Academy Midterm Test: Facing Class 1's Magical Girl Prodigy?! (3)
The midterm tests at the Magical Girl Academy consist of three stages in total. The first is the written exam—a simple test that evaluates the material covered in theory classes. Rather than subjects like Korean, English, or math, it assesses only the knowledge required to function as a magical girl.
At first glance, that might make the written exam sound like it carries enormous weight. It doesn't. The academy's educational philosophy isn't limited to simply transmitting knowledge. Because one of its goals is for students to learn through direct, physical experience, practical exams are valued just as highly.
The ratio is roughly half and half. As a result, some students routinely give up on the written portion entirely, choosing to bet everything on the practical exam.
The practical test itself checks proficiency in every spell learned during training sessions. Each magical category has its own distinct evaluation criteria: projectile magic is judged by target accuracy, barrier magic by the ability to block spells above a certain mana threshold, and so on. Though unique and highly individualized, the standards remain as objective and clear as possible.
In short, both the written and practical exams operate under well-organized, understandable evaluation systems.
However, unlike those two, there is one test where the instructors' subjective judgment plays the largest role. That test is sparring.
In sparring, both the outcome and the process matter, so each teacher applies different criteria. Some focus solely on victory or defeat, while others ignore the result and value only the quality of the fight itself. This is identical to the sparring done in regular practice, which makes one wonder what sets the midterm apart. The answer is scale.
The entire grade gathers in one place. Every instructor for that year acts as an evaluator. The arena is twice the size of a normal training ground, and the restrictions are loose—anything goes as long as it isn't overwhelmingly destructive magic.
At some point the sparring exam transformed into a kind of festival. Its importance swelled accordingly, and now when people say "midterm test," most of them mean only this sparring portion.
The midterm is conducted as a tournament within each grade. With nearly a hundred students participating, it stretches across a full four days. Since each of the three grades holds its own four-day event, the academy is wrapped in a genuine festival atmosphere for three straight weeks beginning at the end of April.
During that period, Mondays are reserved for the written and practical exams. Tuesday through Friday belong to the sparring tournament.
Today—this Tuesday—marked the start of the festival for the first-years' sparring tests.
Opponents are chosen at random from the entire grade, regardless of class. For the new students, it means facing someone they've never met before.
It is still early in the school year, a time when interaction between classes remains limited. Moreover, each homeroom teacher exclusively handles her own class's education, which inevitably creates differences in both direction and quality of instruction.
From the academy's perspective, therefore, the freshmen sparring tests also serve as an evaluation of each homeroom teacher's teaching ability.
"Teacher Eunji. Are you all right?"
"Y-yes… I'm a little nervous. No matter how I look at it, I'm really worried whether our kids can perform well."
"You've been teaching them properly so far, haven't you? Then it'll be fine. The teacher shouldn't be more anxious than the students."
"Right? Haha… But it's not as easy as it sounds. I don't think I was this nervous even when I was active in the field."
In the control room situated above the academy's vast outdoor sparring arena, the first-year homeroom teachers were chatting before the tests officially began.
"Teacher Seoyeon. Give Teacher Eunji some advice."
"…Advice?"
Ha Boyoung, homeroom teacher of Class 3, nudged Cha Seoyeon of Class 2 with her elbow. Cha Seoyeon had been quietly gazing out at the arena, organizing her thoughts. Having her contemplation interrupted put her in a distinctly bad mood. Even so, she steadied her emotions and spoke.
"It's too late to change anything now. If you taught them well, they'll win. If not, they'll lose."
"As expected from Teacher Seoyeon—straight to the point, no frills."
The atmosphere cooled slightly at Cha Seoyeon's blunt delivery of pure fact with zero jokes. Ha Boyoung smoothly changed the subject to lift the mood again.
"Now that I think about it, who is the strongest student in each of your classes? I'm curious."
The gambit succeeded. Eun Chaegyeong, homeroom teacher of Class 1, perked up with interest.
"Like Teacher Boyoung said, let's do a simple information swap among ourselves. Nothing too revealing—just names and unique weapons. Sound good?"
"That sounds perfect, Teacher Chaegyeong!"
Cha Seoyeon didn't particularly like how a serious evaluation session had morphed into something resembling sports betting, but she chose to play along with her excited colleagues for now.
"I'd like to start with Class 1, but… let's begin with Class 4. Teacher Eunji."
"M-me? All right."
As Eun Chaegyeong set the tone, the newest teacher, Jeong Eunji of Class 4, spoke first.
"The best student in our class uses a sword as her unique weapon. Her name is Lee Yesol. Even though it's a one-handed sword, she handles it incredibly well. It's wonderful to watch her absorb everything so quickly even when I barely teach her anything…"
Just thinking about her student made Jeong Eunji beam with pride. The other teachers' reactions, however, were the exact opposite of what she expected—they turned icy.
"You're too invested. That's enough."
"A one-handed sword… Isn't that too much of a disadvantage?"
"Without a shield, just one sword means she'll die quickly."
"B-but she really does handle it well!"
Jeong Eunji raised her voice, as if trying to refute their assessments. Cha Seoyeon continued coldly, ignoring the outburst.
"Handling your unique weapon well is important. But relying on it alone has clear limits—especially with a one-handed sword. Have you ever seen a magical girl fighting in the field with nothing but a single one-handed blade?"
"Well… there's the Association President! Isn't her main weapon a one-handed sword…? Why is everyone laughing?"
The room struggled to contain its laughter at Jeong Eunji's words. Cha Seoyeon didn't laugh; her eyelashes simply trembled.
"You still believe that? Wow, Teacher Eunji really is out of the loop with the current generation."
"No wonder. She hasn't met the President yet."
"The first President was active during the absolute dawn of the magic era, so it's understandable she'd be unaware."
"Huh…? Wasn't the one-handed sword her main weapon?"
Ha Boyoung, still chuckling, answered Jeong Eunji's puzzled question.
"The first President was a pure magic type. Her unique weapon only looked like a sword; it was essentially a staff."
"The sword shape was just cosmetic. Understand now?"
"……Ah. Yes, I understand."
"She clearly doesn't. Right?"
"If she'd seen it in person, she wouldn't have that suspicious look in her eyes."
"Exactly, Teacher Boyoung."
Jeong Eunji, thoroughly sulking after being teased by her senior magical girls, finally burst out.
"A-anyway! I've talked about my class, so now it's Senior Boyoung's turn."
"All right. In our class, the girl who uses fists seems to be the strongest."
"Fists…? Isn't that Teacher Seoyeon's specialty?"
At the word "fists," Eun Chaegyeong immediately turned to Cha Seoyeon.
"It is. Her unique weapon is similar to the martial type, so I met her privately a while ago."
"How was she? Our Dabin, I mean."
Cha Seoyeon paused, considering. Should she soften her words to spare Ha Boyoung's feelings, or convey her honest impression?
Excluding Jeong Eunji, the others had similar careers as magical girls, but Cha Seoyeon was noticeably behind in teaching experience. After all, she and Jeong Eunji had both been appointed academy instructors this year. Her long active-duty record prevented the others from dismissing her outright, yet she was still technically their junior.
In the end, Cha Seoyeon chose restraint.
"She wasn't bad."
"…Really? Hearing that from you, Teacher Seoyeon—the one famous for being strict and difficult—actually makes me feel pretty good."
Fortunately, Ha Boyoung took the comment as praise and moved on.
"Now it's your turn, Teacher Seoyeon."
"Hmm… Mine is a bit ambiguous."
"What do you mean?"
Everyone looked puzzled. This was the same Cha Seoyeon who usually radiated confidence, yet now she hesitated.
"That girl is clearly the most talented, but she's so frail."
The word "frail" gave Ha Boyoung the hint she needed. She immediately realized who Cha Seoyeon meant.
"Ah… You mean that friend? The one who sleeps through every class?"
"If you say she only sleeps, I know exactly who you mean. That girl definitely seems like she has something special."
"Who are you all talking about?"
While the rest of the group communicated smoothly, only Jeong Eunji remained lost.
"You know… that one. The student who entered through special admission and sleeps through every lesson."
"There's a delinquent student like that?"
"You really haven't heard? Everyone knows she was pushed through by people above after admissions were already closed."
"Above… the principal?"
"Not the principal. The Education Committee. Even higher than that."
"Whoa! The Education Committee means association people! And they gave her special admission?"
Cha Seoyeon stayed silent. Everything they said was true. Of course, the others would assume the committee had abused its immense power to force Kim Jihye in. But after teaching the girl for two months, Cha Seoyeon knew the reality was the complete opposite. She chose not to correct them. An awl in a bag eventually reveals itself.
"Anyway, there is such a student. So what do you think, Teacher Seoyeon?"
"…If she shows up today, she'll win the whole thing."
"Ooh, that's some serious confidence."
"More importantly, what's her unique weapon? Sword? Spear? Or knuckles like yours, Teacher Seoyeon?"
"…All wrong. A staff. In other words, she's a pure magic type."
The atmosphere, which had been brimming with anticipation, froze solid at Cha Seoyeon's answer.
"…These days, being a pure magic type must be tough for a kid."
"Exactly. The current trend is unique weapons, isn't it? The mainstream view is that magic theory has already developed enough. Meanwhile, discussions about the potential of unique weapons have existed since the earliest days of the magic era."
"The combat faction or the weapon-focused faction dominate now. Just look at the upperclassmen sparring tests here at the academy—most of the top ranks are taken by combat or weapon types."
"Definitely! Almost none of the new students these days are pure magic types!"
This was a fiercely debated topic among magical girls lately. Pure magic supremacists, combat faction, and weapon faction—three camps locked in constant argument. In the early years of the magic era the magic faction had held the advantage, but as time passed they came to be seen as outdated and were looked down upon by the combat and weapon factions.
Although Cha Seoyeon herself belonged to the combat faction, having reached a respectable level, she could understand the magic faction's position to some degree. That was why, when she first took charge of her students, she had taught them basic magic rather than unique weapon techniques or combat forms. No matter which path a magical girl eventually chose, the root remained "magical." She believed the fundamentals would help them regardless.
Because of this philosophy, Cha Seoyeon found her colleagues' dismissive attitude toward pure magic types rather ridiculous.
"Anyway, Class 2's representative is that girl, right? Then only our class is left."
"Please tell us quickly, Teacher Chaegyeong. From what we've heard, you have the strongest contender for champion."
"Really?"
"…"
Eun Chaegyeong paused dramatically before speaking.
"This child is also a magic type, but not pure."
"Huh…? Then what is she?"
"She's not purely magic, yet she is. She's combat, yet not. She's weapon-focused, yet not."
"What on earth does that even mean…"
Faced with their bewildered reactions, Eun Chaegyeong declared with absolute confidence.
"That child is an all-rounder. She can handle everything—magic, martial arts, even weapon techniques. On top of that, she's only fourteen, very young for her grade. Despite all that, she is our class's overwhelming top student."
She finished with a flourish.
"She's a versatile genius the academy won't see again. Our Yuri."