Book 2 Chapter 7
Episode 31
On the way to the meeting place, I met a welcome face.
“Oh, Logan! You’re already here!”
Then Logan, who was walking ahead, several times taller than the other cadets and flexing his muscles, turned around and waved back.
“Oh, Young Master, you’ve arrived.”
Gertrude Fenton’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she urgently whispered.
“Is it right to greet him like a close friend?! Who do you think that guy is! He’s one of the top rivals to watch out for in this exam.”
“Rival? He’s my master. He even gives me Magic-Protein every day.”
“So, for you, Young Master, anyone who gives you food is a good person? What kind of idea is that, like something a fountain pigeon would think?!”
Rain, recalling memories from his orphanage days, raised an eyebrow as if to say, “What’s so obvious about that?”
“If they weren’t good, they wouldn’t give food to strangers, would they?”
Watching Rain and Logan chuckle and enter the auditorium, Gertrude felt dizzy and had to hold her temples.
<Delighten> Main Building, Yongryun Hall, 1st floor, Auditorium.
Finally, 233 freshmen gathered in this antique space, but no one was chattering noisily as they had at the entrance ceremony.
“It’s eerily quiet.”
The reactions of the students waiting for the exam briefing to begin were mostly similar.
Their faces were pale, their feet tapped rhythmically, or their hands were clasped in prayer… It would be strange if they weren’t doing any of those things.
Krista replied to Rain’s murmur.
“It’s called a midterm exam, but it’s really an event to filter out students without talent, in other words, worthless stones.”
<Delighten> University is famous for expelling anywhere from 20 to close to 50-60 students during its midterm and final exams.
‘Don’t be nervous, Krista.’
Krista Warden calmed her quietly trembling fingers with a deep breath.
She would be the best.
Just like yesterday, today. And tomorrow too.
As she tightly clenched her fist, she could sense unsettling gazes piercing her from various points in the crowd. These were things she had always experienced.
“They’ve arrived, the children of prestigious families.”
“We’ll utterly crush them this time.”
“That good-for-nothing young master is mine.”
The students of the Eight Great Academies, and the sixteen mid-tier academies immediately below them. These were the disciples of the so-called 8 Great 16 Mid. Krista curled her lips in a sneer, as if amused.
“Don’t let your guard down, Rain. The one who’s going to defeat you is me, Krista Warden. If you get complacent and lose to someone else, I won’t let it slide.”
Just then, Professor Caroline, who was in charge of the second-year students, stepped onto the podium, and even the faint whispers instantly died down.
“Hee hee, nice to meet you. The atmosphere is completely different from the entrance ceremony, isn’t it? I’ll now explain the midterm exam.”
“……!”
“The exam will run until Friday, in other words, all this week. The exam will be conducted individually, or in teams of two, and if the supervising professor decides to expel a student, you should pack your bags and go home immediately.”
Is this different from what I thought?
I thought it would be sitting down, getting a test paper, and solving problems… Rain chuckled. They really don’t give you a moment to be bored.
“And traditionally, first-year professors do not participate in regular exams. This is to avoid being swayed by sentiment. I will now introduce the senior professor who will be supervising this exam.”
Even before she finished speaking, the person who ascended the podium was impressive enough even by Rain’s evaluation standards.
She was a white-haired old woman with a stooped back, her right hand clasped behind her, and her left hand leaning on a staff. Even the ripples of her magic were extraordinary.
Like a boat moving across the water, each step she took sent ripples of magic spreading in all directions, causing a chilling sensation down one’s spine.
Logan and Gertrude, standing nearby, had shining eyes as if moved. Only Rain tilted his head in confusion.
“Why? Who is it?”
“You really don’t know who she is? Seriously? That’s Professor Marhena! The current Chief Professor of <Delighten> and the former leader of the Magic Alliance!”
“Hmm, leader of the Magic Alliance? That hunched-over old lady?”
“She was the next leader after your grandfather, Scarge Ludwig!”
Gertrude chimed in, utterly dumbfounded.
The Magic Alliance was an organization that oversaw all matters related to magic in the Empire.
Both the Five Great Families and the Eight Great Academies were affiliated with the Magic Alliance, and their members often held important positions within it.
To have served as the leader of such a Magic Alliance was the highest honor, meaning she was recognized by all mages living in that era, not only for her skill but also for her prestige.
“Silence, you brats!”
Marhena suddenly let out a stern rebuke.
Her voice carried intense magic, and everyone who heard it was overwhelmed and silenced.
“Did you come for a picnic, huh? Is this first-year class full of clueless fools, huh? This isn’t an exam to see how outstanding you are.”
“……?”
“This is an exam to weed out the useless ones among you… Hehehe, is there anything more unsightly than a mage without skill? Such brats are not needed at <Delighten>, nor are they needed in the world. So I will cut them off immediately.”
So the world of mages is, as always, merit-based… A pleased smile formed on the lips of the disciples of the Eight Great Academies.
“The fools who will evaluate you this time are not the first-year professors who have indulged your every whim until now.”
Rain shook his head, puzzled.
Did Professor Owen ever indulge our whims?
“Only cold-hearted individuals who will cut off your head if they judge you to have no aptitude. They are the second and third-year professors.”
At that moment, the faculty ascended the podium, and extraordinary magic rippled through the hall. The students stared blankly and swallowed dryly.
“If they’re second and third-year professors…?”
“An elite faculty who only teach students who have successfully completed the first-year curriculum…?”
The handsome Professor Kyle, with eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence, emerged first, followed by those who were hailed as rising stars in the current magical world.
“Crazy, it’s Kyle! A genius among geniuses, who graduated at the top of the 1378th class!”
“There’s also Professor Geron, who already built his own magic tower at twenty!”
“There’s Elin Ludwig too. Who contributes weekly commentaries to the <Magical Spirit Daily>…!”
As soon as the footsteps of the second and third-year faculty lining up on the podium ceased, a profound silence descended upon the auditorium.
The stillness of tension was so intense that one could almost hear their own heartbeats, the heat of anxiety raged within their bodies, and the students’ eyes trembled.
Marhena curled up the corners of her lips, as if very pleased with their reaction.
“Now you look a bit more like brats taking an exam. Tsk, tsk, tsk, good. Then, from now on, I will explain which examination hall each of you should go to.”
* * *
The Page family had exercised vast dominion over the northern region of the Red Mountains, including <Golden Rose>, even before the Empire’s establishment.
From there, the Red Mountains, a natural treasure trove, provided <Delighten> with numerous environments. Valleys, caves, mountainous regions…
Such diverse and vast terrain was perfect for testing students according to the professors’ individual styles.
“Since the midterm exam has already begun so enjoyably, shouldn’t the examination method also be interesting?”
Exam Hall G.
Near Juyeongbong Peak (朱玲峰) in the Red Mountains.
Vice-Dean Professor Kyle greeted 40 students in front of a cave filled with eerie darkness. At first glance, it didn’t seem like a simple cave.
“Alright, from now on, you are to conquer this labyrinth. Utilize all the magical knowledge and experience you possess.”
The students looked at each other, startled and scared.
“A labyrinth, you say…”
“Won’t we get hurt?”
Of course, it wasn’t a real labyrinth.
A labyrinth was out of the question in the Red Mountains, which had once been the sanctuary of the Red Dragon Legion.
This was a virtually created labyrinth, fully utilizing the magic engineering of the summoning magic sector.
“You might get hurt, but your lives won’t be in danger, probably.”
Probably?
As the students blinked, Kyle winked his handsome eyes, as if it were a joke.
“I am controlling all situations, so you don’t need to worry. What you should worry about is whether you’ll be expelled or pass, isn’t that right?”
“!!!”
“My exam assigns a differential grading system. I prefer objective evaluations over subjective ones. First place gets an S grade, second and third places get an A grade.”
Fourth to tenth place get a B grade, eleventh to twentieth get a C grade… Kyle added that based on these criteria, up to 38th place would be safe from expulsion with an E grade.
“From 39th place onwards, it’s an F grade, which means a chance for a retest or even expulsion. However, this exam is for teams of two, so you can consider two people getting an S grade.”
Objective evaluation, huh…
It seemed fair, but Rain felt it was an incredibly harsh evaluation method in reality. Rain felt curious about something and raised his hand.
“How will the evaluation be done?”
“Of course, it’s based on the time taken to clear it. Oh, the time limit is 40 minutes. Students who exceed 40 minutes will be immediately expelled without a chance for a retest, so please keep that in mind.”
“!!!”
As the assistant standing next to Kyle injected magic into a mirror-shaped magical artifact, light poured from the mirror, projecting a string of characters into the air.
“This is the team composition for this exam. We would appreciate it if those who are teamed up could gather together. Teams were assigned based on the average of entrance exam scores.”
As he craned his neck to see who he was teamed with, something was suddenly shoved right in front of his eyes, blocking his vision.
“…Clay?”
The clay was instantly thrown onto the ground and then flattened by a boot.
He looked up to see what it was, and a beauty with hair color similar to the clay appeared.
“Hehehe, don’t you think fate is truly indifferent? To meet me, Krista Warden, the provisional #1 freshman of the 1388th class, on the very first day.”
That was… Krista Warden.
Now, why is it that just thinking of her name makes him sigh?
“Brace yourself, Rain Ludwig. Your arrogance ends today. I’m going to smash your pride just like this clay here.”
She’s a really competitive one…
As he let out a short sigh, a familiar giant strode over. This time, a smile of welcome appeared on his face.
It was Logan, a disciple of Chaihak.
“It seems we’re on the same team, sir.”
“Really? What a great coincidence. Please take care of me, Master.”
“Um-hahahaha!”
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
While Logan was in the top 10 of entrance exam scores, Rain was a supplementary exam qualifier, placing last in the admission results.
“Look at that.”
“Young Master Personality and Logan are on the same team.”
“Didn’t those two fight last time?”
As all attention focused solely on the two of them and she was pushed to the background, Krista’s cheeks puffed out slightly in a pout, and she pressed down firmly on the clay with the tip of her foot.
“You were talking to me first. Where are you looking now? Don’t you feel anything from seeing this clay?”
Does he *have* to feel something from seeing clay…? Rain awkwardly scratched his chin, then looked up at Logan beside him.
“Is this exam important for graduating at the top of the class?”
“Are you aiming for top honors?”
“It just happened that way.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s incredibly important, sir, as there are only four regular exams a year.”
To graduate at the top of the class, it was necessary to achieve top scores in all exams.
If one missed a top score even once, it would lead to an irreversible outcome unless a competitor faltered.
It was expected that the competition would be fiercer than ever this semester, with the gathering of the Golden Generation.
Hmm, Rain, who had been looking up at the air as if thinking of something for a moment, finally scratched the back of his head and looked directly at Krista.
“Oh? In that case, I’m sorry, but it seems I can’t go easy on you this time.”
A shiver. A sudden chill ran down Krista’s spine, and she instinctively recoiled in surprise. Two emotions crossed in the girl’s mind.
A welcome feeling that the guy who had always treated their rivalry with a nonchalant attitude was now getting serious… and wariness, no, fear, about the suddenly changed atmosphere?
“I, I have to graduate at the top of the class no matter what.”
With that, Rain concluded his words with a somehow wistful smile.
“A friend is waiting.”