Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Episode 6
The Scientia Academy entrance exam consisted of five subjects. Each applicant could choose their own subjects, and it seemed that passing the first stage required an average score or higher in all subjects. The second stage was an interview.
The first stage would be no problem with [Contemplation]. With [Contemplation], which could see through all the principles of the world, a mere exam was trivial.
"Or so I thought..."
I activated [Contemplation] and peered through the test paper, but the test paper remained stubbornly opaque. I simply gained the profound understanding that the paper was white and the letters were black.
What valuable information.
The price was a bit steep, but at least I learned that [Contemplation] wasn't completely omnipotent.
"No, looking at it again, this isn't going to work..."
My test scores were below the threshold. Fortunately, I had chosen three magic-related subjects out of the five, so I managed to salvage something, but the remaining two were a disaster.
"Damn math..."
As a natural science graduate, it was a blow to my pride, but then again, I always used a calculator for any calculations needed for experiments. I had become incapable of functioning without a calculator.
So, my pride wasn't hurt.
"Hmm..."
What was hurt wasn't my pride, but my stupid, expired brain. Why did I assume I'd pass the exam without a hitch?
I should have studied a bit. I was too foolish to rely solely on [Contemplation]. No, [Contemplation] did its job perfectly. It demonstrated perfect performance, at least when it came to magical theory.
The fault was entirely mine. Idiot.
"...Should I pack my bags in advance?"
If I failed the exam, the chase with the assassins Spellerge would send after me would begin anew. The only consolation was that I would have a bit more time. Even Spellerge wouldn't have expected me to fail the first stage.
I was a man who always exceeded expectations.
"Sigh..."
Just in case, I should go to Scientia and check. Maybe I passed because more people failed the exam than I expected? I hoped so.
I quickly scanned the notice board at the Scientia main gate, looking for my name. It wasn't there.
[Contemplation - Activated]
"Hmm..."
I looked again, even with [Contemplation] activated, but my name was nowhere to be found on the list of successful applicants.
I failed the exam.
Honestly, it was an expected outcome, so I wasn't that disappointed...
"Ugh... Damn it..."
Okay, I was honestly disappointed. Anyone from Korea would understand this feeling. Even if you completely bombed a test, you'd still check the list of successful applicants multiple times, clinging to that one-in-a-million chance.
"...Should I go back?"
But I had to accept it. I failed. Before worrying about the protagonist, I had to worry about my own life. Forget about dreaming of a happy school life; I was about to be thrown back into a brutal chase.
"Excuse me, mister."
Someone tugged on my clothes. I turned around and saw a small child.
"I, uh, I'm lost."
I couldn't help but sigh.
"And what am I supposed to do about that...?"
"Take me there."
"Where?"
"The faculty office."
"Sigh..."
It was obvious. So obvious that it was hard to keep a straight face.
[Dragon Emperor] Tiamat, being a dragon, could use polymorph. And it was already a well-established cliché in games for the headmaster to be a child character.
This approach was so cliché and trite that it made me dizzy. Did I really have to play along?
Honestly, I didn't feel the need to.
"Do you always slack off like this, Headmaster?"
"Ptui! Annoying brat doesn't know how to read the room."
Wow, there's the personality. See how fiery the Red Dragon is?
"An educator shouldn't speak like that."
"And rigging the entrance exam is okay?"
The luxurious robe seemed to drag on the ground because of her small stature. Her neatly braided red hair swayed like a tail. Large round glasses and vertically slit orange eyes like a reptile. Two large horns, seemingly having popped out at some point, radiated heat.
According to the game settings, she was an absolute being, worthy of the title of strongest. And a Key Person who played the most crucial role in the story.
[KP Dragon Emperor]
Tiamat
Usually called Tia for short. At her own request.
She glared at me with a deeply furrowed brow. It wasn't scary because of her childlike face, but there was a strange sense of intimidation.
"Follow me. Oz Quabadis."
"...Very well."
It wasn't a suggestion, but a command. But I wasn't courageous enough to refuse the strongest being in this world. It was a bit awkward, but it was best to obediently follow the child.
We arrived at the headmaster's office. Tia immediately sat down in the chair with an arrogant posture and glared at me with a cold gaze.
"So? Let's hear what your purpose was for pulling that stunt."
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
I wanted her to tell me what she meant. But honestly, I had a good idea. It was probably because of my test scores.
"This!"
"Ah, it's that after all."
"What? You little..."
The expected outcome materialized, and my original way of speaking slipped out without me realizing it. I had to be careful.
"No, it's nothing. I misspoke."
"So, what is this?"
Tia shoved my test scores at me and shouted.
Understanding of Phenomenal Magic: 100
Understanding of Attribute Magic: 100
Application of Modern Magic: 100
All magic-related subjects were perfect scores. As expected of Oz, he was amazing.
"Do you even know the difficulty of this exam, you brat?"
"It was nothing special."
By the standards of [Contemplation], the questions were trivial. Of course, they were incredibly difficult by my standards. When I experimented with deactivating [Contemplation], it felt so difficult that I could barely distinguish the letters from the paper.
"Crazy bastard. You did this because it was easy?"
Tia pointed to the other subjects: Alchemy and Mathematics.
Ah, there was nothing I could do about those.
Alchemy: 26
Mathematics: 14
Humiliating, but they were difficult. [Contemplation] or not, they were just plain difficult. Yes, I admitted it. Thinking about it now, the exam difficulty was insane.
I thought alchemy would be about making potions with magical knowledge, but it was pure chemistry. Strange. It wasn't like that in the game...
I thought I'd be fine since I was confident in chemistry, but the damn world had a different periodic table. Hydrogen wasn't H, but C. C was carbon. Damn those game developers.
I'll omit my thoughts on math for the sake of my dignity. There was frankly no excuse for that.
"Tell me why you pulled this stunt."
"Honestly, math and alchemy were difficult."
"Don't tell me you expect me to believe that bullshit."
"Should I swear on mana?"
Lying while swearing on mana meant betraying mana. And mana wasn't kind enough to lend its power to those who betrayed it. In other words, breaking a mana oath meant losing the ability to use not only magic, but any skill that utilized mana. This world was impossible to survive in without mana, so it was practically a disability.
"...Ah, a mana oath. I can't argue with that."
As expected, the universal M-oath instilled trust. It was an expression of resolve that the other party couldn't help but understand.
"So, what? Are you an idiot? Do you not know anything besides magic? How can a person be like this? I can understand why the Mage King kicked you out."
"..."
She was crossing the line. But I held back for now. Tia had a harsh personality, but she wasn't a bad dragon.
"You'll learn something here. Whether you use that knowledge to take revenge on the Mage King or give up and find another profession is up to you. That's the condition for me to take you under my wing."
She wouldn't abandon someone with talent to a meaningless death. That was a dragon's sentiment. They prioritized their own interests and emotions over social or political stances.
"...Thank you, Headmaster."
"Even though I'm pulling strings for you, you still have to take the exams for formality's sake, so participate in the practical exam and interview."
"Yes."
She was someone who established an academy to impart knowledge to humans. She loved human potential. She was a challenger in another sense, who hadn't given up on her belief in humanity despite witnessing all sorts of despicable human behavior.
"You can leave now."
"Yes..."
And she would die because of it. In the game, I thought her death was inevitable because she was too overpowered, but now that I was in this situation, I couldn't help but feel a sense of bitterness.
[Erosion Rate 16%]
A few days after the first written exam, the practical exam began. The practical exam, like the written exam, required a passing score in the chosen subject. The only relief was that I only had to take one practical exam. Even though many were filtered out in the written exam, there were still many applicants remaining. It would be difficult to have each person take multiple practical exams.
"Hmm..."
Crackle-
I created a [Mana Bullet] above my hand. The formula was in the example problems during the written exam. I thought it was a good opportunity and tried deploying it after analyzing it with Oz's knowledge.
"Not bad..."
It was the first spell, not skill, I deployed. I still couldn't use it without the help of [Contemplation], but I felt a sense of accomplishment for creating it with my own hands. Of course, [Mana Dominator] was a useless skill, not magic. It only consumed mana and I had never seen it work properly except for the first time.
*Crackle-! Crackle-! *
[Mana Bullet] was a basic attack magic used by most mage characters in the game. Of course, as a basic attack, it didn't have much power. But wasn't I an SSR-rank character? Even if it wasn't very cost-effective, if I overpowered it with output, it could be stronger than most R-rank magic.
"Hmm..."
Crackle sizzle--!
Yes, output. When using [Mana Dominator], it felt like pulling out a completed spell, but deploying magic myself was different. I could add more mana than necessary during deployment or apply it in different ways.
"Excuse me."
Coming to the academy was the right decision. By utilizing Oz's magical knowledge and talent to learn, I could become closer to his portrayal in the story, rather than a mere playable character.
"Excuse me?"
Of course, [Mana Dominator] had its advantages. The deployment speed of magic was abnormally fast. If normal magic was like cooking, [Mana Dominator] was like pulling a finished product out of a vending machine.
I could use normal magic usually and save [Mana Dominator] as a hidden card for emergencies.
"Excuse me!"
"Huh?"
Someone had been trying to talk to me. I looked up and saw sparkling sapphire blue eyes.
"..."
It was Eleanor, the protagonist of the game. Now that I thought about it, it made sense for her to be here since the practical exams for combat-related classes were all conducted in the same way.
But why was she talking to me? Was there some kind of interaction between Oz and her that I wasn't aware of?
I should try responding normally.
"Is that okay?"
"It's fine. It looks flashy, but it's not that dangerous."
She was referring to the [Mana Bullet] I was playing with. It was sparking and fluctuating in size irregularly, but it was more stable than it looked. Of course, it could have gone out of control immediately if it weren't for Oz's talent. It would probably be the same if I learned other magic. As long as I could complete the formula, Oz's talent would automatically adjust it.
"Ooh! It really is okay! It's sparkly and pretty, and I like how flashy it is."
"..."
While I was momentarily distracted, Eleanor was trying to conjure a [Mana Bullet] herself, albeit unstably. It sparked even more intensely than mine, and its shape, let alone its size, was irregular. That was dangerous. Even an ordinary person, not a mage, could tell.
"..."
I seemed to have forgotten the most important part.
"What do you think? Don't you think mine is fl
ashier?"
The protagonist of Broken Sky, Eleanor von Chrysos, smiled with a proud expression. Despite her desperate situation and the need to hide her identity...
"Huh? I think it's about to explode...?"
"What...?"
She was a hopelessly attention-seeking individual.