Freshman Evaluation Test
Arcadia Academy. In this world rife with politics and schemes, it was one of the few places where youth was still permitted.
'If I just make it to the academy, maybe I can finally get a girlfriend!? Pretty seniors, pretty juniors, pretty classmates!'
Everyone thinks something like that at least once before entering the academy.
...And now, they were feeling in real time just how empty that fantasy was.
"Master, aren't you tired...?"
"Hoo. I'm in peak condition."
Classes, training, meals, more training, sleep. For a solid two weeks, that was their unvarying routine, without a single day off.
Of course... Yuria had dropped by now and then to offer prayers.
'All that grueling training paid off.'
Just three weeks after forming his first circle, he was already eyeing the next wall: the 3rd Circle. His body was now fitter than most knight or martial arts department students. The absolute best he could have achieved in three weeks—he'd squeezed every drop out of it.
"As I mentioned before, today we'll conduct the freshman evaluation test."
Swallows echoed from all around.
It made sense; this was the first test they'd see at the academy. Plenty of reason to be nervous. Even he felt the tension.
"First, everyone head to your major department. We'll run the tests within each department. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone bellowed in response to Professor Barhen, their voices snapping with military discipline, as if they'd enlisted in the army.
"Master's heading to the magic department, huh."
"Yeah. It's the magic department, after all."
He shook out his stiff body and slowly made his way to the magic department's assembly area.
Given the barrage of spells flying around, the magic department's test site was the most fortified of all departments. Protective magic circles everywhere, walls of magic-resistant materials—no average mage could scratch it.
"Hm... Is everyone here?"
No sooner had the professor spoken than a massive mana barrier enveloped the space. Probably the first line of defense against stray shocks.
"I'll explain the freshman evaluation test. Listening up—I'm only saying this once."
"Yes, sir!!"
The freshman evaluation test. Exactly what it sounded like: a comprehensive assessment of the newbies' abilities.
'Except it's all practical—no theory.'
The format was simple: tournament-style. From him, the magic department top, down to the bottom rung. Everyone duked it out in spars, no one exempted. In the game, this decided your first semester's budget and ranking—big stakes.
"Master, you gonna be okay? I spotted a few 4th Circle students..."
"No problem. Higher circle doesn't guarantee a win."
A circle just proved you could handle higher-level spells. It wasn't an absolute indicator of victory in mage duels. Sometimes a 2nd Circle mage beat a 4th Circle one.
"Then we'll begin the tests in order. Everyone prepare for your turn."
Win after win.
A bit of time had passed since the tests began, and he was racking up victories with terrifying momentum.
"Guh...!!! A mere 3rd Circle!!!"
Four magic circles bloomed before the man. One more than the three Dante could draw simultaneously.
On paper, it put Dante at a disadvantage—but circles mattered little.
Insight assists you.
Mana Affinity assists you.
"Getting that worked up? You'll lose what you could've won."
"You dare!!!"
Four fireballs launched from the man's circles, aimed dead at him. But in an instant, their trajectories warped.
"What!!!"
The fireballs boomeranged back at their caster and struck true.
He scrambled to deploy spells to block his own activated magic, but four at once overwhelmed him.
"Winner: Dante Vergilius. This concludes the freshman evaluation semifinals. Prepare for the finals shortly."
As the proctor finished, Dante descended the training ground stairs leisurely. Just walking down, yet stares poured in from all sides. The eliminated students probably found him a curiosity.
"You used some advanced techniques there."
"Ah, Professor."
"Reversal magic... Not something a student at your level should be pulling off."
Reversal. Analyzing an opponent's spell circuit and arbitrarily interfering to alter the outcome—a sort of loophole technique. Sounded like cheating, but it wasn't.
'The computational power and reflexes required are insane.'
Even he barely managed it with Insight's help.
"I've studied a lot. Student circuits are usually simple."
Reversals' difficulty hinged on the caster's circuit complexity. The simpler, the easier to calculate. That's how he beat this 4th Circle kid—inexperienced at that level.
"Ahem... So, you've mastered all the basic spell tomes students might encounter?"
"...Well, yeah?"
Not really, but he couldn't say no... Why was the professor eyeing him like that? A weird glint, almost dangerous.
"You free later, by any chance?"
".........Pardon?"
"Ever thought about graduate—"
Just as that cursed word "graduate" nearly escaped the professor's lips:
"Magic department entrance exam finals beginning. Those called, come up slowly. Belloa Lamier, Dante Vergilius."
The final proctor called his name. Thank you, proctor. I won't forget this. Your grace forever.
"P-Professor! I have to do the finals! We can talk later!"
"......Ahem. Very well. Later, then? Don't forget."
".............."
No reply to that last bit. Answering might trap him irrevocably.
'Finals, huh... Expected it, and yeah, it's Belloa.'
He headed slowly toward the magic department's final stage.
"Master."
"Yeah?"
"Be careful. That girl's mana feels intense."
"I know. That's why I trained so hard."
Overwhelming talent, backed by effort. Magic prowess in full bloom.
And atop it all: the expected name. The main heroine, who should've claimed the magic department top spot. The Ash Witch, Belloa Lamier.
It was her.
'Even from here, her presence is different.'
Belloa's black hair whipped in the wind, her blue eyes gleaming sharply. The other students felt like students. Belloa? She carried real weight. No hint of carelessness, even standing still.
".........Thanks for holding the top spot for me?"
"No need to thank me."
As if she'd yield it.
"Belloa Lamier."
"........."
"Give it your all."
A soft smile curved his lips as he slowly rolled up his shirt sleeves.
Unlike the others, Belloa couldn't be beaten with tricks. A 4th Circle on the cusp of 5th. Innate mana control, inherited combat sense, congenital mana reserves. No underestimating her from the start. The gap between her full 4th Circle mastery and his bare 3rd was vast.
Insight heightens your senses to the maximum.
Mana Affinity assists you.
Circles of Rapids begin circulating mana.
"Hoo........."
His throat dried. He felt the ambient mana flowing through his body, his dulled senses sharpening. Immersion via circles. The crowd's noise faded away.
"Magic department finals. Begin."
The proctor's words barely ended when four circles bloomed behind Belloa.
"I'll give it my all. My best."
Different attributes manifested from each: scorching fireballs, eerie stone projectiles, bubbling water orbs, distorting wind currents.
"...Not your average human. Four attributes at 4th Circle..."
Most mages stuck to two affinities. These spells proved her genius.
As Belloa's blue eyes locked on him, the four magics unleashed in sequence.
—KABOOOMMM!!!
Power unbelievable for 4th Circle spells.
'Reversal's no good here.'
Even Insight showed complex spell formulas. Too intricate to unravel and tweak in a split second.
—WHUUUUMMM!!!
She didn't wait, pouring on more attacks.
"Hup...!!!"
He dodged with his honed physique, as fast as possible. No matter how strong, misses were useless.
"......Hmph."
Belloa's eyes sharpened on him. Confident in victory, pressing relentlessly.
But that was fine.
'I know how to handle Belloa...'
He'd trial-and-errored it plenty in the game. Mastered it.