Chapter 809
Fwoooooosh—
Simon sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, focusing.
The meditation technique taught by Hongpeng.
A method to raise concentration to its peak in a short span of time. When the clear chime, imagined in his mind, ceased to be heard at a certain point—
He opened his eyes and rose to his feet.
‘Deploy.’
A dragon’s magic circle, composed of an alien ancient language, spread before him.
Clack!
Clatter!
The large bones scattered on the floor—more precisely, the dragon factors within those bones—reacted, flying into the magic circle and taking their places.
It looked as though the bones were entering a magical blueprint, assembling themselves. The long torso was formed first, arms pieced together, legs attached.
However—
Clack, clack!
Bones with a small concentration of dragon factors began to shake before they could even serve as joints. When Simon poured focus into stabilizing them, other parts trembled.
Rumbleeeee!
In the end, all the bones collapsed midair. Simon exhaled a sigh and collapsed forward.
“Hm.”
One hand still resting on a splint, the other grasping a stopwatch, Professor Aron of Summonology nodded.
“3 minutes 50 seconds, well done. You didn’t complete it, but the time has shortened considerably.”
“Thank you!”
Simon bowed his head with a bright smile. Aron gazed at his face for a moment before speaking.
“What was that you did while sitting at the start?”
“Meditation, sir! Professor Hongpeng of Magical Combat taught me.”
“I see.”
Muttering to himself about whether it should be added to the curriculum, since it seemed effective, Aron continued writing. Simon wiped his sweat with a towel, smiling refreshed.
Whoooooom!
Just then, Hector descended from the sky, stirring up a storm. His wings, larger than usual, flapped and whipped up clouds of dust.
But Hector’s expression didn’t look very satisfied.
“Hector Moore, don’t be impatient. It takes time to adapt to new wings.”
Aron pressed the timer again and added,
“15 minutes 37 seconds. At this rate, you’re doing very well.”
“Yes, professor.”
Hector bowed politely before the professor, but when his eyes landed on Simon lying sprawled on the floor, he frowned.
“Persistent bastard, still not giving up?”
“Of course not.”
Simon leapt to his feet.
“I’ll master both dragon magic and Death Knight creation.”
Tch.
Hector clicked his tongue and turned his head away. Aron was noting today’s record on a document when Simon cautiously spoke.
“Professor Aron.”
“What is it?”
“White hasn’t come?”
Aron’s three chosen direct disciples were Simon, Hector, and White.
Aron seemed to be paying attention to White—who resembled Magnus—yet, for some reason, had appointed him as a direct disciple.
“I did call him, but he’s not the type to come even if told to.”
Aron replied while continuing to write.
Meanwhile, Simon and Hector sat apart, hydrating with their canteens. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
“In class we handle Death Knight creation, in disciple training each of you pursues your own originals, that’s all good but—”
Dropping his quill, Aron looked at the two disciples.
“It’s about time you both prepare for the upcoming second-year group exam.”
The biggest issue recently, from the very start of the semester, had been the announcement of the “second-year group exam”.
And this exam was imminent, scheduled to begin before either a Death Knight or Bone Dragon could be completed. Unless they planned to sit the test with only their current abilities, they’d have to make time to prepare.
“Have either of you made preparations?”
At Aron’s question, Hector shot a glance at Simon and replied,
“Yes.”
A short answer, and nothing more—he was conscious of Simon’s presence.
Then Simon spoke.
“I’m meeting with people from the Vanilla Group this afternoon.”
“……Benya Vanilla, is it.”
Aron smiled faintly and nodded.
“Very well. Both of you, if you need help, don’t hesitate to tell me. The next disciple class will be dedicated to exam preparation.”
Simon and Hector slung their bags over their shoulders and rose.
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
Simon also felt that this group exam was no ordinary matter, and was preparing in his own way.
Not only was Sota Psyche scheming something, but in particular, Magnus’ Ancient Undead, Lamia, was lurking near the exam site. Whether coincidence or not, it was an ominous sign, and preparing was only natural.
After finishing his afternoon classes early, Simon ran straight to the Mutant Club room.
Knock, knock.
“It’s Simon.”
He carefully opened the door after knocking. A tall third-year female student already seated there greeted him with delight.
“Welcome, comrade!”
Currently ranked 6th overall in the third year, Benya Vanilla.
Heiress of the Vanilla Group, which dealt in all kinds of undead-related materials.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Simon glanced at the seat beside Benya.
“And, who is this beside you……?”
“Ah, let me introduce.”
The burly adult man seated beside her rose. With rugged features, he wore a belt that looked like a thick rope around his waist.
“This is Sir Carlo, an undead craftsman affiliated with Vanilla.”
“An honor to meet you!”
Carlo bared his gold tooth in a broad grin.
“Name’s Carlo! Just call me Carlo, no need for formality.”
“Ah, yes. Simon Follentia.”
“I’ve heard much about you from the young lady and the other craftsmen! Hahaha!”
Simon had many ties with the craftsmen of the Vanilla Group.
Back in his first year, they had crafted his marine undead, Deimos, for him. They had also created the Overlord’s subspace, and even helped with his first Lich creation.
And now, once again, one of those craftsmen had come to him.
Benya beamed brightly and said—
“Since he stopped by Keyzen for work, I mentioned you, and so he came to see you in person.”
“That’s reassuring!”
“Yup! Then, shall we get started? Simon Follentia’s group exam strategy meeting!”
Clap clap clap!
When Benya clapped her hands, Carlo followed with seal-like applause from his large palms.
The two of them got along surprisingly well.
“It’s not grand enough to call it a strategy meeting.”
Simon scratched his head as he spoke.
“It’s important! After all, this is a support system where our Vanilla Group lends a hand to the future Student Council President. Have you thought of anything? I’d like to align with your needs and ideas as much as possible.”
Since the exam’s theme and concept hadn’t yet been officially announced, it was troubling. After thinking for a moment, Simon spoke.
“First of all, I don’t think I need to prepare another new undead on a grand scale. The Bone Dragon and Death Knight I’m working on already push me to the limit.”
At the mention of Bone Dragon and Death Knight, Craftsman Carlo’s jaw dropped. He glanced at Benya, who wriggled two fingers upward, confirming that Simon really was only a second-year.
“This time, I’d like to focus on improving and enhancing the summons I already use, or those I no longer use much.”
“As expected of you, comrade! You’ve nailed the point!”
Benya threw her arm around Simon’s shoulders.
“For example, which summons?”
Simon muttered quietly.
“Open Gate.”
Shwaaaaarrrrk!
From the floor, a subspace opened, and long tendrils made of blades shot out, writhing.
It was the Overlord, the undead Simon had used frequently since his first year.
“It’s powerful, but since becoming a second-year I hardly use it anymore.”
Back in his first year, just handling Overlord properly was enough to overcome any battle.
But now, with classmates’ skills having advanced significantly and with stronger enemies to face, the situation had changed.
“A metallic-tentacle undead! Impressive. The joints move this smoothly?”
Craftsman Carlo leapt up and touched Overlord.
Benya cut in again.
“Then why do you use Overlord less now, comrade?”
“There are constraints. I have to stay in place to use it, its range is short, and there’s a delay in pulling it from subspace and moving it. Its durability is especially disappointing.”
Above all, Simon’s own growth was a factor.
Back then, he had to summon Overlord to coil around him and block attacks one by one, but now he could simply evade with Magical Combat, or cancel them with other black magic. He also had sturdier defense options like the Dragonian.
“I understand! You mean you’d like to sacrifice a little defense to increase versatility and make it more offensive!”
As if waiting for this, Carlo whipped out schematics, models, and a quill from his bag, and began sketching like a man possessed.
“Length and attack power can be reinforced right away.”
Simon’s jaw dropped when he saw the schematic.
“Is this really possible?”
“To a craftsman, nothing is impossible.”
“Wait, Sir Carlo. With this structure, the contact area of the underside blades is too large, they’d wear out quickly. What about this shape?”
“Excellent suggestion, young lady!”
Soon the three necromancers, excited, were huddled over the schematic, layering ideas and indulging in greed. The plan kept growing larger.
“At this rate the budget is triple, are you sure about this?”
Simon, who had just suggested adding a stylish mane to Overlord’s tentacles, flinched for the first time. Quietly crossing it out with an X, he stole a glance at Benya.
“Uh, senior, I’ll be getting funds in about a month, so if I pay then……”
Next month, excavation at the northern Carlos magic-stone mine would begin, and he’d receive an advance. He planned to cover it with that.
“Ah, of course! Don’t worry too much about money.”
Simon lowered his head at once.
“Then let’s keep the mane.”
“What about adding a cannon instead?”
As Simon and Benya competed to add features to Overlord, Carlo laughed heartily.
“It’s not good to add multiple functions you won’t use. I recommend focusing on just one or two features that can be expected every time the summon is called forth.”
Thus, a simplified improvement plan for Overlord was completed.
Carlo also wanted to see Overlord’s internals. Simon nodded, opening the subspace to reveal the main body.
“To operate the improved Overlord effectively, the subspace must also be altered.”
He then conducted a simple test.
After all, no matter how high-spec an undead was, if the necromancer couldn’t handle it properly, it was meaningless. Carlo evaluated Simon’s undead control and thought concentration, and nodded with satisfaction.
“As expected of someone who even served as Student Council President. Very good.”
And so the conclusion on Overlord’s remake was reached. Simon handed the Overlord’s subspace equipment to Carlo.
“Oh, and,”
At Simon’s words, both turned their heads.
“I’d also like to improve my technique, the Royal Guard, a little further.”
“!”
Benya and Carlo’s eyes sparkled once more.
* * *
With the large-scale event of the group exam ahead, time flew quickly.
First came the long-awaited “mission evaluation” season. For six days and five nights, students could go outside Roke Island to perform missions.
Even if it meant straining later, Simon chose the easiest “blue request”. He would perform a simple task within Roke Island, and spend the remaining time preparing for the group exam.
Apparently other students thought similarly, as nearly half stayed within the school to train individually.
While the mission evaluation season passed, professors and headquarters staff gathered in a conference room to discuss the upcoming “group exam”.
“Wouldn’t Chenon Island be best for the location?”
“Yes, it seems suitable for evaluating the students’ combat abilities. Still, we should hear the opinions of the other professors.”
At the staff’s words, the professors each began offering their thoughts.
“………”
Vice-chancellor Jane sat at the head seat, quietly listening.
Then she glanced to the back, and suddenly rose.
“Lady Neftis is arriving.”
At those words, everyone stood.
Soon, with the sound of quick footsteps, Neftis appeared, licking an ice cream.
“Heyyy, hello everyone!”
She waved her hand cheerfully at the professors. Jane stepped aside from the head seat and said,
“You must be busy with the frontlines, we didn’t expect you to come in person.”
“But I’m still the chancellor, so of course I should attend the meeting!”
Neftis hopped into her seat.
“So, where were we in the discussion?”
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