The sixty minutes vanished in a blur. Just as Simon finished the last of the twenty Summoning questions and was frantically tackling Combat Magic with Kamibarez, a teaching assistant announced that there were five minutes left.
"Guess on the rest! Pick number five!" Meirin shouted as she finished a short-answer question.
Simon quickly bubbled in ‘5’ for the remaining problems before returning to his work, burning through the last few seconds.
"Time’z up," Jane declared. "Everyone, quillz down."
"Hands in the air!" a TA ordered.
The assistants moved through the aisles, collecting the test sheets and answer keys. Students watched them go, their faces etched with regret.
"Good work, everyone," Jane said as the TAs distributed fresh papers and answer keys with explanations. "The official rezultz will be announced after the midtermz. For now, grade your own paperz and review your miztakez."
"Yes, ma’am!"
Simon decided to grade the Summoning section first. His heart pounded as he gripped his quill. ‘Please, let it have gone up...!’
He began to grade. There were only twenty questions, but he had gotten so many right that he could already see a clear improvement. With a racing heart, he tallied the points.
The result was...
"It went up! 84 points!" It was an eight-point jump from his previous 76. Considering how much he’d studied, it might not have seemed like a huge leap, but climbing from the 70s to the 80s required exponentially more effort than going from 30 to 40. By any standard, it was a dramatic improvement.
"Well, not bad," Meirin conceded with a reluctant smile.
’Studying is actually fun when you see results like this.’ The questions were different, so it wasn’t a direct comparison, but Meirin’s score on the last test had been an 85. At this rate, he had a real shot at the midterms.
"Hey! Who solved the Defense Against Divinity section?!" Meirin suddenly erupted.
Dick looked up, wincing. "Th-that was me?"
"You got three in a row wrong! How could you even get these wrong?" she fumed. Dick shrank under her fiery gaze and hung his head.
Just then, Kamibarez let out a small gasp. "I got an 89 in Hemomancy! My score went up!"
"Oh, really? I love you, Kami!" Meirin cried, pulling her into a joyous hug.
Next to them, the scolded Dick gave a subtle thumbs-up. Kamibarez laughed and returned the gesture.
Soon, all the grading was done.
"I expect we’ll rank high overall," Meirin said, crossing her arms. "We had some slip-ups, but having four different majors gave us a clear advantage. Our rank won’t drop."
Everyone nodded.
"And Professor Jane’s questions were excellent, as expected. If we just make a thorough review notebook for this test, we should do well. I already told the class president to make sure no one shares this with other classes." She gave a sly smile, her eyes glinting. "And I trust there are no idiots in our group who would sell these problems for money."
Dick flinched but quickly forced a smile. "O-of course not! For the sake of Class A, I’m willing to take the hit... Ah!"
"What’s wrong, Dick?" Kamibarez asked.
"I just remembered, we have the duel evaluation again tomorrow."
A collective groan went through the group. Kamibarez’s happy expression dissolved into gloom, and she buried her face in her hands. Simon, however, was grinning.
"It’s a weekly thing. If we win tomorrow, we’ll be in a high-ranking squad, right?"
"That’s right," Dick confirmed.
"Ooh, confident, are we?" Meirin teased.
Simon crossed his arms. "It’s just another day."
"Be especially careful tomorrow, Simon," Dick said, his tone suddenly serious. "The rumor that you can use a golem is everywhere. Your opponent will probably attack from the very start."
"I figured."
"Alright, alright," Meirin clapped her hands. "The duel is super important, so I’m going all-in on prep tonight. Let’s get it over with so we can focus on midterms."
"Yes, Meirin!"
"Okay."
The next day, at the Third Indoor Arena.
Unlike the previous week’s feverish excitement, the spectator seats were sparse. With midterms next week, and outside scouts barred from entry to help students manage their stress, the usual crowd was absent. Dick, Meirin, and Kamibarez were all fighting in different arenas. The relative quiet was actually a relief.
Simon held a notebook crammed with notes and began drilling formulas. He couldn’t waste a single second.
—Student Simon Polentia of Class A and Student Jessica Kananor of Class H, please report to the arena.
Already waiting, Simon stood and walked into the arena. His opponent, a girl with green hair and freckles, approached from the other side. Assistants rushed to fit them with protective suits.
"Contestants, shake hands," the referee instructed.
Jessica walked toward him.
Right up until she reached him, Simon’s eyes were glued to his review notebook. Only when they were face-to-face did he lower it, offering a bright smile and an outstretched hand.
’Studying for midterms now? What a freak,’ Jessica thought, forcing a smile as she shook his hand.
They slowly backed away from each other. When Jessica glanced over, Simon’s face was already buried in his notebook again.
’So he’s looking down on me just because he’s Special Admission No. 1?’ A spark of irritation flared within her.
A moment later, they faced each other and took their stances.
"The duel between student Simon Polentia and student Jessica Kananor will now begin." The referee’s arm dropped. "Begin!"
His face still hidden by the notebook, Simon summoned three skeletons. Jessica’s expression hardened. ‘There’s a limit to being condescending!’
She immediately began gathering black magic in her palm. Simon made no move other than to advance his skeletons, allowing her to complete the spell.
’Poison Fog!’
A green orb materialized and began to spew a toxic mist. In the blink of an eye, the entire arena was shrouded in green smoke, contained by the magic barrier.
"Oh," Simon said, finally looking up from his notes. "A Venomology major."
This time, he had no intel on his opponent; he had told Dick not to bother, wanting to spare him the extra work during exam week. The protective suit he wore flickered between red and blue, indicating he was continuously taking damage.
[Simon Polentia: 97%]
[Jessica Kananor: 100%]
’So this is her strategy,’ Simon mused. ‘Fill the area with poison to gradually wear me down while she focuses on defense and counters. Time is on her side, which is meant to make me anxious.’
Perhaps for that reason, Simon tucked his notebook into his Subspace. Jessica saw this and smiled triumphantly. ‘Good. He’s finally realized this isn’t the time to be studying...’
But as soon as one notebook vanished, another appeared.
’My lucky day!’ It was his Venomology memorization notebook.
’Poison Fog. A classic Venomology exam question. A wide-range spell that inflicts various effects through poison combinations. Weak against wind-type Jet-Black magic. Key runes and formulas include...’
Studying for the first time in his life, Simon had discovered something crucial: you couldn’t memorize Kizen’s vast curriculum just by cramming in a study hall. He had developed an association method, linking information to specific events or situations. The key was not to see the text as mere words, but to transform it into a living scenario. This battle was a perfect, unmissable opportunity. If he memorized the material now, he would be able to recall it perfectly just by thinking of his fight with Jessica.
As Simon lost himself in his notes, Jessica stared, dumbfounded. Her irritation boiled over into anger. ‘Ugh, he’s so infuriating! I just want to run over and punch him! No, calm down!’
This was Kizen. Provocation was a legitimate psychological tactic. This had to be an act to break her composure. And if her opponent was underestimating her, all the better. She wouldn’t fall for it. She would just have to put him in his place with her skills.
’Besides, his barrier gauge is constantly dropping. All I have to do is hold out...!’
’Swoosh!’
An arrow zipped past her face. She dodged by a hair’s breadth, her head snapping back.
’Th-that was close.’
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Three skeletons armed with bows now stood behind Simon. Her eyes widened. ‘Skeleton Archers! He’s using them already?’
The rumors about the golem-wielding Summoning major were apparently true.
Just then, Simon extended an arm without looking up from his book. The archers went inert, and the skeletons at the front charged Jessica again.
’Stay calm...!’
She formed a magic circle in her right hand and pulled out a poison potion with her left. As she placed it on the circle, the bottle shattered, its contents coalescing. She gripped the swirling poison with both hands and whipped it forward.
’Poison Whip!’
A lash of mixed Jet-Black and venom cracked through the air, shattering all three skeletons at once.
Simon coolly raised an index finger. "Restoration."
The shattered bones twitched but didn’t reform. He lowered his notebook slightly, his gaze falling on the purple stains covering the bone fragments.
"Kabara’s poison drastically lowers Jet-Black sensitivity," Jessica said with a smirk. "When it touches a skeleton, it neutralizes the residual Jet-Black in the bones, making restoration temporarily impossible. You didn’t know that, did you?"
This was the trump card she had prepared for a Summoning major. Seeing the dumbfounded look on the arrogant Special Admission No. 1’s face was deeply satisfying.
"Ah, I see." Simon, looking genuinely impressed, pulled a quill from his Subspace. "Kabara’s poison... reduces Jet-Black sensitivity..."
He began taking notes.
A vein throbbed on Jessica’s forehead. "I am not your midterm tutor!" Three Jet-Black arrow magic circles blazed to life in front of her.
Just as she was about to fire—‘whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!’—arrows from the skeleton archers streaked past her, grazing the magic circles. Her eyes widened in shock as the circles fizzled and collapsed.
"Key memorization points for Jet-Black Arrow," Simon muttered. "Fast casting, easy multi-casting, excellent penetration. Key rune is ‘Projectile.’ Be careful not to confuse the launch formula with the elasticity formula. And..." His cold gaze flickered up. "Watch out for damage to the left-side binding formula."
"You!"
Simon summoned a new wave of skeletons, this time armed with spears and shields. Jessica bit her lip and reached for another potion to cast Poison Whip.
"Key memorization points for Poison Whip."
The three skeletons hurled their spears.
"Fixed-type magic circle. Collapses if the coordinates are shifted."
Jessica threw herself aside. The spear tips grazed her, one striking her thigh. Her barrier gauge dropped, and her nascent magic circle shattered.
"Kuh!"
As she staggered to her feet, another spear flew at her from behind. "Aaah!"
[Simon Polentia: 85%]
[Jessica Kananor: 52%]
Dropping to one knee, she whipped around. A skeleton’s arm and shoulder had already reformed on the ground. ‘Don’t tell me... he restored only the parts untouched by the whip, picked up a fallen spear, and threw it?’
The assault was just beginning. Simon’s command was dazzling.
"When deploying a Jet-Black Arrow targeting a subject moving at six meters per second..."
"When one-third of the arm and chest bones are deemed unreparable, what are the correct countermeasures for the caster?"
"If you change the Jet-Black composition of a skeleton..."
Muttering formulas and problems, Simon predicted and dismantled her every move. He was surprised himself. Theory and practice weren’t separate at all. Applying what he’d learned was sharpening his decision-making. All his effort during this exam period was making his movements more precise, more deadly.
[Simon Polentia: 76%]
[Jessica Kananor: 37%]
’At this rate...!’ Jessica grit her teeth. She would be defeated long before the Poison Fog could take Simon down. Every spell she cast was perfectly countered. She had to make a decision. ‘I heard he was strong in combat, but...!’
Gathering Jet-Black in her fists, she charged. ‘This is my only chance!’
Arrows from the skeleton archers rained down from behind Simon, who still hadn’t lowered his notebook. She took the hits, her barrier flashing, and pressed her attack.
"Raaaaaaaah!"
Her fist, powered by all her remaining strength, flew toward Simon’s shielded face.
In that instant, he was gone. Her fist met only empty air. Moving like lightning, Simon dropped so low he almost scraped the floor, then spun, sweeping his leg up in a powerful arc that slammed into her abdomen.
At the signal of Simon clenching his fist—
’Simon Polentia Original - Bone Nail’
They shot toward her from all directions at terrifying speed.
’Ah...’
There was no escape in mid-air. Jessica closed her eyes, resigned.
[Simon Polentia: 72%]
[Jessica Kananor: 0%]
"Match over!" the referee yelled as Jessica’s limp body hit the ground. "The winner is Simon Polentia of Class A!"

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