Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Another Genius (1)
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Shirone was promoted to Class Five.
It was fortunate that Shina, who understood his unique study method, the 'Spine of Knowledge,' became his dedicated instructor.
Having jumped two classes at once, there were times he struggled to keep up, but Shirone stuck to his existing method.
The advanced classes held weekly exams and a final exam at the end of the month to determine the monthly rankings. In his first test, Shirone placed 40th out of 40 students.
There were a total of 11 subjects, and his average score was a mere 32 points.
However, it was noteworthy that his scores were evenly distributed between 30 and 33 points across all subjects.
His average score on the second theory exam was 34.
‘An average increase of two points might seem trivial. But…’
His scores in every subject had risen simultaneously.
The third exam was similar, this time showing a steeper rise with all his subject scores distributed between 36 and 39 points.
‘Everything is rising at once.’
Watching the overall upward trend of Shirone’s grade graph, one could feel his determination.
‘What a relief. Staying at the bottom for too long can lead to a loss of confidence.’
The graph showed no hint of such anxiety; he was silently walking his own path.
‘Theory exams are important. They're one of the main criteria for evaluating Omniscience.’
The instructors considered a score of 60 or higher to be the minimum standard for being able to cast magic.
‘If he raises his score by 10 points a month, he'll be able to use basic magic in three months. If that happens…’
It would mean that in less than half a year, he could master the fundamentals of magic.
Of course, humans weren't machines; aptitude varied with disposition, and the gap would widen as scores got higher.
But looking at the graph now, a strange sense of anticipation arose—that it might just be possible.
Just how high could he raise his scores without letting a single subject fall behind?
The result would determine the extent of Shirone's potential.
‘His relationships with his peers are good, too.’
No one looked down on Shirone for his low grades.
By Class Five, the students' primary goal shifted from immediate rankings to reaching the graduate class.
Nations around the world spared no expense in maintaining top-tier magical systems, so it was crucial for students to specialize in a major and distinguish themselves from other mages.
Therefore, students who had yet to find a specialty were envious of Shirone, a specialist in Light.
‘Even I think the Photon series suits me well.’
Above all, the Photon series was a field where Omnipotence played a greater role than Omniscience.
Of course, the Omniscience side also had a highly developed theoretical framework, but there was a limit to what the human mind could grasp when it came to utilizing the properties of light.
Indeed, if Shirone hadn't perceived the fragmentation of time with his insight, he would never have been able to complete the uncrossable bridge.
For this reason, his classmates couldn't ignore him, and during integrated classes, it was common for underclassmen to greet him.
Ironically, the underclassman who followed Shirone the most was Mark, who had returned after being disciplined.
“Senior, sit here. I saved a spot for you.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Mark, the de facto leader of Class Seven, felt a sense of pride in being friendly with Shirone.
“Oh! There you are. Is there room for me?”
“Gasp! Good day, Senior!”
Mark shot up and greeted Seriel.
Seriel was a top-ranking student in Class Four, making her an unapproachable upperclassman.
Waving her hand dismissively, Seriel sat down next to Shirone and immediately snuggled up to him.
“My dear Shirone, you've been looking a little down lately. I guess that's natural, since your girlfriend left?”
“Haha! It's not like that.”
A week ago, Amy had passed her promotion test and finally advanced to the graduate class.
According to Seriel, she had passed with ease, but it was obvious she must have trained relentlessly, gritting her teeth the whole time.
“You must be lonelier than I am, Senior. You and Amy were always together.”
“I suppose so. But it's fine. I'm planning to enter the graduate class soon myself.”
“Huh? The graduate class?”
Seriel was certainly qualified.
While Class Four was filled with formidable talents, she too was a prodigy who excelled in healing magic.
Besides, the graduate class focused solely on majors, so healing magic, which was highly discerning, would offer many advantages.
“It's not like I'm just following my friend... but like Amy, I was inspired by you. My dream was originally to get a cushy job at a health center and live an easy life, but somehow, ending things like this felt like a waste.”
Hearing a school-recognized talent say her dream was to be a health center employee made Mark grimace.
“If you say things like that, Senior, what's supposed to become of me?”
“Hehe, don't worry too much. It's not like I got this far because I'm particularly good at anything. Anyone can make it to Class Four if they work hard. Shirone is the unusual case.”
Shirone quickly waved his hands.
“No, not at all. I was actually just lucky. The last promotion test wasn't part of the regular curriculum, after all.”
“No need to be so modest. I guarantee you'll be in the graduate class soon, too. Though Amy is dead set on not being your classmate there. Hehe, anyway, keep up the good work.”
‘Absolutely not as graduate classmates.’
It was a very Amy-like thing to say, and imagining her gritting her teeth and dedicating herself to training made his body feel warm.
“Oh, right. Speaking of which, has Amy decided on a major?”
“What? You still don't know? I've been thinking this for a while, but you two have a really dull relationship.”
“That's just how we are.”
As Shirone mumbled with a smile, Seriel rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
“Hmm, well, Amy's specialty is fire magic, and her casting style is specialized for targeting. From what I heard before, I think she's aiming to be a sniper.”
Most fire mages aimed to be battle mages, but sniper was a rather unique field.
“A sniper? Doesn't that mean becoming a soldier?”
Reading Shirone's feelings, Seriel gave a bitter smile.
“Can't be helped. I also think it's a bit strange for Amy to become a soldier, but it's normal to choose a profession that aligns with your talents. Besides, Amy is from the first-class family, Carmis. She'll have to do something for the honor of her family.”
Shirone was worried.
“But it's a dangerous job. Depending on the need, she'll have to go to a battlefield and even harm people.”
“That might be true, but if a war actually breaks out, things like majors won't matter at all. Anyone with the profession of a mage will be sent to the front lines without exception. The magic academy will become a training center for producing reserve mages under the kingdom's command. From that point on, there's no graduation or anything. You get basic military training and are deployed unconditionally.”
It was a bitter truth, hard to swallow.
“That's why it's a special-purpose school. Even if a student dies during training, they bear half the responsibility.”
“To put it bluntly, we're all just cogs in the kingdom's machine. In fact, the more skilled people like Amy there are, the stronger the war deterrence becomes.”
“That may be true, but...”
Tormia was a powerful nation in its own right, but since peace couldn't be guaranteed forever, being a soldier was not a safe profession.
Diplomatic friction could lead to war with other countries, and if an allied kingdom requested support, Amy would have no choice but to fight on the front lines.
The belligerent Mark didn't think too deeply about it and focused his interest elsewhere.
“Senior Amy becoming an officer... just imagining it, she'd be incredibly popular in her unit. Honestly, her cute looks and a soldier's uniform just don't match.”
“Hohoho! That's because you don't know Amy's personality. I think it'd actually suit her quite well. And Shirone, don't worry too much. It's not like mages go around swinging swords on the battlefield, and snipers tend to focus on espionage. When you think about it, it's cool, isn't it? Amy, the beautiful secret agent.”
“Haha, I guess you have a point.”
Shirone stopped thinking about it there.
It was true he was worried, but a prodigy who had never once failed to place first in school must have known what she was doing when she made her choice.
He felt that worrying excessively about a decision she had made herself would only be an insult to her pride.
When the theory class ended and it was time for practical training in the Spirit Zone, the students rose from their seats.
Practical training was conducted with students from the same class, so Shirone parted ways with Mark and Seriel and headed toward the area where the Class Five students were gathered.
Class Five had the highest concentration of students of the same age among the advanced classes, and Shirone's age fell right within that average range.
Although they burned with rivalry during exams, it was a class where they could forget the competition and laugh and chat on a daily basis.
Thanks to this, Shirone could train in the Spirit Zone without feeling as self-conscious as he might in other classes.
His peers would strike up conversations without hesitation whenever needed, and if things got a little dull, they would find other friends to chat with.
“Shirone, you're on fire today, as always. Let's practice together, if you're up for it.”
Nade from Class Five approached him.
A mischievous face with shimmering, light-green hair.
His personality was as cheerful as his appearance, and he was so sociable that he couldn't stand seeing anyone left out of the group—a boy who meddled in everyone's business.
Perhaps magic resembled one's personality, because his grades were also average, with no subjects he excelled or failed at.
The only unique thing about him was that he could use electricity magic, which was quite rare among the various magical systems.
‘Electricity... It's similar to light, but a different field.’
Depending on the attribute one learned, the importance of Omniscience and Omnipotence in magic was classified differently.
For example, if light magic leaned more toward Omnipotence than Omniscience, ice magic was more dependent on one's capacity for Omniscience.
By that logic, electricity magic was a field that was impossible without a balanced 50-50 ratio of Omniscience and Omnipotence.
‘Maybe this is also a reflection of his personality.’
Shirone had thought so at first, but after moving up to Class Five and hearing the full story, he learned there was more to it.
Nade's dream wasn't to be a mage, but a magical engineer.
Having worked with electricity consistently since he was young, his understanding of Omniscience and Omnipotence had naturally deepened, allowing him to use electricity magic without any issues upon entering the magic academy.
“Sure, let's do it. Then, for the casting method...”
“By the way, about Senior Amy, what's she like in person? Is she super feminine?”
The moment Shirone agreed, Nade pushed aside their practice and immediately brought up a topic of conversation.
‘I knew it.’
He was a friend with a knack for gathering people, and students would flock to him whenever there was even the smallest bit of news.
As if to prove it, two Class Five students came walking toward them, arguing.
“Argh, seriously! That's not it! Why can't you understand what I'm saying?”
“That's what I'm trying to tell you! That's not what's really important! I've been thinking it for a while, but you have a really weird personality.”
Shirone stared blankly as the two approached, pointing fingers at each other.
Judging by their raised voices, he thought they might be having a deep debate about magic.
“Oh! Perfect! Shirone-Nade, listen to this.”
The Class Five students called Shirone and Nade 'Shirone-Nade' when they were together, and as soon as the two arrived, they started talking, pointing at themselves without waiting for the other to go first.