Chapter 375
Chapter 375
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 375
Chapter Title: Graduation Class Briefing (3)
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As the Courage of Truth concluded, an elderly teacher walked out from the graduation class building.
It was Colly, the head teacher of the graduation class.
“Is the event over?”
While the advanced class rarely saw the faces of the graduation class teachers, Colly was a familiar figure even to Class Three.
This was because he had served as the interim headmaster during the six-month vacancy after Alpheas stepped down following the Arcane incident, before Olivia was appointed.
Although he was a certified Grade 6, his position was an acknowledgment of his decades of service in education, meaning his abilities were considered inferior to skill-based teachers like Shina, Etella, or Thadd.
In any organization, just as there are those who seize executive positions at a young age, there are also perennial section chiefs and department heads.
However, no student let their guard down, as his eye for evaluating ability was considered superior to that of the younger teachers.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Colly, the head teacher of the graduation class.”
“Hello!”
The students of Class Two were even more fired up than those of Class Three.
“We will now begin the graduation class briefing. Class Three, follow me. Class Two, enjoy a short break. You know the drill by now, don't you?”
The faces of the Class Two students turned pale. But this, too, was a veteran's prerogative, so they fully embraced their miserable expressions.
Colly led Class Three to a conference room on the first floor of the building.
It was empty and a little cold.
As the ten students sat around the end of a long table, Colly ascended the platform on the opposite side.
“From now on, there will be no more time for you to learn anything at this academy.”
At Colly's words, all conversation ceased.
“Your basic education ended in the advanced class. The graduation class merely serves as a link between the academy and society. What matters most here is whether or not your skills will hold up in a real fight.”
Mine will.
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
“You were born with talents different from ordinary people, and for that reason, the academy has never treated you like children who need constant care. It may sound inhumane, but if you die during class, fifty percent of the responsibility is yours. If expressing it as a number is too vague, let me put it this way: the academy will provide compensation for your death, but it will not take responsibility.”
This was something they had heard at the magic academy's entrance briefing. However, Colly's words were far more blunt.
“And the graduation class is different still. One hundred percent—your lives are your own responsibility. From now on, this place is not a school, but a partner institution of the kingdom's Magic Association. It will serve only to determine whether you can be deployed to the field as immediate assets.”
Colly presented a card.
“What you see here is my evaluation instructor's license, issued by the Graduation Examination Assessment Records Office. From today, every evaluation I record will be officialized and submitted to the Association. Furthermore, all institutions under the global Red Line will have exclusive access to this information.”
An unknown chill filled the air. The memories of their days in the advanced class faded away.
“Now, I will explain the graduation class schedule.”
When he pulled a golden cord, a banner illustrated with a diagram of the graduation class evaluation items descended.
“What's written here is the graduation class schedule. It runs for a total of thirty weeks, with six events evaluated in rotation each week.”
Pandora raised her hand.
“May we take notes?”
“No. The first day's evaluation is interpersonal combat. The thirty graduation class students will face a different opponent each week. A win is worth three points, a draw is one point, and a loss is zero. This means you will compete against everyone once over the course of twenty-nine weeks. There is no interpersonal combat in the final, thirtieth week, as it could negatively affect the graduation exam.”
Boil raised his hand.
“I have a question. You said a draw is worth one point, but is it possible to have a draw in a duel?”
“The one whose mental energy gauge reaches zero loses. However, if both gauges reach zero simultaneously, or if no winner is decided within the ten-minute time limit, it will be treated as a draw, and each will receive one point.”
*‘So there is a time limit.’*
Since the graduation class included students whose majors weren't specialized in combat, Shirone had been optimistic about interpersonal combat.
But if he employed a defensive strategy, there was a chance he could last ten minutes and secure one point.
“Day two evaluation: Mental Activity. Location: Image Zone training ground. A geometric filter made of holograms will approach every three seconds. You must alter your Spirit Zone to pass through the filter without touching the hologram. The difficulty will increase each week, and points will be awarded on a scale from five to zero based on the number of successful passes.”
*‘Ugh, that sounds really difficult.’*
Shirone himself had once altered his Spirit Zone to rescue hostages in Bashka's Gold City. But since durability was his strength, it was certainly a tricky task for him.
Arin, on the other hand, was relaxed. The mental flexibility of a psychic-type mage was unparalleled, so this event would likely not be very difficult for her.
Canis, who knew this, leaned over and whispered, “You have to get a perfect score on that one.”
Of course, Arin nodded obediently.
“Day three: Tactics and Strategy. This is a group evaluation. You will be divided into six groups of five based on your rank from first to thirtieth. Each group will face simulation monsters in Training Ground 2000. The first group to complete the mission gets five points, and the last group gets zero.”
Even from this brief explanation, the students realized the gravity of the situation.
A rule where someone must get zero.
And joint responsibility.
While grouping by rank meant the skill levels would be similar, blame would still be assigned within the groups. Conflict among team members was inevitable.
Of course, the probability of that was highest in the group that received zero points.
“Day four: Specialty Enhancement. There are twenty evaluation categories prepared according to your major. Each category is divided into ten levels, and you earn one point for each level achieved. For reference, the level ten difficulty for the ‘Caloric Value’ category in the fire element is one thousand degrees Celsius.”
*‘A thousand degrees Celsius for the master difficulty?’*
That wasn't a student-level difficulty.
Of course, Amy had reached a thousand degrees during the break, but that was thanks to her Red Eyes ability, which eliminated entropy.
*‘So it’s basically a professional-level achievement.’*
“For Specialty Enhancement alone, points are not cumulative. When you reach a certain level, the points from the previous levels are erased. You will register your major during your individual interviews tomorrow, so choose carefully.”
*‘So that's how it is...’*
Once you pass the master difficulty and get ten points, you can't earn any more. However, since you could strategically control your score and get high points early on, this event would be a major variable in the competition.
“Day five: Cognition and Judgment. Location: the Virtual Zone. You all experienced this during the entrance ceremony test, I presume.”
Shirone had also taken a test in the Virtual Zone. He had counted the number of spheres and described sensations of cold and heat.
“But the graduation class is on a different level. You will experience extreme situations. The key is how long you can survive based on your own judgment. This, too, will be scored on a scale from five to zero based on your performance.”
Shirone rubbed his face. The other students, who had confidently passed through the steel doors, also had dark expressions.
“Day six evaluation: Omnipotence Simulation. This will also be held in the Virtual Zone. For example, if you are given a problem like, ‘In an environment of minus twenty-seven degrees, raise the temperature to three degrees Celsius,’ you must solve it using the thirty-six basic regulation spells designated by the Association.”
For Shirone, the Omnipotence Simulation was also tricky.
Of course, he had scored over eighty on all subjects in the theory exam, but since the other students had done the same, it couldn't be considered a competitive advantage.
“These are the six evaluation items you will face each week. You will acquire points as you rotate through them for thirty weeks, and your rank will be rearranged daily based on your total score.”
Thud! Thud! The moment Colly finished speaking, a few students slammed their foreheads onto the table.
Shirone also folded his arms and rested his head on them.
He just wanted to sleep.
*‘This is the evaluation for one week? Amy, how did you survive a year of this? No, how could you even think of doing this again?’*
Colly said with a smile.
“If you want to rest, then rest. You are semi-professionals, after all. But if this is too much for you, you won't be able to graduate.”
The students slowly sat up. Their eyes seemed to say, *Alright, let's hear what else you've got.*
“There is also a comprehensive evaluation. It is held on the last holiday of every four-week period, and the events are nearly identical to the graduation exam: ‘Interpersonal Combat,’ ‘Hill Conquest,’ ‘Mana Operation,’ ‘Finishing Move,’ ‘Survival,’ and ‘Tactics and Strategy.’”
It was a kind of mock graduation exam.
“For the comprehensive evaluation, group formation is unrestricted. You can form a group with whomever you wish. If you win the comprehensive evaluation, you gain twenty points. Conversely, the loser has twenty points deducted.”
The students murmured at the huge point allocation.
Gaining twenty points for yourself and taking twenty from your opponent meant you could create a forty-point gap.
*‘This is... too cruel.’*
Amy's words welcoming him to hell were no exaggeration.
“Assuming you get a perfect score in all subjects up to the thirtieth week, the maximum number of points an individual can obtain is 87 from Interpersonal Combat, 150 from Mental Activity, 150 from Tactics and Strategy, 150 from Cognition and Judgment, 200 from Specialty Enhancement, and 300 from Omnipotence Simulation, for a total of 1,037 points.”
The numbers began to spin in the students' heads.
“Adding to that, if you win all six comprehensive evaluations, you gain another 120 points, bringing the perfect score to 1,157. According to statistics, the average cutoff score for graduation is one thousand points.”
“One thousand points…”
Shirone's mouth hung open blankly. It was a score that required obtaining 86.4 percent of the total available points.
“The evaluations are held every day except for holidays, so the rankings also change daily according to the scores. In the beginning, the difficulty is low, so there won't be much fluctuation, but it's common for ranks to jump around as the weeks progress. This is the year-long journey you will undertake.”
A grim silence filled the conference room.
*‘A thousand points? This isn't easy. This is really not easy.’*
It wasn't a matter of simply being good at combat or having an outstanding talent.
It was an evaluation of everything one must possess as a mage.
“Now, for the final and most important piece of information.”
The students' gazes turned back to Colly.
“The graduation class schedule will begin in two days and the evaluations will proceed for thirty weeks. And you…”
Colly set down his pointer, clasped his hands behind his back, and said.
“...have the right to refuse all of these evaluations.”
It was as if the conference room was murmuring with unspoken thoughts.
“So, you mean we can forfeit the evaluations?”
“That's right. To be precise, it means that the points earned in these evaluations do not affect the success or failure of the graduation exam. Even if you don't participate in the evaluations, if you pass the exam, you graduate.”
Sabina asked.
“Are there any restrictions if we refuse the evaluations?”
“No particular restrictions, but students who refuse the evaluations will have their access to the training grounds restricted.”
“Hmm... so we can't observe.”
You can't visually confirm your opponents' capabilities.
But since there were factions in the last graduation exam, it wasn't much of a restriction, as you could still form strategies if just one person from your group participated.
Nade asked.
“Then what's the advantage of taking the evaluations?”
“It seems you're misunderstanding something. I said you are semi-professionals. This isn't homework. There are no advantages for doing it or disadvantages for not doing it. The decision is yours.”
Colly leaned forward, resting his hands on the lectern.
“On the day of the graduation exam, scouts will be dispatched from Red Line Associations all over the world. For a school of the Five Great Academies' caliber, you should expect scouts from dozens of countries to be in attendance.”
The students' eyes shone with intensity.
“According to Red Line regulations, the academy is obligated to provide your profiles. From a scout's perspective, this adds depth to their judgment, but if your evaluation scores are a mess, it could be poison. That's the kind of issue this is. It's a choice not about the academy, but about how each of you will shape your own lives.”
*‘I see. From now on, graduation isn't everything.’*
The Red Line operates a trade system to prevent its affiliated mages from leaving the line.
Of course, the home country's association has the first right of negotiation, but if negotiations fail, it's not an issue for another to pay a transfer fee and take you.
What major to choose, what institution to join. And ultimately, what to achieve in your own life.
The moment they entered the graduation class, their lives as mages had already begun.
“This concludes the briefing. There will be individual interviews tomorrow, so spend today choosing your major carefully.”