Chapter 39

Priestess Ai Xueli's words had just ceased when An Su felt the view before his eyes blur.A soft buzzing noise reached his ears.

A sheet of paper woven from light gently floated down before him, landing in An Su's hands on its own.

The sheet was as thin as a cicada's wing, weightless, and it was a set of instructions for the exam, as well as a pledge.

[Dear Mr. An Su Moningsta, greetings, your exam number is 061, and your examination location is the sixth cathedral of the Alchemical and Engineering Church.]

[The subject of this assessment is 'the allocation and usage of spell slots and magic points'.]

[Exam weighting: 30%.]

[Exam instructions: Restricted by the Alchemic Magic Circle, you can and may only use four memory slots. You are free to choose spells from a magic book for temporary equipment and allocate ten magic points for use.]

[Carrying any auxiliary magic tools is prohibited, and divine titles are disabled. Contestants must not have any debuff before entering the arena.]

[For thorough fairness, the examiner will completely replicate your status at the time you enter the examination venue, including appearance, gear, physical condition, spells in the four spell slots, and ten magic points, through an authorized Alchemic Magic Circle.]

[Assessment criteria: Scores will be determined by performance, with defeating the examiner resulting in full marks.]

[Persistence, courage, wisdom—this is not just an assessment but also a trial of self-overcoming.]

[The only criterion for full marks is to defeat yourself.]

As An Su flipped through the pledge, a faintly interested smile rose on his lips; he found this exam quite fascinating.

[This pledge is drafted by the Alchemical and Engineering Church.]

[Please confirm that you have read it thoroughly. By signing this exam pledge, you will grant the above rights.]

In summary, there are only four spell slots, ten magic points, and no usage of titles.

The examiner will battle you under the exact same conditions.

Absolute fairness.

But Priestess Ai Xueli is a genuine magic specialist, with far more experience than they have, so even with the same spells and identical conditions, she can produce better effects than the average person.

The condition to pass this exam is how to choose those four spells. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It's like a game of chess; the four memory slots are the pieces, and the ten magic points are your moves.

You have to hide a strategy within those chosen pieces that will lead to victory over the opponent, and this strategy must also deceive them, not allowing them to see through it.

Because the opponent has the same four pieces, and she can play the same moves.

Even more, based on your chosen four pieces, she can design a better and more superior combination, playing a more skillful game.

Right now, a normal person would be pondering how to choose the spells from the magic book.

That is the orthodox and correct approach.

—But An Su plays unconventionally.

Rather than playing chess, he prefers flipping the board.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he watched Miss Enya on the stage, and An Su already had a plan in his heart.

Priestess Ai Xueli seemed to sense An Su's gaze—she was a woman of high perception and slightly furrowed her brows, turning her head back.

An Su gave her a radiant, pure smile.

The reading of tomorrow's exam rules was complete, and there was nothing else for today, so the candidates were dismissed on the spot.

After leaving the Alchemical Church, An Su saw Miss Enya.

She was sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

The sunlight, passing through the transparent dome and reflecting off the glass in various angles, shone down inside.

Because the courtyard was full of layers of greenery, the scorching sunlight seemed to lose some of its heat, resembling cool moonlight instead.

Wearing a Lolita dress, the hem adorned with fine wisteria patterning, exquisite and opulent, the silhouette of the sycamore tree outside the window half-covered her side face.

In her hands, she held a lunch box, tapping her toes on the ground, with her bare feet tied with a red string, making her appear light and transparent as if she was about to melt into that patch of light.

Miss Enya also saw An Su and tilted her head, "I've brought lunch for you."

It was so akin to a parent bringing food to a student...

Under the watchful eyes of all, An Su accepted the lunch box, opening it to see a rich selection of food: fried fish cakes, neatly sliced steak, with a bottom layer spread with salad and cherry tomatoes, all neatly arranged in compartments.

"Your unicorn arrived today as well; I've arranged for the inn to take care of it," Miss Enya spoke in an orderly manner, appearing on the surface to be a perfect maid indeed.

"Let's not talk about that for now, where is my magic wand?" An Su tasted a piece of the fried fish cake, finding it delicious.

He might need it for tomorrow.

"What magic wand?" Miss Enya tilted her head.

"The one with Holy Light attributes— the one Luojia gave to me."

"Hmm," Miss Enya still wore a smile, batting her amber-colored eyes, "I can't remember."

She was like a stubborn cat.

"Where is it?"

"Is that a magic wand?" she exclaimed, feigning sudden realization, "It's so ugly, I thought it was a clothes rod."

"...So you used it to hang laundry?"

An Su's mouth twitched slightly.

If the Little Holy Maiden found out about this, she'd blow her top!

"Just kidding, it doesn't really look like a clothes rod." Enya said with a smile, "I wouldn't actually use it to hang laundry."

That's a relief... An Su felt slightly reassured.

"Such a strange and ugly design." Enya said calmly, "I thought it was His Excellency Luojia's Purple Authority Stick, so I used it for that sort of thing."

?

That was the Holy Maiden's magic wand.

What ultimate insult...

...your mouth has started spewing filth again.

This is a holy place of the Church.

An Su smacked the back of the latter's head with a lunch box, and the maid winced, whimpering in pain, holding the spot where she'd been hit.

"Stop joking around."

An Su could tell that the head maid was making up nonsense, spouting scandalous rumors, "Give it to me—I might need it tomorrow."

The maid held her head, sticking out her tongue.

An Su took the magic wand, paused, and after a long moment, finally said, "The lunch was delicious—thank you for bringing it to me."

"Don't speak so kindly."

Miss Enya paused, tilting her head, her sleek hair cascading over one shoulder, "Otherwise, you'll become an even tastier ingredient for me tonight."

"Impudent girl."

An Su said.

After finishing the boxed lunch, An Su sent Enya away and returned to his dormitory.

As soon as he returned to the dormitory and opened the door, he heard the sound of a defense being shattered.

The radiant young lion, Mr. Arthur Sunny, was trembling as he held a copy of the "Imperial Capital Morning Post," his worldview seeming to collapse as he read the text he couldn't believe.

#The first examinee to leave the examination room! Arthur Sunny of the Sun Family is interviewed!#

'Arthur Sunny personally stated that the last question on the exam was quite simple, so it wasn't worth remembering---only a fool couldn't solve it."

His eyes blinked in confusion.

—Where's my flawless plan?

And I was the second one to leave the examination room, wasn't I?

And who said all this nonsense!

"Someone's got it in for me!"

Lister pushed open the door, "Arthur, there's a telegram for you—it's from your father."

Arthur's handsome face trembled as he took the telegram, opened it, and his pupils shrank.

In the telegram, his father praised him fiercely and boasted of his deeds to the noble circles,

he even declared a day off for the entire domain, with banners flying, to celebrate his 'Lord Arthur's triumphant return home with the laurel of the arts'.

All Arthur could think about now was what to do if he failed and had to go home, wondering how he should beg for forgiveness.

The boast had been made, and his father loved his reputation.

Moreover, his father was a demigod-level knight!

Could he, Arthur, really take it... He swallowed a gulp of saliva.

Lister took the morning post from Arthur's hands, looked at it intently, and frowned—since when did I hand in my exam second?

"Someone's got it in for me!"

He was so modest, how could he possibly be the second to submit his exam!

He always had to be third!

Lister had the most pathological compulsive disorder, he only wanted to be third.

The OCD made him feel as if ants were crawling all over his body, making him extremely uncomfortable as if he were dying.

How could his perfect plan go awry?

Seeing their dispirited faces, An Su curiously took the morning post and raised his eyebrow even more, his first reaction being major—

Has Kavensis crawled out of his grave to seek relatives?

'Pregnant with twins and heartlessly abandoned, I transformed into a red-dressed ghost to seek my kin thousands of miles away'?

"Someone's got it in for me!"