At the end of October, the second monthly exam arrived.
As the coursework grew more advanced, Roland adjusted the difficulty of the exams, gradually developing question formats that could genuinely identify elite talent.
With barely any effort, he raised the difficulty for these apprentices from the Lainer World.
"How could this happen? I... I actually failed to qualify!"
Bona's hands trembled as he held his newly returned exam paper, his face full of disbelief as he questioned everything.
"Before, it was mostly fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions. Now there's so much more reading comprehension and literary analysis!
"And that's only the basics of language class. The magicalized runes and incantations are even harder..."
"How did those freaks manage to pass?"
Several other former elite apprentices also felt a profound sense of despair, with immense doubts welling up inside them.
Only then did many of them abruptly realize that the gap between one person and another...
Could be greater than the gap between a person and a dog!
"I thought it was pretty manageable. These days, isn't mastery of eighteen languages by graduation a basic requirement for apprentice students?"
Someone just had to rub salt in the wound.
"Shut up and get lost!"
Everyone bristled.
They were already struggling to keep up after just two months of study. How were they supposed to survive the next few years?
Bona clutched his head in anguish.
He could already picture the bleak, lightless life ahead of him.
"No, I'll have to invest more and consider using alchemical potions or something to help.
"Scholar's Zeal, wisdom potions, Sleepless One's Blessing, Concentration Potions...
"All sorts of common and uncommon potions, scrolls, and spells, legitimate or otherwise...
"One of them has to work!"
"Right, I could also hire a mage to cast Tongues of Seris and Silver