With two cards collected and twenty minutes to spare, Simon scanned his surroundings for his target student. But finding one specific person on the vast expanse of Roc Island was a near-impossible task.
When the four-hour exam finally concluded, Simon made his way back to the Kizen campus, where he was immediately ambushed by an ecstatic Dick.
"That was an absolute blast!" Dick was practically vibrating with excitement. He clenched both fists and blew a sharp puff of air that sent his bangs fluttering. "Seriously! I can’t believe the BMAT can be this much fun! Wow...!"
Simon chuckled. "Calm down and tell me what happened."
Apparently, Dick had found the siege warfare simulation. The setting was Kizen’s castle wall, with a thirty-student capacity. Once fifteen students had gathered at the designated cards inside the wall and another fifteen outside, the former became the defending team and the latter, the attacking team. Dick had been on the winning side as a defender.
"I enchanted the cannons and the soldiers’ arrows! My performance was insane!"
"...Well, that does sound fun," Simon admitted. It sounded like a massive, large-scale war reenactment, and a spark of interest ignited within him. A castle siege was certainly the kind of thing to fire up a young man’s spirit.
"How long did the game last?"
"Time flows slower inside the siege," Dick explained. "It felt like we fought for a whole half-day, but when I came out, only about three hours had passed."
If it took three hours, finding the next card within the remaining hour would be cutting it close.
"But the top contributors on both the defending and attacking teams get an extra point, regardless of the cards!"
"Now ’that’s’ tempting."
On the way back to the dormitory, every student they passed was buzzing about the BMAT.
’So we’ll be doing this once or twice a week?’ Simon mused.
The exam was certainly straightforward and not too burdensome. He wasn’t sure how things would unfold next time, since students would surely devise new strategies, but it seemed manageable enough to fit in alongside their regular classes.
"Anyway, Simon! You have to do the siege with me for the next exam!"
"I’ll give it some thought," Simon replied with a smile.
The next morning.
"Simon! Over here!"
"You sleepyheads are two minutes late!"
Having gotten ready a half-hour early, Simon and Dick met up with Meirin and Kamibarez. They had arranged to meet early, of course, to share intel on the BMAT. The four of them settled at an outdoor table in front of a cafe, chatting away over sandwiches and drinks.
All four had managed to obtain two cards on the first day. Meirin had played two solo games; one, she explained, was a mentally taxing challenge that combined puzzle-solving with magic circle creation.
Kamibarez had tried a Hemomancy-themed game where she could only use the basic ‘Blood Flow Bullet’. The objective was to quickly shoot down villains and rescue hostages, but she added that accidentally hitting a hostage would cause her barrier gauge to drop in huge chunks.
"To get straight to the point," Meirin began, her expression serious, "the card colors and subjects aren’t as closely related as we first thought. For example, even if you enter a red Cursology card, there’s a high chance you’ll end up playing a game completely unrelated to curses. I’d say it’s about fifty-fifty."
Simon nodded. "All of my themes were unrelated to their subjects, too."
"I was hoping to do more Hemomancy themes, so I was a little disappointed!" Kamibarez added with a small sigh.
"That’s because," Dick interjected, popping a chip from the shared plate into his mouth, "the creator of this game isn’t a god, but a man named Endolas Bordeville."
Simon tilted his head. "What does that have to do with it?"
"It’s highly likely that the rule connecting colors and subjects was added recently," Dick continued, dragging a chip through the ketchup and mustard. "As you know, the game themes are more for entertainment, right? So the professors probably complained. They must have asked him to add some more educational, curriculum-based themes. And so..."
"Endolas is rushing to make new ones!" Kamibarez finished, her eyes lighting up.
"Exactly, Kami! The next exam might have more subject-related themes." As Dick spoke, he reached for another potato chip, but his hand grasped empty air. "Whoa! You ate them all already?"
His gaze naturally shifted to Meirin. She, who happened to be munching on a chip, blushed beet-red as if caught red-handed.
"Wait a minute! Why are you looking at me?!"
"Seriously, you’re a bottomless pit."
In the end, Meirin had to order another plate of potato chips with her own money.
"So stingy about food," she pouted.
"I’ll bet this new order disappears in three minutes, too," Dick teased.
"Hey!"
Simon and Kamibarez let out small laughs.
"Ahem. So, for now," Meirin said, quickly changing the subject, "the number of students trying to collect all seven colors of the rainbow will definitely increase. Just like you, Simon."
"I suppose so."
Still, there was time until the next exam. For now, it was more important to prepare for their upcoming classes, which were about to be hit with a storm of performance evaluations.
"What’s our first class?" Simon asked.
"Summoning! But it’s not in the usual classroom!" Kamibarez informed them.
"I’ve got a bad feeling about this," Dick muttered. "Professor Aaron did warn us it would be tough."
Chattering amongst themselves, the four of them headed to the lecture hall. As Kamibarez had said, the location they had been assigned was a different classroom than usual.
"Whoa!"
Everyone’s eyes widened as they stepped inside.
"What’s today’s class about?"
At each student’s desk sat a skeleton’s skull and a single skeletal arm holding a staff, with a magic circle laid out before them.
"I think we’re finally making it!" Meirin exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement.
"Making what?"
"A Skeleton Mage!"
Simon’s eyes widened. His heart began to pound as he quickly set down his things and examined the magic circle. It was a summoning circle, but its structure was unusual. Essential components of a typical circle were missing, leaving it simplified.
"The professor is here!" someone shouted.
Students scrambled to their seats. Soon, Professor Aaron and his teaching assistants entered. As always, Aaron appeared with messy hair, a scratchy beard that hadn’t seen a razor in days, and a t-shirt and shorts, shuffling in with slippers.
His voice was languid as he spoke. "As I emphasized yesterday, starting today, all of Kizen enters the performance evaluation season."
At the mention of performance evaluations, the students’ expressions hardened. These directly affected their grades. Simply put, if midterms and finals were written exams, performance evaluations were practicals.
"Now, I’ll briefly explain the Summoning evaluation one more time." Aaron walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew a long line. "For the rest of the second semester, you will have to complete all postponed evaluations. So far, we’ve only done one."
He marked off twenty percent of the total and wrote ’‘Death Land’’ below it.
"Remember? The evaluation in the first semester where you were assessed on your creative zombies in the ’Death Land’."
The students nodded, recalling the memory. Simon did too. It was in that very ’Death Land’ that he had met Prince.
"And there’s still eighty percent remaining." Aaron drew a line through the middle of the remaining space. "Of this, I will now reveal the most important assignment, which accounts for half of that—forty percent of your total performance evaluation grade."
The students swallowed hard. Aaron began to write on the board, and with each letter, their eyes grew wider.
’Creation of a Magical-Type Undead’
A wave of murmurs swept through the room.
"And here," Aaron added two more words: ‘Thesis’.
’Creation of a Magical-Type Undead and Thesis’
"Wow," Dick let out a hollow laugh. "A thesis? Like, the kind you present at an academic conference?"
Even Meirin, a model student through and through, was trembling. "...We’re only seventeen. What kind of thesis does a seventeen-year-old write?"
"This is seriously tough."
"It sure makes me forget all about the BMAT."
While the students reeled, Simon’s imagination was already running wild. ’My very own magical-type undead.’
As the classroom grew noisy, Aaron spoke again. "Attention."
The students immediately snapped to it, their eyes on the professor.
"There’s no need to feel pressured right now. This ‘Creation of a Magical-Type Undead’ will be evaluated at the very end of the Summoning course. Think of it as the final goal of the first-year Summoning class." Aaron crossed his arms. "And no professor gives an impossible assignment. I’ve designed the curriculum so that if you just follow the classes, you will naturally reach this goal. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then let’s begin." Having swiftly quelled the complaints, Aaron approached the blackboard. The students craned their necks, their concentration clearly sharpened by the talk of evaluations.
"For the creation of a magical-type undead, everyone here is starting from zero. Whether it’s undead control or restoration techniques, it has little to do with creating a magical undead. Those of you who have been lagging behind, listen carefully."
"Yes, sir!"
"Now, look at the objects in front of you."
Everyone looked down at the skull, the staff held in a bony hand, and the summoning circle.
"These three elements are all connected, a single Skeleton Mage setup." Aaron slowed his speech to make it easier for the students to understand. "Think of the summoning circle in front of you as the one that should be on the skull, but brought down to the desk for easier manipulation. First, let’s turn on the power. Channel your jet-black into the ‘master sigil’ of the magic circle."
Simon did as he was told. He placed his hand on the circle and imbued it with jet-black, and the entire sigil immediately glowed with his signature dark blue light.
With a series of dry ’clicks’, the Skeleton Mage’s skull began to move, and the hand holding the staff twitched as Simon successfully connected to its consciousness.
"Is anyone having trouble?"
The students glanced around before shouting in unison, "No, sir!"
"Then let’s get right to it. Using the formula of this magic circle, have the Skeleton Mage cast an attack spell. The target is over here."
The teaching assistants moved quickly, setting up a large board to the left of the students. With a few adjustments, a barrier of pure jet-black materialized over it.
"The magic setting is the same for everyone: ‘Wind Cutter’. Move the Skeleton Mage’s consciousness and fire the spell at the barrier. Don’t even think about shooting at the person in front of you, not even as a joke."
"Yes, sir!"
Simon took a light breath, his eyes widening. ’Start up slowly, like a warm-up.’
His jet-black energy flowed, activating the runes within the magic circle. ’The staff is the conduit.’
The Skeleton Mage’s arm moved. ’The target is the barrier.’
The tip of the staff pointed toward the target. ’Fire!’
A magic circle unfolded before the staff and shot out a blade of wind. The ‘Wind Cutter’ struck the barrier precisely, dissipating with a sharp thrum. Simon clenched his fist, a sound of awe escaping his lips.
The sound of wind hitting barriers echoed throughout the classroom as students successfully activated their spells.
"Woooah!"
"This is nothing!"
"TA! It’s not working for me!"
The room was a mix of triumphant cheers and crestfallen pleas for help. The TAs scurried about, trying to assist everyone.
"An undead is actually using magic," Meirin murmured, a dazed but pleased smile on her lips.
Kamibarez, on the other hand, seemed to have failed. She whipped her head around, anxiously checking her surroundings. All the TAs were already occupied.
Just then, Simon approached her. "I can help, if you’d like."
"Th-Thank you, Simon!" Her eyes lit up as if he were a savior. Simon moved right next to her.
"First, the flow of jet-black in your magic circle is unstable," he explained, placing his hand over hers. "Think of the jet-black as blood and the runes as the brain. The blood has to circulate properly to supply the brain. Try to make the flow more natural."
Kamibarez’s gaze began to waver.
"Hm? Kami, are you nervous?"
"N-No! I’m fine!" she squeaked, her face turning crimson.
"I’ll guide you. Just think of this magic circle as a controller and your body as that skeleton. Feel as if you’re moving the skeleton’s hand to cast the spell. Connect to its consciousness and let it happen naturally."
Kamibarez, her face bright red, gave a small nod. She finally managed to move the staff.
"Willpower is the most important thing when leading the undead," Simon continued gently. "It’s not just about using magic. You have to have a clear target and project your will to destroy it. Then it will activate on its own."
"I-I understand!" She took a deep breath and glared at the barrier. A ‘Wind Cutter’ materialized before the staff and shot forward, striking the target. "I-It worked, Simon!"
"You did great," Simon said with a smile.
Kamibarez smiled back, her face still flushed.
"Alright, attention."
Aaron’s voice cut through the noise. Simon quickly returned to his seat.
"Failing to cast a simple ‘Wind Cutter’ is unacceptable. This is the bare minimum. And now, I’m giving you a performance evaluation to be completed before this class ends."
The TAs appeared, pushing rattling carts laden with hundreds of rune models and staves.
"From now on, you will use these various materials to modify the Skeleton Mage’s ‘Wind Cutter’ spell however you see fit."
A gasp of surprise rippled through the room. The students’ eyes began to sparkle.
"And by the time the class bell rings," Aaron’s finger pointed at the barrier, "any student who breaks that barrier passes."

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