Ch.135135 – The Aptitude Assessment Hat

<135 – Aptitude Assessment Hat>

Lower Class Common Lecture Professor.

Van Snake has one philosophy.

“For inferior students, the greatest blessing they can enjoy is to be expelled as quickly as possible from this cursed academy.”

Making inferior students end their miserable academy life in their first year before they struggle by advancing to higher grades!

Of course, he understands that students have their circumstances.

Someone wants to become the strongest in one field.

Someone wants to live up to their family’s expectations.

Someone wants to become a hero of a small nation.

Someone wants to find an excellent spouse.

Someone wants to improve their inferior class.

Someone wants to change perceptions about their despised race.

Those who enter the academy for different reasons each carry their own dreams, missions, and goals.

But if their abilities are lacking.

If they suddenly become second-year students.

‘Absolutely not. I can’t witness such a disaster again!’

First-year students would experience something they couldn’t even dream of, or if they did, it would become a terrible nightmare.

As someone who once served as the second-year student council president, Professor Snake sincerely decided that he must take special measures for the students.

As a result, becoming a professor for the mandatory common lectures for first-year lower class, he gained the position and power to achieve his goal.

“Understand, assistants? We must do our utmost to expel as many students as possible from this practical exam. For the sake of these fragile first-years!!”

At Professor Snake’s passionate cry, the assistants’ faces darkened, thinking this psycho was at it again.

“The entrance exam is over, but the true test for surviving in the academy begins now. Handling mana. And the test to verify it!”

Mana is a super-elemental substance that helps humans transcend the limits of their species.

Those who can handle mana can become superhuman.

Elemental mana.

Natural mana.

Divine mana.

Trait mana.

Students who can handle any type of mana earn the qualification to approach world-class status.

And once again, talent must be filtered.

Those who can become strong quickly.

And those who cannot.

The process of separating superior and inferior students awaits.

That is the Mana Verification Test.

A test that results in numerous lower class first-year expulsions.

“The test is simple. If you can handle mana, you can easily pass, but if not, you’ll face a hurdle that requires training and talent beyond common sense to overcome.”

For example, knight department aspirants must cross a bridge blocked by a huge boulder.

Magic department aspirants must defeat a dummy with extremely high physical resistance.

Administration department aspirants must receive citizens’ petitions and answer how to solve problems.

Production department aspirants must perfectly scan and analyze the structure of specific objects.

Adventure department aspirants must find a hidden certificate of acceptance somewhere on campus.

Five different tests.

Students get the chance to attempt two of them.

Because there might be a gap between their aptitude and what they want to do.

It’s giving them the maximum opportunity.

If they pass at least one, the student passes.

If they fail both, they suffer a devastating score drop.

Students disagree and say Professor Snake’s test is the most painful, but.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Anyway, if they can’t pass even this much, staying forcibly in the academy would be more painful.

“Three days left. The test will be conducted this Friday. Everyone prepare thoroughly to expel as many lower class juniors as possible.”

The assistants bowed their heads, feeling like minions of an evil villain.

* *

“I heard about it from a third-year senior who’s a teaching assistant. Isn’t Professor Snake really frustrating? It’s almost suspicious how much he has against first-years.”

Wednesday, during the Eye Development lecture.

The talkative senior Bigstone was itching to share news nobody asked for.

“That could be true!”

“Huh. Look at this guy. So carefree because you’re in the upper class, huh?”

“Stop it, Bigstone. You’re only making yourself look bad since you were in the lower class in your first year.”

“…Rizna. Your words make me feel even more miserable, you know?”

“Alright, I’ll stop. Bigstone, who almost failed the mandatory common lecture test in the lower class first semester.”

“Stop…! I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’m sorry, so please stop! Please stop humiliating me about my grades in front of the first-years!!!”

Hehe.

Titosoga burst into laughter beside me.

“Aren’t you worried, Titosoga? About the test, I mean.”

“Not really? Lately, after taking the Adventurer’s Night Action lecture, I don’t get surprised by ordinary things anymore.”

“Ah…”

It seems the cowardly Titosoga has lost his rational judgment due to excessive fear.

He’ll return to his usual cowardly self by the fifth period, so I’m not too worried.

What’s concerning is Morb’s future, who suddenly had to equip a cursed item.

Even if he can somehow shower with clean magic, thinking about living with weight training equipment that can’t be removed for 24 hours brings tears to my eyes.

Be strong, Morb.

Until you can forcefully spread out those inwardly crumpled gloves and shoes to take them off!

“Greetings, gentlemen. Welcome back to Professor Bronze’s Eye Development lecture.”

The ever-stylish Professor Bronze waved to the students who gazed at him admiringly.

But today he was carrying an unfamiliar briefcase.

Perhaps it contained materials for today’s lecture?

“I don’t particularly consider you cherished disciples, but since you’re students attending my lecture, I’ll conduct a special lecture today to prevent you from facing the disgraceful situation of being expelled due to insufficient scores.”

At those words, the solitary eastern swordsman Sing raised his hand.

“This is rare. First-year Sing has a question.”

It was the first time the loner outsider Sing, who usually sits in the corner of the classroom making sounds like “tsk,” “tch,” “hmph” while achieving excellent grades before leaving, showed such enthusiasm.

Despite receiving everyone’s curious gazes, Sing spoke without intimidation.

“This lecture offers no benefit to upper class students. Can’t you proceed with the regular lecture and then offer an additional special lecture only to those who want it later?”

The lower class students’ expressions soured.

Though his words were quite offensive, it was natural for Sing, an upper class student, to not find much appeal in such special lectures.

Even if he behaves rudely, he has the skills to cut down any student who might criticize him.

“Don’t worry. I’ve prepared a lecture that won’t be disadvantageous for upper class students to hear.”

The professor placed the briefcase on the podium and clicked open the handle.

A white vapor escaped with a hissing sound.

What appeared beyond it was a bizarrely shaped hat with two palms attached.

‘Ah! That’s the hat used when advancing to second year!’

Just as a certain Western magic academy has a magic hat that evaluates students’ aptitudes, Gift Academy also has a hat that evaluates department aptitudes.

It was the Aptitude Assessment Hat with <Talent Identification>, <Aptitude Evaluation>, and <Status Window Viewing> functions.

“Today’s special lecture is about discovering which department first-year students have an aptitude for. And I’ll give bonus points to students who correctly guess their aptitude. In the sense that they have the discernment to know themselves.”

There’s no guarantee that the field you currently aim for, the field you’re currently skilled in, and the field you actually have aptitude for will all match.

If you’re lucky enough to have all three overlap, you can achieve amazing synergy, like doing what you love.

But what if all three are completely separate?

You waste effort, dreams become futile, and what you do diverges—a total disaster.

So being able to wear the <Aptitude Assessment Hat> even a year earlier was truly generous of Professor Bronze.

“Inferior humans… come sit before me and reveal your pathetic talents…”

But the hat’s tone seems somewhat different from usual.

It wasn’t such an unpleasant character in the game.

The hands attached to the hat weren’t so grotesquely shaped either, and the voice was much more comical and harmless in tone.

Can hats also have different personalities with a 0.1% probability?

It’s a bit perplexing.

“Professor Bronze. Can second-years try it too?”

“Indeed. It seems the first-years are intimidated by this alien artifact, so let second-year Bigstone set an example by wearing it first.”

“…Bigstone, you idiot. How can you volunteer to be a test subject for such a suspicious-looking hat?”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I’ll die from wearing that thing.”

Ignoring senior Rizna’s criticism, senior Bigstone sat in the chair and put on the hat.

The hat, which was chewing on the senior’s head, slapped his head with one hand.

“What a piece of trash!”

“Ack! Did the hat just hit me?!”

“A man who makes women suffer because of his indecisive personality deserves to be NTR’d!”

“Ack! Ack! I put this on to check my department, but what is it checking instead?!”

Senior Rizna nodded with a deeply sympathetic expression for some reason.

“Beat him more.”

“…Wow. A woman’s grudge is scary. Senior Bigstone, you should just confess once more, right?”

“Exactly!”

“Oknodie. Let’s never meet such a frustrating man!”

“Yes!”

“…What are you saying to an 11-year-old child.”

Titosoga smirked despite Isabelle’s criticism.

The fear training has definitely made him tougher.

“Production department. You productive garbage!”

“Magic department. You magical garbage who should learn magic to turn trash into wood and become a tree first!”

“Did you enter with a donation? Since you’re equally talentless, go to the Administration department where you can cover your lack of talent with hard work, you incompetent thing!”

“Waaah…!”

The hat that made many first-years cry with its scathing remarks.

Finally, it was my turn.

“Ugh. I don’t want to wear it.”

Unable to hide my discomfort, I picked up the hat with my fingertips as if using tongs, when the eyes protruding from the hat blinked in surprise.

“Oh. It’s the little one I saw before.”

“Where have we met?”

“Ah. You were asleep then? Jona picked up quite an extraordinary little one, which was surprising.”

…Why is Jona’s name coming up here?

Unable to hide my suspicion, I looked at the professor.

“Professor. This hat isn’t from the academy, is it?”

“So you recognized it.”

Professor Bronze readily admitted.

“I stole it. From the Wiheomhae Foundation.”