Chapter 8
The teaching assistants of Bahil appeared and prepared a practice set for each student.
To the right, a cactus-like plant was placed in a sandpit, and to the left, there was a "magic circle mold" resembling a casting frame. It was a correction tool designed for beginner necromancers.
"It's a bit shameful for a Keyzen student to use a correction tool, but since it's the first class, it can't be helped."
Bahil said.
"It's okay to get a feel for it, but don't rely too much on the tool, it may form bad habits. Now then! Let's begin practicing the ExhaustionCurse, Exhaust!"
Bahil kindly explained how to use the correction tool, and Simon followed the instructions exactly.
He gripped the twin handles attached to the tool, extracted the Darkness, and channeled it into the handles.
The substance flowed through the mold, gradually forming the shape of a magic circle.
"The key is how precisely you can form the main rune."
A 'rune' was essentially a letter imbued with magical power. By drawing these letters with Darkness, one could trigger magical effects.
Simon carefully crafted the main rune and inscribed the activation formula around the circle's edge.
Since he was using a mold, he could draw the magic circle without fully understanding its structure.
"Once you're done, try floating your magic circles in the air."
Simon swallowed hard and tried to raise the finished magic circle. The dark-blue-black circle lifted gently from the mold and floated in midair.
Wow!
A real magic circle. He had recreated the very technique his father, Richard, occasionally used!
He wondered if the dark magic would truly activate, but the anticipation was undeniable.
Looking around, about half of the class had succeeded in levitating their circles.
Ah!
While distracted, one side of Simon's circle turned liquid and began to collapse.
"Some students' circles are collapsing."
Bahil said, as if he had been waiting for this.
"This usually happens when the Darkness isn't properly refined or the magic circle lacks cohesion. Try again."
Simon gritted his teeth and started over.
"Students who can maintain their circles in the air, proceed to real application. Use the curse on the plant in front of your desk!"
Those who had succeeded inhaled sharply and activated their circles all at once.
Fwoom!
A black mist shot from the magic circle, heading toward the cactus-like plants.
Half showed no change; the other half wilted noticeably.
"Congratulations. If the plant shows meaningful change, your magic circle worked."
"Yes!"
The male student next to Simon clenched his fist in triumph.
Swallowing his envy, Simon resumed his work.
"The gap is already widening. Those who succeeded, focus on improving your completion speed. If you're confident, try forming the circle directly in midair without the correction tool."
Time flew by, and Simon experienced his fourth failure.
He could complete the magic circle, but when he floated it, it turned gooey like porridge and collapsed to the ground.
'What am I doing wrong?'
As more students succeeded, Simon grew anxious.
Of course, Keyzen was where the continent's most talented gathered, and most students had prior experience.
It made sense that Simon, who was encountering dark magic for the first time, would struggle, but he didn't give himself such excuses.
Why was he failing?
—The Darkness still retains mana properties. The fact that it flickers like fire means it hasn't fully vaporized.
—You need to learn how to utilize your core more effectively.
Recalling the voices of Neftis and Loraine, whom he met in Langerstine, Simon let go of the correction tool and closed his eyes, focusing on his internal mana.
'Back to the basics.'
He inhaled mana through his breath and guided it toward the core beneath his heart.
So far, same as always. But instead of sending it directly to the core, Simon gathered as much as he could just in front of it.
'Ugh!'
Pain radiated beneath his heart, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Then, all at once, he rammed the concentrated ball of mana into his core.
Infusing a large amount of mana all at once, and forcefully, made the Darkness emerge denser and firmer. A makeshift solution Simon devised, since he had not yet learned proper core manipulation.
'Now!'
Simon snapped his eyes open and grabbed the tool again.
The more refined Darkness quickly filled the mold. Finishing the rune and formula rapidly, he raised the circle into the air.
'It worked!'
It didn't collapse this time.
Simon adjusted the floating circle, aiming it at the plant. He wanted to succeed in one perfect shot.
'Exhaust!'
The circle activated, and gray smoke extended from the center of the rune and struck the plant.
Simon anxiously observed the plant.
Sssshhh.
The plant that had stood stiffly drooped down.
'Yes!'
Simon clenched his fist. A shiver of excitement surged up his spine. He was so thrilled, he nearly shouted in the middle of class.
This was Simon's very first dark magic.
"All right, that's enough."
Bahil clapped.
"Those who couldn't succeed today, practice in your dorms."
Sighs of disappointment echoed here and there. Bahil returned to the podium and picked up the attendance sheet.
"Now, for the remaining time, we'll conduct live practice using the spell you learned today. When I call your name, come forward."
Suddenly, the air grew tense. Students averted Bahil's gaze or pretended to be distracted.
Bahil smiled gently as he looked at the list.
"Oh? Special admission number 1 is in this class?"
Everyone turned around at once.
"Simon Follentia. Step forward."
"...Yes."
Somehow, he had a bad feeling, and this was it.
Simon steadied his nerves as he walked to the podium.
He had succeeded at the end, so there was no need to panic. Just do what he had practiced.
"Now, who would be a good opponent for our brilliant special admit number 1?"
The students flinched and avoided Bahil's gaze. Amused, Bahil scanned the list.
"There are two students with impressive entrance scores..."
After a brief moment of thought, Bahil announced:
"Hector Moore. Step forward."
"Yes, sir."
It was the large boy Bahil had mentioned earlier. Hector stood and walked up to the podium.
The two faced each other on the platform.
Simon swallowed nervously. Up close, Hector seemed even larger.
"Let me explain the rules."
Bahil said.
The assistants brought up stand desks in front of Simon and Hector, each equipped with the Exhaust correction tool used in class.
"You're only allowed to use Exhaust. Complete your spell and hit the opponent. The first one to have their knee or butt touch the ground loses."
A simple rule.
Simon steeled himself. Now that he was standing in front of everyone, he wanted to win.
"Professor."
Hector raised his hand.
"Yes, what is it?"
"I will compete without the correction tool."
Ooooh—!
Whistles erupted from the crowd. The students, no longer tense, were ready to enjoy the match.
"Excellent attitude."
Bahil had hinted at his distaste for the correction tool earlier. Hector had cleverly seized the opportunity to show off his skill and impress Bahil.
Despite his bear-like, clumsy appearance, he played the situation wisely.
Bahil turned to Simon.
"What about you, Simon?"
Simon's lips were parched. Everyone stared at him with expectant eyes.
It was hard to reject the suggestion in this atmosphere...
"I'll use the correction tool."
Better to face reality than indulge in foolish pride.
If he agreed and then failed to complete the spell even once, it would be far worse.
Bahil smirked at Hector, who replied immediately:
"I won't take back my words."
"Very well."
The atmosphere leaned in Hector's favor.
Now, Hector looked like the brave and confident one, while Simon seemed like a cowardly special admit.
Everyone knew who they were cheering for.
"When I give the signal, begin. Show your classmates a good match."
Hector crouched into position, and Simon gripped the handles of the correction tool.
"Start!"
Simon activated the prepared Darkness, channeling it into the mold. It spread rapidly, filling the circle.
'I can do this!'
Maybe it was nerves, but the Darkness didn't flow as smoothly as during practice. Still, he endured, waiting for the circle to complete.
He drew the central rune, about to write the detailed formulas, when—
"...!"
Suddenly, his body felt heavy, and his legs trembled.
'No way!'
Simon looked up. Hector had already completed his spell and was smiling triumphantly.
"Oooooooh!"
"Nice one, Hector!"
"That was seriously fast."
Riding the momentum, Hector immediately began preparing his second spell, while Simon clenched his teeth and tried to stay on pace.
'Even though I only got hit once, my body feels so heavy!'
Cold sweat trickled down, and his legs were trembling.
Simon could now feel with his entire body just how threatening curses were, and why they were considered such efficient means of offense.
'It's complete. Time to lift it!'
The moment Simon lifted the finished magic circle from the correction tool, one side of the circle collapsed like mush.
Ah—
Disappointed murmurs echoed around the room.
Even if he activated it now, the formulas were damaged, so it wouldn't work. Simon let it go without hesitation and began preparing a new one.
'Ugh!'
And Hector's second Exhaust struck. Simon felt his stamina drain and his body grow even heavier.
It was the worst. He didn't even have enough focus to cast magic, just staying upright was a struggle.
His concentration inevitably wavered.
The tide of battle turned one-sided.
Without mercy, Hector cast his third, fourth, and fifth Exhaust spells in succession. Simon's knees were visibly trembling, about to buckle.
At first, the students cheered for Hector's fiery assault—but now, they looked at Simon with pity.
'It's over. He doesn't stand a chance.'
'He hasn't even landed a single hit?'
'Is he really special admission number one?'
Simon, his condition and focus both deteriorating, failed twice in a row to construct a magic circle.
As Hector launched his sixth Exhaust at Simon, he spoke.
"Surrender. You're just making it sad."
Fueled by desperation, Simon forced strength into his legs.
No way, no way he was going down like this.
'Again!'
He went straight into a third attempt. Hector sighed and began preparing his seventh Exhaust.
'...Hmm.'
Meanwhile, Bahil stood with arms crossed, watching the duel between the two students.
That boy Hector was certainly something. Setting aside his talent in curse magic, he had the right mindset as a student.
A strong candidate to survive until third year. Bahil made up his mind, he would make sure to take this one under his wing.
'On the other hand, special admission number one…'
To be frank, he was terrible. For someone to enter Keyzen, prior training was a given, some had even experienced actual combat.
But this student, supposedly the top among the special admissions, lacked even the basics.
It was like watching someone who had just learned dark magic for the first time.
'Why did Lady Neftis choose this boy as special admission number one?'
Special admissions 1 through 4, invited directly to Keyzen bypassing the brutal entrance exam, were the geniuses of the generation.
Among them, number one was always handpicked by the dominator and principal of Keyzen, Neftis. Every one of them had grown into a remarkable figure.
But this student, supposedly chosen personally by Neftis, showed no signs of promise.
If there was anything notable, it was his stamina.
Usually, students collapse after taking four hits from Exhaust. But Simon had taken nine and was still standing.
He was born with natural stamina. He had probably trained his body regularly, too. And seeing him still clinging to magic even in this condition showed a considerable amount of mental fortitude.
But that was all. Maybe the Magical Combat Professor would drool over him, but Bahil wasn't impressed.
"Gghk!"
Simon's eyes flew open as he lifted his fourth magic circle onto the mold. This time, it didn't collapse in midair.
Without delay, Simon activated the spell. Gray mist shot out and hit Hector directly.
"...!"
Hector, who had been preparing his next spell, staggered. His knee almost gave way, and he lost his balance. He barely managed to stay up by catching himself with one hand.
'It landed!'
Simon clenched his fist. And for the first time, an expression of shock appeared on Hector's face.
'What the hell? Why is it so heavy?'
Hector had prior experience with Exhaust through advanced learning.
But had the curse ever felt this heavy? He almost collapsed after just one hit.
Even so, the score was 9 to 1. He was still in an overwhelmingly dominant position.
Yet, after taking the first hit, Hector couldn't shake off a sense of unease. It felt like a leech clinging to his ankle, a persistent opponent that was becoming more and more of a nuisance.
'Just fall already!'
Hector gathered every bit of focus he had and activated his tenth floating magic circle.
Thud.
At last, after withstanding ten Exhaust spells, Simon dropped to one knee.
"That's enough. We have a result."
Bahil said as he stepped forward.
"The winner is Hector Moore."
Applause erupted from the students.
Hector wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced sideways.
There sat Simon, drenched in sweat like rain and collapsed on the floor.
'....'
It didn't feel like victory.
The moment he landed the first Exhaust, Hector had known—his opponent was a total novice.
A guy who had never learned dark magic. That should've been the end of it.
And yet…
He just wouldn't go down.
Even after taking nine Exhaust hits, even with his legs trembling dangerously, he still managed to complete a spell and land a hit.
'...Creepy bastard.'
Before he grows any bigger.
Before he becomes someone no one can stop.
It might be best to crush him now while there's still time.
Hector thought, seriously.
"Simon, you did well too. You may return."
Bahil said.
With a snap of Bahil's fingers, the ten stacked Exhaust curses weighing Simon down were released.
The curse was gone, but the fatigue from withstanding it all remained. His breath reeked with exhaustion.
Even so...
'Phew.'
Simon had no regrets. He stood up with a light heart.
'That was fun.'
He felt genuinely glad he had come to this school.
"That concludes today's lesson."
Bahil promptly ended the class.
The students filed out of the lecture hall like receding waves, and Bahil sat down and leaned back in his chair. Then, he closed his eyes, as if meditating.
"P-Professor?"
Just then, a nervous female student approached Bahil.
"I have a question about today's less—"
"Just a moment."
Bahil held out his palm, eyes still shut.
"Come to my office once all classes are over. I'll answer all your questions then."
"R-Really? Th-Thank you so much!"
What luck!
The girl squealed softly, thrilled to be invited to Bahil's office, and rushed out of the classroom.
Bahil opened his eyes into a half-lidded stare, glaring at her retreating figure.
'I need to restrain myself.'
He nearly cursed aloud.
This emotion.
This aftertaste.
He didn't want to waste this moment on some cheap, worthless thing like that.
Bahil closed his eyes again, savoring the events of the class.
'...Simon Follentia.'
He was thinking of none other than Simon.
At first, he'd thought the boy was just a stamina freak, but that wasn't it.
All the other students probably thought Simon had been thoroughly crushed 10 to 1.
But that one Exhaust Simon had landed on Hector at the end.
To the eyes of a professor who could see talent and potential, it was several—no, dozens of times more valuable than all ten Exhausts Hector had cast.
That single spell replayed over and over in Bahil's mind.
'He's amazing!'
A grin split Bahil's lips.
A genius like that must be made to major in Katarology, no matter what it takes!
Bahil's inner desire began to stir.