Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl

Book 2: Chapter 183: The First Examination

Vol 2 Chapter 183 The First ExaminationAfter all the teams in the square had gathered, the examinees gradually quieted down following their initial restlessness and excitement, silently waiting for something.

This state lasted for several minutes. Soon, accompanied by the bell signaling the start of the exam, changes occurred in the square where the examinees had gathered.

At some unknown time, a fence had been set up around the center of the square, and all examinees were driven outside the fence. Before long, a high platform gradually rose in the center of the enclosed area.

Lin Xiaolu stood amid the crowd, swaying her head, trying hard to see through the human wall in front of her. However, this effort did not allow her to clearly see what was happening inside. Furthermore, as some magical girls in front of her chose to fly up because they couldn’t see well, Lin Xiaolu’s view was completely blocked by the dense, dark human wall.

She looked helplessly at the human wall in front of her, glanced around, and noticed that Bai Jingxuan and Mint had already flown up into the air at some unknown time. The magical girls behind them also gradually floated higher into the sky. Without hesitation, she paused briefly with her heels on the ground and then rushed into the air.

At the center of the square, a woman wearing a floral-style dress stood on the high platform, draped in a sheer shawl and holding a parasol. As the platform rose, she slowly became the focal point of everyone’s attention.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Without stopping the examinees from continuously floating into the air and after using a spell to ensure her voice spread throughout the venue, she began speaking in a rather casual tone:

“I am your chief examiner for your first practical examination, Knowledge Administrator Yueji from the Rune Norrey Research Court. I am very pleased to witness such a crucial moment in your growth.”

“At the same time, I am also the technical director responsible for this examination site. All technical content involved in the upcoming examination has been verified for safety by the examiner team. We can assure you that you will not be in danger during the process. Therefore, please unleash your talents and strive for higher rankings.”

“Although I believe everyone here already knows the content of the upcoming examination, because the standards and rules have slightly changed this year, I will explain them once again just in case.”

“The rules for the practical examination use a ‘point system.’ Based on your performance during the exam, the Examination Institute will award you corresponding points.”

She waved one hand in the air, and countless spots of magical light formed a large, encircling light screen behind her. Along with her voice, the words ‘Point Rules’ were projected onto this screen.

The venue immediately erupted with the sound of numerous phones taking pictures.

“In principle, you can only earn points according to your performance in each examination item. However, in practice, points can also be affected by three other factors beyond your exam results.”

The chief examiner still did not restrict the examinees’ behavior, merely blinking, then continuing:

“The first factor is ‘teammate performance.’ Since the practical exam is conducted in teams of three, if your teammates achieve excellent results, you will receive bonus points. Conversely, if your teammates perform poorly, you will lose extra points.”

“The second factor is ‘discipline.’ If an examinee disrupts the exam order or discipline and hinders the normal conduct of the exam, points will be deducted based on the severity of the misconduct. Meanwhile, depending on different examination standards, additional point deductions or additions may also occur.”

“Lastly, the special factor for this Queen’s Year is the ‘spectator evaluation.’ Your performance will be selectively shown to guests on the viewing platform through magical mirrors. If an examinee’s performance is outstanding and recognized by the guests, extra points will be awarded.”

“After all four examinations conclude, the Examination Institute will sum all points to rank the examinees. The rankings will determine your final results.”

Having said this, the chief examiner looked down from the platform and surveyed the crowd: “This concludes the basic explanation of the practical examination rules.”

She made a virtual pressing gesture with one hand, and the ‘Point Rules’ projection behind her disappeared. Some magical girls who realized a bit late that they should have taken a photo earlier caused slight murmurs.

However, the chief examiner continued at her own pace, waving her hand once more. A new image and content appeared in the projection.

It was a giant three-dimensional structural diagram.

At first glance, it looked a bit like a Rubik’s cube. But upon closer inspection, it was clearly not a small object like a Rubik’s cube, but a massive structure: a square-shaped building so vast that even the naked eye couldn’t count its layers, and its area was astonishingly large.

The reason one could judge its size was because the diagram vaguely showed passage-like structures mixed with shrubs and flowers — yes, such a huge building was entirely composed of flowers and shrubs. The passageways looked like plant fiber strands, and the flowers and leaves were smaller than a dot on this diagram.

Simply seeing such a bizarre ‘building’—impossible to realize in the material world—was enough to silence many examinees momentarily.

“Now, moving on to the main topic, let’s talk about the first practical examination you will face.”

Apparently satisfied with the examinees’ reactions, the chief examiner’s expression brightened noticeably:

“As you can see, this exam site is set in the Silver Gallery’s back garden, and the format is a ‘maze.’ The garden has been transformed under the Research Court’s spells into a huge, multi-layered maze capable of accommodating everyone present to explore together. Your task in this exam is to exit the maze in as short a time as possible.”

“Just a reminder: the diagram behind me is only to help you understand the general shape of the maze. Please do not treat it as a real map. If you try to use this diagram to find the exit and waste time, I won’t be responsible.”

“The examinee with the shortest time will be first place in this exam. Following that, rankings will be determined in order, and points will be awarded accordingly. First place receives 100 points, second place 95, third place 90, top ten 85 points, top fifty 80 points… down to the last place, which will only receive the basic 30 points.”

“That’s the brief overview. On top of this, there are five additional rules—three open rules and two hidden rules.”

“The first open rule: theoretically, there is no time limit for the exam, but the magical energy concentration inside the maze will continuously decrease. When it falls below a certain threshold, your movement will be restricted until you eventually become immobilized. If an examinee loses mobility inside the maze, their result will be marked as failing. Failed examinees receive zero points.”

“The second rule: attacking or interfering with other examinees during the exam is not prohibited. If an examinee loses mobility due to an attack, the result is also a fail, the same as the first rule.”

“However, if the eliminated examinee can identify their attacker—by clearly describing their appearance, reporting their examinee number, or giving their magical girl codename—then after fact verification, the attacker’s result will be marked as failing. Meanwhile, the eliminated examinee will receive the attacker’s points from this exam.”

“The third rule: all direct or indirect damage to the maze is forbidden. Although theoretically no magical girl below Bud-rank can even damage the maze, I know some present can reach that level. So, damaging the maze is prohibited. Violators will also be marked as failing.”

After stating these, the chief examiner withdrew the projection behind her again. This time, however, she lowered her hands, seeming to have completed her task.

“I hope all examinees strictly abide by these three rules. If there are no questions, you may proceed to the Silver Gallery’s back garden. The exam will officially begin in ten minutes.”

Finished? Holding her phone and having rushed to take a photo of the maze diagram before the examiner finished, Lin Xiaolu looked up with some confusion.

The examiner said there were five ‘rules,’ but she only mentioned three before announcing the end. What were the remaining two rules?

“Ah, regarding the remaining two ‘hidden rules’…”

As if hearing Lin Xiaolu’s thoughts, the chief examiner on stage suddenly stopped walking away, looked back at the examinees, and revealed a somewhat inexplicable smile.

This was the first time this chief examiner had shown such a clear expression on her face since appearing.

“The hidden rules will be announced during the exam after you reach certain progress.”

“So, please explore the maze diligently and strive for higher scores.”

“I wish you all a triumphant start.”