A week passed in the blink of an eye, and today marked the day of the written test.
Marc and Alex were getting ready early that morning. They had spent the past week "studying together"—though in truth, it was Marc doing the studying and Alex helping whenever a topic went over his head.
Tessa had dropped by a few times as well, joining their study sessions, which usually turned into half studying and half arguing.
After breakfast, they left the dorms and met Tessa at their usual spot before heading toward the academy together.
This exam was similar to the entrance test—every student gathered in the same massive hall—but this time, all the teachers would be present, watching to ensure that no one cheated.
As they walked, their conversation wandered from one random subject to another.
Despite everything that had happened, Alex still wasn't free from the nobles' harassment. But after the incident during the field trip, their arrogance seemed... tempered.
It made sense—three nobles had died.
Alex could still remember the chaos that followed. The day after they returned, the academy had been in an uproar.
'They didn't even care about the commoner,' he had thought back then.
The rumor spreading around claimed that the dead commoner had killed the three nobles before dying in the process—a convenient distortion born from gossip.
Still, the nobles now showed restraint. If three of their own had been killed and even the teachers hadn't been able to prevent it, what was stopping another tragedy?
A few nobles still acted fearless, but the ones who knew the truth—the real truth—had gone completely silent. After all, the culprit had never been caught. He still walked among them, as the teachers hadn't captured him.
And that very culprit was now walking casually toward the academy, receiving insults from the usual group of fools.
When the trio reached the examination hall, they split off, each heading toward their assigned teacher's line.
"Nervous?" Scarlett asked as Alex and Marc reached her table. She already knew the answer, but asked anyway.
"No," they replied in unison.
'As expected,' she thought with a faint smile. 'They still don't care.'
One by one, students arrived and took their seats. The nobles, naturally, were the last to enter—unhurried, as if schedules were beneath them.
Once everyone was seated, Headmaster Mikhail stepped onto the stage, his usual expression unreadable.
"Welcome, students," he began, his voice as mechanical and monotone as ever. "I trust you all studied diligently. Today's test consists of multiple-choice and written questions. There are one hundred in total. Like the entrance exam, each incorrect answer deducts one point."
A murmur passed through the room, quickly silenced as he continued.
"Once your teacher gives you the test, you may not write anything until I say 'start.' From that moment, you will have three hours. The results will be posted tomorrow afternoon. After finishing, you may go home directly. Good luck."
Once all the tests were given out, he clapped his hands once. "Begin."
An hourglass appeared beside him, its golden sand beginning to fall.
Alex glanced at the first page and started writing. Question after question, his quill glided smoothly across the parchment.
With the amount of time he had spent holed up in the library and his near-perfect memory, there was hardly a test in the academy that could challenge him.
After just an hour and fifteen minutes, he had already completed eighty-five questions.
Satisfied, he placed the quill down and leaned back, resting his mind while waiting for Marc to finish so they could leave together.
As he sat there, he felt a gaze on him. Looking up, he saw Scarlett standing nearby, watching him with an unreadable expression.
She shook her head slightly before moving on, disappointment faint in her eyes.
Alex frowned, then smirked faintly. After a brief pause, he picked up the quill again and filled out five more questions. He understood her message—she didn't want him to deliberately hold back, even if he didn't care about the rankings.
When Marc finally turned in his test, Alex followed immediately after. As they exited the hall, Alex scanned the room and spotted Tessa, still hunched over her desk, deep in concentration.
"How'd it go?" Alex asked once they were outside.
"Pretty well, I think. You?" Marc replied.
"I answered ninety and stopped there."
Marc snorted. "Boasting again, huh? One of these days, I'll make you go all out, just to see what happens."
Alex smirked but didn't reply.
As they stepped outside, they were greeted by a mix of emotions. Some students looked confident, others nervous, and a few were outright crying—likely over their performance, whether from the field test, the written exam, or both.
Back in the dorms, the two decided to meditate in silence while waiting for Tessa to finish. Talking could wait.
When a knock finally came, Alex got up and opened the door.
"Hey guys!" Tessa greeted cheerfully. "How'd you do?"
"Normal," Alex said casually.
"Liar," Marc said immediately. "I did normal. You probably threw the top spot again."
Alex turned toward him with a murderous smile.
"Really? Again?" Tessa sighed. "Why don't you ever try, Alex? Just once."
"There's nothing to gain from a high placement," he replied, his tone calm. Unlike before, he no longer bothered to hide his indifference.
Tessa crossed her arms. "And you're not even curious to see how far you could go?"
"No."
The conversation ended there. Alex began preparing dinner while the others sat around, chatting about random questions from the test.
"Hey, Alex," Tessa said suddenly, "what did you answer for the question about the difference in magical application between tiers?"
"Well," Alex said as he stirred the pot, "the short answer is understanding."
Tessa leaned forward. "How so?"
"The difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 spellcasting isn't just mana capacity," Alex explained. "It's about how deeply you understand the principles behind what you're invoking.
That's why a Tier 2 mage can cast a stronger fireball than a Tier 1 mage using the same amount of mana. The circle itself is built on more refined concepts—like how fire burns, why it burns, and how it spreads. That deeper understanding gets encoded into the spell circle, making it far more powerful."
He stirred the soup once more before continuing. "So even if a Tier 1 and Tier 2 mage used identical mana, the latter's spell would still overpower the former's—because knowledge itself is strength."
Tessa nodded thoughtfully. "I see."
Marc, meanwhile, was already half-asleep.
Alex summoned a small ball of water and flicked it at him.
Marc jerked awake with a gasp as the water splashed across his face.
"Ugh, sorry dude, i fell asleep listening to your bible verse." He teased, mimicking the snoring.
"You—" Alex was about to show Marc verbally how much he appreciated him, but stopped and breathed.
After dinner, Tessa headed back to her dorm, and the duo got ready for bed. Tomorrow, the results would be posted.