Book 13 Chapter 12

Talent Donation (1)

After graduating from the elementary, middle, and high school sections of the magic school, wizards take the Bandoran (1-star) ranking exam.

It seems common for the apprentices of the Magic Tower to skip the elementary section and attend from the middle school section at thirteen.

Promising prodigies did not graduate from middle school and get promoted to high school, but rather took an entrance exam to a magic university and advanced at 16.

In short, a prodigy obtains the Bandoran rank at 15, while an ordinary person fights an indefinite battle to obtain the Bandoran rank after 19.

Therefore, for Gisela, who possesses intelligence comparable to that of a gorilla, to pass the Bandoran rank before 15 is…

"Absolutely impossible."

At that, the self-proclaimed next dean No.2, Gisela, flared up.

"I too, I too am working hard!"

"[Diligence: To put all one's effort and sincerity into something]."

"?"

"The dictionary meaning of diligence is this, so if you worked hard, why are you so bad at math?"

"I'm working hard… I'm working hard… I just can't do it well…"

"Hey, doing it well is the most important thing."

No matter how hard you tried to solve a math problem, what good is it if you write down 2+2=5?

"I too want to please the Dean! It's not like you, who can make her smile just by deciding to…"

A woman's tears contained a bizarre magic that could not be defined by mathematics.

Regardless of the causal relationship, it has the absurd ability to push the other party into being a criminal with a crazy probability of 99.99999999%.

But [The Strongest Mage] must be a being who pursues true gender equality. Therefore, I will not be swayed by such tears.

"Dean, Rin oppa made Gisela unnie cry!"

"Rin, do you perhaps not want to read 'that'? *Sniff sniff*, I guess there's nothing for it."

"Gisela, what you need to compensate for your unfortunate intelligence is mathematical knowledge. I'll teach you that from now on."

What misery…!

But I must endure…

To become [The Strongest Mage], even if the target is not shit but diarrhea, one must roll over it…

"So what is this?"

"Ah, this is called [Mathematics]. It's a field of study that uses numbers, shapes, and equations."

"Who said they don't know that? That's not what I asked!"

As a result of analyzing how the gorilla solves math problems, there was a very serious problem.

It's true that Gisela is a blockhead, but the Dean is not wrong.

The Dean's teachings could truly be boasted as the best.

Unlike most authors of grimoires or math textbooks, who show off their knowledge or use arcane language, she teaches by explaining things kindly and easily.

In my rapid progress in magical achievement, the Dean's contribution would be at least over 70%.

However, the Dean's education does not deviate from the realm of orthodoxy.

In the standard textbook of modern mathematics, where all formulas and principles are intricately intertwined like a skein of thread, as if to boast mathematical knowledge.

"First, stop doing cross-multiplication or multiplication tables, which only a gorilla would do. You're human."

Gisela frowned.

"So you're telling me to multiply like this? It looks more difficult."

"Hey, are you serious? This is completely animalistic."

"?"

The younger ones arbitrarily named it the Osaarius School's specialty, [The Showdown Between Humans and Nature], and it began. Gisela pulled my cheek and I also pulled Gisela's cheek.

"Let go of this."

"You let go first."

"Right now, I have only exerted (8×9+3-7×3)×1\/100 of my strength. While it might be hard for your brain to calculate right away, it'll hurt a lot if I exert 100% of my strength."

"8, 8×9 is 72… and you have to solve multiplication and division first within the parentheses before addition and subtraction… Sh- shut up!"

As the younger siblings made a fuss, the eldest senior disciple approached with a deep sigh and mediated [The Showdown Between Humans and Nature].

"Really, I don't know if you two get along well or not."

The eldest senior disciple was the only man I recognized as a [human] in the Osaarius School. He was also a prodigy who obtained the Limites (2-star) rank in his early 20s, and he was the easiest to communicate with.

"No, Eldest Senior Disciple oppa! Rin is being weirdly unreasonable and teasing me just because he's a bit smart! He told me to multiply in such a strange way!"

Gisela showed the eldest senior disciple the formula I had written.

The eldest senior disciple carefully examined the formula and let out a sigh, "Huh."

Then, he sat down and started solving various multiplications. Indeed, humans are different from gorillas.

"What is it? Can you multiply with this?"

"It might be a bit difficult at first, but… this is amazing. Once you master expanding multiplication beyond the symmetrical structure of numbers into the realm of polynomials, aha!"

Only then did Gisela also sit next to the eldest senior disciple and, with a deeply furrowed brow, began to try using my formula.

ab×cd

1. b×d=A.

2. a×c=B.

3. (a+b)×(c+d)=C.

4. C-B-A=D.

5. ab×cd=B×100+D×10+A.

Something that was so obvious to me, something that happened so naturally in my mind.

I formalize it.

The first step to making knowledge confined to my mind common sense for everyone.

"Do you understand now? From today, memorize this thoroughly. Don't try to understand it, just memorize it."

▶ ▶ ▶

Rin's Multiplication: ab×cd

A rapid multiplication method used for multiplying two-digit natural numbers.

Example: Find 77×82.

1. Let A be the product of the ones digits. b×d=7×2=14=A.

2. Let B be the product of the tens digits. a×c=7×8=56=B.

3. Let C be the product of (a+b) and (c+d). 14×10=140.

4. Let D be the value of C-B-A. 140-56-14=70.

5. B×100+D×10+A becomes the answer to the equation. 5600+700+14=6314.

"To multiply two-digit natural numbers using traditional multiplication, a total of four multiplications are required. But using Rin's Multiplication, three multiplications are sufficient."

In the world of combat magic, or battle mages, a single operation determines the victor and life or death depending on who is faster.

"This method, defined as Rin's Multiplication in modern mathematics, became famous for expanding thought from natural number calculations to polynomial calculations."

"…!"

"If one adapts to this method of substituting natural number multiplication with polynomial multiplication, high-speed calculations for multiplying larger numbers become possible. If the number to be multiplied is four digits, it generally requires 16 multiplications. However, with Rin's Multiplication method, 9 times are sufficient."

This reduction effect may seem minimal. Rather, Rin's Multiplication method might feel more cumbersome and unwieldy.

However, the larger the numbers become, the more noticeably this calculation process is shortened.

For example, in the case of multiplying eight-digit natural numbers, the traditional multiplication method requires 64 multiplications, but Rin's Multiplication method only requires 27 times.

"And the number of reductions becomes absurdly wider the larger the number of digits becomes."

In short, this multiplication method, which feels burdensome in lower-level multiplication, is a stepping stone to reach a higher level.

Rin's Multiplication was truly like welcome rain in a drought.

Not only for battle mages who require quick calculations during combat, but also for mages deployed to disaster sites who need rapid coordinate calculations.

"Be grateful. That Grand Mage Rin laid the foundation for even backward people like us to advance to a higher stage."

◀ ◀ ◀

After teaching Gisela polynomial multiplication, for a month, it was quite peaceful.

While she struggled with that multiplication with her unfortunate intelligence, I didn't hold back praises like "That's pretty good for a gorilla" or "Don't think you're ignorant; you're probably the most knowledgeable among gorillas."

As I casually praised her, I was able to read Osaarius's secretarial documents in the Dean's office.

First Dean Osaarius.

A mage of Gladoss (4-star) rank.

A battle mage of immense skill.

In contrast to his innocent(?) teaching to give freely, a mage who pursued the limits of combat magic.

And it is said that he was a pioneer of Bargante-type magic, which is now almost obsolete.

For reference, Bargante is a word meaning "finger."

That is, a mage who forms hand seals.

Modern Bargante types were based on binary or ternary formulas, and had the limitation that the magic that could be used was restricted to a very basic level.

But Osaarius was different.

He organized hand seals into a decimal system and assigned a hand seal to each number. Furthermore, he combined the eight elemental magic squares and 157 runes primarily used in combat from the Thousand Character Classic into hand seals.

Magic that transcends the limits of hand seals, that was Osaarius's hand seal magic!

Although the magic that can be used with hand seals is limited, if mastered, its speed can even surpass the Jorhen type depending on the situation.

There's no need to say which is better. Now I can just mix and match the two types according to the situation.

Osaarius also, like me, intensely researched lightning magic, which I liked very much, but it also gave me a strange, uncanny feeling.

Both lightning and hand seals are forms of magic focused on speed.

This is like…

beyond the speed of perception…

as if combined to defeat beings that cross space at such speed…

The day after I felt such a question, the Dean left the Magic Tower to aid in snow damage recovery. After I promised to teach Gisela well, she also gave me the key to the Dean's office.

And three days later, Gisela disappeared.

I should have felt immense guilt at this point. Because yesterday, she made the same mistake more than ten times, so I said,

"That intelligence seems comparable to a snow mountain gorilla, so how about going deep into the mountains and asking a gorilla to be your friend? Maybe you could even become a genius there."

…I said that, and I worried if she really went to become the head of a snake rather than the tail of a dragon.

I know.

It's an absurd thought.

But if it's Gisela, it might just make sense.

"…She's nowhere to be seen…?"

"Yes, Eldest Senior Disciple. She went down to the village at the foot of the mountain to buy groceries, and then suddenly disappeared…!"

"…Guide me to where it is…"

"…Rin, Rin…!"

Hmm, should I go to the mountains and look for all the gorillas…? It was then, as I tossed and turned in bed with a flicker of guilt.

"…I just went with the Eldest Senior Disciple to the place where Gisela disappeared, and the Eldest Senior Disciple said he felt traces of dark magic…"

Instantly, my whole body trembled. This is crazy! Emergency! Super emergency! A super-large incident that happens once or twice a year has occurred!

Dark mages or magical beasts corrupted by dark magic were truly [toys that don't easily break], precious experimental subjects on which to fully test magic.

I should thank Gisela. As a reward, I guess I can save her from this crisis.

"Snore, *huff*, *huff*, *huff*."

As I calmed my trembling body from excitement and pretended to be asleep, Senior Disciple Rabin, who had come to call me, stomped his feet and then left the room.

Immediately after that, I created an illusion of myself on the bed and immediately jumped out the window.

Of course, physical reinforcement through magic was not my specialty, so I had to create stairs with earth magic.

"I wonder if this dark mage won't break quickly? I hope they are skilled or sturdy."

At the thought of experimenting with magic, my heart began to pound already. As I ran down the hillside, I even hummed.

"Against my magic~ how long will dark magic~ last~ Magic~ Yay, Magic~!"