The trio made their way to alchemy class after a brief breakfast in the great hall. It wasn't just them that were depressed—the entire student body were somber, like inmates on death row, having their last meal before heading to the gallows.

It would be one thing if it were just the first-year students, but even those who were in their fourth year were gloomy. This didn't help the new students who were looking for some sort of reassurance.

Lilly fell into step beside Melody, her face even more pale than usual. Paired with her red hair, it looked like she hadn't ever stepped foot in the sun in her life.

"D-did you study enough?" she asked meekly.

"I think so…" Melody replied, putting on a brave face.

It seemed that even the self-proclaimed alchemy enthusiast was worried about the upcoming exam. However, her attitude only caused Michael to pale.

If she's worried, then Rudy and I are screwed, he thought, turning his gaze to his friend.

Rudy groaned, "This is gonna suck… I couldn't even enjoy my pancakes this morning," he complained bitterly.

No one replied, too engrossed in their own despair as they walked into the alchemy class and toward their demise. The familiar scent of pungent magical herbs and sulfur assaulted their nose—but no one seemed to have the energy to complain.

Professor Mia stood up the front of the class, her hand inside her robe, seemingly clutching something. Her large round glasses were perched at the end of her nose as she watched the students file in one after another.

"Take your seats, the exam will begin shortly…" she spoke in a soft voice, scrutinizing them.

No one replied, their gazes focused on the ground, but they still did as they were told.

"Fuck, this is depressing…" she murmured, pulling out a familiar vial from her robe—a contemplative expression on her face.

Those who were astute would recognize the vial as the same one she'd used in their very first lesson. But judging by the lack of reaction, the first-years were too engrossed in their own plight to recognize the danger.

The professor clicked her tongue a moment later and put away the vial, waiting patiently for the students to take their seats.

"The first test is a theoretical exam covering magical herbs and brewing of tonics that we've covered in this first semester." She explained, pushing her large glasses higher up her nose.

"Against my recommendations…" she began, her lips pursing, "the headmaster has decided that as long as you are able to pass the theoretical exam, you will avoid having to take the supplementary classes next semester."

Michael let out a sigh of relief internally. It wasn't just him, the other students seemed as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders in that instant.

The petite professor Mia wave her hand and parchment appeared on the desk in front of each student. Her expression was filled with annoyance, as she spoke up once more.

"You have two hours to complete the exam. Any suspected cheating will result in an immediate fail, and you'll be joining me as a lab rat next—"

Yet as she said this, her hand shot up to her mouth. "I-I mean, you'll have to take supplementary classes next semester…"

Holy shit… the truth comes out.

Michael felt his blood run cold as he stared at the unassuming woman. The whole class shuddered at the words and desperate expressions crept onto the students faces.

The professor let out an awkward laugh, trying to play it off—but the damage had already been done. She turned and walked over to her desk, grabbing the large hourglass.

"Your time starts now…" she announced, turning it over and slamming it upon her desk.

The moment it sounded, the sound of rustling parchment filled the room as everyone turned over their exam to begin.

Michael had Rudy on his right and Melody on his left. He felt the former stiffen almost immediately, while the latter seemed to relax upon reading the first question.

Reigning in his curiosity, Michael focused on the questions in front of him. It seemed that the exam was in a multiple choice format for majority of the test, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Still, if he didn't at least have some knowledge of the subject—he could only leave his answers up to fate.

The first few questions were rather simple, covering the main ingredients for tonics and potions that they'd actually made in class—or at least attempted—before. He was able to confidently answer the questions after a brief thought.

But as the exam continued, a frown donned his face.

The answers were no longer multiple choice.

"Name at least three ingredients with healing properties capable of being interchangeable in healing potions."

Did we cover this in class? Michael thought, raising his gaze toward the professor.

The woman was seated behind her desk, her eyes watching the class like a hawk—clearly interested in finding potential cheaters who she could turn into lab rats next semester.

This woman…

Their eyes met briefly before a small grin tugged at the corner of professor Mia's lips, as if daring him to make a scene. Michael shuddered subconsciously, quickly turning his attention back to the exam in front of him.

He grit his teeth, pouring over the study material that they had gone through last night. While they hadn't explicitly studied this, Michael felt like he could answer it if he had enough time.

Since healing potions were rather valuable, not many were in the market—quickly scooped up by the noble families. They were also notoriously difficult to concoct, with only a handful of alchemists able to consistently produce the potions.

Placing this question in the first-year exam was rather harsh, particularly for the commoner students who might not have even seen a healing potion, let alone taken one.

Troll's blood is definitely one right? Michael thought, remembering his interaction with Melody in their first week.

After wasting a considerable amount of time on the question and answering as best he could, Michael was forced to move on. His eyes glanced up at the hour glass which showed less than a third of the time remaining.

On his left, Melody had placed her pen in the inkwell and was seated patiently, clearly finished with her exam.

He let out a sigh and continued, praying for a miracle.

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