Chapter 378
After earning an ‘A+’ on his final Magical Combat performance evaluation, Simon now faced the next one.
The subject: Toxicology, taught by Professor Belya.
And the name of the final evaluation in Toxicology was “Comprehensive Assessment of Darkness Poison System and Resistance System”.
“This is basically the first time, isn’t it?”
The outdoor training ground.
“That you and I are actually fighting each other.”
Simon’s opponent was Dick.
Dick stretched his arms and massaged his biceps as if showing them off.
“Yeah, guess so.”
Simon smiled and placed his hands on his hips.
Although this Toxicology final took the form of a duel, it wasn’t a relative evaluation—it was closer to an absolute one.
The rules were simple. Each person would infect the other with a Darkness Poison Spell and simultaneously activate their Resistance System. The one who detoxified first would be considered the winner.
Of course, the actual grading wasn’t based on victory or defeat, but on detailed numerical performance in both the Darkness Poison System and the Resistance System.
“Even if you’re my roommate, I’m not going easy on you!”
Dick spoke as he completed his magic circle.
“That’s my line.”
Simon also deployed a magic circle in his palm and assumed a combat stance. At that moment, Professor Belya, who had just finished watching the previous team, walked toward them.
“Oooh, it’s my cutie-pie’s turn now?”
Grinning with sharp, jagged shark teeth, Belya roughly tousled Simon’s hair.
Dick quickly objected upon seeing that.
“Ah, hold on! Isn’t that favoritism right before a duel? I formally object!”
“Ugh—stop being such a tightwad! A professor can dote on her student a little. You got a problem with that, huh?”
“If you’re doing it, do it to me too!”
Dick boldly pointed to the crown of his head.
“Get lost, you slippery brat.”
“Wow, this is discrimination! I oppose discrimination!”
Belya laughed heartily at Dick’s over-the-top reaction.
Just then, the head TA came running over, clutching the evaluation papers.
“Professor! What did you do this time?”
Belya quickly feigned innocence.
“Hmph, nothing at all.”
“How many times have I told you to take this seriously? Students are sensitive when it comes to their grades!”
The head TA nagged on and on, while Belya pouted and picked at her ear.
Simon watched with satisfaction.
Back during Claudia’s boycott incident, the head TA couldn’t even make eye contact with Belya, but now, at the end of the semester, she seemed a lot more assertive. Or maybe the two of them had just grown closer.
“Alright, get ready.”
Belya said it nonchalantly, but her voice held the charisma befitting a professor of Keyzen.
Simon and Dick brought their hands together and held them in front of their chests.
“Okay, okaaay, then~ start!”
Belya snapped her fingers to signal the beginning.
<Poison Whip>
<Poison Whip>
The two boys simultaneously cast Poison Whip and struck each other. Simon’s whip was green, and Dick’s was a dark brown.
BANG!
As soon as they were struck and poisoned, both of them sat down cross-legged on the ground and began channeling Darkness.
‘Focus……!’
Simon’s Poison Whip was average, but when it came to his Immune System, he had full confidence.
He activated black magic to convert the infected area’s blood into blood poison, then began analyzing the toxins that had entered his body.
‘Hm.’
Simon’s brow twitched as he reached for the herbs placed on the detox kit nearby.
‘This one’s tricky.’
The protein particles were tangled messily, making them hard to analyze. To detoxify properly, he had to observe how the blood poison mutated and determine the right direction for the antidote—but the reactions were hard to categorize.
‘Impressive.’
Dick’s Toxicology skills were far better than expected.
While Simon chewed herbs and continued analyzing the poison, Dick was also groaning as he worked on detoxifying. He even stole a glance at Simon’s condition.
‘He already looks more relaxed. Is that guy even human?’
Dick’s Immune System ability wasn’t that great, but thankfully, Simon’s Darkness Poison Spell was as straightforward as something from a textbook.
The two boys continued struggling as they worked through the detox process.
Fwap!
Dick raised his hand first. The head TA checked the timer.
“Yes, Dick Hayword. Six minutes and twenty-eight seconds.”
“I win!”
Dick raised both arms in triumph. Right after, Simon raised his hand.
“Simon Follentia. Six minutes and thirty seconds.”
Simon smiled wryly. Dick wagged his finger smugly as if to say Simon still had a long way to go.
“Results.”
While the boys were detoxifying, the other TAs had been analyzing the poison samples that had dropped on the floor. Belya gathered the results and spoke.
“Simon’s Resistance System is, without question, top-tier among the first-years. However, his Darkness Poison Spell was average. You lost a lot of points there, but still, a B+. Good work.”
“Thank you!”
A B+ was still a top-grade score. Simon accepted it with satisfaction and thanked her.
“And the slippery brat—your Darkness Poison Spell was top-notch, but your Resistance System sense is trash-tier.”
“T-T-T-Trash?!”
Dick was outraged.
“Even so, your Darkness Poison Spell was crafted with such twisted complexity that it was practically un-detoxifiable. That part was definitely impressive. You get an A.”
“Ooooooh!”
It was Dick’s first ever ‘A’ in a performance evaluation.
Other than students like Claudia who specialized in Toxicology, he now had the highest score.
Dick bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Professor! From today on, I officially declare myself a Toxicology major!”
“You damn slippery punk!”
Belya laughed heartily and kicked Dick in the shin. Dick howled in pain, hopping on one foot, but his expression showed he was thrilled.
“Congrats, Dick.”
Simon offered his congratulations as well.
As Belya and the TA staff moved on to evaluate the next students, Dick suddenly said,
“Hey, should I actually major in Toxicology?”
“…The semester’s almost over and you still haven’t picked a major?”
“The sorrow of being an all-master, I guess.”
Dick tapped his forehead with a fingertip and shook his head, then abruptly thrust his hand toward Simon.
“Anyway, your final Summonology exam is this afternoon, right? Just wait. I’m going to beat you at your own specialty!”
Simon simply laughed.
* * *
Three hours later—
“Dick Hayword.”
Professor Aron, the Summonology professor, was frowning as he held a copy of Dick’s thesis.
“An astonishing presentation.”
It was time for the final Summonology performance evaluation.
This was Class A’s thesis presentation session for “Creation of Magical-Type Undead and Thesis”.
On the podium stood a stiff Dick with a very nervous expression. In front of him was a crow locked in a cage.
But Aron’s expression didn’t look good.
“Training the undead ‘Specter Crow’ to replace the traditional carrier pigeon system, huh……”
“Y-Yeah! Isn’t it totally awesome?!”
Dick threw up both thumbs enthusiastically, but the moment he met Aron’s eyes, he snapped back to attention.
“Prove it.”
“Pardon?”
Aron tossed a stack of papers from a nearby desk toward Dick.
“Right now. Even if it’s just across the lecture hall—prove that the Specter Crow can fulfill a carrier pigeon’s role.”
“O-Oh! That much is basic!”
Dick opened the cage and brought out the Specter Crow. Despite being undead, it looked very much like a normal crow on the outside.
Dick made eye contact with it, as if connecting via mental link, then ran to the far end of the lecture hall.
“Alright! Let’s begin!”
Dick’s voice echoed from the distance.
“Bring that stack of papers over here!”
He gave the command.
But—
-......
The Specter Crow didn’t react. It just scratched itself with its beak or skittered around on the floor of the lecture hall.
“Come here! I said, come here!”
The classroom instantly erupted in laughter. Especially when the Specter Crow lifted one leg and plopped a mess right on top of the papers—students doubled over, clutching their stomachs.
“That’s enough. Bring it back.”
Aron, unable to bear it any longer, called it off. Dick returned to the podium with his head hanging low.
“What’s the point of this thesis if even the author can’t control the Specter Crow?”
“S-Sorry.”
“There’s more.”
Aron, as a professor of Summonology, began to systematically point out the flaws in the thesis.
A necromancer’s labor costs are quite high—what necromancer would accept low pay just to raise crows in a coop and send them flying around? And as the delivery distance grows, the mental connection breaks, which means relying on homing instinct—but that instinct dulls once the crow becomes undead. Not to mention, even the absolute coordinate formula drawn in the summoning magic circle was incorrect.
“E-.”
Aron spoke coldly.
“That’s the highest grade I can give you. The only reason it’s not an F is because I appreciate your imagination. That’s all.”
Dick trudged back to his seat with slumped shoulders. A few kind-hearted students gave him some polite, scattered applause.
“Pffft. Pffuhuhuh.”
Back in his seat, Maelyn was desperately trying to hold back laughter, covering her mouth.
“Specter Crow Courier Service... pffft! Isn’t it totally awesome... pffft!”
“Please, just kill me.”
Dick muttered, unable to bear the humiliation.
Simon, in the seat next to him, silently patted Dick on the shoulder and bowed his head, he was also struggling to hold in his laughter.
“......C-Cheer up, Dick.”
Kamibarez clasped her hands and did her best to console him. Dick pretended to wipe tears away, saying there was no one like Kami.
“But seriously.”
Knowing this would be the target of jokes for at least a week, Dick hurried to change the subject.
“Why are there so many people here?”
It wasn’t even an official thesis defense. Yet there were not only Class A students, but also upperclassmen from years two and three, and even adults. Assistants sent by the professors and researchers from the Keyzen headquarters had also taken seats.
“Why do you think?”
Maelyn giggled and looked toward Simon.
“Next up, Simon Follentia. Step forward.”
At Aron’s words, the crowd finally began to buzz.
In truth, excluding the presenters from Class A, most people gathered here were waiting for Simon’s presentation on Herseba.
“Good luck!”
“Simon! You’ve got this!”
Amid the support from his groupmates, Simon tucked his presentation materials and thesis under his arm and stepped forward. He respectfully handed Aron a copy of his thesis and turned to face the crowd.
“Hello. I’m Simon Follentia of Class A.”
Clap clap clap clap clap!!
A round of excited applause burst forth. The atmosphere was already heating up.
“Then, I’ll begin.”
Simon opened his subspace, and from within it, Herseba emerged.
Murmur murmur murmur!
The noise surged. People all over the room stood up, trying to get a better look at Herseba.
“Hey! Sit down!”
“You’re not the only one with eyes, you know!”
Even normally dignified adults were on their feet, buzzing with excitement.
[Kid, what is this? I feel like I’m an animal in a zoo.]
‘Just bear with it a little.’
THUMP!
That sound quieted the murmurs.
Aron had slammed his hand against the chalkboard.
“I let you in after so much begging, but this is still a class. If you interrupt our student even once more, I’ll throw all of you out.”
At that single remark, the crowd fell into an almost unbelievable silence.
Simon dipped his head slightly toward Aron in appreciation, then looked forward.
“I’ll begin.”
A+ in Summonology.
As an aspiring specialist, this was a grade he absolutely had to get, Simon picked up the chalk with a serious gaze.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters