Practical Examination

Snowy Peak Mountain Stronghold, Bo City

"Everyone, come check out our new magic boots! Made from Wind Rabbits' hind legs, top-tier equipment that can make you run faster than your dad left to buy milk!"

"Forget magical boots! Brother, I have this special medicine—one tablet, and it'll turn even 2 inches into Mount Tai. Tested personally."

"Really, brother?"

"I swear on your mother!"

The main road was bustling with shops and vendors, resembling a lively marketplace. The local sellers offered all kinds of magical equipment and medicines that a magician might need. After all, this was the Snowy Peak Mountain Stronghold of Bo City, the largest hunting ground in the area.

Currently, all eyes in the stronghold were on the group gathering at the center of the plaza.

"Oh, the students have arrived. Which school are they from?"

"It's Tian Lan Magic High."

"Ah, is it that time of year already? Haha, how many do you think will pee their pants this time?"

The students of Tian Lan Magic High were grouped together, standing in proper lines at the center of the plaza, waiting for the military instructor to arrive.

Six months after the annual examination, it was finally time for the students of the magic high school to take their practical examination, which would heavily influence their college admissions.

The students of Damon's class had been called to the Snowy Peak Stronghold to take the test under military supervision as they faced monsters for the first time.

"Hello everyone, I am the Chief Military Instructor for your practicals, Zhankong. Consider yourselves lucky because you're the first group of examinees to come here since I took charge," the Chief Military Instructor, Zhankong, announced.

The man wore a military general's uniform and had a disheveled appearance, but none of the students dared to take him lightly, knowing the strength and authority he wielded.

"Don't worry, you're the first practical students under my responsibility. To help you smoothly pass the practicals that directly affect your high school grades, I'll give you all special treatment!" Zhankong said loudly.

Failing the practical examination or scoring low would significantly affect their grades, potentially altering their futures.

"I understand that you're the most outstanding young magicians of Bo City, and I believe you have the strength to pass this exam. Therefore, this practical will be extremely easy," Zhankong said with a harmless smile.

"See, didn't I tell you? The teachers bribed the officers this year too," Wang Sanpan whispered, loud enough for the nearby students to hear.

"Like last year, even if we do nothing, the minimum score will be at least a C."

"That's great, isn't it? I was really scared for a moment, considering we're facing magical beasts."

The students' expressions lightened at Zhankong's words, except for one person who remained stoic, clearly aware of the future and the trick Zhankong was about to pull.

"I just received a bounty, and the difficulty is the lowest level. There are 100 magicians in total from your school, right? How about this: if any squad or individual among you 100 people completes this bounty, you'll pass the entire practical assessment and receive an A grade," Zhankong said.

The students became excited at the thought of earning an A, which would greatly increase their chances of getting into a good college. However, the hunters watching from the sidelines frowned at the military instructor's words.

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

"Letting students take on a bounty—does the chief want to get these kids killed?"

Even experienced mages wouldn't dare take on such a mission without a proper squad. The idea of students facing magical beasts, even weak ones, seemed absurd.

"What if none of us can finish the mission?" Xu Zhaoting, standing at the front, asked.

"Then no one will pass," Zhankong replied indifferently.

Students and teachers alike were unable to remain calm after hearing this.

"Chief Military Instructor, you might as well fail us all!" The class representative, Zhoumin, stood up, her patience at its limit.

"Yeah, there's no difference between that and failing us right now!"

Zhang Jianguo, Xue Musheng, Tangyue, and Chen Weiliang, the teachers, were exceedingly concerned. What was going on? Didn't they already bribe the officials? Why was Zhankong not following the plan?

A bounty—was this really something the students could handle?

The students grew restless at Zhankong's words, with only a few remaining calm, like Damon, who knew the future, Mo Fan, who was clueless about the situation, and Mu Bai, who appeared calm on the surface.

"How is it inappropriate? Go find your school director, Deng Kai, if you want. Either way, it won't be easy to get high grades from me. If Tian Lan Magic High is the best public high school in Bo City, then you shouldn't have brought a group of wastes here for practicals. Besides, if all you're planning on doing is wasting time, you might as well go back to school and read magic books. What's the point of bribery? It'd be better if that didn't happen, so you wouldn't end up at a station where danger lurks everywhere!" Zhankong's tone suddenly turned serious, making the students silent and scared.

The situation finally calmed down as the students accepted the bounty, with instructors and military personnel overseeing the examination in case anything went wrong.

The quest given to the students was nothing less than unreasonable. The school authorities dared to bribe the military, including Zhankong, whose tales of righteousness were famous. This led to a situation where students, nurtured in safe environments, were now asked to hunt a beast.

The students protested, but when Zhankong mentioned the prize of defensive magic equipment, they readily agreed.

The 100 students from the elite class, selected after the annual examination, were divided into teams of 20, making a total of 5 teams that would venture into the wild and take the test.

The groups were distributed, and now it was finally time for the test to start.

"Hey, Brother Fan, don't you think Officer Pan Lujin is really beautiful too?"

"Fatty Wang, I didn't know Pan Lujin was your type."

"Nah, her figure's great, but her personality isn't my type."

"I don't like girls like her."

"Hm, I don't like arrogant girls either."

"I don't even like girls."

Damon…

'How the hell did I get stuck here?'

***

Hey Guys! Got my phone repaired just now thanks for all the support.

Seriously I have spent more time replying to comments than writing this chapter. There were so many responses that I am happy about but I don't think I would be able to reply to all comments from now on. Sorry

Any way I have got some good reviews especially a detailed review that highlighted about the lack of MCs presence and interaction.

I am really thankful for this review and would work hard to improve this points. See I am new to the writing and today is the ninth day since I started writing and it's my first work so sorry if I made mistakes. I promise to improve them.

For the MCs presence and change in plots, friends this is just start recall the time you read the versatile mage starting 40 chapters there was no fight or much interaction that was worthwhile the real story and plots start after this practical exam and I want to make the presence of MC noticable from here onwards and change plots that may happen in future. The plots till now were not changeable at all even in the slightest if you read the original.

Any way in conclusion the interaction and more exposure to Damon would start from now on.