The moment Seraphina's words settled into the room, a ripple of reaction spread across the class.
A wave of murmurs rose almost instantly, some students groaning lightly while others leaned back in disbelief.
"A practical test… on the first day?"
"Seriously… we just got back…"
"Can't we at least have one peaceful lecture first…?"
A few students dragged their hands across their faces in exaggerated frustration, clearly not ready to be thrown back into intense evaluation so soon.
And yet—
Not everyone complained.
Several students straightened in their seats instead, their expressions sharpening with focus rather than resistance.
Some even nodded to themselves.
"Good."
"This is better."
"I was getting bored anyway…"
The contrast in reactions gave the room an odd energy—half reluctant, half eager.
