Chapter 262: Erphet’s Request.

Shu Li returned to the magic academy with a heavy heart.

The necromancer and the demonic creature had gone to the Woba Grand Canyon, clearly because they had received news of the Demon Lord's death.

According to Efit, he and the young Dark Elves had encountered them while passing through the Kingdom of Cecilia. The demonic creature, named Sarn, possessed an extraordinarily dense concentration of dark power, no weaker than the Demon Lord's.

The necromancer was even more alarming. Although he was a Saint Mage, he was far stronger than any Shu Li had encountered before. His power was probably approaching that of a Mage Sovereign.

Shu Li couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat on Efit's behalf, not to mention the young Dark Elves.

Fortunately, those two had been in a hurry and hadn't given them any trouble.

Efit had also explained why the Demon Lord had been hunting the children.

They had gathered a bloodred herb more than three thousand meters beneath the canyon.

For the sake of that herb, the Demon Lord and the demonic creature had pursued them for two days and two nights.

Clearly, the herb was extremely important to the Demon Lord.

The necromancer and the demonic creature named Sarn might have traveled through the night not only because of the dead Demon Lord, but also to recover that herb.

Fortunately, before encountering them, Efit had placed the herb inside his high-grade storage ring, preventing its scent from escaping.

After returning to Vanaku, he had searched through every herbal reference book he could find, but none contained any information about the mysterious plant.

After careful consideration, Efit had decided to entrust the herb to Shu Li.

"Perhaps the Elven King knows where it came from."

Shu Li had accepted the box containing the herb.

Efit had made a wise decision.

If anyone in this world possessed a greater understanding of medicinal herbs than everyone else, it was undoubtedly the Elven King.

During the years Shu Li had spent studying dark magic under the Elven King, he had frequently consulted him on all sorts of other subjects.

The Elven King was practically a living encyclopedia. No question, however difficult, seemed capable of stumping him.

An herb that a demonic creature valued so highly was certainly no ordinary plant.

They needed to determine its origins and uses as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, daytime in the Central Court was nighttime in the Elven Kingdom. Shu Li couldn't very well disturb someone's peaceful sleep, so he had no choice but to wait patiently until evening.

Shu Li released his innate power, transforming from his tiny Fairy form into a human-sized figure. He changed into his academy uniform and magic robe, tidied himself up, and left the bedroom.

A new week had begun.

It was time for classes again.

Entering the living room, he glanced toward the sofa out of habit.

Sure enough, his roommate was there.

Morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon the blond youth, bathing him in a soft glow that lent the room an unexpectedly warm, peaceful atmosphere.

He didn't seem to notice Shu Li, absorbed as he was in the book in his hands.

A stray lock of hair fell across his forehead, slightly interfering with his reading. Without much thought, he raised his slender fingers and tucked it behind his ear.

His ear had an elegant shape and beautifully defined contours, giving it an almost exquisite appearance.

If it were just a little longer and more pointed, it would rival an Elf's.

Confusion crept into Shu Li's eyes.

Why did a human possess such an unusual appearance and bearing?

He was unlike any human Shu Li had encountered so far.

Hector was also a young nobleman, yet the difference between them was like night and day.

Perhaps Shu Li had been staring for too long, because Ace finally noticed his gaze.

He closed his book, looked up, and offered a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Sperien."

"...Good morning, Ace."

Shu Li glanced at the title on the book's cover, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Ace was wonderful in almost every respect.

His only peculiar trait was his taste in reading material.

He liked the strangest books.

Take the one in his hands, for example: The Untold Story of Me and My Elven Teacher.

Just the title alone suggested it wasn't a particularly respectable book, yet Ace was reading it with obvious enjoyment.

The Elven King was also an avid reader, but his choice of books was far more sophisticated.

Sometimes Shu Li would sneak a glance at what he was reading, only to find himself dizzy from trying to decipher the obscure, complicated text.

Yesterday, Shu Li had spent ages agonizing over whether Ace was the Elven King. Every attempt to test his suspicions had ended in failure.

After a good night's sleep, however, he had decided to let nature take its course.

It wasn't fair to a friend to scrutinize everything he did through a lens of suspicion.

At least until Shu Li found conclusive evidence, all his speculation was pointless.

Today's magic class was as grueling as ever.

The moment Ilio entered the classroom, he produced a thick stack of examination papers.

Smiling broadly, he addressed the Mage Apprentices of Class One.

"All right, rookies! Today we're having a surprise assessment. Let's see how much progress you've made from last week's training."

"What? An exam? You didn't tell us last week!"

"Waaah! I haven't prepared at all! I'm doomed!"

"What's going to be on the exam?"

"Last week's training results? You mean the running and magic exercises?"

"Are the questions difficult? There won't be a punishment if we fail, right?"

"Of course there'll be a punishment! Don't get your hopes up when it comes to our magic instructor."

The human students erupted into anxious chatter.

The Little Fairies, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm.

Hector couldn't help asking, "Aren't you surprised?"

Shu Li answered serenely, "You get used to it."

Ilio might have a terrible personality, but his teaching methods were unquestionably first-rate.

He was equally merciless toward every student, identifying each individual's weaknesses and shortcomings with uncanny precision before designing targeted training to address them.

The result was a dramatic improvement in their abilities.

The process was admittedly painful, but the results were outstanding.

As long as you could withstand his relentless mockery, the benefits were immeasurable.

Angel patted Hector on the arm encouragingly.

"Believe in yourself! You can do it! And even if you fail, don't be discouraged. The next exam will only be harder."

Hector: "..."

That wasn't comforting at all.

If anything, he was even more terrified now.

"Quiet."

Ilio clapped his hands.

The classroom fell instantly silent.

Every Mage Apprentice sat as still as a statue, waiting for him to speak.

Ilio raised an eyebrow and said kindly, "Don't worry. The questions I've prepared are very simple. As long as you've studied properly, everyone should be able to pass."

One student gathered his courage and asked, "Sir, what's the passing score?"

Ilio smiled.

"The exam is worth one hundred points. Ninety is a passing grade. Nothing difficult about that."

The moment he finished speaking, the classroom erupted in wails of despair.

Ninety points to pass!

And he called that easy?

That was downright inhumane!

"Um... Is there a punishment if we fail?"

A girl sitting in the front row asked timidly.

Her voice was so quiet it was almost drowned out by the wailing, but Ilio was an Elf with exceptionally sharp hearing.

He caught every word.

"Nothing much," he replied.

"R-really?"

The girl brightened with relief.

Dixio glanced at her.

She might as well believe that pies would start falling from the sky as believe anything Ilio said.

Sure enough, Ilio continued, "Students who fail will all be sent to the mountain behind the academy for a friendly exchange with the magical beasts."

Before anyone could react, he raised one finger and added:

"Third-rank magical beasts."

The students of Class One were suffering beyond words.

They couldn't even muster the strength to wail anymore.

Looking at Ilio's infuriatingly smug smile, Shu Li felt boundless sympathy for his human classmates.

For Little Fairies, communicating with magical beasts genuinely wasn't much of a punishment.

They understood the language of beasts and could converse with them normally.

As for Amanda, he was a dragon.

Magical beasts would be too busy fleeing for their lives at the sight of him to dare attempt a conversation.

Humans, however, especially those of ordinary strength, occupied a position near the bottom of the food chain.

When they encountered magical beasts, communication was the least of their worries.

Whether they could survive was the real question.

A Mage Apprentice going up against a third-rank magical beast?

Basically, Game Over!

Of course, Ilio wouldn't actually send his students to their deaths.

He had probably devised this punishment to train their courage and ability to react when faced with danger.

If anything truly threatening happened, he would undoubtedly be the first to jump in and protect them.

In short, no matter how awful his personality might be, he was still a kindhearted Elf at his core.

Seeing his students' miserable expressions put Ilio in an excellent mood.

He recited a short wind magic incantation, and the examination papers automatically floated toward the students.

"Huh? Huh? Where are our papers?"

Budno looked around and discovered that the desks of every Light Squad member were empty.

"We don't have to take the exam?"

Hector's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help celebrating inwardly.

Was such a wonderful thing really possible?

What an unexpected stroke of luck!

Cindy and Nasha exchanged glances.

Neither believed Ilio would be so generous.

Ace held an expensive quill in his hand, calmly waiting to see what new trick his "disciple" had devised to torment the Light Squad.

Shu Li had a terrible feeling about this.

Ilio leisurely approached the front row, carrying another stack of papers.

He personally distributed them to the Light Squad.

"These are your papers. Make sure you answer carefully," he said pointedly.

Shu Li accepted his paper and looked down.

He nearly coughed up blood.

List five different formulas for preparing healing potions.

Which magical attack would allow you to kill a seventh-rank fire-element magical beast in the shortest possible time?

Why do you think the Dark God started the war? Was it purely out of jealousy toward the Light God?

Was this seriously an exam for Mage Apprentices?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Shu Li turned to look at Hector's paper.

The questions were completely different.

How many magical attributes are there? List the characteristics of each one.

That easy?

So it really was an individually tailored assessment!

Shu Li craned his neck to sneak a look at Kumandi's paper.

When he saw the complicated, advanced questions, he sucked in a sharp breath.

Kumandi's exam was even harder than his!

"How... How am I supposed to answer these?"

Amanda looked ready to cry.

He read through the entire paper, his eyes practically turning into spirals.

Dragons possessed extraordinarily powerful bodies and exceptional combat abilities.

But the moment academic subjects entered the picture, they turned into hopeless students.

These questions were simply too difficult for him.

He couldn't answer them at all!

He tugged at his hair, then resigned himself to picking up his pen.

Once the exam was over, he was going to devour ten whole sea fish!

Only delicious food could soothe his wounded pride.

Fortunately, his older brother had entrusted Sperien with a fresh supply of seafood for him.

He could feast to his heart's content again!

The other Little Fairies also wore troubled expressions.

It wasn't that they couldn't answer the questions, but using their brains was such exhausting work!

When Ace received his paper, he quickly skimmed through it.

Then he looked up at Ilio with a meaningful expression.

Ilio felt a sudden pang of guilt under that gaze.

He promptly turned around and returned to the lectern.

"Everyone, answer carefully and do your best to pass," he reminded them thoughtfully.

He would have been better off saying nothing.

The moment he mentioned passing, the students felt even more pressure.

Sweat beaded on every forehead.

Desperate to avoid coming face-to-face with magical beasts, the human Mage Apprentices threw themselves into their papers with everything they had.

They bitterly regretted not studying harder.

Shu Li frowned as he answered each question with extreme caution.

Ilio really had too much time on his hands!

The entire paper was riddled with traps.

Anyone who failed to read the questions carefully was likely to fail.

Of the forty-five students in the class, Ace was the only one who seemed completely at ease.

A disciple setting an exam for his teacher was like trying to teach a master his own craft.

Ilio knew perfectly well that his abilities were limited in comparison, so he had simply given Ace an easy paper intended for ordinary Mage Apprentices.

However, he had slipped a little something extra into the final question.

If everyone's fate has already been determined, and the world is destined to end in destruction, what would you do?

Ace finished answering the preceding questions.

Then he looked at the final one and set down his quill.

Ilio, who had been watching him closely the entire time, lightly tapped his fingertips against the lectern.

His eyes darkened with an unreadable emotion.

Was the prophecy truly impossible to break?

As he pondered the question, Ace picked up his quill again.

In the blank space beneath the final question, he wrote a single, commanding line in Elven script.

Find someone beyond the reach of fate—and rewrite the ending.