Chapter 56

In the promotion exam, both a written test and a practical test are conducted.

Each test is out of a hundred points, making a total of two hundred points.

It seems that if you score over one hundred and sixty points, you pass.

The written test was conducted first.

"Begin the exam."

At the examiner's signal, I quickly scanned through the entire test.

Hmm... I had heard that the test would cover the range of topics taught to second-year First Grade students... but it doesn't seem too difficult.

The exam time is one hour.

But with this level of content, I could probably finish everything in ten minutes.

I had intended to use all my personalities, but it seems the main personality will suffice.

As expected, I filled in all the answer sections in about ten minutes.

Checking over the answers... it's not necessary.

At this level, there's no way I could have made a mistake.

With nothing to do, I decided to do some mental training.

In my mind, I made the two personalities fight each other.

It's good practice to have them use different magic, and it's interesting to make one of them a sword.

In the world of imagination, I could even become a monster.

Incidentally, right next to me, someone was still desperately staring at the questions.

It was the young Lois, who had volunteered to take the promotion exam.

Bacchus seemed a bit hesitant but muttered, "It might be good for him to taste failure now..." and approved his application.

"...Damn, what kind of problem is this..."

He seemed to be struggling quite a bit.

Eventually, the exam ended, and grading was done immediately.

Since there were only two of us, Bacchus finished grading in about thirty minutes.

"I will now return the answer sheets. First, Lois."

Upon receiving his, Lois's face twisted in frustration.

"Sixty-two points..."

"There's no need to be so pessimistic. If you can score this much as a first-year, it's quite good. This is an exam usually taken at the end of the second year."

Bacchus consoled him.

"Besides, there's still a chance to pass. If you get a hundred points in the practical test, you'll be fine."

The passing line is one hundred and sixty points, so if the practical test is a hundred, it would be one hundred and sixty-two, which is indeed a pass.

In his case, he seems to be better at the practical test, so it depends on the content of the practical test.

"Next, Arle. ...I had some expectations, but I didn't think it would be this good..."

Upon receiving the answer sheet, all the questions had circles next to them.

It seems to be a perfect score.

"It was easy."

"There were supposed to be some difficult questions even for Second Grade students..."

Seeing my score, Lois looked even more frustrated.

"B-But don't think you've beaten me with this!"

"I wasn't really competing with you, though?"

"Y-You're just being cocky now! I won't lose in the practical test!"

"If that's the case, the result should have been decided during the exam, right?"

"Ah, that was a mistake! I'm going to be the 'Sorcerer King' in the future! I can't lose here!"

...What a troublesome guy.

But indeed, while he has a bit too much pride, his competitive spirit is very important.

If he wants to see me as a rival, let him.

Then we moved on to the practical test.

Lois and I were taken to the training ground.

"An unusual shape. Are we going to run two hundred meters?"

It was a long, narrow rectangular space.

Several of these were lined up horizontally.

Each was surrounded by thick walls on all sides, or rather, they were dug out in a semi-underground manner.

However, one side of the wall had iron bars embedded, making it look like a cage.

"Who will go first?"

"I-I'll go first!"

Lois volunteered to go first.

A ladder was set up, and he climbed down.

"Begin the practical test."

Immediately, the iron bars of the cage opened.

What appeared behind them was...

"A Minotaur!?"

A bull-headed monster, the Minotaur.

Hunger-stricken, it immediately spotted Lois and charged forward in a crouched position.

I see.

This is the kind of test.

"Lois, use magic to defeat it before it reaches you. Can you do it?"

"O-Of course I can!"

"By the way, if you can't, you'll receive the Minotaur's charge."

"N-No... I just need to defeat it, right? I'll burn it to ashes with one hit! Eruption!"

The magic Lois used was the same as in the entrance exam.

While the flames weren't as flashy as before, the energy was more concentrated, making it a more lethal strike.

He must have tweaked the spell formula, the result of his studies.

Unfortunately, the flames erupted behind the Minotaur.

"What!?"

Well, this time the target is moving.

Eruption sets a position and generates a volcanic-like flame at that spot.

It was effective against a stationary target during the entrance exam, but it's difficult to time it correctly when the target is constantly moving.

Moreover, the pressure from the approaching monster adds to the difficulty.

"Eruption! Eruption! Eruption!!"

Panicked, Lois repeatedly cast the spell, but all it did was create heat waves on the Minotaur's back.

"Roar!"

"Ahhh!?"

Finally, the Minotaur was just a few meters away from Lois, roaring and preparing to charge.

Lois seemed to be in a dire situation, but suddenly, the ground beneath the Minotaur disappeared.

"Roar!?"

It seems a pit trap was prepared as a safety measure.

I had noticed it.

The ground looked different and clearly suspicious.

However, Lois, who hadn't noticed, seemed to have lost his composure and stumbled, sitting on the ground.

Bacchus announced mercilessly,

"Lois's practical test score is forty points. With a total of one hundred and twenty points, he fails."

It seems points are given even if you don't defeat the target.