Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Second Midterm Exam
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The second midterm exam.
It was exactly what it sounded like: the second of the midterms.
The exams at the Magic Academy consisted of a first midterm, a second midterm, and then the final exam in July, which marked the end of the semester.
"You all know about the unfortunate incident during the first midterm. Because of that, this second midterm will proceed without any external observers."
"Teacher! Does that mean the final exam will also be without observers?"
One student shot their hand up and asked.
"That hasn't been decided yet. We'll announce it once a decision is made."
At Jang An-cheol's words, the student nodded.
"Alright, the second midterm will be held in two weeks. Prepare yourselves in advance. That's the announcement."
"Yes."
Morning homeroom ended like that. I sank into thought alone.
The second midterm.
With grades on the line, I had to put in the effort. And I had a rough idea of what the exams would entail.
Among them was a special exam conducted with the entire grade together.
It was the hunting exam held over one night and two days in a monster field designated for exams.
Come to think of it, in the original story, this was when Jang Ye attempted to assassinate Lee Seo-jun.
It was possible the same event could unfold this time too.
The monster field was vulnerable to safety issues, and who knew what accidents could happen there.
That made it an ideal place for quietly committing a crime.
But I planned to use that very day to deal with Jang Ye before any such incident could occur.
Especially since the monster hunting exam took place on an uninhabited island, it could evade surveillance from other factions like Jaun or the Blade of Dawn.
Of course, situations that could arouse suspicion might arise, so I needed to plan meticulously.
Late at night.
In a dark alley devoid of any presence, Jang Ye waited for someone.
After some time passed, a man emerged from the shadows.
"Lord Cheonhae."
"Long time no see, Jang Ye."
Jang Ye bowed her head politely. Cheonhae looked at her and pulled something from his bosom to hand over.
"It's a gift from the King."
Jang Ye received the item. It was a gem glowing red.
"Is this a bloodstone?"
"Yes, and it's one made from the blood of an A-Rank human wizard."
Jang Ye took the bloodstone and stared at it blankly.
Just as Cheonhae said, she could feel the condensed, powerful mana within it.
"Absorb it little by little, slowly. At your level, it would still be too much to handle all at once."
Bloodstones were stones made from human blood to help high-ranking demons grow their power. But one made from an A-Rank wizard's blood was extremely rare.
Simply consuming it could dramatically boost one's mana.
Handing such an item to Jang Ye meant her mission carried that much weight.
"...Thank you."
"Take this too."
Cheonhae handed her another item. It was a crude, blue gem she'd never seen before.
"What's this?"
"It's a special relic that disables all machines within a certain range. It can paralyze every machine in the vicinity for at least 30 minutes."
"A relic?"
She hadn't expected to receive relic support as well.
Since it disabled machines, it was probably meant to block all the recording devices during the exam.
Jang Ye nodded and tucked it into her bosom.
"Oh, right. How's the investigation into that 18-year-old human from the duel realm going?"
"No luck. Without video evidence, we're relying on rumors, and it's not easy. Plus, it's been over a month already."
"I see."
Cheonhae nodded.
"It's a shame, but unavoidable. Don't give up—keep searching."
"Yes."
［Light Attribute Control Technique］ ［Grade: 0 (1.8%)］
"Damn, it's barely going up."
Over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—three full days of grueling training in light attribute magic—I'd only raised the proficiency by a measly 1.8%.
It was at 1% on Saturday, and then Sunday and Monday added just 0.8% combined.
At this rate, reaching 100% seemed impossible.
"Sigh."
It was greedy to want more. Being able to wield a specific attribute that not just anyone could acquire was luxury enough for me.
"Yeah, I should be satisfied."
Complaining about free stuff showed a lack of conscience.
With that positive conclusion, I slumped onto the bed.
"Time to check the stocks."
I'd been diversifying investments across various companies lately.
Knowing which companies and guilds had high growth potential, the balance in my stock account grew daily.
Before long, the value of my holdings surpassed 7 billion. That was enough to buy a non-mainstream S-Rank item.
"Money's easy to make."
The power of information was truly great.
"Home."
Lately, I'd been feeling an accumulation of fatigue.
Around this time every night, my mind felt heavy, like I could pass out.
Was it from overworking my body?
"Oh, right."
I pulled out the music box I'd received as a gift today from my bosom.
Placing the antique-looking music box on the desk by the bed gave the room a nice atmosphere.
Normally, I'd feel a bit uneasy about receiving something meant for Lee Seo-jun, but since the music box was just a minor event gift, it wasn't worth stressing over.
With another positive conclusion, I opened the music box's case. At the same time, dreamy music flowed out.
Honestly, it wasn't my taste. Still, since it was said to have healing effects, I kept listening.
Bzzz.
Then, an alarm rang from the smart student notebook on the desk.
[Special Class Notice.]
[This week's Wednesday special class will be held indoors. Gather at Main Building Room 503 by 7 PM.]
"What a hassle."
I was already swamped, and now I had to do the special class too.
It was truly exhausting. I could definitely feel the need for rest.
At least it was an indoor lecture this time, so that was a relief.
"Sigh."
I let out a deep sigh, and then it vibrated again.
［Sunbae, it's not group class this time~］
It was Choi Seo-yoon.
I pondered how to reply and sent a curt response.
［Yeah.］
［Short replies are no fun (glaring emoticon)］
［Oh, and make sure to listen to the music box I gave you all the way to the end before sleeping! Got it?］
I glanced at the music box by the bed.
[Already listening.]
I sent the reply, and with a click, the music box's tune ended.
"Should I just sleep like this?"
I set the smart student notebook next to the music box. It rang with another message alert, but I ignored it.
I closed the music box lid and turned off the light switch.
I lay lightly on the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling, I closed my eyes.
And with that, I fell asleep.
I woke to the sound of the alarm.
"Yaaawn..."
I sat up and stretched.
For some reason, I felt like I'd slept much deeper than usual. It was like all my fatigue had melted away.
Even right after waking, my mind felt clear.
I stared blankly at the wall for a moment, then glanced at the music box by the bed.
"...Wow, this thing's effect is amazing."
7 PM, as the sun set.
With the special class today, I finished dinner and headed to Main Building Room 503.
Opening the door, I saw numerous students seated. I found the second-year seats and sat down.
As I took my seat, Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun greeted me warmly. Yoo Ara, sitting next to me, glanced at me and said a short "Hi."
I sat and waited for class to start.
Then, I spotted Jang Ye's back as she chatted with the third-years in the distance. Suddenly curious about her info, I used Character Analysis.
Name: Jang Ye
Age: 19
Race: Demon
Status: Tense
Mana Grade: A-
Interest: 0
As I read Jang Ye's info absentmindedly, one part raised a question.
'Mana grade A-?'
I squinted and checked again.
It was definitely A-.
This was a huge change from the original story, where she was described as B-Grade demon level.
What was going on?
The original description couldn't be wrong.
That meant the plot had diverged.
'Did the Ten Demon Society pull some strings?'
It was possible.
Demons grew their power by devouring human blood. If the Ten Demon Society provided blood from a wizard with strong mana, it wasn't impossible for her to reach A- mana grade.
That pretty much confirmed their top priority target was Lee Seo-jun.
"Hmm..."
"What're you thinking about?"
As I wore a serious expression, Yoo Ara, sitting next to me, asked.
"Nah, nothing."
I shook my head, and Yoo Ara narrowed her eyes.
She looked like she had something to say but clamped her mouth shut.
"If something's bothering you, tell me."
Her voice was serious. She was always earnest, but this was even more so.
"Nope, nothing like that."
"...Suit yourself."
Yoo Ara turned her head sharply. At that moment, the front door slid open, and the teacher, Park Jung-wan, entered.
"Alright, seems everyone’s here. Today, we'll lecture on mana control and flow, a theoretical class."
The class proceeded.
It started with theory, then moved to practical.
"Now, we'll practice changing the form of magic. Everyone, manifest magic on your hand in your own way."
At Park Jung-wan's words, everyone manifested magic on their hands.
Even non-manifestation wizards could handle basic magic manifestation, so no one failed.
"Now, you'll develop the 'flexibility' of your imagination."
Park Jung-wan manifested magic on her hand. It started as a sphere, then became a thin semicircle, then a star shape, the form shifting continuously.
"Wow..."
Admiration burst from some students. I was similarly dazed watching it.
Changing the form of already manifested magic was quite difficult. As she said, it required considerable imaginative flexibility.
"Hmm..."
I tried to manipulate the magic sphere on my hand as much as possible. But it didn't work well.
Glancing sideways, Yoo Ara was transforming her magic sphere into absurd shapes effortlessly.
"...Insane."
At my mutter, Yoo Ara glanced at me.
"You can't do this?"
"Nope, can't."
"Liar."
"...For real."
Yoo Ara frowned.
"You're handling compression manifestation at your age and can't do this?"
What? Some new form of humblebrag?
"Hey, compression manifestation and form change are totally different fields."
"...What do you mean?"
Yoo Ara looked confused.
"So, compression manifestation crushes with raw mana control prowess, while form change relies more on imagination."
I was fumbling my words.
Then Yoo Ara summed it up neatly.
"In simple terms, compression manifestation is the realm of experience, and form change is the realm of innate imagination?"
"Uh? Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Good summary."
She seemed to take it as praise and shrugged. Then she made a puzzled face.
"But how do you handle compression manifestation? Isn't it the realm of experience?"
"Uh? Well..."
I thought for a moment and answered.
"Because I put in a lot of effort?"
Yoo Ara stared into my eyes for a bit, then nodded.
"Yeah. No other explanation fits."
"Uh, yeah."
"...I thought I never fell behind in effort either."
Muttering that quietly, Yoo Ara resumed practicing form changes. I blankly watched the magic sphere on her hand shift fluidly.
Actually, form change training like this was unnecessary for Yoo Ara.
"Yoo Ara."
At my call, she stopped training and turned.
"Wouldn't it be better to focus on manifestation or release training instead of form changes or manipulation?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Your other fields are already nearly complete. Don't waste time."
Yoo Ara furrowed her brows, then her eyes widened as if realizing something.
"...You're right. That makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?"
Lost in thought for a moment, she looked at me.
"You've got sharp eyes."
"It's obvious at a glance."
Most wizards also fail to objectify their own talents.
"Ha-young said that if you're stuck in magic, one word from you clears it right up."
"She was right. Feels like a blockage just got punched through."
Yoo Ara grinned.
"Thanks. Now I get how to direct my training."
"...Glad to hear it."
"Oh, right. One thing I'm curious about."
Yoo Ara's straightforward gaze turned to me.
"So, where are you stuck?"
'Where are you stuck?'
The words echoed in my head. It felt like a hammer blow.
I'd never thought about it once. Where was I bottlenecked, stagnating at my current level?
"Hmm..."
The magic training ground at 9 PM.