"Greetings, all examinees!"
A loud voice boomed in the amphitheater that the one hundred and five exam participants had been led to earlier that morning.
It was barely noon, and the first test was about to begin.
Nearly all the examinees looked tense, with expressions that ranged from slight nervousness to nearly passing out.
Derek sat amidst this sea of students, sporting a relaxed expression.
It wasn’t because he was unbothered, but simply due to his many years of practice when it came to hiding his own emotions.
Unless he was caught by surprise, he was capable of keeping his true feelings to himself. This, alongside his effeminate face and pale complexion, gave him the appearance of a lifeless doll.
He seriously looked at the man on stage and carefully listened to him while ignoring his own thoughts.
"Today is the first day of your exams, and you’ll be undergoing a written test." The man folded his arms as he explained what was expected of each participant in detail.
"This test is meant to examine your knowledge as Magus Apprentices. It will consist of five sections, and you must answer at least one question in each section. You can answer more, but that’s the minimum."
An examinee raised their hand at that moment, but the proctor on stage didn’t call on them.
Instead, he continued.
"Answering more questions gives you the chance to gain a higher score, but it also holds the risk of point reduction if you are wrong."
Almost as soon as he said this, the raised hand slowly fell.
"Your question and answer sheets will be passed to you. Please remain seated and wait for your time to start before you begin attempting the questions."
The proctor left the stage, and a host of support staff entered the vast hall carrying piles of sheets.
Among them were question sheets and the corresponding answer sheets.
These were passed among the examinees in an orderly fashion. In no time, everyone had received their papers.
Derek was no exception.
However, these sheets were placed face-down, preventing the early receivers from having a head start.
Left with nothing to do, Derek scanned the hall while waiting for the time to start counting.
It didn’t take him very long before he saw a familiar face.
It was the ebony boy he interacted with at the gate—the one who almost fought his escorts back then.
Surprisingly, the boy glanced at Derek almost immediately.
Their eyes met for a brief moment before Derek looked away and decided to look for Ivy Logue among the sea of students.
Before he could find her, however—
"Your time starts now!"
—The written test officially began.
Derek hurriedly shoved aside all distracting thoughts and flipped the script so he could read the questions. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
It was only at that moment that he truly understood the nature of this test.
The different segments covered all kinds of quizzes on Spells, Runes, History, and Theories. The last section featured only one question.
It was for the examinee to write a brief essay on their personal interpretation of Magecraft.
[Do not worry, Host. When it comes to any knowledge you have consumed, I can help you recall anything with perfect accuracy.]
’Thanks, Max!’ Derek smiled in relief.
This would greatly help him answer questions in the History and Theories sections without any worries.
A more complicated experience involved the Spell and Rune Sections.
However, Derek had no need to worry.
’These questions are about the Common Tier Spells and what they do. I know a great deal about them from firsthand experience. As for the Runes, since I have Max, I can easily translate them and write out their meaning.’
Derek began answering the questions with ease, barely having to think too hard before he was almost finished with everything.
He didn’t look around him, but if he had, he would have noticed that most students hadn’t even finished a single Section.
’The final hurdle is the essay...’
Derek’s relaxed expression became serious at this moment.
Unlike the others, which had objectively correct and wrong answers, this was an extremely subjective problem.
He had to express his true feelings by offering his personal interpretation.
’In that case... I’ll be honest.’
Derek’s stroke moved unobstructed, his eyes shining while he let out a momentary smile as he wrote.
"The definition of Magecraft is the study and practice of the world’s elements, using the fundamental pillars of power. But I see it differently. Magecraft, specifically the use of Magia in the form of Spells and Runes, is simply humanity’s attempt to have some modicum of control in this rather bizarre and terrifying world.
Our ancestors desired answers to the world’s mysteries and also sought to protect themselves from the lurking dangers. Thus, they discovered this system, and future generations have built upon it.
Magecraft was born out of survival, as well as humanity’s need for purpose.
I can relate to that on a deep level.
I have found that Magecraft is the only thing that gives my life purpose. It is also a reminder that I am not alone in this endeavor.
The world is a scary place, and living can be so hard sometimes.
However, using Magecraft, we can warp the rules of the world and alter them to our benefit. We can give ourselves a purpose and defend our ideals. We can regain control over our own existence and live in accordance with our will as we march towards our dreams.
With Magecraft... we have hope."
Derek dropped his pen at this moment and exhaled deeply.
He was done.
’I never expected the first test to be so easy.’ With this thought in his mind, he looked around and noticed something rather peculiar.
Most of the other examinees seemed rather troubled by their questions. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
They bit their lips and clenched their teeth as they struggled to answer each question while constantly worrying about the time.
Derek was so lost in his observation that he didn’t notice the proctor approaching him.
"Hey, do you really have time to be watching others?" The man frowned while folding his arms. "You should focus on answering your questions. If you are trying to cheat, I will have to tell you that it’s impossible."
"Um... no, it’s not that..."
The proctor raised an eyebrow and waited for Derek to explain himself.
"I... have already finished."
For some reason, the moment he said that, the entire class seemed to freeze. So many eyes gathered on him as the examinees who heard that absurd statement turned to see who had made it.
"You’ve finished?" The proctor repeated with a look of disbelief. "Are you sure?"
More examinees heard this and looked at Derek. The support staff did the same. At this point, most eyes in the amphitheater were on him.
"Yes, sir." Derek noticed the stares but maintained a stoic expression.
"Let me see..."
Derek handed over his answer sheet, and the proctor gently took it. He looked at each section answered and calmly assessed the things Derek wrote.
At first, he had a look of pity.
They were rare, but certain young examinees recklessly assumed they understood the questions and rushed to answer them instead of taking their time.
He had assumed Derek was one of them, so he wished to correct him.
However, not long after he started reading the script, his impression of the boy began to change.
From pity, it turned into skepticism.
Then, he became impressed.
After... it grew into shock.
—Great shock!
’He answered everything perfectly! There are no mistakes at all!’ The proctor shuddered before feasting his gaze on the essay segment.
’And these words... they’re not what an ordinary person would write.’
Everything about Derek’s script, from start to finish, oozed excellence. If he was given this script to assess, he would grade it nothing less than a perfect score.
’Impressive!’
The proctor smiled despite being under Derek’s gaze and the combined attention of the exam hall.
He could no longer deny it.
’This kid is a genius!’