"Kiana and Ryn, aren't you worried about the upcoming exams? You just transferred here, and exams are already around the corner," a classmate asked, concerned, glancing at the two who hadn't been paying attention in class.
"Worried?"
Kiana and Ryn stood side by side, hands on their hips, radiating confidence.
"I'm a genius, you know!" Kiana declared. "Passing this kind of exam with my talent? Absolutely no problem."
Ryn chimed in, "We're completely fine when it comes to combat."
"But... the exam covers more than just..."
"Kiana and Ryn, it's good to be confident, but don't underestimate the Valkyrie exam," Class President Fu Hua said, walking over.
"Wow, it's Sister Fu Hua!" "Class President Fu Hua is so cool~" "Class President Fu Hua, I want to bear your children~"
Before the classmate could finish speaking, Class President Fu Hua had already approached. The classmates who had been about to warn Kiana and Ryn immediately transformed into Fu Hua's fangirls.
"While you may be exceptionally talented, remember not to rush for quick results. Haste makes waste," Fu Hua said, ignoring the fangirls and continuing to lecture Kiana and Ryn.
Though Kiana had no idea what Fu Hua was talking about, she replied with a smug air:
"Hmph, of course I know that."
"Is that so? Then I spoke out of turn."
Fu Hua nodded and said no more, passing Kiana and leaving the classroom. As soon as she was out the door, she fled the scene at lightning speed. Fu Hua liked her classmates, but their "enthusiasm" terrified her. If she didn't escape quickly, they'd strip her down to her underwear.
After Fu Hua left, Kiana looked thoughtful and turned to Mei and Ryn.
"Um... was the Class President just scolding me?"
"I think she was just telling you and Ryn to take the exams seriously," Mei explained awkwardly, trying to smooth things over.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely pass all of them," Ryn said, patting Kiana's head. The idiot didn't even realize whether she was being scolded or praised, yet she still answered with such confidence.
Ryn wasn't worried about the exams at all. With Cortana by his side, cheating was a breeze. Hehe.
(To readers studying: Study hard and avoid cheating unless you're about to fail. It's better to avoid it if you can.)
The day of the exam.
Ryn and Kiana had already conspired with Cortana to bring high-tech devices to cheat. But on the day of the exam, Cortana completely changed her mind.
When Ryn and Kiana activated their devices, they found only a message from Cortana:
"Exams are meant to test your own progress. Passing the Martial God exam through cheating and then sending you onto the battlefield would only harm you. As your devoted little cotton-padded jacket, I've decided to take responsibility for you."
"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier?! I'm already in the exam hall, and you pull this on me!" Ryn crushed the device in anger.
"Idiot Ryn, I told you not to cheat! Relying on that thing is worse than relying on me. With my talent, passing the exam is no problem at all~" Kiana tossed her device aside and said cheerfully to Ryn.
"Idiot Kiana, do you even realize what you're gloating about!!!"
"Kiana! Ryn! Stop whispering during the exam!" The teacher maintaining order rapped on the podium and shouted at them.
Ryn and Kiana had no choice but to obediently answer the questions.
Kiana glanced at the Heavenly Tome, then slumped over and fell asleep.
"Is Edison male or female? What a stupid question! Of course he's male."
"Who was the first human to possess the ability to resist Honkai? (Hint: The wielder of the Xuanyuan Sword.)"
"Isn't the wielder of the Xuanyuan Sword Ji Xuanyuan? That's too easy! I'll ace this with no problem."
Ryn had expected the history exam to be difficult, but it turned out to be a breeze. His knowledge from before his transmigration allowed him to breeze through the questions.
Then, predictably, Ryn failed. Not just history, but physics and chemistry too. In a world ravaged by Honkai, the influence of Honkai Energy couldn't be ignored. The very formulas and conclusions he'd learned were all tied to individuals deeply connected to Honkai.
Welt was the one who informed him of his failure. The teacher grading the exams nearly suffered a hypertensive crisis from the shock.
"Ryn, you clearly didn't listen in class at all! Why did you get zero on the history exam?! And aren't you from Shenzhou? How can you not know your own country's history?!"
"Aba aba..."
Faced with Welt's furious roar, Ryn could only feign ignorance. He racked his brain, but couldn't understand why the two worlds could be so different.
How was I supposed to know that the Ji Xuanyuan of this world was actually Ji Lin, a petite loli?
And why am I Xiao Yun, a female swordswoman? I distinctly remember it being the Dao De Jing with 3,000 disciples, but now it's 3,000 Disciples Descend Mount Taixu! This time, I'm truly "persuading with reason."
As for Kiana, she was convinced she'd pass the exam right up until the results were announced. After all, her performance in the practical assessment had been outstanding.
Today was the day the results were posted. Kiana, Mei, and the others came together to check them. Ryn insisted he already knew everything and refused to come.
"Hmph, a mere little exam? I've got this in the bag," Kiana declared confidently beneath the results board.
"Wow~ Dumbass Kiana actually used a four-character idiom. That's worth encouraging! Good job, good job!"
Sparkle mocked from the side. She could usually restrain her sharp tongue, but the passive-aggressive remarks just slipped out instinctively.
Mei stood helplessly between the two, preventing them from starting another fight. "That's not a four-character idiom, Sparkle. You're no better, so stop teasing Kiana."
"Wow, the second and third places are transfer student Bronya and Mei!"
"Amazing!"
"Ugh... suddenly I want to drag them into bed. What do I do?"
"Get lost, you pervert."
"Let me see... first place has to be yours truly." Kiana, hearing the discussion, began pushing her way through the crowd, eager to see her name.
"What! Fu Hua is first? Where's my name? And Ryn's isn't here either?" Kiana scanned the list, but her name was nowhere to be found.
Mei pointed to the other half of the notice board and said to Kiana, "Kiana, your name seems to be over here... and Ryn's is here too..."
"Really? Then it must be because Ryn and I did so well that we're being specially recognized!"
Kiana skipped excitedly over to Mei, then froze mid-leap, her body turning to stone and cracking apart.
On this side of the board, Kiana and Ryn's names were listed separately, both marked as failing.
"This can't be!"
Kiana angrily crumpled the notice into a ball. It was bad enough that she was a fool, but how could Ryn possibly be one too?
Wait... I'm not a fool either!