NOVPUBScratch, scratch.
In the still classroom, the only sound was the faint scrape of magical pen nibs gliding across paper.
It sounded almost like insects gnawing on something—which, in a way, wasn’t wrong.
Because the students’ concentration and mental fortitude were slowly being eaten away by the creeping pressure of the exam like a swarm of gnawing insects.
“Ugh... This is hard. What is this?”
“I’ve seen this in the textbook—so why can’t I solve it? Is this... really a question?”
“I didn’t know I was this dumb.”
None of them said the words out loud, but their thoughts were practically written across their faces.
‘This is going to be a real headache.’
Ludger stood straight at the podium, calmly observing the students.
As he had warned beforehand, the exam was open-book.
In other words, it was allowed to look up relevant material from the textbook.
But if a student could find the answer just by checking the textbook, could it really be called a test?
‘These aren’t just one-dimensional knowledge questions. They’re designed to twist your thinking again and again—and if you don’t catch the hidden traps, a single small mistake will cost you the answer.’
It was a commonly used method to increase the test’s discrimination factor.
Planting traps in the middle of a question.
Every single one of the test problems had such traps. No wonder the students looked like their heads were about to explode.
Despite there being only 20 questions, they had been given three hours. This was why.
‘I can’t believe this. I studied so hard, and it’s still this hard!’
Rine felt like steam was practically billowing out of her head.
Her vision spun, and the letters on the test paper squirmed and danced in front of her eyes.
It was hard. Way too hard.
She was someone who had never skipped a single day of review or preparation.
Even if it was just a preliminary exam meant to test the basics, she’d felt fairly confident going in. But the moment she saw the first question, it felt like her mind was going completely blank.
[Question 1.
Magical fluid stores mana within itself as it absorbs ambient mana from the air. Once exposed to the natural environment for ten years, magical fluid can then be refined into manastones usable by mages. In order to purify this magical fluid into a manastone in its purest form, leading to crystallization......]
The relationship between magical fluid and manastones was foundational knowledge from Mana Emission class.
After maturing for more than ten years, magical fluid could be crystallized into manastones, which were then used to create artifacts or magical tools used by mages.
Even the basic staves used by mages were made by combining such manastones with special types of wood.
‘I figured this would be on the test. The professor mentioned repeatedly that he’d include this.’
She had studied it carefully, reviewing it again and again to make sure she wouldn’t forget even a single part.
‘But it’s still too hard!’
Rine gritted her teeth inwardly but didn’t stop reading the question.
[...Then the magical fluid is dissolved in Contra solution to produce A. Kali-heavy metals are then added to A to condense it into B. When attempting to crystallize either A or B into manastones in identical laboratory conditions, determine which can be turned into a manastone first and write out the full reasoning.]
(Note: The lab temperature is maintained steadily at 30°C, and the pressure is 0.982 atm. B’s crystallization reaction follows standard rate constants.)
‘This... is just question one?’
What was even more shocking was that this first question had the lowest score weight out of all of them!
It seemed she wasn’t the only one thinking this way—other students were groaning all around her.
They had braced themselves for a hard test, but this went far beyond expectations. The pressure must’ve been intense.
‘Focus!’
Rine tried to stay calm as she skimmed the rest of the questions.
Yes. All of them were difficult, but on closer inspection, it became clear that every question was derived from material actually taught in class.
Ludger hadn’t lied.
Every problem came from topics he had covered—and not a single question from outside the curriculum.
Rine, who had listened more intently than anyone else to his lectures, was certain of it.
‘As expected of a second-year... she’s solving everything right away.’
Next to her, the imperial princess Erendir was already working through the questions.
As expected from a royal and model student. Rine felt an unnecessary competitive spirit spark inside her.
‘I can do it too!’
Her eyes gleamed with determination.
* * *
‘Hmm. The formulas are structured pretty intricately.’
Flora Lumos picked at the test problems with a disinterested expression.
Although her face said otherwise, her pen hand hadn’t stopped moving since the test began.
In fact, compared to other students who were pouring in effort, her pace was nearly twice as fast.
She could feel it faintly too—three hours might seem generous, but it was anything but.
‘Assuming I work steadily without breaks, it should take about two hours and forty-five minutes.’
And that was at a level adjusted to suit the new students.
She had an eye for reading the average ability of her peers. That was what made this possible.
But it wasn’t just that the questions were difficult.
‘Hmm. This problem follows imperial standard values, but that’s actually a trap. The Ruflamosk reaction formula didn’t originate in the Exilion Empire—it came from the Durmang Kingdom. So naturally, it should follow their standard values. The options themselves are a trick. He barely skimmed this in class—if you didn’t take good notes, you’d get it wrong.’
Flora immediately grasped the examiner’s intent and confidently wrote out the correct answer.
On the outside, she acted nonchalant—like this was no big deal. But inside, she was thoroughly analyzing each problem, admiring the clever construction behind it.
‘He rewrote this mana formula like this? Answer choices 1 and 2 may look similar, but their flow direction is fundamentally different. Any student who didn’t study properly will definitely mistake them as the same.’
These questions were good.
Flora was even starting to think she could finish the whole test in under an hour.
And then—halt.
She suddenly froze in place, her pen stopping mid-stroke.
‘Wait a second. Am I... actually enjoying this test?’
She couldn’t believe it.
For her, school exams were just tedious formalities.
Explaining things she already knew in overly simplistic ways, writing it all out step-by-step.
What could be more boring than that?
At least with incompetent instructors, she could let her mind wander during class. But with an exam like this—where she had to move her hands—it was just annoying.
And yet, she never lost her spot at the top.
She hadn’t just been born with an innate sense for magic—she had the brain to understand it on a deep level, too.
That’s why life at Seorn hadn’t offered much excitement for her so far.
She was the kind of genius who usually finished exams in under 30 minutes.
And yet here she was—genuinely intrigued by the test questions. Even finding them fun.
‘Unbelievable.’
Enjoying an exam? Was she out of her mind?
How disgraceful.
Flora clenched her free hand into a fist and trembled slightly.
‘But even if it’s out of pride... I can’t just leave it blank.’
She imagined what would happen if she turned in a blank test.
Ludger’s reaction would be...
—Hmm. A blank page? I see. So this is your limit, then.
Yes. That’s exactly what he’d say.
He wouldn’t get angry or frustrated—he’d just coolly point out her inadequacy.
He wouldn’t ask why, or what happened. He’d never even raise a brow.
Other teachers would make a huge fuss!
‘I can’t let that happen! No way I’m letting him see me like that!’
So what to do?
There was only one answer. To make even Ludger raise his brows slightly, she’d have to score as high as possible.
First place? That was already a given.
What mattered now... was a perfect score.
Yes. This had become a matter of pride.
A battle of wills between student and teacher. A fierce (or so she believed) rivalry between herself and Ludger that had been simmering since the beginning.
How could she forget the sting of past defeats?
So far, she was two for two—two battles, two losses.
‘But not this time! I’ll get a perfect score and prove I’ve won!’
Of course, Ludger himself had absolutely no interest in this so-called rivalry, but Flora had already decided that on her own.
With a fire blazing in her chest, she refocused on the problems.
She insisted to herself that she was only working hard to beat Ludger.
But with each problem she solved, she became more and more absorbed—without even realizing it.
* * *
‘It’s quiet now.’
At first, groans and mutterings had echoed all around the classroom, but after about thirty minutes, it had all gone silent.
Standing at the podium and scanning the room for any signs of cheating, Ludger decided the time was right.
He flicked his fingers in Sedina’s direction.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
She replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper—yet somehow full of energy.
If calling out that quietly could be considered a skill, then she certainly had it.
Without a word, Ludger pointed with his finger at the two chairs placed off to the side.
Sedina nodded and tucked one chair under each arm, carrying them up to the podium.
‘What do you plan to do?’
‘Set them down.’
‘Yes, sir! And then?’
‘Sit.’
‘Huh? Oh—yes, sir.’
Without any hesitation, Sedina set one chair down and quietly took a seat.
Ludger also placed a chair nearby and sat in it comfortably.
‘Rest.’
‘...Sorry?’
‘There are still two and a half hours left in the exam. Since it’s the first test, neither I as the instructor nor you as the assistant can leave. But if we just stand the whole time, our legs will get tired. So just sit and rest.’
‘P-Professor...!’
Sedina looked up at Ludger with an expression full of emotion.
Ludger, now used to that kind of gaze from her, suddenly noticed a different stare aimed in his direction and turned his head.
Among the students taking the test, a white-haired girl was staring intensely in their direction.
At both him and Sedina Roschen.
‘Julia Plumehart.’
As soon as she met his gaze, Julia returned her focus to the test, but Ludger couldn't help but be mildly annoyed by the defiant look she had given—if only for a moment.
Especially because it wasn’t directed at him, but at Sedina. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
‘Well, fine. There’s no need to point it out.’
Ludger crossed his legs and folded his arms as {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} he settled into the chair.
Two hours and thirty minutes remained.
To someone simply waiting, that might feel long—but for a student working through those problems, it would feel like an impossibly short time.
That’s how he had designed it.
‘Even though the questions are about basic concepts, I made sure to twist the logic and plant traps, so it’ll definitely take them time.’
If they couldn’t finish the entire test, then they would have to focus on the areas where they felt most confident.
The students weren’t fools. Most of them were already solving questions they were sure they could get right.
No matter how lacking a student may be, if they were admitted to Seorn, it meant they had at least one area of talent.
That’s why so many of them were completely absorbed now, immersed in their problem solving.
It was a truly ideal scene from a teacher’s point of view.
Even the ever-prickly Flora Lumos was currently staring holes through her test sheet.
‘There are quite a few capable students here.’
Rine, for one—and even the imperial princess sitting next to her was diligently working through the problems.
In the back, Aidan and his friends were clearly struggling, but none of them showed any signs of giving up.
‘That beastkin girl is doing quite well too.’
Iona Obelli, was it?
Dark brown skin and even darker black hair.
She was sitting upright in perfect posture, diligently solving the problems with no signs of distraction.
He had expected her to struggle due to her beastkin heritage, but surprisingly, she had adapted quickly.
‘A beastkin using magic, huh.’
Beastkin had their own culture, history, and traditions.
Rather than using what humans called “magic,” beastkin traditionally drew on the force of nature known as “Spirit.”
Spirits were similar to elemental familiars—but fundamentally different.
While familiars were physical manifestations of abundant natural life energy, Spirits represented a much broader concept—encompassing not just nature, but also ancestral beings and animals.
‘In the field of magic, that falls under the specialized category of <Necromancy> in the Summoning branch.’
Originally, necromancy didn’t even exist as a recognized domain in summoning magic, but after humans oppressed the beastkin and assimilated their culture, it was forcibly added.
Of course, beastkin were outraged that their sacred traditions had been lumped into human magical taxonomy.
‘Even now, many beastkin probably reject magic because of that resentment.’
And yet, here she was—a beastkin girl who had come to Seorn, the Empire’s core institution for magical education.
‘And her surname was Obelli, right? I remember beastkin surnames are determined by bloodline.’
The name “Obelli” was likely adapted for convenience in human society.
In truth, her surname was pronounced with a longer inflection—O-Belli.
The name indicated the bloodline of the Belli family, which, in beastkin terms, was akin to a noble house in human society.
‘Belli, huh. That name sounds familiar.’
He wasn’t too knowledgeable about beastkin, so his memory was fuzzy.
He’d have to look it up later.
As Ludger mulled over the thought, time had already passed by in a flash.
“Thirty minutes remain until the end of the exam. If you’re even one minute late, your submission will not be accepted. Keep that in mind.”
At that, the scratching of pens across paper suddenly grew more frantic.
The tension was palpable throughout the room.
‘Maybe I’ll make the next test even more unique. That could be fun.’
Ludger found himself taking a strange sense of enjoyment in watching the students squirm.
