Chapter 110: End-of-Term Report Card (1)
dECIe“Yeah. How about you guys? You must be dying now that the school break is over, huh?”hFtzu2
NRz3Nade’s face quickly turned gloomy.hLhf
9y489a“I’m going crazy. I have to score above 80 in all subjects in the remaining time, and its killing me.”6Xw2h
qTu7pk“Haha! You could even get promoted this time.LcRaYQA
v8eKAThe only way to move up from Class Five to Class Four was to score above 80 in all subjects. It is not an average of 80, but in each subject, it is extremely challenging.NnPwQyQ
rEmp7Pi“Of course. Isn’t that what every student naturally aims for?”fR7
c7k“Right, that’s true. Well, I’ll give it my best shot.”6GSFyl
3YpvmrNade looked dumbfounded, having expected words of encouragement. But Alpheas’s teaching philosophy was firm. Students aren’t racehorses. Left in the meadow, they’ll come to realize their worth on their own.71hEtx
0ZtjMzM“Should we help you?”m7S
cWMNShirone, rolling up his sleeves, offered to help with the weeding.TEqrhRN
GTYL“Haha, I can’t let you steal the only pleasure of an old man. I’ll handle the weeds; you kids do what you enjoy.”9UvCmR
0HgGFDisappointment flickered in Nade’s eyes. His plan to escape reality, even momentarily, by weeding was thwarted.kVc
1nujCnF“Okay. Then take care, sir”MMpVwOY
2Uy33As Shirone and his group headed back to the dorms, worry clouded their faces. The same was true for other students. The school had been unsettled since Arcane’s attack, making it hard to focus on studies as before.Piyx
4MVLtFrustrated, Nade burst out.6Sg
0V7tn“Ah, this is maddening. I need to study. Study! I just can’t concentrate.”4JQtW
S8c5mqe“It’s normal to be unable to focus on anything else after a big blowout. It was the same after the presentation.”dtVI
c2SAzl4At Yiruki’s words, Shirone sighed deeply.Q5g
Ii6X“Still, it’s better than my situation. I have twice as many subjects to raise above 80 compared to you guys. I’m not sure if it’s possible.”VyQAg
41U“My only advantage is in math. I’m zero in humanities. So, in that sense, Nade’s in the best position.”aPf
a4Lvfi“What are you talking about? I don’t particularly excel in any subject. You and Shirone are sure to top in practicals, but I can’t, so I’m at the biggest disadvantage.”yB7u
HpqtdO7For Class Five, the practical exam focused more on the utilization of Spirit Zone than magic. Shirone with his Immortal Function and Yiruki with Savant Syndrome could excel in any practical, whereas Nade had to compete with a regular Spirit Zone like other students.eKKWnXR
H978sy“My heads starting to hurt with all these thoughts. Let’s just take a break today and start tomorrow?”VfuM
ZSi6FtAt Nade’s suggestion, they neither agreed nor disagreed. Even the usually diligent Shirone kept silent, indicating that their motivation had waned.qI0Lq
Db4d“Hey, guys, look over there…”te9
1m47dShirone pointed towards the central park, and Nade and Yiruki’s eyes widened in surprise.xUsF3qb
ODpW“What? How are they here?”6IJ
SSZdwHcCanis and Arin were walking around the school grounds. As they made eye contact with Shirone’s group, they walked over. Canis raised his hand in recognition.pn4m
5JsmOVQ“Hey there. Are classes over already? The facilities and environment seem fine, but they seem to coddle the kids too much.”fIG
WdcxBP“You! What the hell are you planning?”fIr
qNSNade blocked their path. Although he knew they were released without charges from Thadd, he thought their connection had ended. Or at least, it should have. So why were they strolling around the school?0ZzNUA
7LXUShirone asked,eFIgc
wP6J“What’s going on? Do you have some business at the school?”1Z8
qCWCanis just looked at Shirone, the person he was most concerned about at the school. More than Alpheas or the teachers, Shirone was significant. He was the first to defeat him. If he couldn’t surpass Shirone, getting stronger would be pointless.7tx
daUcP“Listen carefully. If we face off again, the outcome will be the opposite of last time.”UqziBe
4hjipGVBefore Shirone could respond, Nade retorted.nmnHI
ofH8vF“You’re still not in your right mind. You’re a decade away from beating Shirone.”ADvhu1r
UE6pe“You seem to be a decade short of being my match.”8tDNhj3
nd1Nade’s expression soured. The emotions from when Shirone was battling for his life resurfaced, and a murderous intent flickered in his mind. Yiruki, not wanting unnecessary trouble, intervened.P3OPzP
aDFFNy5“Enough. What’s important is why are you here?”MtbE
Jh0“Why come here?Im just touring the place I’m going to be staying at.”qmRt7S
dl6“What?”OEoJ65
HtcShirone’s group was taken aback by this unexpected revelation.PxbS
eKmTrcK“Exactly as I said. This magic academy or whatever, I thought it’d be good to experience it.”tISY
MtpT1ANade, rolling up his sleeves, snapped back.CZFccf
kkIbQH“There are limits to underestimating a magic academy! Who would accept someone like you?”5Obrj1e
6ei6Canis raised a finger and pointed out.bUwkSy
D43“Senior.”mRCVsT
jRVjJ“What?”RH2we
NVj6RI“Call me senior. I checked, and you guys are in Class Five. I’m in Class Four.”HUKEa
73KLGVqShirone’s group was dumbfounded. Most likely, Alpheas had admitted the two of them. However, being admitted directly into Class Four was rare, though not unheard of.w2g
cLQKVER“Why so surprised? We are disciples of an Archmage. We’ve learned all the basics of magic. Treating us the same as you leisurely folks is the real joke.”cI1
xFR5Shirone’s group, irritated, remained silent. Considering the magic they had honed for over ten years with Arcane, being placed in Class Four indeed seemed undervalued.B9h
qhqHZZ“So, from now on, I expect you to address me respectfully as ‘senior’.”dM9
9PCzyk“That’s ridiculous! You’re starting next semester, right? By then, well also have advanced to Class Four!”3ps
b9VTHq8“Really? Your grades were surprisingly bad. Honestly, I was disappointed. To have struggled against such inept students.”ul3qu6
DZNThe first thing Canis had investigated at the school was Shirone and his friends’ grades and social relationships. Contrary to his expectation of them being top contenders, they were mid-ranked in Class Five, which was shocking.v22Z7gs
nCiKHowever, no one in the advanced class underestimated them. The consensus was that they could rise to the top at any moment, a sentiment Canis had heard ad nauseam.zCcigjg
x7UAs Shirone’s group bit their lips in frustration, Canis turned away with a satisfied look.nDezXfi
GEFpu“Anyway, do your best. If you come in as juniors, I’ll take good care of you. Hahaha!”coG1iWQ
idVWAs Canis walked away, his shadow stretched towards Shirone’s group, and Harvest raised both arms, showing the middle finger with both hands. The trio trembled with barely contained rage.D43
uJMShirone broke the heavy silence.5sfEw
6D9B“Cancel the plan to rest today.”70fh9A
O4Z2“Yeah. Canis as a senior? I’d rather quit school than endure that.”fK9D
zVr3dL3“Pfft, why quit? We should advance and show him up.”HdufG
w5fb8The three were solely focused on advancing. But how? The end-of-term evaluation was a different league of challenge. A summation of a long half-year, starting something now wouldn’t guarantee success.LHO6iYm
7eDP7A“I’ve been thinking about something…”jKom7C
PiAxMShirone spoke with a serious tone.OpE8rz9
YUVX5S“My chance of advancing, at best, was around 30 percent. And that’s if I studied my hardest.”SK2BcpN
z3AtWhile not a mathematical analysis like Yiruki’s, Shirone’s insight was highly credible, so his friends believed his estimation. Nade’s expression darkened again.lih55
XDwm“Honestly, I bragged, but now that I think about it, it’s not easy. If Shirone is at 30 percent, maybe I’m around 50 percent? Yiruki might be around 60 percent.”WEV
OxpZu“No. I’m about 58.7 percent. Of course, advancement mainly depends on end-term grades, but honestly, I haven’t attended a single class.”83o8r19
vZJ9The trio sighed in unison. If things continued this way, they would have to bow their heads to Canis and Arin from next semester.2LT
EE3gG“So, I have an idea… What about this?”5vOEUL
yM3LxpAt Shirone’s suggestion, Nade looked up with bright eyes.Qs650
YR19f“What is it? Do you have a good plan?”RDvhT8
0lUnd“Studying the way we’ve been doing won’t cut it; our chances are too low. We need a new strategy.”2TRwFo3
0mU2xYiruki asked,dFc
r4QaIVE“Change our approach? But how?”ipe
RuHkYF“My 30 percent chance is based on diligent studying. But if we focus solely on the exams, we could increase our chances to over 50 percent. For you, it might even reach 70 or 80 percent.”Z7q
qmo“Hmm. Focusing on exams? I get it. Specialize and concentrate, right?”9ykCFc
NAatc“Exactly. We only need to score above 80. No need to waste time on subjects we’re good at. And we can ignore parts of the curriculum not likely to be on the exam. We can categorize the sixteen subjects into four areas: humanities, mathematics, sciences, and practicals.”IELndKG
PC4Shirone counted off on his fingers as he explained.JxmxdeI
Twz“Fortunately, at least one area should be easy for each of us. And, importantly, our areas don’t overlap. I’m humanities, Yiruki’s mathematics, and Nade’s sciences. Practicals are something we can’t help each other with.”VZu6d
MvZF8pYiruki nodded, understanding.3bjt
kcoXLv“So, you’re proposing a study group. We skip areas we’re strong in and help each other with weaknesses, right?”kOUZA
Fs5l“Exactly. If we focus on just getting over 80 in the exams, our chances will rise significantly. We might push it to 50 percent.”bJ1Z
AmpXYiruki’s lips curled up in a smile. Seeing Shirone this desperate, it must have irked him to have Canis and Arin as seniors.FH9
7vmCCnEither way, it was a good idea. And if all three could advance simultaneously, there couldn’t be a better outcome.dhdAM
e8c“I’m in. Let’s head to the study hall right now and start planning. What do you say?”4Z3lV3Q
jANe“Let’s do it!”bPRhH8O
HXwlFThe determined trio rushed off to Estas.2dz
IUCShirone dedicated himself to studying day and night.zrzqR
uhvhezHe knew the importance of managing time. An hour might fly by unnoticed for some, but for those who divided it into ten-minute segments, it felt substantial.vA7Hxo
JRIShirone divided all his time until the end-of-term exams into one-hour blocks. Keeping time always in mind was his strategy to prevent it from slipping away.7IgJG
OviHe aimed for efficiency in targeting the exams.GMN
FtVRather than understanding the material, he focused on mastering types of problems, analyzing the intention behind the questions and the methods to solve them. In this regard, the study group was effective. They filled in each other’s gaps, allowing Shirone to raise his mock exam average to above 70.YUF
kyG6XHeHowever, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Once they started studying, it became clear that their weaknesses in certain subjects weren’t due to laziness but a genuine lack of aptitude.t0ouQS
if4MEspecially Yiruki, whose disparity between humanities and mathematics was stark. Frantically solving problems Shirone had set, Yiruki put down his pen after just 30 minutes.mXiOLD
UerLzF“Done.”F2VT
UN3m“Let me see.”H6eeHM
gKlqkscShirone checked each of Yiruki’s answers. His hands trembled as he realized why humanities teachers grimaced at the sight of Yiruki.TRltpV7
A0zaLvEShirone pointed at the test paper in disbelief.B2su
3T9“Hey, how does ‘You eat pasta, I will eat pasta.’ make any sense? I explained the use of auxiliary verbs to you.”Cgs
jULsIr“Why doesn’t it make sense? You eat pasta! I will eat pasta! Perfectly clear. Emphasizing each as an independent subject.”tSeQC0X
cVZiGDK“Uh? Oh, that…”SPpr
RCLgUShirone was momentarily flustered, finding the explanation plausible. But he quickly regained composure and yelled.xFWT
0NvAF“That’s not it! Language isn’t math. It’s a tool for expression, not for proving! So, you need to read between the lines, not separate the sentences!”r0qLg
yr5rw“Damn it, what’s all that? Math is the best!”WMS1CHS
FmMh“Shut up! I know you’re being stubborn! You know it’s weird, too, right?”ra7d
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