what, but what will set us apart from the others is what we make after that," Theo said.

"So for now, we will focus on making the campfire. If you already know how to light it, wait a little while. Resources are scarce since the forest is too small, so we will have to light it later."

He then pointed toward the professor in the distance.

"I am going to have some conversations with the professor and see whether we are allowed to cut down trees or not."

With that, he made his way forward.

"Cut down the trees? Is he serious?" Orrin muttered, shaking his head. His demeanour completely changed the moment Theo left.