Vol. 8 - Ch. 426 - Exam Time! Three days of theory and two days of practice!

The exam preparation week was over, with test week finally upon us.The boys’ faces were a pale sheet of paper; trivial information. On the other hand, ‹Machos› were going to see if there was any way to revive their muscle through the help of tests; of course, that was a foolish thought, but they were entertaining.

But then again, maybe we might not be in the same class next year. That would be a bit lonely.

Monday, the first day, was set for Language and Math.

Tuesday, the second day, was set for History and Jobs.

Wednesday, the third day, was set for Dungeon Clearance, Party and Specialities.

First day. I cheesed through it. Second day. Nailed it. Third day. Not a problem, even with a handicap. Haa, the exam couldn't even ruffle feathers for me. Fuhahaha!

I saw the faces of boys getting paler with each passing day. But I didn't put my mind to it.

Then comes the fourth day, signifying the start of the practical test. At the same time, it was like someone had blown a breath of resurrection on boys.

Aside from the written test, ‹Dungeon Activity› also had a practical test to test the students' knowledge learned in class about the dungeon. Well, it was just like the guild recruitment test. You just need to put on a performance with whatever you have learned and appeal to teachers like, 'look, I know everything taught in class!".

The 1 of Class 1 wasn't just a number; it also represented where the students stood overall ability-wise among the same grade peers, so being the foremost class it was, the practical test was equally high level. Or, well, that's what it was supposed to be. But the members of ‹Eden› in Class 1—except Misato and Celestine—already had a max level status. Honestly, it was like shooting fish in the barrel for us.

A boss of Beg-mid? They could decimate them even with their eyes closed. Though I must say, Ladvena-sensei was truly a hardcore teacher for choosing ‹Battle Wolf› for the first test. But I guess there's no one weak enough to lose against ‹Battle Wolf› in this class.

Granted, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing for a few, but everyone safely passed the trial of ‹Battle Wolf›.

"The general trend each year was to have two or three parties get wiped out. We have good seedlings this year. Now I think we should have chosen a bit more difficult dungeon."

So was said by Ladvena-sensei. Truly a demon in the skin of a human. Her words instantly brought shudders to the students.

‹Battle Wolf›, in a general sense, was quite strong as a matter of fact. As evident from one party that barely managed to pass. I doubt we would have the same result if the difficulty was really increased. It's not like everything was roses here already. There was one such rule that those who were unable to clear three Beg-low dungeons would be automatically disqualified from the test, receiving zero points. Class-1, not so easy!

Incidentally, among the 30 students in Class 1, 12 were from ‹Eden›, 4 from ‹Best of the Best, the Great Star›, 5 from ‹Machos› and 3 of ‹Arc-Arcadia›—a total of 24 students from the first year's three strongest guilds and an extra. The remaining 5 were barely hanging on.

It was that extra, a girl, that took me by surprise. If I'm not right, she had already been chosen for Class 1 in the first half of the class shuffle. She had been left in my memories.

Her name was, right, Myu. She had a bobbed hairstyle leaning towards a pale shade of blue, and her eyes were quietly unassuming, lacking any strong assertion. She was of no category and the holder of ‹Hunter› system high-ranking job—‹Tough Ranger›.

She was a long-range expert, with her main weapon being a gun with an extremely long muzzle, one of the sniper category weapons. And through the help of her job, she excelled in scouting, enemy detection, trap detection, etc. She had thoroughly utilized and mastered these skills in her strategic approach within just three months since enrollment.

Her level was also on a higher spectrum, Lv48. Aside from the girls of ‹Eden›, I had hardly seen a girl of her caliber so far. And this was what stumped me. How didn't I notice her much? Maybe because she didn't stand out much in class?

It wasn’t like I wanted to recruit her; I was just grateful that our class had someone of her caliber. Considering we would be having an inter-class battle just shortly after the opening of next term, the more, the better.

This test actually tested not only the student's ability but also the battle power of the class as a whole. I believe she should prove to be a huge boon during the inter-class battle. I quietly noted her down in my mental note.

Then comes Friday, the fifth day of exam week.

Friday was usually reserved for the elective classes, but as a rule, they don't typically involve tests. And for those who have it, the test was supposed to be conducted either last Friday or an upcoming one. This week was scheduled for round 2 of regular classes' practical lessons.

Yesterday's theme was battle-related aspects, while today's theme was about material drop. It was usually about which monster dropped which drop. Now I would call this on a higher spectrum. Just a single monster already dropped so many materials, then little was to say about how tough it is to memorize everything. Me? Ahaha, how could I be just someone else? I have them all memorized! Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

There had been questions over drops as well, but today's main task was to actually dive into the dungeon and bring back the designated materials. Of course, teachers kept the type of drop a secret until the beginning of the exam. The specifics were determined by randomly drawing three cards for each student. Something like a scavenger hunt. And if you don't remember, well, good luck.

They also took drop probability into account; students just need to bring back five other types of materials from the same monster if they don't drop the required material, and that's just it.

For example, if the taks says to bring back the Mochiko's drop ‹Gluttonous Rice› and it just won't drop, then it's other drop—‹Rice›, ‹Corn›, ‹Rice Plant›, ‹Wheat› and ‹Barely›—would also be considered a pass.

Sometimes, misunderstandings also happen. Students accidentally hunted other monsters than asked since they didn't know the right answer and instead brought that monster's drop; that's zero point. A waste of energy.

There's no limit to it; one could form a party or even do it solo. The caveat of the party was that they would have to gather drops assigned to each party member. In contrast, it made fighting monsters they encountered on the way easier. Needless to say, kicking the bucket while on the test will earn you negative marks.

The ideal number is a 2~3 member party.

Speaking of, it goes without saying, but it's forbidden to reveal the details written on the card. When in a party, the question should be posed like, 'which dungeon's monster do you want to defeat›'. Failing to adhere to the rule means they would have to redraw the card plus a penalty. So watch your tongue carefully.

In short, you just can't reveal the name of the drop to anyone, not even the party members.

Traversing to their goal for the ‹Eden› members was a cakewalk with their max level. The test only takes Beg-mid and below dungeons into account.

With that explanation, the test began. Our guild members all take the solo route. 7 out of 12 cleared everything. Three cleared two of the three missions. Karua and Pamela barely passed by, clearing just one mission. Truth be told, I was barely holding myself from breaking into a cold sweat.

That concluded the five-day test period.