The new semester has begun, and the incoming freshmen bring a buzz of excitement.
At this time, the midterm practical exams have two fixed components.
The first is a duel.
As the name suggests, students face off against their peers, but with some specific rules in place.
One of those rules is the right of designation.
This right allows you to challenge someone with a higher overall ranking but not someone ranked lower than yourself.
If you are designated, you can use your one-time veto to avoid the duel.
However, if the veto has already been used, you must comply.
Once you have completed five duels, you may opt to end the exam at any time.
“Since I only need to meet the minimum of five matches, it should be manageable for me.”
Typically, excelling in such a short period requires either abundant magical power or strong recovery skills, even after losing.
Since I’m mediocre in both aspects, I’ll just aim to complete the five matches and be done with it quickly.
“My current overall ranking is 975th.”
Although there are many ranked below me, from the moment I achieved the fourth tier, they ceased to be a concern.
Choosing an appropriate opponent for the designation should suffice.
“The concern lies with the beast hunt, though…”
Unlike before, where we hunted beasts in vast areas like the Forest of Beasts, this test involves slaying beasts in a designated location.
Magic as a discipline is infinitely diverse, encompassing countless possibilities.
Naturally, there are also beast tamers who control magical beasts.
In this exam, students are assigned a beast by a tamer to slay.
For someone ranked 975th, a fifth-tier beast would be the expected challenge.
“But you never know what might happen.”
One of the incidents mentioned in a side story by the author who abandoned the main plotline was a mistake by a beast tamer during the beast hunt test, releasing a high-tier beast and causing an accident.
At the time, I brushed it off as a passing mention.
“But damn that author for leaving room for possibilities.”
Here, the author’s words are treated as divine revelations from the creator god.
So, there’s a chance that incident could actually occur.
The best I can do to prepare is:
“Please, not me… I can only hope that the slim possibility doesn’t target me.”
***
Arcane is like a city in itself.
While the number of students isn’t particularly large for such a vast campus, the professors, building staff, and civilians operating the facilities add up to tens of thousands.
The campus is so expansive that there are separate transportation methods to move between buildings.
As a result, it often feels empty, almost tranquil.
But during practical exams, when nearly all students participate, the atmosphere changes.
“How many people are here?”
This is the central plaza located at the heart of Arcane.
Whenever an event is held, it’s almost always here, making it the most frequently used area.
On one side of the spacious plaza stands a high platform, surrounded by temporary walls for spectators.
“Theo, are you staying until the end?”
“No, I’m just here to watch Ian. After all, he’s part of our club.”
The duels proceed in order of academic year, starting with freshmen.
Taking a random seat, I craned my neck to observe.
I spotted Ian waiting for his turn in the waiting area.
“He’s preparing well.”
After confirming that our precious clubmate was doing fine,
I turned my attention to the high platform where the Arcane headmaster, Magneto, was explaining the rules.
“The first-year practical exam will now begin. Designated duels or mutually agreed ones will take precedence, and the duels will proceed under the guidance of professors…”
The rules weren’t much different from what had been announced beforehand.
While protective magical tools are provided, they aren’t perfect,
so inflicting fatal injuries or attacking someone who no longer wishes to continue could lead to disqualification.
“And for this exam, someone outside the faculty has graciously decided to join us. Let’s give them a round of applause.”
“Finally, she’s here.”
A woman in a nun’s habit slowly ascended the platform.
“Wow!”
“She’s stunning!”
“Long live the saintess! Long live the Holy Order!”
The students erupted into cheers and applause.
Their reaction wasn’t hard to understand.
“Her reputation precedes her.”
If Sylvia and other heroines are adored as beauties within Arcane, this woman’s influence extends beyond the empire to the entire continent.
Her fame is unmatched, an absolute presence when it comes to public interest.
“Introducing Saint Venice. Please refrain from any discourteous behavior, as she has graced us with her presence on behalf of the Holy Order.”
Her lilac hair and eyes shimmered as she smiled.
The cross around her neck complemented her curvaceous figure in the nun’s habit, enchanting both male and female students alike.
“Greetings, students of Arcane.”
A beautiful light-colored glow spread widely.
There were those who would swoon, asking if even her voice carried divinity.
However, ignoring all the pointless chatter, she continued speaking.
“Great God Ilea has guided me to this place. Thus, I too will do my utmost to observe and judge this trial. You are the future of the empire and, furthermore, of the continent. I hope that everything concludes without any unfortunate events.”
After finishing her formal speech, Venice gracefully stepped back from the podium and sat lightly in the prepared seat.
Those who had been staring at her in awe, unable to close their mouths, soon shifted their gazes to me, their expressions changing drastically.
“That’s him, right?”
“Yeah, it’s that bastard.”
“That damn bastard.”
Expressions that had been filled with reverence as if they were looking at an angel turned in an instant into venomous, toad-like faces brimming with jealousy and envy.
‘Well, I expected as much.’
[Presence has increased.]
[EXP + 12]
I avoided the barrage of stares, focusing solely on the rising points.
‘The trial will start soon, so let’s hold out for a bit longer.’
Thankfully, as the trial began and people became distracted, the attention fixated on me gradually began to dissipate.
“Phew… that was nerve-wracking.”
Letting out a deep sigh of relief, I pulled out a piece of specially coated magical paper that had been given to me upon entry, preparing to execute the purpose of my visit today.
“Now, let’s see… what was the word limit again?”
The reason I came here wasn’t just to monitor Ian, the protagonist, to see how well he would do.
Though it was officially a trial, it also served as part of an educational curriculum aimed at improving skills.
Because of that, not only professors but also students like me could participate in the evaluations.
‘Not that it has a major impact, though.’
Of course, it didn’t affect grades. It was more akin to writing a critique.
The purpose was to encourage self-reflection and improvement by reviewing and taking advice from others.
‘I’ll make sure to pour everything in.’
Even if he might not read it, I intended to pack in every realization and skill from the original story like a heaping bowl of rice.
Since it was anonymous, there was no risk of revealing my identity, so there was no pressure.
‘Just grow according to the main storyline, please.’
I wasn’t asking for much.
As long as he grew in line with the story, I could handle the rest.
‘But, yeah, people are the same everywhere.’
I thought it was a practical and useful system that everyone would appreciate. But when I glanced around…
“Lick, Iris-chan… lick, lick.”
“How dare you reject my confession?”
“This letter is a chain letter that started in the empire, and if you read this…”
I saw a few people using it for bizarre purposes.
‘No different from an online forum, huh.’
Anonymity truly was a double-edged sword.
It could explosively boost courage but was also the most useful buff for malicious criticism.
…I decided I wouldn’t read mine.
Judging by these people, I could already guess what kind of content I’d receive.
I would burn it all the moment I got it to avoid any emotional damage.
‘Oh, it’s starting.’
Since the trials were conducted simultaneously, looking away for even a moment meant missing the duel you wanted to see.
While most people were uninterested in matches outside the top ranks, the crowd began buzzing as soon as Ian appeared.
Although he had been humiliated by a second-year right after entering, Ian’s talent shone brightly enough to capture everyone’s attention.
‘Let’s see how he’ll handle this.’
His opponent was Medea Vasak, ranked fifth among first-years.
It wasn’t going to be an easy match from the start, so I anxiously observed the duel unfold.