As the days went by, things didn't calm down for Maruti at all. According to the deal she had made, she had to complete her "weekly quota" — which meant going on dates with Kailith, Alice, Ravenna, and Brenna.
And, as expected, the dates were total chaos from the very beginning.
Kailith and Alice could barely stand each other at first, always ready to argue over every small thing. But surprisingly, this time, they seemed to hold back. Maybe they'd reached some kind of silent understanding—or maybe they were just too tired to fight anymore.
On the other side, Brenna and Ravenna actually got along better than anyone had expected. They both had affinity with nature, and soon Ravenna began teaching Brenna a few advanced spells that could control plants and heal wounds. Seeing them laugh and exchange spells made the atmosphere feel more relaxed.
Maruti, watching all this, couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and disbelief. Somehow, despite the chaos, the group wasn't falling apart.
And the biggest surprise of all was Ravenna. She turned out to be far more helpful than Maruti had ever imagined. Whenever someone got jealous, angry, or frustrated, Ravenna calmly offered herself as a stress reliever—letting them slap her or whip her.
Thanks to Ravenna being masochist, no one had started a real fight all day.
The group went to several places together—first a theme park, then a museum that Maruti personally found mind-numbingly boring, and finally a nice restaurant for dinner.
But the day didn't end there. Ravenna, with her usual mischievous sparkle, had one last "fun" suggestion—a visit to a so-called BDSM-themed love hotel.
By the end of the day, Maruti felt completely drained. It was a miracle she hadn't fainted from embarrassment.
---
Of course, her troubles didn't end with that. She still had to deliver her religious preachings at the cathedral every Saturday and Sunday as the head priestess of cathedral. On top of that, the written exams were on Monday, so her schedule was a complete nightmare.
Even Esdeath was busy, though her workload wasn't as suffocating. Most of her time was spent managing her household, doing basic training, and studying new topics. But whenever she found free time, she focused on something else—learning Maruti's mother tongue.
She still remembered the last time she'd visited the Vanara Tribe. The language barrier had caused endless problems, and she had to rely on Maruti to translate everything. But given Maruti's teasing nature, Esdeath didn't trust her entirely.
---
Finally, Monday arrived.
Every first-year student gathered in the academy's main hallway, just like on their very first day. But this time, it wasn't for the entrance ceremony —it was for the written exams.
The hallway buzzed with nervous chatter as students checked the notice board to find their names and assigned rooms.
"Second floor… Class No. 11," Esdeath muttered under her breath after finding her name.
Beside her, Maruti was also checking her own seating arrangement with a pout. "Seriously? Can't they just hold the exams in our usual classrooms? Class A barely has forty students!" she complained.
Esdeath sighed, crossing her arms. "Ask the teachers, not me."
Maruti rolled her eyes, "You're no fun."
Esdeath shrugged. "I'm not here for fun."
------
Later that morning, around 10 a.m., it was finally time for the written exams. Every student took their assigned seats in different classrooms. The arrangement was made in such a way that each class had a mix of students from Class A, B, and C, all sitting with a good amount of space between them to prevent cheating. Two teachers stood at the front and back of each classroom, keeping a strict watch on everyone.
Of course, using magic or any kind of cheating method was strictly forbidden.
Esdeath sat calmly in her seat, not looking nervous at all. She wasn't aiming to get the highest score — she just wanted to pass. As soon as the papers were distributed, she began writing the answers smoothly, filling them out as she felt was right. She didn't overthink anything.
Meanwhile, in another classroom, Maruti was staring at her question paper with a confused expression.
"If your opponent is using an earth-type defense shield, what kind of methods can you use to neutralize the opponent?" she read aloud quietly, tilting her head in confusion.
Most of the questions were based on general knowledge and personal opinions — not the kind of things that had one correct answer. Maruti frowned but still wrote whatever came to her mind. Surprisingly, she finished her paper fifteen minutes before time and confidently submitted it.
When Wednesday came, it was finally the day everyone had been waiting for — the results.
The academy halls were filled with students crowding around the big notice boards that displayed everyone's marks. Excited whispers and sighs filled the air as students searched for their names.
As expected, Ethan had secured the top spot, getting a perfect 600 out of 600. Second place went to Valen Vandris, and third place was shared by Violet and Cassandra, both scoring 560 out of 600.
"I worked so hard, yet I'm only twenty-sixth!" Emma complained, letting out a deep sigh.
"It's still much better than your entrance exam results," Sylvania said kindly, patting her back to cheer her up.
Meanwhile, Esdeath and Maruti were standing in front of another board, looking for their own names.
"I'm ninth. That's good enough," Esdeath said with a small, satisfied smile.
But Maruti's reaction was far from calm.
"Why am I fifteenth?! I even finished my paper fifteen minutes early!" she groaned, stomping her foot in frustration.
"Why does that even matter?" Esdeath sighed, glancing down the list until she found Kailith's name. Her score was way lower than expected — thirty-third place.
"You really downgraded her," Esdeath teased with a smirk.
"Why is that my problem?! She would've done better if she stopped following me around sixteen hours a day!" Maruti replied, crossing her arms and frowning tiredly.
Her eyes moved further down the list, stopping when she spotted Valen's and Sasha's names.
"That kid Valen… theory is what he's really good at," she admitted, slightly impressed. But when she noticed her older sister Sasha ranked eleventh — four spots higher than her — Maruti's jaw dropped.
"Why did she get higher marks than me?! That's cheating!" she cried, looking ready to slam her head against the results board.
Esdeath just sighed, clearly used to this behavior, and turned to leave.
Maruti spun around with an annoyed look. "And where are you going now?"
"You're forgetting that we also have practical exams," Esdeath replied casually, hands in her pockets. "Let's go see what kind of missions we'll get."
She already had a rough idea of what kind of missions Ethan and his team would be assigned, but as for her and Maruti — who weren't part of the original story — she had no clue.
"W-wait! I'm coming too!" Maruti shouted, quickly running after Esdeath as they headed toward their classroom together.
Inside the classroom, all the students from Class A were gathered together. The air felt heavy with tension and curiosity — everyone was waiting to hear what kind of missions they would get for the practical exams. The teacher stood at the front of the room, a notice paper in hand, reading through the long list of names.
"So, the students for Phase One are Ethan, Cassandra, Emma, Violet, Sylvania, Belta, Valen, Corin…" he continued naming until about twenty students were called.
Maruti and Esdeath exchanged a quick glance — their names hadn't been mentioned yet, which clearly meant they were part of Phase Two.
"Alright, first — Ethan," the teacher said firmly.
Ethan stood up with a calm, confident expression.
"Your mission is to go to the Seven Kings Mountain. It's been unusually quiet there for months, and that silence seems suspicious. You don't need to fight the Seven Kings or any monsters. Your task is simply to observe the area and report if anything unusual is happening," the teacher explained clearly.
Ethan nodded without hesitation. "Understood."
The teacher then called the next name. "Cassandra."
"Your mission is to refine three Rank C Wind Essence Stones and ten Rank D Earth Essence Stones within two weeks," the teacher announced.
Cassandra nodded confidently and sat back down.
Next came, "Sylvania — your mission is to hunt Lightning Wolves and collect ten Lightning Wolf Horns."
"Violet — hunt Mutated Pegasi and bring back their wings."
One by one, he continued giving missions to the rest of the students. Some were tasked with refining essence stones, some with hunting specific monsters, and others with solving problems in small villages or scouting certain areas.
Finally, after finishing the first batch, the teacher took a small pause and said, "Now it's time for Phase Two."
Maruti straightened her back slightly when she heard her name.
"First, Maruti," he said, glancing at her paper. "Not far from here, there's a small mountain region filled with villages similar to Colac Village. Recently, there have been reports of men disappearing frequently in that area."
"The culprit is suspected to be a mid-ranking succubus," the teacher continued. "Your task is to investigate her whereabouts and defeat her. Since she's might only be a mid-ranking succubus, it shouldn't be a life-threatening mission. But if anything unexpected happens, you are allowed to retreat and report the situation."
Maruti just sighed, a look of tiredness crossing her face.
"Why is my life always filled with succubi?" she thought gloomily, lowering her head and sitting down quietly.
The teacher's eyes moved to the next name. "Next student, Esdeath."
Esdeath stood up confidently, her black hair shining faintly under the light.
"Your mission is to go near the borders where the Battle Dwarf Kingdom's army has set up camp. You need to observe the situation there — find out what's going on, how their army is moving, and write a short report based on your findings. If you encounter any trouble, deal with it as long as it's not life-threatening."
Esdeath nodded seriously. "Understood."
The teacher then flipped a page and paused for a moment. "Next, Kailith… hmm." He looked a bit hesitant before continuing. "Your mission is to hunt one Rank B monster."
A few students whispered among themselves — everyone knew Kailith was way stronger than a Rank B monster. Even Rank A beasts might not be a problem for her, but since this was only the first-year exam, the missions had limits. Still, most students could only dream of taking on a Rank B monster.
Finally, after several minutes, everyone had received their missions. The classroom buzzed softly with excitement and nervous chatter.
The teacher cleared his throat to get their attention again. "Now, here's something important. Phase One students can begin their missions right away. As for Phase Two students, you'll start from next Monday. Of course, you're free to start planning how you'll complete your missions beforehand."
He smiled faintly and added, "And I believe most Phase One students will finish their missions before Monday. So, best of luck to all of you."