Chapter 62 Innate Spell

In the blink of an eye, four or five months passed, and the date for the current freshmen's final examinations drew ever closer.

Yolanda applied to her mentor to reduce some of her poison-brewing classes, hoping to gain more time to consolidate her knowledge of the general education curriculum.

Kurov agreed, granting her permission to attend poison-brewing classes for just one hour a day to prevent her hands from losing their familiarity with the operations.

However, Kurov did not allow her to tackle the past exam paper collections in advance.

Thus, Xazo dismissed the notion of sharing examination materials with Yolanda.

Yolanda's alchemy proficiency was somewhat inferior to Anjur's, yet it was sufficient for her to brew poisons independently. She now found time on her own daily to brew poisons, no longer relying on the teaching assistant's guidance.

Without the junior student acting as a drag on his progress, Xazo was able to immerse himself fully in the self-study of introductory poison alchemy, losing himself day after day at the advanced alchemy station.

After a continuous, frantic period of poison brewing lasting more than ten days, he decided it was time to take a proper rest.

It was Sunday morning.

Xazo did not go to the poison alchemy zone.

He sat alone in the dining hall, leisurely admiring the lake view with an entertaining book introducing the customs of the Eastern Continent spread out before him.

He had been within the academy for several years now.

Most of the books in the library had already been logged into his Knowledge Reserve.

Among them were quite a few geographical works concerning the Eastern Continent, and books introducing the Starry Night Kingdom were by no means scarce.

Yet, not a single book specifically described the continent where the Starry Night Kingdom was situated.

What was even stranger was that the ecological environment of the Eastern Continent seemed far harsher than that of the Starry Night Kingdom.

Xazo withdrew his gaze from the lake water and looked down at the illustration on the page:

A long-limbed, hideous-headed monster crouched over a corpse. Several militiamen wielding pitchforks were charging toward the beast. Behind the corpse, another similar monster was crawling on all fours along the ground, fleeing toward a river away from the militiamen.

This kind of monster, which devoured corpses and hid in the depths of river waters, was a common amphibian creature in the Eastern Continent, yet there had never been any rumors of it in the Starry Night Kingdom.

Footsteps sounded from behind.

Xazo discerned that the person was walking toward his location, but the steps lacked Anjur's light and cheerful rhythm.

Who could it be?

He turned his head to look and felt as though a dazzling pale golden radiance had appeared before his eyes.

"Senior Mars! Haha. You've finally shown up." Xazo stood up, extended his right hand, and executed the shoulder-touch greeting popular within the kingdom.

This greeting etiquette was limited to two males on good terms. Both parties would grasp each other's right hand, and their right shoulders would touch lightly. In cases of exceptionally close relations, they would, like the two of them, extend their left hands to lightly pat each other's backs.

"Let's sit down and talk," Xazo invited the other to take the opposite seat.

First, he glanced around to see if anyone else was present, then lowered his voice and said:

"I really have to thank you, Senior Mars. The passing score for the final exams that you leaked in advance helped me enormously."

"Don't say that." Mars grinned, waving his hands repeatedly. "I heard from my mentor that your memory is extraordinary, and you would have passed the exams anyway."

"Anjur passed her exams too. I still have to thank you, otherwise, I wouldn't have had time to tutor her."

Mars wore a teasing expression. "Does that mean the two of you have made things official? I'm truly envious. Just like my parents, they also met and fell in love in the academy."

Xazo steered the topic back to the other. "So much time has passed; you must have successfully practiced a meditation technique by now?"

Mars picked up the ordering pen from the dining table, waved it in front of him, and said:

"I succeeded three months ago. I learned some trick-spells from my mentor before coming out. If spellcasters-in-training weren't prohibited from using magic in the dining hall, I'd definitely have to show you the trick of telekinetic ordering."

"Huh? Wait?" Mars leaned forward, lowering his voice as he asked:

"Did you know that initial meditation practice might fail? Who told you? Your mentor? Then you must know about the special nature of innate affinities."

"Yes, Professor Kurov told me all about it," Xazo replied in a similarly low voice.

"Ah. Poison alchemy values alchemic potential above all else. It seems your evaluation results were exceptional."

Mars's gaze fell upon the single purple stripe on the other's cuff. "What level is your alchemic potential?"

"I am Top-Tier Second-Class."

Mars was stunned. "What?"

"Top-Tier Second-Class," Xazo said in an even softer voice. "In just a few months, the spellcaster sanctuary's inspection delegation will arrive."

"Hiss—" Hearing the title of the spellcaster sanctuary's inspection delegation, Mars instantly realized the other was not joking.

He sat blankly for a few seconds before recovering, murmuring in disbelief:

"Top-Tier Second-Class, do you know what that means... If you had been born in the Silver Moon Federation, you would be a specially selected apprentice of the spellcaster sanctuary right now, and you wouldn't have to fret over your first meditation practice. What a pity this is the remote Starry Night Kingdom..."

"No, no, no... You still have a chance." Thinking of something, Mars shook his head repeatedly, his pale golden hair swaying back and forth:

"Listen, you must pass the spellcaster sanctuary's inspection. That way, there will be no gap between you and those with innate affinities."

"Is it because of the Master-Grade Elemental Vial?" Xazo asked curiously.

"Professor Kurov even told you about that? Oh, right. The sanctuary's inspection delegation is coming. Professor Kurov will explain the details to you."

Mars suddenly felt his throat go dry. He looked toward the large round table in the center of the dining hall. "Wait here a moment, I'll go get something to drink."

Xazo stood up. "I'll go too."

Each of them selected a beverage and sat back down at their seats.

Mars took a sip of sparkling water and let out a satisfied hum.

He scanned his surroundings, confirmed no one was eavesdropping, and said:

"Professor Kurov certainly didn't tell you that the benefits brought by sleeping, docile elements are not limited to just this. Let me think how best to explain it to you..."

He rubbed his hair, pondering for a moment before finally finding the right phrasing:

"It's like this. Spells vary in difficulty, and spellcaster apprentices can only learn spells of their current stage.

"However, there is one exception.

"If the sleeping, docile elements in the mental ocean happen to carry a certain spell, then regardless of that spell's tier, the spellcaster apprentice can fluently cast it, though its might may vary slightly.

"In the spellcaster realm, people call this kind of spell an innate spell."

Xazo nodded in sudden enlightenment.

Simply put, once an innate affinity holder became a spellcaster apprentice, there was a chance they would naturally possess an innate spell.

The crucial point was that this innate spell was not restricted by tier; it might be nothing more than a minor trick-spell, or it could be a spell that only high-tier spellcasters could master.

This was rather interesting.

No wonder the academy would not give up on any innate affinity holder. Such individuals were born materials for becoming spellcasters.

Faced with the other's envious gaze, Mars smiled and said, "Master-Grade Elemental Vials have the exact same effect."

"!!" Xazo widened his eyes. "Really?"

"Of course it's true." Mars rubbed his hands, his words filled with deep emotion. "It's truly unimaginable that I actually have a junior schoolmate with top-tier alchemic potential."

He glanced at the dining hall's wall clock:

"I'm heading back first to pack my luggage. I have to leave for Yezhen Province by noon; the resident spellcaster there urgently needs an assistant. I wanted to have a proper meal in the dining hall, but the effect of the satiation potion hasn't worn off yet, and I have zero appetite. Right now, I'm dying to spend every second on meditation and rely entirely on satiation potions to stave off hunger..."

Xazo stood up with him and escorted him all the way to the dormitory entrance. "Have a safe trip, Senior Mars. How should I contact you in the future?"

"You'll know once you become a spellcaster apprentice." Mars once again lightly touched right shoulders with him. "I wish you success in passing the inspection in advance. I'm sure you'll have no problems at all."

He paused as he stepped into the doorway and turned around. "Give my regards to Anjur. I sincerely hope the two of you can become a couple; I think you suit each other quite well."

"Thank you, goodbye, Senior Mars."

Xazo stood at the mouth of the corridor, waving goodbye.

He returned to the dining hall, sat down, and slowly digested the intelligence brought by Mars.

As noon approached, cheerful footsteps sounded from behind.

"I'm here~"

Hearing the soft, melodious voice, Xazo curved his lips into a smile, stood up, and embraced her.

"Once we finish lunch, I'll walk you to Guardian, then return to the academy to brew poisons, and pick you up at the shop before dusk so we can head back together and enjoy dinner. How does that arrangement sound?"

"Sounds good~" Anjur leaned against her boyfriend's arms with a blissful expression.

...

As time went on, the study atmosphere within the academy grew increasingly intense, and the oppressive pressure of approaching exams gradually intensified.

Normally, peals of laughter could be heard in the dining hall. A month prior to the exams, however, all repeating students and freshmen carried backpacks as they hurried back and forth between the dining hall, classrooms, and dormitories.

Xazo and Anjur were largely unaffected; in fact, they found themselves much more leisurely since they no longer had to substitute for lectures.

Especially during the days of the final examinations, candidates had to dine in their dormitories. Only a handful of people could be seen in the entire dining hall.

The two of them spent the twenty-five days of the freshman final exams in an even more relaxed and carefree manner.

One noon.

Xazo and Anjur chatted in low voices while dining.

A metaphorical dark cloud seemed to float in today's dining hall, shrouding the hearts of many candidates.

The results of the final examinations had been announced that morning.

Among the numerous repeating students, only three passed the exam. Aside from these three, the rest would leave the academy within the week.

Among the current cohort of freshmen, the number of passing students was also extremely small, totaling just five.

These two numbers were far lower than Xazo's own expectations.

Anjur sat beside her boyfriend, covering her mouth with her hand as she said:

"I'll tell you a secret, my mentor said that this batch of twenty-five exams was much harder than the ones for our cohort."

Xazo had been completely oblivious to this, having spent the past two months immersed in poison brewing without paying attention to the final exams.

With a brief mental exertion, he figured out the reason.

The freshmen of this cohort were actually quite shrewd; the vast majority of them had spent a year observing before applying for admission. That one year was sufficient time to self-study multiple textbooks.

The purpose of the general education examinations was not to let students pass, but to screen out the most exceptional individuals and then allocate teaching resources based on examination scores.

If the exam difficulty were not raised, the passing rate would be astonishingly high, and the final exams would lose their reason for existing.

Some might wonder whether it was feasible to avoid this most crowded wave of people and delay admission by yet another year.

Well... perhaps it was. But the professors would still adjust the exam difficulty according to the academic capability level of the incoming freshmen.

For candidates, the worst-case scenario was that the professors might conclude that the good grades of this freshman cohort were not due to inherent talent, but rather relied upon years of bitter study.

The professors would then raise the exam difficulty once more, devising new questions by every means possible in order to screen out the talent they desired.

Therefore, one should not be too clever for one's own good. When it came to the academy's final exams, the relationship between the candidates and the question-setters was completely asymmetrical.

Entering the academy to study normally, following the established trajectory of life, was the genuinely correct mindset.

Xazo found the dejected Yolanda, who was sitting in a corner nursing her sorrow, evidently having failed the exams.

"It seems our poison alchemy branch has been completely wiped out. How about your side?" Xazo asked.

Anjur's mouth was stuffed full, and she shook her head from side to side while making "mm-mm" sounds.

Fair enough, fair enough; after enduring one more year, the academy would be much quieter.

...

At 1:00 PM that same day.

The poison alchemy zone.

Xazo stepped into the basic alchemy room, saw his mentor gesture toward the chair opposite the desk, and walked over to sit down.

"Good afternoon, Professor."

Kurov handed over two illustrated booklets. "This is the freshman introduction for the next cohort. Read through it first, and then we'll discuss some matters."

Xazo lowered his head and opened the booklet.

There were only two students in the next freshman cohort, both male, both one year shy of adulthood, neither from Starry Night City itself, and both with relatively simple personal backgrounds. The content in the booklet was sparse, and he finished reading it in no time.

Seeing his student raise his head, Kurov placed his fingertips together on the tabletop and asked:

"What do you think of Yolanda's alchemic aptitude?"

Xazo pinched his chin in thought and said:

"As for Yolanda... on her first day as an introductory poison alchemist, she might not be able to brew refined powder of perfect quality, but excellent quality shouldn't be a problem—probably around 3 to 5 bottles."

"About what I anticipated. Around Special-Tier Third to Fifth Class standard."

Kurov nodded and pointed toward the alchemy station behind him:

"In a moment, I'll call Yolanda over. Once she completes her probationary-level advancement test, you will teach her how to brew the refined powder of white-jawed venom. Tomorrow, she'll brew refined powder here. I want you to supervise on the side to prevent any red-bile-toxin explosions."

"Yes, Professor, leave it to me."

"There is one more matter." Kurov pulled a stack of test papers from the drawer and handed them to the student one by one:

"Yolanda's alchemic potential and learning talent are both quite good, and most importantly, she passed the trial of the black-eye venom. She is worth keeping around for further cultivation.

"In this final exam, she passed a total of sixteen subjects, with nine requiring makeup exams. Among the makeup candidates, she is considered a top-tier student.

"I'd like you to help her with tutoring to ensure she smoothly passes the makeup exams. That way, next year she can serve as the temporary teaching assistant, allowing you to focus completely on self-studying introductory-level content."

Xazo flipped through Yolanda's test papers, noting that the deducted points were concentrated on the more difficult application questions.

"No problem, Professor. I will need to use the items in the storage room."

"Go ahead, just tidy up afterwards," Kurov waved his hand, then asked:

"Do you feel suited for the role of teaching assistant?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Xazo shook his head and said:

"No, Professor, I don't feel suited for this work. By comparison, I much prefer tinkering with the advanced alchemy station."

"Mm," Kurov nodded:

"Having you serve as the temporary teaching assistant certainly delayed quite a few matters. But our harvest has been good; it was worth reducing my meditation time to build the teaching model for the teaching assistant together with you. With your post-class summaries, syllabus arrangements, and teaching insights, Yolanda will be much more composed when dealing with freshmen.

"If there is no one more suitable than her over the coming year, I intend to apply to the head of the academy to formally appoint her as the teaching assistant. What do you think?"

"I agree, Professor." Xazo decisively raised his hand in approval.

Yolanda possessed stronger discipline, and her female identity made her more approachable, making her better suited to act as a teaching assistant.

"Then it's settled. I'll call her over..." Kurov picked up a pen, swiftly wrote a few lines, and manipulated the slip of paper to fly out of the poison alchemy zone.