#038 The Model Student of the One-Eyed Nation (5)
What is the easiest way to come in first in a specific group?
The answer was simple. Enter a group that is merely average.
It was easier to be the head of a snake than the head of a dragon, and becoming the head of a dragon was simpler than being the head of a worm.
And alchemy was the perfect place for me to take the lead.
“After all, experience makes all the difference.”
Among the students currently here, how many had ever touched a beaker or flask in their lifetime and understood their uses?
The qualification of a Magic User was a rare talent, and the field that best utilized this talent was combat.
If someone knew their potential from a young age, they would naturally have trained in it; conversely, entering the academy without knowing their potential meant they had a higher personal combat ability regardless of magic, making them far removed from alchemy.
It wasn’t that there were no alchemists who were Magic Users, but most were combat specialists who had transitioned fields as they aged. They weren’t alchemists from the start.
Having learned about the concept of chemistry in my previous life and experienced it firsthand, I obviously had an advantage over other students starting from scratch.
Professor Faust asked.
“Have you learned about alchemy before entering the academy?”
“No, I haven’t. However, helping with family matters gave me an understanding of concepts like time and resource allocation. For instance, that it shouldn’t be too excessive or too lacking.”
Professor Faust nodded.
“Indeed, managing costs is also an important aspect of alchemy.”
As he continued evaluating the results of other students, he spoke up again.
“Wow, this reagent is quite excellent too. However, please pay attention to your surroundings next time.”
The one receiving high praise was a noble lady from the Spero Kingdom, someone I also knew.
‘Prelia Magnus.’
She was one of the main characters in “Planetarium.”
To ensure that players would easily interact with her, there were standout members within each supporting subject.
“Thank you, Professor.”
Although she said that, Prelia’s expression still reflected a bit of discontent, as she seemed miffed that I had outshone her despite her own confidence.
‘Wasn’t she a fan of baking? Recipes are everything in that field, too.’
After class ended, I approached her to strike up a conversation.
Since I was planning to focus on Mystic Stone processing, it would be beneficial to get close to Prelia, who had shown prowess in potion-making in the original work.
Moreover, the Magnus family was quite close to the new royal family within the Spero Kingdom, making them one of the few noble families without bad blood with the Midas family.
They would make an ideal ally to stand against the faction led by Alphonse Betuar.
“Hello, Lady Magnus.”
“…What business does the top student of the Midas family have with me?”
She greeted me with a slightly sulky expression, one that seemed more like a childish pout rather than the usual contempt or rage seen in noble students.
While not very mature, coming across this after dealing with headstrong wild boars made it appear rather cute instead.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I think it’d be a stretch to boast on our first meeting.”
“Pardon?”
Prelia tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what I meant.
“I heard that both our creations are excellent in terms of quality. But if you’re calling me the top student, that indirectly becomes a compliment to yourself…”
“Ah, no! That’s not what I meant! Besides, I got criticized while you didn’t, right?”
“Well, if cleaning up is that hard, why not just do better next time? You’re not planning to skip it again, are you?”
“No, I will do it. I mean, I really will…”
“Then there’s no problem.”
Prelia looked a bit taken aback, but soon broke into a wry smile.
“Alright, I’ll retract the compliment about being the top student. With that smooth tongue of yours, you might be better suited for a debaucher’s role.”
“That title is a bit misleading, let’s keep it simple and call me Chrome.”
“In that case, I’ll go with Prelia. So, what’s this about?”
“Oh, just the joy of meeting a fellow countryman?”
“Does that come from the Midas family?”
“Let’s call it a little polishing for the future prospects. Alchemy would be great if one could do it all alone, but in the end, division of labor is the best way. Oh, right! If anyone from earlier’s class didn’t understand something, come this way! Right now, the lecture fee is free! The Lady Magnus here will also help!”
“Uh? What? Hey, wait—”
“What? Really?”
“If it’s a chance to extract something for free from the Midas family, it’s not too bad.”
“Hey, Midas, how about showing us how to do this over here?”
“Lady Magnus, I don’t really understand what this means—”
About five or so students nearing thirty started converging, inundating her with questions, and Prelia hesitated but gradually began to respond thoughtfully.
I watched this scene and couldn’t help but smile.
The badge of an outstanding student was quite handy indeed.
‘If this could be done in magic too, that would be nice.’
“Draw the necessary ‘Formula’ at the desired location on the exterior of your body. Just like blood flows through veins or water flows through pipes, imagine there’s a passageway for liquid to flow into your body.”
Professor Neville continued.
“Once the image becomes solid, channel the magic power within you through that imaginary passage. Fill the path completely from end to end. Through this process, magic power transcends mere energy and transforms into a unique form with its own properties. That is the spell.”
Unlike the usual auditorium, this was a vast open space prepared for magical practice classes with various targets.
Students collectively closed their eyes, concentrating.
Professor Neville opened his mouth.
“Now, those who are prepared may activate the spell.”
At that moment, a small sphere of light flickered near the palms of about half the students standing in a line.
[Low-Level Magic Arrow]
It took the pure magic power and turned it into a force to be shot at the enemy; it was a basic spell that required the least amount of power to activate.
There was no need to chant the spell name aloud. It was characteristic of ‘Position Magic,’ where spells are constructed solely with pure imagery and magic control, designed to minimize casting time enabling a mage to fight on equal footing with warriors in real combat.
Professor Neville quietly but audibly declared to everyone.
“Fire.”
Whoosh!
With a sound slicing through the air, the magic arrow shot towards the target.
The results fell into four categories: cases that hit the target, those that missed, those that disappeared weakly before reaching their mark, and cases where the arrows exploded mid-flight.
Professor Neville elaborated further.
“The spells that failed to activate were due to the lack of an established image from the start. Those that missed made an image, but the details were unclear, while those that vanished failed to adequately inject magic power. Lastly, those that exploded did so from exceeding the permissible magic capacity of the spell.”
“Alright, let’s repeat that 10 more times.”
The low-level magic arrows were shot several more times, and by the tenth round, most of the students had succeeded in manifesting their arrows.
This was a direct result of the previous class’s practice on magic control, showing that only students with excellent talent had been selected during the entrance exam.
Of course, there was still a hierarchy among the students.
“Tsk, doing these trivial spells repeatedly really doesn’t suit my temperament.”
Eagle Pendevig, the older twin from the famed magical family of the Morian Kingdom, clicked his tongue. Although he hit 8 out of 10 arrows, they were scattered in different locations, and the holes were so large that assessing his score was nearly impossible.
Due to his ample magic capacity and rapid recovery, he had a bad habit of pushing his magic to its limits every time.
“Is that so? I think this is rather fun after a long time.”
In contrast, his sister, How Pendevig, had a clean and small score mark for her [Low-Level Magic Arrow], with every arrow scoring above 8, bringing her total to 90.
Unlike her brother Eagle, who had a relatively high capacity and recovery rate, her exceptional magic control made such results possible.
How Pendevig surveyed her surroundings.
Looking at the score record board, most students hadn’t even reached a total score of 50, which made her feel even more pleased.
‘Well, that’s to be expected… Hmm?’
Suddenly, How’s gaze fell upon a girl with green hair.
“Wow, this is tough.”
The girl named Pino seemed to struggle with the spell formation, having recorded two failed attempts where her arrows vanished before reaching the target; however, the remaining arrows had all hit the center or right next to the target, netting her a score of 76.
How Pendevig hummed softly, observing the girl.
‘Not bad for a first attempt.’
At the same time, Eagle Pendevig’s eyes were fixed on a boy named Chrome Midas.
’60. Just a bit above average. Plenty of magic, but control is terrible.’
Eagle couldn’t exactly claim to have great control either; after all, his specialty lay in the reckless barrage of intermediate spells, so justifying himself was quite easy.
The satisfaction on the faces of the two siblings soon shifted as their gazes converged on one side.
‘But—’
‘Indeed?’
Their eyes trembled as they glanced at the score of a strikingly beautiful woman, Laila Everblaze Barhart, who stood out simply by standing still.
“………….”
On her target, there was only a minuscule hole in the center—so small that it went unnoticed unless scrutinized closely.
The score was 100. Unsurprisingly, the highest.
The two siblings averted their eyes.
‘Well, considering she carries the blood of the Everblaze family, it makes sense.’
‘In contrast, by this standard, I effectively come in first place.’
Meanwhile, the one-eyed, glasses-wearing boy who had donned the top student cosplay in alchemy thought to himself.
‘But in this class, I can’t use the same tricks.’
Even being the model student didn’t guarantee him the top spot in national mock exams.
