Book 1 Chapter 406
406.
It was a time when the first-years were chattering excitedly in the grand lecture hall.
Creak-
The front door of the grand lecture hall opened.
At the same time, the murmuring first-years all instantly fell silent.
Stomp- Stomp-
The one who entered through the lecture hall door was Mel.
At Mel's appearance, the first-years opened their mouths again and began to talk.
“What exactly is the assignment?”
“Isn’t it something related to survival, like for last year’s seniors?”
“Maybe it’s an inter-departmental competition.”
“Hoo? Then you and I will be enemies, won’t we?”
“You can look forward to it. I’ll mercilessly defeat you.”
“Isn’t that what I should be saying?”
They were busy engaged in a heated debate, predicting the assignment.
The reason all the first-years stopped chattering when the grand lecture hall door opened was simple.
It was because they had preemptively panicked, thinking that Professor Halind and Professor Artian, the first-years' greatest fears, were entering.
Halind was, of course, the 'Wailing Wall' feared by all grades, and Artian simply punished students who talked or slacked off during class using other spirits.
Compared to those two professors, Mel was a gentle and benevolent professor.
In other words, in a good sense, she was a comfortable professor among the first-years, and in a bad sense, she was an easygoing professor.
Normally, such an attitude might be offensive, but Mel merely smiled faintly.
It would have been strange for her, a Dragon Lord, to get angry at young students just for such a reason.
“Everyone, please pay attention.”
At Mel’s words, the students looked at Mel.
Magic department students, in particular, all focused on Mel.
Leaving everything else aside, from the perspective of first-year magic students, Mel was the best magic professor.
It was natural to listen to her words.
However, students from the Knight and Summoner departments weren't completely focused.
But such chattering among the first-years didn't last long.
“Huh? What are those noisy ones doing? Are you saying Professor Mel’s words aren’t worth listening to?”
Suddenly, Artian appeared, speaking in a fierce voice.
Moreover, from his very appearance, another spirit was possessing his body.
In other words, he appeared in 'berserk mode.'
‘Kyaaaaaaaak!’
All the chattering students screamed.
As Artian’s menacing and murderous gaze turned towards them, the first-years averted their eyes.
“Heehee, I’m fine, Professor Artian.”
As Mel smiled gently and restrained Artian, Artian growled.
“Consider yourselves lucky.”
Once all the first-years quieted down, Halind appeared from behind them.
“Those who ignored Professor Mel’s words and chattered will have 10 points deducted.”
At those words, the penalized first-years couldn't utter a sound.
“How pathetic.”
Sasha clicked her tongue softly.
Meanwhile, Halind ascended the platform.
“The reason I gathered you all today is none other than to announce the final exam assignment.”
At those words, the disheartened first-years’ eyes sparkled.
The long-awaited announcement of the final exam assignment.
Seeing the first-years, Halind said,
“It seems you’re holding onto useless expectations.”
Halind curled the corners of his mouth.
Halind, with a cynical smile, said,
“It seems there are some who are enjoying this situation, with the World Summit and the final exams overlapping.”
Halind’s eyes grew cold.
“Listen carefully. Originally, nearly half of you would have been expelled before even taking the final exam.”
At Halind's sudden words, the first-years' faces hardened.
“This means that many of you have survived until now due to a lucky change in school policy this year. Surely there aren't any among you who think they survived because of their 'skill,' are there?”
Many students even teared up at Halind’s cruel words.
“And then there are some of you who possess a bit of mediocre skill.”
But Halind’s words weren’t over.
“It is true that numerous powerful figures and heroes will visit Lumerne during the World Summit. It is also true that you first-years will present your year’s achievements through the final exam in front of these visitors. But remember this.”
Halind narrowed his eyes.
“The audience will compare you not purely based on your skills, but to your mentors, that is, the second-years who are one year ahead of you.”
The first-years’ faces hardened.
“The current second-years achieved what can only be described as near-heroic feats during last year’s first-semester final exams. A great invasion of demonic beasts and monster armies occurred in a situation completely isolated from the outside world. Despite being extremely immature first-years, they overcame that great crisis. On top of that, they even succeeded in subduing a Gigantes. That incident was the decisive moment that led to the current second-years being called the Golden Generation.”
Halind, who had surveyed the first-years, said,
“The whole world knows that you are the second-years’ mentees. In such a situation, can you make your value known by being compared to the second-years? The mentor system certainly provided you with a great opportunity, but conversely, it also created the side effect of comparing you and the second-years on the same scale. Will outsiders really evaluate you by saying, ‘The first-years are amazing’? Or will they say, ‘The second-years are amazing, but the first-years are only this much’?”
Halind’s eyes turned cold.
“You’re really full of dreams in a situation where you might become a laughingstock for life. More than half of you will even be expelled after the final exam. Have you forgotten that fact?”
After Halind’s words, the first-years’ faces turned pale.
They had overlooked it.
The fact that their class this year was a bit special.
They had merely been intoxicated by their improved skills.
But now, being told that their comparison targets were the second-year seniors, known as the Golden Generation, naturally disheartened them.
Seeing the first-years bowing their heads in silence, Artian, who had returned to his original personality, wore a bewildered expression.
“Is it really necessary to discourage the first-years to this extent?”
“I think it’s a necessary task. It’s true that there’s been a lack of tension among the first-years.”
Mel smiled faintly.
Indeed, the first-years’ atmosphere had completely changed.
‘Compared to the second-year seniors?’
‘Expelled if I make even a single mistake.’
‘Ugh. My stomach suddenly hurts.’
‘What kind of assignment could it be?’
The first-years, who had only been seeing the good things, now clearly recognized the bad things as well.
Surely there would be some students among them who would achieve glory.
But they were the minority.
More students would face hardship.
Added to that, the pressure of potentially being expelled from school.
Their very attitude towards the final exam had completely changed.
Thus, a tight tension began to settle over the previously relaxed atmosphere.
Halind looked at the first-years with cold eyes and said,
“Now, I will announce the final exam practical test assignment.”
At those words, the first-years, with tense faces, focused on the blackboard.
Clack- Clatter-
He picked up the chalk and wrote the test assignment largely on the blackboard.
The students began to murmur.
Thud-
Halind, who had put down the chalk, looked at the students.
“This year, your final exam practical test is a 1:1 tournament battle.”
***
“A 1:1 tournament? Wow, that’s cruel, isn’t it?”
Kyle, who had heard the news in his personal space in the library after the first-year practical test announcement, clicked his tongue.
At Kyle’s words, Ju-en, who had come to deliver the news, looked puzzled.
“What is?”
“It literally means they’re only going to look at pure skill. You can’t ride along, and you can’t rely on luck or anything like that.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“I survived my entire school life by riding along.”
Kyle clicked his tongue.
“Selling my know-how is out of the question.”
“……. You were planning to sell something like that?”
“Of course.”
Ju-en sighed deeply, watching Kyle shrug his shoulders.
In the meantime, Kyle said,
“Alright, shall we begin?”
“Begin what?”
“Data analysis.”
Kyle used an item to open a sub-space.
Along with it, an enormous pile of papers came flying out.
Thump-!
Ju-en’s eyes widened.
“Why do you think I went to the trouble of renting a private room?”
Kyle grinned.
“It’s because of these confidential documents.”
At Kyle’s words, Ju-en reached out and checked the documents Kyle had prepared.
What was written there was none other than data on Aina Vaydena.
She slowly read through the data.
In addition, there was even a magic orb that had recorded videos.
“Where did you get all this stuff?”
“I’m a little friendly with the staff members, you see?”
Kyle chuckled.
Excluding the professors who teach students, there were many other staff members, such as school custodians and those who repair the school interior.
Kyle, with his good-natured and sociable personality, had been close friends with them since his first year.
“I asked them to film other first-years training.”
Kyle’s most outstanding ability was his information gathering skill.
He had fully utilized that ability in the situation leading up to this first-year final exam.
“Mages are less capable of handling unexpected situations compared to knights or summoners.”
Kyle’s expression turned serious.
“In Chelsea’s case, well. She’s specialized in that area, so she doesn’t show weakness. But even Abard and Chloe lack the ability to deal with sudden situations compared to the top students in other departments.”
That was an unavoidable characteristic of mages.
Mages fundamentally lacked mobility.
To exert powerful force, they had to stay in one place for a long time and concentrate.
As such, they could cause enormous variables on the battlefield, but ironically, due to this very advantage, mages themselves were very vulnerable to sudden situations and variables.
The point Kyle wanted to supplement for Ju-en was to thoroughly analyze the data of key individuals to exclude unexpected situations as much as possible.
“When did you prepare all these materials? These wouldn't be very necessary if it wasn't a tournament.”
Kyle grinned, watching Ju-en’s bewildered expression.
“Ju-en, you’re a great mage. Honestly, you could aim for class representative in most test assignments. But the one assignment I thought you’d be at a disadvantage in was a 1:1 duel. Mobility is important in a 1:1 duel, and you definitely lack mobility compared to Aina, Habiden, and Sasha. You can compensate for that mobility with stealth magic, but in a 1:1 tournament duel, even that stealth magic is tricky to use.”
Kyle folded his arms.
“That’s why I prepared these materials, in case of the worst-case scenario where you’d be most disadvantaged.”
“Was it necessary to go this far?”
“I haven’t been much help to you as a mentor, have I?”
To be blunt, Kyle lagged behind Ju-en in terms of magical power as well as his ability to handle magic formulas.
Ju-en was also a highly talented individual who could easily be called a genius.
Compared to such a Ju-en, Kyle was of an ordinary level.
“Still, you chose me as your mentor because you thought there was something you could learn from me.”
Kyle looked at Ju-en with a serious face.
“Since you’ve gone that far, I’ll do my best to help you become the class representative. I’ll become a so-called Kingmaker.”
“Kyle Senior…”
Ju-en wore a moved expression.
“Kyle Senior is truly the best mentor!”
Seeing Ju-en run to him and hug him with a bright smile, Kyle said,
“Yes. Promote me a lot as ‘Kyle Senior, the best mentor.’ If I’m still at school next semester, make sure to use my goods often.”
Having said that, Kyle continued,
“Alright, then, shall we check the key targets? Let me tell you in advance. Fritz, Abard’s mentee, and Jane, Chen Sia’s mentee, are as important targets as Aina, Habiden, and Sasha.”
Their school grades were inferior compared to the class tops, but their combat power was unusual.
Moreover, there was insufficient data on the two of them.
‘These guys must be shadow candidates.’
Kyle also knew from Leo that there were shadow candidates among this year's first-years.
Shadow candidates.
To be honest, they were an unknown entity even to Kyle.
“It’s true that those two are troublesome. But for now, we can put them lower on the priority list.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because the first-round opponent has already been decided.”
“Decided?”
“Yes. We drew lots during the announcement.”
“Who is your first-round opponent?”
Kyle looked a little flustered.
In response to Kyle’s question, Ju-en took a deep breath and showed him the subject of the data she was holding.
“No way… Aina Vaydena?”
Ju-en nodded, seeing Kyle’s astonished expression.