Ten days passed.
When Alex woke up on the day of the midterms, he went through his usual morning routine.
He had been training nonstop with Marc and Tessa, and during those sessions, he came up with a plan for the test.
'I can't bring any helping items from outside,' he thought, 'but I can bring some alchemy tools to make potions in the wild.'
In the days following Scarlett's explanation, Alex had asked her countless questions about the rules.
Scarlett answered eagerly, thinking that Alex had finally decided to give his all.
But she couldn't have been more wrong—Alex's intentions lay in survival, not victory.
He had even come up with a conspiracy theory that the nobles had changed the test so they could freely punish commoners. He dismissed the idea quickly, though. The news about visiting nobles from Elarion already hinted that this test would be different in some way.
Still, Alex knew the nobles who hated him would set their sights on him. And knowing the academy, they would almost certainly receive some kind of advantage. That's why he wanted to understand every rule in detail—to exploit any loophole he could find.
His plan was simple: he didn't care about ranking high, but he couldn't afford to rank low either. Both extremes would make him a target.
So, he decided on two strategies—alchemy and stealth.
With his alchemy knowledge, he could craft basic mana and healing potions if he brought simple tools. That would at least put him on even ground with the nobles.
Until he could make those potions, though, he would stay hidden—avoid detection, avoid combat, and wait for the right time to move.
Once ready, then he could start the test in earnest.
After breakfast, Alex and Marc headed out. As they walked toward their usual meeting spot with Tessa, Alex spoke seriously.
"Marc, be smart this time. Choose your battles wisely. Try to get the most benefit with the least effort. I'll focus on brewing potions. If we cross paths, I'll share a few and move on. Until then, I'll play hide and seek with the nobles."
Alex, the more analytical of the two, tried to cram as much advice as possible into Marc's head. He knew that martial artists had the advantage over mages in the early stages of combat—at least until mages mastered movement magic. Then the playing field would even out.
Still, Marc had a bad habit of never backing down from a fight, so Alex needed to remind him.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Stop hammering it into my brain, dude," Marc grumbled.
When they met up with Tessa, Alex gave her the same advice—though, technically, she was stronger than him. Still, it didn't hurt to be careful.
As the trio arrived at the academy, a loud buzz of chatter reached their ears. When they stepped inside, they saw teachers lined up at the entrance, handing out bracelets while counting students. Once the bracelets ran out, it would mean everyone had arrived.
The process took about forty minutes.
When the last student arrived, the headmaster raised his staff and activated a spell—everyone disappeared in an instant.
Moments later, they all reappeared at the edge of a vast jungle, much thicker and larger than the one used for the first field test.
"Alright, kids, form a line by class. Teachers will search your bags to ensure no forbidden items were brought in. If we find any, they'll be confiscated, and points will be deducted from your final score," Headmaster Mikhail announced in his usual flat tone, sounding completely indifferent.
Each homeroom teacher began checking their students one by one.
When Scarlett reached Alex, she searched his bag and found only clothes, a sleeping bag, and some alchemy tools. She checked his pocket watch next—inside, just a few smaller alchemy instruments and nothing else.
"Hmm, I see. Nice idea you've got there. Good luck," she said with a faint smile.
She was curious—Alex was her most gifted student, and part of her hoped he'd finally take things seriously this time. But another part of her feared he was preparing for another guerrilla campaign against the nobles.
She sighed inwardly and hoped she was wrong.
Meanwhile, Alex found it ironic that their own teachers were conducting the checks—because that meant noble teachers could easily overlook "forbidden" items their students brought in.
'I knew it,' he thought, glancing to the left.
It took only a quick look at the nobles from Class A and S to confirm his suspicion. They were smirking, whispering among themselves, clearly unconcerned about the inspection.
Scarlett followed his gaze and immediately understood.
'So that's what he's been preparing for...'
Her chest sank.
This time, she couldn't even blame him. He wasn't trying to reach the top—he was trying to survive an unfair system.
Seeing Alex so focused, but for the wrong reasons, left her deeply frustrated. She was growing tired of teaching in a place where effort meant nothing if you were born without status.
She began to wonder if she should leave the academy altogether.
'Is it really worth my time to teach here if every commoner either drops out or loses focus because of the nobles?'
Scarlett had been teaching for five years. She'd always known about the discrimination, but this year had been especially harsh—first because of the chaos Alex's first field test caused, and second because the corruption seemed worse than ever.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Mikhail struck the ground with his staff, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright. Since everyone's ready, you'll all be teleported to random locations in the forest in three seconds. After one month, everyone still alive—" he paused briefly, "—I mean, everyone remaining will be brought back here the same way.
So, happy hunting, youngsters," he concluded with a smirk.
A nearby teacher began the countdown.
"Three... two... one... Teleport!"
Space twisted around Alex, the air shimmering like water.
A moment later, he found himself standing alone amidst towering trees and thick vines.
The midterms had begun.