Chapter 23
After finishing their meal, Class A students returned to the lecture hall for their second session of Elementary Black Magic.
“What, the results are out already?”
And the moment they stepped into the room, chaos erupted. On one side of the wall, the test results for every single Class A student had just been posted.
“Wow! That came out fast!”
“Move over!”
Rumble!
The students tossed their bags aside as soon as they entered the classroom and rushed over.
Not only were their own scores posted, but everyone else’s scores were laid out for all to see.
“Kyaaa! 85 in Katarology!”
“Ugh, Haemotology totally tanked my average.”
“Should I seriously consider switching majors?”
“See? Didn’t I tell you to go with number five in Magical Combat?”
“You’re so fake, seriously. You cried saying you bombed Katarology, and now you got an 80?”
It was a commotion louder than a bustling marketplace.
Simon didn’t really want to check his grades, but he wasn’t stupid enough to escape reality either.
He widened his eyes and confirmed his scores.
[Simon Follentia]
Katarology: 40
Darkness Dynamics: 33
Summonology: 76
Necromancy: 25
Haemotology: 20
Toxicology: 20
Magical Combat: 43
Defense Against Holiness: 40
‘...Just as I expected.’
He had mentally prepared himself, but the results were still brutal.
If there was any consolation, it was Summonology, where he scored in the 70s. Maybe the studying over the weekend actually paid off.
“Simon! Simon! How’d you do on the test?”
Dick came running over, breathless, and asked.
“76 in Summonology. The rest were all crap.”
“Wow! 76?”
Dick clapped Simon on the shoulder.
“Nice! Honestly, for someone who didn’t do any prep beforehand, that’s way better than expected. It’s much better to have one subject you’re really good at than just being average across the board!”
“How about you?”
“My best was Darkness Dynamics, 74. The rest are all in the 60s to 70s. My average should hit around 70.”
Simon blinked.
“You’re smart too, huh.”
“I just studied enough not to get kicked out, that’s all.”
Dick shrugged, but his expression stiffened a little.
“That said, this is a development we didn’t expect. Everyone’s scores got revealed right from the first class.”
Dick’s original plan was to quickly recruit strong teammates while no one had much information about one another.
But now that everyone’s grades were out in the open, the other students would start choosing teammates based on clearly visible performance indicators.
“Uh, um, everyone!”
The students, now out of control due to the grade reveal, weren’t listening. The female assistant instructor nervously tried to intervene.
“Please return to your seats! The professor will be arriving soon...!”
“Leave them be.”
Clack.
Just then, the classroom door opened and Jane walked in.
At her appearance, the students immediately fell silent. Still, their gazes were inevitably drawn back toward the grade board.
“I’ll give you 30 minutes.”
Jane placed her bag on the lectern as she spoke.
“Check your own scores and form groups of four. Unless there are special circumstances, your group will remain the same for the entire semester.”
The expressions of every Class A student stiffened.
Start right now?
“Elementary Black Magic will proceed as a group class from now on. You’ll be given assignments that can only be solved by working together with your groupmates. Individual and group grades will be calculated separately. Of course, even if you’re an outstanding individual, if your team lacks cooperation, points will be deducted.”
She adjusted her necktie with a sigh, then smiled faintly.
“So, choose your teammates wisely, okay?”
At that single sentence, a switch flipped in every student’s mind.
“You have 30 minutes. If you haven’t formed a group by then, you’ll be lumped together with the other stragglers and placed in a separate group. Begin.”
The moment she finished, voices burst out like a dam had broken.
“Jasmine! Who’s Jasmine?”
“That’s me?”
“Your Katarology score was high! Want to team up with us? We’re aiming for Darkness and Necromancy!”
“Looking for three people—Katarology, Darkness, Summonology majors only! Over 60!”
“Any top scorers in Necromancy looking for a team?”
The scramble to form teams had already become fierce. Simon and Dick nodded at each other and split up to act independently.
‘Dick will go straight for Jaime, our top pick.’
Simon moved to find Claudia, their second priority pick.
Unfortunately, she was already talking to two other students. Judging by her excited expression, she had probably already been swayed.
The third priority, Katarology student Rosental, was actively recruiting as a team leader.
The fourth, Haematology student Katherine, was currently being persuaded by Rosental.
Teams were already beginning to form left and right in the blink of an eye.
‘This won’t do.’
Dick, who had gone to recruit Jaime, was also struggling.
Thanks to the test, students with good grades had now acquired a form of power. They wanted to form groups centered around themselves.
Especially since all the teams were trying to fill the “Big Three Majors” first—Katarology, Darkness Dynamics, and Summonology, the Katarology students were being snatched up quickly.
This was a crisis. Failing to secure a Katarology student would leave a huge gap, as its grading weight was high.
‘Stay calm.’
Simon erased the anxiety boiling up to his scalp and began analyzing the situation coolly.
‘It’s still early. Not a single group has been fully formed yet.’
‘It’s not a phase of thorough evaluation. Because of the time limit, everyone’s rushing. As long as someone’s in a different major or has similar grades, they’re teaming up without much thought.’
‘Average scorers are forming groups fastest. Top scorers are still observing.’
‘In that case, what I need to do now is—’
Finally, Simon made up his mind and moved.
Amidst the dozens of students engaged in noisy conversations, Simon walked through them unshaken.
A few students tried to talk to him, but he politely declined, saying they could talk later.
He had one target in mind.
‘Found her.’
She finally entered Simon’s view.
Unlike the others scurrying around, she looked like someone from another world.
Arms crossed, legs folded, calmly seated and observing the chaos.
Other students kept glancing at her, but no one dared to approach.
Of course not, convincing her to join with a mediocre 60–70 average was next to impossible.
Simon boldly broke through that hesitation.
At last, he stood before her.
“Maelyn Villene.”
Class A’s top student.
First place in the written entrance exam across the entire school.
And the only one to score over 90 in every subject on this test.
“I want you to join my group.”
From the start, Simon aimed to recruit the very top.
The students watching from nearby began to murmur as they saw Simon approach her.
“Hey, hey, Simon!”
Before anyone noticed, Dick had pushed his way through the students, mouthing the word “reckless”.
The reason Maelyn wasn’t their first recruitment target in the first place was because Dick had deemed it impossible to bring her in.
Simon subtly raised a hand, as if to say, Leave this to me.
“...Ridiculous.”
Her eyes, cold as glaciers, swept across Simon’s face.
“Do you think being a special admission makes you someone?”
Her voice was like a gust of freezing wind.
“Special admission just means connections, right? I only believe in what I can see—clear, measurable numbers.”
A firm and defensive stance.
“And sorry, but someone with a 30-point average just isn’t it.”
A final blow of cold, hard reality.
But Simon endured it silently. The real negotiation to win the top had only just begun.
First, he tossed out the bait.
“You’re a bit weak in Summonology. Scored an 85.”
Her eyebrow twitched.
Summonology was Maelyn’s only subject in the 80s, and it was her sore spot.
But she didn’t flinch and fired back.
“Are you in any position to say that? No matter what, my Summonology score’s still higher than yours.”
Of course, he knew. Simon took a deep breath.
“I promise you.”
“...?”
“In one month. I’ll surpass you in Summonology.”
Murmurs rose around them, and her pupils dilated sharply.
“Are you insane? Anyone can talk big like that...!”
“If I don’t surpass you,”
Simon cut her off and continued.
“I’ll leave Keyzen.”
A shocking declaration from Special Admission No. 1. Gasps came from all corners.
Until now, not once in Keyzen’s history had a top special admission student voluntarily withdrawn.
Maelyn let out a scoffing laugh, but the corner of her lips trembled slightly.
“You’re really crazy, huh? Cancel that now unless you want to humiliate yourself!”
“I’m only saying what I know I can do.”
Simon replied calmly and steadily.
“......”
Maelyn lightly bit her lower lip.
With Simon suddenly taking control of the conversation, the atmosphere had shifted strangely.
“You’ll surpass me? How arrogant.”
Her eyes shifted toward Hector, who was among the crowd watching.
But...
Despite the nerve-racking exchange, Maelyn had her own calculations.
She absolutely had to maintain her top position in Class A for the entire first semester.
Her biggest obstacle? Hector. He scored well on the test, and more importantly, he was stronger in practice than on paper. With practical evaluations and duel assessments coming up, he might just overtake her spot.
‘So I have to dominate this group project phase completely.’
One issue, Hector had scored an 88 in Summonology in this test.
Out of all eight subjects, it was the only one Maelyn had lost to him in even on paper.
That’s why Maelyn had intended to reinforce her group with a Summonology ace.
But Hector had already moved swiftly and successfully recruited the only other Summonology ace in the 90s from Class A, Pierre Buckley.
Everyone else majoring in Summonology was just average.
They weren’t far ahead—or behind—Maelyn in terms of scores.
In that case...
‘...Simon Follentia.’
Though he hadn’t done any preparatory learning, he had clearly outshone Hector in their first Summonology class. Like many others in Class A, Maelyn had been deeply impressed by that performance.
Maelyn was now at a crossroads.
Play it safe and find another student with a solid 80s score in Summonology?
Or take a gamble on Simon, the joker who had already beaten Hector head-on?
In that light, Simon’s declaration that he would surpass her wasn’t just bravado or a provocation.
It was a deliberate appeal aimed at the latter choice she was weighing.
As if he could read her mind.
“...Haa.”
Finally, after a long moment of contemplation…, Maelyn uncrossed her legs and stood up.
“That promise, you’ll really keep it, right?”
Simon smiled gently and extended his hand.
“I will. No matter what.”
Reluctantly, she took his hand.
At that moment, the most coveted student in Class A, and the only one with 90s in every subject—Maelyn—joined Simon’s group.
Superb.