Vol. 4 Ch. 63

"Students, this is the location of your advancement exam—the Demonic Moon Forest.

"After three years of learning as young dragons, you are now equipped with the skills necessary to hunt dangerous creatures. This exam will comprehensively assess what you’ve learned.

"The exam includes hunting, combat, teamwork, and resource allocation.

"Here are the rules:

The Demonic Moon Forest contains dangerous creatures classified as C, B, and A levels. The difficulty and rewards increase exponentially with each grade.

- C-level creatures: 10 points each.

- B-level creatures: 30 points each.

- A-level creatures: 50 points each.

"To pass the exam, you must score 100 points within three hours.

"Before departing, each of you has been given a measurement crystal. After defeating a creature, inject its energy core into the crystal to record your points.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

After a brief silence, a student raised their hand. "Teacher!"

"Go ahead."

"I heard from upperclassmen that the young dragon advancement exams weren’t like this in the past."

"Yeah, yeah!" another chimed in. "Didn’t we used to spar against people in black armor? The scores were based on performance in those matches."

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I remember! Is this the first reformed exam?"

The students burst into lively chatter, filling the air with excited murmurs.

---

Noa stood quietly nearby, listening.

“Black armor…” she thought to herself.

Helena, her best friend, explained, “I heard about it too. But I didn’t really understand until the teachers clarified. The ‘black armor’ refers to a special elite unit among modern dragons. They’re incredibly powerful—so strong they’re almost terrifying. During the human-dragon war, their presence made an enormous impact on the battlefield.”

She paused dramatically. “Humans used to call them ‘killing machines.’ That’s why the academy used them in the advancement exams back then, to sharpen the young dragons’ combat awareness.”

“Oh, I see!” Helena nodded, finally understanding. As a member of the Sea Dragon Clan, which stayed out of conflicts, her tribe had little influence during the human-dragon war. It made sense that she hadn’t heard of the black armor before.

---

Noa, however, was fascinated by the idea of facing the infamous black-armored warriors. She had always wanted to see what these legendary figures, who could strike fear into dragons, looked like in action.

Helena, noticing Noa’s deep thought, teased her, "So, Noa, who’s stronger? The black-armored warriors or your dad, Uncle Leon?"

Without hesitation, Noa replied, “My dad, of course.”

Helena chuckled and ruffled Noa’s hair. “Of course, you’d say that.”

---

The teacher called the students to attention again. “The academy indeed used black-armored sparring for exams during the war. It was necessary to instill combat readiness from a young age. However, now that the human-dragon war has ended, continuing such practices might strain the current peace. As such, the exam format was changed.”

“Understood, teacher!” the students replied in unison.

---

Noa sighed inwardly. Although she had no desire to reignite war, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. The end of the war meant she would never meet the legendary strongest human warrior. She had dreamed of testing her skills against someone so formidable.

---

“Your exam will begin in 15 minutes. Use this time to form your teams.”

Naturally, Noa and Helena partnered up. With their team already decided, the two used the extra time to strategize.

“A C-level creature is worth 10 points, a B-level 30 points, and an A-level 50 points. We only need to hunt 10 C-levels or four B-levels to pass,” Helena calculated aloud.

Noa nodded, but her expression remained thoughtful.

“What’s wrong, Noa? Do you have another idea?” Helena asked.

“Hmm… I read up on the Demonic Moon Forest before coming here. While it’s said to have many dangerous creatures, most of them are C-level and very good at hiding. We could end up wasting a lot of time just searching for them.”

“Lower-level creatures are weaker but harder to find,” Noa explained. “In contrast, A-level creatures are larger, making their presence much more obvious, even if there are fewer of them.”

“So my idea is to prioritize finding an A-level creature first. If we succeed, we’ll gain a 50-point advantage over other teams. After that, we only need to hunt two B-levels to pass.”

Helena considered Noa’s plan, then nodded with determination. “Let’s go with your strategy. You’re right—this isn’t just about passing. It’s about pushing ourselves. Let’s make it exciting!”

Noa’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Helena. I didn’t think you’d agree to this.”

“Of course I would. I know you’ve been looking forward to this exam, not just to pass but to grow stronger. So, let’s take the risk and aim high!”

---

As they approached the forest entrance, Noa suddenly felt a presence in her consciousness.

It was her ancestor.

---

In her mind’s eye, a white-haired beauty sat gracefully on a shimmering water surface, her long tail curling lazily beside her. “What a sickly sweet friendship,” the ancestor remarked with mock disdain. “It’s disgusting.”

Noa replied coolly, “Hmm.”

The ancestor couldn’t fathom the concepts of friendship or camaraderie. As a solitary ruler in her era, such bonds were irrelevant.

“Ah, forget it. Call me old-fashioned. I won’t argue with you, Noa,” she muttered.

Noa smirked. “Thanks for your understanding, oh wise elder.”

The ancestor rolled her eyes. “You’ve grown colder, haven’t you?”

“Growing up comes at a price.”

“...Could you at least try not to say things like that with a child’s face? It’s unsettling.”

Noa’s smirk widened. “So, what do you want? Surely you didn’t appear just to lecture me about my friendships.”

Shaking her head, the ancestor said, “This exam mirrors the ancient dragon coming-of-age trials. Your strategy to target A-level creatures is bold. I approve—dragons shouldn’t waste their time nibbling on crumbs.”

“But,” her tone shifted to seriousness, “a test like this involves countless uncertainties. You’ll face unexpected challenges and must make your own decisions. I cannot intervene.”

“I know,” Noa replied. “Just watch me from here.”

The ancestor smiled faintly. Despite her harsh demeanor, she admired Noa’s determination. “Good. Go forth, child of the Silver Dragons, and face your destiny.”

“...It’s just an exam. Could you tone down the dramatics?” Noa quipped, shaking her head as the vision faded.

---

As the exam was about to begin, Noa and Helena stood ready at the forest’s edge, prepared to face the challenges ahead.