Chapter 25

“The first test is a mana sensitivity test.”

The students had various reactions to Professor Karen’s words. Students from the Royal and Noble classes looked bored. On the other hand, the Common class students seemed relieved that they could easily handle the test.

‘An expected reaction.’

Mana sensitivity is a fundamental ability for all magical studies.

That’s why the mana sensitivity test was very familiar to the students here. Usually, the test for mana sensitivity involves hiding small balls filled with mana stones around a large area and having students find them within a set time. It was a standard test that could evaluate both the ability and speed to sense mana. However, it was far from difficult. As a basic test, it was openly on the easier side.

That’s why the students reacted that way. But.

‘There’s no way the test is that simple.’

I laughed to myself. If it were such an easy test, it wouldn’t have become synonymous with failure and etched into the academy’s history.

“Is it just a warmup at first?”

“It would be fun and nice to just sweep up the balls in order of arrival.”

“Why would that be? Just quickly fill the quota and rest.”

The students from the Royal and Noble classes felt more boredom than leisure. Although it was a timed test, there was no tension since it wasn’t particularly competitive or difficult. As long as the students filled the quota set by the professor within the time limit, anyone could get the highest score. But it didn’t take long for the atmosphere to change.

“Bring it here.”

Clap.

As Professor Karen clapped her hands with a grin, the teaching assistants struggled to bring in something big in a sack. They were sweating and frowning as if it was quite heavy.

“Huh?”

“What’s that?”

The students murmured with puzzled faces.

Regardless, Karen continued to speak.

“Scatter them.”

Soon, the assistants poured the contents of the sack onto the floor.

Thud, thud, thud!

A sound that felt heavy.

“Uh……?”

“Stones?”

Yes.

The contents that the assistants diligently poured onto the floor were stones. Not mana essence stones, where mana’s essence is gathered, nor mana stones with a small amount of mana mixed in. Just ordinary stones rolling around us.

Literally, just ordinary stones that were everywhere.

“What the heck?”

The students’ faces were filled with disbelief. It was inevitable. The professor clearly said it was a mana sensitivity test. For that, even if not mana essence stones, at least mana stones were needed.

It was obvious. You need a substance mixed with mana to feel and deal with mana.

But what the professor brought was just ordinary stones. What are we supposed to do with these?

“Quiet, everyone. Be quiet and listen to the explanation. Do you see the stones in front of you?”

They were very visible.

“That’s just a stone.”

So what……………?

That was exactly the students’ expression. A look of dumbfounded disbelief.

“Why do you all look like that? I haven’t finished explaining yet.”

Someone from the Royal class raised their hand at Professor Karen’s words.

Professor Karen nodded.

“Go ahead.”

“Professor, wasn’t it a mana sensitivity test?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we need mana stones, so why these stones……? I don’t understand.”

The student looked genuinely confused.

Professor Karen looked at the student as if to say, well, that can happen, and opened her mouth again.

“Usually, these ordinary stones don’t contain mana.”

She admitted it readily.

Of course, it was also an obvious fact. If stones normally contained mana, mana essence stones and mana stones wouldn’t be treated as precious and sold at such prices.

“Then what are these stones?”

The student asked more confidently after the professor’s admission. But she showed a relaxed smile and flicked her finger.

“Listen to the end. I said usually. I didn’t say there’s absolutely no mana.”

She continued with a triumphant tilt of her chin.

“I personally gathered stones that contain mana. Oh, of course, most of the stones are ordinary without mana. Otherwise, how could we have a test to find them?”

“What? Are you saying there are mana stones among these?”

“No, no, not mana stones. Mana stones have a significant amount of mana, so it’s not fun. It’s too easy to find. That’s why I personally brought these stones.”

Boring.

That was a word that represented Professor Karen’s personality. She might seem like a nice and diligent beautiful professor, but in reality, she was a woman who lived for her own interests more than anyone else.

Why did she major in elemental magic?

Because it’s fun.

Why did she become a professor?

Because it seemed fun.

That alone was enough to explain what kind of person she was.

“So, you’re going to test with these stones……?”

“That’s right. Now, sit down, sit down, it seems like the explanation is done, so let’s start quickly.”

Professor Karen took out a pocket watch.

“From now on, find three stones with mana within 20 minutes. Three per group. Now, start.”

The test began, but the atmosphere was indescribably strange.

Since the professor said so, there must be stones with mana, but nothing was felt.

“What the heck is there?”

“Exactly. I don’t feel anything at all.”

Students grumbled with skeptical eyes.

Some even went a step further.

“It’s a trap.”

“What?”

“If you believe the professor’s words and take the stones out, you’ll get the lowest score right away. Because there are no stones with mana in reality.”

“If there are no such stones, isn’t it the professor’s fault for lying? Why would you get the lowest score?”

“Because you just believed what others said and couldn’t properly sense mana.”

“Huh, that sounds plausible? sh*t, then the first group to go out is screwed?”

Students seriously thought it was a trap set by the professor to test them. I just laughed, knowing all the circumstances. What to do. The fire is about to fall on our feet.

“One minute has passed.”

The voice of the teaching assistant announcing the time.

The first change in the situation occurred right then.

Someone stood up and walked towards the professor.

A beautiful woman with blue hair.

‘She finally moved.’

I thought with a smile at the corner of my mouth, as if I had expected it. Elaine of Fire and Ice.

A genius magician and named heroine who is the top of the second year. And the daughter of the head of the fencing hall I attend, Turk.

I can’t speak to her now because of the bad relationship with Max, but she’s the top priority person I must get close to someday.

‘The level is different’

It had only been a minute. While others couldn’t even catch a hint, she had already found the answer. The three stones in her hand proved it.

“Did you really solve it all?”

A team member whispered behind Elaine with wide eyes. That team member was also an excellent student, but obviously not at the level to keep up with Elaine.

“Yes.”

Elaine nodded without hesitation. Soon, her party arrived in front of the professor. Everyone was watching. They had to. It was the moment to find out if the test really had an answer or not.

Professor Karen and Elaine’s eyes met.

Professor Karen looked amused.

She seemed interested in the situation. She glanced at the stones Elaine had given her and then put them in a basket next to her. Then she said,

“Very good. Perfect score.”

The other students were in an uproar at the professor’s words.

“A perfect score? Really?”

“…Does that make sense? Are there really stones here that you can feel mana from?”

“Stop denying reality, you crazy fool. If Elaine found it, it’s over.”

The examination hall became noisy. Everyone looked suddenly alert. Because they confirmed it. There was definitely an answer, but they couldn’t find it. Now they had to find the answer somehow during the remaining time.

“Mana… try to draw out as much mana as possible!”

“How about using a sensory amplification spell?”

“Does weight matter? Or color?”

“Hey, let’s just try anything!”

Each group was busy trying to find a way.

Would that produce an answer?

Ah, of course, it would. Still, half of them would somehow pass the first test. But conversely, it meant the other half failed the first test and were ruined. So it was natural that there were plenty of lowest scores.

“What exactly is supposed to be felt here…….”

A guy in front of me was despairing with a pale face. Of course, it was Allen. He didn’t have the skills to overcome the first obstacle.

I understand. It was a test of failed difficulty adjustment. On the other hand.

“Yawn.”

Another guy yawned leisurely.

It was Riviera.

This girl was a completely different case. With her original skills, she should have already gone out and scored perfectly. But that wasn’t going to happen. Her motivation was zero. No explanation was needed just by looking at her indifferent and bored eyes.

“Yeah. Just Do whatever you want.”

For now, I decided to leave her alone.

Why?

Because she is our team’s hidden card. It’s not that there’s no way to stimulate her motivation, but it’s too precious to use now. I was thinking of pulling it out when we were really stuck due to an unexpected event.

Now it was my turn to move. There’s also the pride of being the team leader.

“Five minutes have passed.”

The voice of the teaching assistant.

I could feel the students’ expressions becoming more desperate. Allen was, of course, the same,

And while that was happening, two more groups from the Royal class found the answer and passed the test.

It was like a class with excellent talents. Probably after 10 minutes, most of the Royal class will pass.

‘Should I start moving now?’

It’s not my taste to stand out from the first test. It’s more fun to sneak along at the beginning and then show a strong presence in the middle so that people are surprised. But here, I wanted to show it. That I’m a man who fits in with the Royal class. To do that, I needed to move before the Royal class all passed.

“Hey.”

I called Allen.

“?”

Allen looked at me with a surprised face.

“Bring some stones.”

“St, stones?”

“Yes.”

“Which stones should I…”

“Just bring any, roughly.”

“Ro, roughly?”

“Yes, just bring them roughly.”

At my words, Allen hurriedly picked up a handful of stones.

“Good.”

I laid the stones out on the floor haphazardly.

And then,

“Fire.”

Whoosh!

I started a fire with magic to burn the stones. I could use this basic magic too.

“Wha, what…?!”

Allen was astonished.

He looked like his eyes were about to pop out of shock. It made sense since he witnessed such a crazy act. What kind of lunatic would not look for the stones they were told to find and instead sit there roasting them?

But.

‘Hey, you fool. This is the only way our group can pass the test.’

I remembered what I had seen in the past records:

I couldn’t feel anything until the end. The situation was desperate. There were less than 5 minutes left. My teammates were sobbing. I even thought about giving up. No, it wasn’t a thought. I was so angry at this situation where I couldn’t do anything that I lost my mind. Maybe the expression snapped would be correct. Suddenly, I heard the screams of my teammates. When I came to my senses, there was a fire burning in front of me. It seems I had gone crazy and started a fire without knowing it.

Ah… crazy… it’s over…

A moment of complete despair. That’s when it happened. I saw something with my own eyes. I still believe it was a miracle.

‘A miracle my ass. A guy with anger issues did something crazy and stumbled upon one.’

A chuckle escaped me at the excessive glorification. Well, that’s not what’s important. The important thing is that this method was the only one I could use among the first test records.

With my current level of mana sensitivity, there was no way I could find the answer with the conventional method.

“What? What are you doing there, student?”

A teaching assistant who discovered the billowing smoke shouted at me in surprise.

Other students who were busy finding the answer finally realized what was happening and screamed in shock.

“Aaah!”

“What, what’s that?”

“Fi, fire? Which crazy person started a fire?”

…Isn’t this just the level of firepower for grilling meat? Isn’t the fuss too much?

I shook my head in disbelief. Of course, they were more shocked by the fact that a fire had started suddenly.

“Are you going to put out that fire over there?”

The teaching assistant rushed over to stop me. But you know. You can’t just put it out like that, can you? As I thought, someone intervened.

“Wait. Assistant, don’t interfere.”

Professor Karen’s voice. The confused assistant quickly looked at her.

“Yes…? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t I clearly say? You must not interfere with the students tests in any way.”

“But, but this situation is…………….”

“It’s not a big deal, so just stay put. That kind of fire won’t cause any trouble.”

“Professor…”

“That’s enough, go back to your place.”

Professor Karen quickly resolved the situation. She has quiet the charisma when it comes to these situations. Then I went back to my business…..

……Hmm?

That’s when I saw it. The look in Professor Karen’s eyes. Her red eyes were shining with a strange light. I knew very well what that look meant.

A look that was very intrigued.

‘…What is this?

This?

It was absurd.

It was neither a conventional nor a sophisticated method.

It was a ridiculous method that had nothing to do with the original intention of mana sensitivity.

She was attracted to such a brainless method. Her eyes were telling me that.

‘Should I be pleased with this……?’

Karen was a professor, but also a named heroine in the position of an older woman, commonly seen in other games. She was a heroine that players who fundamentally like betrayal were crazy about.

But I’m not of that type, honestly, it’s not my taste. So even when playing, I didn’t get deeply involved except for a few times…..

‘It’s not the time to be picky about cold or hot rice, right?’

To break or to die.

That’s the hopeless situation I’m in. So I have to do whatever can help. And Professor Karen was a heroine who would definitely be helpful if I got close to her.

‘Alright. Let’s think about it later.’

I organized my thoughts. After all, it’s just that she was intrigued, nothing is going to change immediately. It’s better to move on, considering that an opportunity for a connection has arisen. I shifted my gaze back to the burning stones