Chapter 442: Dark Demon’s Final Assessment (4.5k)
The success or failure of a moment might keep one up all night, but after waking up, one must face an even broader tomorrow.
By the end of May, more than twenty days had passed, and the first-year students of Saint Maryann Academy finally迎来了他们的第一次考试周。
After the final review from Monday to Wednesday, every morning or afternoon from Thursday to Friday was set aside for practical assessments, totaling four subjects.
For the first-year students, this was the culmination of a year of hard work and the key judgment for whether they could enjoy their long holiday.
Some were eager to start, some were cramming at the last minute, some merely wanted to pass, while others aimed for full marks.
A close observation could reveal each student’s personality traits.
When Dark came out of the library at ten o’clock at night, only a few people remained in the reading room.
Holding his books, he walked quietly down the corridor, feeling a sense of anticipation for the practical experiment assessment starting the next day.
This was a psychological state he had never experienced before; he had never imagined himself enjoying studying or looking forward to exams.
Perhaps because he genuinely needed an exam to formally summarize his year of hard work.
“Anyway, my goal is to be the top of the grade!”
…
This year’s first-year students were exceptionally talented, making it difficult to stand out solely in written exams.
Both Sarah Swati and Emma Maltis were formidable opponents.
However, Dark’s advantage lay in practical skills.
Four practical assessments were the key to achieving high scores.
After returning to the dormitory, he spread out the exam schedule on the table with a confident smile.
“The practical assessment for the Summoning Spell class starts at eight in the morning tomorrow.”
“The practical assessment for the Summoning Spell class is very simple, just testing two types of summoning spells.”
“One is the regular summoning spell, and the other is the sacrificial summoning spell.”
“For the regular summoning spell, the requirement is to use it three times within one minute, compressing the summoning time of the regular summoning spell to within 12 seconds.”
“The requirement for the sacrificial summoning spell is even simpler; passing requires successfully casting it once.”
“Emmm, shouldn’t there be anyone who fails?”
After spending some time cuddling with the golems, Dark went to wash up and sleep.
…
May 24th, Thursday.
It was drizzling, and the air was damp.
Dark didn’t leave the dormitory until seven in the morning. He wore his uniform neatly, combed his hair meticulously, and his fair face was flawless, as if stepping out of a painting.
Most first-year students were leaving around this time, and not long after Dark stepped out, he met Diana and Rose, walking together.
Diana was as carefree as always, not showing any signs of nervousness due to the exam.
Of course, she had no reason to be nervous.
The practical assessment for the Summoning Spell class posed no difficulty for her.
But Rose clearly appeared nervous.
Her magic talent was decent, but she lacked practical experience. The test for the regular summoning spell was actually quite challenging for her.
Moreover, using the regular summoning spell three times within twelve seconds consecutively and compressing it to just twelve seconds once were two entirely different concepts.
To pass the test, she had specially intensified her training this month, but she still lacked confidence.
After all, many people fail due to performance anxiety during such tests.
And if Rose felt this way, the other students wouldn’t find it much easier either.
When the three arrived at the classroom, they found the atmosphere unusually somber.
After sitting in his usual spot, Dark turned his head and noticed that many classmates were fidgeting, obviously cramming at the last minute.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic.
…
Although the exam started at eight, by half past seven, the classroom was already full.
Professor Shylph, responsible for the Summoning Spell assessment, entered shortly thereafter.
She greeted the students and wrote today’s assessment items on the blackboard.
Then, turning to face the class, she placed her hands slightly on the podium, signaling everyone to quiet down.
Within seconds, the classroom fell silent.
Professor Shylph nodded contentedly and said, “There are fifteen minutes left before the summoning spell test. The test itself isn’t difficult; as long as you don’t get nervous during the test, you should be able to pass.
Of course, passing the basic standard is just qualifying. To achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate greater skill and proficiency. I will score you immediately based on your performance.”
“Immediate scoring?” For students not skilled in summoning spells, their faces paled instantly.
Being scored publicly in front of so many classmates, failure would undoubtedly be a public humiliation.
Professor Shylph’s words did not provide comfort but instead made them even more nervous.
Even those confident about passing couldn’t help but be more anxious.
However, there were those who were invigorated by this.
For example, Wit Gold was very confident in his summoning spell.
In stark contrast to him was Robert Broheim.
…
“Ring ring!”
At exactly eight o’clock, with the ringing of the bell, Professor Shylph stood up and said, “Now, let’s begin the exam. Those called to the podium, please take the ‘summoning cards.’ You have five minutes for your performance. First, from the Noble Academy, Teddy Dolong, from the Knight Academy, Susan Bird, from the Mana Academy…”
“Am I first?” Dolong heard his name and stood up confidently.
Meanwhile, Susan, sitting next to Emma, couldn’t help but panic.
From the four houses, four students went up first.
Then Professor Shylph called four more names, asking them to prepare.
The first four students to go up the podium received their ‘summoning cards’ and began their summoning under Professor Shylph’s supervision.
Dolong glanced at the three students who had gone up with him, smiled, and picked out three one-star summoning cards, summoning them on the spot.
His regular summoning spell was already very proficient, and after numerous duel practices, he wouldn’t be nervous in such situations.
This time, he smoothly summoned three large orbs in succession.
Then, without pausing, he picked out two two-star cards from the remaining ones, first using the regular summoning spell to summon, then using the sacrificial summoning spell to summon the final four-star card.
With a massive four-star orb being summoned, he completed all the tests in just two minutes.
When the final summon ended, Dolong immediately turned to Professor Shylph, eagerly awaiting feedback.
Professor Shylph nodded approvingly and said, “Very good. Although your sacrificial summoning spell is a bit rusty, your regular summoning spell is already very proficient. You can maintain stable mana output while continuously summoning, which is excellent for a first-year student.”
“So, Professor, how many points did I get?” Dolong asked immediately.
Professor Shylph replied, “Forty-two points for the regular summoning spell, thirty-eight points for the sacrificial summoning spell, totaling eighty points.”
Dolong: “What?!”
He had thought he would get at least ninety points, but his mouth opened wide in surprise.
Professor Shylph, however, had already moved on: “Susan Bird, your regular summoning spell needs improvement; thirty-two points. Your sacrificial summoning spell barely passed; thirty points. Total sixty-two points.”
Susan held her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately turned to give Emma a grateful look.
Emma, however, shook her head subconsciously, then suddenly reacted, forcing a smile.
To help her two friends improve their summoning skills, she had worked hard for a long time, but she hadn’t expected Susan to perform poorly due to nervousness during the summoning.
Otherwise, she might have gotten at least seventy points.
Thinking of this, she looked at another friend, Lucy.
That glance made Lucy, who was already nervous, feel even more pressured, causing her to look away.
…
The summoning spell assessment proceeded quickly, with groups of four students going up every four to five minutes.
About half an hour later, Sarah Swati from the Mana Academy confidently walked up to the podium and achieved the first score above ninety.
Shortly afterward, Emma Maltis, under the watchful eyes of all the students, also achieved the second score above ninety.
Professor Shylph’s grading standards weren’t lenient; even Sarah and Emma couldn’t get above ninety-five.
Those whose summoning skills were stronger than theirs were likely none other than themselves.
The first-year students couldn’t help but look back at Dark Demon and Wit Gold, who were sitting in the back row.
Considering Dark’s summoning speed in the duel competitions, getting a perfect score wasn’t out of the question!
They really couldn’t imagine who else in the first-year class could get a perfect score if Dark couldn’t.
As for Wit, although his summoning speed was comparable to Emma and Sarah’s in previous duels, he still had a chance of getting ninety-five points.
“From the Noble Academy, Rose Florette, from the Knight Academy… Prepare in advance.”
Professor Shylph’s voice interrupted the students’ thoughts.
Rose, encouraged by Diana, walked onto the podium nervously.
A few minutes later, the tension on her face disappeared, and she looked visibly excited as she left the podium.
Just now, Professor Shylph gave her seventy-two points!
Watching her walk down, Dark rested his chin on his hand, bored. He had been a little worried, but Rose’s performance exposed her capabilities, and this seventy-two points was the result of not performing as well as she could.
Truly unnecessary worry!
Not long after, Diana confidently went up to the podium and performed well, earning a high score of ninety-three, drawing everyone’s attention.
Shortly before ten o’clock, Dark finally heard his name.
“Noble Academy, Dark Demon, Knight Academy, Robert Broheim, Mana Academy…”
When Dark stood up, he smiled at Robert, who was looking over, and walked toward the podium.
After waiting a round at the wall, he took a set of ‘summoning cards’ from the box beside Professor Shylph and moved to the center of the podium.
Once the four students were all in place, Professor Shylph ordered them to start summoning.
Immediately after three seconds, Dark summoned his first one-star orb.
Then at nine seconds, he summoned his second one-star orb.
At fifteen seconds, his third one-star orb.
At twenty-one seconds, his first two-star orb.
At twenty-seven seconds, his second two-star orb.
At thirty-six seconds, his final four-star orb.
When the massive four-star orb emerged from the sacrificial summoning array, his three classmates were still struggling to summon one-star orbs!
“Clunk!”
Robert, startled by the sudden appearance of the massive orb, accidentally bit his tongue. His regular summoning spell, which was barely reaching the passing threshold, became even worse.
…
“There’s nothing to say. Dark Demon, you got a perfect score.”
Professor Shylph’s voice was calm.
The students in the classroom weren’t too surprised.
It seemed like everything was natural.
If he didn’t get a perfect score, it would be truly strange.
After returning the set of ‘summoning cards’ to Professor Shylph, Dark calmly returned to his seat.
Soon after he sat down, the other three students who were assessed with him also descended from the podium.
The last one, Robert, looked pale, causing Wit to console him, “It’s okay, Robert. Not many people passed, right? It’s not lonely when there are many.”
Robert: “??”
Wit then took the stage and only managed to score ninety-two points.
…
The practical assessment for the Summoning Spell class ended smoothly before eleven o’clock.
Whether they passed or not, all students went straight to the cafeteria, ate quickly, and returned to their dormitories to prepare for the practical assessment in Potions.
Compared to the Summoning Spell class, which had a fixed goal, the practical assessment in Potions was clearly more challenging.
Professor Thompson, in charge of Potions, did not reveal the assessment projects, making students who were not skilled at potion configuration constantly anxious.
For example, Diana, who had been confident in the morning, was like a wilted flower by the afternoon.
“Don’t be nervous. The most important thing in potion configuration is steady hands and a calm mind. You have both, so it’s impossible to fail.” To ease Diana’s anxiety, Dark lied.
Then, with renewed vigor, Diana suffered a crushing defeat in the practical assessment of the potions class in the afternoon.
Seeing the black foam spewing wildly from the crucible, Diana couldn’t help but tighten her lips.
But many people faced similar issues.
The entire laboratory was filled with a foul odor from the rotten potions.
Professor Thompson crossed his arms, coldly watching the flustered students.
He firmly believed that “the little distractions during class are the tears shed during exams,” and this time, he chose a more difficult potion experiment to teach the students a lesson.
Of course, there were also students in this lab who made him satisfied.
Even without mentioning the top students, several girls from the Mana Academy showed considerable talent in potion-making.
…
The practical assessment for Potions class started at two o’clock in the afternoon and ended at four o’clock, lasting two hours.
When Professor Thompson announced the end of the assessment, more than half of the students were still struggling with the potions in their cauldrons.
Even those who barely succeeded produced potions of low quality.
Professor Thompson picked out only five relatively perfect potions, giving their owners over ninety points for their practical performance.
Of course, he did not score immediately but ordered the students to clean up the remains of the experiments before leaving the classroom, leaving behind a chorus of moans.
Dark, who had completed the experiment an hour earlier, looked at the black water in Wit and Robert’s cauldrons and couldn’t help but show a trace of sympathy.
At least Diana managed to produce a semi-finished product on her third attempt. These two were truly unfortunate.
“I never thought so many people would fail these two assessments today…”
Shaking his head, Dark helped Diana and Rose tidy up the lab tables and then left the classroom.
He really couldn’t imagine why so many people failed in these classes.
But reality was often disappointing.
Just like the practical assessment in Mana Theory on Friday morning, many people also failed to produce complete Mana Cards according to the requirements.
The difficulty level of the Mana Cards selected by Professor Kazel could be considered average.
But it seemed that some students’ abilities were even worse than he had estimated.
Or perhaps, after getting used to Dark’s level, his perception of the first-year students’ abilities had shifted slightly.
