Chapter 23

EP.23 Practical Training (2)

Professor Fernando stood at the final destination, scanning me with his usual cold, blue eyes.

Then, his assistant, who had become a zombie from the excessive workload, groaned and collected the performance evaluation bracelet from me.

Professor Fernando, who handled such an assistant, seemed almost like a necromancer.

"Group F, the practical training is over. I will announce the results and provide feedback in a week. Good job."

"Can I pass on that message to the other members of my group?"

Since they all failed.

"That's fine. I'll announce everything before the next class starts anyway."

After that, Professor Fernando said we could go straight back.

Alain and Ethan, who had already failed, had already returned to the dormitory.

The details of how the performance evaluation was conducted and the specific assessments made are kept strictly confidential. Thus, there's no worry of revealing any suspicious points to the student council president, Alice Carroll, like the disaster sword sheath.

Only the grades are publicly disclosed. The grades will be posted in the central hall of Orpin Hall in a week.

'Maybe I can expect a good grade this time.'

Although I only got to shine once because of Roze, I did defeat the final boss.

Maybe I can have some hope?

Of course, now that I have plenty of gel and have tested the performance of the disaster sword sheath, I don't really need to be overly concerned about the results of this performance evaluation.

Still, it would feel good to get a good grade.

I left Calis Hall. The bright sunlight was blinding, so I briefly shaded my eyes with my hand.

I felt strangely light. It was like the feeling after finishing a midterm exam in high school and going home early.

However, it wasn't time to relax. I needed to start training right away.

Just as I started walking outside Calis Hall, someone suddenly stopped me, saying, "Wait a moment."

It was a ladylike but sharp voice.

"How did you do it?"

The one who asked me this abruptly was Roze. She stood in the shadow of the building, arms crossed, glaring at me.

"What do you mean?"

I knew what she meant but deliberately played dumb.

Snap.

Roze approached me quickly, veins popping on her forehead.

"How did someone like you, an E-rank, manage to defeat Taurus? Even though it was an illusion, how did you...! Besides, what kind of luck did you have? An E-rank in D Class, the lowest of the low, shouldn't be able to use a 5-star spell!"

Her voice was tinged with sobs. Her attempt to deny it was pitiful.

She must have a tendency to boost her self-esteem by belittling others.

But she had just lost her pride in front of the person she looked down on the most.

Seeing that person easily leap over the wall she couldn't climb must have been a bitter pill to swallow.

So, she was trying to hide her weakness by negating me. Otherwise, she would fall apart.

I've seen people like this often in Shinlim-dong. They usually don't pass the bar exam.

"Even if you had the means to defeat the enemy, why didn't you save me? Do I amuse you?"

There's a good lesson for such situations.

What's the secret to happiness? Don't argue with fools.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Ugh...!"

With a glare, I casually threw a one-liner, and Roze's face turned bright red, as if she was furious and frustrated to the point of being speechless.

Well, Roze must have realized how ridiculous her words were.

"Ugh, ugh...!"

Grinding her teeth and stomping her feet, Roze.

Since there was nothing more to say, I started walking again.

You stay at the bottom.

I'll aim for the top.

* * *

Academy magic professors must be deeply knowledgeable in all aspects of magic theory.

Fernando Frost. He became a full professor in the magic department of Merchen Academy at the young age of 25, solely due to his theoretical expertise.

In the prestigious Merchen Academy, where the continent's top talents gather, he is considered a role model. He possesses outstanding intellect, remarkable appearance, and a well-structured lecture style that sticks in the ear.

Such perfection in Fernando's demeanor stems from thorough self-management and obsessive attention to detail.

He must look neat. When sitting, he must maintain a straight posture. Even in places where no one can see, he must not appear disheveled.

As a professor in the elite academy, every action must exude dignity.

It was a deep night. Rain was pounding against the windows.

Amid the sound of rain breaking the silence,

Fernando was reviewing the results of the practical training in his office in Orpin Hall, the magic department building.

Various documents neatly arranged in the air, suspended by his telekinetic magic.

Knock, knock.

Hearing a knock on the door, Fernando looked up.

"Groan..."

"Marco, come in."

Marco, the male assistant with brown hair, entered the office. His face was pale and lifeless.

He approached Fernando's desk and handed over the documents.

"Groan..."

Fernando took the documents Marco handed over with a zombie-like groan. It was a summary of the practical training results and evaluations for each student.

He needed to review it for any issues and then submit it for approval. After speed-reading and confirming there were no immediate problems, Fernando nodded.

"Next, this one."

"Groan...!"

Fernando pointed to the stack of documents on the side, and Marco let out a near-scream. However, as an assistant, he had no other choice.

Marco picked up the stack of documents, which was as tall as his upper body, with both hands and shuffled out of the office.

He would spend another sleepless night.

"..."

Fernando quickly read through the documents using telekinetic magic.

He had supervised Calis Hall during today's practical training. Like the judges, he monitored the progress of each group's performance evaluation through a modification orb.

His role was to guide the performance evaluation.

To check if any issues arose during the evaluation.

To resolve any issues that arose.

And to send failed students away from the scene.

Currently, he was reviewing the videos of the practical training conducted at various locations and evaluating the students.

This year's first-year magic department students, while not quite a "jade generation," still had some promising talents.

'Valedictorian, Luce Eltania.'

Luce Eltania, the valedictorian of the first-year magic department. Her maximum mana is overwhelming. Her mana control and elemental firepower are flawless. During the practical training, she easily defeated the monster illusions with water magic.

However, due to her lack of social skills, her collaboration score with her group members was abysmal. She consistently maintained a cynical attitude even when her group members tried to be friendly.

In the battlefield, one cannot survive alone. Luce Eltania's flaw is her dictatorial attitude that avoids cooperation.

'And the salutatorian, Kaya Astraen... '

Kaya Astraen, the salutatorian of the first-year magic department. She has the second-highest maximum mana after Luce Eltania.

Her skills are also flawless, but she can be considered a tragic genius overshadowed by Luce Eltania.

'Sielle Carnedas needs to reflect.'

Sielle Carnedas, a top student in the magic department, showed a lack of concern when her group members were injured.

She even ended up arguing with Ian Fairytail, a fellow group member.

Even with excellent magical abilities, her attitude that caused internal division made it difficult to give her a good evaluation in terms of cooperation.

'Mateo Jordana is quite excellent.'

Mateo Jordana, a top student in the magic department who has been in and out of controversy. Despite the rumors, he has a diligent side.

Compared to Luce Eltania and Kaya Astraen, he is weaker.

During the practical training, he demonstrated efficient tactics and targeted the monsters' weaknesses effectively.

Moreover, he had the charisma to lead his group members. He has the qualities of a leader.

'Tristan Humphrey... has magical talent but many issues.'

Tristan Humphrey, another top student in the first-year magic department. His elemental magic is powerful, but he has many areas that need improvement.

First, he ignored the task of analyzing the monsters' weaknesses and just fired powerful spells recklessly, which is a significant problem.

While his powerful magic did defeat the monster illusions, his score in the "consideration of mana efficiency" evaluation was the worst.

Furthermore, he used the prestige of his family to make students follow him, resulting in the worst collaboration score.

While evaluating the students, Fernando paused at the F group's practical training data.

"This student... "

If he had to pick the most noticeable student today, it would undoubtedly be Isaac, a male student from D Class.

With his silver hair and blood-red eyes, he stood out. His E-rank mana measurement during the evaluation was still fresh in Fernando's memory.

This student used a 5-star spell, [Freezing Explosion], today. His proficiency was low, but it was clear.

He seemed to have used a magical tool. Did he have a magical tool with a 5-star magic array?

The world of magical tools is vast, so Fernando couldn't easily determine it. However, the existence of a magical tool that can contain a 5-star spell is unsettling.

Theoretically, it's possible. If the magical tool has an extremely high number of mana circuits and exceptional durability, it can contain a 5-star spell. However, the requirements are extremely high.

In other words, the structural issues of the magical tool can be overcome. The most concerning part is the user of the magical tool.

Magical tools can hardly contain spells above 3-star. The magic circuits are much more advanced, and the amount of mana required is on a different level.

Therefore, even if a 3-star or higher spell is contained in a magical tool, the user must be able to use that spell to activate the complex incantation. Otherwise, the trigger cannot be activated. Exceptions are in the realm of impossibility and not worth discussing.

The professors who served as judges are probably searching through books to identify the magical tool Isaac used. Directly asking the student is prohibited by the Marquess Agreement, so it would be difficult.

Fernando was also curious but couldn't break the rules.

'The mana measurement was just two months ago. The probability of an E-rank student learning a 5-star spell in just two months is... '

...not zero, but extremely, painfully low.

Perhaps he was a genius all along, but didn't realize it.

Could he have discovered his genius after entering the academy?

'Not like a novel or a play...'

Such a dramatic story is unlikely.

Fernando stroked his chin, pondered, and then shook his head slightly.

Such a student could exist. After all, this student's performance evaluation scores have been steadily improving.

He also recently paid off all his bank loans, including the interest, in one go.

He must have been working hard. He might have discovered his magical talent.

This is the prestigious Merchen Academy. It's not unusual for excellent students to emerge.

"..."

It would be best to give a positive evaluation this time.

Professor Fernando added a personal evaluation to Isaac's feedback.

[This student shows a particularly remarkable growth trend. Although he relies on magical tools to compensate for his lack of mana, considering his ability to use them effectively in critical situations, he deserves a positive evaluation in practical skills. However, as a first-year, he should focus on developing the ability to effectively apply his pure personal skills while minimizing the use of magical tools.]

It's satisfying to watch students prove their potential. Besides Isaac, Ian Fairytail, who was also rated E-rank, has shown significant growth recently.

"Interesting..."

Watching the students grow is a pleasure for Fernando as a professor at the academy.