I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored- I’m so bored-

Why did Kaida have to steal my phone and text everyone in the group chat that I was going to study at the library for six hours.

‘Because you need to study papa, you’re really dumb, and the only way I was going to make you do that was make the others make you.’

That’s what she said, but in reality, I know that this is her revenge for earlier in the week.

I sneakily glanced up from the textbook and when I saw everyone else immersed in their own various textbooks, my eyes flickered around for a potential source of entertainment.

Instead, I met jealous eyes.

Not from the table I was sitting at but from the surrounding ones.

In every corner of the library (visible to me), there were pairs of entitled, jealous eyes.

Argh everyone around is staring at me enviously, can’t you guys at least try to hide it?

Are the top rankers of Xira that special?

All I see is an overconfident crackhead, an uwu syndrome boy, a rich nerd, a Asher simp with a napoleon complex, a pathetically nice pushover and a tsundere who is secretly a hardcore Asher fan.

I looked at Stacy, Lucas, Lacey, Amber, Asher and Julian respectively.

Sure, they were strong but that isn’t enough to make up for their trashy personalities.

Hmph.

I turned my head to Stacy, who was also evidently getting bored, constantly fidgeting around while looking around.

Stacy whispered, “Why is everyone staring at Elijah?”

“Because I’m handsome, of course.”

“Ewww-”

“Both of you, quit it, it’s the fourth time today.” Lacey giggled.

“Yes ma’am.” Both of us chorus in sychronisation.

“Why do both of them listen to you?” Asher asked exasperatedly.

Stacy suggested, “Let’s see because she’s rich and nice?”

I nodded, maybe her taste isn’t that bad after all.

“So you admit to liking Lacey for her money?”

“Hey! I said nice too, did that go into one ear and out the other?!”

Stacey giggled mirthfully before grabbing Lacey’s hand, giving her enough time to protest if she wanted.

“I, for one absolutely adore my bestest friend because she’s the nicest human on earth”, Said Stacy exaggeratedly.

“Now let this friend of yours buy you a drink!”

“Haha…”

Lacey let herself be dragged along, sheepish from all the praise.

“Byee~”

Their departure seemed to set off a chain reaction as the others also soon left for various reasons.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

***

“Haaaaaaahhhhh-”

I’m pretty sure my face didn’t look so great as I stood in front of the hall.

I’ve heard the assessment period was harsh but to only give us one day of break?

Sadistic much.

Tsk.

If I knew this was going to happen, I would have protested harder at the prospect of spending yesterday on a study session.

I entered the doors after passing a machine capable of detecting any objects or substances that could potentially allow us to cheat or gain us a boost in reasoning or critical thinking abilities.

Hmm?

I stopped consciously thinking to observe the surroundings.

The room was pretty spacious.

Properly about the size of a two floored decently large house.

For Xira, this is like nothing. Yeah, they were just that influential.

Maybe using the Healer’s scholarship was worth it after all.

I’m pretty sure they split us by ranks because I couldn’t see any familiar or campus ‘famous’ faces.

Numerous rows of desks could be seen, each containing a single pen.

Onlooking this was a platform that was nearly the entire height of room itself, with a few professors on it, undoubtedly here to supervise.

All the students entered behind me in a single file and took a seat where the guide instructed.

After droning on about instructions and the consequences of cheating, they handed us a flipped test booklet.

The first of many to come.

After another lengthy round of useless talk (because all students of Xira were already made to read the test rules), I woke from my daydream as they announced:

“And without further ado, may the exams begin.”

The huge neon digital timer started counting down.

I turned over the paper, hands slightly shaking.

I had prepared for this moment and yet I couldn't help but partially succumb to the pressure of what this test meant for me.

And I was right to be nervous.

In the past, after having failed to become physically strong, I studied like my life depending on it to not be ranked dead last.

I was pretty good at my studies if I did say so myself.

And yet this test…

It could be described as nothing but pure nonsense.

‘Name the side effects of a scratch from a lynx and gargathon hybrid that was given a meal of a piglet and a steamed oxen approximately thirty minutes prior.’

Who the hell would need to know this?!

No, what the hell even was this??

Firstly, gorgathons were pretty rare, let alone a hybrid species.

What kind of gorgathgon eats precisely one piglet with their ravenous appetite?

Where on earth does it get steamed oxen?

And why the ‘thirty minutes’ prior part even there?

It’s not like eating piglets and oxen could create side effects anytime.

Was the posion generated from the consumption of the steamed oxen-

Wait is it a trick question?

ARGHHH I internally screamed while slightly pulling my hair.

Damn. Well… there’s no point in dwelling on it now.

I was only eight questions in yet starting to bullsh*t the answers.

After my initial panic died down, I started to recall a lot more solutions.

Xira wasn’t as merciless as to not provide revision books and test exams from previous years after all.

I had also sat through tests at Xira before, though none of those had this scale of difficulty.

…wait.

I grabbed the booklet and quickly turned to go last page, reading the number in the last question.

“sixty-eight questions…?”

Ah.

I’m screwed…

…Let’s pray they mark me high for the practical component.

But to be honest, I was the one panicking the least in this room.

Maybe it’s because I attempted to study at the other’s standards did I break my limit?

What monsters. To think they were even good at studying…

I guess hanging out with them would do me at least some good.

***

I stared down at the back of the last booklet with a complicated expression.

The topic for this one?

Healing.

Having been through the other tests I could roughly estimate the difficulty of the questions.

This was the topic I religiously (and desperately) studied.

Because since I didn’t excel or even get close to excelling in the practical component, I needed the theory marks.

I lived on the Healing scholarship program, so I needed the marks for this subject.

I kept staring at the back of the paper, reminiscing. In the background I could hear some students trailing out. The non healers.

Heh. Time to redeem myself.