Academy’s Genius Mage

All the students held their breath as they looked at Professor Frost.

Who would be the first student he called upon?

Ian and his comrades, along with Sebastian and Ophelia, who had wagered a total of 2 million shillings, hoped to be that chosen one.

The situation escalated to bets exceeding 2 million shillings.

Finally, Professor Frost spoke.

“Chatman, Hynix, Flora!”

Ian was taken aback.

He wasn’t the only one surprised. Sebastian and Ophelia also failed to hide their astonishment.

However, the three who were called merely blinked, displaying expressions of confusion.

The students began to murmur.

‘It might not be me. But Sebastian, and Zickhardt’s team, not being at the top?’

No matter how they thought about it, the result was incomprehensible.

Chatman, Hynix, and Flora were ordinary students. Their families weren’t particularly wealthy, nor did they have renowned mages.

Yet, they received the highest scores.

It wasn’t entirely impossible, but realistically, it was hard to accept.

‘But there could be things I don’t know. Who would have thought I’d discover a new formula in basic magic?’

Ian regained his composure.

He decided to cast aside doubts and accept the situation.

Without accepting the results, one cannot progress.

He looked at Professor Frost with keen eyes and awaited the evaluation.

“Chatman! What exactly did you do?”

“You surpassed the trio of the Department of Magic? Did you create a new dungeon or something?”

The trio of the Magic School referred to the three noteworthy new students. They were Zickhardt, Sebastian, and Ian.

“I can’t believe it!”

“I thought Zickhardt would undoubtedly be number one.”

“I cast my vote for Ian.”

“But didn’t Chatman fail to clear the dungeon?”

The voices of the students grew louder until the lecture hall turned into a salon.

Sebastian laughed, finding it amusing, while Ophelia did not spare her disdainful gaze.

Amid this, the person who looked the most relaxed was Zickhardt.

He seemed indifferent to the result, still displaying an inscrutable expression and feigning ignorance.

The string of questions grew uncontrollably numerous. Then, Professor Frost tapped the podium.

“Quiet.”

The lecture hall fell silent in an instant. After a cough, Professor Frost continued.

“Judging by your reactions, it seems some of you have misunderstood. The group I called first didn’t perform the best. I graded as I went and piled them up, so the order has no significance.”

“Huh…”

“Is that really true?”

“What would I gain by lying to you? Well, don’t make such faces. I understand that it shows how much interest you have in the results of this evaluation.”

Whether it was a sigh of relief or disappointment was uncertain, but gasps and groans were heard throughout.

“Chatman, Hynix, Flora. You didn’t clear the dungeon. You couldn’t confirm the presence of the core and fled from the boss room.”

His steady and calm voice made them even more embarrassed.

Professor Frost reprimanded them more sternly than usual.

“It is not commendable to give up easily without even trying to fight until the end. Even when defeat seems certain, you do not retreat. This is the virtue that the nobles of the kingdom of Sonokin must uphold. Not being able to clear the dungeon is not an issue. Failure is the nourishment for success. However, the actions you displayed during that process must be reflected upon. You must not forget that you are the vassals of His Majesty the King.”

“I’m sorry, Professor.”

“We are reflecting on it.”

Each team member apologized. Professor Frost held no grudges.

He smiled lightly and moved on to the next group.

“There are fewer groups that cleared the dungeon than I thought.”

In the evaluations of the next five teams, he pointed out that they also failed to clear the dungeon.

“Indeed, if everyone set out with the excitement of a field trip and then suddenly faced a gigantic golem, it would surely be startling.”

Additionally, the fact that it was their first test likely added to their tension.

They might think it was due to some accident or inexperience that the monsters became uncontrollable.

Knowing a lot is beneficial, but knowing moderately can sometimes be detrimental. Such is the status of an academy student.

“However, the Pilsner team is worthy of praise. Although they did not manage to defeat the golem, the attempt to find a unique strategy was commendable. Also, the hypothesis that goblins have their own culture, considering their attempt at communication in the goblin habitat, was very interesting. I would like further research to be done on this theme. In that sense, I will give all three members of the group a B grade.”

“Thank you!”

“We will work harder!”

Pilsner and his team members raised their hands in joy.

“To be content with a B grade… Just how hard is it to get an A grade?”

The Royal Academy of Sonokin graded from A to F. There were also precise distinctions with + grades available for further differentiation within the same grade.

Chatman’s group received a D, and the others were also given D’s or C’s. Only Pilsner’s group received a B.

“Next, Sebastian, Ophelia, and Bjorkran.”

Sebastian, one of the trio of the Department of Magic and an aspiring student council president, was called.

The three of them looked nervously at Professor Frost.

“Before we begin the evaluation, let me say one thing. Only three teams successfully defeated the golem and inspected the dungeon core in this practice. The rest could not defeat the golem. Of course, there is no need to be discouraged by failing to defeat the golem. Although there were a few tricks, it was undeniably difficult.”

Ian had closely examined the joints and components while disassembling the golem at that time.

Except for the arms and legs, all other parts were made of reinforced stone.

Even knowing the arms and legs were fake, it would have been difficult to destroy the power source.

Furthermore, magical devices hidden in the walls were creating confusion, so without a good amount of experience and bravery, it was not easy to bring down the golem.

One could either overwhelm it using overpowering magic or handle it by making use of the terrain, like Ian did.

Sebastian’s group was one of those who managed.

“Sebastian, our team, and one other team. The remaining team must be Zickhardt’s, then.”

That possibility seemed high.

With mana close to the fourth circle, they could destroy the golem without necessarily using the crystal.

“Sebastian and his team used the terrain to defeat the golem. Although some may know, using the crystal within the boss room was the standard strategy. Furthermore, they explored the dungeon’s terrain and investigated the resident monsters and herbs in detail. Considering their effort and creativity, I will give them a B+ grade.”

An A grade had been expected, but they ended up with a B+ grade.

“Thank you for the positive evaluation, Professor. We will work even harder.”

Though Sebastian expressed his gratitude, Ophelia had a sour expression.

It was clear that the letter B was disagreeable to her.

“Professor, I have a question.”

Ophelia finally raised her hand.

Professor Frost, who was about to read the next report, looked at her.

“What was the highest grade for this assignment? To be honest, I think our team did the best. While I understand it’s a relative evaluation, wouldn’t it have been okay to give us at least an A grade?”

She was evidently very upset.

“That is not the appropriate posture for making a request.”

In truth, asking about grades is considered quite discourteous.

Therefore, most students would typically inquire privately in a more secluded setting, like a research lab.

However, the audacious Ophelia, a representative of the shameless, brazenly posed the question.

“An impressive question, Ophelia. I appreciate the confidence, but I want to remind you that lacking humility may one day lead to harm.”

“Are you admitting that you gave scores sparingly overall?”

“Not at all. The team that received the highest score in this assignment received an A+. And the next rank is an A grade.”

“Wha… what did you say?”

Ophelia tried to rise from her seat. Sebastian barely managed to hold her back.

“I can’t believe it… are we third? Not first?”

“Wouldn’t it be best to listen until the end to know if you’re third or fourth? Ms. Ophelia. By the way, there are still five teams whose results haven’t been announced yet.”

Professor Frost hammered in the final word.

Without being domineering or authoritarian, Professor Frost completely unsettled Ophelia.

Sometimes, what is gentle could indeed defeat what is strong.

‘As expected of the professor. He really knows how to handle people.’

Ian and Milo, both wearing satisfied expressions, waited eagerly for their turn.

And soon, their turn came.

“Ian, Milo, Edel.”

The buzzing chatter in the lecture hall quieted as if a Silence spell had been cast.

Ian boldly faced the results.

“Ian’s team demonstrated an exemplary exploration indeed. Their integration of various studies such as Magic, Healing, Geography, and even Natural Sciences into the exploration, treating the dungeon as a living ecosystem, was impressive. The report you submitted holds enough value to be considered a research paper. Additionally, the team’s act of defeating the golem, retrieving parts including mana stones for research purposes, and forming hypotheses on the functional characteristics of the dungeon core were truly fascinating.”

Such was the overwhelming praise given.

Not a single flaw was mentioned. Most of the students were left gaping in astonishment.

“Ian’s team received an A grade. Continue to strive further.”

“Thank you.”

“Yahoo!”

Milo couldn’t hold back his cheer.

However, the evaluation was so generous that no one could object to his outburst.

“We won the bet, right? Since we got a higher grade!”

“Exactly.”

“Ha! It’s been a while. I can finally enjoy a good drink at a posh place. Plus, we’ve put those guys from the marquis family in their place, so I’ll sleep soundly tonight. … Hmm? Why that face?”

Ian was resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought. It was not a face of joy.

“Think about it. We received an A grade, right?”

“That’s right. But why?”

“Then what on earth did the team that received an A+ do? We all did our best, didn’t we?”

“So what? Winning the bet is what counts. You just need to do better next time. Tests like these will keep coming.”

However, Ian did not take this matter lightly.

Even looking at the evaluation, it was a perfect exploration.

Professor Frost, known for his strictness, did not even point out any shortcomings and used words like exemplary in his praise.

Yet, receiving an A grade meant that a superior team existed.

‘Zikhardt.’

Ian turned his head to gaze at him.

Did he feel Ian’s gaze?

Zikhardt also looked his way and gave a sly smile.

It was the same smirk Ian had seen during the mana assessment.

‘What on earth did you do in the dungeon?’

Ian’s eyes threw the question at him.

But the answer began from somewhere entirely unexpected.

“I can’t accept this. That report is A grade?”