In addition to Leon, Isha, and Claudia, three more candidates arrived one after another.
All three were Dragon Kings of their respective clans. Judging by appearance, they were even older than Claudiaâdefinitely part of the older generation of dragons.
Leon quickly tried to recall whether heâd ever interacted with them before, but soon confirmed: nope. Not even during his time in the Azure Dragon Army had he crossed paths with their clans.
"Looks like there are still plenty of low-profile heavyweights among dragonkind," Leon muttered softly.
After âȘ NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t âȘ (Official version) exchanging polite nods with the three Dragon Kings, Isha lowered her voice to speak to Leon as well.
"Thatâs right. These clans tend to rank upper-middle in combat strength, but they also possess ample resources and territory.
Because of that, whether itâs civil war or external conflict, you rarely see them on the frontlines."
"Red Dragon Queen is correct," Claudia chimed in quietly.
"For them to show up, it must mean one thingâthe position of Vice Principal at Saint Heath Academy."
Leon blinked. "Whyâs that? Is the Vice Principal position really so special?"
"Not exactly âspecial,â" Isha explained.
"They value the connections and convenience that come with the title. Donât forgetâit was thanks to holding the title of Principal that King Oritrand was able to smoothly carry out the Arctic expeditions and later searches for divine relics."
Leon had a look of realization, nodding slowly.
"So at the end of the day, itâs still about getting benefits for themselves and their clans?"
Isha thought for a moment and gently shook her head.
"Calling it âpersonal gainâ is a bit much. After all, the academy wouldnât appoint someone whoâs only in it for their own interests.
But fact is, as long as your position is legitimate, whatever you do becomes easier hereâso why not go for it?"
"Got it."
"Anyone who can become Vice Principal is someone who can strike the perfect balance between benefiting the academy and its students,
and... âif I donât look out for myself, heaven will strike me down.â"
Once all candidates had arrived, Principal Wilson stepped up to the podium in the reception hall. After a brief introduction, he got straight to the point.
"Welcome, esteemed candidates, to Saint Heath Academy. Your presence here means youâve all passed our background screening and officially entered the second phase of selection. Youâll now undergo one week of assessments. The tests include a written exam, real-scenario simulation, negotiation ability evaluation, and combat capability demonstration. This isnât an elimination-based exam. Each test will be recorded and scored by the academy board according to a unified standard. Your final score across all categories will determine who is most qualified for the role of Vice Principal. Thatâs the structure of this competition. Any questions?"
The three late-arriving Dragon Kings glanced at one another, discussed briefly in low voices, and one of them stepped forward to ask:
"While preparing for this, I consulted a predecessor who participated in the previous round. Everything youâve mentioned lines up with what I was toldâexcept for the âreal-scenario simulation.â Was that not part of the last cycle?"
Principal Wilson nodded with a smile.
"Thatâs rightâthe real-scenario simulation is a new addition this year."
"And what exactly will it simulate?"
"Iâm afraid I canât disclose that. Youâll discover the answer for yourselves during the assessment."
Leon mentally nodded. That new simulation phase seemed quite reasonable.
And it definitely piqued the curiosity of the other candidates:
What form would this âsimulationâ take?
During their month of prep, Rosvisser hadnât covered anything like that. Hopefully there wouldnât be any surprises...
But before they reached that point, the first hurdle was the written exam.
"If there are no further questions, letâs proceed to my private library for the first phase of assessment."
Principal Wilson gestured graciously.
Leon and the others stood and followed him out of the reception room.
Under Wilsonâs guidance, the group arrived at his private library.
Six separate desks had already been arranged, each bearing a test paper and a nameplate indicating the assigned candidate.
Leon found his seat and sat down.
A quick glance at the exam revealed short promptsâbut with huge blank spaces between them.
Meaning: each question demanded at least several hundred to thousands of words per answer.
"For the written portion, you have six hours to complete the exam," Principal Wilson announced.
"As youâve probably noticed, this isnât like the multiple-choice quizzes we give the junior and youth dragons. No dice rolls, no lucky guesses. Itâs all essays, right? Hahaha."
His little joke helped break the tension slightly.
Wilson continued:
"You must write your responses based on your personal understanding of the prompts. There are no standard answers. The clearer, more logical, and more structured your arguments are, the higher your score will be. Use your six hours however you like. You may leave and return freely, but be warned: all exams will be collected precisely at the six-hour mark. Not a second late. Use your time wisely. If you need anything, Iâll be in the adjacent office. Well then, I wonât keep you."
Wilson gave a slight bow and exited the library.
Just as one Dragon King let out a sigh of relief, Wilson suddenly popped his head back inâstartling him.
"Oh, one last and most important rule, everyone."
Wilson pushed up his glasses and said sternly:
"No cheating. No discussing. Keep your answers to yourselves."
After that, he finally left for real.
Once his footsteps faded, the startled Dragon King muttered,
"Are we really being treated like students again? He even had to warn us not to cheat."
"Classic Wilson," another Dragon King chuckled. "Even after getting promoted from Vice Principal to Principal, he still jokes like a kid."
Leon didnât say much to those two. He didnât know them well enough.
But he did agree with the one whoâd called Wilson an overgrown child.
âOld guyâs still a rascal at heart.â
"Youâre... the Silver Dragon Leon, Leon Casmod, right?"
A voice interrupted his thoughts. It was one of the Dragon KingsâNebula Dragon King Beren.
Leon gathered his focus and turned to him politely.
"Yes, and you are...?"
"King Beren of the Nebula Clan."
Beren smiled.
"Didnât expect to compete alongside the pride of the Silver Dragons. Iâve heard your name for a long timeâhope youâll go easy on me in the coming exams."
Leon raised an eyebrow. The otherâs formal tone made him a little uncomfortable.
He scratched his nose. "I wouldnât say that... weâre allâow!"
Before he could finish, a pen cap hit the back of his head.
He turned to see Isha, smirking while spinning her uncapped pen in her fingers.
"A dragon who pranks and still acts cocky after!"
"Sis, what the hell?!"
"What? Just reminding youâno peeking at my answers!"
Then she leaned her cheek over her test paper like a child guarding their notes during a test.
Leon frowned and glanced at the pen cap that had hit him.
There seemed to be a tiny wad of paper tucked inside?
Curious, he picked it up and muttered:
"Donât tell me sheâs passing me answers...?"
He unfolded the note.
[Donât talk to Beren.]
No explanation. Just that.
âToo bad itâs just a noteâcanât cheat with that.â
Leon folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his pocket.
"So, Leonâwhat made you decide to join this competition? I remember the Silver Dragons are quite well-off these days, with growing prestige in dragon society."
Beren tried to strike up conversation again.
This time, Leon gave only a curt reply:
"Not much. Iâm starting my exam now."
And with that, he turned away and focused on the test in front of him.
Even though his big sis hadnât explained why he shouldnât talk to Beren, Leon chose to trust her unconditionally.
And so, the first round of the assessment officially began. Inside Wilsonâs library, the only sounds left were the ticking of a clockâand the scratch of pens racing across paper.