Final Exam

The wooden box was lined with soft velvet. Bullets lay inside, like a pack of slumbering little beasts:

The radiant bullets shimmered with a golden-red glow...

The mithril casings of the buckshot gleamed with a cold light...

The metal shells of the flame bullets still carried a lingering warmth...

The dark red patterns on the armor-piercing bullets looked like coagulated blood...

The blue stripes of the stun bullets flickered faintly in the darkness.

He stroked the lid of the wooden box, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

These bullets were no ordinary weapons; they were a mysterious web he had woven using mechanical alchemy.

Each one concealed the power of nature, fragments of the soul, and his unyielding pursuit of strength.

When the barrel of Wind Kiss howled, these slumbering beasts would be awakened, tearing through enemy defenses in their own unique ways and igniting the dark corners of the world.

Although these bullets were only at the basic Rank Zero level, when combined with the firearm, their destructive power reached the intermediate Rank Zero level.

"Wind Kiss plus Rune Bullets"—this combination far exceeded the damage level of most Rank Zero spells.

However, firearms had their weaknesses. Once a firearm was initially forged, its maximum potential was fixed.

Spells, on the other hand, would scale up as Lizer's tier and mental power increased.

Take the "Ice Arrow" spell for example. Although its base energy level was only 1...

...once Lizer's mental power reached 5.0 and he advanced to an intermediate wizard apprentice, this Rank Zero spell, boosted by his mental power and meditation techniques, would surpass the damage of Wind Kiss.

At that time, Wind Kiss would have to be retired to make way for the creation of stronger firearms, but spells would never become obsolete.

The sky had already turned pitch black, but having just successfully crafted his very first magical item, Lizer felt a surge of excitement.

Lizer gripped the gun and aimed it at the special target prepared in the laboratory...

A faint vibration transmitted from the gun's body, like some living creature responding to his will.

He pulled the trigger, and a loud boom echoed.

It wasn't the sound of an ordinary gunshot; it was the sound of a storm tearing through the air!

The bullet flew out, carrying a cyan-blue vortex of wind. It struck the target, and the monster energy particles inside burst like fireworks, scattering into countless specks of light.

In the center of the target, a scorched black hole was left behind.

It was the trace of fire, and the edges of the hole were still emitting a faint green smoke.

"Perfect."

Lizer smiled. Tracing the runes on the gun with his fingers, he could feel the power boiling within.

"Oh! Hubby, you're a genius! This firearm of yours has already reached the intermediate Rank Zero level!"

Felina was deeply astonished by this.

She had been an intermediate wizard apprentice for many years, and her spells only possessed about this much power.

And Lizer had been a wizard apprentice for less than two months!

Mechanical alchemy was simply a cheat for a talented individual like Lizer, capable of unleashing terrifying power.

Felina snuggled tightly into Lizer's embrace and suddenly brought up a matter:

"Hubby, the annual final exam will be held in three days. This is a provincial unified exam, so there's no way to be exempted."

The snow in Gray Fog Mountain Town had completely melted. The exposed humus seeped with pale purple debris, and the yellowed tips of the grass on the ground held the lingering resonance of un-dissipated cold curses.

When the wood spirit particles of spring awakened, these wild grasses would absorb the vitality of the earth veins, piercing through the frozen soil to grow wildly.

This was the cycle of vegetation intertwined with magical energy...

For the academy apprentices, various exams were also a tormenting cycle bound within the ocean of magic.

For the monthly and quarterly exams organized by the academy, Felina had already used her connections to get Lizer exempted.

But the final exam was a different story.

To assess the progress of magical knowledge mastery among apprentices in low-level academies across the province, the Monte Province Arcane Education Department initiated a unified exam at the end of every semester. The exam content covered three parts: rune analysis, potion formulation, and practical spellcasting.

This was also an opportunity to scout for geniuses with shining souls and to allocate resources from the secret vaults.

This exam could not be exempted.

The average scores of each academy and the rankings of the top thousand apprentices in the province were directly linked to the quotas of magic crystals, magic tomes, and array blueprints distributed by the provincial secret vault.

In addition, Monte Province, Gele City, and the academy all offered extra rewards to top-ranking students.

In the past, Lizer wouldn't have dared to dream of these things, but now, for him, it was nothing more than an apprentice who had mastered mysterious powers looking down on mortals—an absolute overwhelming advantage.

However, only a fool would refuse free prizes.

Lizer held Felina and asked as they walked:

"What are the academy's rewards this year?"

Felina was very clear about this, as she had just attended the relevant meeting:

"Those ranked 50th to 100th will receive ten silver coins.

20th to 50th place get 20 silver coins.

10th to 20th place get 30 silver coins.

3rd to 10th place get 50 silver coins.

Third place is rewarded with 10 portions of 'Inferior Attribute Potion' each.

Second place is rewarded with the 'Flame Ring', swirling with crimson fire patterns, which can trigger a 2.5 energy level Flame Arrow spell three times a day.

First place is rewarded with 'Spirit of Swiftness', a permanent agility potion containing a sealed wind spirit in a bottle. It allows the consumer's soul to resonate with the wind element, permanently increasing their agility attribute by 0.5."

Hearing this, Lizer curled his lips:

"Aside from the first-place reward, the rest are quite lackluster."

Felina stuck out her tongue and said helplessly:

"It can't be helped. Gray Fog Mountain Town is located in a remote area, and the academy lacks resources. The students failing to achieve good grades has already formed a vicious cycle."

Lizer remained silent, but he was determined to secure first place in the academy!

He didn't care about the 0.5 agility value; right now, it was just worth 20 gold coins to him.

The important thing was that he could use his Krypton Gold secret technique to analyze the runic mysteries within the potion and obtain the secret recipe for the 'Spirit of Swiftness'.

A recipe capable of increasing attributes was a priceless treasure.

Moreover, it was basically impossible for anyone to sell such a recipe; under normal circumstances, it was incredibly difficult to obtain.

The crafted permanent attribute potions themselves...

...even the lowest grade ones, could fetch 30 to 40 gold coins inlaid with magic crystals on the black market, while their actual cost was extremely low.

Lizer thought for a moment and then asked Felina again:

"Then what are the rewards for Gele City and Monte Province?"

Felina recalled for a moment:

"Gele City's rewards are decent, much more reliable than the academy's.

500th to 1000th place get 50 silver coins, and 100th to 500th place get 1 gold coin.

10th to 100th place receive a protective pendant engraved with the 'Enhance Resistance' rune, capable of activating a magical barrier five times a day.

3rd to 10th place will receive a basic meditation technique scroll capable of constructing a stable space of consciousness.

Third place gets a model scroll condensing the 'Lesser Healing' rune model. Second place gets the 'Thorny Vine' model scroll. First place gets both of them, plus an 'Enhance Resistance' model scroll."

Lizer's magical energy trembled slightly throughout his body, and he said in astonishment:

"Gele City's rewards are actually this generous—"

The top ten are directly granted a basic meditation technique scroll; this is a massive advantage before the advancement exams!

The spell models for the top 3 are all scrolls containing learnable, rare Rank Zero spell rune models, whose value absolutely cannot be measured by ordinary prices.

For example, the 'Enhance Resistance' spell—Lizer knew that it could only be exchanged with top-tier merits from the police department, the military, or the secret intelligence agency.

If I can take first place, all three of these will be mine!"

Hearing this, Felina encouraged Lizer:

"My husband will definitely win first place in Gele City!

This year's rewards are higher than ever before, probably due to the current situation.

The rewards from Monte Province are also quite excellent.

Those ranked from one thousandth to five hundredth will receive one gold coin, from five hundredth to one hundredth will get three, and the top one hundred will be granted admission letters to the Monte Higher Academy.

The top ten will receive a pass plus a seven-day exploration token for the Resource Mystic Realm.

The third place will additionally obtain the 'Brain in a Vat', a permanent attribute secret potion that can permanently increase their spiritual power attribute by 0.5.

For the second place, this is replaced by a ten-year custom wizard tool privilege from an official alchemy wizard.

The first place will additionally receive a special ancient secret meditation technique called 'Stinginess', the effects of which are still unknown!"

Lizer's fingertips stroked Felina's hair, which shimmered with spiritual light...

He whispered in disbelief, "Monte Province is actually willing to bring out such a secret treasure?

A special meditation technique is a secret-vault level inheritance.

What exactly are they plotting?

The rewards for the top three are so luxurious—this level of generosity is simply unimaginable!

Good heavens!

The top hundred are only granted passes to the higher academy; Monte Province is really calculating this shrewdly!"

As magical energy flowed through his fingertips, Lizer applied a slight pressure...

A soft moan, trembling with magical energy, escaped Felina's throat. Seeing the magical light flashing in Lizer's eyes, she confirmed:

"These are indeed the rewards from Monte Province. It truly is a grand gesture!"

Lizer curled his lips and kissed the skin on her back, which glowed with a faint spiritual light. While feeling the resonance of their spiritual power and bodies, he speculated:

"If Monte Province is already like this, I can't imagine how astonishing the rewards from the other major provinces will be!

Wouldn't the favored geniuses who get these rewards be like tigers with wings in the entrance exams?"

Felina's body trembled slightly with their resonance. Her eyes shimmered with moisture as she panted softly:

"My husband is a genius at controlling magical energy...

You will definitely be the strongest!

The national top scholar title will surely be yours."

"You have that much confidence in your husband?"

Felina didn't reply at first...

She slightly raised her head, her eyes full of love, fervor, and worship:

"Of course!"

About two hours later, the silver moon hourglass outside the window dropped its final grain of sand, and the pale golden halo of the sun spread ripples across the carpet...

(Censored again)

Lizer's fingertips traced through Felina's faintly glowing long hair.

The strands still held the residual tremors of spiritual power, full of desire and passion that had dissipated during their recent intimacy. He whispered,

"Wife, do you know what the content of this year's final exam will be?"

A bell-like chuckle escaped Felina's lips. Her slender, jade-like finger, carrying a pale blue ripple of spiritual power, tapped against Lizer's forehead as she playfully scolded:

"Husband, are you trying to cheat? Haha!"

Lizer backhandedly grasped her wrist, which carried a cool touch of magical energy:

"Just knowing the general content will give me some peace of mind."

The stardust in Felina's hair scattered as she shook her head. She said softly:

"Well, the final exams over the years have been kept strictly confidential. There are only three public frameworks:

General theory, practical operation, and actual combat, each worth 100 points.

The specific assessment content every year is sealed by the province using the [Seal of Oblivion], making any leaks absolutely impossible.

Last year's practical operation tested the identification of alchemical materials disguised by the [Polymorph Spell] and their subsequent purification treatment.

The actual combat was fighting against Red Flame Army puppets enhanced by magical energy within a simulated illusion.

Every year's exam questions will only appear on the day of the exam...

After the invigilating mentor unlocks the restriction with the [Key of Truth], they will float in front of the candidates in the form of glowing runes."

Following that, a cluster of pale golden light and shadow gathered at Felina's fingertips. The blurry outlines of past exam questions emerged within the light as she detailed to Lizer the question setups and results that had been recorded by magical energy.

Because this final exam is a screening for all wizard apprentices in Monte Province, the difficulty gradient is controlled by secret arts to be extremely disparate.

The questions progress layer by layer, from the mundane level to those touching the realm of the mystic.

In previous years, the scores of the apprentices from the Gray Mist Mountain Town Lower Academy have always been dismal.

The average score displayed on the magical energy grading crystal was only 140 points, and the light on that crystal was as dim as a dying candle.

Even for the top seed apprentices in the academy, the value on the grading crystal was only around 220 points, barely touching the threshold of the mystic assessment.

Only about once every three to five years would the names of one or two lucky individuals appear in the form of glowing runes on the honor rolls of Gele City or Monte Province.