Chapter 212: Exams Week

Noah glanced down at the exam sheet again.

He exhaled softly, a faint smile on his face.

’You want improvisation? Fine,’ he thought, lowering his head as though rereading the paper.

Under the desk, his fingers moved ever so slightly, the spell formation for Devour appearing above it.

He’d modified the spell.

This one wasn’t the powerful version.

This one was just strong to irritate, and not consume. After all, he had no idea what his spell would meet.

And so, he cast it.

The spell tunneled downward, bypassing the classroom completely.

Far below the classroom, deep under the Academy’s foundations, Devour appeared in a different space altogether.

A dark, reinforced room filled with iron cages and containment seals.

One of the monsters in the underground Beast Pen, a mid-sized serpentine creature with translucent scales and a dozen glowing eyes, stirred from its sleep.

The maw and reaching hands of Devour touched the floor of its cage, and the creature opened its mouth, a scream filling the air.

Up above, the entire classroom trembled.

Every student jolted upright. Quills fell, and murmurs filled the air.

Professor Geldrin placed his palms on the table and stood.

“What the hell is that?” he asked, almost to himself.

The floor shook again, and Geldrin’s expression twisted with irritation.

“Ridiculous,” he muttered, straightening his coat. “This happens every exam week.”

He stepped towards the door.

“No one moves,” he ordered the class.

Then he left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall as he went to investigate the disturbance below.

The door clicked shut.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the room loosened.

Whispered conversations broke out. Chairs creaked.

Noah’s eyes began to move.

Slowly, carefully, he tilted his head just enough to get a view of the nearest desks.

His gaze flicked from one to another, noting each paper, and each set of careful handwriting.

His vision zoomed in, and he was able to see the answers written on the papers as if it were on his own desk.

He memorized the details instantly, storing them like photographs in his mind.

A few students noticed him sitting there so still, eyes darting faintly, but none thought much of it.

Everyone had their own worries, and their own nerves to deal with.

Outside, faint sounds of shouting and containment spells echoed through the stone walls.

Geldrin was likely berating the handlers below.

Then, a minute later, the door burst open.

Geldrin stepped back in, scowling, muttering about ’careless enchantment erosion.’

He clapped his hands once. “Settle down. Continue. I’ve handled it.”

The room fell silent again, everyone returning to their papers.

Noah grinned faintly as his pen moved across the page, filling in the last blanks with absolute confidence.

He’d successfully cheated.

[][][][][]

The week rolled by in a blur.

After the grueling exams, the tension that had gripped the academy slowly began to ease.

By the fourth day, the last of the exams were done, and students flooded the courtyards like freed prisoners.

By the sixth day, the results had finally been released, and the campus was once again alive with anxious chatter and laughter.

Noah wasn’t anxious, though. He simply wanted to know how bad, or good, things were.

He left the cafeteria after breakfast, the smell of toasted bread and the noise of hundreds of students fading behind him.

The sun above was bright but mild, and the academy felt unusually calm.

He followed the cobblestone path towards the faculty building, where a crowd had already gathered around the massive notice board fixed to the outer wall.

Noah weaved through the crowd easily, ignoring the snippets of conversation floating around him.

The cheers from students who’d topped their classes, and groans from those who hadn’t been so lucky.

Finally, he reached the section labeled First Year, Gold Tier and scanned the list.

His eyes moved down the neatly written names until he found it.

At the very bottom.

Noah Webb – Last Place.

He stared at it for a few seconds, expression blank.

Then a small smile touched his lips. “At least I passed,” he muttered.

Behind him, a familiar voice groaned.

“Damn it! You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Noah turned slightly as Arlo stood beside him, finding his name.

His expression twisted, eyes hidden behind his blindfold.

“I’m second to last,” Arlo said, exasperated. “Second! I was aiming for last place, damn it.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “You wanted to fail?”

“Not to really fail, you know,” Arlo said, gesturing wildly. “Just, be last. There’s a difference. Now you get to have all the fun.”

“What fun?”

Arlo grinned, resting a hand on Noah’s shoulder like a man about to share bad news disguised as good.

“You really didn’t read the exam handbook, did you?”

Noah gave him a flat look. “Obviously not.”

Arlo chuckled. “Well, as I’m sure you know, when we began for the semester, the placement tests decided ranks.”

“But now that we’ve actually had exams, the last place in every tier has to defend their position.”

“You’ll have to fight the people from the lower tier trying to take your spot in Gold.”

Noah blinked, silent for a moment. “So, you’re saying I have to fight them to keep my rank?”

“Yup. You versus the best of the Silver-tier students who are taking promotion exams.”

“And if I lose?”

Arlo shrugged. “You drop down. Simple as that.”

“And to climb back up, you’ll have to take a promotion exam too.”

A faint smile appeared on Noah’s face at the thought. “Then I won’t lose.”

“Sure, sure, confident as always.” Arlo smirked.

Then, changing the topic, he asked, “So, what’s the plan for the holidays? Everyone’s heading home tomorrow.”

Noah shook his head. “No plans.”

Arlo looked almost offended. “No plans? Dude, it’s a month-long break. You’ve got to do something.”

“I’ll manage,” Noah said simply, already turning to leave.

Arlo crossed his arms. “You could come home with me. My father’s hosting a banquet, there’ll be good food, good wine, and plenty of pretty people. Might even help you relax.”

Noah didn’t stop walking. “Not interested.”

“Really? Not even a little?” Arlo called after him.

Noah raised a hand lazily without looking back. “Enjoy your holidays, Arlo.”

Arlo stood there for a while, watching Noah’s back recede down the path.

His grin faded, replaced by something more thoughtful.

“Yeah,” he muttered under his breath, scratching his head. “You too, buddy.”

Then he sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned towards the cafeteria.

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