– Good~ Mo~ ning~! Ba-ba-ba…
Early morning. While I was absentmindedly scribbling with my pen, a long-lost song filled my ears.
A holographic projector sprawled in one corner of my desk, oblivious to its owner’s feelings, blaring the alarm.
The song itself had great lyrics, melody, and tempo, but listening to it in this situation brought up a bizarre sense of discomfort.
It was effective as a morning alarm, that’s for sure.
– Ba-ba-ba─
I reached out and tapped the hologram projected in mid-air.
– Snap
The song cut off, and the hologram updated to inform me of my schedule.
[ Schedule: Mid-term Evaluation Day 1 ]
[ Monday AM: 6:00 ]
Confirming him with the power of observation, a deep sigh escaped me.
A breath full of fatigue. My eyes, habitually rubbed, bore deep shadows.
It was a morning alarm. A function to wake me up, but I was already awake.
More accurately, I hadn’t slept.
My master told me to get enough sleep for my condition, but… honestly, I was afraid of nightmares.
If I just fell asleep, I’d have a nightmare that ruined my mood for the day, and taking pills felt like too much of a routine, which scared me.
There were other ways to avoid nightmares, but they involved falling asleep in someone else’s arms… which honestly felt ridiculously embarrassing to attempt while sober.
I had no intention of staying up all night during the mid-term evaluations. I planned to take medication to ensure I could sleep before the tournament.
‘Ughhh.’
I put down the pen, pushed my chair back, and stood up. After sitting for about ten hours, my body felt all stiff.
I stretched out my limbs, bending and straightening them, releasing the tension slowly.
Bending one leg and then straightening it, I followed with my arms, bending and stretching upwards…
The stiffness in my body gradually melted away, replaced by a strange sense of pleasure.
Straining with one arm limited my movements during stretching.
It wasn’t just that. Living with one arm left many inconveniences.
In everyday life, no less. Especially in combat, it was a critical flaw.
There were the gaps simply from going from two limbs to one, and more deeply, my body’s balance was overall disrupted.
Moreover, I had an issue with my sensory interactions that seemed to go awry for a moment.
To be precise, it was due to the amplified state in the Tower of Growth…
Currently, I was back in control, but at that time, as my master was petting my head, I flailed around like a fish out of water.
Combat major practicals. And I planned to get my senses calibrated with my master’s help right before the tournament.
– Ugh.
Since I didn’t have much time, I washed myself with magic.
I threw on my student uniform over it, putting arm sleeves on my hand, which bore a hideous burn.
… Dressing was a hassle because I had only one arm.
I had to pull things with my teeth or manipulate the feathers of the sky to bring them closer.
Even upon reflection, the sky’s feathers were the best choice.
They were helpful in both combat and daily life, not a single aspect left out.
‘…In contrast, that egg from the divine realm…’
That thing, which took up a corner of my sofa…
Another deep sigh escaped me. I never imagined it would be like this even on the day of the mid-term evaluation…
‘Is this egg seriously not hatching?’
I doubt the CEO would pull a scam or something…
But then again, the CEO never informed me about it. I just assumed it to be a “hidden piece” I picked up.
When other students approached, there was no reaction, yet when I got close, it opened up… It had to be meant for me…
‘Ugh.’
Why do I have to fret about a hidden piece until the day of the exam?
‘Please wake up already…’
With a wish for it to awaken, I tapped the surface of the divine egg and finished packing my things, stepping out the door.
.
.
.
The written exam starting on Day 1 of the mid-term evaluations continues into Day 2.
Checking the tightly packed schedule, from early morning until nearly evening, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.
Besides, it’s not like I’d just sit around blankly during those hours; I’d have to squeeze my brain to solve even one more problem…
‘Sigh.’
I could only shake my head.
I checked the schedule again.
In the mornings of Days 3 and 4, there would be practical exams, with the tournament preliminaries and the main event held on the afternoons of Day 4 and Day 5, respectively.
By the way, the Sky Ram would only be revealed to the public on the last day… the day of the tournament finals.
Only the finals would be streamed online, and outsiders could come in to watch live.
Today was the first day of the mid-term evaluations, the written test.
I was assigned to Evaluation Room 5, but unfortunately, Hong Yeon-hwa, Elia, Baek Ahrin, and the others were all assigned to different rooms.
The same went for anyone I had small acquaintances with.
The area was full of students from other classes with whom I had no particular connections.
The building I stepped into for Evaluation Room 5 was just a huge auditorium.
Sure, it had a different quality, but it was simply like an oversized version of a typical auditorium.
– So, is this superhuman special law something we use later?
– Well, that’s why they’re making us study like this…
– Seriously, there’s just too much to memorize… I have to cram dozens of exceptions to laws.
– What’s the deal with spell composition science? I feel like if we get just the expected problems, I’ll still get half of them wrong.
– The difficulty in magic is notoriously crazy.
– Damn it, I’m not even majoring in magic.
– For sure, practicals are the way to go, yeah.
– What’s with giving up before even seeing the written exam?
– Here’s a shout-out to my rapid resignation judgment skills.
Sticking my name tag on my desk and preparing for the exam, a variety of hushed whispers filled my ears.
With the evaluations right around the corner, the topic of conversation was consistent.
There was also a common thread of tension and worry evident in the air.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling sick from anxiety among the worried faces.
Still, despite how low the weight of the written exam might be, it still could affect the overall rankings.
For students filled with academic enthusiasm and competitive spirits, the idea of a slight slip on the written test dropping their ranking must be thoroughly unpleasant.
“Now, we will begin the written evaluation. There are 60 questions with a time limit of 2 hours. Students who finish within the time frame may leave first.”
As I skimmed through the final parts I had organized and sat for a moment in meditation, a voice echoed from the ceiling speaker.
The tension that was already thick in the air doubled instantly. At that point, staff members started to weave through the students to collect smartwatches and other devices.
“……”
A staff member approaching from my left naturally reached out, only to stop short, seeing my empty left sleeve, visibly recoiling.
Seeing that, I took off the holographic projector hanging around my neck and handed it to the staff member.
[ Here you go. ]
“…Thank you. The collected items can be retrieved at the desk after the evaluation.”
[ Do I need to submit any other artifacts? ]
“…No. That item is not subject to collection.”
[ Okay. ]
[ Thank you. ]
The staff member, after expressing thanks, moved on to collect the devices from the other students.
Of course, this was all for security purposes.
It might have seemed lax, but security measures didn’t stop here.
Using my powers of observation and space, I felt a multitude of spells tightly arranged like a spider’s web.
These were spells installed for security.
They functioned as a barrier that severed the flow of magical energy between seats.
Furthermore, when operational, the barrier would block out any miscellaneous noises coming from outside.
Since it was crafted by the faculty of the Sky Ram’s magic department and the personnel of the Magic Association, the security was solid.
There probably wouldn’t be many students capable of breaking it among the students, and even attempting to break it would get them caught for sure.
That’s the kind of magic it was.
“…….”
I effectively observed the scene outside the barrier very well.
I could see the evaluation room beyond the barrier and even the other students inside their own barriers.
This meant I could almost intuitively see how the other students solved the problems.
An actual moral test. There was no guarantee that the student I peeked at would definitely have the right answer.
Even among the students gathered in that evaluation room, there were over a hundred of them. I could check them all, and even if I just glanced at the students who seemed to be performing well, I could glean answers.
An actual moral test.
Sighing deeply, I withdrew my powers of observation, limiting them to just around my seat.
I had to be proud of myself.
I needed to express clearly that I wasn’t someone who could be treated like a fool at any time or place.
So I absolutely dismissed the thought of resorting to cheating.
First of all, I was not in such a dire situation that I’d have to cheat.
“Time has elapsed. At this point, we will begin the written evaluation.”
Once again, a voice flowed from the speaker.
With the start declaration, the barrier activated.
– Ugh…
The tablet left on the desk by the staff powered up, and the exam questions popped up.
The subject this time was magic.
[ Question ① ]
[ Write the spell structure for the lowest-level magic ‘Magic Sphere.’ ]
[ Note – Based on the spells registered with the Magic Association. ]
…
[ Question ⑭ ]
[ The spell is a composite spell modified several times from the lower-level magic ‘Fireball.’ ]
[ Assuming the above spell is unleashed, answer the questions below. ]
[(1) Describe the differences between the original and modified spell structures.]
[(2) Write the interpretative and reverse calculation values of the modified spell structure.]
[(3) Write an arbitrary dispelling spell for this spell.]
…
[ Question ㊺ ]
[ The spell is an arbitrarily modified intermediate barrier magic ‘Arterrvita’s Mirror Wall.’ ]
[ The above magic cannot be normally unleashed.]
[ Answer the questions below. ]
[(1) Describe the cause of the abnormal manifestation of this spell.]
[(2) Modify the cause of the abnormal manifestation to write a normal spell structure.]
“……”
It was quite a headache-inducing set of questions.
Remarkably, there were no multiple-choice answers.
The evaluation time was 120 minutes. There were 60 questions.
That meant I could only invest about 2 minutes on each question.
… Two minutes per question was quite simply not enough, as most would be unable to finish in time.
Even this 10-second pondering felt like a waste.
I quickly picked up my pen.
*
In the dormitory where Lee Ha-yul resided, there were no decorations or additional furniture.
The wallpaper, the arrangement of the furniture and products—everything remained just as it was when first provided.
In the midst of this, the only thing that changed was the colossal egg resting on the sofa.
An utterly quiet dormitory, devoid of any noise.
– Clank
Within that stillness, a sound of something breaking could be heard a few hours after Lee Ha-yul stepped outside.
– Clank-clank
The gigantic egg trembled slightly.
With no external force, the egg’s surface began to crack slightly.
Hatching was approaching.
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