Since Shio-ram is an educational institution, it evaluates the level of its students and assigns scores.
The most basic aspects are attendance and attitude scores. This is a grading method anyone would know.
Just show up for lectures and maintain a proper attitude.
But in reality, those scores are just a tiny fraction of the total.
The actual points are primarily concentrated on three evaluations.
First, there are regular assessments given at the end of each lecture.
It has a name that sends chills down your spine and is the main culprit making it hard for me to keep up with the syllabus.
Diving into uncompleted material and getting assignments and tests thrown at me felt like torture.
If you look at my report card, it’s glaringly clear that my grades in the early stages are exceptionally low…
Fortunately, since it was early in the semester, I could count myself lucky there weren’t many assignments.
Starting from the next semester after the break, I can expect a blizzard of assignments as lecture hours decrease.
The second evaluation consists of common assessments like dungeon practice or tower climbing.
This part also carries significant weight. Thankfully, I scored reasonably well here.
In the last dungeon practice… aside from the magic issue, it was quite helpful, so I got decent marks.
During tower climbing, I received an unexpectedly high score thanks to a stroke of luck.
The third evaluation is the midterm exam held once every semester.
These three account for the majority of the scores.
And right in two weeks, the next midterm exam is scheduled.
In the original work, the midterm wasn’t a big deal.
This test occurs once every semester, and it’s split into written and practical parts.
It spans five days from Monday to Friday. The first two days are for the written part, while the remaining three days are for the practical.
Since I’m taking combat specialization lectures from Professor Atra… no, my mentor, I will have to take the combat practicals and probably participate in a tournament as well.
These days, it’s been crowded seeing students packed into libraries and practice rooms around the campus.
Of course, it was usually busy, as Shio-ram students never lacked academic enthusiasm.
But with the midterms approaching, the number of students has increased, and their motivation is visibly high.
This high score ratio for the midterm is also due to it being partly public, unlike internal regular or common evaluations.
I think various practical types and the tournament are broadcasted externally.
In other words, this is a perfect event for reputation management.
The midterm doesn’t result in severe consequences if a player makes a mistake, nor will it have a significant impact on player growth.
If I had to pinpoint it, it’d be a player growth evaluation and reputation management? The reputation aspect should be watched, even if it’s minimal.
In earlier rounds, I paid a lot of attention to my reputation.
I couldn’t solo a tower invasion or quell a high-level dungeon breakout.
The meager strength I had was a major limiting factor, and no matter how strong I got, individual efforts had their limits.
I always teamed up with strong characters, much like the protagonists.
Thus, I put considerable effort into sub-quests to boost the favor of as many characters as possible.
After getting backstabbed by Baek Ahrin in round 8, I promptly put an end to it.
At that time, I had affection for NPCs. I took on sub-quests for clearing purposes, but honestly, I wouldn’t have bothered if it hadn’t been fun.
Baek Ahrin was a particular favorite character of mine.
Having that beloved character backstab me in what was progressing the best at that time was truly ridiculous.
From that moment, I changed my play style.
Getting backstabbed by Baek Ahrin, someone I thought was utterly loyal, especially while battling a tower invader was not ideal.
At that point, suspicion couldn’t help but brew.
She’s the one who betrayed me, but could it also happen with someone else? I’d never thought such a thing would happen. And yet, Baek Ahrin was someone I’d never imagined would betray me.
If I invited party members only to have one betray me during a critical moment… I wouldn’t be able to control my rage…
And I felt like I needed a turning point.
Thus, I tossed aside the obsession with favor management and the good routes. I was tired of immersing myself in the player character and trying to save every extra NPC.
In later rounds, I didn’t care much about reputation.
Of course, if my reputation plummeted right at the start of a round, it would hinder my growth, so I kept it reasonable.
But at some point, I threw that out the window and caused chaos instead.
The peak of that chaos was during round 11, ‘Gold River Warrior.’
Much of the high-grade information regarding secretive sites or internal structures from major factions was snatched during the havoc I wreaked.
Regardless, the midterm wasn’t a crucial event in the original work. Making mistakes didn’t lead to a significant downfall later on.
‘But still, I can’t afford to slack off.’
However, for the Shio-ram student Lee Ha-yul, it was a crucial schedule.
There are no students who get held back at Shio-ram. As long as no major incidents occur, expulsion isn’t even on the table.
Even so, there’s no reason to take the midterm casually.
Considering my situation, it was clear what kind of disaster would await if I slacked off.
That’s why I’ve been staying up late for days preparing for the midterm exam.
I thought to keep some semblance of human habits… but I tossed the “open the book and read” mentality aside.
Instead, I shoved everything into my head using the power of observation. I postponed understanding for later and focused on cramming whatever I could.
My head throbbed in complaint, but it was just a bit of nosebleed level pain. It even felt like my brain’s capacity was expanding.
What I needed to prepare wasn’t just the written part.
It was essential to prepare for the practical, which had a much higher scoring ratio.
I had to prepare for several practical tests across different subjects. Plus, I had to gear up for the tournament…
It was an exhausting schedule.
In contrast, my mind was increasingly alert.
Days without sleep cleared away the mental sluggishness.
After hearing my mentor’s backstory and establishing our mentor-mentee bond, I dozed off for a few hours.
When I came to, class time was coming to an end.
I had no choice but to suppress my regret and get up from my mentor’s embrace.
.
.
.
Located on one side of the Shio-ram grounds is the Second Nature Park.
Seated on the cool grass, I poked at the floating blue light right in front of me.
The spirit hovering around me trembled slightly, as if it felt ticklish, then rubbed itself against my finger.
Though it had no warmth, a subtle softness passed through my fingertips. While it might have been mere illusion, it also seemed to be in a good mood.
“Spirits are truly fascinating. I thought they were just natural energy, yet here they are being affectionate.”
[Right?]
“Is it not? It feels like it only does that to me, though…”
The lecture on ‘Understanding Spirits.’
Unlike the first day, which ended with a mere inspection and stimulation of affinity, the second day had an actual lecture continue.
Professor Riana recreated the concepts we learned in theory using the contracted spirit.
In the process of working in tandem with a spirit mage, they provided practical advice on how to support them, counter-strategies against spirit mages, and insights on hitting their weaknesses, among other relevant explanations.
The trustworthiness of the information was beyond doubt, as Professor Riana herself was a hero who had acted on the African Demonic Realm front lines.
As the lecture went on, I found myself in a special position.
Naturally, I was a confirmed spirit affinity student. It’s virtually guaranteed I’d end up learning spirit magic later on.
Other students also understood this fact.
Moreover, I was not the only one receiving special treatment.
During a brief break, Elia took a sip of water and curiously petted the spirit.
…She was indeed making contact.
To my surprise, Elia also had confirmed spirit affinity.
Though it wasn’t measured precisely, it seemed to be quite a strong level of affinity.
With that, Elia would join the ranks of elite nobles with recovery-based unique abilities, decent magic skills, and spirit magic.
“Ha-yul, are you wearing the necklace well?”
Just as I was absentmindedly recalling the theories learned earlier, Elia, still playing with the spirit, glanced at my necklace and asked.
[Yes, very well. No need to worry, I’m adjusting to it perfectly now.]
I was sincere. Although there were still some unclear areas with the adjustments, I was indeed making it work.
Initially, I feared that losing one hand would make holographic chats challenging, but this necklace essentially solved the voice issue.
As I kept thanking her, Elia seemed to finally relax and nodded.
Just then, as I prepared to observe the spirit again, an increasingly familiar presence approached.
“Ha-yul, Elia? How about studying together this weekend to prepare for the midterms?”
Baek Ahrin strolled over and made an unexpected suggestion.
“Well, if it’s the weekend… I’m okay.”
Surprisingly, Elia nodded without a second thought to that sudden proposal.
Then, Baek Ahrin’s gaze turned toward me.
‘Hmm…’
Feeling that gaze, I fell into brief contemplation. She suggested we study together during the weekend…
‘…Do we really have to?’
I felt it’d be better to study quietly by myself. While it may suit some people to gather with friends, I wasn’t the type.
Or was I? Thinking it over, Baek Ahrin was a top student, so she must study well. Would it be easier to study with her help?
‘What to do…’
Accept or decline. While I contemplated, I observed Baek Ahrin subtly gesturing with her hand.
To Elia, it was hardly visible at all.
The fingertip was directing toward Baek Ahrin’s enhanced bust.
What did that signify? Perplexed, I tilted my head, and Baek Ahrin sported a sly mischievous smile, moving her lips.
– Back then, apple, compensation
Using the power of observation, I involuntarily deciphered the lip movements.
[Sorry]
[Yeah]
[I’m fine with it]
…After a moment’s deliberation, I accepted.
Thinking about it, learning from a top student seemed best.
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