Chapter 36 The Mental State of This Year's Examinees Is Lacking

Twenty bottles of size potion increased the golden Slime's size by 15%, with a cap at 30%. It still needed to consume twenty more bottles of size potion.

Just to increase the contract spirit's size by 30% would cost over a million Stellar Coins, something only a few could afford.

John patted the golden Slime.

Its big eyes opened, full of affection, and it nuzzled against John's hand.

The Slime was now 3.3 feet tall. If it used the Gigantification, it would become over four meters tall, making it a giant among the contract spirits of low-level Beast Tamers.

John said, "Let's hope we get a good score in the final exam."

John put away the golden Slime. Seeing it was already noon, he prepared to go out for lunch and then head to school in the afternoon.

John said, "Excuse me, one Beef Wellington and a bottle of Coke."

While eating, John suddenly saw a figure outside the store.

"Isn't that James?" he called out loudly.

A tall, scholarly-looking young man looked startled and glanced into the store.

Suddenly, he seemed to recognize John and walked into the store.

"I remember you. you're Ava's classmate, right?" James said. "I've heard about Ava encountering a fugitive in the Black Market."

He sighed. "Thank you for saving her."

"It was nothing," John waved his hand and then said directly, "You feel so guilty. Did you hire someone to retaliate against her?"

James felt choked, unable to speak for a moment.

"Of course not," James said. "But I do have a favor to ask."

Despite seeing John a bit unhappy, James hid it well.

"What is it? I don't have Stellar Coins to lend you," John said instinctively.

James took a deep breath, finding it hard to accept John's way of talking.

James thought, 'I'm from the Frost Family, and we hold a prominent position in the City of Wisdom. It's unlikely that we would need to borrow Stellar Coins from you.'

James said, "I want you to persuade Ava to team up with me. We could definitely place in next year's Beast Taming competition."

John was about to speak when options suddenly appeared before him.

[Option 1: Agree to James's request. Reward: 100,000 Stellar Coins]

[Option 2: Shake your head and say, "You're not worthy." Reward: Power Flower]

[Option 3: Seriously say, "We could team up too." Reward: All attributes of the golden Slime increase by 5%]

John didn't expect to see a Stellar Coin reward again, but it was useless to him.

The second reward was even worse, not even worth 100,000 Stellar Coins.

John shook his head and said, "I can't persuade Ava. How about we team up?"

"Are you joking?" James looked surprised.

"What do you think of my proposal? If your strength meets my expectations, I wouldn't mind," John said cautiously after thinking for a moment.

James rubbed his temples, feeling a headache.

"You have quite a sense of humor," James finally said with difficulty. "Anyway, I hope you can help me with this."

With that, James left the restaurant, afraid that staying longer would drive him crazy.

John smiled. A simple choice had enhanced the Slime's strength.

"Sir, check, please!" John had finished eating.

The man said, "That'll be 200 Stellar Coins."

"Isn't Beef Wellington 50 Stellar Coins?" John felt like he had encountered many greedy shops lately.

The restaurant owner explained, "Beef Wellington is 150 Stellar Coins, and the Coke is 50 Stellar Coins."

"Why is the Coke so expensive?" John felt cheated.

Although he had Stellar Coins, he couldn't waste them.

"That's the price," the man explained seriously.

"You're really greedy," John saw the menu, and it was indeed the price.

But the price font was at least twice as small as the dish name font, making it easy to miss.

He shook his head, paid the Stellar Coins, and left the restaurant, adding it to his blacklist.

After eating and drinking, John returned to school.

"John, the exams are coming up. Stop wandering around," Fiona came over and advised kindly as soon as he returned to school.

'If I don't wander, I can't get stronger,' John thought, but he nodded on the surface, promising to stay put.

A few days passed quickly, and the final exams arrived as scheduled.

"Boys and girls, today is the final exam day. I won't stress its importance; it all depends on your performance!" Harper said seriously.

With the sound of a bell, the cultural exam officially began.

Besides Harper, there were three other proctors in the classroom.

Four teachers proctoring twenty-five students made cheating almost impossible.

Cultural Studies was divided into four disciplines: History, Materials Science, Geography, and Biology. Each discipline carried a maximum score of 100 points. This was different from previous assessments, as it adhered to the rigorous standards of formal examinations.

Each subject had a total of 100 points, which naturally meant the assessment covered a wide range of content. It primarily tested students' mastery of knowledge from the second year of high school.

John looked confident. Almost without needing to think, he quickly finished the entire test.

'Genius, I'm really too smart,' John thought, looking at his completed test. He was sure his cultural exam scores would be fine.

As he was feeling bored, new options appeared before him.

[Option 1: Submit the test early to show your strength. Reward: Moderate Beast-Taming power]

[Option 2: Lie down and sleep until the exam ends. Reward: Chaos Potion]

[Option 3: Disrupt other students' mindset. Reward: Collision skill +1]

John thought briefly and chose the third option.

Based on his knowledge, skills, and talents were the most important.

The next second, John suddenly started flipping his test paper.

The students focused on their tests and felt a sudden panic when they heard the paper flipping.

This exam was harder than they expected, and it was meant to select students for the senior year special training class.

The sound of flipping papers grew more frequent as if most had started the other side of the test paper.

In reality, only a few top students had reached the second page.

John secretly smiled. With one hand supporting his head, the other flipping the paper, he watched others' expressions.

"Reward received: Collision skill +1."

'That was quick!' John thought, 'It seems the mental state of this batch of examinees is not up to par.'"