Chapter 148: Dark Demon Doesn't Know What Moderation Is

Chapter 148: Dark Demon Doesn't Know What Moderation Is

Autumn faded, winter arrived, and nature largely rested.

As temperatures steadily dropped, St. Marian finally began issuing winter uniforms.

Though called winter uniforms, they were simply the autumn model with a warm lining added.

The new month began with Friday's Duel Studies class.

Professor Jones stood at the podium, meticulously analyzing duel case studies.

In the back row, Dark pulled his collar tighter and exhaled, a cloud of white vapor rising.

Last night, he conducted his monthly summary.

He found that compared to October, his November self was excessively lacking in moderation.

All stats, with the exception of [Envy] and [Wrath], had actually increased.

[Pride: 105 → 106]

[Envy: 42 → 41]

[Wrath: 94 → 90]

[Sloth: 62 → 64]

[Greed: 89 → 97]

[Gluttony: 62 → 64]

[Lust: 111 → 109]

This was undoubtedly a sign of bloat.

Though [Sloth] had been drained by 3 points, it still increased by 4.

[Sloth] and [Gluttony] were still bouncing back.

The surge in [Greed] was expected, but it was still too fast, showing faint signs of losing control.

Even after using a Flower Card to reduce [Lust] by 1 point and then draining a full 12 points with the Magic Brain Dropper, its value still uncontrollably rose back to 109 points.

Although there were factors he had deliberately influenced, it was still difficult to manage.

If he didn't tighten his self-control in December, the problem would only get worse.

"Phew..."

Dark patted his cheeks, forcing himself to clear his mind and concentrate better on the lecture.

It had been three months since the start of the semester, with less than a month remaining until the end of the first half.

More precisely, the semester would conclude on Friday, December 22nd.

Afterwards, St. Marian would welcome Christmas and a one-week holiday.

If you could guarantee rapid round-trip travel within one week, you could apply to go home on the 22nd and spend a warm Christmas Eve with your family.

But if not, you were advised to stay put at school.

Because after this one-week holiday, the new semester would immediately begin.

The second half of the semester would run from January to June, with final exams in the one to two weeks following June, after which summer vacation would begin.

Due to the tight schedule, most faculty and students chose to spend the Christmas holiday within the castle.

Each year on Christmas Eve, the school would hold a ball and give every student a stocking.

It was said that if you only opened the stocking after 5 AM the next morning, you would receive a Christmas gift — which were usually quite surprising!

"Therefore, this semester's second in-class competition will be held next Friday. I will record the rankings from this competition as your performance for this semester, and then combine them with your next semester's final exams to determine your final grades."

So Emma was the first to raise a hand.

After Professor Jones called on her, she immediately asked, "Professor, will the rules for this competition still be Elite Mode?"

"An excellent question."

Professor Jones clapped her hands, gesturing for her to sit down, then said, "This time, we will be using standard duel rules, but there will be no minimum limit on the number of Magic Cards."

Doron from the Noble House immediately raised his hand.

Professor Jones nodded at him, and he promptly stood up to ask, "Then wouldn't it be a disadvantage to have fewer Magic Cards?"

Professor Jones laughed lightly and said, "Magic Cards are the fruit of your learning this semester. Those who excel in their studies will naturally have more Magic Cards. How can that be considered a disadvantage?"

Doron immediately scoffed.

In the back row, near the door, Virt Gold also raised his hand high.

After Professor Jones called his name, Virt loudly asked, "Professor, will there be academic credit rewards this time? Or can ranking results be converted into academic credits?"

Jones replied, "The ranking results from this in-class competition will only serve as a reference for your final exam grades, so they cannot be converted into academic credits. However, if you win the championship, there will be academic credit rewards."

Virt: "How much?"

Jones: "Five thousand."

*Gasp!

The entire class immediately drew a collective sharp breath.

What did five thousand academic credits even mean?

The first-year 'Crimson Star' recipient, the King of Makeup and Balls—Dark Demon—only gained five thousand academic credits from that event.

And the championship reward for the first in-class competition was only one thousand academic credits!

Judging by this situation, wouldn't there also be academic credit rewards for second and third place?

Sure enough, Professor Jones immediately continued, "This competition is more comprehensive, and the reward system is also more complete. Besides the champion, the top ten will all receive academic credit rewards."

As soon as this news broke, the classroom erupted into a frenzy.

The championship might be hard to get, but the top ten? Couldn't they make it into that?

They were all first-years; no one was inherently superior to another.

Work hard, and there's always a chance!

As for the matter of it being linked to final grades, that had been selectively forgotten.

"Only one week left!"

All the students were rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Virt glanced at Dark by the window and fiercely made up his mind.

Dark, who had restocked some basic materials for the [Blink Spell] last weekend, was equally thirsty for academic credits.

He just didn't overreact.

Nor did he make any grand declarations.

Three months of diligent study had made him unyielding; whether he could reach the top, he would let nature take its course.

Rather than ponder those things, he was better off considering how to protect the Bug Tree as winter set in.

In any case, the magical potions needed changing.

The magical potions for cultivating the Bug Tree were generally divided into four types, each corresponding to a different season.

Among them, winter and summer magical potions were more expensive, while autumn and spring potions were cheaper.

Therefore, in the afternoon after Duel Studies class ended,

Dark seized the opportunity to leave the castle, entering Traveler's Street via the Lake Heart Bridge.

As soon as December arrived, Traveler's Street already had a hint of Christmas cheer.

Many shops hadn't even put up Christmas trees yet, but their flyers already featured 'Christmas Special' promotions.

Dark walked through the long street, first entering the Catnip Flower and Wood Shop to purchase the Bug Tree's winter magical potions.

Afterwards, he turned into the Catnip Grass Florist and inquired about the refinement of the Bunny Grass.

The saleslady looked a bit apologetic: "The issue of refining Bunny Grass is truly difficult to overcome. However, I've just received a new variety here; would you like to take a look?"

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