After Alex returned from the bathroom, he sat down with his friends to chat a little longer before Tessa had to leave for the girls' dorms.
"You know, I heard that some Elarion nobles are coming sometime next month," Tessa said.
"Yeah? And what do those mongrels need here that they can't find in the capital?" Alex asked.
"I don't know, but apparently, a lot of them are coming," Tessa replied.
"Then I guess it's something important," Marc added.
"Ah—of course! The midterms!" Alex realized aloud. "They're coming to evaluate the potential of lesser nobles for future marriage alliances based on the midterm results."
It made sense. Nobles valued power above everything, and what better way to strengthen their clans than by assessing promising talents from the academy?
Those who excelled would likely receive marriage proposals—benefiting the lesser noble house with prestige and the greater house with a potentially powerful ally.
"That makes sense, but why look outside the capital? Wouldn't it be better to find talent there?" Marc asked, still confused by noble politics.
"The noble houses controlling the capital will never marry each other," Alex explained. "They don't want shared power—they want absolute control. Marrying into another great house means risking betrayal when you least expect it.
That's why they look for potential among lesser nobles—those can be controlled and managed. The risk of betrayal becomes minimal… if not nonexistent."
Alex spoke with a mix of knowledge and disdain. He'd read enough and seen enough to understand how twisted the noble world truly was.
"Isn't that too complicated? Shouldn't people marry for love?" Tessa asked softly.
Alex sighed. "It should be like that. But all it takes is one noble house willing to sacrifice everything for power to ruin the system for everyone else. In the end, the only thing stronger than freedom… is the fear of losing what you've built."
Despite how much Alex despised nobles, he couldn't deny that their world was cruel. Every noble had to sleep with one eye open—because betrayal could come from the person they trusted most.
After discussing the noble affairs, the trio drifted into lighter topics, chatting and laughing for a while until Tessa's curfew approached.
After saying goodbye, Alex went to cook dinner. Tomorrow, Scarlett would explain how the midterms would be conducted.
He honestly didn't care about the results. As Scarlett had said before, no matter how high a commoner placed, nothing would change. In fact, if a commoner ranked higher than a noble, the nobles would likely drive that student out of the academy. They would never tolerate the humiliation of being outshined by a "lesser."
And like that, the next day came.
Alex and Marc met Tessa at the dorm entrance and walked together toward the academy.
Of course, the walk wasn't free of mockery. Every noble that passed them spat venom, most of it directed at Alex—the "perpetrator of the noble massacre" during the first field test.
Tessa had grown used to it by now, though she still felt pity for Alex every time she heard the cruel words.
At first, she hadn't understood why the nobles hated him so much. But eventually, someone told her.
She couldn't believe that Alex had managed to trick so many nobles, defeating them through cunning and treachery. But after confirming it with a few noble girls, she was left wondering why he would do such a thing.
It wasn't until Marc explained everything—how rampant favoritism was in the academy, how nobles constantly harassed commoners, and how that had pushed Alex over the edge—that she started to understand.
Even then, she wasn't entirely sure what to believe. After all, she had never experienced such treatment herself. Maybe Marc was exaggerating, maybe he was just defending his friend.
But Alex never showed hostility toward anyone. He didn't act like someone cruel or vindictive. That alone made her doubt the rumors.
So she decided to trust her own eyes—and kept spending time with them to see the truth for herself.
When they arrived at the academy entrance, the trio split up. Alex and Marc headed for their classroom.
Inside, the room was empty except for Scarlett, who was arranging her materials at the front.
Since she'd assigned them front-row seats, the duo had stopped arriving at the last minute and often got there early.
"Hello, boys," Scarlett greeted.
"Hi, teacher," they replied in unison.
"Alex," she said, turning to him, "I hope this time you actually try to place high in the coming midterms. Don't be lazy like last time."
"Not happening," Alex replied flatly.
Scarlett frowned. "Why not? If you don't even want to try, why come to the academy at all?"
"Because when I first came here, I didn't know it was going to be a shithole," Alex said bluntly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come at all. Now I'm only staying because there are still things I can learn—and I don't want those 200 gold coins to go to waste."
Over time, Alex had grown comfortable enough with Scarlett to speak his mind without holding back.
"Besides," he added, "placing high would just put a bigger target on my back. No thanks."
Scarlett was about to respond, but other students started filing into the room, cutting her off.
Alex sighed in quiet relief. He was tired of her constant pressure to excel when doing so only made his life harder.
Once everyone was seated, Scarlett began.
"Alright, everyone. Today I'll be explaining the midterms, so don't bother taking out your books yet.
As you know, the exams begin in ten days, so pay attention."
She walked to the blackboard and began writing as she spoke.
"The midterms will last one month. Like the first field test, your goal will be to hunt monsters. However, this time, you'll be working alone—no teams allowed. You also won't be permitted to bring outside items like potions or spare weapons."
Murmurs filled the room as she continued.
"Your objective is to demonstrate your progress—either by hunting many weaker monsters or by defeating a few strong ones. You'll each wear a bracelet again, which will teleport you back in case of emergencies."
She paused, chalk tapping lightly against the board.
"This time, however, there will be no rules against fighting one another—only against killing."
Alex raised a brow. The classroom buzzed with anxious whispers; the commoners especially seemed uneasy.
"The final day, everyone still active will be teleported back to the starting point," Scarlett added. "So don't worry about getting lost or missing the return deadline."
The scratching of chalk resumed as she wrote the last few lines.
"After you return, you'll have a week off to rest before the written exam. That free week is meant for studying since you'll have spent a full month in the field without being able to."
When she finished writing, she turned back to the class.
"That's about it. Train hard these next ten days—treat them like your life depends on it. Now, open your books to page…"
Scarlett resumed her regular lecture as if she hadn't just announced a potential bloodbath.
Meanwhile, Alex's mind spun with questions.
'What kind of trickery has the academy prepared for us this time?'
Still, he pushed the thought aside and focused when Scarlett called on him.