Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Proof of the Tool (3)
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2 PM. After lunch was over, ninety seniors gathered in the main hall of Baramil Stadium. The place was sectioned off with a stage, like some concert venue.
"We're now starting the mini-draft."
Chedric, the person in charge, addressed them while looking around.
"Team leaders, come up to the stage first."
Gerkken, Soliet, Elise, and the other ten team leaders climbed onto the stage and took their seats.
"Starting with overall 1st place, Gerkken."
The first pick of the first round went to Gerkken.
At first glance, it might seem fair for the 10th place to get the first pick—and it is, to some extent—but the College Board prioritizes skill over fairness.
"I'll select Beric."
Gerkken picked Beric without hesitation. Beric walked out amid applause.
He was a guy with long hair.
His Prism ranking was 13th. Ten years from now, he'd land a key position at one of Edshila's big mana-tech companies—an elite through and through.
Anyway, point is, if I know the name, it's a talented guy.
"Beric. Come up to the stage and take the seat behind Gerkken."
"Yes!"
Beric sat in Gerkken's team's spot. His face was beaming with smug pride.
"Next, Soliet."
The second pick of the first round was Soliet.
Suddenly, I felt tense. My hands started shaking, so I quickly shoved them into my pockets.
"Hoo."
I took a deep breath.
Whether then or now, she's the one woman who disrupts my composure.
Just then, she glanced my way. I didn't avoid her gaze. My eyes said, I've got confidence.
"I'll..."
Soliet opened her mouth.
A gut feeling hit me out of nowhere. Like she was going to pick me.
Maybe it was just wishful thinking. But—
"Kielli."
"Kuhum."
A cough slipped out of me.
......
The mini-draft was over.
First round, second, third, and fourth.
It went a total of four rounds.
Ten people got picked each round.
My name wasn't even called as a joke.
-Let's do our best. For real.
-I'll work my ass off.
The picked ones huddled together on stage, full of camaraderie, while the unchosen ones like me scratched the back of their necks and flashed awkward smiles.
-Ah, I was off my game today.
-I got screwed in the no-mana zone. Honestly, isn't that no-mana zone thing useless?
-Dunno. They say it's important.
It didn't feel like outright defeat. With forty people left unpicked, it wasn't that bad.
Of course, I was the biggest loser among those forty.
"Even the unpicked seniors will now have 15 minutes to form teams."
No one looked my way. They actively avoided eye contact. If I approached, they'd subtly back away.
Probably because of some networking issue.
Elise.
Truth be told, the moment she targeted me, my school life was done for. Not just Endex—with a year or two more, Edshila's capital social scene would be in her grasp too. My social rep was already fucked.
—So, we'll go with six of us?
—Sounds good? We've got a decent balance. What's your GPA?
—Hey, hey. We're all mid-tier among the forty anyway. Let's do four of us.
—Shouldn't we push with numbers?
—Overkill. They'd just pick like twenty then.
The rejects clustered together, chattering among themselves, but I was alone. Forcing my way in wouldn't help.
"Time's up. Submit your teams."
Chedric called time. The reject groups started heading to the stage—
"Pick a team leader. Only one comes up."
—but got stopped by Chedric. The ones on stage snickered, and the rejects below dove back into debate.
—Hey, you be team leader.
—Nah, no way.
—Just do it. Might get bonus points.
No choice—I stepped up first. I climbed the stage and faced Chedric. Eyes from the drafted "official teams" behind him focused on me.
Chedric asked.
"Sion Askal. Your team?"
"Just me."
"Solo?"
"Yes."
Pfft—
Someone snorted. It was Rae. She twirled her hair and avoided my gaze.
Chedric jotted my name in the file.
"11th team confirmed: Sion Askal. Head back down."
A total of eighteen teams were set. Ten official teams, eight reject teams. Most rejects had 4-6 members, and naturally, I was solo.
Sure enough... is this the solitude of a one-man army?
"Now revealing the group assignments."
Clap—! Chedric clapped his hands. All ninety pairs of eyes locked on. Gulps echoed loudly.
Chedric got straight to it.
"Exploration."
Exploration. Groans rose here and there.
Pretty annoying assignment.
"Somewhere in Edshila, the university association has artificially created zones of various types. Explore one and write up an 'exploration report.'"
Correction.
Not pretty annoying—fucking annoying. Exploration was bad enough, but a report too?
"There are ten exploration sites."
Chedric projected ten landscape photos into the air, labeled [A], [B], [C], [D], [E]... in alphabetical order.
A was a fog-shrouded mountain, B an uninhabited island, C a jungle, D a desert, E a swamp, and so on.
"Also."
Snap— Chedric snapped his fingers. Thick envelopes floated up in stacks of ten and went to the team leaders.
Ten envelopes landed in my arms too. Each labeled A, B, C, etc. on the front.
"Envelope A contains two mana spells related to site A. One gives the coordinates of the exploration zone, the other is the key to enter it. Same for B, C, and so on. Pick a site, decipher the spells, and head there yourselves."
Looks like finding the assignment site is part of the assignment too. Total cliché.
"Assembly by Friday, 9 AM. No-shows get an F."
I swallowed the sigh rising to my chin.
My mana studies were still middle-school level. How the hell was I supposed to solve this?
—...Soliet. What do we do?
A name stabbed into my eardrum. A voice casually calling her like they were close.
My eyes turned that way.
It was 'Kielli.'
First round, second pick. In other words, Soliet's top choice.
That spot should've been mine—or not, really.
It was nagging at me anyway.
Jealousy... maybe.
I'd admired her once. Loved her, even.
Though that future Soliet and this one were totally different people. And they shouldn't be the same.
—I'll handle it for now.
—Aw, come on. We should still meet with the team members.
Soliet had talent in nearly everything. Swordsmanship, magic, mana spells—even stocks and real estate, financial stuff.
—Yes. We'll meet, and then I'll handle it.
Which meant she had a habit of doing everything solo.
"That's it for today—team selection. The assignment starts Friday, so no tasks on Wednesday."
Music to my ears midway through. The other seniors cracked subtle smiles at the unexpected break.
Chedric packed his files into his briefcase and said,
"Now, begin your group assignments."
Rush—!
Every team bolted out of the stadium. A few gave me pitying or amused glances—like I was pathetic, standing there alone—but it was fleeting. In just a minute, all eighty-nine were gone.
Only Chedric and I remained in the stadium.
"......"
I looked at Chedric wordlessly. He seemed slightly aware of me, but soon grabbed his bag and left.
I yelled out for no reason.
"Ah—"
—Ah.
The echo bounced back in the stadium.
This vast place, and just me.
All alone.
Group project with no group members.
Starting today.
Back at my temporary lodgings, I was studying. The final chapter of Mana Studies for Mana Users: Even Middle Schoolers Can Get It.
The subject of mana studies was learnable, thankfully. Thanks to Notebook, formulas I'd seen once didn't get forgotten.
Ah, don't get the wrong idea.
Not that I never forget what I've seen once.
It costs mana to 'retrieve' it.
Just like pulling up memories like Perion with Notebook, I could retrieve pure memories too.
Forgot a formula you studied?
Retrieve that memory with Notebook.
Notebook remembered every experience I'd ever had.
"Manageable."
And so, I finished reading Mana Studies for Mana Users: Even Middle Schoolers Can Get It.
Middle-school level now, I suppose.
Hmm.
I pulled out the mana spells from the envelopes I'd gotten today. One pair per site, twenty spells total.
Had to pick one of these ten.
"......Not a damn one makes sense."
Every mana spell was still alien gibberish. Not even language—just insanely complex patterns.
I glared at them until I gave up.
Well, I'd just hit middle-school level. I could barely parse basic mana formulas, let alone these. Group assignment mana spells—college-level puzzles that needed heads together to solve.
"Eh."
I tossed the mana spells aside and picked up the exploration site photos.
Obviously, pics alone told nothing. If they did, it'd be a glitch.
"......Wait. This."
But this exploration site [A].
Fog-covered mountain.
Looking at the fog and peaks gave me this nagging unease. Like something was on the tip of my tongue, chest tightening.
Pre-regression memory? But back then, I was bedridden around this time. No meaningful memories from then.
So, I had no clue what this feeling was from.
But Notebook might.
"......"
I closed my eyes quietly. Slowly retrieved Notebook's memories. Like searching files in a folder, limited to pre-regression, around this time: 'March 2013.'
Probably no clear memories of 'seeing' something directly back then. After my dantian cancer diagnosis, I spent three months staring blankly out the hospital window. Already a corpse by then.
......But.
[Last night, a 'mana phenomenon' occurred during the College Board process.]
Right, Notebook's sensory memories weren't just 'sight.'
[We now connect to a reporter on site. Elaine, please report the situation.]
The anchor's voice replayed in my ears.
'Sound' memory.
Hearing.
[Yes. This is the artificial fog mountain in the Parascal region, where the College Board assignment took place. Yesterday at 9 PM, a commotion arose from a Rank 5 mana phenomenon: Dispel...]
I'd 'heard' this College Board-related news before.
[Clams and underground beasts couldn't adapt to the sudden atmospheric change and burst out, threatening not just the seniors on assignment but nearby town residents as well...]
[Fortunately resolved without casualties—a mere hiccup—but a mandragora was discovered during the suppression operation...]
[Next: A suspicious figure spotted and killed near Parascal's fog mountain...]
My eyes snapped open.
Mandragora.
Suspicious figure? No casualties, so who cares. Mandragora.
A plant that looks human. Pulls it out, and it screams like a banshee. Insane plant.
"Holy shit."
Contrary to popular belief, mandragora isn't a panacea. More like poison or drugs.
Which makes it valuable.
Money.
"You're mine, you fucker."
Mandragora.
Price varies by quality, but averages 20,000 Ren per 100g. The fog mountain one? A whopping 500g.
After fees, labor, taxes—still 40-50k Ren easy.
"Mine, you fucker."
I had to take it. No question.