Chapter 70
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Unbelievable
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Professor Ugos finished his calculations, and the magic was cast.
A sharp pang—like the sound of air bursting.
At the same moment, the water bottle on the lectern flew out the window.
"...This is the magic."
I stared blankly at the completed spell for a moment.
I'd figured out exactly what it was.
To put it simply, a spell that burst air.
More precisely, it compressed air and released it like a powerful gust, creating a shockwave.
Anything in its path would get blasted away just like that water bottle had.
It could be used for evasion, suppression, or evolved into higher-order magic for even more advanced effects.
The effect itself was straightforward, but it felt like a solid foundation for something greater.
But that wasn't the issue.
"If you need time, I'll wait. Review it..."
Professor Ugos spoke, seeing me frozen in place.
Take your time reviewing it. Obviously, you can't do it right away. Things like that.
And the other cadets' reactions only fueled it.
"The new professors are no joke."
"How the hell are you supposed to reproduce that? It's hard enough just to cast."
They'd already decided it was impossible.
But that wasn't it. If anything, I felt like I could do it.
The real problem was a fundamental question: Did it have to be done this way?
"No, that's not it."
"Hm?"
Professor Ugos had projected the calculation process.
The spell formula he'd shown was 3rd order, naturally composed of three constructs.
To break it down in detail: one construct swirling inward like a vortex of wind.
Then a strong, straight construct pushing that swirling wind forward.
And at the end of that straight path, a jagged, violently twisting construct like an explosion.
Three constructs in total.
Breaking it down:
1. Compress the air,
2. Send the compressed air flying straight,
3. Burst that air with a pang.
But did it really need to be this convoluted as a 3rd-order spell?
That question bubbled up instinctively, fundamentally.
"No, I mean... does this spell have to be done that way? It feels like it could be simpler."
"...?"
I spat it out, unable to hold back my discomfort.
Professor Ugos furrowed his brow sharply at my words.
His facial muscles twitched a few times, settling into a grim expression.
"What do you mean by that? Surely..."
"No. I can do it. But..."
What I wanted to say was:
It feels like it could be done as 2nd order?
Sure, it could be done as 3rd order, just like Professor Ugos had.
But something about it instinctively repelled me.
Like there was an easy path to the destination that took one minute,
but stubbornly taking a detour that lasted over an hour?
No one does that normally.
Unless it was necessary, human instinct was to do things as efficiently as possible, right?
"Um... hold on a second."
It felt like it could be done with just two constructs.
Not exactly the same spell, but the effect would be identical.
I nearly said it aloud but barely swallowed the words.
My idea seemed right, but Professor Ugos's face was terrifying. The cadets were murmuring too.
It might look like outright defiance against the professor.
It was just an instinct, and it could be wrong. But it felt right.
Before causing a scene, let's check with the gallery first.
I posted to the gallery to confirm if it was okay to voice this arrogant thought.
If they told me to shut up and follow the professor, I'd just do the 3rd order then.
But if I was right, honestly, I wanted to try the efficient way.
No matter what the professor said, I didn't want to take the wrong path for an hour.
Title: Seeking Sexy Archmage to Teach Me Magic
Author: Kim Muggle
(Rough sketch of 3rd-order spell formula)
This 3rd-order spell I posted—couldn't you just get the same effect with 2nd order like this?
(Rough sketch of 2nd-order spell formula)
Or roast me if I'm wrong.
Yeah, obviously. Who taught you?
No way you came up with this yourself, right?
No way. Even for low-order stuff, who figures this out? Without knowing basic theory?
What the hell. Who taught you this? Did you figure it out yourself? Spill it now. Hurry up!!!
It's a long story, but new professor projected this 3rd-order spell for me to try. But when I went to do it, I got this instinctive rejection? Like, why so inefficient? So I asked.
Feels like you could just merge it into 2nd order roughly like that. Don't know about mana cost, but fewer constructs means less mana, right? Better?
Holy shit, you really came up with this yourself?
This guy's not Muggle;
Whoa, this feeling—it's been ages, even bigger than the first shock.
That's exactly it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Knew this guy would go full throttle lololol
Efficiency fanatic enters the gallery lol
That's the basics of 'optimization'!!!!!! Novice mages often stretch what could be 2nd order into full 3rd order like that because of lack of skill. The beauty of optimization is stripping unnecessary parts and maximizing efficiency with the minimum!!!!!!!
Oh, oh; so yeah, this works.
This case is basically fundamental but one of the most important and tricky optimization methods...
Whoa; shocking, but yeah, do it that way. But calculating without the exact formula might fail the cast. You've got the feel, but precise formula calculation is another thing.
True.
Still, trying it once isn't bad :) You grow when you act on that feeling. It's not hard^^
So I basically created a new spell?
Nah, probably someone already optimized it at this level. From our view, it's obviously optimized.
We don't use low-order crap so we don't know every single one lol
Then why did the professor use 3rd order?
We discover spells ourselves, but normal mages study existing ones. Even professors are at cadet level from our perspective.
Probably just one from his old lessons. People usually accept what they learn without questioning if it's wrong.
But for a simple spell like this, the professor might know.
It's on the simpler side of 3rd order, so maybe he threw it out casually. Or maybe he intended it that way.
Even a vet professor would think of this optimization lol
Instinctively, I'd come up with an optimization, and it seemed correct.
The issue was that my 2nd-order version was pure intuition,
and without a precise formula, winging it could fail the cast.
But I hadn't been analyzing every construct up to now anyway.
I could match the calculation speed roughly, so why not try?
"Does this have to be 3rd order? It seems like 2nd order could produce the same effect."
"...What."
Professor Ugos exhaled in disbelief at my words.
His face twitched for a moment before he spoke.
"Go ahead. I'll judge after seeing it."
Like, show me what you've got.
I nodded, picked up the flung water bottle, and set it back up.
Reducing three constructs to two.
I could merge compressing and sending into one process.
First, compress the air the same way. But finish differently.
Connect the end line of the compressed air outward.
Then press the end of that line like a dot.
A dot symbolizes targeting.
This way, the compressed air flies to the target on its own. No need for a separate movement construct.
Combine it with the bursting construct at the end, and the effect is identical.
I began calculating these two constructs, pressing them down firmly like stamping, ramping up output and density.
Mana projection. The path of my mana drawing the constructs shone vividly in the air.
"What? You can project that clearly?"
"How good is his output control?"
"Is that really just two constructs?"
"What kind of crazy stunt is this?"
Mid-focus, I faintly heard the cadets' voices.
But I didn't waver, completing the formula to the end.
Clear blue lines of mana in the air. When the two constructs connected...
[Formation and Expansion of Simple High Pressure]
The compressed air burst with a pang, sending the water bottle flying.
I'd worried it might fail since I didn't have the exact formula and was going by feel,
but thankfully, it calculated into a spell no different from Professor Ugos's.
"..."
Professor Ugos stood with arms crossed, staring silently at the flying bottle.
His eyes were so wide they might pop out.
"What? For real?"
"Isn't that just a different spell?"
"Did he fail 3rd order and swap to another 2nd order?"
Hater comments started crawling out.
Annoyed, I just projected and reproduced Professor Ugos's exact 3rd-order spell once more.
Even the group that hated me shut their mouths.
Idiots. You think you know optimization?
Not that I did either.
"...Confirmed. For now, I acknowledge your practical skills aren't fake."
Professor Ugos finally declared my practical skills valid.
No room for excuses on the written part since I'd bombed it anyway.
"Class dismissed. Go eat lunch."
Class ended, and the cadets rushed out.
I was hungry too, so I headed straight to the cafeteria.
Just before leaving, I saw Professor Ugos standing at the lectern, deep in thought for a while.
After Ian left, Professor Ugos pondered for a long time.
Using mana projection to verify skill was completely sincere.
Seeing it firsthand left no room for further doubt.
2nd order was too easy, so he'd chosen 3rd order.
The reason for picking that particular 3rd-order spell was nothing special. Just random.
He belatedly recalled it was an inefficient one rarely used even among 3rd orders, but brushed it off.
There was a more efficient 2nd-order version, but it wasn't commonly taught either.
Proof: None of the other cadets recognized it.
Yet this cadet Ian had even optimized it.
Figuring out an optimization for a 3rd-order spell on sight? No cadet in history had done that.
Optimization required immense research to begin with.
"...Yeah. Unbelievable."
Ugos mocked his own ridiculous thought.
No way he'd optimized it on instinct at first glance.
He must have known it beforehand. The more efficient 2nd-order [Formation and Expansion of Simple High Pressure].
Even if academies and noble houses didn't teach it.
As a commoner, some no-name mentor might have taught him.
Either way, since he'd nailed the original 3rd order too, Ugos acknowledged his practical skill.
Though his written score was subpar. But he cast magic well in practice.
Hard to believe, but he couldn't deny what his eyes had seen.
"Even setting aside everything else, the projection and calculation were top-tier."
His projection was impressive too.
Cadets usually struggled with output control, unable to project mana that vividly.
Anyway, it meant he had real skill.
The written score was still questionable.
"Hard to imagine the Latent Dragon noticing such an idiot. But maybe worth watching."
Surely not the cadet the Archmage Dukes were seeking.
His written score made no sense for that.
Or maybe his oddity drew the Latent Dragon's interest?
Knowing no theory but excelling in practice was unique.
Who knew. That wasn't for Ugos to judge.
Ugos was merely carrying out Perryhill Archmage Duke Family orders.
In Ugos's candidate notebook, Ian Isaac's name was added.