Chapter 96: The Beginning of a New Legend
The test had begun.
Twenty-four hours.
A grueling and arduous test that lasted from midnight to midnight the next day, the first hurdle that Magic students had difficulty overcoming.
Everyone was full of enthusiasm at first.
‘Yeah, well, it’s only twenty-four hours. I can give it a try!’
‘That’s right. I worked hard, didn’t I?’
‘Considering that there are twenty-four hours, I can solve the problems if I think about it step by step!’
But at that moment, a ‘bunch’ of test papers appeared before their eyes一
“…”
“…What is this?”
Everyone stared blankly at the test questions, speechless.
[The distance between Mage ⍺, who can use 5 4-chain spells, and Mage 𝛽, who can use 1 5-chain spell, is exactly 100m. Assuming that Mage ⍺ starts arranging the code 3 seconds before Mage 𝛽, we can infer a way to activate the magic first to burn the clothes Mage 𝛽 is wearing and…]
Two sheets of paper just for the problem statement.
There were more answer sheets than that. Just reading the problems was enough to make a person dizzy.
That was because the Magic Department exam wasn’t just about learning ‘magic’. It was necessary to learn about various fields, such as science and mathematics, as well as having the ability to reason and the writing skills to explain the process of proving yourself correct.
Because of this, most freshmen were stuck from the beginning, and only the upperclassmen who were retaking the course were able to pick up their pens.
The problem is, this was just the beginning.
The next problem was even more interesting.
‘This is a sequence and integral problem. Why is it appearing here?’
The student who realized that he had to solve it by utilizing these things was doing well.
There were a lot of students who didn’t even realize such a fact. Since they couldn’t even think of the method itself, even if it was an open-book test, it was meaningless.
Ultimately, this was what it all came down to.
A difference in talent.
Scratch. Scratch.
Students holding pens.
Students who couldn’t even hold a pen.
Students pondering the questions before picking up their pens.
And一
‘I wonder what their expressions will be like in twenty-four hours.’
Professor Dinavo observed the students with eagle eyes with his arms crossed. If the students were in their right mind, they wouldn’t commit any dishonest acts like cheating, but as always, there were bound to be one or two people who weren’t in their right mind.
But today, more than that…
‘As expected.’
He was focused on Dane Sogres, who picked up the pen before anyone else and started writing down his answers at an incredible speed.
Professor Dinavo clicked his tongue without realizing it.
The 4th-grade summons, Altemar, was summoned and sat quietly crouching on one side of the desk. Dane, who was blessed with focus and speed by Altemar, wrote down his answers.
Who could have imagined a student bringing a summons into the examination room?
‘How many hours can he maintain it?’
Although Dane said he was confident, Professor Dinavo was certain that he would only be able to maintain the summons for no more than an hour or two at most.
‘It’s a strategy to focus on the beginning.’
If you did well on the test questions in the beginning, you would gain confidence, though it might be slightly different for each person. It wasn’t a bad strategy, in its own way.
Above all, seeing him working so hard showed that he had studied diligently and understood the class content well. Creativity was important, but without the ‘talent’ and ‘knowledge’ to support it, it was of no use.
By the way…
‘Why isn’t his speed decreasing?’
Two hours later, Dane’s speed remained the same.
The summons was also docile.
Was it because it ate food periodically?
‘Does food possibly replenish mana?’
No, that couldn’t be it. Food was just food.
So how on earth did Dane manage to write the answers so quickly, without showing any sign of fatigue or a loss of energy, even after two hours had passed?
There was no need to even worry.
‘Is he writing it correctly?’
After much thought, Professor Dinavo took a step forward. He pretended to observe everyone and walked next to Dane…
‘Now, let’s see.’
He glanced at Dane’s answer sheet.
Then, he couldn’t take his eyes off it.
‘Ha.’
Dane wasn’t solving the problems roughly at all. Rather, it was a series of clear answers and surprising inferences. Even though Professor Dinavo was slightly far away, he could see that his handwriting was also eye-catchingly beautiful.
What on earth was the boy doing?
‘Oh, right.’
Professor Dinavo realized that he had stayed too long and quickly left.
Another hour.
Two hours.
Three hours passed, and time continued to flow without pause.
Scratch scratch.
Dane still hadn’t put down his pen.
Then, after ten hours, just as the sun was slowly moving towards the middle of the sky…
Drrrrk.
Dane gathered up his test papers and answer sheets and stood up from his seat.
A student just about to eat lunch.
A student slowly looking to go to the bathroom.
A student putting down his pen in despair.
Everyone in the classroom focused on Dane.
‘Hey, no way.’
‘That can’t be true.’
‘Has he given up, too?’
Everyone knew that Dane had solved the test questions without making a single sound and didn’t think he’d give up.
Sure enough…
“Here, I’ll submit it.”
“…You really solved it all?”
“Yes.”
Dane gave a short answer, then placed Altemar on the floor and made a gesture of release.
“Great job.”
Altemar was released with a relaxed expression on its face. Meanwhile, Professor Dinavo, who was quickly scanning the answer sheet, realized something.
The problems really had all been solved.
‘Ha.’
Was that possible?
Ten hours. Other people couldn’t even finish the exam in twenty-four hours and submit it…
“I’ll be leaving first, then.”
“Oh, yes. You do that.” Professor Dinavo looked blankly at Dane as he left the classroom.
The students were no different.
Genius.
Beyond that, a monster.
‘What the hell is that Altur doing?’
Professor Dinavo had ordered Altur to lure Dane to the Magic Department. However, there had been no news of Altur.
‘This won’t work. I’ll have to do it myself.’
Professor Dinavo.
It was the moment when he, the dean of the Magic Department and known for his strong pride, stepped forward himself.
‘Shouldn’t he be going straight to the imperial palace, not the academy?’
‘Ten hours? I’m still on the third question…’
‘Life is really unfair.’
It was the moment when Dane, who was not even a student of the Magic Department, wrote a new legend in the Magic Department.
* * *
I really felt like my strategy was working.
Actually, the moment I saw the test paper—no, the test booklet—I realized it.
Even if I knew all the answers, it was impossible to solve the problems within twenty-four hours. It was physically impossible.
So, I went about summoning Altemar and enhancing my focus and speed.
“It lasted quite a while.”
Fortunately, thanks to my ancient magic, my magic efficiency was much better than others. Moreover, since the test was a static environment, there was no chance that Altemar would be shocked or that I would lose a lot of stamina.
So, based on those facts, I determined that I’d be able to maintain a summons for ten hours for the open-book test.
I didn’t think there had ever been a case like this. It wasn’t common for a summoner to take classes at the Magic Department, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t be using their summons in lengthy open-book exams.
“That was pretty good?”
One more thing.
My familiarity with Altemar had also increased significantly. Usually, one’s familiarity with a summons was proportional to the time it was summoned.
“So, are all the tests over now?”
Spearmanship, summoning, liberal arts, and even magic.
This concluded my midterm exams.
Fourteen hours early, at that.
“Did I break a record?”
Well, the important thing was that I took the test satisfactorily, regardless of any record or anything else.
Now then.
The exam was over.
‘Should I go eat some tarts?’
I needed to go to «Pascal Bakery» and buy a lot of treats for my club friends before going back.
“Oh.”
Before that, I had to stop by the club room for a moment. By now, Karnas must be looking for me. Naturally, I couldn’t take him to the test.
“I hope he didn’t start a fire because I wasn’t around.”
It was the first time we’d been apart for ten hours.
Just as I opened the door to Room 506 and headed into the club room…
“Oh! It’s coming! It’s coming!”
“Karnas! That’s right! That’s right!”
“Kkireuk! Kkireuk!”
‘…He’s doing better than I thought?’
“Oh, Dane! You’re here? Karnas just flew!”
“Wow! Instead of floating like before, he flew by himself off the ground.”
Oh, really?
“Kikreuk!”
As soon as Karnas saw me, he got excited and ran towards me. How cute. I held Karnas in my arms and stroked his head.
“Did you really fly?”
“Kikreuk!”
Karnas leaped out of my arms as if to prove himself, jumping into the air with his wings spread wide. He landed slowly and softly on the ground.
“Ki-kreuk!”
Then he flapped his wings and really began to float in the air.
“See? I told you he was awesome!”
“He was playing with us, and then he suddenly tried a few times and succeeded!”
This was awesome.
Karnas was hovering in the air. He was still a bit unstable, but his wings were flapping very vigorously. It seemed like his wing membrane and muscles were growing stronger.
“Good job,” I said.
“Kikreuk!”
Karnas flew back into my arms again. I immediately opened my subspace and took out a snack.
This was a new special snack from «Eus and Boden».
“Here, Karnas.”
“Kikreub! Kikreub!”
As soon as he saw the snack, Karnas’ eyes focused on it and he ate it in an instant before looking back at me with bright eyes. He seemed to be asking for more.
No, he seemed to be demanding more.
“It can’t be helped.” This time, I took out a large bone snack and threw it at him, then chuckled. “Alright, alright.”
Was this what it felt like to raise a puppy?
I looked at Karnas with a happy expression and suddenly asked the other two, “What about your exams?”
“I’m done! My major class only has finals, so I only had liberal arts classes to sit in for,” Ernest explained.
“You’re only taking the final exam?”
“Yeah. We’re going to do field training! Starting from the senior year, we have to go on actual expeditions.”
The test was conducted through actual exploration. That sounded fun.
“Leila, what about you?” I asked.
“I finished well too. I just passed my major class with ease, and the liberal arts were a bit vague, but I think it was alright?” Leila replied.
“Everyone seems to have done well.”
Just then, the door opened and a zombie came shuffling in.
It was Priscilla. Her messy hair and sunken eyes were quite impressive.
“Please…kill…me.”
I guess not everyone did well.
“I wish the world would burn,” Priscilla muttered something truly terrifying, slumped down, and sighed.
“Was it difficult?”
“Yeah, it was fucking hard. Shitty test! How was it so hard even though I’ve memorized the entire holy scripture?”
It seemed that the Theology Department was no less difficult than the Magic Department. They said there were dozens of chapters in the holy scripture alone, and seeing that she memorized them all, it seemed like Priscilla was no ordinary genius.
Well, she was even blessed by Saint Aimar.
“Anyway, it’s over, it’s over! I’m free! Though, it’s just two months of freedom!”
While Priscilla was going crazy, I asked them both, “Exams are over, what should we do?”
“I’m doing strength training with the Physical Beauty Club members!” Ernest, as if remembering something, then took out a dumbbell from his subspace and went next to Karnas. “Karnas, do you want to exercise together?”
“Kikreuk?!”
Karnas put his front paws on the ground as if to pounce and started doing push-ups like he did last time.
“Alright! It’s a showdown!”
Then Leila said, “I’m going home for a bit.”
I tilted my head at Leila’s words.
“Home?”
“Yeah. To see my mother. She said she wanted to see me.”
I heard that the Duchess wasn’t feeling very well.
“What about you, Dane?”
“I’m going to stay at the library for a while and practice some skills.”
“The test is over, aren’t you going to play?”
I shrugged and asked, “Is this playing?”
It really was fun.
“I was thinking of making a core this time,” I continued.
In fact, after creating my second core, I was too careless about the third core. This time, I was going to create my third core and get used to it.
In fact, I could make it tomorrow, even right now. Since I had already walked this path in my past life, it would be much easier, especially since I had ancient magic.
However, I was just thinking carefully about how to balance things out because I ended up creating two circles unexpectedly. Unlike most cases, there wasn’t much interference between them, perhaps because of the ancient magic. However, I still needed to be careful.
“…Anyhow.”
Actually, there were many things to do besides this. If I wanted to train, I could do it all day, or I could just play while training Karnas. I could study or just chill out in my older sisters’ labs.
However, something just occurred to me when Leila said she was going home.
“Then how about we go together?” I asked.
“Huh? To my house? That’s fine with me,” Leila replied.
“Mhm. I was thinking of taking a look around the blacksmith shop.”
The famous Thermion forge. I had the blacksmith’s mark that Duke Thermion gave me as a gift when I was seven—the qualification to commission the Blacksmith to make any item I requested.
“…You’re probably the only one in the world who says they’re ‘taking a look’ at our blacksmith shop.”
“Is that so?”
I smiled at Leila, who was looking at me with disbelief.
