Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: But It Can Be Done More Easily
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After hearing about the midterms, I deliberately started flooding the gallery with shitposts.
Of course, they just looked like shitposts on the surface, but in reality, this was a meticulously planned viral campaign.
Normally, you wouldn't do something like this out of courtesy, but the situation was urgent.
To be honest, I could just straight-up demand the answers with a "Gimme! Gimme!" but I'd grown quite a bit after that big incident.
I'm not the immature kid anymore who would whine "Take care of me~" and expect the gallery users to hand it over on a platter.
Now, I make them want to help in a perfectly reasonable way.
Of course, using the gallery to cheat on the written exam is still cheating, no matter how you slice it.
But if I don't get caught, isn't that fine? After that, it's just a matter of my conscience.
Anyway, now it was time to get to the main point.
Hey, but the exam's coming up soon
Midterms start in two days lol scary
But because of that big incident this time, they're just doing written exams instead
Honestly, I'm confident in practicals, but written... I feel so wronged
All the other kids got early education and stuff, so theory's a breeze for them
But a commoner orphan like me? Where do I even complain?
The scope is insanely huge, can't study it all in two days
Isn't there any kind, handsome archmage to help out~ (looking around gif)
I was wondering why this guy's suddenly acting up, and this was the goal
At least he grew a conscience; he's not treating us like clickbot robots like before
Just take the written exam, it's not that hard
That's from your perspective; I'm starting from scratch here~
Theory isn't hard^^ Just memorize non-stop for 48 hours^^
I'll teach you a meditation method to boost learning efficiency. First, straighten your back...
If you don't even know cadet-level theory, you have no business being a mage. And using shortcuts isn't good either.
Brute force it!
Damn. Even my elaborate viral campaign wasn't swaying the gallery users to help.
Come on, it's not that hard. From your perspective, it's easier than addition and subtraction!
Ugh, just tell me, pleeease! If I bomb midterms, I'll get demoted next semester waaah!
That's why Mom said study!
Lol if you can't even hold A-Class, just get kicked out
It's kinda amazing though. This guy's been casting magic without basic theory till now.
First-year cadet theory isn't much anyway. You only need it for high-circle real magic research; low circles...
I don't know shit about theory (dragon picking nose gif)
Sir, you're not human;
Anyway, study up and take it. Good chance to learn the basics.
Like I always say, solid basics are key
No one was willing to help.
I thought I could just click through the midterms. Ugh, what now?
"Wait, it's not like I need them to tell me."
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
Do they really need to tell me directly?
The gallery is visible only to me anyway. I can just post all the exam content in advance, memorize it, and take the test.
Sure, it'd take effort to compile everything myself.
But if I study a bit too, it should be fine.
You heartless bastards, I'll ace it alone (◺˰◿)
Pretending to be pissed, I left a comment and started a new post.
Of course, I made it a secret post. If I put it public, the users would riot about cheating.
But then,
"What the hell. Why is this getting deleted?"
I hurriedly compiled one subject's content in an hour or two and saved it as a secret post, but it vanished minutes later.
Weird. I tried posting a shorter version, and it got deleted instantly.
"What is this? It doesn't violate any rules?"
Shocked, I checked the announcements and figured it out.
Back after ages, caught one already
Logged in after forever, lots happened
Kim Muggle was saving exam notes in secret posts, so I deleted them
I'll add a function to the gallery management magic to auto-delete secret posts with basic theory for a while
Lmaoooo he got caught cuz we wouldn't spoonfeed
Chills;; Live righteously!
Cheating is bad!
Jootak it's been forever fr
Busy with stuff, gotta go again. Gallery magic's running fine, so no funny business everyone
No cheating? (angry teacher gif)
Lmao caught instantly
Are you retarded lol
No fair! Cut me some slack waaah!!
Nope, banned lol
Live righteously!
"Nooooooo!"
Why'd Jootak show up now after being gone forever?!
Secret posts aren't even monitored! This is tyranny!!!
"Waaah!"
Furious at having all paths blocked, I spam-bombed the gallery indiscriminately.
Less than a minute later, I got perma-banned and flopped despondently on the floor.
"Fuck... I can't get demoted..."
In the end, I had no choice but to cram and prepare for the exam myself.
Naturally, I got abysmal scores and bottomed out the class rankings.
Professor Ugoss skimmed the profiles of the first-year A-Class cadets under his charge.
It was about as expected.
Decent among cadets, but still kids compared to Archmage Duke standards.
Things had always been this way, but now the situation was different.
"A cadet who's caught the Silent Dragon's interest... Hmm."
Ugoss had taken the academy professorship on orders from the Perryhill Archmage Duke Family.
The other new professors were from various Archmage Duke Families too.
All to find that cadet the Silent Dragon had taken interest in.
Normally, a dragon's interest wouldn't faze an Archmage Duke Family.
But this was the Silent Dragon, apex of dragons—and the world. That changed everything.
Currently, eight Archmage Duke Families stood at the pinnacle of magic, maintaining balance.
Lesser groups couldn't match them, forming the middle strata of mage society.
But all orders crumble over time.
Mid-tiers were rising, knocking on the dukes' ceiling, and infighting among dukes was intensifying.
The Silent Dragon's awakening in this climate...
The Silent Dragon—who deemed even Archmage Dukes insignificant—taking interest in a human...
Meant that human would be a key in the coming upheaval.
The undercurrents to find that cadet were already churning.
Ugoss was here for that too.
"Professor. First-year A-Class midterm results."
"Thanks."
The assistant handed Ugoss the graded results.
To be precise, he wasn't Ugoss's assistant.
He was the grad student of the previous professor, consumed by taboos.
With several professors gone, grad students were reassigned to new professors' labs.
Ugoss, already renowned in mage society, had many applicants.
Ugoss sneered thinking of a professor from another family who got none.
"Written exam not even E-Class level... Hmm?!"
Checking the scores, Ugoss leaned forward in surprise.
Everything else was as expected: mostly perfect, maybe one or two mistakes.
But one cadet had a disastrously low score.
"One cadet bombed it. Name's Ian Isaac, I think... Looked like he really didn't know. Doesn't make sense, but..."
"Bring the answer sheet."
Ugoss checked Ian's sheet himself.
It was full of pathetic answers like "Sorry, Professor."
He got a few magic diagram drawings right, but that was it.
"An A-Class with this...?"
Ugoss was furious at the sheet.
How did academy admin let this slide into A-Class?
Yet prior practical evaluations were top-notch.
Incomprehensible.
One thing was clear: this written score didn't belong in A-Class—or the academy.
He couldn't fathom the practical-written gap.
But Ugoss trusted only what he saw.
Ian: practical unverified by him, but written was pitiful.
The next day, Ugoss called Ian out in front of the cadets.
"Th-that's... I'm weak at written."
"Is that your excuse? Your written is abysmal, yet practicals were near-perfect till now?"
"But that's the fact..."
Midterm results day.
I got dragged from class by Professor Ugoss to the podium, sweating bullets.
Cadets gasped at my written score.
Whispers everywhere about how I even passed practicals.
Ugoss grilled me on theory; naturally, I bombed most.
His face darkened with rage.
How is this trash even here?
"This raises suspicions: either prior practical grading was flawed, or you cheated somehow despite lacking skill. If proven, I could request expulsion formally."
"No, I didn't! Previous professors verified it!"
Expulsion? After I saved the academy!
Frustration surged, but my written flop was fact, so I held back.
"They verified, sure. But that's their record; I haven't."
"But I'm a commoner orphan—no early education! Didn't learn written stuff, but I practiced magic hard!"
"Or-orphan. Hm."
Ugoss faltered momentarily from his aggressive stance.
But the score gap was too vast; no change.
"Magic is a practical art. Possible to build skill sans theory for low circles. Not zero probability... but close."
This damn cheating narrative again.
Despite proving myself repeatedly, cadets whispered suspiciously.
"I trust what I see. Let's confirm now. Empty your pockets."
"...Fine. Let's do it."
Ugoss's verdict: prove skill now.
Magic? Way more confident than written.
He made me surrender all items and inspected my body thoroughly.
Perfect. Proving in a zero-cheat setup would shut this down forever.
My written sucked due to no early ed—their fault.
Dirty nobles. Fine, watch this.
"No cheating artifacts or magic confirmed."
"Yes. So let's test quick. What do I do?"
"Simple. 'Mana Projection'."
"Mana Projection?"
"...You don't even know Mana Projection?"
Mana Projection? What's that?
Ugoss explained with deepening suspicion.
"Mana Projection makes the magic formula 'visible' during computation. Others can see its form. Hide in battle, but common in lectures/exams."
Ah, that's it.
Another prof did that in class once.
Normally, formula paths aren't visible during computation.
Mana isn't visible to the naked eye without focus—just shimmers.
"Boost and condense mana output for Projection. Formula paths become visible. I'll compute one with Projection; replicate exactly with yours."
"Ah, so higher output reveals formulas sometimes."
Got it: copy his projected formula on the spot.
Need high affinity to follow paths, precision for new formula/imagery/order.
Plus control output for visibility.
Tests all factors at once.
"Understood. But not too high-circle..."
"I'll account for that. Simple 3-circle."
Cadets gawked.
First-years rarely nail unseen 3-circles, let alone with Projection.
"You must ace this."
Ugoss was unyielding.
Simple, he said. Should be doable.
Ugoss began computing.
As promised, vivid blue mana lines traced in air—unlike usual.
"That's not simple 3-circle...?"
"Projection makes even basic 3 hard; that's what he's forcing?"
"Can't even image that."
"He's just trying to kill Ian, right?"
Ugoss computed slowly, deliberately visible.
Cadets freaked, deeming it tough.
"He's frozen solid."
"Hate him, but kek, good."
I stared motionless at the formula.
Hatred-fueled cadets hurled baseless shade.
Annoying, but whatever.
Truth was, I spaced out for another reason.
By chant-end, I'd imaged it mostly.
Not simple for 3-circle, but not archmage-complex either.
I blanked because...
If this magic does what I think...
"...This spell."
Ugoss finished; spell activated.
I stayed dazed at the effect.
"Take time if needed. Replay mentally. Don't expect instant."
"...No."
"Giving up? Then..."
No. Not giving up.
I could do it.
More like, a fundamental doubt hit me.
"No, not that."
"Hm?"
This spell. Does it really need 3-circle? Insanely inefficient.
Imagining... yeah, 2-circle matches power/effect perfectly.
"Not that, but... does this spell have to be like this? It seems like it can be done more easily."