[So it’s like this?] A bespectacled, ultra-cool guy in the second row by the window said.

[Little Mingming?] The girl beside him asked doubtfully.

Li Tianming—a bookish genius known to insiders as the legendary hacker Dark Duke. He’d been Lin Ye’s friend since their first month in F Class.

[Let’s be real. The moment you mentioned the forest training ground yesterday, I knew exactly what you were planning!] Li Tianming pushed up his glasses, radiating confidence.

[Only you truly get me, Tianming!] I replied happily. In F Class, only Li Tianming understood Lin Ye’s mind.

[You plan to use guerrilla tactics—and every sneaky, shameless, underhanded trick imaginable—to crush them.] Li Tianming adjusted his glasses again.

[You’re exaggerating… but basically, yeah!] I said, sweating slightly.

[But we’re not professionals. There’s no way we’ll master forest combat in five days. There aren’t even any forests nearby! And A Class has booked the training ground.] Li Tianming frowned.

[That’s why I’m telling you all this: After school, head to the back mountain. My sister and I will train you!] I declared.

[You mean the Student Council President?! Amazing! Training with her… I’d love to be crushed by her!] Ouyang Chen cheered wildly. The entire F Class erupted in excitement.

[Get lost!] I slapped Ouyang Chen so hard he flew nine meters away, wailing about how Yeer could do this to him.

[Anyway—that’s the plan. Details later.] I said firmly.

Just then, petite teacher Xiaoxin walked in: [Time to go! Monthly exams start now!] We all filed toward the exam hall.

The test had two parts: written and magic practical. The written section covered recent historical events and basic magic theory—questions like [How did the Empress unify the Beast Kingdom?], [Who are humanity’s allies and enemies today?], and [Explain the fundamentals of fire magic].

But the written exam was only worth 30 points—nothing compared to the magic practical.

For me? Child’s play. I’d reviewed this material hundreds of times daily. I breezed through it, scoring a perfect 30.

Next came the magic practical, split into two segments: magic power and spell proficiency.

Inside the magic arena, a scholar in a white lab coat called out: "F Class, Wang Lin."

Wang Lin stepped up to the magic orb. [Channel your magic power!] the scholar instructed. Wang Lin strained hard, face flushed. After a moment, the scholar announced: "Magic power: 8. Score: 3 points."

Wang Lin trudged away, dejected. The rest of F Class scored barely over 20 points each.

[HAH! Save yourselves the humiliation. Just forfeit to D Class already. A bunch of trash with under 20 magic power? I scored 41!] A smug D Class student jeered after his turn.

F Class students fell silent, faces twisted like they’d bitten into rotten durian.

[Watch this!] I called out loud enough for everyone to hear. I strode to the orb and channeled my magic.

The scholar’s eyes widened. "Magic power: 76. Score: 28 points!"

Gasps rippled through the hall. The jeering D Class student turned pale.

[If we’re trash… what does that make you?] I smirked, stepping close to him.

[Y-you—] He bolted without finishing his sentence.

[Yeer, you’re incredible!] Ouyang Chen breathed in awe beside me.

[Obviously.] I’d endured brutal training just to expand my magic capacity.

Next, a female scholar in a white coat announced: [Spell Proficiency Test. Select your magic tier.]

Naturally, my F Class classmates and I chose the beginner tier. To hide my true strength, I deliberately slowed my casting speed, barely scraping 23 points.

And so, the first monthly exam ended. I scored 81 points—topping F Class effortlessly.