Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Labyrinth Mastery
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"Teams 1 through 20, you'll have 10 minutes for discussion, so enter as soon as you're ready. Be careful—once those 10 minutes are up, the clock starts ticking even if you haven't entered the labyrinth."
The labyrinth was exactly what its name implied: a "house that makes you wander."
It had only one entrance, but once inside, the paths branched off in every direction, making it virtually impossible for cadets to fully conquer it in a short time.
Of course, Professor Kyle was well aware of that, which was why he'd prepared a total of twenty routes and assigned one team per passage.
"What... what magic should we use?"
"Lighting magic! We have to keep it up the whole scouting time."
"You idiot, we can't use magic infinitely. What if we burn through our mana on lighting? We need to find sticks for torches first!"
The cadets, plunged into chaos, held heated team discussions, but most of it was pointless. You couldn't know the labyrinth's interior until you went inside.
"Professor, you insist on this exam every year for the first-year midterms. Is there a reason?"
Professor Kyle, who had been observing each muttering cadet with interest, answered the assistant's question.
"It's because when they're thrown into an unprecedented adversity they've never faced before, that's when you can truly see a mage's talent."
"......?"
"In situations like this, their minds go blank, their judgment falters unlike usual, and their movements grow sluggish."
"Ah, yes, of course."
"But there are those who stand out even in such adversity, unlike the rest."
The first quality required of a mage was composure. They had to remain cool-headed no matter the situation.
"This is just a basic test to spot that aptitude... Mages who only study theory at their desks can never become top-tier."
The old magic alliance's education system had lacked this sense of urgency and tension. That might be why magic development had stagnated.
"......"
As he spoke, Kyle's gaze turned toward Christa Warden and Logan, the so-called golden generation.
'I need to enable those kids to expand their thinking from a young age. That's my duty right now.'
The pretty boy with black hair and red eyes standing next to Logan spoke up.
"What should we do, Logan?"
"We just charge into the labyrinth and smash whatever we see, right? Done."
"You punk, I like how simple your thinking is. Still, we should plan this out properly."
This evaluation method was genuinely fun. Inside the labyrinth, they'd have to use magic efficiently.
Lighting, defense, attack... Unless they knew their limits and planned tactics accordingly, they'd be in trouble.
Squatting on the ground and organizing thoughts with a stick, Rain looked up as Christa approached and snorted derisively.
"Distributing lighting magic and offense-defense spells? Hmph... You really think that pedestrian approach will snag you the top spot?"
Logan, standing beside her, bristled.
"Those are the only spells usable in a labyrinth. How much more 'different' can you get while pretending to be superior?"
"Seeing is believing. If you're curious, watch closely. Rain, didn't you say earlier you're aiming for top graduate?"
"......?"
"Sorry, but I've never yielded the top spot to anyone. Today won't be any different. I'll make it crystal clear this time—the gap between your skills and mine."
Christa tossed her hair back toughly and strode toward the labyrinth entrance. The timid-looking guy who seemed to be her teammate followed behind.
"Team 2, exam start!"
Christa declared confidently, and Professor Kyle nodded. The assistant manipulated the magic device on his wrist.
・Team 2 - Passage 2.
・Time - 00:00.
・Targets - 32.
It was a race to eliminate the targets in the assigned passage faster and more accurately than the competitors. Christa spread her palm.
"Rise, soldiers!"
The magic circle forming above it consisted of two rectangular layers, inscribed with the runes Shi (使) and Jong (縱). It imbued earth-attribute magic with "Shi (command: obeys orders)" and "Jong (elongate: stretches long)" properties.
Shhh... Splash!
No sooner had the magic circle shattered above her palm than sand soldiers clad in earthy armor rose majestically from the soil.
"Whoa, what kind of casting speed is that?!"
"How many summons is that?"
"Over ten!"
Hmm... Kyle's eyes gleamed.
The Warden bloodline limit created by the Second Sage, Riart Warden. It was 2-star magic, but the casting speed went without saying—and at her age, to control twelve simultaneously.
The assistant gaped beside him.
"As expected of Professor Carolline's prized disciple. It's impressive."
A window displaying the labyrinth's overall progress floated before Kyle and the assistant. It was Thousand-Mile Eye, Kyle's specialty 3-star detection magic.
"Anyone can increase the numbers. The key is how perfectly you control them individually."
But hers was flawless.
When her teammate Rumlow found targets with lighting and detection magic, the sand soldiers charged and annihilated the mage's foes.
Her skill was so overwhelming that the cadets forgot to plan their own strategies and fixated on Kyle's window.
"Crazy, moving twelve summons that freely...?"
"Those summons look like they're really alive...?"
"Aren't Warden summons supposed to be inorganic...?"
To explain simply, summoning magic divided into organic and inorganic types.
Organic summoning involved contracting and calling living spirit beasts, while inorganic summoning created and controlled non-living entities, like Warden's sand soldiers.
The latter naturally demanded the utmost in mana control from the caster.
"Maintaining all those must take insane mana... She's the real deal."
Rain whistled unconsciously, and Logan shot him an incredulous look.
"Isn't that obvious? Christa is the most promising magic genius of our generation."
"That good?"
"No one doesn't know. Even the elders in our academy warned us to watch out for her."
"What about me?"
"......"
"......?"
"Are you and I enemies, young master? Aren't we comrades who both love muscles?"
Oh, this guy's sharp.
Rain chuckled, and Logan snickered too. In the brief chit-chat, the situation was already wrapping up.
"Remaining: 3."
"Remaining: 2."
"Remaining: 1... Team 2 complete. Time: 4 minutes 13 seconds."
The cadets exchanged glances, gulping as the assistant announced in astonishment.
"Insane, too fast!"
"Other teams haven't even finished planning..."
"She already cleared the exam...?"
That overwhelming result shocked not just the other students but even Logan, a senior from one of the Eight Great Academies.
'Handling twelve summons that freely... Now I get why the elders were so wary.'
And why Weiber, that insolent but clever guy, had never beaten her in an exam.
'No wonder she's been touted as the next magic alliance leader since she was fifteen...!'
The other teams hadn't even devised strategies yet, but Christa Warden was already striding out of the cave with light steps.
"Since I started teaching, only two teams have cleared this exam in under five minutes—yours is the second."
She smiled as if it were natural amid Professor Kyle's high praise.
"'With overwhelming power.' That's our family motto. This much is expected."
Professor Kyle grinned too. The eastern region where the Warden family had taken root was 80% mountains.
'Those from eastern families like Warden or Fenton, raised in such highlands, always boast vast stamina and mana as their strengths.'
But Christa Warden was on another level entirely compared to other Wardens. A genius who was also a hard worker?
'But... she's not quite the talent to shift the horizons of thought. Not yet.'
Kyle swallowed a sigh of regret inwardly, scribbled on the evaluation sheet with his fountain pen, but his words were pure praise.
"Christa Warden, Rumlow Besley. I hardly need to say you pass. Safe to assume Team 2 takes the S grade?"
Christa Warden lifted the hem of her skirt slightly in aristocratic courtesy, laced with noble arrogance.
"Hmph, you're too kind!"
But her gaze wasn't on Kyle—it was fixed on Rain Ludwig. That provocative stare declared:
'This is me.'
'This is Christa Warden.'
'I won't yield the top graduate spot to anyone.'
Rain met that silent roar, that gaze brimming with rivalry but no malice, expressionless—until the corner of his mouth finally twitched up.
"Exams might be more fun than I thought?"
* * *
In the eastern Holy Human Empire.
The magic house supporting the Tisria Archduke family, electors of the east, was the Warden house.
"Our family has the shortest lineage among the magic houses, but excluding Page, we're the only one with a Sage as our founder."
Producing a Sage had once been a bloodline's pride, but at some point, it turned into shackles.
"Did you hear? The Warden head barely reached Limites (2-star) rank this time."
"Are they really a magic house? All they produce are dullards—maybe it's time to hand over their seat."
"Kekeke, where'd the Sage's genes go?"
The family's rise had been faster than any empire house, but its decline was swifter too. Into that situation, Christa Warden was born.
Her father was a mage who barely hit Limites (2-star) at forty-two, and her two older sisters were dullards who could scarcely claim Bandoran (1-star).
She pitied her family, scorned by the world.
Every public appearance brought subtle disdain, fueling her rage.
"Why do people look down on Mom and Dad?"
"......"
"Because they're not skilled mages? So if a great mage comes from our family, that stops?"
"Christa..."
"Then I'll become the pinnacle of magic. I'll be a great mage. So one day, Mom and Dad won't be looked down on."
She vowed to restore her parents' fallen honor and the family's prestige with her own hands.
She wouldn't lose to anyone. She would be the best in every environment: school, academy, and the magic alliance.
The girl was just six years old when she set that goal.