Chapter 36: End of Semester Evaluation (1)
by AfuhfuihgsThe title of Sage holds a special meaning within the world of Eterna Online.
In general, the term “sage” might conjure the image of an old man who has honed his potential over decades, but in this world, it signifies something entirely different.
Here, a sage is someone who has surpassed a certain threshold—an irregular being who has reached a unique pinnacle of power. This title is granted regardless of gender or age, purely based on one’s ability to transcend conventional limits.
And somehow, I’ve become the youngest sage ever to graduate from this academy.
“Is that him? The sage from the video?”
“Looks just like him. They say he’s a first-year, just like the rumors say.”
“Wait, you’re telling me that video wasn’t faked?”
“I heard the Holy Empire is in an uproar over it, and even the Tower of Magic is on high alert.”
“Isn’t he just lying about his age? I heard sages don’t age.”
I never expected this. Amid all that chaos, I never imagined that someone would use an artifact to film all my combat scenes and broadcast them in real time.
‘This is driving me nuts…’
How am I supposed to handle this? Is there even a way to fix it at this point?
Everywhere I go, people stare at me. Not just fellow students, but upperclassmen and even professors.
‘A dragon, a saint… and now a sage?’
My head is spinning. If nothing else, at least be consistent with my titles!
I just sat in my classroom seat, waiting for my homeroom teacher, Louise, to arrive.
Then—
Clatter—!
The classroom door opened, and a familiar woman entered. It was Louise, the one person I was actually looking forward to seeing.
With her entrance, the chattering among the students died down. I lifted my head to face forward.
“As you all know, the Magic Festival has been prematurely concluded. Due to the Pandemonium faction’s assault, we had no choice but to cut it short to investigate the incident.”
Of course, that makes sense.
But I don’t care.
I’ve already secured my agreement with Principal Stella to get the tournament prize regardless.
“Luke Richter, well done.”
Waaaah—
As soon as Louise mentioned my name, the entire class erupted into applause.
Even Louise, whom I trusted, is putting me on the spot. How could she do this?
The betrayal made my clenched fist tremble.
I glanced around and caught sight of the crown prince’s wide eyes and Dricksion’s sweat-soaked face. When I glared at them, they quickly looked away.
“You must all be curious about the upcoming end-of-term evaluation.”
At Eterna Academy, there is no concept of midterms.
Grades are determined by a combination of class participation, practical evaluations conducted throughout the semester, and finally, the end-of-term evaluation.
The grades from all of these are averaged into a final score.
And the format of the first semester’s end-of-term evaluation is—
“The end-of-term evaluation will consist of two parts: a written exam and a practical exam.”
Written and practical exams.
Among these, the practical exam is the key.
Though the written part is not insignificant, the practical test accounts for the majority of the final grade.
Of course, I need to score as close to perfect as possible on both.
“The written exam will cover three subjects: Magical Theory, Combat Applications, and Continental History. As for the practical exam…”
After that, Louise continued explaining.
Since it was all information I already knew, I didn’t bother paying much attention.
The written exams would be no problem thanks to the Sage’s Glasses, and given my current specs, the practical exams shouldn’t pose any issues either.
The only thing I’m slightly worried about is whether the evaluation standards might have been raised now that I’m known as the youngest sage from Eterna Academy.
During the explanation, four pairs of eyes never left me:
Prince Van Beonar, Saintess Odette, the squinty-eyed George Arrote, and Aisha.
All I could do was let out a sheepish smile, unsure of what to say.
I just wished the boring explanation would end and class would finally start.
Then, just as I was thinking that—
“Alright, let’s begin the lesson.”
As expected of Louise. Always knows when to move on.
“Everyone, take your seats!”
With Louise’s loud command, the ripple of chatter subsided.
“From now on, we will begin the end-of-term practical exam—Combat Survival Training.”
Due to the recent terrorist attack on the academy by Isadora, all external joint training events have been canceled along with the festival.
The academy itself is still in disarray, but even if the Magic Festival is canceled, the exams themselves cannot be postponed.
As a result, all external joint training that was originally planned to involve outside personnel has been scrapped.
Instead, a new evaluation method, Combat Survival Training, will take its place.
The problem here is that I know absolutely nothing about this new exam.
Since the future has started to change, I can’t rely on the standard strategies I used to know.
This time, I’ll have to figure it out from scratch.
‘Combat Survival Training…’
I don’t know the exact details, but judging from the name, it’s probably some kind of battle royale.
Not that I’m particularly worried.
Right now, I’m confident I can take down any other student who tries to challenge me.
———————————————————————–
[ Status ]
Name: Luke Richter
Level: 70
Gender: Male
Mana: 12,050
Synchronization Rate: 13%
————————————————————————-
Level 70—honestly, that’s a level not just for a first-year but for an elite on the verge of graduation.
In other words, I can handle most situations even without relying on the Sleepwalking skill.
Feeling relieved, I focused on Louise’s next words.
“The location will be the artificial uninhabited island, Orte. The exam period will last for five days. It’s not just about hunting monsters—combat between students is also allowed.”
Oh, so they’re planning to turn it into a full-blown chaotic battle royale?
And the location is Orte, an artificial ecosystem filled with monsters?
I already feel like running away.
Not only do we have to camp out on the island for five whole days, but it’s also a no-holds-barred deathmatch?
“Don’t think you can just hide somewhere and wait for the test to end.
Each time you defeat a monster, your count will be recorded, and your rank will be determined by that count—just like the previous group practice.”
Rustle, rustle—
The students erupted in complaints, clearly discontent with the harsh exam format.
But Louise, unaffected, continued her explanation without missing a beat.
“Everyone, take out the bracelet you received beforehand.”
Following her command, my gaze shifted to the bracelet wrapped around my right wrist.
It was the same type as the one given during the previous group practice.
“If the bracelet sustains a force exceeding the allowed limit, it will automatically detach.
Any student who is disqualified will immediately be transported back to this location.
Additionally, if you defeat another student in combat, you can take their bracelet and absorb their score into your own. Keep that in mind.”
Wow.
They’re practically telling us to go out there and kill each other.
“Also, the rankings and locations of all students will be shared with everyone in real-time.”
So my strategy is clear.
The artificial island, Orte.
I remember that there’s a demon and its horde of monsters stationed there.
It’s inevitable that we’ll run into them during the test, and naturally, it’ll be up to me to deal with them.
But the important part is that they’re still classified as monsters.
Killing them while earning points—a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone situation.
It’s essential to set up this scenario during the test.
‘This might actually be a goldmine.’
No matter how I look at it, this test is way too advantageous for me.
Camping out for five days might be annoying, but at this rate, it’s definitely doable.
Looking around, I noticed that most students seemed dissatisfied with the test format.
A student sitting in the front row raised his hand to voice an objection.
“Isn’t this way too unfair? This test format clearly favors the higher-ranked students.”
Hearing the complaint, Louise’s face also hardened.
“Good point. This test does indeed have a winner-takes-all structure.”
“But then all the more reason to—!”
“The strong survive, and the weak are eliminated. If you don’t like it, feel free to withdraw.”
Louise’s firm declaration left the student speechless.
I watched the exchange like a bystander enjoying a distant spectacle.
“Are you giving up?”
“…I misspoke.”
“Good. Return to your seat.”
The argument ended more anticlimactically than I expected.
Sitting back, I half-heartedly listened to the rest of the explanation while revisiting the information I had on the monster horde.
“The exam will begin tomorrow. The gathering point is here, and the starting time is the same as usual class time.
If you’re late, you’ll lose your right to participate, so be mindful of that.”
The monster horde is tucked away in a remote corner of the artificial island,
so there’s almost no chance anyone else will discover it first.
In other words, it’s the perfect setup for me to secure it before anyone else.
Since the professors will likely monitor most of the test to evaluate us,
it doesn’t really matter if I hide my strength or not at this point.
They’re already calling me a sage, a saint, a dragon—arguing among themselves trying to figure out my identity.
At this point, there’s no point in pretending anymore.
All I need to do is focus on what I have to do.
My goal isn’t coexistence with this world—it’s clearing the game.
“Dismissed.”
No matter what it takes, I’ll see this cursed game to the end.
That’s the only thing I need to focus on.
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