When the wombat gets within 15 feet of Duchess, she whips her head and makes eye contact. The wombat starts to slide before shaking off her magic. I activate [Scientific Insight+]

[Fighting Spirit C

Increases Spirit in combat. Gain minor resistance to fear and mental conditions.

Bonus: +25]

It seems that he managed to shake off the [Hypnotic Gaze] thanks to the bonus to Spirit. Duchess achieve distance against the wombat before It could shake off the full effect of her spell.

The wombat starts to clutch his head with his gloved hands before staring hatefully at Duchess, then his eyes go opaque. [Telepathy] to weaken his mental defenses with an onslaught of information his brain couldn’t handle with another [Hypnotic Gaze] manages to bring the wombat into a daze.

This is a combination of skills that Duchess worked on last night. Adding [Mental Illusion] can cause additional terror and continue to break willpower, I can’t tell if she cast that spell. Mental Magic is terrifying, especially since there are no visual indicators that it’s been cast.

She expertly slithers over and climbs the wombat, then uses her entire body to put the wombat into a choker hold. The wombat starts to struggle, she quickly binds his arms with the rest of her body before blasting him with another [Hypnotic Gaze].

The [Combat Wombat] collapses to the ground, levels and rank don't matter if your anatomy has such a glaring weakness. If Duchess truly wanted to kill this wombat, then a few more minutes will be needed for brain death to kick in. But only a few seconds are needed to incur fainting. The instructor calls the match.

“The winner is Ellis with his [Feathered Boa]!”

The students are quiet after the official verdict was called, Duchess leaves the wombat’s body as his trainer rushes over to check on his little buddy. The wombat wakes up a few seconds later to the relief of his trainer.

“Wait! I can make the exact same argument that Ellis made. My beast is better than his in every way! Plus it looks like the [Combat Wombat] took a dive, who knows if those two are in cahoots!” the wolf boy speaks up to the instructor. I don’t like how he said my name, he just learned it when the instructor shouted my name out, but he doesn’t have to emphasize it.

“Tell me in which of the four ways is your beast better,” the instructor asks.

“Well, for rank and level, the same argument can be made about it doesn’t matter with strength, but at least it’s well known that my beast can evolve into a high-ranked [Shadow Wolf] while his snake is stuck like that forever. Utility-wise, dark magic is a very versatile element and with my skill [Pact Tactics] all creatures of the same type get buffed for being tamed. With my other wolves that means his presence alone gives a bonus.”

How many wolves does this guy have? I wonder if he has a higher ranked [Wolf Tamer] class rather than a normal one.

“There are a few problems with your statement. Ellis if you can tell him what's wrong with what he said we don’t need to set a battle.” The instructor said before turning to me.

“First, most of what you said only applies to a different beast entirely. This test isn’t about the potential of a single beast but our capabilities of a tamer. Second, just being there isn’t utility if anything can fill that role, it's not a strength but a standard. Third, you didn’t even mention if it was difficult for you to tame it, it’s a puppy so It couldn’t be that hard for you to get its trust. Finally, if that wombat truly dived, then face your [Dark Wolf] against my exhausted [Feathed Boa].

Duchess isn’t actually that tired, but her mana is running a little dry. [Empower] also ran out and I cant use it again for another ten minutes.

“Good, since the winner offered, will you pit your tamed beast against his?” the instructor asks the wolf boy.

Duchess must have imposed her [Divine Right] since the puppy cowers away behind his tamer’s legs.

“No Instructor Wurm, I will not,” he replies. He walks past me and whispers in my ear, “I see that you found another dead kid.”

I don't reply to his outlandish claims of me being a necromancer, Rob is the exact same skeleton he mistook as a reanimated corpse the first time. Wait… where did Rob come from. If he came from the fracture, then he is a denizen of the graveyard. Was he born from a dead body or was he just created out of mana?

“Hey Rob, do you have any memories of being alive.”

Rob tilts his head and looks back dumbly, or at least if he had eyes, he would of.

Someone from the crowd speaks up, “If that guy is in first place, what about second place? What's the ranking system like?”

“There is only first place, anything else is not worth talking about,” Instructor Wurm replies.

I speak up, “Since I got first place, what do I get?”

“... come with me.”

He rides his mount out of the arena, I quickly catch up to him after saying goodbye to Val and Jerry.

~

He leads me to a row of warehouses that are tucked away behind the arena. He stops in front of the third one before asking me a question.

“What do you want? Give an appropriate answer for getting first place.”

I stop to think for a moment.

“Can you allow me to graduate right here and now?”

“Even if I had the power to do that, I wouldn’t. Ask again.”

“One million dollars.”

“No, our budget has been cut from last year. One million is too much even before budget cuts.”

“Any strange beasts you can give me?”

“Yes but I won’t. Tamers should find their own, the test is the only exception.”

“... how about a D-rank Crystal.”

“We have a few, they are around ten thousand dollars on the open market,” he nods, “We don’t need to go any further.”

He pulls out a crystal the size of a golfball from a leather pouch on his waist and tosses it to me. Duchess catches it with her mouth and swallows it in one gulp.

[Evoltion to Winged Serpent

Unlock Luck: Completed

Reach an Altitude of 50,000 feet: Not Completed

Consume a D-rank Crystal: Completed]

“Why did you have one on you like that?” I ask him since he pulled something I needed out so casually.

He pats the head of the [War Elephant], “Snacks for her, big appetites can be satiated with mana crystals.” The massive elephant bellows in content.

I take note of this in the future, so far all my tamed beasts have been easy to manage meal-wise. Flash Gordon and Rob do not need food, and Duchess much like other snakes only needs to eat every few days at most.

“Can you tell me what we are going to learn in future tamer classes?”

“Are you asking because you plan to skip it if it’s boring or worth coming to?”

“...”

“First years are typically new to having a tamed beast. We will go over beast bonding and training techniques for beginner trainers. There will be no more tests besides the final exams.”

“...”

“If you can periodically prove that you are ahead in the pack, you can skip as many classes as you want except for the final. Get a friend to tell you if I assign any tasks to the whole class.”

“Can you tell me your full first name?”

“Wurmheldguruff”

“... thank you, Instructor Wurm, have a good afternoon.” He grunts at my farewell and I leave to go to the library. I need to take full advantage of my [Lexicon]

~

I texted Val where I was and for her to go home if she wanted, I also texted Jerry to tell me if any new homework for the tamer course comes up.

The campus library is a giant building where students hang out in to study or find a quiet place to be alone. There are numerous hidden alcoves with sofas that you can sit and read at. There is even a cafe right next to the library where students can go and get something to drink or munch on while reading.

Most if not all of the books are enchanted to resist wear and tear, which includes water (or coffee) damage. I walk up to the old librarian.

“Excuse me miss, I bought some textbooks after enrolling and I never picked them up.” I had a valid excuse for putting off getting them until now. I haven’t needed to use them yet.

“Okay, let me see your pin.”

I hold up my uniform jacket in front of a metal wand.

[Ding]

“Alright, the wand says you are picking up six textbooks which include; Math, The Common Languages of Man, Comprehensive Guide to Elvish, History of the World, Monsterology, and lastly The Art of War.”

“Wait, I don’t remember having to buy that one?”

“It comes free if you enroll in Mr. Cobble's physical education class.”

I guess I will have to check my schedule, I remember a different PE teacher that was my educator. I never went to any gym class so I guess it doesn’t matter too heavily. The tamer’s course didn’t require me to buy a book which I am grateful for.

“Thank you.” I take the books.

“You're welcome, is there anything else dear?”

I quickly write an excerpt from the journal I found in the fracture, “Is there a translation guide for this language?”

“Let me check real quick,” she scanned the slip of paper with her wand. “Sorry, it looks the book you are looking for is restricted from first years.”

???

“I thought libraries are places where you can freely learn to better yourself, what is with this imposition?”

“I don’t know hun, you can ask the dean if it really matters to you.”

“Thank you anyway.”

I leave the library.