Chapter 38: End-of-Semester Evaluation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: End-of-Semester Evaluation (2)
‘Survival rules... it really has been a while.’
Her light green pigtails fluttered in the early summer breeze.
Kaya Astrea, the second-ranked freshman of the Magic Department, wandered the grounds of the old Märchen Academy. She gripped her wand tightly, her senses honed for any sign of movement.
The "Fell Cards" were supposed to be found through mana perception. However, no matter how far she roamed, she sensed nothing but the ambient mana of nature.
To make matters worse, she couldn't fully commit to mana perception. She had to remain vigilant against potential ambushes from other students.
During the class placement evaluation, the mana emitted by the mana grains had been easy to detect. Back then, she could track them effortlessly even while staying on high alert.
But the end-of-semester evaluation was a different beast entirely. The mana signature of a Fell Card was so faint that it didn't even compare to a mana grain. She was caught in a dilemma: if she focused entirely on detection, she’d leave herself wide open to attack.
‘Would Sir Isaac be struggling like this, too?’
…No, of course not. Sir Isaac is incredible.
Kaya cleared her mind, forcing herself to balance her mana perception with her combat readiness.
If she faltered here, she would never be able to catch up to Isaac. She yearned for the day she would be strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the man she admired.
‘Focus, focus...!’
She wanted to breeze through this exam.
Suddenly, a metallic clink-clink echoed from the sky—the sound of small particles colliding.
Kaya looked up. The scoreboard Professor Fernando had mentioned was shifting. The mana grains, imbued with telekinesis magic, were slowly rearranging themselves.
Then, the display updated.
[Fell Cards]
[1st Place (Red): Mateo Jordana — Fell Card +1]
An unexpected name appeared at the top of the left-hand rankings.
‘He found one already? Even him?’
It stung her pride.
Come to think of it, hadn't they mentioned that the locations of the top five students would be tracked?
Kaya raised her left arm to examine the bracelet on her wrist. It was engraved with two words: [Fell] and [Eliminations].
When she tapped the word [Fell], the mana grains within the bracelet oozed out, coalescing into a holographic map. Someone had woven incredibly complex rules into the device.
It was an awe-inspiring display of mana mastery. Professor Fernando was a top-tier telekinetic mage, but the sophistication of this bracelet was on another level entirely.
There was only one person on this island capable of such a feat.
‘The magic of the Hegel Tower Master.’
Aria Lilias, the Master of the Hegel Magic Tower. This had to be her handiwork.
The mana grains formed a layout of the old Märchen Academy grounds. Kaya studied the map intently. Her own position was marked by a light green grain amidst a sea of pale yellow ones.
In the distance, she spotted a single red mana grain moving slowly. That had to be Mateo Jordana.
The "Red" next to the 1st place marker on the scoreboard indicated his color on the map.
‘Mateo Jordana is over there... Wait, I can’t see the outskirts or Carly Hall. I guess the entire academy grounds aren't being used for the exam.’
The most iconic landmark of the old Märchen Academy was Carly Hall. Perched atop a high hill at the far edge of the grounds, the palace-like building overlooked the entire campus.
The faculty likely decided the area was too vast to include, as it was absent from the map. In fact, the massive, transparent barrier cordoning off the exam site clearly excluded the outskirts and Carly Hall.
Kaya tapped the [Fell] section of the bracelet again, and the mana grains flowed back inside like sand.
“By the way...”
A realization dawned on her.
“Getting a Fell Card early on is a massive disadvantage.”
Fell Cards were clearly difficult to find. Even Kaya, who was confident in her perception, was struggling; she could only imagine how the others felt.
Being at the top of the rankings this early made you a walking target for everyone else.
The structure of the exam was becoming clear.
The first half was a stage for the elite. While some might be brave enough to challenge a top-ranked student, most would stay away, knowing the gap in power was too wide.
But once the top students secured their passing marks, the real chaos would begin among the rest. As time passed, the old academy grounds would transform into a frantic battlefield for the weaker students.
In other words: if you entered the rankings early, you invited the wrath of everyone—including the top-tier predators.
It was a psychological game.
‘Especially for the average or weaker students... if they get lucky and find a card early...’
They would be hunted down instantly.
One had to weigh the risks. Was it worth defeating Mateo to take his card? Even if they succeeded, their own name would simply replace his on the hit list.
Kaya knew that no matter how strong she was, she couldn't take on the entire grade at once. She had to be cautious.
“There’s so much to think about...”
She was already juggling mana perception and combat readiness; now she had to navigate this tactical minefield as well. Her head felt like it was about to explode.
*
Meanwhile, inside an abandoned shop on the academy grounds.
A barrage of elemental magic was being ruthlessly fired at a single man.
Whirrr—!
Boom!
Whiiiiiir—!
“Tsk...!”
The target was Mateo Jordana. The brown-haired student had painted a target on his back by being the first to claim a Fell Card.
“Hah! Resistance is futile!”
「Wind Generation (Wind Element, ★1)」
Tristan Humphrey, the arrogant blond aristocrat, shouted from the rooftop of the shop, looking down on Mateo with disdain. The area was currently dominated by Tristan’s wind magic.
Tristan had used his social status to gather a group of lackeys—four students from Class B and Class C—who now had Mateo surrounded.
Five against one. Despite the odds, Mateo offered a leisurely smile.
“Aren’t you a bit out of your league, Tristan? You can’t do a thing without ganging up on me.”
“Provocation won’t work, Mateo Jordana! My goal isn't just you—it’s the top rank in this evaluation! I’m going to show you, and that Grade E commoner, exactly how great I am!”
“Grade E commoner? You mean Isaac?”
“Who else? He’s probably scrambling just to stay alive right now. Heh, just thinking about it brings me joy!”
Mateo scratched his head, looking uneasy. Tristan talked like a third-rate villain, but he had never actually done anything truly cowardly or harmful to others—not even to Isaac, whom he claimed to despise.
Whenever Tristan got angry, he’d just shout, ‘I’ll prove my greatness with my grades!’ and then actually go study. There was a strange sincerity to him that made him hard to truly hate.
“Is that so? Then, should I just surrender?” Mateo asked, his deep voice laced with playfulness.
He raised his arms slightly, mimicking a scene from their previous dueling evaluation. Tristan’s subordinates chuckled, but a vein popped on Tristan’s forehead. The word "surrender" was a direct insult to his pride.
He still trembled whenever he remembered that duel.
“I’ll kill you! Mateo Jordana!”
Tristan screamed, thrusting his arm forward as a light green magic circle manifested. He unleashed a powerful gale, which Mateo countered by raising a massive slab of stone.
「Whirlwind (Wind Element, ★4)」
「Rock Wall (Rock Element, ★4)」
Whiiiiiiiiii——!
Rumble!
The [Rock Wall] stood firm against the lashing winds.
“Tsk...!”
「Wind Sword (Wind Element, ★3)」
Tristan followed up with a sharp blade of compressed air, but the result was the same. It was a far cry from the dueling evaluation where he had easily sliced through Isaac’s [Ice Wall].
Mateo’s defense was impenetrable. Tristan realized that even his strongest spells might not be enough to break through.
‘I need an elemental reaction...!’
Tristan glanced at his four subordinates. If they could pull off an [Elemental Synergy] to boost their output, they might have a chance.
However, as the standoff continued...
Chime! Chime!
New names began to flicker onto the scoreboard in the sky. Mateo and Tristan’s group paused to look up.
[Eliminations]
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +1]
It wasn't the Fell Card board. It was the "Eliminations" ranking, which tracked how many students a participant had knocked out of the exam.
The name of the Magic Department’s top-ranked freshman was now engraved there.
‘The top seat? Mateo is the only one with a card, so why is she attacking people?’ Tristan wondered, taken aback.
The goal was to collect Fell Cards. Why was Luce Eltania eliminating people for no reason?
Then, a chilling thought struck him. ‘Wait... why is there even an Eliminations ranking?’
If the exam was just about finding cards, such a ranking shouldn't be necessary.
As the thought crossed his mind, the scoreboard began to update at an impossible speed.
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +2]
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +4]
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +8]
In the blink of an eye, the number of students Luce had taken down snowballed.
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +10]
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +12]
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +15]
It didn't stop. She was on a rampage.
“That monster... has she gone mad?!”
Cold sweat poured down Tristan’s face.
Both Mateo and Tristan scrambled to check their bracelets, tapping the [Eliminations] button. The mana map unfolded once more.
‘Blue.’
The blue grain representing Luce Eltania was visible on the map.
The devil was coming. And she was slaughtering everyone in her path.
“Damn it! Everyone, run! Luce Eltania is coming this way!”
“Tsk!”
Tristan barked orders at his men, his eyes wide with terror. Mateo didn't need to be told twice; he turned and bolted as well.
Now was not the time for petty squabbles. It was time to survive.
Luce Eltania was a force of nature. None of the first-year students stood a chance against her, especially not when she was hunting with such ferocity. To encounter her was to be eliminated.
「Geyser (Water Element, ★4)」
Pyuuuuuuuu!!
From Luce’s direction, a massive pillar of scalding water erupted into the sky. It was a [Geyser] cast with terrifying precision.
The distant screams of students caught in the blast echoed through the air.
Tristan fled in pure terror. No matter how high his ego, he knew better than to stand before a monster.
He finally understood why the Eliminations ranking existed.
Märchen Academy always admitted a few "freaks of nature"—geniuses like Dorothy Heartnova, the Star Witch, or Alice Carroll, the Student Council President.
Even if the academy’s philosophy was the "Law of the Jungle," they couldn't let the exam's balance be completely destroyed by a single predator.
The Eliminations ranking served many purposes, but the most important one was simple:
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +18]
When the predator appears, you run.
*
[3rd Place (Green): Kaya Astrea — Fell Card +1]
“I finally found one!”
The underground warehouse of Deuros Hall was a mess of old junk. Searching through the clutter, Kaya had finally sensed a faint, unusual mana signature.
Tucked inside a dusty crate was a single [Fell Card].
Kaya stared at the card, her heart racing with excitement.
‘Kaya, you found a Fell Card already? Your skills are improving every day.’
She imagined Isaac praising her in his usual cynical tone, and her face softened into a smile.
“Hehehe.”
She giggled, tucking the card into the pouch provided by the academy.
‘I’ve got the hang of it now, Sir Isaac!’
Forty minutes had passed since the start of the exam.
Finding a card was much harder than she had anticipated, but she had succeeded. Eventually, other students would find them too as they narrowed down their search areas.
However, the exam was rapidly devolving into a battle royale.
‘The top seat is the biggest problem.’
Luce Eltania was hunting students indiscriminately, regardless of whether they held a card. The last time Kaya had checked the scoreboard, Luce had already eliminated 34 people.
She was clearly hunting mana signatures, not cards. That was the only way her count could rise so quickly.
I wondered if she was trying to eliminate the competition so she could search for cards in peace... or if she was just hunting for the sake of it.
Either way, it was a chilling thought.
‘I want to test myself against her one day, but...’
Kaya always felt that way when she looked at Luce. That was the burden of being the second seat—feeling like the top was within arm's reach, yet remaining frustratingly out of grasp.
But she had to be realistic. Her goal was to collect five cards and secure a top grade. That was the best way to "beat" the top seat for now.
Kaya stepped out of Deuros Hall. Above her, the scoreboard shifted again.
[Fell Cards]
[1st Place (Red): Mateo Jordana — Fell Card +1]
[2nd Place (Purple): Ciel Carnedas — Fell Card +1]
[3rd Place (Green): Kaya Astrea — Fell Card +1]
[4th Place (Yellow): Tristan Humphrey — Fell Card +1]
[Eliminations]
[1st Place (Blue): Luce Eltania — Eliminations +44]
[2nd Place (Yellow): Tristan Humphrey — Eliminations +1]
Luce was still on the warpath.
Ciel Carnedas, Kaya’s Class A classmate, had moved up while Kaya was in the warehouse. Tristan Humphrey had apparently secured a card by knocking out another student.
The number of cardholders was slowly growing, dominated by the top-tier students.
‘What is Sir Isaac doing?’
Kaya’s thoughts drifted back to him. She had no idea what his plan was.
If he—the man everyone perceived as the weakest—suddenly claimed a card and rose to the top of the rankings, this evaluation would turn into absolute chaos.