Chapter 261: Exams 2.0

Words : 1208 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 261: Exams 2.0 If there’s a will, there’s a way. This proverb had become Theo Belgrave’s daily chant since that fateful day he’d met his benefactors. Gratitude wasn’t something you could show properly just by ranting online—not that Theo hadn’t tried. He and his family had defended DG passionately, persistently, and anonymously across forums until the moderators practically knew him by username. Yet, despite doing this and even launching a forum for them and mainly the people of the outer marketplace, it still felt off. He’d thanked them many times, but what were words, really? He, for one, knew how much words of encouragement barely helped him when all the other guilds turned him down by encouraging him to try elsewhere. And how the people of DG barely said anything and yet just helped, even going the extra mile. And so he planned to finally supplement his words with actions. It took a while, well, because they had to wait for the next month, but this time he was going to try for it. Theo Belgrave was going to take the mercenary exam for pharmacists. Well, in his mind, he sounded pretty cool when he announced that to his family and to Noah, but his friend said he looked like he was in the middle of picking between "unstoppable" and "running back with his tail tucked", and he didn’t even have a tail. Yes, that kind of thing. Still, he, for one, should know what chickening out would do and what trying could mean. And the worst-case scenario, he could just try again next month, but probably with a herb that won’t cost an arm and a leg. But he’d think about that later, or hopefully never, as he stared at the carefully preserved Jade Vine that he asked to borrow for this very day. He was hoping that the same vine that gave them a small miracle would give him one today. Aside from the fact that it held a symbolic meaning for him, this particular herb really wasn’t one that people would easily find in the market. Not unless they were checking way back when his ancestors were still roaming the land. For this Jade Vine wasn’t withered, or near wilting even. This beauty was one that came straight from DG. One that was brimming with so much vitality that Grandma’s been claiming it’s made her younger. Although, who wouldn’t feel younger and lighter knowing that the medicines made from this particular batch lasted so much longer than usual? And the same could be said in the family where there was much less worry, save for the older brother who was in active duty. But that was something that nearly all families shared, and he, for one, was training to be a medical pharmacist. At first, it was so he could come with the missions to try and actively search for Jade Vine, but now that his worries had been alleviated, he ought to use his meager skills for something! Like assisting DG, who may need more members because of their dizzying schedule. Unlike before, when Theo didn’t know news about the guilds save for the ones that gathered herbs, now he was more updated than even the members of the Mecha Piloting Division. He knew about their tough schedules and fully booked days, which was why they had all requested a pretty long term break from attending the classes physically. He wanted to help but could only do so if he passed the exam. One that was in two parts. The written or theoretical test should be something he could pass since much of their class time was spent learning by the book—largely because it was too expensive even for such a school to continue conducting hands-on learning. Which meant that his real hurdle was the practical exam. In his case, synthesizing medicine he’s learned to make since childhood shouldn’t be that difficult, but the real beginning of this particular test was actually their ability to look for materials. Yes. If the Mechanics had to pay for theirs, the Pharmacists had to bring their own. The good thing is that they could choose what to make, just as they could pick their specialization. It was just that this time, one must bring their own materials, which really was the biggest challenge. Though it’s understandable that the military or the school won’t be providing materials to guilds unless they’re bought, if one had no means to source, then there was no point in getting the license this early. Thankfully, he had access to his materials and could show up to make the Siren’s Breath Tonic. He just had to be careful not to twitch, or his tonic would end up being a glorified herbal tea. Theo took a deep breath before starting his exam. __ Meanwhile, it wasn’t just the brave fan who was taking his chances, but three other freshmen who were getting the oddest of looks. Noah Emory had been stared at by Theo until he said yes to taking the exam as well. And while he also secretly wanted to apply, he wasn’t sure about taking it this year; after all, pilots were normally only hired after the first monthly exam. But after thinking about it real hard, he realized that they weren’t even planning on applying to a normal guild with normal people, so why was he expecting to be judged like that? So, here he was, enduring the different stares. He just did not expect to endure them or to get more of them because of who he was standing next to. It was Princess Kira and her aide, Ada. Frankly, even Noah wondered why these two were there. As an exchange student, Princess Kira wasn’t exactly required to work part-time, nor did she have to prepare her resume in advance from a planet that wasn’t even her home planet. Then he learned that they were taking the Infantry exams, which raised even more questions. But at the same time, Noah could see why. For he’d likely have picked this route if he had also been built like that. Raw physical strength and innate spiritual abilities that look and feel like magic. If he had those, he’d likely walk on the ground, too. Princess Kira really wanted to be here. She had her reasons, and no exam was going to stop her from reaching her goals. It was just that the same could not be said for her aide, who looked more resigned as her boss declared something in the lines of "Real orcs don’t need mechas; we are the mechas." No. Just No. But what could Ada do but think it as no logic has ever stopped their Princess, and she wasn’t about to start now. That was why today, the grounds witnessed an odd sight: freshmen voluntarily lining up alongside veterans reclaiming their licenses. They received raised eyebrows, exchanged smirks, and desperately tried to hide their amusement at the confident expressions of these newcomers. Well, only one of them, really. But the Princess was still royalty, and no one wanted to risk her ire. Especially not after seeing just how she planned on passing this blasted exam!

Chapter 261: Exams 2.0

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