The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　The division into grades was indeed of little significance to them. From the professor's perspective, Dark was still very much looking forward to the day when these people around him would stand on the pinnacle of dueling alongside him in their third year.

　Afterwards, Dark spent the entire day digesting the knowledge he had learned in that last class, and then continued to study the relevant materials on "Fantasy Heavenly Principle".

　During his research, his understanding of magic cards and magical languages ​​was further enhanced.

　If it weren't for the fact that he would be focusing on the forging of "Demon King No. 2" this coming weekend, he would have already notified Eluri Clarissa to begin the forging experiment of "Fantasy Heavenly Principle".

　And speaking of weekends...

　This weekend, he still did not receive any challenge invitations from other contestants, nor did he issue any challenges to others.

　He only got three chances to play through normal matchmaking. But he was very lucky.

　The opponents for these last three matches were none of the top sixteen. He had originally planned to schedule all three matches for this afternoon. However, to maintain suspense, the Duel Club deliberately moved the matches that would affect the final roster to Saturday.

　Therefore, he only had two duels on Friday afternoons, with the last one scheduled for Saturday.

　At this point, his ranking had been overtaken by Eluri Clarissa, dropping him from thirteenth to fourteenth.

　Behind him, the contestant who was originally in sixteenth place has caught up and moved up to fifteenth!

　As for the original fifteenth place contestant, he has plummeted to sixteenth place, only two points behind the seventeenth place contestant.

　These two points represent the difference of winning one more game.

　Furthermore, Dark already knew that the seventeenth-ranked contestant had challenged the sixteenth-ranked contestant this week, and that the sixteenth-ranked contestant had actually accepted.

　Without a doubt, this will be the most anticipated duel!

　In addition, this is not an isolated case.

　The ninth-ranked contestant has also challenged the eighth-ranked contestant. Although the eighth-ranked contestant doesn't actually have the right to choose their own position according to the competition rules, if they can advance from ninth to eighth place, they can avoid being selected by the top contestants.

　In the main competition of the "Golden Cup", the credits and resource rewards for each step forward are greater.

　The difference in rewards between the top eight and those who are eliminated in the top sixteen is particularly significant.

　If a team can advance into the top eight in the qualifying rounds, the chances of maintaining their ranking will naturally be greater.

　Therefore, this duel has attracted a lot of attention.

　But none of this has much to do with Dark.

　He also longed to sit in the audience and watch all the duels involving the top sixteen this week. But now that the experiment was in its final stages, he needed to focus.

　On Friday afternoon, he easily won a duel against another senior student.

　On Saturday morning, his opponent was a senior female student who came specifically to snipe the top 16.

　But after a period of intense fighting, he finally won without any major incident.

　His victories in these three duels solidified his ranking. Even if the fifteenth-ranked fighter below him won all three, he would never surpass him.

　The competition in the "Golden Cup" is indeed fierce. During this period of competition, losing even one match puts the team in a precarious position.

　After his victory, Dark waved to the audience and quickly left the stage, heading straight for the laboratory in that hidden place.

　He didn't leave the laboratory until 10 p.m. after that. Only after 10 p.m. did he leave the laboratory and obtain information about today's competition from the magical spirits.

　Simply put, the contestant who was originally ranked sixteenth has been on a downward spiral ever since he dropped from thirteenth, and he has been unable to stop the decline.

　Meanwhile, the player who was originally ranked seventeenth was unstoppable and finally won the challenge he had volunteered for, and successfully advanced into the top sixteen of the points competition!

　—That was just a fourth-grade student!

　In the past, this fourth-grade student's qualification would have been a stunning achievement.

　Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era.

　People gradually got used to the second-year student's extraordinary abilities, and ordinary geniuses could no longer satisfy their appetites.

　Of course, he also received enthusiastic applause.

　After that fourth-year student advanced to the top 16, the top 16 spots in the "Golden Cup" were finalized.

　In addition, the player who was originally ranked ninth also successfully defeated the player who was originally ranked eighth and made it into the top eight.

　After returning to the dormitory, Dark received the final ranking list from Gatomon.

　Looking from the bottom up.

　The sixteenth-ranked fourth-year student is Mars Carey from the Knights Academy.

　A student who was not well-known before this.

　The fourteenth-ranked student is the lowest grade among the top sixteen—Dark Dimon, a second-year student from the Noble Academy.

　Ranked thirteenth is Elurly Clarissa, the "Fairy Princess" from the fifth-year aristocratic academy.

　Ranked twelfth is Matthew Bilbohm, the "powerful attacker" from the sixth-year Fools' House.

　Ranked tenth is Marshall Whiteant, a fourth-year student at the Knights Academy. Ranked eighth is a fifth-year member of the "Sports Club" at the Knights Academy.

　Ranked seventh is Winnie Skadi, the "Daughter of Winter" from the fourth-year Magic Academy.

　Ranked sixth is Pandora Dragon, the "Silver Dragon Girl" from the fifth-year Magic Academy.

　The fifth-ranked person is the vice president of the "Astrology Club" in the fourth-year Fools' House.

　Fourth on the list is Luke Becky, the "Dragon Slayer" from the sixth-year Knight Academy!

　Marshall Whitehead's code name in "The Hidden Serpent" is "90008".

　Dark didn't pay much attention to him, only remembering his name. Winnie and Pandora, whom he paid more attention to, barely made it into the top eight.

　However, for duelists of Pandora's caliber, the ranking in the points tournament depends solely on the number of times they participate.

　It seems both she and Winnie made their entries precisely at the last minute after careful planning. The real showdown will be in the main competition!

　"March is over, and the main tournament of the Gold Cup will begin on the first Friday of April."

　"On Friday afternoon, there will be an opening ceremony, followed by a single-elimination tournament, with a total of eight matches."

　"There probably won't be any matches on Saturday this year because Sunday is Easter."

　"Then the quarterfinals of the main tournament will begin on the Friday of the second week."

　"Let's figure out how to get through the first round of elimination matches first!"

　Dark patted his cheeks, put down the ranking list, and then washed up and took a shower. "Senior Pandora, she probably won't choose me, right?"

　Suddenly, a terrifying thought popped into Dark's mind, and he stopped in his tracks.

　"probably not."

　With that thought in mind, he soaked himself in the bathtub, enjoying a comfortable bath and relieving his mental fatigue.

　Tomorrow, he will begin the experiment to create "Demon King No. 2," and he must get himself into the best possible condition.

　March 29th, Sunday, cloudy.

　Dak opened the window, looked up at the sky, and frowned when he saw the gray clouds looming overhead.

　"This is not a good omen..." This is what is meant by favorable timing, location, and human factors.

　Today should have been the day when everything was ready except for the final push, but unexpectedly, the campaign has gone awry.

　However, many of the experimental preparations made yesterday cannot be postponed. And the soul consciousness of "Demon King No. 2" must be getting impatient by now.

　Whether you duck or stick your neck out, the final blow will eventually come.

　After finishing his breakfast, Dark tidied himself up, packed all the necessary items, and then, holding the "Magic Book," went out.

　When he went down to the common room, he saw Aurora sitting in the corner reading a book: "Aurora, it's time to go."

　“Okay.” Aurora inserted a bookmark into the pages, closed the book, and then got up and ran over.

　The two exited the tower together, and Aurora asked, "Is it finally about to begin?"

　Dark nodded in agreement, "Yes, we can't wait any longer." Aurora wasn't there yesterday, but she knew about the original plan. "How are the preparations going?" she asked.

　Dark estimated, "There's a 70-80% success rate. Considering the difficulty of forging a Demon King, that's already quite high."

　Aurora gripped her book tightly and asked, "Are there any preventative measures?" Darke replied, "We've implemented measures based on experimental data from 'Demon King Aleister.' But don't expect them to be effective; I'd rather call them psychological insurance."

　Aurora pursed her lips and said, "Then what should we do?"

　Dark said, "We can only place our hopes on Ergani. We must have faith in the goddess of wisdom."

　Aurora said, "What about Vittoria? Is he no longer useful?"

　Dark shook his head, saying with some regret, "That's ultimately just a stopgap measure. There's no necessary connection between 'Demon King No. 2' and Witt. For it to be truly useful, we'll have to rely on 'Demon King No. 1'."

　Aurora asked curiously, "The Demon King, Aleister?"

　Dark nodded and said, "'Demon King Aleister' can be used as radar to search for 'Demon King II'. Unless it enters 'hibernation' immediately upon rebirth. But even then, we can detect it the moment it awakens. So there's no need to be too nervous."

　Aurora chuckled, "But I'm not the one who needs to be nervous." Dark shook his head and smiled.

　The two quickly arrived at the hidden laboratory behind the faculty dormitory. After waiting a short while outside the laboratory, they saw Professor Mitia and others arrive one after another.

　Seeing that all the members of the "Serpent of Wisdom" who could be there had arrived, Dark looked around but did not find Professor Hoddle Bode, and knew that Professor Bode had not yet squeezed into the core of the organization.

　He reached out and flicked the raindrops off Ergani's head, saying, "So it finally rained."

　Ergani said, "The spring rain is as soft as butter, a good omen." Dark couldn't help but laugh and said, "Indeed."

　Any explanation is better than a dark cloud covering the sky. A spring drizzle, once it stops, it disperses.

　By the time he starts his experiment, the rain may have stopped and a rainbow may be in the sky.

　It is indeed an auspicious sign.

　"Begin preparations."

　Dark changed into a lab coat, put on gloves, and donned a runic wooden plaque to isolate soul fluctuations. He walked across the purification array and entered the final laboratory.

　Professors Cazell and Harvey had already gone inside.

　The body of "Demon King No. 2" was preserved in a jar and sealed with multiple layers of seals.

　Its soul and consciousness, however, were trapped within the golem connected to the "Mud Nightmare Crystal," which was currently resting on the experimental table.

　The preparations for the experiment on "Demon King No. 2" were more complex, thorough, and rigorous in every aspect than those for the creation of "Demon King No. 1".

　The requirements for the skills of the experimenters are naturally higher.

　However, after absorbing the experience from the "Demon King No. 1" alchemy experiment, and after repeatedly practicing and debugging in the laboratory, Dark's ability to handle the current experiment has improved dramatically.

　Therefore, he was quite confident in completing today's transmutation experiment. After Ergane, who had also changed into her lab coat, entered, Dark and the others began making final preparations for the experiment.

　The fish on the cutting board has already been cut open.

　The side dishes and seasonings are all ready.

　The stove was turned on, the flames were lit, and the assistants were in position. The head chef, wearing a tall hat, raised his cleaver.

　Dark Demon opened his eyes, the "Eye of Truth" activated, and golden light poured out.

　The whole world began to change in his eyes. Everything was going smoothly.

　The long period of research, debugging, and practice culminated in this moment. Dark felt a completely different kind of composure compared to when he first attempted to forge "Demon King No. 1".

　He gradually began to grasp the rhythm of the experiment and was no longer just being pushed forward by the two professors.

　One hour later. Warm-up complete. Two hours later. The experiment is halfway through. Three hours later.

　Darke had overcome the most difficult step before smelting the materials. Four hours later.

　The noon bell rang over the college.

　People walking through the castle subconsciously turned their heads to look at the straight, towering spiral clock tower.

　The second-year student from the Noble Academy, located in a secret laboratory, drew the perfect first transmutation circle directly above the magic card used for transmutation.

　Aurora and the others, who had been observing with bated breath, let out a soft sigh of relief. The experiment had progressed much more smoothly than they had anticipated. In just four hours, they had reached the most crucial step in the entire transmutation process—the smelting of the materials!

　As the experimenter, Dark dared not relax for a moment, reaching out to take the advanced mind bottle handed to him by Ergani.

　Pink liquid sloshed inside the mind bottle; it was liquefied "Paradise Version of Elysium."

　After nearly a month, "Paradise" has produced nearly 100 points of "Paradise Version of Elysium" again. Combined with the 30 points of "Paradise Version of Elysium" left over before, it is more than 120 points!

　Even if the difficulty of forging "Demon King No. 2" is twice that of "Demon King No. 1", these 120 points of "Paradise Version of Elysium" will definitely be enough.

　Almost every possible contingency has been taken into account. The possibility of failure has been compressed to the limit.

　This is a transmutation that can only succeed and cannot fail! In the course of a mage's life, there will inevitably be several similar transmutation experiments. Only through breakthroughs time and time again can one reach the pinnacle.