A solid brick wall. That’s what is in front of me. Why am I staring at a solid brick wall? Well, if I may turn your attention to the solid white blob behind me, we can begin to understand why I’m staring at a solid brick wall. You see, if I actually look at the blob of static-like energy, it will rush towards me and try to kill me. So, I’m staring at a solid brick wall because otherwise I will die.

  Letting out a sigh, I look at the dead end I’ve found myself at. “Penelope! Hopper! Can you guys hear me!” I yell as my voice echoes throughout the winding halls.

  Nothing. Just what you would expect from a maze like this. I knew we should’ve been more careful before we went down to the fifth floor of this Dungeon. Who would’ve thought that there was a magic trap that would separate us and place us in a maze? Definitely not me, and I actually read the book on Dungeons. They’re not supposed to have magical traps until the tenth floor.

  This Dungeon is odd. First the Red Slime, then the White Horror, the Puzzle Room, the Giant Ants, and now a maze. I would ask if things could get worse, but I’m sure the Gods will have a good laugh when I inevitably get the answer to that question.

  Is there anything I can do against this thing? I slashed at it when I first met it, and my sword just phased through it. Didn’t even leave a scratch. Let's check my [Stat Window] and see if there’s anything useful.

  Huh? When did I get so many skills? I mean, isn’t it abnormal? I sleep through most of class, so I’m not even sure. I do know that it took me multiple years of [Stealing], [Lying], and [Throwing] for me to even get them as [Skills], but here I am with four more [Skills] in the span of, what, a month? I understand that I got two of them from [Leveling Up], but what about the other two? [Poison Res.] came from… Oh, what was I doing? It’s been so long. Ah, I remember, I accidentally poisoned myself and ate Helia’s Mandrake. Huh, I guess I got that [Skill] from almost dying. That still leaves the newest [Skill] I got. [Cooking], the odd one out. I got this when I beat Cliff at the bake-off, but what does that have to do with me getting it?

  Ugh, my head hurts from all this thinking. If only I could ask Penelope about this.

  If I did, she’d be all like “Oh, oh, oh, Charlatan, I thought you were The Chosen One. Can’t figure something this simple out? Maybe you’re not The Chosen One, Charlatan? Maybe it’s time to introduce you to my friend, The Chopping Block. Charlatan,” I say in a mocking tone.

  Yeah, that seems about right. I think I even got the voice right. Maybe I should become a mime after this is all over. Gods, I’m sooo bored. Am I going to have to stand here the entire time until Professor Stargazer teleports us back? I hope not. I don’t think I could stand still for that long.

  Ok, time to try some things out. Otherwise, I’m going to die of boredom. What would Penelope suggest?

  “Charlatan, have you considered destroying it with muscles? You see, muscles are the answer to everything. That and being filthy, filthy rich. Oh, also magic,” I say using Penelope’s voice.

  Gods, I love [Disguise]. I’ve learned recently that if I use less MP, I can choose to [Disguise] specific parts instead of everything at once, but enough of that. Pseudo Penelope is right. I remember Professor Stargazer saying that if you encounter a creature that is immune to physical attacks, that means it’s most likely susceptible to magic attacks. The problem is, I don’t have a single magical attack. Technically, [Disguise] is the only [Skill] that is considered magical. Can’t really attack with an illusion, now can I?

  I guess I could just walk with my eyes closed, but if there’s any traps lying around, I’m kaput. Wait, eyes closed? I wonder. Focusing around my eyes, I [Disguise] them to look like they are closed. I really hope this works. As I turn around, I come face-to-face with the white static blob, and it does nothing.

  With a devilish smile, I walk past it. To think that I’m the smartest man alive. I always knew it, but today, today I proved it. Guess as the smartest man alive, I should get back to figuring out how to get out of this maze. What’s the general rule for mazes again? Ah, I remember. Keep changing directions like a wild wombat.

  Randomly making my way through the maze, I run into multiple of these white static blobs, but thanks to [Disguise], the only thing I need to worry about is how static is messing with my hair. Eventually, I find myself at the exit. Looking around, the only thing I find is the stairs to the next floor. Guess they aren’t through yet. As that thought settles, my vision is filled with a white light that fades to reveal the classroom.

  I walk over to my friends as the Professor finishes teleporting everyone back. “So, are the two of you still having trouble with that maze?” I ask with a smug grin.

  Hopper gives me an odd look. “Still, as in your not?” he asks.

  “I’m at the exit waiting for you guys,” I say with a cocky smile.

  Penelope rolls her eyes. “Of course you are. Hopper and I met up somewhere around the middle, I think. Any advice on which way the exit is?” she asks with a sweet smile.

  “Well, uh… right? I’m going to be really honest with you. I don’t really remember,” I say as I try to pull the memories from my mind.

  “Of course you didn’t,” Penelope says with a long sigh.

  Professor Stargazer finishes teleporting everyone back and gets everyone's attention. “Welcome back, everyone. I won't keep you long. I want to wish you all a good weekend and remember to study for the upcoming exam.”

  Oh no. I keep forgetting that there’s an exam right before the Class War. How am I going to cheat my way out of that?

  “Hey, CJ, do you want to study together this weekend?” Hopper asks, sending a ray of hope into my desolate world.

  “Angel?”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  I don’t understand anything. I thought with my [INT] being a 17 that I could coast through this exam with ease. Turns out that’s only partially true. I can easily do calculations and remember details, but I can’t tell you how they connect or the importance of it. Turns out I have to learn the old-fashioned way if I truly want any shot at passing this exam, or I could cheat. Yes, that would be easy. I could easily sneak in the answers by hiding them in a cookie, or maybe I could write them all over my body while using [Disguise] to hide the writing.

  “Are you thinking about cheating?” Penelope says as she twirls one of her drills of hair.

  “No,” I [Lie].

  Hopper pushes his glasses up. “CJ would never cheat, Princess,” he says.

  “Right. I guess he wouldn’t be that stupid. After all, the exam room this time will be monitored with detection magic,” she says with a knowing look.

  “Of course, I would never cheat, but out of curiosity, what would this detection magic detect?”

  Hopper closes the textbook he was reading. “A better question would be what doesn’t it detect. I think the only thing that could get past the detection is the power of the Gods.”

  “Seems a bit overkill for an exam, no?” I ask, hiding a nervous smile.

  Penelope pinches the bridge of her nose. “The Headmaster takes cheating very seriously. Get caught, and you’ll end up expelled.”

  Silently nodding, I think back on the entrance exam. Why didn’t they catch me then? Did they underestimate us because we were new? Ah, whatever, I somehow did it. Could I do it again? Probably, but Penelope and Hopper got me all worried about the expulsion stuff. Maybe I should give this studying thing another shot.

  I grab a random textbook and try my darndest to stay focused. … I think I’m starting to understand. Wow, to think history is so romantic and dramatic. I didn’t know that there was so much scandal. He’s a vampire?!

  Penelope looks over at me and takes the textbook away. “Charlatan, that’s a romantic novel,” she says with a disappointed tone.

  “Oh. I knew that. I thought I should take a break from all the studying we’ve been doing,” I [Lie].

  She looks at me with a sad look. “Don’t say I never helped you.”

  “What?” I say as she hands me a couple of books.

  “We're going to do a quick open-book mock exam. Let's see where you need the most help,” she says as she pulls her notes out.

  “Thanks…”

  “Don’t thank me yet. Let's start with a bit of history. There have been multiple calamities since the Gods left. All of them were combated by Chosen Ones. Name three calamities,” she says.

  “Uh… hmm… Wait, Tyranus the Slumbering Disaster!”

  “That is one. Do you know two others?” Penelope asks with a pained expression.

  “Nope.”

  “Hopper, please tell me you know two more.”

  Hopper pushes his glasses up and lets out a small chuckle. “Mlvich the Undead Empress,” he says confidently.

  “That was only one more.”

  “That’s because I only know one more,” he whispers to himself.

  “Guys, really!? I expected this from him, but Hopper, how did you manage to get into the advanced class with this kind of knowledge?”

  Hopper looks over at me as if having found a comrade. “Cramming and guessing,” he says without shame.

  “Idiots. The Scarlet Krone is another famous one. Okay, maybe I started you guys off too hard. Let's try something easy. The Empire has five Gods. Which one created the [System]?”

  I look at her with a wide-eyed expression. “God?” I answer with a less-than-confident demeanor.

  “No.”

  “I actually know this one! It’s The Creator,” Hopper says with glee.

  “Yes, that is correct. I thought that was going to be an easy one. I think we’re going to have to start from the ground up,” she says with a sigh.

  Muriel, the librarian, rounds the corner of the bookshelf and walks over to us. “Excuse me. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could I ask you all to lower your voices? This is a library,” she says with her voice barely hovering over a whisper.

  “Apologies, Muriel. We’ll make sure to be quiet,” I say with a smile.

  “No worries, Chosen One. It’s not a bother at all,” she says with a bow and then leaves.

  “Charlatan, focus. If you want to have any chance of passing this exam, you’ll actually have to pay attention.”

  Letting out a long sigh, I crack open one of the history textbooks. “Yeah, yeah.”