In the Simulation World, Brand could create whatever he imagined. At the same time, by consuming his Spiritual Power, he could bring items from the Simulation World into the real world. Combining these two factors, as long as he had enough Spiritual Power, he could possess absolutely anything he wanted in the real world as well. This was why Brand had spent all his free time during the entire semester building a comfortable residence in the Simulation World, rather than studying Mage knowledge.
As a supreme being capable of creating worlds, why would he care about the Mage Academy’s courses and final exams?
Ahem... Of course, he still had to take the final exams! Aside from his awe of the Extraordinary World and Extraordinary Power, as a handsome Noble Descendant, Brand did not lack self-awareness despite his various flaws and bad habits. With his current total amount of Spiritual Power, materializing even a single cup of coffee in the real world was extremely strenuous. If the item were solid, the volume he could manifest would be even smaller. Thus, his so-called "world creation" was merely a form of self-amusement when no one else was around. He needed to become a more powerful Mage to increase his Spiritual Power cap and expand his mana pool, which would allow him to fully utilize his Imaginary Manifestation ability. For this very reason, even though he rarely understood what the teachers were lecturing about, he hadn’t missed a single class all semester. After all, skipping class without a valid reason would result in a demerit, and repeated offenses would lead to expulsion.
Previously, Brand hadn’t actually been worried about the final exams. The Empire Mage Academy had a rule: anyone who managed to become a Junior Mage Apprentice would be exempt from the first semester’s final exams. Brand had always believed that with his nearly Invincible ability of Imaginary Manifestation, obtaining the exemption qualification for the Mage Academy’s first semester would be a breeze. Things had also progressed roughly as he had imagined. Since his physical body in the real world would automatically enter a state of Meditation whenever he entered the Simulation World, Brand had spent almost all his free time over the past few months inside the Simulation World, aside from attending classes and resting. In terms of diligence in this specific area, he could easily be considered the top of his year. After all, the other students still had to read, study, practice, and play.
Consequently, through his continuous Meditation, Brand’s Spiritual Power had already reached the standard required for a Junior Mage Apprentice! There were only two basic conditions to become a Junior Mage Apprentice: the first was Spiritual Power, and the second was Magic Power. Therefore, since his Spiritual Power was already sufficient, all he had to do next was create enough Demon Cores to rapidly absorb Magic Power! Just three days! No, just two days! The great Lord Brand would be able to combine his Spiritual Power with Magic Power to open up his Spiritual Space, officially becoming a Junior Mage Apprentice and earning his final exam exemption!
At least, that was what he had originally planned. However, when he tried to create the Demon Cores earlier, he suddenly discovered a hidden rule of the Simulation World. This was a world devoid of the extraordinary. Concepts like spiritual energy, Magic Power, and extraordinary materials simply did not work here! After trying again and again, Brand made a tragic realization: at least for now, he could only create materials whose general compositions he understood! And it was strictly limited to things he had seen on Earth!
As for things specific to Fains, whether it was the foundations of the Extraordinary World like Magic Power and Magic Plants, the Fains Continent’s basic trading currencies like Profound Silver and Magic Gold, or expensive rare resources like Demon Cores and Magic Crystals... no matter how hard he tried to comprehend their structures, the Simulation World simply could not produce them.
After learning about this limitation and realizing that the Simulation World wasn’t magical in the slightest, Brand quickly turned his attention to the highly sought-after diamonds and various gemstones from Earth. But after asking around, Brand discovered that these items had practically no market on the Fains Continent. When it came to pretty, delicate ornaments, the people of the Fains Continent were far more concerned with their Magic Affinity, magical conductivity, and magical storage capacity. The ideal finished product needed to be able to store one or two practical Magic spells... If an item had nothing to do with "Magic" and was merely nice to look at, it was considered quite cheap. Its value would only range anywhere from a few to a few dozen Deep Silver Coins.
In short, after some research, Brand concluded that his cheat ability wouldn’t offer much help at all in his quest to become a Junior Magic Apprentice! His "exemption plan," which relied on infinite resources to quickly advance to a Junior Mage Apprentice, had failed before it even began! The worst part was that Brand had only just discovered this fact! There was now only a single week left until the first semester’s final exams! The handsome Mr. Brand didn’t want to scurry back to his hometown in disgrace this early, only to be buried in the graveyard of an arranged marriage.
Feeling the crushing weight of the time crunch, a miserable Brand had no choice but to flip through this semester’s Magic textbooks, attempting to cram an entire semester’s worth of knowledge into his brain in just a few days. This was the context behind the opening scene of the story—Brand sitting by the pool, a distressed look on his face as he flipped through the Mage Academy’s basic textbooks for the first semester.
Aside from the dictionary-thick tome currently in his hands, there was a stack of dozens of similarly thick "exam reference books" piled up on the table beside him. Although mastering Meditation had given him a superhuman memory, after an hour of studying, Brand tragically realized that fully memorizing the contents of all these books would take months—an absolute impossibility! Let alone thoroughly comprehending the material; as an academic slacker, all Brand wanted right now was a passing grade.
A long time passed. Recognizing this grim reality, Brand finally set down the book in his hands.
"This isn’t going to work!"
Brand began to brainstorm if there were any other shortcuts to solve his current predicament. As the ancients from his past life used to say: when you reach a dead end, you must adapt; once you adapt, a path will open! Even though he had neglected his studies due to his obsession with world-building, the ever-optimistic Brand believed that if he just pushed himself a little harder, he could definitely come up with a solution!
The first semester’s final exam consisted of two parts: one mandatory subject exam and multiple elective subject exams. The mandatory subject tested introductory Mage knowledge. The questions for this exam were drawn directly from the dozen or so exam reference books piled in front of him. Entering the Simulation World via Meditation to review the books would likely take too much time. This was because entering a meditative state itself required time. Even in an absolutely quiet environment, it would take at least ten minutes. Furthermore, while the scope of the exam was relatively narrow, reading through such massive textbooks was no easy feat!
As for the elective subjects, their exam scope wasn’t limited to a narrow pile of a dozen books. They included several sub-profession disciplines like Alchemy and Potion Making, Rune Array Science, and Spell Research. The Mage Academy’s examinees could choose one or more elective subjects for their final exams. As long as they achieved a passing grade in the mandatory subject and at least one elective subject, they would pass the final exam.
It was worth noting that although the first-semester elective exams only tested the most basic concepts, they also involved practical assessments. This left Brand completely out of his depth. Practical applications couldn’t be achieved with theoretical knowledge alone! As things stood, the probability of him passing the exam was virtually zero.
"So is becoming a Junior Mage Apprentice really my only option left?"
Brand began to ponder ways to quickly become a Junior Mage Apprentice without relying on his cheat ability. "The only thing stopping me from becoming a Junior Mage Apprentice right now is a sufficient supply of Demon Cores, but I don’t have enough Magic Gold Coins to buy them."
After thinking for a while, he glanced at the cappuccino sitting on the table to his left. His eyes gradually lit up. He had figured out a solution!