Second Test (1)

[ Room 107 ]

I returned to Planarium.

I had just unpacked my things in the dormitory and was about to take a nap when

Knock-knock

The sound of knocking.

I glanced towards the door.

Knock-knock

The knocking sound again.

I got up and opened the door.

What do you want?

It was Elise. She peeked over my shoulder and asked,

Can I come in?

I stepped aside. She entered and looked around.

Theres nothing here. Its cramped.

What Oh, right. Hey, listen.

It was good timing. I still had questions about Magic Spell.

When I use a formula, the mana consumption is too high, you know?

I had put the lesson about scale into the Notepad, but I hadnt properly asked about efficiency.

Elise raised an eyebrow.

Thats simple. Your mana pool is small, thats why.

Yeah, thats true. But theres also the matter of efficiency.

Magic Spells of levels 1-3 are manageable, but from level 5, the mana consumption is no joke. It means Im using the formula in an inefficient way.

Elise asked with a blank face.

Efficiency?

Yeah.

Youre a swordsman anyway.

Swordsmen also use Magic Spells. Look at Gerkhen.

Gerkhen is Sigh. Sit down.

Elise pointed to a chair. I sat on the only chair available. Elise also created a chair-like form using telekinesis and sat on it.

Efficiency is hard to teach theoretically.

What? Why?

Because its too simple. The quality of mana dedicated to the path in the formulas circuit Thats all there is to it.

Path?

I tilted my head. Elise raised a finger.

Let me explain it simply. The circuits of Magic Spells are largely just paths.

She drew a level 4 Magic Spell in the air.

Look. The core circuits here are the nucleus.

The center of the Magic Spell turned red. It was the nucleus.

The circuits supplying mana to the nucleus are the paths.

The outer parts leading to the center turned green. They were the paths.

Usually, if the nucleus of a formula is 30%, the remaining 70% is the path to reach that nucleus.

Ah, so dont waste magic on that path?

Roughly. Just pouring mana doesnt make the mana transmission speed of the path faster.

It was a simple story.

The formula I deploy with the Notepad was inefficient because I poured the same amount of mana into all parts. Like Elise, I didnt distinguish between the path and the nucleus, and dumped a set amount into the entire formula like a machine.

But it will be difficult for you.

Why?

Because its purely a matter of talent. Per unit of mana

Elise stopped talking.

Sigh.

She sighed lightly and simplified her explanation.

In other words, whether your mana is a railway, a highway, or a dirt road is determined from birth. Academia calls this the quality of mana.

Hmm What about you?

Im a railway. A high-speed railway.

Then show me. Draw it in the air as you go.

You ask for a lot.

Start from level 2.

Elise grumbled as she drew a Magic Spell in the air.

Level 2. Two Magic Formulas were intertwined.

Just as Elise had said, the lines on the outer part of the formula were thin but sturdy. A path had been formed.

However, as it moved towards the center, it became thicker and darker, and by the time it reached the nucleus, it was completely dense.

Look. The outer part is thin and the center is thick, right? But, this is because the quality of my mana is good. If a person with poor mana quality makes the path thin, the Magic Spell wont work.

I see why.

Think about it. If the path is a railway, a single line can transport a train.

But if its a dirt road thats just one line? At most, it can handle a cart.

Its that kind of logic.

Lets see.

But, the quality of my mana shouldnt be that bad. At least due to Perion, it should be at the level of a highway.

I saved Elises Magic Spell in the Notepad.

Elises Efficient Level 2 Magic Spell.

I created a separate folder and focused on saving the efficiency of the path that Elise showed.

Show me just two more Level 2 spells. And about four Level 3 spells.

Haah.

Elise sighed as if annoyed, but did as I asked without any complaints.

.

Elises Efficient Level 2 Magic Spell [ 3 ]

Elises Efficient Level 3 Magic Spell [ 4 ]

Three Level 2 Magic Spells.

Four Level 3 Magic Spells.

I saved a total of 7 Magic Spells. To be precise, I added the technique of efficiency to the database.

Thats it. Thanks.

What do you mean thats it. This technique is something you can-

Just watch and tell me. Ill give it a try.

Try to be a little more self-aware.

Elise furrowed her brows, and I deployed a Magic Spell. A smoke ball the size of a ping pong ball floated up from my palm. It was the Level 3 Smoke Bomb that Elise had just demonstrated.

The magic consumption is definitely less. It seems to have dropped by almost half?

Thanks to Elise, who understands the theory better than most scholars, I was able to grasp it quickly.

Thanks.

I felt a bit guilty, as if I had stolen some knowledge.

I looked at Elise with an awkward expression.

.

Her eyes were glued to my Smoke Bomb, and the dense fog that had settled down obscured her expression.

A moment of silence.

Then she spoke.

Youre not without talent.

Her tone was a bit bitter.

She made a small gesture. The Smoke Bomb was instantly dispelled.

Huh? Whats that?

You implemented it in the same way as me. So, it can be dispelled immediately by reverse calculation. Thats why security is needed for the formula. Ill tell you about that later.

Oh~ Okay. Thanks.

Then.

Elise reached out to me. I stared blankly and asked.

What?

When are you going to give it?

Give what? What does she want?

Here.

I placed my hand on hers.

No!

Elise flinched and pulled away. She slapped my shoulder with her palm and said,

Farm coupons. Why arent you giving them?

Ah, right.

She came for the coupons from the beginning. I casually cut a piece of paper lying on the desk and made it into a coupon.

Elise frowned.

Whats that? Its just a scribble on paper.

Its for my business anyway.

Hmph.

[Ten Pre-Order Coupons], [Ten Discount Coupons]. Elise stuffed a total of twenty into her wallet.

Go.

She left without a word.

* * *

The high floor of the dormitory.

Elise, who had climbed up to the rooftop, was facing the cold wind. Looking at the daytime moon of Planarium, she seemed to be lost in some complex thoughts.

Suddenly-

The door opened. Elise glanced that way.

It was Gerkhen. He seemed surprised by Elise.

Why. Was it your spot?

Even though I like that spot, I cant claim ownership. The rooftop is agreed to be used only by residents above the 30th floor.

Elise chuckled.

Tell the dissatisfied ones to come up and speak.

Again, she leaned on the railing and looked at the view.

Gerkhen stood at a distance.

The wind blew gently, stirring her hair.

Elise opened her mouth as if sighing.

You were right.

Gerkhen looked at her. He seemed to have forgotten what he had said.

Last time, about the first quarter human chess. You said if it wasnt for the stamina issue, you would have chosen Shion as the queen.

She thought it was an overestimation at the time.

But Elise vaguely realized today.

Shion Ascal operated the Smoke Bomb as efficiently as herself. He almost mimicked it exactly.

No, the thickness of that smoke was even denser than hers.

She didnt show it, but from her perspective, and even from the perspective of the many magic teachers who had taught her, it would have been a shocking incident.

Elise herself had struggled for nearly a year to achieve such efficiency.

Is that so.

Yes. Right. Just as you said.

As Gerkhen said, Shion has talent.

A talent that came too late, and therefore it is wasted.

Its not that it isnt, magical talent is most important in early education. The best age for circuits to open is before 15. No matter how good the talent you are born with, if you dont get proper training at that time, the circuit itself closes.

Like Shion Ascal.

He has good quality mana. Beyond good, its excellent.

However, due to the fatal drawback of not receiving early education his mana conduit is small.

Therefore, the limit is clear.

He can never grow high.

90% of his talent maybe 95% is already blocked.

Shion has excellent talent. Its too late though.

There were many reasons why it had become too late for him.

Because a proper environment was not provided.

Because he lost his mother at birth, and his father died at a very young age.

Because he became an orphan and was raised in an Orphanage.

He had been afflicted with a brain tumor and leukemia.

Because of Petra.

If it hadnt been for Petra, He would have had a mother.

If he had a mother, his father wouldnt have died so early.

He would have been able to cope more easily with the brain tumor and leukemia with the help of his parents.

You seem to be emotionally troubled right now.

Gerkhen said. Elise tilted her head.

Are you a robot?

Think rationally when youre like this. Calculate.

Calculate.

What comes to mind at that word is plus, minus, zero.

SameSame.

So far, Shion is a minus.

Almost, an infinite minus.

No matter how much she pours in the plus

Unless she gives up the calculation itself, theres no improvement.

If you think about it in terms of calculation, its a bigger loss.

She muttered, brushing her hair back.

Much more of a loss.

She pulled away from the railing.

Her mind was complicated.

She felt like she needed to take a break, stroking Biancas fur at [Bethune].

Im leaving.

Elise turned around.

Go.

Gerkhen, as if he had been waiting, took his place as it was.

It really was his own seat.

He also has a strange routine.

* * *

I ran the [Ascal Farm] for a week. Every day new silver spooners came, and thanks to them, I was able to maintain the upper ranks just by cooking without any problems.

But it wasnt all good.

Ah. I wish they would stop coming now.

Preparing about 10 servings every day was not easy.

Anyway, today, like yesterday, I was about to finish my days work and go back.

Hey!

What a surprise.

A stone statue outside the farm called me.

The one that announced the first test last time.

What is it?

A stone statue! Youre an excellent student, so I came to give you a hint!

A hint?

Yes! Be prepared! Something big is about to happen in the dormitory!

What big thing?

Its a test!

Oh, is that so?

Is he telling me in advance? Im kind of thankful.

I pointed to the farm.

Do you want to eat?

I dont eat human food! See you in a bit!

In a bit, its about to start.

Preparation

I dont know what to prepare for, but lets start with the food since its in the dormitory. Food preparation is also preparation, right?

I took out the wand from my waist.

Telekinesis.

I muttered in a low voice with my arm stretched out. Chururururuk! All the food and ingredients in the farm rose and were put into the cart.

Thanks to Elises efficiency lecture, this much is now as easy as chewing gum.

Now all I have to do is move this cart to the dormitory.

Dormitory 1st floor lobby. Elise, who was pouring water into a tumbler from the essence machine, and the other seniors chatting on the sofa blinked their eyes at me.

What are you doing? Whats with that cart?

I looked back at the cart. On top of the cart, about the size of a refrigerator, it seemed like loads almost the size of two refrigerators were stacked.

I was told to prepare. So, I brought everything from the farm.

Prepare?

Elise made a face as if she didnt understand.

I opened the door to Room 107, pulling the cart.

Oh, right.

I flinched to a stop as I tried to push the cart in.

My Room 107 is quite narrow. Well, most of the first floor is like this. They say the higher you go, the wider the rooms get.

Will that big cart fit in?

Elise, who happened to follow me, asked. I shook my head.

As you can see. Even if I put it in, theres no space.

Hmm. What are you preparing for?

Elise muttered as she opened her room door. Then she cleared her throat as if to get my attention.

I looked into Elises Room 106.

What the. Why is your room so big?

At first glance, its three times, no, four times, no, more than five times the size of my room.

Its an expansion formula.

Oh. In that case.

I pointed at the cart to Elise.

Can you keep this? For preparation.

I asked you. What are you preparing for?

I dont know. The stone statue just told me to prepare in the dormitory. So, Im just preparing.

The stone statue?

Elise tilted her head, but soon pushed the cart into Room 106 with telekinesis.

Come in. Tell me in detail.

Okay.

I also entered Room 106.

Its really spacious.

Not only is the area large, but there are also many pieces of furniture. Bed, desk, bookshelf, sofa, hammock, rocking chair, radio, snack table, and so on

Is making furniture your hobby?

Hmm?

Elise tilted her head with a puzzled face for a moment.

Well Im not sure. It suddenly became a hobby. Anyway. Before that, recite exactly what the stone statue said-

Wiiiiiiiiing!

At that moment, the sound of a siren.

Bang-!

The door closes roughly.

Starting now!

The voice of the stone statue pierced down from above.

We looked up at the ceiling in surprise.

The second test will begin! Everyone outside the dormitory should go into their dormitory rooms! We take no responsibility for anything that happens if youre outside!

Elise lowered her gaze. With a rather serious expression, she nudged my shoulder.

Look out the window.

I looked that way too. Beyond the dormitory window, it was pitch black.

This seems like a big deal.

You can give up at any time now.

The voice of the stone statue fell chillingly.

Enemies will swarm in endlessly. Your goal is to survive.

Grrrrrrr

Somewhere, the stretched-out cry of a beast flowed in.

I gripped the Ascal short sword at my waist.

If you want to give up, request a transfer with your student ID at any time. We will facilitate an emergency escape at the cost of 3,000 AP. However, that will be the end of the second quarter for those who give up.

Hey.

I gave Elise a small smile.

Its been a while, teaming. What do you think?

She shrugged her shoulders with her arms crossed.

Werent you the one who deviated to become a mage?

-Just as she was teasingly saying that.

Chaaaaang-!

All the glass windows around us shattered, and black beasts rushed inside.

At that moment, I unsheathed my sword.

Swoooosh!

The clear circular slash split all the beasts in two.