I Became a Tentacle Monster Blooming in the Academy Garden 31

## Chapter 31 – Final Exams…?

The academy’s final exams.

This academy’s final exams, consisting of comprehensive tests, were an annual event held solely to enhance students’ abilities and assess their current status.

It’s an annual event because the academy operates on a one-semester-per-year system, providing non-stop education throughout the year.

Therefore, now that the first year, during which the new students gradually become accustomed to the school, is coming to an end, all the freshmen were doing their utmost to prepare for the final exams.

Of course, the final exams themselves weren’t that big of a deal.

They just had to solve multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions that tested the knowledge they had studied.

What was truly perplexing the current freshmen was something else entirely.

“But didn’t they say we’d have a special evaluation in addition to the final exams?”

A single comment emerged from among the girls sitting in a circle, each with their textbooks open.

It was just a small comment, but its impact was significant.

“Huh? Isn’t that just for the Swordsmanship Department?
They’re all about practical training from start to finish, right?”

Soon after another girl voiced her thoughts upon hearing the term “special evaluation,” another girl exclaimed with a gasp, “Ah!!”

“Grache-sunbae said that the special evaluations started when the sophomores first entered the school, right?”

At the words of one girl, the expressions of the other girls gradually paled.

The final exams alone were dreadful enough, but a special evaluation of unknown nature?

“Eek…? Wh-what is it…?”

“Um… a general… situational awareness evaluation…?
What…? What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know. Apparently, there was an academic announcement telling the upperclassmen not to tell us?”

“But wouldn’t they secretly tell us anyway?”

Even the upperclassmen were officially being kept quiet.

At the secrecy of the special evaluation, which was beyond imagination, one student tentatively offered what she thought might be a solution, but the response was merciless.

“The penalty for getting caught telling is supposedly pretty severe…
All I heard was to prepare thoroughly so I can handle anything that comes my way…”

“Seriously… what are they trying to make us do…”

Listening to the stories of the female students loitering in front of the flower bed during lunchtime, I fell into deep thought.

‘Special evaluation, huh…’

Of course, I had no way of knowing what it was either.

‘Carla wouldn’t know about it either…’

Carla, whom I had been using to gather various information, was just another terrified freshman when it came to the special evaluation.

“Ugh… everyone looks so worried…
A special evaluation… it really is out of the blue…”

But what solved my worries at once was none other than Vivian.

‘What? Did you hear?’

In reality, it was a tentacle that was also connected to the outside.

Whether she heard the subtle sounds like a real-time listening device through the tentacle wrapped around her neck, Vivian smiled brightly and entrusted herself to the tentacle that was moistly wrapping around her neck.

Hearing her words, Lanie, who was lying next to her with her legs spread in an M-shape, twitching as she gave birth to a spider, asked her a question.

“Ugh…!! Heuh… Special evaluation…?”

“Ah, there is such a thing. It’s like a practical test that happens at the same time as the final exams.”

“Hee… it doesn’t apply to us, though, right, Vivian-nim?”

“Right?”

But as expected, for them, who were voluntarily trapped fish in a cave, the special evaluation, let alone the final exams themselves, was nothing more than a story from another world.

As their mouths closed and they were about to let out only ecstatic moans again, I immediately released the tentacle holding Vivian and held one of my tentacles in front of her.

“Ah… huh… should I lick it…?”

Because what we always did was pretty much the same, Vivian reacted in ‘that’ direction to my action of holding out a tentacle and slowly stuck out her tongue. I shook the tentacle vigorously from side to side at Vivian, who didn’t understand the situation.

To explain what I wanted to her, who didn’t understand the situation, I had to use body language, stacking two tentacles to imitate speaking.

“Ugh…? What… what do you want to do…?”

I had tried it on Carla before because I was so impatient, but since it was the first time trying it on Vivian, Vivian also looked at the wriggling tentacle with a bewildered expression and turned her head to make eye contact with Lanie.

“Th-that… just now… the special evaluation…
Isn’t he telling you to talk about that?”

‘Nice, Lanie!!’

Fortunately, when I nodded my tentacles vigorously at Lanie’s quick guess, Vivian’s face turned red, as if she had thought I hadn’t understood her words until now.

‘I-I said a lot of embarrassing things…!!’

But soon, Vivian regained her composure and began to speak.

“I was… Grenot…
So I’ve obtained various information about the academy through various routes…
Of course, I’m a sophomore, so I’ve experienced the special evaluation once last year.
The special evaluation is literally an evaluation of practical skills.”

“Practical skills?”

Whether she was also interested, Lanie, who was listening to the story next to her, asked, and Vivian nodded and continued to speak.

“You’re a freshman, so you don’t know yet, Lanie.
That’s right, literally comprehensive practical skills.
Our Swordsmanship Department’s final exam is a real sword duel with professors, right?
That’s just the professors evaluating our abilities while watching our moves.
You understand this far, right?”

“Yes… it’s about getting beaten up by the professors and getting evaluated…”

Perhaps thinking about the usual Swordsmanship Department classes, Lanie’s expression was turning bitter.

“That’s right. But the special evaluation is a little different. It’s literally practical.
It’s about creating a special situation and evaluating the ability to make instant judgments and solve problems in response to it.
I heard that the practical evaluation was strengthened after the former chairman, Marquis Polignac, passed away and a new chairman took office.”

“Practical evaluation… ugh…”

“That means the academy values situational awareness that much.”

Vivian chuckled at Lanie, who was groaning, seemingly overwhelmed just by imagining it.

“Anyway, I know what last year’s freshman special evaluation was like, and I’ve secretly obtained information about this year’s special evaluation.”

“R-really…? As expected of Vivian-nim…!!”

“Last year’s freshman special evaluation that I experienced was a real battle.
Freshmen formed teams and fought in an artificially created dungeon.”

“Wow…!! A dungeon?”

A dungeon. What else could make a swordsman’s heart race like that?

Lanie’s eyes, looking at Vivian with sparkling eyes, were a little scary.

But I was also very interested in Vivian’s words, so I was just listening intently.

A dungeon, huh? Suddenly, it really hit me that I was in a different world.

“Yeah. The level itself isn’t threatening, but it’s not difficult to be eliminated if you’re not careful.
About 10 teams were evaluated, but only two teams made it to the end.
I was also close, but I was eliminated near the end…”

“Yes…? Vivian-nim was eliminated?”

“Hehe… that’s right. It was the result of carelessness.
I shouldn’t have been careless until it was completely over…
But… maybe I’m here because I was careless…”

A bitter smile appeared on Vivian’s face as she slowly stroked the tentacle in front of her.

But Vivian’s eyes, reminiscing, were as serious as could be.

“The special evaluation was quite serious beyond what I thought.
Various monsters were mobilized, as well as demi-humans.
And according to the information I heard this time, they seem to be quite determined.
They said that all grades will be randomly mixed to form teams of four.”

“Eek… you might be with upperclassmen?”

“Yeah. The special evaluation also has the goal of developing individual skills.
Perhaps the upperclassmen will lead the lowerclassmen and solve the tasks together.
There’s significance in the lowerclassmen learning the upperclassmen’s coping skills, right?”

“Hmm… is there really a need to go that far?”

“In last year’s exam, one person with good abilities had to lead the entire team.
It was embarrassing, but I was that one person last year, and I couldn’t solve it perfectly on my own.”

“Vivian-nim…”

“In the end, I was just a talented freshman back then.
I won’t let that happen again.
In the first place, I won’t have to go through that again.”

“So… this time, we’re learning from our seniors?”

“This year, they say that various departments will be mixed together.
Last year, they gathered within the same department.”

“All the departments…?
But… how…”

Lanie was surprised that even the grades were randomly mixed, but I was just as surprised.

I couldn’t even understand how they could do that kind of evaluation.

But when Vivian’s following words solved that question, I also understood the system and couldn’t help but nod my tentacle.

“The point of this special evaluation is teamwork.
It’s about seeing how well each group fulfills its role in its respective position.
The Swordsmanship Department as the Swordsmanship Department, the Magic Department as the Magic Department, and the Alchemy Department and the Medical Department as well.
If I could just watch, I’d want to see what kind of evaluation it will be.”

This was literally a comprehensive evaluation of teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Each person’s area of expertise is different, but when they come together, the team emerges as a dream team that can cope with various situations.

If four members of the Swordsmanship Department gather, they can solve the parts related to swordsmanship, but they can’t cope with the parts they can’t.

Then, what if the Medical Department heals those who are injured?

That is also included in the contribution to the team’s problem-solving, and as a result, it helps the team solve the task.

“Amazing… even non-combat departments might be indirectly helpful?”

“Exactly. You have a good eye, Lanie?”

“Ahaha… I’m embarrassed if you praise me like that…”

Lanie’s point, whose face turned red at Vivian’s praise, was accurate.

Of course, I don’t have much information about this world yet, but even if I only consider what I know, there were several departments in the academy.

Vivian and Lanie’s Swordsmanship Department, Carla’s Alchemy Department, and Yui’s roommate’s Medical Department.

If these four were combined, it could be a great team with Vivian and Lanie’s vanguard, Carla’s various alchemical items, and the roommate’s medical technology.

A team that includes a dealer, a healer, and a supporter?

“Last year, it was held in the model forest, which is a student restricted area…
I wonder if it will be held there again this time…?”

“I want to see it once too… hehe…”

Seeing their eyes sparkling as they looked back at my tentacle, my tentacle was shrinking for no reason.

‘Huh…?’