Studying Mid-Duel

The hour had flown by without anyone noticing how it passed.

Simon had finished all twenty Summoning problems and was grinding away at the Magic Combat questions alongside Camibarez when a TA shouted that five minutes remained until the end of the exam.

"Guess on everything left! All 5s!"

Meilyn shouted it as she wrapped up her essay questions. Simon, too, went down the remaining items marking 5 after 5, then returned to his original work and burned through what time he had left.

"That's the end of the exam."

Jane announced.

"Quills down, everyone!"

"Hands on top of your heads!"

The TAs made the rounds themselves, collecting the exam papers and answer sheets. The students' eyes, thick with regret, followed the papers being carried away.

"Good work, everyone."

The TAs handed out fresh exam papers, then passed each student a workbook with the answer key and full explanations attached.

"The performance assessment results will be announced after the midterms. For the rest of our time, you'll grade your own work and check which problems you got wrong."

"Yes, sir!"

Simon decided to start with Summoning. Heart pounding, he pressed down hard on his quill.

'Come on, go up...!'

He began grading. Unlike the regular midterm, there were only twenty questions, but he'd gotten so many right that the improvement in his score was plain to see. With a racing heart, Simon added up the points from each correct answer.

The result was—

"I went up! An 84!"

A full eight points above his previous 76.

Granted, it wasn't a huge jump considering how much he'd studied for Summoning up to that point, but the effort needed to climb from the 70s into the 80s was on an entirely different dimension from what it took to go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from 30 to 40. Eight points was, by anyone's measure, a dramatic improvement.

"...Er, hm. Not bad, I guess."

Meilyn congratulated him with a grudging smile.

'Seeing the results right away like this makes studying actually fun.'

It was a different exam, so a true comparison wasn't possible, but Meilyn had scored an 85 on the last test. At this rate, the midterm held real promise.

"Hey! Who the hell did the Holy Defense section on this?!"

Meilyn exploded mid-grading. Dick lifted his head with a sheepish look.

"Th-that was me."

"You got three in a row wrong right here! Seriously, how do you get these wrong?!"

Meilyn vented her fury like a volcano, and Dick cringed and hung his head. Just then Camibarez, who'd been checking her own answers, let out a "Wha—!"

"I got an 89 in Hemomancy! My score went up!"

"Wait, really, really?! I love you, Cami!"

Meilyn threw her arms around her, basking in the joy.

Off to the side, Dick—who was still being scolded—sneaked a thumbs-up. Camibarez laughed a "Ahaha" and raised her thumb back.

And with that, all the self-grading was done.

"Overall, I'd predict we're in the top tier."

Meilyn crossed her arms.

"There were some rough spots, but with all four of us aiming for different specializations, the more spread out we are, the better our odds. Our rankings won't drop."

Everyone nodded.

"And Professor Jane really is something. The questions were excellent. If you just drill an answer notebook of everything on this exam, I bet you'd ace anything. Nobody shows this exam to the other classes even if it kills you—and I already told the class rep to keep it locked down."

She flashed a sly smile, eyes darting around.

"And just in case~ I'm assuming none of you idiots in our group would go selling these questions for money."

Dick's face went stiff for a heartbeat, but he quickly forced a laugh.

"O-of course not! For Class A, I'd gladly suffer this much loss—ah!"

"What is it, Dick?"

"Now that you mention it, there's another Duel Evaluation tomorrow."

Ahhh—

Camibarez, who had looked so happy a moment ago, deflated instantly and buried her face in her palms. Simon, on the other hand, was all smiles.

"It's something we have to do once a week whether we like it or not. If I win tomorrow, that puts me in the High Squad, right?"

"Right it does."

"Ooh~ Feeling confident, Simon?"

At Meilyn's question, Simon crossed his arms.

"Same as always, I guess."

"Be extra careful tomorrow, Simon."

Dick said seriously.

"Word's spread everywhere that you can use a Golem. Your opponent is probably going to come at you full force from the opening bell."

"Probably."

"Alright, alright."

Meilyn clapped her hands.

"The Duel Evaluations matter enormously too, so tonight I'm going all-in on the duel. Let's get it over with fast and get back to midterm studying."

"Yes, Meilyn!"

"Okay."

The next day—the day of the Duel Evaluation.

Indoor Arena No. 3.

Unlike the feverish excitement of the previous week, the spectator seats were rather sparse. Next week was the midterm, and during exam season even outside scouts were barred from entering, supposedly so the students could manage their stress.

Dick, Meilyn, and Camibarez were all fighting their own duels in separate arenas.

Honestly, the empty atmosphere made it easier on the nerves. Simon clutched a notebook crammed with memorization material and began droning formulas to himself. Not even scraps of time like this could be wasted.

—Class A's Simon Polentia and Class H's Jessica Cananor, please make your way to the arena.

Simon, who had been waiting nearby, stood and strode out onto the field. His opponent was approaching from the opposite side as well. Jessica was a green-haired girl with freckles.

Henchmen scampered out and fitted the protective suits over them, and then the referee gave the signal.

"Contestants, shake hands."

Jessica came over for the handshake. And then—

Mumble mumble mumble.

Right up until the moment they closed the distance, Simon's eyes never left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his answer notebook. Only when they were nearly face to face did he lower it, flash a bright grin, and offer his hand.

'Studying for the midterms in the middle of all this? What an odd one.'

Jessica forced a smile and shook his hand.

The two of them slowly backed apart. When Jessica glanced over her shoulder, Simon was already face-deep in the notebook again.

'So being Special Admission No. 1 means you get to look down on people like this?'

It stung a little.

A moment later, they faced each other and took their stances.

"And now, we begin the Duel Evaluation between Simon Polentia of Class A and Jessica Cananor of Class H."

The referee's arm dropped.

"Begin!"

With the notebook still hiding his face, Simon brought out three Skeletons. Jessica's expression hardened.

'There are limits to how far you can insult me!'

She immediately prepared dark magic in her palm. Simon made no aggressive moves beyond advancing his formation, and she completed her spell without interference.

'Poison Fog!'

The green sphere Jessica conjured began spewing toxic mist in every direction.

In the blink of an eye the entire arena was filled with green smoke. Thanks to the mana barrier, none of it escaped into the stands—it pooled thick and heavy around the center where Simon stood.

"Huh."

Simon finally lifted his eyes from the notebook and looked around.

"Toxicology major, then."

This time he had no information on his opponent. During midterm season, Simon had declined to dig any up himself, unwilling to put needless pressure on Dick.

Meanwhile, the protective suit covering Simon's body kept flickering between red and blue—a sign that 'damage judgments' were ticking away continuously.

'So that's how this works, huh.'

Lay down a poison fog, gnaw away at the opponent's health bit by bit, while the poison mage herself focuses on defense and counters.

Time was on the toxicologist's side, so the opponent had no choice but to grow psychologically frantic.

Perhaps that was why Simon tucked the answer notebook into his subspace.

Seeing this, Jessica smiled a knowing smile.

'There we go. Now you've realized this is no time for midterm study—'

But no sooner had the notebook vanished than a new one popped out.

'Lucky me!'

This one was his Toxicology memorization notes.

'Poison Fog. A staple exam question for Toxicology. A wide-area spell that inflicts a variety of effects through different combinations of toxins. Vulnerable to wind-element dark magic. The runes and modifiers used are...'

Having tried exam prep for the first time in his life, Simon had realized one important thing.

Kizen had endless amounts of material to memorize, and locking yourself in a study room all day trying to force it all into your head simply didn't work.

So Simon's breakthrough was the association method—linking characters and facts to events or situations so they surfaced in his mind naturally.

The key point: never treat what you need to memorize as words on a page! Transform it into a living, moving scenario, and you could recall it with astonishing ease.

Which meant that, for Simon, studying Toxicology in his current situation was an opportunity too good to miss.

If he memorized it here and now, then simply recalling this battle with Jessica would bring it all flooding back.

As Simon half-lost himself in memorizing, his opponent Jessica was left flabbergasted.

Her irritation had boiled over into outright fury.

'Ugh, he's infuriating! I want to sprint over there and beat the—no! No! Stay focused!'

This was Kizen. Provoking and unsettling your opponent was a legitimate part of psychological warfare.

There was no doubt this was an act meant to rattle her composure.

And if he really was underestimating her, wasn't that a good thing? Don't take the bait—just flatten his nose with actual skill and be done with it.

'His Barrier Gauge is draining steadily anyway. All I have to do is hold out—'

Fwoosh!

An arrow came flying straight at her face. Jessica tilted her head out of the way by a hair's breadth.

'Haa— that scared me.'

Cold sweat poured down. Behind Simon, three Skeletons now stood with bows in hand. Her pupils blew wide.

'S-Skeleton Archers! He's already using those?'

So the rumor about the Summoning-track student who commanded Golems hadn't been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠idle talk after all.

Then Simon, face still buried in his notebook, swept an arm forward.

The archers' will dimmed, and the Skeletons at the front surged toward Jessica in a rush.

'Stay calm...!'

She raised a magic circle in her right hand and drew out a poison potion with her left. The moment she set the vial on the circle, it shattered with a crack! and the concentrated venom within gathered together.

She seized it with both hands and swung with all her might.

'Poison Whip!'

A whip of fused dark magic and venom lashed out and shattered all three Skeletons at once. Simon slid his index finger upward.

'Restoration.'

But the scattered bones only twitched and shuddered, unresponsive.

Simon lowered the notebook slightly and looked ahead. Patches of the Skeletons' bodies had been stained violet.

"Cavara's Poison drops a body's jet-black sensitivity to almost nothing."

Jessica smirked.

"And when it touches a Skeleton, it neutralizes the residual jet-black in the bones, making restoration impossible for a while. You didn't know that, did you?"

It was the card Jessica had prepared specifically to fight a Summoning-track student. Seeing that smug Special Admission No. 1 wearing a dumbstruck expression made her chest suddenly open wide, her pride soaring.

"Oh. I see."

Simon exclaimed with genuine admiration and drew a quill from his subspace.

"Cavara's Poison... reduced jet-black sensitivity..."

And then he began taking notes. A vein popped across Jessica's forehead.

"I'm! Your midterm! Instructor!"

Three Jet-Black Arrow magic circles began forming in front of her at terrifying speed.

"Take this!"

The instant she moved to fire them—

Whoosh! Whish! Whoosh!

The Skeleton Archers' arrows grazed past the circles. Her eyes went wide. The circles crackled like broken machines and began to collapse.

"Memorization points for the Jet-Black Arrow."

Simon murmured.

"Fast casting. Easy multi-incantation. Excellent penetration. Core rune: projection. When writing the release formula, beware confusion with the elasticity formula. And..."

Simon's frosty gaze turned to her magic circles.

"Beware damage to the left binding formula."

"You—!"

Simon pulled new Skeletons from his subspace and sent them running. This time all three were armed with spear and shield.

Jessica bit her lip and drew out a potion again, preparing another Poison Whip.

"Memorization points for Poison Whip."

The three Skeletons hurled the spears in their hands.

"Fixed-circuit magic circle. If the circle's coordinates are disturbed, it collapses."

Jessica shrieked and flung herself aside. A spearhead grazed past her body, and one struck her thigh. Her Barrier Gauge dropped, and the circle she'd been preparing was destroyed along with it.

"Gah!"

As Jessica staggered and tried to steady herself, more spears came flying from behind her.

"Kyaah!"

Down on one knee, she quickly looked back. On the floor, an arm and shoulder section of a Skeleton had assembled itself at some point.

'No way—he only restored the parts the Poison Whip didn't hit, picked up the fallen spears, and threw them?'

The offensive began from here.

Simon's command was dazzling enough to make your eyes sting.

"When deploying Jet-Black Arrows against a target moving at 6 meters per second..."

"Select all correct responses by the summoner when one-third of the arm and sternum bones are judged unrestorable..."

"If the Skeleton's jet-black composition is altered to..."

Murmuring formulas and constructing problems on the fly, Simon predicted and saw through every one of Jessica's movements and attacks.

Simon himself was astonished.

Studying and combat were never separate things. Theory, applied to real combat, was actively aiding his split-second decisions.

The effort he'd poured into this exam season had made Simon's movements several degrees more precise.

'Not like this—!'

Jessica clenched her teeth. Before her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Poison Fog could bring Simon down, she would be the one to fall first.

Every dark spell she used had been read perfectly. Now she had to make her decision.

'They did say his Magic Combat was strong...!'

Gathering jet-black into both fists, she charged straight at Simon.

'It's the only way left!'

Arrows from the Skeleton Archers came flying at the back of Simon, whose face was still hidden behind his notebook. She took the arrows with her own body and kept charging.

"Hrrraaaaaagh!"

Her fist, powered by every ounce of strength she had, hurtled toward Simon's notebook-shielded face.

"...!"

In that instant.

She lost him. She thought he'd vanished—and her fist sliced through empty air.

Simon's body, moving like lightning, dropped until it nearly brushed the floor, then spun in a sweeping rotation around her. His leg shot up like a pillar and kicked her clean off the ground in the stomach.

CRUUUUNGH!

The sheer force sent her body flying into the air. Simon, righting himself and rising, raised his arms above his head.

Tik. Tik-tik.

The Skeleton bones strewn haphazardly across the floor began to float up as if coming alive.

With Simon's clenched fist as the signal—

From every direction, they shot up toward her at terrifying speed.

'Ah...'

There was no dodging in midair.

Watching the bones fly toward her, Jessica closed her eyes as if in surrender.

BABABABABAM!

"Match over!"

Jessica collapsed limply to the floor, and the referee shouted.

"The winner is Simon Polentia of Class A!"