As Gonadaltes, the true Skeleton Warrior, waged a fierce battle in an unknown dimension, chaos gradually overtook the classroom.

“Aaah! What is this? What’s happening?!”

“It appears Selamodir is quite enraged. Be careful not to provoke it further.”

The walrus-like Selamodir flung a desk across the classroom and slapped the student who summoned it. Professor Millay intervened, waving his staff to de-escalate the situation.

Professor Millay then addressed the creature in its own language, “■■ ■■■■ ■■■…”

Upon hearing his explanation, Selamodir waved its flippers in a way that seemed to say, “I’ll let it go this time, but watch yourself in the future!”

Selamodir then returned to its own dimension.

Continuing as if nothing had happened, Professor Millay said, “As you can see, summoning beings from uncertain realms is a risky endeavor. Everyone, stay alert.”

“…”

“W-Wardanaz, did you see that?”

Still shaken, Nillia clung to Lihan’s cloak.

The sight of Selamodir smacking the summoner was both impressive and alarming. However, Lihan couldn’t respond immediately, as he was focused on dealing with a sulfurous hellhound that was half-stuck outside the summoning circle.

“Surround it! Don’t let it escape!”

Lihan directed his Skeleton Warriors to attack the hellhound. Fortunately, the magic circle's size limited its movement, but the creature’s thrashing could potentially break free.

They had to defeat it before it escaped!

After being repeatedly struck, the hellhound cursed the summoner who brought it here and retreated back to its own dimension.

“Good job, Gonadaltes. But let’s keep searching for something better.”

Lihan praised his Skeleton Warrior and finally noticed his friend standing nearby.

“What’s up, Nillia?”

“N-nothing, really.”

---

Even as other students grew weary and started to give up, Lihan continued summoning creatures, essentially fishing for something from another dimension. Professor Millay raised an eyebrow at his persistence.

“Hellhound should be sufficient; why are you still searching?”

“It’s not enough. I want to secure something even better.”

“?”

Professor Millay looked confused by the insistence of a student who had already secured full marks.

“That should be more than enough. What are you—”

“It’s not! There must be a better—”

“Calm down, Wardanaz! That’s more than enough!”

“Yeah! If you bring something stronger, it could endanger us all!”

Lihan’s friends rushed to restrain him.

The hellhound alone had been dangerous enough, and they dreaded what might happen if he summoned something even more powerful. After all, they were in the same room!

“I still need to find something…”

Professor Millay raised his staff, wiping Lihan’s summoning circle clean with a flick.

“Lihan, full marks. Move along to the next student.”

His friends, relieved, let go of his arms.

Nillia, who had even used a rope to pull down Lihan’s left leg, whispered tentatively, “See? Full marks is fine, right?”

“I just thought I might discover something entirely unknown.”

Lihan sighed and rose from his seat.

Feeling a sudden pang of guilt, Nillia wondered if she and the others had been too focused on their safety, stifling their friend’s potential.

“Besides, if I’d found something new, I was going to name it after the professor to get in his good graces…”

“Seriously?”

Nillia glared, her guilt evaporating in an instant.

---

“So, Yoner, summoning magic students really have it rough.”

“Uh… right…”

Yoner watched his friend, who had just aced the summoning exam, grumble with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment.

Shouldn’t someone talk to him about this?

“Lihan, wouldn’t you be better off studying transformation magic?”

“Oh, right.”

The griping faded, replaced by a renewed focus on his next test.

Yoner marveled at his friend’s adaptability.

‘From now on, I’ll just mention exams whenever there’s trouble.’

“Transforming my arm is harder than I thought.”

Lihan said in a more subdued tone.

For him, transformation magic was uniquely challenging. Changing something as simple as his hair color required significantly more effort, concentration, and mana than it did for others.

Sometimes, he even managed to set it on fire…

In that light, the final exam of transforming one of his arms was far from straightforward. In fact, it was one of the classes he’d practiced the most.

“Want me to take a look?”

“Sure, thanks. Let me know if it looks off.”

Lihan transformed his non-dominant arm into a leopard’s foreleg.

After much practice, he’d found that a Shaarkan Leopard’s limb was more stable than that of a griffon or basilisk.

Thanks to his diligent training, his arm maintained its leopard-like shape, no longer morphing chaotically as it had before.

Seeing this, Yoner smiled approvingly.

“It’s much better than last time!”

Lihan beamed, pleased with his progress.

His efforts were finally paying off. Back when his arm had kept shifting forms, he’d been deeply uncertain, but now he could see results…

“It’s a perfect drake foreleg!”

“…?”

Lihan froze.

“No, it’s a leopard…”

“Huh?”

Yoner examined the arm more closely, noticing the scales, claws, and articulated joints. It was unmistakably the foreleg of a dragon-type creature.

“Are you sure it’s a leopard?”

Yoner carefully treaded, knowing his friend was stressed. Most students, even the best, grew sensitive during exam periods.

“No, it’s supposed to be a leopard. Wait a second.”

Lihan inspected his arm and cried out in surprise.

“This isn’t a leopard at all!”

When he’d first practiced, it had indeed been a leopard’s arm, but now it had inexplicably transformed into something entirely different.

What was going on?!

Yoner calmly explained, “Remember, a monster’s form is designed to channel and contain its magic. A regular leopard’s arm probably isn’t strong enough to withstand your mana, Lihan.”

A monster’s appearance often corresponded to the magic it wielded.

Powerful creatures developed robust forms to contain their energy, a principle that applied to transformation magic as well.

This issue usually arose when a mage tried to transform into a creature far too powerful for their skill level, but the reverse could also be true.

“Leopards are pretty strong, aren’t they? This is supposed to be the foreleg of a Shaarkan Leopard, after all…”

“But if it’s not working…”

“…”

Lihan sighed, frustration written all over his face.

“Maybe I should just go with a drake.”

“Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Did you hear?”

A Blue Dragon Tower student dashed over to them, clearly excited.

“What’s going on?”

“The test from Professor Yonarom! My friend went to scout it out.”

Realization dawned on Lihan, and he scolded himself.

Of course, he shouldn’t have trusted the professor’s instructions at face value.

Though Professor Yonarom had said the exam would be to transform one arm, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t pull a surprise.

What if he arrived only to find out the test was actually “Surviving a Malignant Transformation Curse”?

It was common sense for any Enrogard student to scout the exam location and make preliminary preparations.

“I can’t believe I let this slip…”

Seeing Lihan genuinely upset, the Blue Dragon student quickly added, “N-no, it’s not your fault. You’ve been so busy.”

“So, what did you find?”

Yoner redirected the conversation before it could spiral out of control.

“It’s rumored that transforming just one arm isn’t the real test. Word is spreading among those who went to check it out.”

“I knew I shouldn’t trust him!”

Lihan accepted the new information without a second thought, slightly dismaying Yoner.

His friend hadn’t been this cynical at the start of the year…

“What exactly did they find?”

“Well…”

The student explained what he’d heard.

Professor Yonarom’s test would take place in the third-floor Jade Forest classroom.

Though not frequently visited, the third floor was still within reach for first-year students.

Those familiar with the area had ventured to the classroom only to find the entire area transformed into a dense jungle. There was no classroom door in sight.

“It’s completely overgrown. They couldn’t even find the path and had to turn back.”

“A jungle?”

“Yeah, they said it was impossible to find their way.”

“Hmm. I think I understand.”

Lihan’s calm tone piqued the student’s interest.

An astute, level-headed mind like Wardanaz’s was sure to come up with a clear assessment.

“What’s your theory, Wardanaz?”

“The jungle must serve as a clue. I bet we have to use the transformation magic we’ve learned to navigate the overgrowth and reach the classroom.”

“Of course!”

The student nodded fervently, finding the explanation convincing.

However, Yoner looked puzzled.

‘Is that really it?’

He wasn’t sure Professor Yonarom would go to such lengths to set up an elaborate challenge for his students.

While it was possible, Lihan’s fatigue might have affected his judgment slightly.

Should he even be thinking about this right now?

“Alright, I’ll let everyone know. Thanks, Wardanaz!”

As the student hurried off, Lihan fell into contemplation.

“I’m not certain my current transformation skills are enough to get through…”

“

Lihan, maybe you should get some rest. How much sleep have you had?”

“About three…”

“Three hours? That’s not great.”

“Three days ago…”

“Hey!”

---

Professor Paselret Crar, the divination instructor, sighed.

When people debated which professor had the hardest time preparing final exams, Crar’s name was invariably mentioned.

It wasn’t just the exams. He also had to prepare a grand spell to locate potential new first-year students across the empire.

Tracking and locating new Enrogard students across the entire empire required immense power and expertise.

Only the Great Archmage Gonadaltes and the vast mana resources of Enrogard could make it possible.

If outside diviners learned of this spell, they might lose their minds in disbelief.

*Professor Crar! Professor Crar!*

“Yes! I’m preparing now!” 

Paselret, who had been dozing, quickly conjured another persona, standing at attention.

Falling asleep in front of the Skull Principal was risky business.

“I have some news for you. It seems you won’t need to prepare additional location spells for onsite confirmations.”

“…?”

Paselret was taken aback rather than pleased.

The process of identifying incoming students involved first casting a sweeping detection spell across the empire, then performing a follow-up divination onsite to pinpoint the exact location.

Both parts required a tremendous amount of mana and detailed planning.

“Are you certain?”

“Certainly. We’ll handle it directly on location.”

“…?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Headmaster, if you’re planning something dangerous, perhaps I should…”

…

The Skull Principal shot him a withering look.