Chapter 148: Dark Demon Knows No Restraint
With the arrival of winter, all things rest.
As temperatures suddenly dropped, Saint Maryan finally began distributing winter uniforms.
Though called winter uniforms, they were essentially autumn uniforms with added insulation.
The new month began on a Friday with the duel class.
Professor Jones stood at the podium, meticulously analyzing duel cases.
At the back row, Dark gathered his collar, exhaled, and a white mist rose.
Last night, he had made his monthly summary.
He found that compared to October, his November self was excessively lacking in restraint.
All data except for “Jealousy” and “Wrath” had increased.
[Pride: 105-106]
[Envy: 42-41]
[Wrath: 94-90]
[Sloth: 62-64]
[Greed: 89-97]
[Gluttony: 62-64]
[Bliss: 111-109]
This was undoubtedly an inflation.
“Pride” was supposed to have lost 3 points but gained 4.
“Laziness” and “Gluttony” were still rebounding.
“Greed”’s surge was expected but still too fast, showing signs of losing control.
“Bliss” rebounded to 109 points despite reducing by 1 point with a flower card and extracting 12 points with the Mana Dropper.
Though some of this was intentional, it was still difficult to handle.
If he didn’t tighten his reins in December, the problem would worsen.
“Huff—”
Dark slapped his cheeks to clear his thoughts and focus better.
Three months had passed since the start of school, leaving less than a month until the end of the first semester.
Specifically, the first semester would end on Friday, December 22nd.
Afterwards, Saint Maryan would celebrate Christmas and a week-long holiday.
If one could ensure a rapid round trip within a week, they could apply to go home on the 22nd and spend a warm Christmas Eve with their family.
Otherwise, they should stay at school.
Because after the holiday, the new semester would begin immediately.
The second half of the semester would run from January to June, with final exams taking place one or two weeks after June, followed by summer vacation.
Due to the tight schedule, most teachers and students would spend Christmas in the castle.
Every Christmas Eve, the school held a ball and gave each student a stocking.
Rumor had it that if one waited until 5 AM the next day to open the stocking, they would receive a Christmas gift—usually quite surprising!
…
“So, the second in-class competition will be held next Friday. I will record this competition’s rankings as part of your performance for this term, combining them with the final exam results to determine your final grades.”
As class was ending, Professor Jones suddenly announced the date of the second in-class competition.
When she mentioned the first half, the little magus was very excited.
But when she said the second half, almost everyone frowned.
“No way, it’s tied to the final grade?”
“I heard the final grade can be converted into credits…”
“Is this an early exam?”
“This is so sudden?”
“Wasn’t it like this before?”
“Can we still make new cards this week?”
The classroom erupted in chatter.
…
Professor Jones merely smiled and said, “If you have any questions, raise your hand.”
Emma raised her hand first.
Once called upon, she immediately asked, “Professor, is this competition still in Elite mode?”
“A good question.”
Professor Jones clapped and motioned for her to sit down, then continued, “This time, we’ll use standard dueling rules, but there’s no limit on the minimum number of magus cards.”
Tudor from Noble Academy raised his hand immediately.
Professor Jones nodded at him, and he stood up and asked, “So, wouldn’t having fewer magus cards be disadvantageous?”
Professor Jones kindly replied, “Magus cards are the results of your studies this term. Those who excel naturally have more cards. How can it be considered a disadvantage?”
Tudor was momentarily speechless.
Next, Wit Gold near the door raised his hand.
After being called on, Wit loudly asked, “Professor, is there credit reward this time? Or can ranking scores be converted into credits?”
Jones replied, “The rankings of this in-class competition are only for reference in the final exam, so they cannot be converted into credits. But there is a credit reward for the champion.”
Wit: “How much?”
Jones: “Five thousand.”
“Sss—”
Everyone in the room gasped.
What did five thousand credits mean?
The winner of the “Crimson Star” for the First Year, the king of the Masquerade Ball—Dark Demon—only earned five thousand credits in the event.
The first in-class competition’s champion received only one thousand credits!
Judging from this, wasn’t it likely that the second and third places also had credit rewards?
Indeed, Professor Jones continued, “This competition is more complete, with comprehensive rewards. Besides the champion, the top ten all have credit rewards.”
Upon hearing this, the classroom erupted.
It was hard to win the championship, but getting into the top ten seemed possible.
As for the connection to the final grade, it was selectively forgotten.
“One week left!”
All the students were eager to compete.
Wit glanced at Dark at the window and made a firm decision.
…
Last weekend, Dark had supplemented some basic materials for the “Flash Spell.” He was equally eager for credits.
However, he didn’t show off or make any firm decisions.
After three months of diligent study, whether he could win the championship was left to fate.
Instead of worrying about that, he thought about how to protect the worm tree after winter set in.
In short, it was time to change the potion.
The potion for cultivating the worm tree was generally divided into four types, each for a different season.
Winter and summer potions were more expensive, while spring and autumn potions were cheaper.
Therefore, after the duel class ended that afternoon,
Dark left the castle on time, passing through the Lotus Pavilion to enter Traveler’s Street.
…
As soon as December arrived, Traveler’s Street already had a Christmas atmosphere.
Many shops hadn’t even put up Christmas trees yet, but their flyers now boasted “Christmas Specials.”
Dark walked down the long street, first entering the “Gugu Bird Nursery” to buy the winter potion for the worm tree.
Then he entered the “Grass Cat Nursery” to inquire about improving the bunny grass.
The shop assistant lady seemed embarrassed, “Improving bunny grass is really challenging, but I just got a new variety. Do you want to take a look?”
