Larven's "Big Three" Make Their Debut

The first day of the first batch of Larven's second-round entrance exams.

Dozens of long tables had been neatly arranged in the largest hall on the first floor of the Examination Center.

Each table held twenty projections displaying footage of examinees captured and transmitted back by Eyes of Detection.

The second round was stricter than the written test. An Eye of Detection would follow every examinee throughout the entire exam.

Except in designated areas where filming was prohibited to protect privacy, they would remain under the proctors' watch at all times.

The hall also contained an inspection team made up of senior professors. They were responsible for making judgments when proctors could not reach a conclusion, recording and commenting on notable examinee performances, and compiling an "Examinee Report."

This report would also become the primary way most lecturers learned about the incoming class.

Two hours after the exam officially began, the examinees had only just completed their class certifications, found the teammates they had arranged to meet before the exam, and formed parties to accept commissions at the Adventurers' Guild.

So far, no examinee had done anything particularly unusual.

Margaret sat at her desk, a little bored. Proctoring was a terribly draining job, and unlike during the written test, there was no chance to slack off.

Each proctoring station had three people rotating shifts, with each shift lasting four hours. Any longer, and their eyes would start to blur.

Besides, there were no examinees she particularly wanted to watch in this round. Jia Xiu was in the final batch.

She had no doubt Jia Xiu would pass this round. If he could teach himself Undead Basics and even handle Bubu, then a mere dungeon would be a piece of cake.

Slumped listlessly in her chair, Margaret was now almost hoping an examinee would cheat, just to bring some entertainment to these boring hours.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind her.

Margaret jolted. Danger sense!

The inspection team was here.

She immediately sat up straight, putting on an expression of complete focus as she monitored the exam.

The senior professors of the inspection team were discussing the performances of the first batch of examinees.

"Why are young people these days all so reckless? I just saw someone accept the highest-difficulty commission and charge into a dungeon alone."

"What happened to him?" another professor asked.

"He failed to avoid the very first trap. His leg was crushed off, and he's calling for help right now. If no other examinees go there, he'll probably have to withdraw before long."

"If you ask me, even if other examinees do go there, they won't save him. Why add another competitor for yourself? Letting them experience the cruelty of real competition is also the purpose of this exam."

As they chatted, the inspection team stopped behind Margaret and began watching her twenty examinees.

It turned out that even after growing up and becoming a teacher, having a group of big shots standing behind you and watching could still make you nervous.

Margaret's back was ramrod straight. She looked incredibly serious.

The professors' discussion continued behind her.

"This team is pretty good. They're about to complete their first mission. They should be the fastest, right?"

"No, Thomas is the fastest."

"Thomas? The one from the Reinhardt family?"

Hearing that surname, Margaret's ears twitched. The Reinhardt family was one of the Iris Kingdom's top noble houses.

There were not many families in the kingdom more influential than Margaret's, and the Reinhardts were one of them.

More importantly, her family and the Reinhardt family were not on good terms. There had been plenty of grievances between them.

That made her especially curious about this Thomas's performance.

"That's him, the Reinhardt boy. In such a short time, he organized an adventuring group from among the examinees, divided them into several teams according to their classes and abilities, and personally coordinated resource distribution and commission assignments. The team he leads has also swiftly completed a second-tier difficulty commission."

"Looks like he'll take first place in this exam."

"Yes. He's strong, talented, and has leadership ability. He's a promising one."

The second exam was scored based on the total amount earned after three days, as well as the time it took to reach the thirty-crown benchmark.

Thomas led many people, so he could obtain more resources. Combined with his own formidable strength, he was indeed a strong contender for first place.

Hearing the inspection team praise Thomas so highly made Margaret a little unhappy.

The moods of her family members were negatively correlated with the fortunes of the Reinhardt family.

Just wait until Jia Xiu arrives with the third batch. Then you'll see what a real genius looks like.

Margaret thought to herself.

At that moment, a professor pointed at one of the projections on Margaret's table. "This child is pretty good. Since he chose to adventure alone, he should rely on his keen observation to discover the rare treasure hidden in the shadows."

On the screen, an examinee stood in a secret chamber. Before him was a glittering golden treasure chest, yet he did not seem particularly excited. Instead, he kept looking around and observing the surroundings.

"Not bad. Very good."

The professor continued praising him.

"A young man who remains so composed after discovering a hidden treasure chest, and understands to inspect the environment for other traps. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

"Um, Professor," Margaret said softly.

"What is it?"

"This examinee got lost and wandered into that secret chamber. He's been there for twenty minutes already, and this is the fourth time he's circled back here. He isn't excited because he's looking for the exit."

After Margaret explained, the professor fell silent. The other members of the inspection team were clearly struggling to hold back their laughter, with faint snorts escaping through the corners of their mouths.

Eager to hide his embarrassment, the professor wanted to change the subject immediately.

Then he suddenly noticed another examinee in this group whose behavior was especially unusual.

"What is that examinee doing? Why is she still reading in the Adventurers' Guild? Those who accepted beginner commissions should be back to turn in their missions by now."

Everyone turned to look at the examinee.

She was a thin, frail, petite girl. At first glance, she looked like a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child.

She sat peacefully in the guild, leisurely reading a book. Even the coat provided by the academy was gone.

"Has this examinee given up?"

"Probably not," Margaret said. "She's Mia."

"She's Mia? The one who writes papers for others?" one teacher immediately realized.

Mia's essay ghostwriting service was practically famous throughout Larven.

"She must have her own plan."

"Then where is her coat?"

"She sold it," Margaret answered.

"Sold it? Even if she sold every bit of material we provided, she would only get at most five crowns. We calculated everything carefully. There's no way to pass the exam like that."

"She used the money from selling the coat to buy paper and pens, rent tables and chairs, and buy a banner."

"A banner?" The inspection team had completely lost track of what Mia was trying to do.

Meanwhile, in Phantom World.

Mia saw that the first examinees to complete their commissions were gradually returning from outside the guild. She stood up and closed her book.

It was time to carry out Boss Jia Xiu's strategy.

She went outside the guild entrance, onto the path every examinee had to take to turn in their missions. Her rented table and chairs had been placed there.

She plucked several blades of grass from the roadside, bundled them together, dipped them in ink to use as a brush, and began writing on the banner.

"Mia Tax Consulting."

After finishing, she propped it up and shouted at the returning examinees in the loudest voice she could manage.

"Still troubled by the Adventurers' Guild's thirty percent commission cut? Still suffering under the city lord's five percent income tax? Come to Mia Tax Consulting! We'll help you easily solve all of these problems and make your exam go more smoothly! Mia Tax Consulting, fighting for every crown you earn!"

After delivering her advertisement, Mia smiled faintly.

Just as Boss Jia Xiu had taught her, earning money through commissions did not necessarily mean earning the commission money itself.

Keen observation and innovative thinking—surely that had to be the intent of the exam setters.

Back at the Examination Center, the members of the inspection team standing before Margaret's station stared at Mia's antics with widened eyes, their eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

"What the hell is she doing?!"