Chapter 434 99.3   - End of the semester

As the initial excitement of seeing their grades settled, the students began to compare their results with one another, filling the room with a renewed buzz of conversation.

Julia turned to Lilia, her eyes shining with pride. "I nailed the practical exams! All that extra training really paid off."

Lilia nodded, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Heh? What grade did you get? Just to remind you, since both of my duels were flawless wins, my practical score is full-marked." She said while flipping her hair around.

With her slight gesture, she looked really beautiful, as if the fragrance of nature spread across the

"Of course, I got full marks too. What do you think I would get anything else, huh?" Julia rose up from her seat, but it was evident that she was acting and was just being a tease.

Ethan, still leaning back casually, looked at his friends and chuckled. "You guys are making me feel like a slacker."

"..." As Ethan talked, the two girls just narrowed their eyes and stayed silent.

"Hey, hey…..What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Julia playfully rolled her eyes. "You….. We all knew you were just as capable. You just liked to play it cool. But, who would have thought you were such a monster."

"That is coming from you." Ethan retorted, recalling what happened at Julia's duel.

"Indeed….."

"Lucas, did you say something?"

"Ah….I just said, you both did good."

"It is not like you performed badly? Your duel was kind of badass, too."

"Ah….Right….." Lucas shrugged, a faint smile on his lips. "I did okay, I guess. But seeing you two in action was pretty impressive."

Julia smirked, playfully nudging her brother. "Don't sell yourself short, Lucas. Your duel was awesome, especially that last move. Where did you even learn that?"

Lucas glanced away, his expression thoughtful. "Just something I picked up during training. I've been trying to incorporate more advanced techniques."

Lilia nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It was more than just an advanced technique. That light manipulation was incredible."

"As expected, you saw it through right away."

"Well...There is a reason why I am ranked fourth now." Lilia smirked as she answered. There was a triumphant expression on her face.

"What?" Julia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "You got rank four?"

Lilia nodded, a proud smile spreading across her face. "After beating the fourth-ranked student, it was evident that I would at least raise my rank by one. But, it seems I didn't quite make it to third."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why not? You were amazing out there."

Lilia sighed, her expression turning more thoughtful. "The duel between these two mages, Seraphina and Irina, was on another level. They displayed techniques and mana control that were beyond what I had displayed. Not that I couldn't do the same. It is just the difference between the display."

At that moment, hearing this, everyone turned their attention to the girl who was keeping it quiet all the time.

"Ho…..So you are saying you can do better than Irina?" Julia mumbled with a teasing smile on her lips.

Irina, seemingly lost in her thoughts, didn't reply, her mind clearly elsewhere. Julia, always the one to stir things up, reached out and touched Irina on the side of her belly, making her flinch.

"Huh? What?" Irina snapped back to reality, her face turning slightly red with embarrassment. "Julia, what was that for?"

Julia grinned, enjoying the reaction. "Just making sure you're still with us. You seemed a bit out of it." Irina narrowed her eyes at Julia, a mix of irritation and amusement on her face. "Well, I'm here now. And for the record, everyone can say they can do better, but it is the actions that speak. And the results say everything themselves, don't they?"

"..." Lilia's eyes were a bit narrowed, but she didn't refute. Well, more like she couldn't since Irina was right.

"Speaking of results, what did you get?"

ulia suddenly rushed over to Irina, curiosity getting the better of her. She quickly took a peek at Irina's grades on her smartwatch.

"What the—? Ninety-four in Introduction to Mana Theory?!" Julia's eyes widened in disbelief.

The group turned their attention to Irina's screen, their eyes widening in amazement as they saw her impressive score.

"Wow, Irina, that's incredible!" Ethan exclaimed, genuinely impressed.

Lucas nodded, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "You really outdid yourself. That's a remarkable grade."

Irina raised her eyes. "That is a good grade?" She asked as if she didn't believe what they were saying.

After all, for her whole life….These types of grades were never good enough. And she also thought the same. She was feeling down for a while because of it since she felt like she had lost the bet, as she hadn't gotten a perfect score.

The others protested immediately. "Of course, it's a good grade!" Ethan exclaimed. "Do you know how hard that exam was?"

Julia chimed in, "Seriously, Irina. I got a 45 on that exam, and I don't even care because I know how tough it was. Yours is like….Double of mine…."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "I got a 70, and I'm pretty happy with that, considering the difficulty."

Lilia, who had been quietly observing the conversation, added, "I got an 87, and I worked really hard for it. Your 94 is impressive, Irina."

Irina looked around at her friends, processing their words. "Really? I guess I didn't realize how challenging it was for everyone."

'That bastard….He said the exam was easy, so I thought it really was. I guess he was just messing with my head….'

'Of course, he was….Why did I not think of that? He was teasing me….There is no way I would get 94 on an exam that was easy….'

'And here I thought, I made some stupid mistakes. It turns out the exam was just hard…Bastard….you really played with me.'

She got really mad at both herself and him. Once again, she felt like she was played with.

Julia grinned, patting Irina on the back. "You're a perfectionist, Irina. You always push yourself to be better, and that's great, but sometimes you need to give yourself credit for your achievements."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself. You did amazing, and we're proud of you."

Irina's face softened, a small smile forming on her lips. "I see..." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Yet, that smile somehow looked devious in others' eyes.

FLICK! At that moment, Eleanor flicked her fingers again, and the room fell silent. It was as if no sound could escape from their lips. She then addressed the class, her voice cutting through the tension.

"Now, everyone should be able to see their new ranks and their new grades. For those who have any problem with their grading or those who want to see their papers, you can check your academy page. Your exam papers were scanned and uploaded there. From there, you can object to your grades in the comment section."

The students nodded, absorbing the information. The initial excitement of seeing their grades had subsided, replaced by a more subdued contemplation.

"The deadline for any type of objection is Friday night. And if you want to oppose your practical exam grading, you will be required to stay in the academy. If you have already left and you have objected to your practical grade, your objection will be null."

The students nodded their heads, understanding what she said.

Some were already checking their academy pages; others were discussing their grades with friends.

Eleanor watched them for a moment, then continued, "This semester has been challenging, but you have all shown great progress. Use this break to rest and reflect on what you've learned. I expect even greater things from all of you next semester."

With that, she dismissed the class, allowing the students to leave at their own pace. The room slowly began to empty as students filed out, still buzzing with the aftermath of the grade announcements.

As Eleanor permitted the students to leave, Irina felt a surge of anticipation welling up inside her. She couldn't contain herself any longer; she had to know the result of the bet she had made with Astron. Inwardly, she felt confident. She was sure that Astron had tried to trick her because he hadn't done well on the exam.

'He must have tried to throw me off because he knew he didn't do well,' she thought, smirking to herself. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for Astron. She spotted him silently slipping out of the classroom, not talking to anyone. Her smirk widened, feeling even more certain of her victory.

'There he goes, trying to make a quick exit,' she mused. 'He must know he lost. And you think I am going to escape like that? In your dreams.'

She thought, with a smirk on her face.

"What are you thinking about, smirking like that? It is a bit creepy." Julia remarked, seeing Irina's face.

"Nothing," Irina replied. And then, she rose up. "I need to leave."

With a newfound determination, Irina gathered her things and made her way towards the door, as well.

"Where? Hey! We are going to eat for one last time. Are you coming?"

Julia asked, yet she didn't receive any answer.

"…."

Since Irina was busy, her mind focused on confronting a certain someone. She wanted to see the look on his face when she revealed her grades and claimed her victory.

As she stepped out into the hallway, she spotted Astron a few paces ahead, walking calmly as if he had all the time in the world. Quickening her pace, she looked as if she was running, trying to catch him.

'He must have turned from here.' She thought and then turned sideways.

"Bam…."

Suddenly, something appeared right before her face. Something dark, as if of a black hand.

'Hiiiick!' Flinching and losing her balance, she was surprised; she stumbled, barely managing to catch herself. Her senses did not pick anything at all, and she was sure there was nothing there.

"You need to watch your step," a small voice said.

Irina raised her face and saw Astron standing before her. There was a very subtle smile on his face, just enough to be noticeable.

"You...!" Irina started, regaining her composure.

'Of course, it was him!' She thought.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone a bit angrily.

"Waiting for certain someone, of course. Did you really think I would run away?"

Irina clenched her fists and pouted a little, her frustration evident. "Shut up," she snapped. "Show me your grade."

Astron raised an eyebrow, his subtle smile still in "So you did think I would run away?"

"Shut up," Irina repeated, her tone firmer. "Just show me your grade."

Astron shook his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Are you really ready for this? There's no need to rush the inevitable."

"I couldn't be more ready," Irina insisted, her eyes burning with determination. "Let's get this over with."

With a slight nod, Astron held up his smartwatch, revealing his grade.

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Introduction to Mana Theory Grade: 100//100

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Irina's eyes widened after seeing the grade.

She turned to look at him, only to see something different in his eyes.

"I just said this before, but let me say it again."

He stopped walking over her a little.

"Never underestimate me just because I am going easy on others."