Entrance Exam? Fighting Acromantula?

Cro squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

In a short while, he had earned three more golden chests and two silver ones. The feeling of collecting treasure chests was akin to watching your savings grow—immensely gratifying.

"Miss Vole, why are you sitting with them? And is everything you said really true? How do you know about this, but we don't?" Malfoy stammered, panic evident in his voice.

If anyone else had said this, he might not have believed it. But Cassandra's status was such that she had no reason to deceive him.

"Who do you think you are? Do you really think I'd lie just to fool you?" Cassandra sneered, showing no concern for Malfoy's dignity.

Her words made Malfoy's face turn pale, and his disbelief shifted to doubt. As harsh as her words were, they made sense. She really had no reason to lie to him.

"Miss Vole, do you know what the entrance exam will involve? What happens if we fail? Does this truly affect our family's inheritance?" Malfoy hesitated, looking at Cassandra with uncertainty.

"I'm my parents' only child. If they don't let me inherit, who else could they give it to?"

Cro stood up and chuckled softly. Under the wary gaze of Malfoy and his cronies, he patted Malfoy on the shoulder.

"Your parents are still young, and they're wizards. Having another child would be no problem at all. If the older model is faulty, why not create a newer, better version?"

He paused for effect.

"Just like your wand—no matter how much you like it, if it breaks, would you keep using it or replace it with a better one?"

At this, Malfoy and his lackeys turned even paler. Their hands tightened around their wands as Malfoy snapped his head up, glaring at Cro.

"You know about this entrance exam, but we don't? And you're a Mudblood—how could you know anything?"

Both Cassandra and Hermione frowned at his words.

"Watch your mouth," Hermione snapped. "Cro says you're not human, and you want to act like a dog? Did you eat dung for breakfast? How can you speak such filth?"

"Who's the Mudblood? You're the filthy one here! Full of foul language and arrogance, you're disgusting!" Cassandra added, her voice filled with scorn.

Both girls had spoken simultaneously and were briefly surprised by the coincidence. They exchanged glances before sharing a knowing smile, then glared at Malfoy with anger.

"I... hmpf! Cro, just you wait! I'll find out the truth about this entrance exam, and then I'll come back for you!" Malfoy spat, his hatred for Cro growing. Raised to revere family honor, he couldn't stand the way Cro had insulted his lineage. The blame he'd received from his father Lucius also fed his deep resentment.

[Detecting intense hatred!]

[Reward: Golden Chest!]

...

"You two don't need to get upset. I'm not mad, so why should you be?" Cro smiled at the two girls.

Cassandra and Hermione faltered, about to demand what Cro meant, but he continued before they could speak.

"I want to teach you a lesson: arguing with idiots is the most foolish thing you can do. It's like arguing with a troll."

Cro said this casually, adding, "To deal with them, all you need to do is dig a pit and let them jump right in."

"Aren't you curious what will happen once this rumor about the entrance exam spreads? I imagine the first-year students' reactions will be... quite amusing."

With a smirk, Cro closed his book and playfully strolled out of the compartment.

Cassandra and Hermione exchanged another glance before rising and following Cro in unison.

...

In another compartment, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle looked expectantly at Marcus, an older Slytherin.

Marcus exchanged amused glances with his companions before putting on a serious expression.

"To be honest, we're not really supposed to tell you. After all, it goes against the purpose of the exam. But since you've already heard about it... I guess we can't hide it anymore."

Malfoy and his friends turned pale with fear.

"S-so, what is this entrance exam exactly? Is it a written test or a fight? Who are we supposed to fight?" Malfoy asked, his voice trembling.

"Well, that depends on your luck. What was the test last year again?" Marcus feigned forgetfulness.

"Oh yes, they had to fight a giant Acromantula. Merlin's beard, I still remember the students getting wrapped up and hung by the spider."

"The year before that was even worse—they had to fight a giant squid at the bottom of the Black Lake. One poor kid never made it back up!" another older student chimed in.

These conversations made Malfoy and his friends shake with fear.

"How did you pass then? I don't believe you could have taken on an Acromantula!" Malfoy demanded, suspicion flashing in his eyes.

Marcus and his friends froze, their expressions momentarily stiff.

"Well... we were lucky. That year, we only had to hold out against a dragon for ten minutes. As long as we didn't run away, we passed."

"Exactly! Thankfully, the dragon was just a baby, or we wouldn't have dared to get close."

"Even as a baby, it was still strong! I remember when it flapped its wings, it nearly blew me away! I barely managed to hang onto a boulder to avoid being disqualified."

The older students eagerly shared their exaggerated stories, leaving Malfoy and his cronies trembling in fear.

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T/N:

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