Bonus chapter thanks to '@Friendly_Noctis' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

Three days had passed.

Until the final exam, the inter-year competition, I worked tirelessly to figure out the Headmistress's true intentions.

And I had a rough answer.

Though not all my questions were answered, I could at least be sure of one thing.

The Headmistress would give me extra points.

However, the condition was that the freshmen had to win this inter-year competition.

Otherwise, the Headmistress's decision to choose me as the recipient of the extra points would be all for naught.

Therefore.

I'm nervous.

[I'm feeling the tension too.]

Samuel and I felt more pressure than ever.

We were on our way to the inter-year competition.

Students who weren't participating in the inter-year competition had already moved to the venue.

And the students who were participating were heading to the waiting room.

Could it be that they even trained in a place like this?

I let out a small exclamation.

While it couldn't be compared to the Imperial Academy of the Human Realm, Sytan was still the group that possessed the best technology in the Demon Realm.

As if to prove it, an arena reminiscent of a 'Colosseum' was set up on one side of the site.

I hadn't seen it before because it was quite far from the main building of Sytan

Amazing.

The moment I stood in front of the arena, I couldn't help but express my admiration.

And it wasn't just me; other participants felt the same.

The first-year students who were moving to the waiting room with me.

Baltan, Rene, Guwar, and Aeron.

They were accompanying me for the inter-year competition that would take place today.

.

Rene, who was still giving me the cold shoulder.

Even so, her two horns twitched as if she found the massive arena in front of her fascinating.

This is going to be fun. My blood is boiling.

Unable to control the bloodlust flowing through his body, Baltan trembled.

Haaam.

Keuk.

Aeron yawned as if bored even after coming all the way here, and Guwar frowned, seemingly overwhelmed by the sheer size of the arena.

Well, I was also nervous.

All of Sytans students would gather to watch this competition.

With 300 students and dozens of instructors, including the Headmistress, watching in person, it was only natural to be nervous.

*Squeeze*

As I touched my palm, I felt cold sweat.

It seemed I was still not used to being the center of attention.

That's why I stayed cooped up in my room, writing.

Still.

I have to show them.

Today, I had to prove my worth to the Headmistress.

Only then would I be able to get what I wanted from her.

The Stroke of Demon God, which I hadn't been able to use because I wasn't sure about the penalty.

My plan was to get something from the Headmistress that could cover for it.

*Swipe*

After wiping the sweat from my hand on my clothes, I opened my mouth to the students following behind.

Let's enter.

Yeah, yeah, let's do our best today.

*Pat*

Baltan politely nodded and put his arm on my shoulder.

I chuckled at his bright smile.

Having Baltan on our team was incredibly reassuring.

Let's go.

Guwar also didn't object to my words and started walking.

If it were before, he would have said something like, 'Don't talk to me in a commanding tone.'

It seemed he now acknowledged the strength I possessed.

As expected, kids these days grow through fights.

What are you looking at?

Rene spoke to me coldly, but she was walking next to me.

And so, we entered the waiting room of the arena.

The way to the waiting room was simple.

We just had to take out our student IDs, undergo a simple identity check by the instructor in charge, and receive guidance.

Since the passage to the waiting room was separated from the audience seats, we couldn't get a good look inside the arena.

Well, it didn't really matter since we would see it soon.

*Thud, thud*

After following the instructor in charge for a few minutes,

*Woong*

A hologram-like image appeared in front of us, sitting on the chairs.

Of course, it must be a magical device.

This is

[It seems they've set up a device so that those waiting can watch from the waiting room.]

Samuel and I focused on what was being shown in the hologram.

A woman was holding something that looked like a microphone and speaking.

Why is that woman there?

As I was staring at the translucent window with a dumbfounded expression.

<Hello everyone! This is Idea, the instructor in charge of Class A, freshmen year, and I'll be your host for today, the highlight of the final exams!>

Idea, who had become the host for the day, shouted.

She scanned the audience with her trademark bright smile.

I could see 300 students and dozens of instructors sitting in the audience.

All of them had come to see this inter-year competition.

For some reason, I started to feel thirsty.

<Thank you for waiting! Before we begin the inter-year competition, we have a special performance prepared by the instructors!>

A special performance?

That piqued my interest.

I got up from my seat and moved to the front row to get a better look at the video.

As I did so, my cheek brushed against Renes, who was watching the video from the front of the waiting room.

Rene just glared at me silently and then focused back on the video.

Since she didn't react much, I also focused back on the video.

Everyone except Aeron, the embodiment of Sloth, was looking forward to the instructors special performance.

Soon, the figures revealed were,

<It's a collaboration stage with Instructor Ares, the instructor of Class C, freshmen year, and a possessor of incredible martial arts!>

Ares was walking onto the stage with an uncomfortable expression.

*Thump*

And Idea jumped off the platform and entered the arena directly.

<And now, it's time for the instructors' exhibition match!>

Ooooooh-!

As Idea shouted towards the audience with a bright smile, the students in the audience responded enthusiastically.

A duel between Ares, who had achieved great feats during the war, and Idea.

It was only natural for the students to be excited.

And it was a battle between Idea and Ares, no less.

For me, who was trying to gauge how strong they were, it was an opportunity to observe the combat habits of seasoned veterans.

<Now, the first event, the instructors' special performance, begins!>

Idea announced to the audience with a cheerful smile.

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