Chapter 112
Chapter 112
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: End-of-Term Report Card (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘His already formidable mental endurance had improved dramatically. He could now control Immortal Function to some extent.’
Shirone's specialty was a defensive style, focusing on deflecting attacks from all directions. Like most defensive types, the instructors expected him to become a mage with a defensive disposition.
However, Immortal Function had flipped that disposition on its head. Now, his strength—his endurance—had become an essential element supporting his offensive power.
As 20 seconds passed, Shirone gritted his teeth and attempted one last acceleration. A terrifying burst of sound erupted as his score broke 340 points.
Beep—!
The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the test. Shirone closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Though dozens of students were gathered, the hall fell silent. Everyone was staring intently at the scoreboard.
410 points.
On average, he had endured 30 seconds of impacts at a rate of 13.6 hits per second. Moreover, his barrage in the final five seconds must have exceeded 15 hits per second.
“That's insane. What's with those guys lately? At this rate, are they really going to become our seniors next semester?”
“Even so, promotion will be tough. His theory scores are mid-tier. It's not easy to raise those scores in a short amount of time.”
Shirone looked back at Canis. It was an unspoken declaration, as if to ask, *'Think you can still be my senior after this?'*
“That kid... he's truly amazing.”
Arin was genuinely impressed. Infinite mental energy through Immortal Function, and the endurance to control it. On top of that, a unique magical disposition that could imbue light with mass.
There was no other way to describe him than as a mage specially loved by the gods.
“Hmph. He needs to be at least this good to be called my rival.”
Canis's fighting spirit burned hotter than ever. At first, he'd thought it was just a difference in their attributes. But the demonstration Shirone had just put on shattered that illusion. As things stood now, he would even lose in a contest of raw power.
After glaring at Shirone for a long moment, Canis turned away abruptly.
“Let's go, Arin. The tour seems to be over.”
Watching Canis and Arin walk away, the students felt a sense of relief and satisfaction. While Shirone didn't represent the level of all of Class Five, they all shared the same satisfaction of seeing a Grand Mage's disciple get put in his place.
“Shirone, that was awesome! I may have bombed the test, but I feel great. So what if he's a Grand Mage's disciple? How dare he look down on Class Five of the magic academy?”
“Shirone, Iruki, and Nade... are you guys really planning to get promoted this time?”
“Well, we're doing our best.”
Shirone evaded a direct answer. However, Nade, who had placed third, was ecstatic about passing the practical exam.
“Hahaha! Of course! You'd better get ready to treat us respectfully as your seniors! Come on, come on! Let's practice right now. Call me 'senior'!”
The students erupted in protest.
“His arrogance is piercing the heavens! I hope you fail spectacularly!”
“If you become my senior, I'd rather drop out of school!”
“What are you going to do if you fail the theory exam? It'll be so embarrassing! I'll pray every night that you never get promoted!”
Regardless, Nade stood tall and laughed heartily. It was the kind of jeering he could endure because he was on good terms with everyone.
Shirone and Iruki slipped away quietly.
‘Ugh, how embarrassing.’
The final practical exam was over.
* * *
Summer was fading.
A cool breeze blew in the mornings and evenings, and the trees were preparing to change into their colorful autumn attire. But the days were still hot, and the students were busy burning the last of their energy for the end of the term.
Only the final week remained. Classes had ended the week prior, and all that was left were the final exams.
The exams were held sequentially, one class per day, starting from Class Ten. Finally, on the sixth day, the students of Class Five made their way to the examination hall, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Shirone's group also picked at their breakfast before arriving at the exam hall early.
The exam would last exactly 12 hours, with only five-minute breaks. Compared to a normal school, it was a schedule akin to hard labor, but for the students of the magic academy, maintaining concentration was just as important as knowledge.
The exam papers were categorized into types A, B, and C. The questions were the same, but the order of the answers was different. This was to prevent cheating and minimize the chances of guessing correctly by luck.
Shirone had Type A, Iruki had Type B, and Nade had Type C. Assigned to different exam halls, they stood in the hallway trying to calm their nerves before the test began. Since this exam would determine the results of their last half-year, even the academy's biggest troublemakers couldn't help but feel tense.
Despite the weather not being cold, Nade was shivering uncontrollably.
“Ugh. I'm dying. Shirone, how about you?”
“I feel like I'm going to throw up. One mistake and it's all over. Especially in the mathematical subjects.”
“Let's stay calm. We have plenty of time, anyway. We can start getting nervous after we get the test papers.”
Iruki's words helped the two calm down. But when the bell rang to signal the start of the exam, everyone's face couldn't help but turn pale.
“Alright, let's head in. Let's see each other with smiling faces later.”
“Yeah. Let's do this!”
The three promised to see each other in 12 hours and entered their respective exam halls.
Paranormal Research Society Room.
Shirone's group was busy grading their exams. The test papers couldn't be taken out, but Iruki had perfectly recreated the exam questions.
The memory of a Savant knows no forgetting. It was like having a file cabinet in his head, from which he could pull out and read documents whenever needed.
Iruki recited the questions, Nade wrote them down, and Shirone found the answers. They worked until morning, and only then were they able to reconstruct the exams for every subject.
Their bodies were already exhausted, but the three split up and began to check their answers.
The exam Iruki reconstructed was Type B, so they had to check it one-to-one against the correct answers Shirone found.
“Phew, this is nerve-wracking. I think I might have bombed a few subjects.”
Nade groaned. But everyone had their weak subjects.
“Me too. Now that we're doing this, it's really brutal. Even if you get a perfect score in other subjects, if you fail just one, it's over, right?”
Shirone was more anxious than ever. Even with his insight, he couldn't guarantee his promotion.
“Anyway, that's what our study group was for. Come on, come on! Let's save the assessments for later and just finish grading.”
Several more hours passed like that, and the outlines of their scores gradually began to emerge.
Nade was the first to stand up, raising his fist.
“Yes! I did it! An average of 82! I passed 80 points in every subject!”
He didn't have any particularly high scores, but he had evenly raised all his subjects to achieve an average of 82. He was the troublemaker who used to look down on Class Four, but now that he was actually getting promoted, he couldn't feel better.
Iruki and Shirone said nothing. The real time to celebrate would be when all three of them were confirmed for promotion.
Having finished grading, Iruki leaned back in his chair and wiped away his sweat.
“Phew. I made it. 87 points. I got an 80 in language. If I'd missed just one more question, it would've been over.”
“Wow! So you passed too? Congratulations! Welcome to Class Four!”
“It's nothing special. But still, it doesn't feel bad.”
Nade and Iruki turned to Shirone at the same time. If this last person passed, their long-held wish of being promoted together would come true.
But Shirone didn't react. Iruki noticed that his grading hand had stopped moving.
“Shirone, what's wrong? Did you bomb the test?”
Up close, Shirone's face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Something had clearly gone wrong.
Nade asked anxiously.
“What is it? What's your score?”
“86 points…”
“Wow, that's an amazing score, isn't it?”
Nade was genuinely surprised. Although they had set the goal of everyone getting promoted, hearing it out loud felt like a miracle. Shirone was the son of a commoner and had lived a life far from studying. Yet with just half a year of effort, he had achieved an average of 86.
Compared to Iruki, who got an average of 87 by acing the mathematical subjects with his Savant ability, it was clear just how desperately Shirone had studied.
Iruki seemed to be thinking the same thing, tilting his head.
“Didn't you... do well? Is there a subject you failed?”
“That's... I'm not sure.”
“What do you mean, you're not sure? What is it? Tell me exactly.”
Shirone bit his nails nervously. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember.
“Iruki.”
“Yeah?”
“In Mathematical Proofs, what was the answer to the last multiple-choice question?”
“Oh, that one? The one where you have to link two mathematical formulas to prove it? The answer for that one is super long.”
Iruki stopped mid-sentence, startled.
“Don't tell me...?”
“Yeah, I can't remember. Which proof I chose as the answer. I tried solving it again, but it's the same. I was definitely debating between two of them back then.”
“How many points is it? What's your score if you get it wrong?”
“78 points…”
Iruki and Nade realized the gravity of the situation. The last multiple-choice question was worth 2 points. Therefore, the result of a single question would decide between promotion and repeating the year.
“How can you not remember that? Which number did you write down for the answer?”
“Number 3. But I had Type A, so I can't check it.”
Nade hastily pulled out the exam paper. The notoriously difficult proof, with a single option spanning twenty lines, was densely written out. To be honest, he had gotten this question wrong too. Iruki was probably the only one in Class Five who had solved it easily.
Shirone clutched his head in anguish.
“I thought it was either number 2 or number 3. With 10 seconds left, I was agonizing over it when suddenly, it just hit me. But... I can't remember what 'it' was.”
It was something that could happen once or twice when time was running out. Nade and Iruki, who had been at the magic academy since they were young, knew exactly how that felt.
But this time, promotion was on the line. If he failed, he would have to stay in Class Five for another half-year.
Nade was dying of impatience.
“Damn it! I can't wait any longer!”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to go and check in person. Let's ask Ms. Shina. She's our homeroom teacher.”
Shirone also felt like he couldn't get anything done in this state. Having made their decision, the three of them left the society room and headed for the exam building.
Since they had spent a whole day grading, the Class Four exam was currently in progress. Shirone's group slipped into the building during lunchtime and anxiously waited for the teachers to return. After about 30 minutes, Shina walked down the hallway. The three of them ran towards her as if in a race.
“Ms. Shina! Ms. Shina!”
“Hmm? Why are you guys here? The Class Five exam ended yesterday, didn't it?”
“The last multiple-choice question on the Type A Mathematical Proofs exam! What's the correct answer?”
Shina tilted her head. Her major was chemistry, but since the exam papers were reviewed at least three times, all teachers participated in grading. Of course, even if it wasn't her specialty, math at a student's level was a piece of cake for someone of her skill.
“Why the sudden question?”
“Please, quickly! This is a really important question.”
Reading the urgency in Nade's eyes, Shina recalled the last multiple-choice question. It was quite difficult, so it had stuck in her memory.
“Oh, that one? For Type A, it's number 2, right?”
“Number 2…”
Shirone's body froze as if he'd been struck by a hammer. The answer he wrote was number 3. He had gotten it wrong after all. His score was 78. The thought of his promotion being canceled over a mere 2-point difference made it hard to breathe.
“Number 2… Number 2…”
Muttering the same word, Shirone suddenly grabbed the back of his neck. Unable to hold himself up, he started to fall backward. Nade quickly caught him just before he hit the hallway floor.
“Shirone! Are you okay? Snap out of it! You're supposed to be indestructible!”
“Number 2? Why... How could it be number 2…”
“We'll be going now, Ms. Shina! Thank you for your hard work!”
Even as he was being dragged away, Shirone kept muttering the same thing. Shina, who had been watching silently, blinked and then let out a small laugh as she headed to the faculty office.
“Honestly, don't those kids ever get tired? They're full of energy every day.”
The faculty office was bustling with teachers grading exams. Shina also sat down at her desk and began grading. Then, on a whim, she opened her drawer and took out a Type A Mathematical Proofs exam paper.
“'The last multiple-choice question,' they said?”
Shina examined the final question. After mentally solving it for a moment, she smiled brightly and said.
“Ah, it's number 3.”
Arian Shirone. Promotion confirmed.