Chapter 121
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Midterms (3)
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After finishing the alchemy exam, I returned to the club room, had dinner, and practiced formations with my teammates.
Maybe because it was exam period, the other three—everyone except me and Cheon Seo-yun—took the practice seriously.
'Considering the scores on the line for real combat, that's only natural.'
Anyway, after wrapping up formation practice, I spent the day resting, then took the elemental magic exam the next day.
"The elemental magic exam is simple. It's a magic destructive power measurement."
Instructor Cha Serin, who handled elemental magic, gave a brief explanation of the exam.
But at the mention of measuring magic destructive power, I and a few other students tilted our heads and asked her.
"Instructor, what do you mean by magic destructive power measurement?"
"You can see the machine set up over there. Just use your most powerful spell on that machine."
"......If we do it that way, wouldn't cadets who learned magic before entering the academy have an advantage?"
I'd been thinking the same thing, but Instructor Cha Serin shook her head.
"However, the incantation must be 20 characters or fewer. That makes the conditions relatively equal."
The longer the incantation, the more powerful the magic.
So limiting it to 20 characters did feel like it evened the playing field somewhat.
'Magic doesn't have ranks like skill stones.'
Of course, power would vary based on innate abilities and proficiency related to magic, but on the surface, it looked fair.
-Lee Seongmin, you could make the top ranks. You've been practicing steadily all along.
As Lee Seojun said, I'd practiced magic whenever I had free time in the dorm.
Feeling confident, I decided to give it a shot and looked at the machine Instructor Cha Serin had mentioned.
'That's what measures the power?'
While I was pondering, Lee Seojun explained the machine.
-It's a machine combined with an artifact that absorbs magic. It measures how much magic it absorbs when you cast and calculates the power from that.
I nodded slightly as I listened to Lee Seojun.
With that, Instructor Cha Serin called for volunteers first.
"That's the explanation. Anyone want to go first?"
-If no one steps up, it'll probably be you, Lee Seongmin, since you're currently first.
I'd planned to watch a few others first, so this wasn't great news for me.
Fortunately, when Instructor Cha Serin called for volunteers, someone raised their hand and stepped forward.
'Jo In-jun.'
He was the one Lee Seojun called a magic genius.
Jo In-jun must have wanted to get it over with quickly, as he volunteered right away, and Instructor Cha Serin nodded.
"Yes. Jo In-jun cadet first, then."
As Jo In-jun stepped up, most of the students, including me, watched him.
We knew his magic skills were top-notch, but now that it would show directly on the machine, everyone was curious.
'I'm curious too.'
Wondering just how good he really was, I watched as Jo In-jun chanted loudly.
"Powers of flame and ice!"
For some reason, Jo In-jun conjured flames in one hand and frost in the other.
I wondered if he planned to fire off two spells when Lee Seojun spoke up in surprise.
-Attribute fusion?
The moment Lee Seojun said "attribute fusion," Jo In-jun finished the chant and completed the spell.
"Merge into one and fire!"
The flames and ice Jo In-jun created fused into a single purple orb of light and shot toward the machine.
We all watched the purple orb fly at a decent speed, and soon a massive explosion erupted.
Kwaboom!—
The explosion vanished as if sucked into something the moment it happened, but anyone could tell it wasn't ordinary magic.
-Wow. He can even do attribute fusion. That's normally taught at the end of the second semester.
Conversely, Lee Seojun sounded shocked that Jo In-jun was using attribute fusion now.
And apparently, it wasn't just me who didn't know— the other students around were buzzing about it.
"That was attribute fusion, right?"
"I heard even among heroes, barely anyone can use it properly."
"Even for a genius, I didn't expect that much......"
I ignored the students' reactions and looked at the number displayed above the machine.
[Power: 681]
"Is 681 high?"
I muttered to myself, and Lee Seojun answered.
-Think of it as the power from an A-rank hero. He demonstrated A-rank power with magic.
From Lee Seojun's explanation, I realized it was even more impressive than I'd thought.
Jo In-jun, who probably had C to D-rank strength, had pulled off A-rank power with attribute fusion.
'At this rate, Jo In-jun takes first in elemental magic.'
With the power I'd built up in this world so far, I didn't think I could beat it.
It had only been a month since I arrived here, so I didn't feel any pointless rivalry either.
"Jo In-jun cadet. Excellent. Next......"
"I'll go."
Unlike me, though, Hong Ju-a burned with competitive spirit and stepped forward.
Hong Ju-a, who got regular massages from me, showed no signs of fatigue and stood tall confidently.
-At this point, Hong Ju-a should put up a decent showing.
Lee Seojun seemed quietly expectant too, noting how different she was from the future he'd seen.
As Hong Ju-a stepped up, Instructor Cha Serin nodded and pointed to the spot.
"Second is Hong Ju-a cadet. Go there and cast your spell."
We watched again as Hong Ju-a took a small deep breath, thrust both hands forward, and shouted.
"Flames! Rise! Advance! Pierce! Destroy!"
Roar!—
Hong Ju-a's chant hit exactly 20 characters, and thick fireballs formed in both hands before launching like cannonballs.
The fireballs looked plenty powerful at a glance, flying fast and striking the machine.
Kwaaang!!—
'Power is......'
[Power: 505]
As expected, she couldn't catch Jo In-jun.
-Around mid B-rank.
It was an outstanding score among the cadets, but as Hong Ju-a turned around, she wore a dissatisfied expression.
Partly because Jo In-jun and Hong Ju-a had gone one after another, the remaining students seemed deflated—no one else stepped up eagerly.
"No one else wants to go next?"
Instructor Cha Serin checked once, then proceeded in order.
"Then Lee Seongmin cadet next."
"......"
In the end, it came to this.
I walked forward slowly, curious about how the power-measuring machine worked.
If someone else had gone first, I could've asked Lee Seojun in the meantime, but it was my turn now.
'Nothing to do but try.'
I had an idea in mind, so I decided to go with it.
'Not one shot, but multiple.'
The machine absorbed magic, so firing several should make it absorb more and raise the score accordingly.
"Ten flames, fly forth together and explode!"
With the skill stones I'd acquired so far, the image in my head was crystal clear.
I chanted, and ten fireballs appeared around me, launching at the machine all at once.
Kwaboom!— Kwakwaboom!—
-L-Lee Seongmin......
At that moment, Lee Seojun called my name with a doomed look.
I sensed something wrong, and then the number appeared above the machine.
[Power: 181]
'Why only that much?'
Before I could follow the thought, Instructor Cha Serin spoke.
"Lee Seongmin cadet. Warning."
"Warning?"
"I said to use your most powerful spell, not fill it with quantity. You don't seem to have understood, so I'll let it slide with a warning. Try again."
I didn't fully get it, but Lee Seojun explained for me.
-The machine only remembers one spell. It reset every time one of your ten hit.
"......"
-If multiples counted, Jo In-jun and Hong Ju-a would've spammed dozens. You were too hasty this time.
Hong Ju-a approached me next, looking inwardly baffled.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
"It absorbs magic, so I figured multiple hits would accumulate."
"So you were trying to game the score with a loophole."
I quietly recovered my mana while listening to what wasn't quite a scolding from Hong Ju-a.
For reference, after recovering and trying again, my magic power clocked in at exactly 290.
-Considering your scores so far, Lee Seongmin, it might be close.
"Close how?"
-For the dorm. You need top 20 among the guys for a single room.
Lee Seojun's words made me rethink my scores.
Until now, I'd used all my abilities freely in my single room while practicing magic on the side.
'Plus occasionally summoning clones.'
That was only possible in a private single room with no one else around, so I definitely needed to stay in the top 20.
"Yeah. What exams are left?"
-Mana operation, herbology, and magic item crafting.
"Tell me about each one."
Lee Seojun nodded and explained one by one.
-Mana operation uses the crystal orb from class. You maneuver it through obstacles to the goal. Faster completion means higher score.
"Obstacles?"
-Yes. Touching them deducts points. But with all your brain-related skill stones, Lee Seongmin, it should be easy for you.
Lee Seojun was right—I felt confident controlling the orb freely.
"Herbology's just memorizing herbs. And the instructor for magic item crafting likes me."
I'd only gotten 290 on elemental magic, but among all cadets, that was mid-to-upper ranks.
Alchemy was top ranks too, so if I aced the rest, top 20 should be fine.
"No big worries, then."
As I'd predicted, the remaining exams went smoothly without issue.