Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 100
Sorcery.
The mysticism of the East, on a completely different track from magic.
These days, Western magic has spread far and wide across East and West alike, but just a few hundred years ago, sorcery permeated every corner of Eastern nations, woven into the fabric of daily life.
But that's all in the past now.
These days, even those ancient sights have crumbled to dust, and the academic world considers sorcery completely buried and forgotten. Even the components that make up a single spell are written in archaic language, making them hard to interpret.
"...Is this really everything?"
"Yes."
"Only fourteen? You're serious?"
A contract to learn one sorcery per day, totaling thirty in a month.
Through him, I'd learned a total of thirteen.
No, I'd picked up one more in the pre-dawn hours yesterday, bringing the grand total to fourteen sorceries now etched perfectly into my mind, just as they were a thousand years ago.
As a side note, the very first one I'd learned, 'Ice Crystal Ritual,' doesn't count as proper sorcery.
It's too basic to qualify at a glance, it doesn't differ much from ordinary magic.
In other words, it's worthless.
"Even analyzing ancient texts or inscriptions usually yields at least thirty. This is barely half that. You're not holding out on me, are you?"
"Do you think anything stays hidden right in front of your eyes, Master?"
"Fair point."
"You knew that already."
As I explained the sorceries I knew while chatting back and forth with my master...
She closed her eyes, nodded a few times, and spoke.
"The more I look at it, the more systematic it seems. It's completely different from modern magic, even in the direction it pursues."
"Is that so?"
"You're still stuck at intermediate magic, so you wouldn't notice yet, but if you delve deeper and broader into magic, you'll feel it. It's subtle, but that's exactly what sets magic apart from sorcery."
Nam Hwa-yeon was thrilled, finally having fresh research material after so long.
She immediately began testing the sorceries.
It had only been about thirty minutes since she started teaching me.
And just like that, she'd fully absorbed the depth of what I'd learned over fourteen days.
No wonder they call her the Demon King.
"Hmm, yes. In return for granting me such knowledge, as a mage in pursuit of truthand as your masterI can't help but offer something in exchange."
"What's that?"
"Name your wish."
"...Pardon?"
"Go on, name it. I'll grant just about anything."
An exchange offer I never saw coming.
Just for teaching her a handful of sorceries, she was telling me to ask for whatever I wanted.
Even for a master, wasn't this overly generous?
Well, whatever.
If she's offering, a proper disciple should graciously accept.
"What I want is..."
Just a tiny bit of insurance and a few scraps of knowledge.
Nam Hwa-yeon nodded.
With this, I could muddle through the next episode somehow.
Even if things went south, I could smooth it over once with this favor from her today.
That's what I'd gotten from her...
* * *
The hellish march of performance evaluations had finally come to an end.
Students who had faced four or five evaluations in a single daywritten tests, presentations, practicalswere just starting to feel the sweet taste of freedom.
"Alright, tomorrow morning's roll call will be in the grand auditorium. You know, the place where you teamed up with temporary instructors last time? Be there."
"Professor, what's happening tomorrow?"
"What do you mean? Midterms scope drops tomorrow. I've said it a million times. No one's forgotten, right?"
"..."
Midterms were upon us.
The students had barely crested one mountain, only to find it was just a hilland the real range stretched out endlessly before them.
It felt like staring at a vast ridgeline.
In a word, it sucked.
"That's it for today's closing. Be in the grand auditorium by 7 a.m. tomorrow. The department head says every first-year must attend, so latecomers get one demerit point per minute. Dismissed."
"...Dude, we're screwed, right?"
"Yeah, totally screwed."
"I miss Mom. Couldn't go home last week because of performance evals, and now midterms will keep me here too."
"What the hell happened while I was in the bathroom? How did things turn into this clusterfuck?!"
The moment the professor left, the students unleashed their laments.
They were finally facing Chilseong Academy's first real exam.
Unlike boring sit-down tests at ordinary schools, this one had students worried. They prayed this year's midterms would at least be reasonably difficult.
Take last year's freshmennow second-years.
They took midterms in a desert, where about four hundred suffered heatstroke and dehydration, all scored zero.
Midterms and finals changed difficulty and theme every year, making them the students' top nightmare.
With no after-school lessons from temporary instructors today...
The students retreated to their dorms to devise their own strategies.
Still, the tension burning like an ember in their chests wouldn't die down.
Time marched on relentlessly, and regrettably, the morning sun rose into the sky.
Gazing at the dawn, early risers and sleep-deprived nervous wrecks alike steeled themselves and headed to the grand auditorium.
Anyone watching might think they were overreacting.
But for them, midterms were the stage to prove their worth and skill. Grades only impressed professors and TAs, but this was a golden chance to shine for the major guilds sending evaluators from outside.
With jobsand their futureson the line...
The students made the biggest vows of their seventeen years.
"Second- and third-years are already done with midterms. You're the last ones left, freshmen."
Now about two months since enrollment.
"First-years" fit better than "freshmen," but to Daltanyanthe department head who'd stood at podiums giving speeches for decadesthey still looked like green rookies.
For them to truly become Chilseong first-years instead of mere freshmen, they had to pass this very midtermthe annual event that elevated Chilseong to one of the world's top five academies.
Without this experience, they didn't deserve to be called students.
That's what Daltanyan believed.
And rightly so: after one round of midterms, even kids realized and grew motivated. Of course, some dropped out exhausted or half-dead in the process.
But that's survival of the fittest in society, isn't it?
"Midterms, along with finals, are the annual events symbolizing our Chilseong. I doubt every one of you can pass a test that makes even active players click their tongues."
The students started getting scared the moment Daltanyan grabbed the mic and began laying on the fear.
They were already tense and anxious.
He was pouring fuel on that fire of unease.
"Midterms start next Monday and run through Fridayfive days total. All your actions will be captured on camera and broadcast on the giant screens behind the arena. Professors and TAs will evaluate you, and outsiders will watch from the stands."
But he didn't stop.
Anyone spooked by a few words like this had no place at Chilseong.
These were kids who'd already endured the pain of loss a month ago.
He had no choice but to raise them extra harshly compared to other years.
Daltanyan judged that this batch of freshmen needed especially tough love to overcome the fear of death.
And he'd made that call without consulting the other professors beforehand.
"D-Daltanyan, sir? That's not the agreed-upon midterm format, is it? I recall it was supposed to be sparring matches..."
"I proposed it. The chairman approved without hesitation."
"!!!"
One professor voiced doubts, and the response was jaw-dropping.
The chairmanthat immovable old manhad greenlit it.
No other professor could interfere now.
"No more questions? Even if there are, I'll answer after I'm done."
Ahem. Daltanyan cleared his throat and continued.
"This midterm is the first ever where freshmen tackle it in pre-assigned groups. The setting is a dungeonand each group gets a different one."
"That's too hard for first-years...!"
"I said no questions. Next: group selection and evaluation criteria."
Daltanyan bulldozed through the professors' objections, never letting go of the mic.
His speech dragged on longer than expected.
But what could they do?
With the chairman absent, only the [Demon King] could challenge his authority. And she just nodded along, looking pleased and amused.
"Groups stay as the six you already formed. Some might call it unfairtop talents clustered in certain groups. But what can you do? That's the world."
Top talents go to elite guilds.
Mediocrity settles for less.
Fairness wasn't what Daltanyan prioritized this midterm.
He wanted the students to know their place.
Fairness wouldn't save their lives.
Better they grasp their own level nowit'd boost survival odds after graduation.
So groups remained as they were when temporary instructors were picked.
"Some groups have multiple prospects, others all mages, some all swordsmen. You assess your own level, pick a dungeon of appropriate difficulty, and clear it. Minimum clear rate: 51%."
Dungeon clear rate of 51%.
The bare minimum to claim you'd conquered it.
"Difficulty determines grade: D-rank dungeon at 51% gets F. C-rank gets E. Grades rise one tier every 20% progress."
Theoretically, entering a D-rank guarantees at least F, up to D max.
For top score A+, you'd need 90%+ on an S-rank at least.
"Choose your grade freely. But remember: under 51% is total failureno F, straight elimination."
A brutally extreme midterm.
Most agreeing teachers and students picked D- to C-ranks.
Prospect-heavy groups went B-rank.
Delusional ones chose A-rank.
As a side note, Kyle's group also picked A-rank.
Every group except ours chose theirs.
Last up: us.
"You therewhat dungeon are you entering?"
Our group, packed with three prospects, drew all eyes.
"May I ask one thing first?"
"Hm? Because I said I'd ignore questions? I'm done talking, so go ahead."
All eyes on me as I raised my hand.
Thankfully, Daltanyan allowed it.
"Does the dungeon rank even matter?"
"Any dungeon Chilseong has entry rights to is fine."
"Even if we fully clear it... and seal it shut?"
"These are dungeons prepped so students can adapt to the real world. Fully clearing and closing one should be okay. Chairman might have opinions, though."
Perfect.
With Daltanyan's permission secured...
A bright smile lit my face, and my tail betrayed my mood.
Usually, it sways lightly when I'm pleased, but this time it moved differently.
Like a fisherman's rod, taut with anticipation for a big catch.
"Then we'll take the highest tier."
"...S+? Got it, I'll note that."
S+-rank dungeon.
No way students could clear what stumps pro major guilds. Maybe ten third-year prospects together...
Not six freshmen.
Reactions split: amused intrigue or sheer disbelief.
Amid it all, only I tilted my head.
"Um, I think there's a misunderstanding."
"Want to drop to S? That's doable..."
"No, not that. We want the Backworld."
"!!!!"
The Backworlda dungeon variant.
Sometimes equal to S-rank.
Or harder.
A place even pros avoidand Seung-woo raised his hand for it.
"...Did you kids plot this behind my back? Why do I feel like I'm hearing this for the first time?"
"Well, we just found out today too."
Of course, it wasn't coordinated with the students.