“Senior Belinda, here are the Golden Branch Coins we agreed on. Exactly 1,000.”
“I’ll be counting on you for this exam, Senior.”
Taking the black cloth bag handed to her, Belinda nodded and waved dismissively at the student and his companions behind him.
“Let’s go then. By the way, I saw you coming out of that crowd just now... what exactly happened over there?”
“Oh, it was nothing much. Just that guy who used taboo magic recently—Senior Erylin pulled him into her team.”
“Senior Erylin really is too kind, looking after a guy like that.”
“But that guy is truly loathsome. He actually kissed Senior Erylin’s hand in public to show his gratitude? What a pretentious gentleman! If I were her...”
The man wanted to continue, but Belinda interrupted him.
“The second-year student who used taboo magic? Ain Aldric?”
“Yes, that should be him.”
Belinda fell silent for a moment. She pulled a Judgment Necklace, representing the Titan Prosecution Office, from her pocket and whispered.
“Has the execution order not come down yet?”
“A parasite who defiles the academy... is not worthy of polluting Erylin.”
...
Ain already had a preliminary plan.
He had conducted very in-depth research into the magic system of this world.
If using magic was compared to a simple electrical circuit, then most people’s bodies would be like a lightbulb paired with a capacitor they could freely control.
The capacitor provides power to the circuit, the lightbulb glows, and—bam—magic is cast.
As for the original Ain, his capacitor’s storage capacity was much, much smaller than average.
But now, Ain didn't even have that capacitor anymore.
So, how could he make the lightbulb glow?
The answer was voltage.
If a high voltage and a low voltage were applied to both ends of the lightbulb, once the potential difference reached the lightbulb’s threshold voltage, it would glow.
Furthermore, based on Mordred’s second-phase characteristics, it would forcibly absorb the mana of everyone present.
If one imagined the scene of Mordred absorbing mana as a circuit, the person being drained would be the power source, and Mordred would be the capacitor that needed charging.
Thinking of it this way, the method became very simple.
He just needed to stand right in the middle of that circuit.
Snap—wouldn't the lightbulb light up then?
To ensure the current in this circuit was strong enough and lasted long enough, he needed a power source that was both large and high-capacity.
He happened to know of one.
Erylin, a Tier 3 Mage of the magic academy, possessed a mana reserve that was unattainable for others.
Who could be more suitable as a power source than Erylin?
After mentally reviewing his plan, Ain opened his status panel.
【Binding Magic: Spirit Contract】
【Proficiency: Pro Max】
【Rank: Tier 4】
【Effect: Twists the will of a magical beast, forcing them to sign an unequal contract. The user will inherit the target's attributes and a portion of their abilities.】
【Required Mana (MP): 1,900】
【Current Status: Unavailable】
“If I can take the magic wolf as a contracted spirit, I might be able to use magic by relying on its special abilities...”
“Lillian, Ain!”
Erylin interrupted Ain’s thoughts.
“This is the manual for the exam. Keep it safe.”
Ain took it. The cover clearly read “Instructions for Examinees” and “Exam Procedures.” However, Ain quickly skipped the first few pages and flipped straight to the page detailing the scoring.
Exam Location: Echo Forest.
Exam Duration: 6 hours.
Exam Objective: Team combat, seize mana crystals. (Note: Conflicts between different teams are forbidden. If discovered, exam results will be nullified.)
Tier 3 Mana Crystal: 200 points.
Tier 2 Mana Crystal: 25 points.
Tier 1 Mana Crystal: 5 points.
Number of Tier 3 Magical Beasts: 1
Number of Tier 2 Magical Beasts: 67
Number of Tier 1 Magical Beasts: 879
Score Cap: 200
Note: If the obtained mana crystal is damaged, the score will be adjusted based on the degree of damage.
Note: Each student will be assigned a Magic Letter. In case of danger, the letter can be ignited to obtain assistance from a mentor.
Note: Igniting the Magic Letter will be considered a forfeiture.
Looking at the massive point difference between Tier 3 and the lower tiers, Ain recalled the power distribution from the game.
Mages were divided from Tier 1 to Tier 7, and so were magical beasts.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 were low-tier magical beasts. Tier 3, Tier 4, and Tier 5 were mid-tier. Tier 5 to Tier 7 were high-tier. Mid-tier magical beasts would develop intelligence and possess special abilities; some could even use magic, making them significantly harder to capture.
Most first to fourth-year students in the academy were Tier 1 to Tier 2 Mages. A small portion were Tier 3 Mages, and Tier 4 Mages were even rarer, mostly found in the fifth year.
“What are you looking at? It’s not like you’re going to contribute anyway. You’re acting like you’re actually calculating the points.”
A girl’s voice came from the side. Ain turned his head to see Lillian with her hands on her hips, looking at him with great dissatisfaction.
Ain wasn't surprised by the girl’s hostility; after all, the things the original owner of this body had done were indeed excessive.
“By the way, can I get a perfect score just by capturing Tier 1 mana crystals?”
Faced with Ain’s question, Lillian first frowned, then wore an incredibly speechless expression.
“Extracting a mana crystal intact takes quite a bit of effort. Just taking ten crystals would probably last until the exam ends.”
Listening to Lillian’s answer, Ain fell into thought.
So, extracting a mana crystal, which was just a click of an interaction button in the game, was actually that troublesome in practice.
It seemed that to get a perfect score, seizing Mordred’s mana crystal was the most reliable way.
Promptly, Ain turned to look at Erylin.
“Erylin, I apologize in advance for what I’m about to say. I don’t mean to question your strength, but... I still want to tell you to be careful of the Tier 3 magical beast in this exam.”
“It’s different, and it’s very dangerous.”
Before Erylin could respond, Lillian cut in.
“Is a Tier 3 magical beast supposed to be hard to fight in front of Erylin?”
Lillian gave a relaxed smile, as if she were the genius of the magic academy and the strongest mage of the third year.
Erylin also replied, “I appreciate the concern, but she’s right.”
As if fearing she might crush Ain’s confidence, Erylin lowered her voice slightly.
“Aren't Tier 3 magical beasts usually quite weak...?”
Ain felt like she was humble-bragging, but it also seemed quite normal for her.
After all, the current Erylin had already reached the peak of a Tier 3 Mage. Handling an ordinary Tier 3 magical beast was indeed child's play for her.
But Mordred was an exception.
...
“Pro—Professor August! Professor August!”
“You need to stop the Echo Forest practical exam immediately!”
“Something’s wrong! Something’s gone terribly wrong!”
A woman pushed open the door in a panic. Her pale blonde hair hung down to her waist, tied loosely with a moon-white ribbon. The cuffs of her Persephone-brand mentor robes were embroidered with silver patterns of intertwining herbs.
Seeing the newcomer, August calmly flipped to the next page of the magic book in his hand and sighed slowly.
“Perseline, the door to my office hasn't been repaired in a long time.”
“If you keep using that much force, I’m afraid it won't survive the week and will need replacing.”
Perseline didn't reply. Instead, she laid out a stack of observation data in front of August, taking a few breaths as if she had just run across several streets.
“Professor! Listen to me! The Tier 3 magical beast in the Echo Forest this time is different from the one we pre-arranged!”
“The mana fluctuations it emits are several times higher than a normal Tier 3 magical beast!”
“This is the observation data from the last few days, along with its actual assessment. It’s estimated to be nearly in the Tier 4 range!”
“Professor, are you even listening to me? Do you realize how serious this is? If...”
August made a hand signal to stop, cutting off what the woman was about to say next.
“Perseline, let me ask you first: Is it a Tier 3?”
“Yes, but—!”
“Then does it meet the requirements of the exam arrangements?”
“The maximum level for beasts in the exam is Tier 3. Without special reasons, students can arrange their own hunting targets. If they cannot ensure their own safety during the exam, they can ignite the Magic Letter for forfeiture, and the mentors in the field will come to—”
“I’m glad you’ve memorized the exam regulations so well.”
“But! Professor! If it’s from the Secret Order’s side...”
August didn't give her a chance to continue.
“Perseline, do you know how much I have to pay out for the first-class scholarships every year?”
Perseline shook her head.
“500,000! 500,000 Golden Branch Coins!”
“I can understand the academy’s desire to nurture talent, of course.”
“But since that little girl Erylin appeared, no one has won a first-class scholarship once in over a decade—except her, who takes it once every six months!”
“One time, she even took Lillian along to get it!”
“If it weren't for the exam rules, I’d be tempted to shove a Tier 4 magical beast into the testing grounds!”
It seemed she had struck a nerve, as August grew more agitated as he spoke. He exhaled, then stood up, put down the magic book, and walked to the window.
“Perseline, although the appearance of this Tier 3 magical beast is an accident, it will give Erylin the proper tempering she needs, won't it?”
“At her age, having things go too smoothly isn't necessarily a good thing.”
After hearing the professor’s words, Perseline asked weakly.
“Then... what if she actually gets that Tier 3 magic wolf’s crystal?”
August chuckled and shook his head.
“How could a mage below Tier 4 possibly defeat a pseudo-Tier 4 with special abilities?”
“If someone can actually do it, they can have my seat as a professor.”
Rate on N.U.
