The Hundred Academy Exchange was divided into two major sections: the defense segment and the research presentation segment.
The defense segment was open to all students without any prerequisite thresholds. Regardless of year or background, students could rely solely on their accumulated knowledge and critical thinking abilities.
This major segment was further divided into three sub-stages: the preliminary defense, the secondary defense, and the final defense. Filtering candidates layer by layer, only students who achieved outstanding results in both the preliminary defense and secondary defense possessed the qualification to stand on the stage of the final defense.
The format of the preliminary defense was the most direct—all participants answered from their respective seats, with questions distributed in written form to be completed within a set time limit.
The secondary defense went a step further: all students who passed the preliminary defense assembled in another, larger hall to take turns taking the stage, conducting an oral defense before a crowd of faculty and students below.
The final defense was the most rigorous stage of all—only a mere handful of people were qualified to enter the meeting room where the five headmasters were gathered, facing the five Great Archmage-level headmasters one by one to conduct their defense and undergo their direct scrutiny and questioning.
Additionally, the topics for the preliminary defense and secondary defense were determined in advance by the headmasters of the Five Great Academies, though they would only be disclosed when the corresponding time arrived, giving students a limited window to rush their preparations.
The final defense, however, was entirely different. It randomly drew a single prompt from several unsolved problems that had baffled the magical academic world for years, requiring students to propose reasonable hypotheses around the issue and attempt to solve it.
Consequently, the preparation time for the final defense was far longer than the first two segments, and the difficulty was on an entirely different level.
As someone who had originally been a delinquent student, Greg Sass should have been trembling in fear during the preliminary defense, even if he had managed to enter the Hundred Academy Exchange through the back door.
But now, he was different.
As a transmigrator who had beaten the original game eighty-one times, Greg not only knew the questions for the preliminary defense and secondary defense far in advance, but he was also crystal clear on which problem would be drawn for the final defense and which arguments would best earn the approval of the judges.
Even the research presentation segment he had originally worried about the most had already been completed in advance thanks to Alice and Chloe grinding relentlessly.
Therefore, right now, he was not panicked in the slightest.
It was precisely because he possessed such confidence that he chose to execute this plan—disguising himself as an exceptionally outstanding student to draw the attention of the Church of Light's current Saintess.
Everything up to this point, including any potential unrest the Demon King Cult might cause later, was within his calculations.
Being invincible was truly lonely.
Now, the students from over a hundred magic academies had finally snapped out of their shock over Luna, the headmistress of Branch-String Sanctuary Magic Academy, actually taking a human disciple, and were making their final preparations.
Greg, meanwhile, reclined leisurely against the back of his chair with his legs crossed, calmly waiting for the announcement of the preliminary defense questions.
Although he didn't know what was going on on Luna's end either, fortunately, she hadn't revealed his specific identity at the time. Thus, he could temporarily judge the situation as: No moles found, proceed with the trade!
Just as his relaxed posture formed a stark contrast with the tense atmosphere surrounding him, a petite figure suddenly walked over to his side.
"Junior Greg, aren't you nervous?"
Senior Yelena stood before him, clutching a notebook whose edges were frayed from frequent flipping.
Her face was painted with anxiety; she was clearly feeling uneasy about the impending preliminary defense.
"Not nervous."
Greg raised his head and flashed a relaxed smile.
"Actually, Senior Yelena, you don't need to worry too much either. Just perform naturally according to your usual level. After all, you work so hard under normal circumstances, so I believe you'll definitely be fine."
Hearing his words, Yelena froze for a moment. She then took a deep breath, her tightly clenched fists relaxing slightly.
She nodded, her tone gaining a touch of resolve. "Mm, I understand. Thank you, Junior Greg!"
Having said that, she turned around and returned to her seat to make her final preparations.
Not far away, Vivian took in this scene.
She closed the book in her hands, her gaze lingering on Greg for a moment.
She noticed that Greg maintained an unhurried, calm composure from start to finish, even having energy left over to soothe the anxiety of others.
Thinking about it, Greg had indeed made ample preparations to prove himself.
She lowered her head and quietly made up her mind.
In that case, she had to work hard too so she wouldn't be left behind by him.
Afterward, she reopened the book, focusing her attention back on the pages.
"Haah~~"
Letting out a relaxed yawn, Greg leaned back in his chair. Just as he was about to savor that feeling of invincibility once more, Corwin suddenly walked over and struck up a conversation with him, looking a bit embarrassed:
"Um, Greg... I have a very talented Junior who wants to meet you. Could you spare me a moment?"
Hearing this, Greg froze slightly, then shook his head in resignation.
Yare yare, it seems my damned charm can no longer be hidden at all.
In that case, I'll just have to try and get used to it.
He immediately looked up, putting on a warm, polite smile as he replied in a cheerful tone:
"Of course! By the way, is that Junior of yours cute?"
Corwin scratched his head, thought seriously about it for a moment, and answered honestly:
"Her looks... could probably only be described as average, but her grades are truly exceptional. She's among the very best in our academy; even I respect her! Hold on a moment, I'll go call her over right now."
"Oh, go ahead." Greg's interest instantly waned by more than half.
As an honest scumbag, he never lied to himself.
Compared to an interesting soul that was one in a million, he still preferred an attractive face that was one of a kind.
This was his true nature, and he accepted it openly.
However, since Corwin had already brought it up and the Junior had taken the initiative to get to know him, it wouldn't be right to reject the gesture. Meeting her wouldn't hurt anyway—he was bored right now regardless.
"Hello, Senior Greg! I'm a first-year student from Frost Ring Magic Academy—you can just call me Melina~"
Before long, Corwin returned with a girl dressed in a blue uniform.
Right now, the girl was gazing at him with an innocent smile, as though she truly were just an ordinary Junior admiring her Senior.
But the moment Greg's gaze landed on her face, his smile froze instantly.
It was indeed a plain, ordinary face—one that would never draw any attention even in a crowd.
Yet Greg would never mistake this face.
Or rather, he would never mistake the disguise she was using right now.
Because in the original game, when Primary Heroine Melina made her initial appearance in Act Three, she had shown herself in this exact plain disguise!
Although she wore a subtle, exquisite disguise right now that made her exterior look unremarkable, Greg knew full well just how bewitching a face lay hidden beneath that disguise.
Gulp...
Greg swallowed hard involuntarily.
Now he had to take back his previous thoughts.
As expected, compared to an attractive face, he still valued a gentle heart far more.
Rate on N.U.
