Chapter 47: An Accident During the Ancient Magic History Exam

That night, Lavia couldn’t sleep well. She tossed and turned, unable to find rest, with all sorts of thoughts swirling in her mind.

Stealing exam papers…

Such a thing had never happened in the several hundred years of history at Rexox Academy. Although the school rules didn’t specify the consequences of such actions, still…

“That idiot… those three fools!” murmuring to herself, Lavia turned over and gazed at the moon in the sky through the window. Thinking about whether those three had succeeded or failed at this point, concern appeared on her face.

If only she had been more resolute back then…

And Scott—he seemed quite sensible. How could he get involved in such nonsense with Thos and Allen?

The worst of them all was Allen…

“And that idiot too!”

“Avi?” Lisa, who was in the bed next to her, sat up, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and said drowsily, “Not asleep yet?”

“I… I am asleep…” As if afraid her thoughts would be seen through, Lavia quickly wrapped herself in the blanket.

I’d better go check on things early in the morning…

Hmph! For mages, knowledge is crucial. How could they cheat? It would be best if they got caught by a professor on patrol… Well, but then again…

Maybe… let them succeed by luck this once?

But…

What if they succeed by luck this time, but next time…

Hmph, frustrating!

Lost in her thoughts, Lavia finally fell into a drowsy sleep late into the night.

At dawn, after getting up and quickly dressing, she rushed to Jiang Zhe’s dormitory. To her surprise, the door was wide open…

Glancing in secretly, Lavia coughed and called softly, “Thos? Allen? Scott?”

As soon as her voice faded, she heard someone weakly speaking from the sofa, “Why shout? We’re still alive!” It seemed to be Jiang Zhe’s voice.

Hearing this, Lavia rushed over to the sofa, frowning and about to speak when she suddenly saw Allen and Jiang Zhe lying back on the sofa. Seeing their exhausted expressions, she exclaimed in shock, “What… what happened to you?”

“What happened?” With dark circles under his eyes, Allen opened his eyes and snapped, “Try attacking a ghost with pure physical force and see!” He raised his trembling right arm and said, “See? I don’t even have the strength to hold a pen. Please, let us rest a bit more.”

“Oh…” Despite her many doubts, seeing Allen’s tired expression, Ravia held back her questions. She glanced around and, not seeing Scott anywhere, asked in surprise, “Where’s Scott?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard faint footsteps. Scott came out carrying a tray with three cups of black tea. Upon seeing Ravia, he paused briefly, nodded slightly, and said politely, “Good morning, Ravia!”
“Uh, good morning…” As soon as she said that, Scott handed her the cup of tea that had been meant for him. She quickly replied, “Thank you, Scott… By the way, what’s going on here?”
Clearly, Scott was in much better spirits than Allen and Jiang Zhe. He placed the other two cups on the table, poured himself another cup, and said, “Well, nothing serious really. We encountered a small problem yesterday… I’m fine. I came back in the middle of the night, then Allen returned just before dawn, and Thors was the last to arrive…”
Before Scott could finish, Allen managed to sit up straight, blew on his tea, and said irritably, “It’s already great that I could get back. Try dealing with ghosts! With that crappy puppet of yours, whether it’s a steel puppet or not, it would take me only two or three minutes to take it down!”
“That would be great if I could do that…” Scott smiled faintly.
Their conversation made Ravia’s confusion grow. She couldn’t help but ask, “I wanted to ask earlier—what ghosts and steel puppets?”
“Here’s what happened,” Scott explained after taking a sip of his tea. “Last night, when we entered that room, we were forced to choose three different paths. Looking back, it seems like a trap meant to separate us three. Maybe the professors at the academy discovered us, but strangely, no professor has come to question us yet…”
“So… after you were separated, Scott, you encountered a steel puppet, and Allen encountered ghosts?”
“That’s right,” Scott smiled faintly, sat down on the sofa, and pushed his glasses up. “I don’t doubt there were many restrictions or defensive measures in that room, but this seems a bit too coincidental. We each encountered the most troublesome opponent…”
“Separated?” Muttering, Ravia glanced at Jiang Zhe, who was dozing off, and pointed at him, asking, “What about him?”

“Sos is the same,” Scott said, patting Jiang Zhe’s shoulder. “To be honest, he’s the worst of the three of us. He faced a tough opponent for you fire mages—the Phantom Water Monster of Lake Bibinis. He fought that thing all night until dawn before returning…”
“The… Phantom Water Monster of Lake Bibinis?” Ravia covered her mouth in shock. As a mage who specialized in fire magic, she certainly knew what kind of threat such a monster posed to them.
“You… Sos, you won? You defeated the Phantom Water Monster?” Ravia shook Jiang Zhe’s shoulder in astonishment.
“Stop, stop shaking! I’m dizzy…” Jiang Zhe weakly broke free from Ravia’s grip and managed to sit up on the sofa. Shaking his head self-mockingly, he said, “Won? Can you really call that a win? That was a monster… It drained my magic several times. It took me the whole night to exhaust it…”
“…If you can defeat the Phantom Water Monster now, then you’re a monster too,” Ravia said sourly, but when she saw the dark circles under the boy’s eyes, she hid a smile and teased, “So that means you failed last night?”
“Who said that?” Allen finished the remaining tea in one gulp and chuckled. “I, Allen, took action personally. How could it be a failure? Though it was a bit tough…” He turned to look at Scott.
Scott clearly understood. He stood up, picked up the parchment covered in dense writing from the long table, and said, “Unfortunately, the path Allen and I took wasn’t the right route. Only Sos’s path led to the correct location where the exam papers are stored… Although time is tight, I’ve finally finished it. All that’s left is to use shorthand magic to copy the answers twice… That’s what Sos said—the whole exam paper is too big to hide easily…”
“Finished… writing it?” Looking at the paper filled with answers, Ravia instinctively glanced outside at the sky. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet. She had to admit that this boy wearing glasses might drive many self-proclaimed geniuses crazy…
Two hours later, carrying the exam papers, Jiang Zhe and Allen entered the examination room, while Scott, of course, didn’t need to bring such things.
Fortunately, Jiang Zhe and Allen were assigned to the same room, while Scott was assigned to another room, with Ravia…

After all, he had experienced this once before. This time, Jiang Zhe, who had taken a nap, seemed much more experienced. After entering the examination room and finding his seat, he first used his magic to sense the surroundings… As expected, the entire room was filled with those pale blue, transparent eyes—True Seeing Eyes. “So cliché!” he muttered with a smile. Glancing around, he saw Allen’s seat right in front of him to the left. He coughed, and when Allen turned, he glanced left and right and gave him a wink. Immediately, Allen frowned and looked around before nodding as if he had suddenly understood. Perhaps these True Seeing Eyes had been a major threat to Jiang Zhe a year ago, but to him now, they were insignificant. If he could “see” them, what harm could they do? Having learned to sense, Jiang Zhe could remain vigilant at all times, monitoring every move of these “eyes.” But compared to these True Seeing Eyes, the proctors were even more concerning… As he was thinking, Jiang Zhe seemed to sense something. Looking up, he happened to see Professor Hodde and another older professor walking in. “Alright, kids, get ready. We’ll start the exam in ten minutes!” he said, winking at Jiang Zhe. “Oh, my god…” Jiang Zhe helplessly covered his forehead as he saw Allen staring at him wide-eyed from ahead to the left. After all, Professor Hodde was no ordinary professor. Both Jiang Zhe and Allen knew that this unimpressive-looking professor was actually one who was extremely close to being a great mage. Not to mention the older professor behind Professor Hodde, who seemed to be doing nothing while sitting in his chair, but Jiang Zhe couldn’t be deceived now: for mages, it wasn’t necessary to rely on their own eyes to see things. Everything for the Ancient Magic History exam—go for it! After Professor Hodde distributed the exam papers to all the candidates, Jiang Zhe took a deep breath. A faint, pale blue glow appeared on his body and vanished in an instant. At the same time, the older professor with thick glasses frowned and raised his head, looking in Jiang Zhe’s direction several times in surprise. He said to Professor Hodde, who was passing by, “Hodde, do you know that kid? He can already generate an aura at this age… Amazing…”

“Heh, him?” Professor Hod glanced at Jiang Zhe with a half-smile, nodded, and said, “I know this little brat!” Then he muttered to himself, “He’s much smarter than I thought. Sos, indeed—using one’s magic to create a barrier can block external perceptions. But still…” With these thoughts, Professor Hod walked over to Jiang Zhe with a teasing expression and just stood there motionless…

After a full minute or two, Jiang Zhe could no longer bear it. Was Professor Hod really that despicable? Coughing lightly, he forced himself to look up and said awkwardly, “Professor, what are you doing?”

“Hm?” Professor Hod pretended to be clueless and asked in surprise, “Am I bothering you by standing here, student Sos?”

Jiang Zhe rolled his eyes and replied irritably, “Yes, Professor. You make me so nervous that I perform poorly…”

“Alright, alright,” the little brat! Professor Hod shook his head, glanced at the exam paper on the table, and smiled inexplicably. “Then work hard…” With a broad smile, he left, leaving Jiang Zhe utterly confused.

As Professor Hod approached, the older professor said with a smile, “I remember now, Hod. Isn’t that little brat your apprentice? I recall during the last exam… Hehehe, what an interesting little brat. To have such strength at such a young age—amazing, amazing…”

“He’s still a long way off…”

“You can’t say that. Personally, I think this little brat is stronger than students four years his senior… By the way, he used magic to block our perceptions. Could it be he’s trying to… Hehe…”

“Don’t worry,” Professor Hod said with an embarrassed smile. “Nothing will happen…”

“Hehehe…”

While Professor Hod and the older professor chatted, Jiang Zhe in the exam room saw his chance. He immediately took out the prepared correct answers from his pocket. After all, it was Professor Hod—he didn’t expect him to let Jiang Zhe write down all the correct answers on the paper. He could only copy as many as possible.

But to Jiang Zhe’s surprise, Professor Hod seemed in particularly good mood today. He didn’t use his teleportation magic to “attack” once, and it seemed he was deeply engaged in conversation with the older professor. This left Jiang Zhe, who was constantly watching Professor Hod, at a loss. He remained vigilant, ready to hide the answers at the slightest sign of any change in Professor Hod’s magic.

Of course, it would be even better if Professor Hodde were more lenient…
Hmm…
Who was the magician who proposed the theory of elemental differentiation and transformation between elements?
Hmm, let me see… It was Beerscano…
Good, very good. Next question…
Who was the magician who applied elemental balance to magic circles?
Let me think… Vanisell… Hmm, next question…
What was the exact time when King Sassen improved black magic?
Hmm… Elford, good…
Wait!
How… why is the answer a person’s name for such a specific time?
Did I get the order wrong?
No, that can’t be…
“Sssss.” As he was thinking, Jiang Zhe suddenly heard a few faint sounds coming from the front left. Looking up, he happened to see Allen anxiously winking at him, as if trying to say something.
“Ahem, quiet!” Seeming to notice Allen’s behavior, Professor Hodde walked over with a strange expression and said, “Allen, be careful. This is an exam…”
“Yes… yes, Professor…”
“Very good,” Professor Hodde nodded, glanced at Jiang Zhe, and seeing him staring at him blankly, he suddenly showed a strange smile. He walked over to him and asked, “Is there a problem?”
“No…” Jiang Zhe instinctively shook his head, then, as if remembering something, pointed at the exam paper and said, “Professor, this exam paper seems a bit off…”
“Oh? Is that so?” Professor Hodde bent down to take a look, shook his head, and said, “It’s this very paper. The dean handed it to me personally this morning. There can’t be any mistake…” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but chuckle, then coughed twice before smiling and saying, “Why do you think this paper is wrong?”
“…” Looking at Professor Hodde’s strange smile, Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, smiled, and said, “Maybe I’m wrong, Professor!”
“Very good. Then let’s continue the exam…” Holding back his laughter, Professor Hodde turned back to the front of the classroom, leaving Jiang Zhe in a dazed state.
“What’s going on?” Taking advantage of Professor Hodde turning away, Allen stared at Jiang Zhe behind him with wide eyes, but all he got in return was Jiang Zhe shrugging helplessly…
“Bang!” As if realizing something, Allen slammed his head on the table…
Meanwhile, in another examination room…
Ms. Vera Covetti, the professor of potion-making, picked up Scott’s exam paper, took a look, and then shook her head, saying, “There’s no mistake, child. This is today’s exam paper…”
“Is that so? Thank you!”
“Giggle, study hard!”

“Yes, Ms. Koviti…” Looking at the exam paper on the table, Scott sighed self-mockingly. Then, he picked up the pen, ready to write down his answers, but seemed to remember something and stared at the paper for a long time. From initial confusion to sudden realization, Jiang Zhe left the exam room in a daze. Of course, he wasn’t the only one—Allen was the same… “Damn it…” Allen said weakly, glancing at Jiang Zhe. “What about you, buddy?” Jiang Zhe shook his head with a bitter smile and replied irritably, “What do you think?” “Hehe,” Allen laughed strangely twice before suddenly pondering, “Did you get the wrong one?” He glanced at Jiang Zhe’s eyes and quickly added soothingly, “No, no, I mean no offense. I’m just asking, just asking…” “It’s impossible to get the wrong one!” Jiang Zhe said firmly, recalling Professor Hod’s strange smile earlier. Shaking his head, he added, “It seems Scott’s intuition was right…” “Scott? He was sure about it… Sigh, wasted an entire night,” Allen said, shaking his head and patting Jiang Zhe’s shoulder. “Now all we can do is pray to pass. Even if not, at least answer some questions. By the way, there are no classes today. Want to go back and get some sleep?” “Go back to sleep?” At the thought of telling Ravia about this later and hearing her mocking laugh, Jiang Zhe broke into a cold sweat. Shaking his head, he said, “Forget it. I’ll sleep in the library. It’s quiet there…” “Hey, you’re the only one who sleeps in the library… Alright, I’m heading back. I’ll come call you when the results are announced…” “Mm!” It seems Professor Hod played a trick on us… I wondered why he was so kind this time… Complaining about Professor Hod the whole time, Jiang Zhe walked into the library tiredly, picked a random magic book from the shelf, and sat down in an inconspicuous corner as usual… What exactly went wrong that allowed Professor Hod to discover it? Never mind. Even if I dared to ask, Professor Hod probably wouldn’t tell me. Well, definitely not… I even came up with a method to counter the professors’ mental perception… Sigh… But there’s one thing I still need to ask Professor Hod. Otherwise, facing opponents like that monster in the future will be deadly… Hmm, but it’s not urgent. Let’s rest first… Just as Jiang Zhe leaned his head on the book on the table, he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind. Was it Dia who came back?

“Dia?” Jiang Zhe instinctively turned around, only to freeze upon seeing the person approaching. It was a girl dressed in a white mage robe, covering her mouth and staring at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise.
Since when did the academy have white mage robes? Jiang Zhe examined the girl before him with utter confusion.
It was clear that although the girl was about the same age as Dia, she seemed quite timid. Under Jiang Zhe’s bold gaze, her face turned red as she slowly backed away, clutching the book in her arms.
“P-please… may I ask what you need?” The girl’s voice was soft and pleasant, yet also hesitant.
“You?” Jiang Zhe raised his head in surprise, looking at her snow-white hair. Shrugging, he said, “Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Go ahead then!” With that, he turned back and continued resting his head on the book to recover his strength.
The girl tilted her head, her face full of confusion. She hesitated for a long time before cautiously stepping forward and asking, “May I ask what ‘go ahead’ means?”
“…” Still recovering from the shock of failing the exam, Jiang Zhe raised his head and snapped, “‘Go ahead’ means you can do whatever you want. Get it?”
“I… I understand!” The girl nodded repeatedly.
“Then why are you still standing here?”
“I…” The girl glanced nervously around the library and whispered, “I prefer quiet. Can I sit here? I promise I won’t disturb you at all…”
Rolling his eyes, Jiang Zhe looked around and saw that only this corner was relatively empty; all the other seats were occupied, some by people dressed in white mage robes like the girl in front of him.
“…Go ahead then!”
The girl’s eyes lit up as she held her magic book. “I see. Does that mean you agree? Thank you. I promise I won’t disturb you at all…” As she spoke, she suddenly froze because she noticed the boy in front of her tilting his head, resting on his book and seemingly ignoring her.
The people of the Empire really hate us Saloniaans…
Holding her magic book, the girl glanced around fearfully before sitting down across from Jiang Zhe.
Ryox is truly the most famous magic academy in the Empire—every student there is incredibly talented. This boy in front of me… he seems only twelve or thirteen years old, yet the fire elements surrounding his body are so dense… I wonder what grade he is in?

Just as the girl was thinking this, Jiang Zhe suddenly raised his head, frowned at her, and said, “Did you… use your mental power to scan me just now?”
“!!” The girl was shocked and quickly stood up, apologizing repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I… I…”
“It’s fine,” Jiang Zhe felt a bit uncomfortable as he watched the girl bow in apology before him. Waving his hand, he said, “It’s a minor matter; no need to apologize like this… But don’t do it again next time!”
“Okay, okay…” The girl nodded repeatedly.
What a strange person… Jiang Zhe thought to himself as he continued to restore his energy, while the girl breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down. To be honest, she never expected the boy in front of her to notice. Since arriving at Riox, she had scanned many people, but none of them had noticed…
This boy has quite strong mental power…
Thinking of this, the girl asked softly, “May I ask, which grade are you in at Riox Academy?”
“…” Just as he had lain down again, Jiang Zhe raised his head once more, looking at the girl with impatience.
“I’m sorry…”
“Enough,” Jiang Zhe interrupted her apologies by extending his hand. “I’m a second-year student at Riox Academy, majoring in fire-based blue magic. My name is Sos… I’m telling you all at once—stop bothering me!”
“Okay, okay…” The girl nodded blankly. Suddenly remembering something, she said apologetically, “Sorry for being rude. My name is Katerina Catherine Latimer, from Salonia…” As she spoke, she noticed the boy in front of her continuing to sleep with no interest, which made her feel awkward. But the next moment, the boy suddenly raised his head again.
“S… Salonia?” Jiang Zhe stared at Katerina with wide eyes, then nodded in realization. No wonder… I wondered why there were students in white magic robes at the academy. The colors are usually only gray, blue, or black.
“Is… is there something wrong?” Under Jiang Zhe’s gaze, Katerina felt a bit uneasy.
“Nothing’s wrong!” Jiang Zhe shrugged and said, “Your Salonia sends some students to compete with us at Riox in magic. I heard about it from the professor…”
“It’s not a competition,” Katerina shook her head and corrected, “It’s about exchanging experiences and insights from learning magic, not just a simple contest…”

“Huh? Communication?” Jiang Zhe shook his head in disbelief, mocking, “Haven’t your professors ever said we need to win?”
Katerina was stunned for a moment, then spoke earnestly, “Our mentor did say that, but our goal isn’t to win. Who wins between the two academies doesn’t prove which side of mages—black or white—is better. We just want to…”
“What grade are you in?” Jiang Zhe suddenly interrupted her.
“I? Oh, I’m a fifth-year student at Salonia, majoring in blessing magic, prophecy, healing magic, and holy light magic…”
“Enough,” Jiang Zhe waved his hand to cut her off again, irritably saying, “There’s no need to tell me these. Whether it’s a competition, a duel, or what you call exchanging insights from learning magic—whatever it is, it has nothing to do with me. The academy doesn’t allow students below third grade to participate in such things…”
“Huh?” Katerina looked at Jiang Zhe in surprise, saying, “But I thought your strength was beyond that of a second-year student?”
“You mean I deceived you?”
“No, no, I definitely didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“…”
What’s wrong with this girl? She apologizes all the time!
Clearly, Jiang Zhe was full of irritation, but her apologies somehow made him lose his temper.
“I… I didn’t offend you, did I?”
“I’m not offended… Please stop using ‘you’. It’s not something I’m used to hearing,” Jiang Zhe said. Then, as if thinking of something, he asked with interest, “Is it your personal habit, or is that how education works in Salonia? Always apologizing?”
Katerina made a cross sign over her chest and said devoutly, “The Lord says we must be full of love for everything in the world, respect anyone and anything, and never be angry or jealous…”
“Enough!”
“…Is there something wrong?”
“Is… is this prayer also part of your curriculum in Salonia?”
“Yes. And sometimes priests from the Holy See come to teach us. I remember once Archbishop Weplington himself taught us. He’s one of the twelve cardinals in the Holy See—very rare to see…”

“Is it that difficult?” Jiang Zhe looked puzzled. He had already met a Red Cardinal himself, and even several times. Not long ago, he kept coming to talk to Jiang Zhe, insisting that Thalonia was better than heaven… Ah! He meant it was better than any other place in the world…
“It really is!” Holding the magic book, Katerina said devoutly, “It would be great if I could meet the other eleven Red Cardinals. If possible, I’d also like to see our great Pope, even just once…” As she spoke, the girl sighed softly and said hopefully, “I’m not sure if my application to join the Holy See after graduation will be approved this time…”
“Then I hope it goes through…”
“Thank you…”
“Are there any interesting things in Thalonia?”
“Interesting things? I haven’t noticed any. But not long ago, His Holiness the Pope issued a notice summoning all the Red Cardinals in various cities; seems there’s something going on…”
“Is that considered interesting?”
“Uh… I’m sorry, sorry…”
“Enough already!”
They didn’t know how long they had been talking when Jiang Zhe suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder. Just as he turned around, he saw Allen’s face. Allen glanced at Katerina a few times before smiling at Jiang Zhe and saying, “Alright, buddy, what are you waiting for? I’m going to sleep in the library—it’s quiet there… Hehe, really quiet…”
“Enough!” Jiang Zhe swatted away Allen’s hand from his shoulder and said irritably, “What are you doing here? I don’t believe you’re here to read. Did Lavia mock you?”
“Of course not. If she’s going to laugh at anyone, it’s at you, not me. I just came to call you… You’re out now…”
“Out… what do you mean, out?” Jiang Zhe asked, confused.
“Hey!” Allen said, looking exasperated, “What else do you think it means?”
“Oh!” Jiang Zhe finally realized and shook his head with a wry smile. “Have you gone to check it out?”
“Not yet,” Allen said, sitting down next to Jiang Zhe and stretching lazily. “It doesn’t matter whether I go or not. I’m not that stupid to think I can pass by writing the answers to one test on another. Besides, with such an amazing opportunity, how could I leave you behind?”
“Hmph!” Jiang Zhe curled his lips and glanced behind Allen. “Where’s Scott?”
“Him? I don’t know. Anyway, with that guy’s brainpower, he’ll definitely pass. It’s just the two of us left. Ugh, we really lost face this time… Let’s go!”

“Hmph,” Jiang Zhe shook his head irritably and turned to Katerina, “I have something to do, I’m leaving first!”
Katerina stood up and said politely, “Well, goodbye!”
Allen gave Katerina a strange look. After walking away for a distance, he asked in confusion, “Who was that?”
“She’s from Salonia. Her name is… um, I can’t remember it clearly…”
“Dude, you… hehe!”
“What’s there to laugh about? Hey, why do you call her a beautiful lady whenever no one’s around?”
“You just said she’s from Salonia. I’m quite patriotic…”
“Hmph… acting! How could I not know you? You just don’t have the mood right now, right?”
“Hey!”
After some bickering, they arrived at the bulletin board in front of the castle gate. To their surprise, Scott was standing there, a slight smile on his lips.
“Hey, hey, hey! Are you trying to be rude too?” Clearly displeased by Scott’s smile, Allen frowned and said, “Are you laughing just because we didn’t pass?”
“No…” Scott shook his head with a smile.
Pushing the annoyed Allen aside, Jiang Zhe glanced at the students around and whispered, “Allen!” Then he turned to Scott and said, “Scott, why did you come here too?”
“Hehe,” Scott pushed his glasses up and said with an inexplicable smile, “When I got back to the dorm, I suddenly realized I made mistakes during the exam, so I came to take a look…”
“What’s there to look at? With you, even if you make a few more mistakes, you’ll definitely pass…” As he spoke, Allen looked up at the score list on the bulletin board and then chuckled, “Found it… Ugh, what a shame… Dude, we really lost face this time. Allen, zero points, Thors, zero points, Scott…” Suddenly, his expression changed. He turned back to Scott in disbelief and murmured, “Scott, zero points…”
Seeming to notice Jiang Zhe and Allen’s astonished expressions, Scott pushed his glasses up and shook his head. “So that’s how it is. I remembered just now. I missed the first question, which messed up the order of the answers. Ugh… We really lost face this time…”
Is that it? Who are you trying to fool?

Under Jiang Zhe’s strange gaze, Allen’s expression changed several times in an instant. Then, he suddenly spread his arms, putting one hand on Scott’s shoulder and the other on Jiang Zhe’s, and said with a grin, “That’s not true! There were only six people who failed in the whole second grade, and we three make up half of them. But with you two here, hehe… Guys, what’s this called? Sharing joys and sorrows, right?”
“Come on,” Jiang Zhe rolled his eyes and said to Allen and Scott, “It’s so embarrassing… I still need to ask Professor Hodd about the levels of fire. If I encounter opponents like the Illusion Water Monster again, I won’t be able to waste hours fighting them. You two go back first…”
“Okay, okay,” Allen nodded repeatedly. “Then Scott and I will go have lunch first. Do you need us to bring you a meal?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhe, who hadn’t gone far, turned around and said irritably, “What do you think?”
“I think you need…” Allen chuckled weirdly twice, as if shedding some unpleasant thought, looking in high spirits. Putting his arm around Scott’s shoulder, he said, “Alright, got it! By the way, Thors, remember to be prepared when we go back—Lavia is still around…” He glanced at the students nearby who kept staring at him and said irritably, “What are you looking at?”
Perhaps Scott thought failing the exam was even more embarrassing than standing with Allen. Glancing at Jiang Zhe’s retreating figure, he pushed up his glasses and said, “I think I should go back and prepare for the make-up exam…”
“Do you even need to prepare? I don’t believe your brain can’t pass that make-up exam. Well, it should be a bit easier this time…”
“Hey, Allen, stop leaning on my shoulder. That’s very rude!”
“Okay, okay…”
Three hours earlier, while the professors were grading the papers…
Professor Hodd looked at the paper with Thors’s name on it, shook his head with a wry smile, and set it aside. Then he looked at the paper below, which had Allen’s name on it.
“Got your lesson, you two bold brats!” Professor Hodd glanced at it briefly before marking it with a zero. Just then, he suddenly heard a professor next to him say, “This child is too careless! He missed the first question. What a shame—his answers to the rest were clearly correct, but he got them wrong due to the order…”

“Hm?” Hearing that, Professor Hod seemed to think of something and turned to ask, “Gegu, what’s that child’s name?”
The middle-aged professor named Gegu glanced at the exam paper, shook his head, and said, “It’s a child named Scott O’Gill! Hey, the answer to question one is actually written in question last… What’s going on with this kid? By the way, Hod, how should we grade this paper? All the answers are correct… Even if he can’t get full marks, maybe we should let him pass? We can’t let the people of Salonia laugh at us…”
Scott… is that the kid with glasses…
Professor Hod smiled slightly, stood up, walked behind Professor Gegu, took the feather pen from his hand, moved it lightly on the exam paper, and marked a zero, leaving Professor Gegu stunned.
“Hey, Hod? That’s too harsh! A zero is really embarrassing…”
“Well, it’s his own carelessness. Have you ever seen a student make such mistakes?” Shaking his head, Professor Hod said with a laugh, “Besides, maybe he even wants it that way…”
“Stop making excuses. How could that happen? Which student doesn’t want full marks?”
“Who knows…”