“Goodness, are you sure you’ll be all right? Our club’s entrance test is quite difficult, you know?”When I asked for the hardest test sheet, Elena pulled out a spare and spoke as if worried.The other club members in the room began whispering to each other as they watched the situation.Members sneaking glances at me and murmuring.I could hear them chattering however they pleased—how they’d been like that ages ago, or proposing bets on whether I could pass.How much you betting?Dinner rolls, deal?Stingy. Let’s do a week of canteen bread.Fine. But… are you really taking the side that Loen passes?…You put your money down.Are you crazy?Naturally, most of them were predicting my failure, happily delighted to have a good spectacle.Listening to their conversation, I let out a brief snort and held my hand out to Elena.“I can guess the difficulty. But I have no desire to start as an ordinary member.”If you start as an ordinary member, the attendance requirement to maintain membership is higher, and you also begin club level-grinding from a slightly disadvantaged position.Because you have to grind honestly, clearing from inefficient low-level hunting grounds step by step to raise your level.But if you start as a team leader or manager class, high-efficiency hunting grounds unlock from the start and you even get a level-boosting effect, so I’ll aim for that.'Or… I could aim for an even higher seat than that.'At my confident declaration, Elena gave a small smile.“You’re quite self-assured. All right—since I’m the one who invited you to join, you should at least do that much.”Flap-.*Elena handed test sheets to each of us—me and Garfield—then took out a pocket watch.“The time limit is twenty minutes. Do your best.”“Mm.”Instead of starting right away, I skimmed the sheet I’d received from Elena, then shook my head.“This isn’t it.”“Pardon?”I returned the test sheet to Elena and spoke.“I heard a rumor there’s a test of an even higher grade than this. That’s the one I want.”“!”For a moment, Elena’s eyes changed slightly, then returned to normal.With a slightly subdued gaze, she quietly asked me again.“…Do you understand what it means to request that test?”I answered calmly.“Of course. If I pass the hidden top-grade test, I earn the right to challenge for the head of this Monster Purification Club. I’ve heard it’s possible to take the head’s seat.”“!!”In an instant, the members’ eyes changed completely.“……”You might wonder why everyone is making such a fuss over a mere club head, but the Monster Purification Club was never just a group where students clap each other on the back.You can tell just by the systemic benefits it grants, unlike the Alchemy Club.From the very beginning, the foundational purpose for establishing this Union was the subjugation of monsters, which is the origin of this club.Moreover, the bloodline of the Holy Kingdom Celestia, which eradicates demons, has served as the head of the Monster Purification Club for generations—proof enough on its own.Of course… as of now, it’s nothing more or less than Elena’s fan club.I looked at Elena and continued.“And as head, you have the duty to give a chance to anyone who demands the ‘test.’”When I spoke with the nuance that I would boldly usurp the club head’s seat, Elena smiled faintly, as if this would be fun.“…Very well. I’ll grant you that chance. However, if you fail, you may have to pay a corresponding price. Is that acceptable?”“Of course.”Wearing a confident expression, I demanded the test from her.“If I were afraid of that, I wouldn’t have challenged you in the first place.”***Monster Purification Club entrance test. Top-grade.Of course, I don’t intend to pass this test and steal Elena’s seat.I’d be satisfied with vice-head.Even if I became club head, it would only give me a headache, and even if I stole Elena’s position, the members under her wouldn’t follow me.So a vice-head seat—where you have just enough authority but practically no obligations—is just right.It’s similar to how a class president gets tangled up in tedious teacher meetings and various chores while the vice-president has almost nothing to do as an honorary position.You can pass the test with around 80 points, so I’ll weigh the point values of the questions appropriately and get through.Scratch-.*Entertaining such thoughts, I took in the problems printed on the test sheet.   7. The figure schematically shows the location of a subarctic tundra climate during periods A and B. Choose all statements that correctly describe monsters native to the corresponding zones in each period. (3 points)① The Ice Komodo has inverted scales on its lower jaw, and this is a deadly vital point.② The One-Horn Snowfield Troll migrates south during period B and has the habit of utilizing gases from the permafrost to supply the mana needed for activity.………………The early and mid problems weren’t all that difficult.There was a mixed-in portion about the continental geography of Mirerlin Saga, but there was no issue solving it.If I recalled the memories of grinding through various hunting grounds and dungeons, it was easy enough.However, the difficulty spiked sharply toward the end.   21. The following figure is a partial representation of the interactions among components of an ecosystem and the organic relationships within a biological community…'…What the hell are you even saying, you bastard.'This isn’t something solvable by in-game common sense.No wonder this is the highest-difficulty test.Frowning, I read the problem, then shifted my gaze.'Should I skip this for now.'Taking a moment to clear my head, I glanced to the side and saw Garfield clutching his head as he glared at his test paper.Garfield’s test was difficulty “low.”But unless you’ve taken an interest in monsters on a regular basis, it’s hard to solve.Still, I’d handed him past problems back at the café, so if he studied even a little, he should get through without much trouble.Garfield looks like that, but he’s rather bright.I watched him groan for a bit, then turned my eyes back to my paper.For now, I’d skip the problems that were difficult and time-consuming, and check the latter part first.The problems after No. 21 were of roughly similar difficulty, but the last problem drew my eye because its type was somewhat different from what came before.   25. Describe the weaknesses of the Blood Demon.'…Blood Demon?'Unlike the previous ones, the final question was a written response: it asked for the weaknesses of the “Blood Demon,” an elite-tier monster that appears in the late game.'The Blood Demon is a commander-class demon—a sort of operations captain for high-ranking demons that appears only in the extreme endgame.'Even with fully juiced gear and high-leveled skills and stats, it’s not easy to kill.Accordingly, I’d done a lot of research on its weaknesses and patterns, and after smashing it countless times, I’d grasped those weaknesses perfectly.As far as I know, after hunting down countless Blood Demons—'No one within Mirerlin Saga currently knows the Blood Demon’s weaknesses.'The Blood Demon is a top-tier monster that stood at the vanguard of the monster legions in the ultra-ancient mythic era.For present-day humanity, which has never even had contact with it, it’s essentially a ghost of the past—in other words, something like a bestiary-unlisted monster.There’s a rumor that one Blood Demon is sealed beneath the Papal Office, but that, too, isn’t certain.Anyway, this isn’t a question meant to be answered; it’s designed on the assumption that you’ll get it wrong.Or—'If someone knows the solution, that alone is enough.'A real-world anecdote flashed through my mind.A grad student arrived late for a statistics exam, missed the prior explanation, and—rushing in—mistook a famous mathematical problem for a mere exam problem and solved it.This is similar.They don’t particularly expect it, but they’re telling me to try.I looked at the final written question and smiled faintly.'I can tune my score with this.'The last problem is worth a hefty 20 points.If I just get this right, I can skip the headache-inducing ones earlier. I only need 80 to pass anyway.They might later press me on how I knew the Blood Demon’s weakness, but that’s fine.Even if I shoulder a bit of trouble, I’ll seize the initiative with the superiority of my information source.'It’s not like I’m the one who’ll be desperate here.'Tok-tok-.*Tapping the test sheet with my pen, I smiled.If I use this to forge a connection not only with Elena but also with the Holy Kingdom, I’ll get another chance to utilize her power—just like during the recent Territorial War.***After the test ended.“……”Silence filled the room.Elena’s expression turned curious as she looked over the papers.Garfield’s grading finished quickly.Though it looked like he’d lost a handful of hair agonizing over the questions, he barely managed to pass.But the issue was the grading of my test sheet.Since I skipped a few problems after No. 20, my total score from multiple choice came to 60 points.And the last written problem on the Blood Demon’s weakness was worth 20.My pass or fail would hinge on that written response.But the problem was—Elena herself didn’t know the exact answer to this item.“Mm, this is unexpected.”Uncharacteristically, Elena knit her brows slightly, looking troubled.After a moment’s thought, she posed a question to me.“Loen, through what channel did you come into contact with the information for No. 25?”“I can’t tell you that.”“You didn’t just make it up, did you?”“……”Instead of answering, I shrugged; Elena gave a little smile and waved her hand.“I’m joking.”I made her a proposal.“How about we put grading my sheet on hold for now? To verify this response, you’ll have to contact Celestia proper anyway.”In Elena’s hand was my test paper.There might be a crucial clue on there for subjugating an ancient demon known as the Blood Demon, so Elena would want to send it to the Holy Kingdom and verify whether it’s true.All the more so from Elena’s standpoint, since she’d wanted to recruit me to the club thinking I had extensive knowledge of monsters.And even if this answer is something I fabricated on the spot and it proves useless, it doesn’t matter.Elena loses nothing by checking.“I see. Very well.”Elena nodded, then, with her usual bright face, smiled at Garfield.“Garfield, you passed. It was close, but you successfully cleared the test and are admitted as a regular member. Congratulations.”“Whew, my thanks.”With the look of a man whose life had been shortened by ten years, Garfield exhaled deeply.Elena gave a small nod and turned her gaze to me.“By contrast… in Loen’s case, we can’t say he failed or passed.”The other members’ eyes gathered on Elena and me.Elena closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at me and smiled brightly.“But he ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) secured at least 60 points on the top-grade test. The knowledge he possesses far exceeds our average member by a wide margin. In consideration of that ability, under my discretion, I’ll grant him a manager-level position in the club.”Elena offered me her hand and approved my admission.“Congratulations on joining, Loen.”

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