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

　Temporary success or failure may keep one up all night, but after waking up, one must eventually face a broader (and more exciting) tomorrow.

　More than twenty days of May have passed in the blink of an eye, and the first-year students of St. Mary's Academy have finally ushered in their first exam week.

　After the final review from Monday to Wednesday, there will be a practical assessment every morning or afternoon from Thursday to Friday, for a total of four assessments.

　For first-year students, this is the final summary of a year of hard work and a key factor in whether they can have a good long holiday.

　Some are eager to try, some are cramming at the last minute, some simply want to pass, and some aim for a perfect score.

　With careful observation, one can discern each person's personality tendencies.

　When Dak came out of the library, it was already 10 p.m., and there were only a handful of people left in the reading room.

　He carried his books and walked down the quiet corridor, feeling a mix of anticipation and excitement for the experimental assessment that would begin tomorrow.

　This was a feeling he had never had in his previous life. He never imagined that one day he would like to study and look forward to exams.

　Perhaps it's because he really needs an exam to formally summarize his hard work this year.

　"In short, the goal is to be number one in the grade!"

　……

　This year's first-year students are all very talented, so it won't be easy to stand out in the written exam.

　Both Sarah Swati and Emma Metis are formidable opponents.

　But Darko's advantage lies in practice.

　The four practical assessments were key to his high scores.

　Back in his dorm, he spread the copied exam schedule out on the table, a confident smile playing on his lips.

　"The practical assessment for the first Summoning Spell class will begin tomorrow morning at eight o'clock."

　"The practical assessment for the Summoning class is very simple; it is merely a test of two summoning spells."

　"One is a normal summoning spell, and the other is a sacrificial summoning spell."

　"The requirement for Normal Summoning is to summon three Magic Cards consecutively within one minute, which means compressing the summoning time of Normal Summoning to within 12 seconds."

　"The requirements for the Sacrifice Summoning spell are even simpler; you only need to successfully cast the Sacrifice Summoning spell once to pass."

　"Hmm, surely no one will have trouble getting through, right?"

　After spending some time with the magical spirits, Dark washed up and went to sleep.

　……

　Thursday, May 24th.

　A light drizzle was falling from the sky, and the air was damp.

　Dak didn't leave the dormitory until seven in the morning. He was dressed in his school uniform, his hair was combed neatly, and his fair face was without a scratch. He looked as perfect as someone who had stepped out of a painting.

　Most of the first-year students leave around this time. He hadn't been out for long when he met Diana and Rose, and then they walked together.

　Diana remained as carefree as ever, showing no signs of nervousness due to the exam.

　Of course, she had no need to be nervous.

　The practical assessment for the summoning class was not difficult for her.

　But Rose was clearly a little nervous.

　Her magical talent is quite good, but she doesn't have much practical experience. Usually, the summoning test is actually quite difficult for her.

　Furthermore, using three consecutive Normal Summoning spells with a duration of 12 seconds or less is a completely different concept from compressing only one Normal Summoning spell into a duration of 12 seconds or less.

　She had done intensive training this month in order to pass the test, but she still lacked confidence.

　After all, there are countless examples of people making mistakes on the spot.

　If Rose is already in such a predicament, the other students certainly won't have it much easier.

　When the three arrived at the classroom, they found the atmosphere inside to be unexpectedly somber.

　After sitting down in his usual spot, Dak glanced around and noticed that many of his classmates had twitching lips, clearly cramming at the last minute.

　He couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

　……

　Although the exam was scheduled for 8:00 AM, the classroom was already full of people by 7:30 AM.

　Professor Sylph, who was in charge of the summoning exam, also became a professor shortly afterward.

　She greeted the students and then wrote down today's assessment items on the blackboard.

　Then she turned to face the audience, pressed her hands together slightly, and gestured for everyone to be quiet.

　Just seconds later, the classroom fell completely silent.

　Professor Sylph nodded in satisfaction and said, "There are still fifteen minutes until the summoning test. The test itself is not difficult. As long as you don't get nervous during the test, you should all pass. Of course, passing the standard is just passing. To get a higher score, you need to demonstrate higher skills and proficiency. I will score you on the spot based on your performance."

　"Scoring on the spot?" The student, who was not good at summoning magic, immediately turned pale.

　Scoring students in front of so many classmates on the spot would be tantamount to public execution if the student failed.

　Professor Sylph's words did not "comfort" them; instead, they made them even more nervous.

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　Even those who were confident of passing the test couldn't help but feel more concerned at this moment.

　However, some people were also encouraged by this.

　For example, Witt God was quite confident in his summoning abilities.

　This contrasted sharply with Robert Broheim, who was standing next to him.

　……

　"Jingle Bell!"

　At eight o'clock sharp, as the school bell rang, Professor Sylph stood up and said, "The exam will now begin. Those whose names are called, please come to the podium to collect your 'Summoning Cards.' Each person has five minutes to perform. First, Teddy Doron from the Noble Academy, Susan Pild from the Knight Academy, and from the Magic Academy..."

　"Am I the first one?" Upon hearing his name called, Duolong jumped up, brimming with confidence.

　Susan, sitting at the next table to Emma, ​​couldn't help but panic.

　Four departments, four students, came up on stage first.

　Professor Sylph then announced four more names and told them to get ready.

　The four people who went up to the podium first received "Summoning Cards" in turn, and then began to cast summoning spells under Professor Sylph's supervision.

　Doron glanced at the three people who came up on stage at the same time, and with a smirk, he picked out three one-star "summoning cards" and summoned them on the spot.

　His normal summoning spells were already very proficient, and he had been through many duels, so it was impossible for him to be nervous in this situation.

　This time, three large orbs of light were summoned smoothly in succession.

　Then, without stopping, he picked out two two-star "summoning cards" from the remaining "summoning cards", first summoning them with a normal summoning spell, and then summoning the last four-star "summoning card" with a sacrifice summoning spell.

　With a massive four-star sphere of light summoned, he completed all the tests in just two minutes.

　When the final summons ended, Doron immediately turned to Professor Sylph, looking quite expectant.

　Professor Sylph nodded in satisfaction and said on the spot, "Very good. Although the Sacrifice Summoning spell is a little rusty, the regular summoning spell is already very proficient. The ability to maintain a stable output of magic power even when summoning continuously is already considered excellent among first-year students."

　"So, Professor, what score did I get?" Doron asked immediately.

　Professor Sylph said, "The normal summoning spell is worth 42 points, the sacrificial summoning spell is worth 38 points, for a total of 80 points."

　Duolong: "Huh?"

　I thought I had at least a 90% chance of getting breast augmentation, and my mouth unconsciously opened wide.

　The egg is big.

　Professor Sylph had already stopped looking at him: "Susan Beard, your Summoning spells need improvement. Thirty-two points. Your Sacrifice Summoning spells are barely passable, thirty points. Total: sixty-two."

　Susan clutched her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately turned to look gratefully at Emma in the audience.

　Emma shook her head instinctively, then suddenly realized what she was doing and forced a smile at her.

　She had worked hard for a long time to help her two friends improve their summoning skills, but Susan still underperformed due to nervousness when she summoned on stage.

　Otherwise, he could at least get a 70, right?

　Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at another friend beside her—Lucy.

　That one glance made Lucy, who was already feeling nervous, feel even more pressured, and she couldn't help but look away.

　……

　The summoning skill assessment was conducted rapidly, with groups of people working together every four or five minutes.

　About half an hour later, Sarah Swati from the Magic Academy confidently walked onto the podium. She then received her first score above 90 to date.

　Shortly afterward, Emma Metis walked onto the podium under the watchful eyes of all the students and received her second score of over 90.

　Professor Sylph's grading criteria were not lenient; even Sarah and Emma failed to get a score of 95.

　And those who could summon more powerfully than the two of them were probably only them.

　The first-year students couldn't help but turn around and glance at Dark Dimon and Wit Gold, who were sitting in the last row.

　Given Dark's summoning speed in the duel, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he deserves a perfect score, let alone over 95!

　They simply couldn't imagine who else among the first-year students could get a perfect score if Dark couldn't.

　As for Witt, in the previous duels, his only advantage over Emma and Sara was his summoning speed, which might allow him to score 95 points.

　"Ross Florty of the Noble Academy, Knight Academy... prepare in advance."

　Professor Sylph's voice interrupted the students' train of thought.

　Encouraged by Diana, Rose walked nervously onto the stage.

　A few minutes later, the tension on her face disappeared, and she stepped off the stage, clearly overjoyed.

　Just now, Professor Sylph gave her seventy-two points!

　As Rose walked down, Dark rested his chin on his hand, looking bored. He had been a little worried, but Rose's words immediately revealed her true abilities. Seventy-two points, even with a less-than-ideal performance.

　I'm really worried about being poor!

　Shortly after, Diana confidently went on stage and gave a performance, ultimately scoring a high score of 93 points, attracting the attention of the entire audience.

　Then, around 10 o'clock, Dak finally heard his name called.

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　Dark Demon of the Noble Academy, Robert Broheim of the Knight Academy, the Magic Academy…

　As Dak stood up, he smiled at Robert, who was looking over from the other side, and then walked towards the podium.

　After waiting by the wall for a while, he took a set of "Summoning Cards" from the box next to Professor Sylph and went to the center of the podium.

　Once all four students were in position, Professor Sylph gave the order, and the four students simultaneously began to summon.

　Three seconds later, Dark summoned the first one-star orb of light.

　Then, at the ninth second, a second one-star orb of light was summoned.

　At the fifteenth second, the third one-star orb was summoned.

　At the twenty-first second, the first two-star orb was summoned.

　At the twenty-seventh second, a second two-star orb was summoned.

　At the thirty-third second, the final four-star light orb was summoned.

　As the enormous four-star orb of light emerged from the sacrificial summoning circle, his three classmates were still struggling to summon a one-star orb of light!

　"Paji!"

　Startled by the sudden appearance of the giant ball of light, Robert accidentally bit his tongue, making his already subpar Normal Summoning spell even worse.

　……

　"Nothing much to say, Dark Dimon, full marks."

　Professor Sylph's voice was flat.

　The students in the classroom weren't too surprised.