“Tsk, seals are just asking for a beating. It ruined my mood for playing cards. By the way, Brother Winnie, isn’t Saintess Elusa your ancestor?” Fred turned his gaze to Winnie.

 

“What about it?” Winnie glanced at Fred.

 

“Hey, hey, Brother Winnie, stop bragging. I know you actually bought a lot of card packs, right?” Fred looked at the blue card Winnie had placed on the field, his eyes filled with disdain.

 

“We’re all seasoned players here. Who are you trying to fool? We’ve all been through this. Everyone knows the deal.”

 

“Oh, so you guys actually bought dozens, if not hundreds, of packs before getting anything good, huh?” Winnie raised an eyebrow. “But you lied to me, saying you only bought one pack and struck gold on the first try.”

 

“You bastards almost bankrupted me, you know that?”

 

“Well, I didn’t think anyone would actually believe that,” Fred scratched his head, looking a bit apologetic and embarrassed.

 

“Card buddies, who doesn’t brag and talk nonsense? It’s all for fun. Basically, anyone who plays cards knows it’s not reliable. Even if someone gets lucky once, they can’t always be that lucky. The odds are there, most people will never get an ultra rarity card. There are always times when luck runs out, and you can’t pull anything good even after hundreds of packs.”

 

“Tsk, you deceived my sincere feelings. I really fell for your trap! I shouldn’t have believed in the so-called bond between card buddies,” Winnie bit his lip.

 

“Heh, it’s a common thing. I’m not afraid to admit it, my worst streak was when I bought out an entire store’s stock and still didn’t get a single gold card,” Fred shrugged. “So, luck is really mysterious.”

 

“Originally, because the new card pack’s ultra rarity card was Saintess Elusa, I bought dozens of packs, thinking I’d get some luck by opening them next to you, the descendant of the saintess. But even you, the descendant, have such bad luck, you can’t even pull your own ancestor,” Fred’s tone was somewhat gloating.

 

“And you have the nerve to tell me this? This new themed card pack isn’t cheap, you know? Do you have any idea how much I spent?”

 

“Let me tell you, because of this, I no longer believe in the so-called bond and friendship between card buddies. Between us, it’s pure deception!”

 

“Alright, alright, don’t be mad, Brother Winnie. It’s my fault for not considering you, a newcomer. To make it up to you, I’ll give you the remaining card packs I have. How about that?” Fred patted Winnie on the shoulder.

 

“Oh? Really?” Winnie’s eyes lit up at the thought of getting something for free.

 

“Of course, when have I ever lied to you?” Fred puffed out his chest.

 

In truth, the remaining card packs were from a bulk purchase, and he had already opened nearly four-fifths of them without getting anything good. The rest were likely just junk cards anyway.

 

So, he decided to give them all to Winnie.

 

Ah, afraid of your buddy suffering, but also afraid of your buddy hitting the jackpot.

 

Fred shook his head.

 

“By the way, you mentioned earlier that you’re competing for a spot in the first-year student council? If I remember correctly, there are only five spots, and they’re limited to the top fifty first-year students,” Fred recalled what Winnie had told him earlier.

 

“Exactly. I’m planning to run for it. Do you know the process?”

 

“I know a bit about it. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, wanting to compete for a student council position. That job is hectic, you’ll have to give up your holidays for sudden emergencies. Tsk, you were supposed to be a slacker. What’s gotten into you?”

 

“The first-year student council evaluation has two rounds. The first is a written exam, and the second is an interview, where the council interviewers will ask for your opinions and insights on some academy matters. If you pass both, you’ll wait for the notification,” Fred explained the student council evaluation process to Winnie.

 

“What’s the scope of the written exam?” Winnie rubbed his chin and asked.

 

“You’re really serious about this? What’s gotten into you lately, making you so proactive?” Fred glanced at him. “What else would it cover? The history of the academy, its motto and regulations, the structure of the student organization, its main functions, and job responsibilities.”

 

“Do I really need to know all that?” Winnie was surprised. “Even if I memorize all of it, most of it won’t be useful later, right?”

 

“Of course not. Do you think the student council and the academy don’t know that? The evaluation isn’t about how much you know, but about your work and business abilities. Learning ability is also part of it.”

 

“By the way, the written exam is next weekend, followed by the interview. You only have one week left.”

 

“What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

 

“How was I supposed to know you’d suddenly decide to join the student council? What do you say, maybe just give up now? People should learn to back off when things get tough. Growth is realizing your mediocrity and limited potential,” Fred spoke in a sage-like tone.

 

“Oh, so you don’t believe I can pass the evaluation at all,” Winnie shot Fred a sidelong glance.

 

“Hey, I’m not trying to be harsh, Brother Winnie, but it’s important to know your limits. Based on your academic performance, which I’ve seen, you’re a cultural desert. Roughly speaking, you’re probably never going to be associated with anything cultural in this lifetime.”

 

Fred knew Winnie all too well. He was the lifelong card buddy Fred had chosen at first sight. Noble temperament and refinement were naturally alien to him. Put him in a village, and he’d play cards like a cursing farmer.

 

“What if I do pass? What would you say then?” Winnie didn’t explain, just smiled slightly.

 

“Stop being so mysterious. If you can learn all that complicated stuff in a week and pass the student council exam, I’ll give you an ultra rare card for free,” Fred clearly didn’t believe it and even made a bold promise.

 

“Alright, you said it. Remember, if I pass the exam, you owe me an ultra rare,” Winnie was waiting for Fred to take the bait and grinned.

 

“Tsk, are you planning to pull some shady tricks?” Seeing Winnie so confident, Fred felt like he was being scammed, but after thinking it over, he still didn’t believe Winnie had what it took.

 

“Brother, I’m warning you, shady tricks won’t work. Don’t even think about cheating, getting caught means expulsion!”

 

“Who said I’m going to cheat? I’m such an upright person, radiating righteousness. How could you think I’d do something like that?” Winnie snorted.

 

“I’ll join the student council fair and square. So, are you afraid to bet?”

 

“Afraid? Of course not. Let’s bet. I know you too well, Brother. You’re just a three-minute wonder, you’ll never be able to learn all that!” Fred said with certainty.

 

“Alright, we’ll see.”

 

After finishing the card game, Winnie didn’t go straight home. Instead, he went to the bookstore and, despite the pain of spending money, bought all the books needed for the student council exam.

 

“Winnie, what’s this?” In the dorm, Shikondell, wearing a cooking apron, looked at Winnie carrying a stack of books, her eyes filled with confusion.

 

“Ahem, after some thought, I’ve decided that joining the student council has better prospects. So, I’ve changed my plans. I’ll be studying hard these days to try to get into the student council. Shikondell, try not to disturb me these days,” Winnie explained.

 

“Huh? Oh.” Shikondell tilted her head, not understanding why Winnie had suddenly changed his mind, but she obediently nodded.

 

“Anyway, I’ll be burning the midnight oil these days. There’s only a week left before the exam, so I need to hurry. If you see my light on at night, just ignore it. Go to sleep.”

 

“Okay, okay.” Shikondell nodded. She naturally had no objections, as her only source of income now depended on the “cooking fee” Winnie paid her, and he also covered the daily grocery expenses. Winnie was the pillar of their dorm; otherwise, she might not even have food to eat.

 

After dinner, Winnie returned to his room, turned on the light, and took a deep breath.

 

This week, he was going to study hard!

 

He sat steadily at his desk and opened the thickest book.

 

Before long, just looking at the dense, tiny text made him feel dizzy and his vision blurred.

 

How is there so much? Just one book has this much, and there are several more. How can I possibly finish them all in a week?

 

Just as Fred said, merely flipping through the pages and seeing the dense text made him want to fall asleep. He had no desire to continue studying.

 

Well, whether in his past life or this one, he was never a studious person. He just couldn’t get into it.

 

Forcing yourself to learn something you’re not interested in makes you tired. Winnie had thought he’d learn as much as he could, understand as much as possible, but before he even finished the table of contents, he was about to collapse, his eyelids drooping.

 

So much so that the next morning, he woke up to find himself lying on the book.

 

It seemed that relying on his own learning ability was impossible for passing the student council evaluation.

 

Winnie struggled like this until Friday. For five days, he stuck to the attitude of learning as much as he could, remembering as much as possible, but he hadn’t even finished half of one book.

 

Ahhh…

 

Whether it was his poor learning ability or his lack of interest in these tedious and dull matters, his learning efficiency was extremely low.

 

At this rate, there was no way he could pass the student council evaluation.

 

So, he could only rely on the all-powerful Vanessa.

 

Hopefully, Vanessa could come through for him.

 

Once again, he sat at the boring desk, clasped his hands together, and prayed.

 

With a flash of light like falling cherry blossoms, the person sitting at the desk transformed into a graceful, pink-haired beauty.

 

She extended her fair fingers and gently flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning the dense text. Suddenly, every word on the page became clear and easy to understand. Her previously sluggish brain, like a rusty gear, began to spin rapidly, far faster than before.

 

At the same time, the drowsiness disappeared, replaced by enthusiasm and focus. Each character formed a sentence, and the sentences painted a clear picture, allowing Vanessa to effortlessly grasp the complex and scattered knowledge.

 

It felt like her CPU had undergone a generational leap, transforming from an old, outdated computer to a modern one.

 

No matter how complex the sentence or how intricate the knowledge, Vanessa felt she only needed to read it once to fully understand it, and she could even recall it word for word after just one glance.

 

Is this what it feels like to be a top student?

 

Vanessa felt inexplicably moved. After being a poor student for two lifetimes, she had finally become what others called a top student.

 

She had expected Vanessa’s brain and learning ability to be better than hers, but she hadn’t anticipated it to be this powerful, it was a qualitative leap.

 

Initially, she had no confidence in competing for a first-year student council seat, but now, with such learning ability and speed, who else could take the seat but her?

 

Two nights would be enough to finish these books.

 

Vanessa placed her delicate hand on the book and quickly flipped through the pages. Her speed was so fast that if anyone saw her, they’d doubt whether she was actually reading or just going through the motions.

 

“Winnie? Time to eat.” During this time, Shikondell came to Vanessa’s door to call her for dinner, but the room was silent except for the sound of pages turning.

 

For some reason, Shikondell smelled a pleasant white tea fragrance outside the door, though she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination.

 

Seeing Winnie so diligent, Shikondell didn’t want to disturb him and simply left the meal tray by the door before leaving.

 

After a week of cramming and Vanessa’s help, Winnie finally understood about 70-80% of the student council exam material.

 

Why only 70-80%?

 

Because after turning back into Winnie and taking a nap, he forgot a lot of what he had memorized.

 

But even with only 70% retained, it was enough for the exam.

 

When Winnie arrived at the exam hall, he found that there weren’t as many candidates as he had imagined, only about thirty or so.

 

It seemed that not all of the top fifty students wanted to join the student council; many had other plans.

 

Interestingly, when some people saw Winnie taking the exam, they expected him to hand in a blank paper again, but to their surprise, he was writing furiously, shocking everyone.

 

Just like in the original story, Winnie saw Aesphyra and Isatia in the exam hall.