Chapter 348: Rules Suddenly Change, the Magical Girl Ten Trials

Meditation classroom.

The moment Vivi stepped through the classroom door, everyone’s gaze focused on her. Each look was different.

Vivi couldn’t be bothered to figure out what they meant and sat down in her seat.

The AI teacher’s projection appeared at the front of the classroom.

“All right, everyone is seated.”

“I have an important announcement to make.”

Its expressionless voice delivered news that hit like a bombshell.

“To carry out the will of Ms. Priss, a member of H Corp’s Supreme Board of Directors, the supreme ruler of Herth, Chief Executive Officer for Expansion of Neon City, and protector of the Great Dome…”

“Herth has officially announced that, starting this year, no school will be granted the exemption that allows students to take the qualification exam without sitting for it.”

“As a result, the specific examination rules will necessarily have to be revised as well.”

“…!!!”

Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Did this mean that the Fourth Middle School students who reached seventh-grade magic power by the time they graduated from middle school would no longer receive an exemption from the Magical Girl License Exam?!

In an instant, Vivi’s face went blank.

The AI teacher ignored the commotion below. Its face remained expressionless as it continued to announce the new rules:

“Last night, the Education Bureau issued a notice.”

“The examination process has been revised as follows.”

“This year’s magical girl selection will have no such thing as an exemption. Anyone who wants to qualify for the Magical Girl License Exam must earn that qualification for themselves.”

“To do so, you must take part in the competitive examinations held over the next two months.”

“There will be ten in total, collectively known as the ‘Magical Girl Ten Trials.’”

“The first nine competitions will not be held all at once. Instead, they will take place in batches and in stages.”

“The first will be the upcoming Speed Competition.”

“The joint exchange meet between First, Second, Third, and Fourth Middle Schools, originally scheduled for half a month from now, has now been changed into this event.”

The AI teacher continued, “The locations of the later competitions have not yet been announced, but I’ve uploaded their dates and themes to the group chat.”

“Candidates must choose events to enter from among these nine competitions and earn enough ranking points in at least three of them to have a chance to take the final, tenth trial, the Practical Combat Competition.”

“Those who perform impressively in the Practical Combat Competition will truly earn the qualification to take the Magical Girl License Exam.”

“The system will evaluate your three best results. Entering more competitions will not earn you any additional points.”

“In addition, this round of competitive examinations will have a limited number of free slots. First Middle School has been allocated the most, while Eighth Middle School has the fewest.”

“Students who wish to enter a competition must submit an application to the school at least seventy-two hours before the examination date. The system will strictly assess applicants’ academic performance and family assets to determine who receives a slot.”

Although nobody had yet worked out the exact process, every girl pricked up her ears and caught the key phrase.

Free slots?!

If they were called free slots… didn’t that mean there were paid slots too?!

Sure enough, the next sentence immediately brought complicated expressions to everyone’s faces.

“Students who do not receive a free slot may pay an additional fee to enter the qualification lottery. Pay 3,000 credit points, and you are guaranteed a competition slot.”

Someone immediately gritted her teeth and said:

“Three thousand credit points for one exam, nine thousand for three. That’s about as much as two years of tuition at Fourth Middle School. Why not just rob us?”

“Student, if you lack the funds, there’s no need to worry. You may pay different amounts of credit points to enter the lottery. The more you pay, the greater your chance of qualifying for the exam.”

“……” *N

What the hell, is this some kind of gacha game?

“But please remember that regardless of the lottery’s outcome, none of the credit points you pay will be refunded.”

“Finally, the principal has a few words for all of you.”

The AI teacher adjusted its voice, perfectly reproducing the principal’s tone and voice.

A middle-aged woman spoke: “[You should be filled with respect and gratitude for Ms. Priss’s benevolence.]”

“[This mock examination separates public and private schools, sparing you from competing alongside the children of the financial oligarchs.]”

“[Not only that, although the school has few free slots that provide direct entry, those of you enrolled in public schools have greater weight in the paid lottery system.]”

“[The odds in this mock examination’s slot lottery differ between public-school candidates and independent candidates. Even if you pay the same amount, your chance of being selected will be far higher than that of those independent candidates out in society… probably four or five times higher.]”

“[Compete in the magical arts, and fight without regrets!]”

The speech was over, but the classroom fell into an unusual silence.

The meditation room was already exceptionally soundproof. At that moment, all that remained was the sound of everyone breathing.

This really was a bombshell.

But after a brief moment of shock and thought, most people calmed down again, their expressions saying, “As expected,” and “Just as I thought.”

After all, everyone had already been struck by a true bolt from the blue.

When Ms. Priss announced during her live broadcast that the number of magical girls recruited in the future would be reduced, they had already prepared themselves for this.

The policy was bound to change. The only question was how. This time, the examination rules had simply been finalized.

In short, two more barriers had been added on top of the qualification exam, making it even harder to get through and reducing the number of people who would qualify.

At that moment, some students who usually ranked in the middle of the class began sneaking glances at the class’s top students, their complicated expressions mixing envy with schadenfreude.

The reason was simple.

After three years of middle school, most people had a pretty clear idea of their own limits.

Those who were going to give up had already done so long ago.

After all…

Though Fourth Middle School was a special middle school for magical girls, that didn’t mean there was no path forward for anyone who didn’t become a magical girl. Most of them could still be considered elites among ordinary people.

Whether they continued their studies or found work to support themselves, they would still be better off than those attending vocational schools elsewhere.

However, for the students who had been single-mindedly striving to become magical girls, even willing to sell everything they owned to do so, this was a serious blow.

The exemption was gone. That meant that even the top ten students in the school had to compete for slots like everyone else. If they couldn’t get a free one, they could only pay for one.

It was an enormous unexpected expense. If they didn’t pay, they would have to compete against everyone else in society.

And right now…

As if drawn together by a magnet, the gazes of the class’s strongest students, including Xiyuji and Katsumi, had already met.