Helmut walked out of the examination hall, exhaling deeply with a pale face as soon as he emerged. The intensity of the stress felt akin to facing a series of powerful opponents consecutively, akin to those of Parsho level. It was his first time experiencing such an exhausting battle, with the tension of a fight where a single mistake could lead to death lingering throughout. His body was completely worn out.
As Helmut walked out of the academy, someone called out to him.
"Breaking through to Stage 10 is quite the feat. The color of this crystal ball changes with each stage. After you entered, it kept changing colors, so I was quite looking forward to it."
It was Dwayne, a professor from the Magic Department, pointing at a crystal ball hanging at the end of a pillar near the exit.
Since the last hunting picnic they had together, he remembered Helmut well. It was odd not to, considering a mere second-year swordsman student had dispatched a first-class mercenary assassin.
"You're not the first student to break through Stage 10 since the magic exam was established, but you are the first second-year to do so."
"Is that so."
However, Helmut's expression was calm, far from proud. He added, somewhat critically,
"It's quite a sadistic exam."
Professor Dwayne laughed awkwardly, as if he was criticized.
"Real battles often demand mental strength. We judged it would be good for our students' mental fortitude, even if it seems a bit excessive."
More than cultivating mental strength, it seemed to aim at damaging it. Anyone with a slight discomfort would probably skip their next meal.
As Helmut stared at him, Dwayne leaned closer and whispered seriously,
"That's the official reason. In truth, it's the dean's preference. There's no stopping it."
"Ah, I see."
That made sense. Greta Academy favored the Magic Department over the Swordsman Department, primarily because the academy's dean was a renowned magician. His authority was absolute.
'Alea mentioned that his guardian is the dean.'
This fact was almost unknown. Alea, like Helmut, wasn't admitted through an instructor's recommendation but had passed the entrance examination to enter Greta Academy. Being the dean's ward didn't grant Alea any special privileges.
"What's the prize?"
Just as Helmut was about to leave, he suddenly asked.
"I heard there's a prize for breaking through Stage 10."
"You can request the creation of any type of artifact you want. If it's in the academy's inventory, we can give it to you or modify it."
The reward was more generous than expected, piquing his interest.
"Anything?"
"Not anything. There's a limit. Even if you request something excessive, we'll cut it down, so don't worry. Take your time to think, but you should apply before the holiday, whether to me or to a Swordsman Department instructor."
Professor Dwayne whispered again,
"The dean himself will make it, so it'll be something useful."
What to order? As he began to ponder, Alea suddenly came to mind.
"How about an artifact with the ability to change appearance?"
"Disguise?"
"Yes. Something that can change my hair, eyes, or face."
"I'm not sure to what extent it will disguise you, but it's a good idea."
"I'd prefer it to be highly effective. As you know, I've made quite a few enemies."
Knowing that Helmut was targeted by Black Hawk, Professor Dwayne nodded.
"Ah, right. Don't worry. I'll speak well of you to the dean."
"Thank you."
Helmut bowed and stepped away from the spot.
Aska was sitting on a bench, resting his chin on his hands. His complexion was pale, but he seemed to have calmed down now. As soon as he saw Helmut, he bluntly asked,
"Helmut, how far did you get?"
"All the way."
Aska's eyes widened in shock.
"You made it through Stage 10? Man, you've got a strong stomach."
It felt like the mental strength to progress that far was more remarkable than the skill itself. Helmut nodded, understanding why Aska had fled.
"Forget the finals, you should be the top. Damn, it gave me the creeps."
Aska sighed deeply. The two shared a moment of deep understanding, a rare occurrence. After a while, he asked,
"I saw up to Stage 8. What was Stage 9?"
"A swarm of bugs."
"Huh?"
Remembering it made Helmut frown. It was an unpleasant memory.
"Bugs... poured out in droves. Should I call it a composite demon?"
Massive grey bugs, the size of fists, swarmed and crawled with numerous legs towards him like a tidal wave.
Anyone with a normal disposition would have instinctively run towards the exit in madness. A chill crawled up to his brain.
In that moment, Helmut instinctively emptied his mind completely. He tried not to even think about how disgusting it was. It was a state of no-mind. Aska made a disgusted face.
"How do you deal with that? Do you have to kill them one by one within the time limit?"
"No, there's a core bug. Once you find and kill it, it's over."
The only bug colored red caught his eye even amid the chaos. It had wings and was quick. It was clear that killing it would end the trial.
"Really? Interesting. But what was Stage 10?"
Their conversation halted abruptly as someone emerged from the exit. Although there were multiple examination halls, there was only one exit.
"It's Collin."
Aska's roommate. They didn't seem very close, but they greeted each other since Aska waved at him. Collin nodded back, looking somewhat dazed and pale. Aska muttered,
"Now that I think about it, the Magic Department also had exams today. There are three halls, right? In the morning, the Magic Department uses two halls to quickly proceed with their exams, and in the afternoon, the Swordsman Department uses two. I saw Sian earlier. He's scheduled for later."
"Alea said he had an exam today too."
Helmut mentioned, and Collin, passing by, suddenly muttered,
"I'm next after Alea, so he should be in the next room taking his exam."
At that moment, a tremendous roar erupted. Boom! The ground vibrated as if there was an earthquake, and Aska quickly covered his ears.
"What's that?"
Their bodies trembled from the aftermath. Helmut, drawing upon his Vis, looked up. From the side of the hall he had just exited, the ceiling of a building was collapsing.
A powerful magic force was felt from inside. The magical waves seemed to soar to the sky's end.
'That magic power...'
Helmut immediately dashed forward, running through the collapsed walls. A clear silver light caught his eye. Power rising like mist from his body. Silver hair fluttering in the breeze.
Standing there was Alea, who had destroyed one of the examination halls with destructive magic!
Magic rose from his body like steam, not seeming excited or having lost his reason. However, a chilling coldness wafted from Alea, as if he would freeze anyone who approached.
Dwayne, the professor guarding the exit, raised his hands in confusion.
"Alea! You can't just destroy a building."
As Alea turned, Dwayne's words abruptly stopped. Alea's purple eyes flashed coldly.
"I passed Stage 10, right?"
His gaze seemed to question the very nature of the exam. Always cold and cynical, this side of Alea was unexpected. A dangerous fierceness was felt, like a wild animal on edge. Dwayne stammered,
"With the building collapsed, it's hard to determine the criteria."
"The crystal ball is still intact, so you can analyze it. I don't need the prize."
His attitude suggested it was obvious he had passed Stage 10.
"Alea! What do you intend to do by destroying the examination hall!"
"The examination hall was too frail. It'd be better to invest more money. Or, tell the dean to stop testing students with such perverse tastes. It's his doing, isn't it?"
"That's..."
Knowing who Alea's patron was, Professor Dwayne coughed awkwardly.
Alea internally blamed his patron. Collecting insect specimens might be a rare hobby, but not a strange one. However, applying it to an academy exam was another matter.
As he progressed through the stages, Alea's patience reached its limit. At the moment only the last stage remained, his reason momentarily slipped. When he came to, this was the result.
'I've become too... emotional.'
But humans sometimes act on emotion. Alea decided not to reflect on it. Instead, he calmly suggested leaving the repair costs to the dean. The accidents he caused would be handled by his guardian.
As he left the ruined examination hall, he finally noticed Helmut standing beyond the wall.
Alea's expression softened slightly at the surprise. It was as if a tightly drawn string had loosened. He spoke,
"Did you... also take the exam?"
"Yeah, what happened?"
"Ah, a little mistake. It just happened without me realizing."
Alea nodded. At that moment, the desire to keep his sanity vanished. He aimed to obliterate it with as much magic as possible. Completely! Filled with that singular intent.
Magic is a power that materializes will. The effect was astonishing. The magic, unconsciously exceeding the limits he cared about, not only destroyed the illusion but also the hall that housed it.
Helmut caught on immediately.
"Stage 10?"
"Right."
A brief silence fell between them. Helmut recalled the demon he had defeated at Stage 10.
A giant cockroach. Moreover, a composite type. Small cockroaches gathered
to form a giant cockroach, the ultimate embodiment of disgust. The sight of it was so vivid and revolting that some might faint or scream at the mere sight.
Appropriately for the final stage, its movements were aggressively disgusting. It alternated between merging and separating, attacking the examinee in both small and large forms. Both the small and large forms were dreadful, presenting a thoroughly repulsive spectacle.
The sight of cockroaches with numerous antennae and legs scurrying across the floor was, in a different sense, a spectacle.
There were also flying types. With a buzz, they fluttered their transparent wings, charging towards him.
Helmut's exceptional vision allowed him to witness this spectacle more vividly than anyone else.
Alea's complexion darkened as he recalled a similar scene. He asked,
"What prize did you choose?"
"Ah, the same as you."
Helmut almost responded directly but caught himself in time. It was a close call. Alea wasn't aware that Helmut knew about the magic he was maintaining. Alea pressed on,
"The same as me?"
"I was wondering if there's an artifact that could enable a cleaning spell. The holiday is coming up, after all."
Helmut smoothly answered, admiring his own quick thinking. A good excuse had come to mind.
An artifact enabling a cleaning spell would be incredibly useful for travel. Most students leave Baden during the holidays. Helmut would do the same, and likely, so would Alea.
Alea suddenly realized something. After returning, his dorm room would change. As the dean had said, he would be using a single room. Alea's expression stiffened for a moment.
"Right."
He was surprised to find that he didn't want that. Had he grown so accustomed to this guy? The only friend he had made since entering the academy.
Even Alea couldn't deny the word "friend" applied here. However, he quickly shook off the thought.
"There's no need to think about it yet."
The finals were not even over. With the grade announcements and then the holidays, there were still about ten days left.
The immediate concern was the current exams.