Chapter 566

Chapter 566 Dark Demon’s Well-intentioned Efforts (6k)

Maureen Bridges noticed when the two golems entered the task hall, but she was busy with her work and quickly forgot about it. It wasn’t until the window suddenly had an empty space, and the student who should have stepped forward stopped a meter away, that she realized something was wrong. She then poked her head out the window and indeed saw the two adorable little creatures unable to reach the window because they were too short.

“Cough.”

Maureen suppressed her laughter and asked the cat and imp beast below, “Is it just the two of you? Where is your owner?”

If it were any other golem, she wouldn’t have asked this question.

Because she wouldn’t get an answer.

But as a member of the student council, when the golems of Dark Demon started appearing more frequently in the castle corridors, they conducted a thorough investigation and consulted with Professor Shylph.

According to school regulations, students weren’t allowed to let their familiars roam the corridors without a reason, but there were no rules for golems.

However, if this behavior were accepted, the student council worried that more students would follow suit, negatively impacting the academy environment.

Still, after clarifying the situation, Professor Shylph issued special permission.

Thus, most members of the student council knew these golems belonged to the second-year top student.

Professors tended to favor high-achieving students, which was considered normal.

Some members of the student council even suggested that Professor Shylph might be overly partial to Dark Demon, but only in private.

Maureen had no impression of Dark Demon, but she was very interested in these intelligent golems.

Even excluding academic value, these golems were enough to capture her attention.

After all, who doesn’t like cute little things?

She couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the small gold coin on the cat’s forehead.

“Meow.”

But the cat meowed softly, grabbed the selection card, and handed it to her.

Maureen froze momentarily and instinctively took the card.

Then she retracted her body, placed the selection card on the “card reader,” and injected mana to activate it.

Immediately, basic information about the card appeared:

Category: Commercial Card

Name: Meow

Grade: None

College: None

Club: Magical Animal Club

Task Points: 0

Task Completion Rate: 0%

“Commercial card??”

Seeing this information instantly left Maureen bewildered.

She couldn’t imagine a golem having its own selection card.

And what was the intention of this golem…

“Meow… Is it called Meow?”

Maureen swallowed hard and looked at the gray cat that suddenly jumped onto the table.

Meow stood up straight from its kneeling position, adjusted the shoulder strap of its small backpack, and fixed its half-closed eyes on Maureen.

Maureen asked incredulously, “Are you here to take on a task?”

When she asked this question, she desperately wanted a negative response.

But Meow nodded firmly.

At this moment, not only Maureen, but even the students waiting in line behind her were stunned.

The imp beast “flapped” and landed on the table.

Meow looked at the receptionist with a “stupid” expression and tilted its head in thought. Then it turned its small backpack to the front, opened the zipper, and took out a palm-sized notebook and a pen.

It then grabbed the pen and wrote briskly on the notebook.

Suddenly, everything went silent around them.

Maureen Bridges couldn’t help but widen her eyes, her mouth wide open.

Only when Meow turned the notebook towards her did she gasp and force herself to calm down and look at the notebook.

The handwriting on the notebook was slightly slanted but very standard human writing.

And it was clearly the work of a beginner, without any sloppiness.

Maureen’s face was stiff, but she still said, “Are you here to take on the ‘Wood Carver’ task?”

“Meow!” Meow tapped the notebook with the tip of the pen, indicating GKD.

However, although Maureen understood its meaning, she couldn’t simply comply with its request.

As a staff member at the task window, besides registering the task, she also needed to briefly review the person taking on the task to ensure they had the ability to complete it.

Of course, since this task window was entirely for students, most of the time, no evaluation was needed; students would choose tasks they could handle, and failing a task would result in a deduction of credits.

Both points and credits would be deducted!

Additionally, if the person taking on the task failed to complete it, the receptionist who assigned it would also lose corresponding performance points.

Therefore, without confirming whether Meow had the ability to complete the task, Maureen wouldn’t assign it to it.

Even though there were no restrictions on the task, she wouldn’t do so.

So, after taking a deep breath, she tried to speak gently, “I’m sorry, although I really want to give you this task, I also need to be responsible for the person issuing it. If you insist on taking the task, you can call your owner. I can assign this task to him, and he can pass it on to you.”

“Meow!” Meow’s eyelids slowly opened, showing an unhappy expression.

The imp beast smirked, standing beside and snickering.

Meow suddenly turned its head, baring its fangs at it.

But the imp beast crossed its wings in front of its chest, completely unaffected by the threat.

The unusual situation soon drew the attention of those around them.

Although the students exchanging tasks in the hall didn’t gather, they all cast curious glances.

Meow keenly sensed that it had become the center of attention. It became agitated and urged the foolish female human in front of it impatiently, “Meow, meow meow!”

Maureen had already calmed down completely and said again, “No, you need your owner to come.”

“Meow meow meow!” Meow immediately picked up the pen and wrote on the notebook.

Why?

Maureen pondered for a moment and explained gently this time, “To take on a task, you first need to prove that you have the ability to complete it. If your owner is present, he can vouch for you. But on your own, you lack… credit. Do you understand?”

Meow’s eyes narrowed immediately.

It understood that this foolish female human was doubting the abilities of Lord Meow!

“Meow!”

It’s just wood carving!

It wrote on the notebook in this way, and then opened the small backpack again, taking out a wooden log about ten centimeters long in front of everyone and placing it on the table.

As Maureen curiously watched, it also pulled out its beloved carving knife, turning it skillfully in its claws.

There was a gleam in its eyes as it picked up the small carving knife and started to carve the wooden log at an extremely fast speed.

The gazes of the surrounding students thus became even more focused.

The imp beast narrowed its eyes as well.

In less than two minutes, Meow stopped, but the wooden log in its hand had already taken on the outline of a human figure.

Although the surface was rough, it was very lifelike.

Meow carved a few more strokes on the wooden sculpture’s face before placing it by the window.

That face was vivid and lifelike, bearing a three-part resemblance to Maureen.

Maureen looked at the wooden sculpture, completely speechless.

After a few minutes, having successfully received the task, Meow proudly left the task hall, leaving behind only the legend of “Meow.”

…

Dark quickly learned about the incident from the imp beast’s recounting.

This made him abandon the idea of taking the mana spirit golems to receive tasks together.

Since Meow could successfully receive the task, there was no reason for the other mana spirit golems to fail.

After Deoxys heard this, he suddenly spoke up, “Can you speak when handing over the task?”

Dark pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

Now, forbidding the mana spirit golems from speaking outside had lost all meaning.

Lifting the “silence order” would make it easier for those that could speak to communicate with others.

However, he added a reminder, “When choosing tasks, try to select short-term tasks within your capabilities. But don’t be overly afraid of failing the task; I will cover the credits.”

Then, he mentioned some precautions to several of the mana spirit golems and let them move freely.

Thus, Miss Bridget at the 9th window of the task hall welcomed more than a dozen mana spirit golems seeking and receiving tasks.

She was then shockingly startled by Deoxys speaking directly!

…

Mana spirit golems capable of speaking were not unheard of.

In fact, most human species have mature vocal organs.

But mana spirit golems like Deoxys, the imp beast, and the lion beast, who can converse fluently with humans, were truly unprecedented.

Before the legend of “Meow” spread, even more surprises emerged recently.

If these mana spirit golems were not owned by Dark, they would certainly attract many people’s attention.

Even so, upperclassmen still cast their gazes toward him.

Some people who thought they knew Dark well enough were unexpectedly startled.

Compared to the rumor that the mana spirit golems could come to receive tasks on their own, their ability to speak spread faster.

Surprisingly, the students did not doubt this information.

In fact, many felt it was expected.

After all, Dark’s mana spirit golems not only went to the cafeteria for meals every day but also frequently visited the library to borrow books.

A group of mana spirit golems that could read books, speaking would not be surprising.

Yes…

All of this was “expected.”

First-year students, who had just been in school for half a month, began to doubt the definitions and descriptions of mana spirit golems in their textbooks.

“Who said that the intelligence level of mana spirit golems is only 2?”

“Who said that mana spirit golems cannot think independently?”

“Who said that mana spirit golems cannot speak?”

Their established beliefs were overturned quietly.

The professor teaching Mana Theory to first-years might face unprecedented challenges.

…

Sunday passed quickly.

The mana spirit golems frequently came and went between the task hall and the clubroom, making it very lively.

They seemed to genuinely benefit from the task system, with some completing one or two tasks on the same day, earning quite a few credits, gaining a deeper understanding of “work yields rewards.”

Moreover, the magical animal club’s club points completed a breakthrough from zero.

As for the commotion they caused in the castle… it naturally did not affect them.

Only when Dark returned to the Tower of Noble Academy did he encounter a large number of people “ambushing” him.

Upperclassmen pursued him to ask about the veracity of the rumors, causing him some trouble.

However, with the arrival of Monday, St. Maryan’s students would eventually return to class, gradually replacing these extracurricular matters with academic concerns.

…

The first class on Monday morning was a summoning spell class.

Professor Sarah Shylph finally began to talk about knowledge related to “ritual summoning spells,” and she also科普了秘仪卡 to some extent, greatly benefiting the young magi.

The second class of Mana Theory after that, Professor Kazel glanced at Dark and, taking advantage of the rampant rumors, talked about content related to the intelligence of mana spirit golems.

Then, he immediately began to discuss knowledge about “dungeon storage boxes.”

With reminders from the seniors, the young magi listened very attentively during this part, even Robert perking up and focusing entirely.

However, what attracted the students’ attention the most was not “dungeon storage boxes!”

Before the end of the class, Professor Kazel wrote a very long list of materials on the blackboard.

He then slowly said, “With just one week left until the end of September, I believe everyone has a basic understanding of the directional formulation of mana spirit cards.

In this last week, I will lead everyone through our first directional formulation. Please prepare all the materials listed on this list before next Monday.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly erupted.

Someone immediately raised their hand and asked, “Professor Kazel, can you tell us what mana spirit we will be formulating next week?”

But Professor Kazel placed his wand in front of his lips and, unusually, played coy, “It’s a secret. Of course, you can also deduce it from the materials.”

After that person sat down, another girl raised her hand.

Professor Kazel gave permission.

This woman timidly asked, “Professor, what if we don’t have enough credits to buy the materials?”

Professor Kazel chuckled lightly and said, “You are now in the second year. Most systems in the academy are open to you, and there are many ways to earn credits. I believe that as long as you search diligently, you can gather enough credits by Monday.”

After this exchange, several students…

Now, noticing that their credits were insufficient, the students instantly turned pale.

Dark’s gaze shifted, and he saw Wit and Robert looking extremely displeased. He couldn’t help but click his tongue and mutter, “Sinful, sinful.”

He recalled that yesterday morning, he had seen these two classmates in the “Public Dueling Society” shop.

At that time… they seemed to be opening card packs?

…

“But indeed, the materials needed for this class experiment are quite expensive.”

After Dark copied down the complete list of materials, he quickly assessed the total price.

Unexpectedly, the price of this set of materials exceeded eight hundred credits!

Eight hundred credits, although not much compared to Dark’s reserves.

But for most students, it was a very large number.

It was likely that more than half of the students in this classroom did not have enough credits.

However, even if most students lacked credits, they were probably not far off.

Afterwards, they just needed to take on one or two tasks at the task hall to gather enough credits.

Professor Kazel probably wanted them to familiarize themselves with the process of taking on tasks.

Indeed, it was a thoughtful approach.

…

As for students with a significant credit gap, what could they do?

They could only take on more tasks!

…

On Monday afternoon, the class was “Potion Studies.”

Professor Thompson took out the methods for making “Mana Recovery Elixir” and “Quick Mana Potion” again and went into further detail about the higher-level “Mana Recovery Elixir” and “Quick Mana Potion.”

However, the higher the level of these two potions, the greater the demand for precise mana manipulation.

For second-year students, it was difficult to complete the crafting.

Not to mention incorporating these two potions into mana cards—obviously much more challenging!

But if they wanted to engage in prolonged battles in the dungeon, such potions or potion cards were essential.

According to Professor Thompson, even if the difficulty was high, they had to complete it.

This would determine how far they could go in the dungeon!

…

The bell rang!

After the end of the “Potion Studies” class, the second-year students all rushed to the task hall.

The task handover system under the jurisdiction of the Students’ Union was open from Monday to Sunday, with most times being handled by staff members, but during weekends, there would be shifts by members of the Students’ Union.

The staff were no longer surprised by the enthusiasm of the second-year students.

Every year around this time, there was usually a wave of excitement, but very few students managed to persist.

Of course, while some students were striving for credits, Dark Demon was diligently studying in the library and reviewing the content of the upcoming mathematics class on Tuesday.

“I wonder if Professor Shylph has punished those little troublemakers?”

Dark merely submitted the list of first-year students attempting to participate in pranks to Professor Shylph and then stopped paying attention.

But he believed that Professor Shylph must have handled it properly.

…

Before six o’clock on Tuesday morning.

Before the alarm clock rang, Dark had already opened his eyes.

Thanks to practicing the “Technique of the Shadow God” every night before bed, he woke up very energetic, full of spirit today as well.

Next was the second class as a teaching assistant.

Compared to the first class, he was less constrained but still meticulously combed his hair and tidied his appearance.

A person’s outward appearance is always the most direct standard of evaluation.

Dark wouldn’t let his students’ impressions of him diminish because of temporary negligence.

By half past seven, he put his books into his shoulder bag and left the dormitory.

Although he controlled his pace slightly, he arrived at the first-year math class room fifteen minutes before class started.

Today, Professor Lars Melnor would not be attending this class.

Without Professor Melnor present, getting the students to listen quietly was a challenge.

But when Dark entered the classroom, it was relatively quiet.

The first-year students were either pre-studying or whispering discussions, with more than half already present.

As for their originally planned prank, naturally, there were no traces left.

“Before class starts, if you have any questions, feel free to come ask me.”

Dark said calmly and sat down on the podium.

Soon, a female student from the Magus Academy came up with her books.

He had already entered his work mode.

During his free moments, his gaze swept over the names on the list, and he noticed that among those students, some deliberately avoided his gaze, while others’ hostility deepened.

“Quite normal.”

Dark’s lips curved into a smile.

When these students were planning pranks, they certainly didn’t expect the new teaching assistant to directly report it to the vice principal.

But tattling wasn’t exclusive to students.

Dark would do whatever was most convenient.

Surely, these kids must have been very nervous and scared after being suddenly summoned to the office by the vice principal?

But feeling scared was good.

After the bell rang, Dark started lecturing on time.

His lecture content followed the chapter that Professor Melnor had covered last Thursday.

With ample preparation, his lectures flowed smoothly.

He also tried to make the content easy to understand, so the students could grasp it better.

However, he didn’t specifically call out the pranksters to answer questions and punish them—such behavior was too petty.