As Professor Ateles declared the beginning of their assessment test, the students could only swallow their complaints, and begin answering the questions.
''Academic Violation detected.'' A mechanical voice sounded a few seconds later. ''Unauthorized assistance has been recorded during assessment test, Student Darius Vale.''
''Academic Violation detected. Unauthorized assistance….''
''Academic Violation detected. Unauthorized assistance….''
Within a minute of the Assessment test, three students have been caught cheating by one of the ten academy robots that have spread across the hall at some point.
''M-My Beastcom has issues, Instructor.'' One of the students tried to defend himself.
''You can step out once your name has been called out.'' But, Professor Ateles ignored the student's claims, and ushered them out of the lecture hall with no reaction.
''But…''
''Leave.''
Seeing the Instructor giving them no chance, the students gritted their teeth and could only swallow their anger against the unfair Instructor.
As they stood from their seats and walked out of the lecture hall, they couldn't help but curse the Instructor for being unfair. How could they have an assessment test on their first week at the academy?
They could only hope this assessment test was not part of their semester results
''Your assessment test will be automatically canceled if you search the BeastNet for answers or cheat from other sources.'' Professor Ateles warned once the three students stepped out in the lecture hall.
His words shook the hearts of the other students with terror. The ones planning to search BeastNet for answers immediately withdrew their thoughts and could only attempt to answer the test questions with their own knowledge.
At the sight of twenty questions that were entirely practical questions and must be answered within ten minutes, the students could only cry in their hearts while they typed whatever came to their mind.
How do young War beasts learn to hunt within the pride, and how does hierarchy influence their access to food? Use an example and explain.
How does an S-Class Sphyrna War beast hunt?
An A-Class Panthera….
A C-Class Rattus…
Sphyrna…hammerhead shark, Panthera…lion, Rattus…rat…Amina read familiar scientific names from the test questions, and instantly linked them to the common names of animals.
The courses from Beastology and Zoology weren't the only ones bearing similarities. It was the same for Beasts and Animals.
This was something she had noticed during the Introduction to Beastology course, her first class. When the Instructor was explaining the difference in Beast classes with photos of Beasts, Amina had noticed that each Beasts were identified using a part of their binomial nomenclature; either their genus or species.
She had also tested this on her own by searching random genus or species names, and the results were the animals she had in mind.
Thanks to this, Amina could attempt the test questions to the best of her knowledge from zoology.
Discuss adaptive behaviours of Beastmasters and War beasts when faced with novel or unexpected threats. How do instincts and learned behaviours combine in high-stakes scenarios?
Evaluate how bond between Beastmasters and their Beasts affect learning outcomes and combat effectiveness. How does trust develop, and what behaviours indicate a strong bond?
The Beastryl of an S-Class….
However, she couldn't answer all test questions. Some questions were scenario-based questions on Beastmasters and their Beasts. Others were power-based questions of particular Beasts.
Amina could only answer questions on Behavioural questions of Beasts, and the questions were seven out of twenty questions.
''Academy violation detected….''
I should be able to score a mark or two.
After all, Beasts had once been animals.
While academy robots caught some students cheating once more, Amina calculated how many marks she could score as she typed out her answers to a question by using a floating keyboard that appeared once she clicked on a question.
That's right.
Amina's target was a mark or two marks.
Not the entire seven marks.
Amina wasn't arrogant or confident to assume she would answer the seven questions correctly out of the twenty questions.
This assessment test was also personal test for herself.
A test for her knowledge.
A test to see if her experience as a zookeeper and zoology student was useful in Animyth.
''You have a minute remaining till the end of the assessment test, students.'' Nine minutes later, Professor Ateles's voice rang out in the lecture hall.
As the students struggled to answer the twenty practical questions, Anima increased her typing speed on the floating keyboard.
She was finally on her seventh question; the defense mechanisms of a B-Class War beast, a millipede judging by the name, against threats.
Like other questions, Amina typed down the taxonomy of the Beast, as well as some of its background before approaching the main answer.
As a zoology student, she had always answered both test and examination questions in this format. Her lecturers had always been very strict and uptight on how students presented their answers.
This was one of the reasons Amina had failed her courses most times.
''Time's up.'' At Professor Ateles's words, Amina saw as the floating keyboard vanished from her fingers just as she was about to type the last sentence. A countdown timer, which had been the top right corner suddenly appeared over the test questions, glaring at her eyes with four zeroes.
I almost finished.
She knew she could nothing but watch as the assessment test closed with a statistics of how many questions she answered and failed to answer.
''Hey, how did you do on the test?''
''It was hard.''
''I bumped it.''
''Damn it! How can my first test be like this?''
''We weren't given a chance to read.'' A gloomy atmosphere spread across the lecture hall after the conclusion of the impromptu assessment test.
''Thank you for attempting the first assessment test for this course, students. You can close your Beastcoms now.'' Professor Ateles's voice silenced the murmurs from the students, who close their Beastcoms at his words. ''You might wonder why you were tested before the first class and that is to test the level of your knowledge of Beasts and their behaviours.''
Students glanced carefully at each other before one of them hesitantly raised their hand after his words.
''Yes student.''
''W-Will the assessment test be recorded as part of our first semester results, Instructor?'' asked the student.
''That is only for me to know, student.'' Professor responded immediately as though he had been expecting the question.
''Any other questions?''
No student raised their hands again. Some wanted to continue the momentum by expressing their complaints and displeasure about the assessment test. However, hearing the Instructor's quick response, they kept their mouths shut and decided not to voice out their question.
Who knows…the Instructor might use their complaints as an excuse to remove them from his class. The students haven't forgotten their first impression of him.
Some instinctively shivered as they recalled the Instructor coldly telling students to step out of the lecture hall.
''If there're no questions, let's begin the class with Basic Beast emotions and moods.'' Professor Ateles began the first class of the Beast Behaviour and Pyschology course.
~~~~
25 March, 5120
~Yawn~
Tears welled in Professor Ateles's heavy eyes as he let out a tired yawn.
I've finally sent the paper for publication yesterday. Now, I have to wait for the review.
As a researcher working at the Beast Research Institute, his job was to conduct successful research on Beasts and publish the results as research papers.
Now I can go through the first year's assessment test. Professor Ateles frowned at the thought of reading amateur answers that would earn his disgust.
''Professor Ateles.'' He met a young instructor lowering his Beastcom from the access terminal at the entrance of Instructors General Office.
''Good morning, Instructor Hart.'' Professor Ateles greeted curtly, yet with a sense of familiarity.
He and Instructor Hart had entered the Western Beast Academy as Instructors together two years ago.
''Good morning.'' The young Instructor, Instructor Hart gave a welcoming smile.
''I heard you gave the first years an impromptu Assessment test on your first class.'' He mentioned as they stepped inside the empty office together. The doors slid shut behind them.
''Hmm.'' Professor Ateles glanced at him before heading over to his desk space.
''You know the first years will hate you for this again, Professor Ateles.'' Instructor Hart sighed as he walked to the desk space beside Professor Ateles and dropped his bag on the desk.
''If they can't deal with an impromptu test, then they don't have the right to become Beastmasters.'' Professor Ateles stated as he transferred the assessment tests from his Beastcom to his computer.
''You haven't change, Professor Ateles.'' Instructor Hart chuckled lightly at his words as he sat on his chair to prepare his teaching materials for the day. ''As a fellow Instructor, I do hope for you to find a student you can relate with as a mentor.''
Professor Ateles inwardly scoffed at his words. A student he can relate with as a mentor? As if there was one in this academy.
Why should he relate with dumb and foolish children who can't tell the difference between the Felidae War beasts?
Professor Ateles had no time to babysit arrogant children praised to the skies by their families for awakening as Beastmasters.
If it wasn't for his master, he wouldn't have been an Instructor in the first place.
''Pathetic.'' Professor Ateles muttered under his breath, sitting in a languid manner on his chair as he scrolled through the assessment tests on his computer. Once again, the responses were mostly the students using their Beasts, especially for the scenario-based questions. Only a few had answered the questions from different point of views, rather than using their Beasts. Still, their responses weren't enough to impress Professor Ateles.
Same as always
Professor Ateles was glad to have held no expectation this year. Two years ago, he had some expectations for the first years back then. After all, they had entered one of four top Beast Academies in the entire Beast continent as students.
However, their responses to his Assessment test were no different from last year and this year's first years. After experiencing disappointment from the students, Professor Ateles had decided not hold any expectations for the students he would teach after them.
As if responding to his decision, no student had impressed him, even one bit with their responses to his impromptu assessment test.
This year was going be the same as always.
....Hm?
After a sometime, Professor Ateles furrowed his eyebrows as he read through a response of a student.
Isn't this the ancient Linnaean classification of Beasts? A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he sat up and leaned forward on his chair. To think he would find a student using ancient knowledge of Beasts to answer his assessment test. As a researcher, the ancient taxonomy of Beasts was not new to him. He had made use of them to prove some results in his research papers.
Domain...Kingdom…Phylum…this student had gotten them perfectly. Professor Ateles's face brightened as he continued reading. His face could be said to be almost kissing the screen of the computer. Even he hadn't realized his actions or the faint smile appearing on his face.
At the unexpected sight, Instructor Hart shot a questioning glance from the side, wondering what research paper could excite his fellow Instructor.
Segmented body…jointed legs….repugnatorial gland…
''Perfect….'' Meanwhile, Professor Ateles let out breathless murmur as he noted the specific ancient biological terms the student had used in describing a War beast.
is the student interested in ancient knowledge of Beasts?
He clicked 'next' in anticipation to read more ancient knowledge write-ups, only to find that the student had only answered seven questions.
Why seven?
Professor Ateles frowned and quickly searched for the student's name.
Amina Blackthorne…
''That child?'' Professor Ateles murmured, not expecting the name. Wasn't this student the infamous Beastless Young miss of the Blackthorne family?
How could someone like her be in possession of ancient knowledge?