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About a month after enrolling in the academy, the main episode finally began.

“Today is the day of the midterm practical exam.”

“…Yeah.”

Today marked the midterm exam, a key episode in Eternal Fantasy.

I struggled a bit during the written test, but I felt confident about the practical.

The practical exam included four classes, from Class A to Class D, in a joint event, which I definitely remembered since it’s important in the game.

Main Quest

“Achieve 1st place in the Midterm Test”

Reward upon success:

1. Stat Points +100

2. Unique Stat Points +30

No rewards for failure.

This reward was substantial, enough to boost my stats by one, no, even twice!

What concerned me most was this unique stat point.

Unique Trait: Copy (Lv.2)

Ability Copy (Rank: S)

Copies the opponent’s abilities.

(*The copied abilities are ranked one tier lower.)

Mana Copy (Rank: S)

Copies the opponent’s mana.

(*Unique traits cannot be copied.)

Insight Eye (Rank: A)

Recognizes the opponent’s movements.

Currently, I had three passive skills.

Among them, Ability Copy and Mana Copy were incredibly powerful.

Copy (Lv.2)

[30 points to the next level]

Last time it was 10 points, and now it’s 30—pretty steep!

Next time it might be around 90, right? But considering the abilities I’ve gained so far,

This is definitely a point I need to earn. And I must clear this quest at all costs.

Special Quest

“4. Give blood transfusion to Lucid”

[By clearing this quest, you can proceed with quests related to each heroine.]

“This quest is so annoying.”

The Vladimir Clan, protecting the eastern empire among the three great clans,

And the heroine Lucid, who inherits the blood of a vampire.

While other missions are relatively easy,

This quest is challenging to clear.

Approaching her is not easy,

And above all, giving a blood transfusion means

I would be giving my own blood, which is the problem.

If I let her suck my blood, I’d become one of her subordinates.

The Vladimir Clan, adept at manipulating blood,

Is specialized in water-type magic.

Managing water means managing blood.

Injecting my own blood into me will turn me into a subordinate, or they could manipulate my blood and solidify it to kill me.

“Honestly, considering abilities alone, they are more threatening than other clans.”

Attacking just to test my technique and even provoking his subordinate Anubis,

There’s certainly bound to be some hostility now. When I spoke to him, the response was:

[What’s this? Are you trying to seduce me now?]

[No, it’s not like that.]

[I don’t even want to listen to a guy surrounded by girls on both sides.]

…While he’s not wrong,

Damn, the rumors have spread too negatively.

I was just trying to stay near Stella, but with Shia and Serena always by her side,

It became a rumor that I am a scumbag playing around with girls.

Honestly, I think Stella is partly to blame for this…

While she often says she prefers being alone and finds it uncomfortable,

It seems she secretly enjoys the attention when people crowd around her.

In the original game, Stella was an outcast, locked away in a faculty room, absorbed in magic research,

But since becoming a student, she’s become popular among not just a couple but other students too.

Because of that, it feels like her originally dark personality has brightened up a bit.

“…This is so annoying.”

Seeing those ridiculous things clinging to Stella is quite irritating.

If I could, I’d declare “Don’t touch her!” but if I did, I’d get scolded by her.

However, I think it’s good for her to have friends,

She used to act like someone who could die any day and was obsessed with magic.

But this is just too much…

“What are you scowling about?”

“Oh, Stella.”

When I turned my head, Stella, with a worried expression,

Looked at me while munching on a banana, looking like a hamster.

“I was thinking about today’s exam.”

“Oh, by the way, I heard the exam will be held in the forest.”

“…That’s right.”

Of course, I knew.

Thankfully, this part hasn’t changed.

If it did, I’d have to revise most of my plans.

‘I have to finish the Lucid task here.’

I can’t prolong this any further.

The Demon Race has already appeared, and who knows if the Demon King or even more than one will show up?

With things moving quickly, I also have to grow quickly.

And I wanted Lucid’s abilities for a long time, so…

“This time, I’m definitely going to make it mine…”

“…Now you’re openly saying you’re going to steal it…”

Right when Stella was shaking her head at me drowsily,

Professor Darwin opened the classroom door and walked in.

“Is Stella here?”

“Uh… Yes, it’s me.”

Seemingly taken aback by the sudden call,

Stella stood up, looking dazed.

“Ah! So it’s you, Stella. Please come to the faculty room for a moment.”

“Huh? …Me?”

Why are they suddenly calling for Stella?

Is it about the last Akandis hunt?

“Yes, Amelia-sensei is looking for you.

Please head there right away~”

On hearing that, Stella left the classroom, bewildered but following Darwin.

“She’ll be back soon.”

Nonetheless, Stella did not show up until the midterm exam started.

In the location I arrived at,

Students from Classes A to D were gathered.

The forest was filled with bizarrely massive trees,

And students began to murmur among themselves.

“Is this the Grandis Forest…?”

“Ugh, I feel like throwing up.”

“Are we really taking the exam here?”

Students sighed deeply at the thought of having to take their entrance exam in this infamous forest outside the academy.

According to the original setting, the Grandis Forest is an area with excessive mana density.

Typically around 10 times that of other regions,

And the closer to the center of the forest, the denser it becomes.

“What’s everyone making a fuss over?

It’s… right? Isn’t it, Anubis?”

“The scent of the forest is refreshing, and I feel good…

It feels like I’m back home.”

Well, including the three great clans and that beastkin,

It’s natural for them to be fine.

I too faced the mana emitted by a masked demon head-on last time.

Compared to that, I could brush off this level of mana.

“But where in the world could Stella be…”

“Yeah, why hasn’t she shown up yet?”

It really does seem strange.

Why hasn’t she revealed herself until now?

It’s not like she arrived late this time; she must have been called by the academy.

But it’s been a while since she left—it’s hard to understand what the academy is thinking in not sending her back.

As I stood in the bushes for a few moments,

People emerged from the opposite side of the forest.

“Professors…!!!”

Someone shouted, and it was true.

Each one emanating a large mana aura was,

The faculty of the academy.

But among them, one was enough to leave our faces aghast.

“Stella…?”

“Why is Stella here…?”

“Uh…?”

“…”

Even our questions got nothing but silence from Stella,

But then, one of them stepped to the front of the platform and spoke.

“Greetings. First-year students gathered here for the Midterm Test.”

With her blue hair flowing,

The person with a nimble and charismatic voice drew the students’ attention—

It was Amelia Aegis, the teacher of Class 1-A and the combat instructor.

“Now, I will announce the content of this semester’s midterm exam.”

Wait a moment, why is Stella even over there?

“Evaluation criteria for this entrance exam is this bell.”

Amelia held up the bell hanging from a string and spoke.

In a commotion, there’s probably only I who knows what that bell is and what role it plays.

‘Fortunately, it’s just like the original.’

This time, the midterm test grades would be decided by that bell.

“The rules are simple.

Your grades for the entrance exam will depend on how many of these bells you gather.”

Although it seemed like nothing special,

When Amelia shook the bell,

A clear sound rang out, and mana’s wave spread from it.

“This bell is a mana-emitting bell, specially crafted at the Magic Tower; when shaken,

It releases a special mana…”

In short, if you touch it wrong, you’ll easily get detected.

The students around began to stir uneasily at that fact.

“Is this what midterm exams are really like…?”

“No, isn’t collecting a lot supposed to be…?”

‘Just like the original.

But why is she holding it so nervously…’

Feeling uneasy, I turned to look back at Amelia,

And from her, I heard the unexpected…

No, the words I didn’t want to hear.

“Before we start the exam, I’d like to introduce someone: Stella, come up.”

“Yes!”

Stepping forward with a slightly excited voice, Stella amplified her voice with magic as she stood on the platform,

The mana flowing from her rivaled that of the academy’s professors.

“The midterm exam today will be conducted in groups of three.

Um… The bells are hidden throughout the forest, and of course, they can be stolen…”

Looking at Stella ahead, Shia seemed to catch on and nervously trembled her voice.

“Why is Stella the one announcing the exam content…?”

“Ah…Please don’t let it be what I think it is…”

It’s too familiar to deny it.

Damn, I thought it wouldn’t happen this time.

“To keep the bells you find before the exam ends…”

As our eyes met, Stella smiled radiantly, delivering the final blow.

“I’m the teaching assistant, Stella, in charge of snatching your bells. Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

At that moment, I distinctly saw her lips whispering to me.

[You’re finished.]

…This is hell, isn’t it?

 

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