Wednesday, Day 89:
After an intense review session, Zane returned to his dorm, took a cold shower, and then lay on his bed, taking a moment to clear his mind before activating his [Innovator] title. He'd planned to do it tomorrow, right before the test, but Professor Burbank warned him about possible side effects, so it was best to do it now and sleep off any negative effects.
What happened next was hard for Zane to describe. His brain was truly wonderful; he could understand things easily, make connections and references most people cannot, detect patterns that seemed unrelated, and, more importantly, think of answers or ways of doing things most people can't fathom. However, as soon as he activated that title, all his abilities paled in comparison.
His mind seemed to develop a plethora of sub-brains, all connected and working in harmony to boost his cognitive abilities to a level impossible for humans. As a result, his brain evolved from a supercomputer to a quantum computer, capable of processing, deducing, and calculating countless formulas at once. And on top of everything else, the world's truth was simplified so a human mind like his could understand it.
"What? It's gone?" Zane thought as his mind returned to normal. The sensation was jarring; one minute he had godlike computational power, almost as if he were the source of truth, and the next he was back to his normal human capabilities. "Is this what it feels like to be stupid? Hmm, that's horrible; I shouldn't think like that. But it really feels like my mind was downgraded."
Zane shook his head to shake off the odd sensation and focused on the information he had acquired. As Professor Burbank had explained, in those brief five minutes, Zane had mastered countless pieces of information—old and new—raising his understanding of magic theory to a new height.
"I should pass now, right?" Even now, he was not completely confident. However, Zane had done his best, so he would accept whatever the outcome—he had no regrets.
Today, he decided to sleep for 8 hours, or he tried to. Stress and a sudden change in his sleep pattern kept him awake, and for a moment, Zane thought he'd have a sleepless night. Then, Lord Anansi appeared in his dream; they chatted for half an hour, and then Zane slept like a baby.
"No wonder one of his domains is dreams," Zane thought the moment he opened his eyes the next day. He would be a fool not to understand that such a good night's sleep was due to Anansi's blessing. So he offered a prayer of thanks before starting his morning with his daily training. Instructor Seiya was kind enough to move the afternoon tournament, but not nice enough to exempt him from morning training.
"How do you feel?" Evelyn asked after class.
"Nervous."
"Don't be. If there is one person who deserves to pass this test, it's you."
"That's right, Woody. The title of Earth's First Analyst belongs to you," Keesha added.
"It's a test, right? If there is something we are good at, it's tests," Tom Nguyen encouraged.
Evans nodded. "Good luck, man. You'll do great."
"Thanks."
"After class, we can come wait for you," Evelyn suggested.
"No need," Zane replied. The test was 5 hours, from 3 PM to 8, so they would have to wait more than an hour.
"It's decided," Evelyn said.
Zane smiled and stopped trying to persuade them. At 2:20, Zane headed to the rest location. Ahmed, Myk, Devonte, and Khadijah came to offer their blessings, but they rushed off to training immediately afterward. At 2:30, Zane entered the test room and sat at his desk; he immediately noticed a pencil lying there.
"Is this enchanted pen?" Zane thought. He tried to detect any runes but found nothing, so he gave up. At exactly 3 PM, Professor Malida walked in, and without a word, countless stacks of paper suddenly appeared on everyone's desk. "You have exactly five hours. Nothing more and nothing less. And I'd like to remind you, according to the rules, you must use the Anti-Cheat Pen at your desk." After she said this, she displayed a holographic countdown in the air, then sat down.
Zane finally understood the pen's purpose, but that was no longer his priority. He looked at the two pieces of paper in front of him: one was the test itself, and the other was a stack of white paper. "I don't understand why these mages like to do things the old-fashioned way," he complained. They could have conducted the exam in many ways, but they chose this method. Resisting the urge to make any sound, Zane flipped through the exam.
Question 1: Explain the correlation between Rune Logics, Rune Arrangements, and Mana Directives?
Question 2: Which of the three foundations of a spell are more valuable? (Use additional paper if necessary)
Question 3: How are the three foundations utilized differently for the three standard rune expressions?
Question 4: Explain the Link Rune Expression in your own words.
Question 10: What are the best directives for the following runes:
Question 11: What runes are in the following Directive Diagram?
Question 23: The creator of the following spell made an error. Find and correct it.
Question 24: Optimize this spell to reduce mana utilization.
Question 35: What are the Counter Directives for the following spell?
Question 46: What are the Inverted/Counter Runes for the following spell?
Question 54: By changing only two runes, this 1-ring Dark Tentacle Spell can improve from 0.7 Kosa to 0.9. Which runes? And why?
Question 63: Use the Manison Formula to deduce this spell's directive.
Question 78: Using the Artrella Principle, determine whether this is a Flame or Dark Spell. Show work.
Question 81: Apply Rune Resonance to the following spell:
Question 92: Explain how to utilize the Qiliant Resonant Model to complete the spell below.
Question 107: Calculate the Mana Activation Frequency of the spell below.
Question 112. Optimize the spell below to raise its power from 0.3 Kosa to 0.6.
Question 123: Identify the spell below.
Question 139. You are about to die with heart failure. Design a spell to save your life.
Question 155: Design the Counter Directives for the following spell.
Question 166: Design the Counter Rune Logic for the following spell.
Question 177: Design the Counter Rune Arrangement for the following spell.
Question 180: Design the Counter Spell for the following spell.
Question 190. Design a Spirit Healing spell tailored to a 3-circle mage with an injured soul. Their mana frequency is 901.3 Herza, and their soul fluctuates between 120 and 328 Ira. The spell must use the Poly Circle Matrix, and the intensity must reach 3.9 Kosa.
Question 191. Calculate the Essence Rune for the above mage. Here is their life energy and mental energy reading:
Question 200. Using the Grimlow Orbital Model…
"200 questions, each more challenging than the next," Zane thought. He suddenly lost all the confidence he previously had. Still, after a deep breath and a quick prayer, he jumped in. The five hours passed without even him noticing. And when he heard Professor Malida's powerful voice, Zane could think of only one thing: already?
He sighed, prepared to hand over his paper, and walked out. However, the professor cast a spell that scanned everybody's papers before telling them they could leave. Zane was baffled, but after seeing everyone walk out with their test papers, he followed.
"How was it?" Evelyn asked.
"It was something."
"You don't sound too confident," Keesha said.
"Look at this and tell me if you would be confident," Zane replied, showing them the test.
"Damn. 200 questions and not a single multiple-choice?" Keesha asked.
"I don't think multiple choice would have made a difference," Evelyn added. Besides the first 20 questions, everything else made no sense.
Tom Nguyen patted Zane's shoulder. "It can't be that bad; you answered every question."
"Answering them didn't mean I got them correct."
"Be optimistic. You only need to get 40 points," Evans said.
"True."
Zane headed back to his dorm to prepare for today's Elite Class. Part of him desperately wanted to review his answers with Professor Burbank, but after the test, his mind relaxed, and sudden fatigue overwhelmed him. So, he took an hour-long nap before heading to class. The next day, he decided to review his answers with Zulu during a tutoring session, but right after the morning practical class, Professor Malida summoned him.
He was shocked by the sudden summons, but regardless of the reason, he rushed to the classroom. Professor Malida waited at her desk, and as soon as Zane approached, she showed him a hologram. It took him a moment to realize it was a test score, and he immediately stared at the number: 37.
"3 points short — how unfortunate," Zane thought. All that hard work, all the sleepless nights, all the sacrifice, and he fell short by three points. Disappointment began to overwhelm Zane, but he quickly controlled himself. "There is still next month; there is no point in being disappointed —I've done my best," he thought.
He quickly regained his bearings and checked the grading; this was a learning opportunity, and he wouldn't let it pass. The screen displayed Professor Malida's corrections and the point system. The test is graded so that higher-numbered questions are worth more than lower ones. Zane answered many low-numbered questions but received only partial credit for the high-level ones.
"Mr. Skylar, what do you think?"
"About?"
"Your failure."
"It's sad, but understandable."
"Don't feel any resentment?"
"Not at all. I tried my best, and I failed. Anyway, there are still next academy terms."
"That's a good mentality," Professor Malida replied, nodding. "But there is still hope."
"What do you mean by that?"
"My tests are the most challenging of all the professors in the association, and I grade harsher. Under normal circumstances, you would have passed."
Zane's heart skipped a beat. "I'm not following, Professor."
"Professor Burbank and a few others have pleaded for you, and after contemplating, I decided to give you another chance. On Sunday at 9 AM sharp, I'll let you retake the test. If you pass, you can still be an Analyst Apprentice."
"Really?"
"I have no need to lie to you."
"Thank you very much. You won't regret this."
"I hope so."