Chapter 120
Three days later, Solia stood at the back of the lecture hall, quietly sighing.
The promotion exam was fast approaching.
Solia’s group was progressing smoothly, without any major issues. With three ace students in one team, it was bound to be easy.
However, she couldn’t help but worry.
Solia sighed and muttered under her breath.
“Will he be okay…?”
She was thinking of Han Siha, who seemed to be barely surviving in the “group of doom.”
If Lee Han’s words were correct, Han Siha would need to perform well on this promotion exam. But from what Solia had seen, things didn’t seem to be going well at all.
“Of all the people to end up in his group….”
The only reliable person in that group was Yoon Haul. But even though Yoon Haul was a genius, there was no way the two of them could handle everything on their own. And Yoon Haul wasn’t exactly the most passionate person either.
So, of course, Solia was worried.
But why was she even worrying?
Solia frowned and scratched her head. She really had no reason to be concerned.
Yet, for the past three days, her thoughts had been constantly drawn to Han Siha’s group. Even though she was busy preparing for her own exam, she couldn’t help but wonder.
Why?
Why was this occupying her mind so much, when there was no real reason?
After a moment of reflection, Solia came to a conclusion.
The truth was, there wasn’t any deep reason.
“It would be nice if we could advance together….”
She just wanted to be promoted along with him.
That was all.
Solia straightened her clothes and was about to leave the empty lecture hall when she noticed something.
“Huh?”
She recognized a familiar face.
Han Siha, stumbling out of Professor Ernst’s lab like a zombie, caught her eye.
In the few days since she last saw him, his face had grown gaunt, and he looked back at her with weary eyes.
“Han Siha!”
Was he really okay?
Just one glance told her that he wasn’t in good shape at all, and Solia found herself grabbing his arm before she realized it.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh…?”
Given that she had seen him in the library late into the night, it seemed like he had been preparing for the promotion exam all this time.
At this point, it wasn’t just about putting in extra effort—he was pushing himself to the limit.
But with his promotion on the line, she couldn’t tell him not to overdo it.
So Solia asked to gauge his condition.
“How’s it going?”
Han Siha frowned at her question, as if unpleasant memories had resurfaced.
“Those damn idiots….”
He was clearly referring to Creek and Fabian. But the words that followed were not what Solia had expected.
“I just memorized everything myself.”
“What?”
What did he just say?
Solia frowned and looked up, trying to process his words.
For a moment, she couldn’t understand what he was saying, and she froze in place. Meanwhile, Han Siha staggered away.
Solia called out to his retreating figure.
“Han Siha! Han Siha! What did you say?”
But she missed the chance to ask again, and Han Siha was already gone.
Left with lingering doubts, Solia was puzzled.
“He memorized everything?”
That couldn’t be right.
There was no way anyone could memorize over a thousand questions in just three days.
Even if Yoon Haul had helped, it was impossible for just the two of them to cover that much material.
…She reached a conclusion.
“Maybe… he’s finally losing it….”
He must have wanted to believe he memorized everything, even if it wasn’t true.
Or maybe he was just starting to lose his mind….
Solia watched Han Siha’s staggering form with concern in her eyes.
“Is he going to be alright?”
* * *
The second-year departmental unity written exam.
As the important test drew closer, the exam hall was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
Professors Grint and Ernst sat side by side, both keenly aware of each other.
‘Of all the times to be seated next to each other.’
‘This is uncomfortable.’
Professor Grint held his head high and sat up straight.
Professor Ernst, on the other hand, awkwardly placed his notes far away on the desk.
It was unpleasant for either of them to be in the same room.
In any case, today they were here to assess the second-year students.
The entire vast auditorium had already been set up for the exam.
The Magic Department, the Necromancy Department, the Natural Sciences Department, and the Theology Department each had their own section.
The exam was divided into four zones. While the order of the exams started with the Magic Department, the students could decide within their groups who would take each part.
Mid-exam substitutions were allowed, and theoretically, one person could take on all the exams in the four zones.
There was no requirement for all four members to participate.
The key was to step forward in the areas where one felt confident.
The problem was the limited time, which wouldn’t allow for any proper thinking.
The pressure of only 15 seconds per question would surely weigh heavily on the students.
Unless they had memorized the answers perfectly, they would likely waste time writing the answers and end up missing the next question.
Even with the work divided among four people, the difficulty of the exam was still high.
The even distribution of study among team members was crucial.
Professor Ernst scanned the list of second-year students while looking down at those gathered below.
“It seems the groups were completely randomized.”
Some groups had a good mix of departments, while others didn’t.
“Luck is a skill too.”
Professor Supreme from the Theology Department added with a cheerful smile.
“All the talented ones will pass anyway.”
“Hmm….”
Professor Ernst stroked his chin and quickly scanned through the list.
None of that really mattered; he had a particular student in mind.
The student he had his eye on, the cherished mentee in his research lab, Han Siha.
With a satisfied smile, he looked over Han Siha’s group members.
Yoon Haul, the promising student from the Theology Department.
Han Siha, the promising student from the Magic Department.
And then.
“Creek… Fabian?”
Professor Ernst’s expression darkened slightly.
* * *
1. The following is the mana circuit of a kobold. Write down the names of the labeled parts in order. (2-. 3-. 7-. 8-. 11-, 13-)
15 seconds per question.
In a minute and a half, the screen would switch to the next question.
The students’ hands moved faster and faster.
In the short time allotted, even just identifying the locations on the complex mana circuits was a daunting task.
The first participants in each group, especially in the Magic Department section, began to panic.
“How are we supposed to do this?”
“I think I wrote over the lines!”
“Uh… oh no!”
“Is it over already?”
Ding—
As soon as the time was up, the screen switched to the next question.
2. The following is the mana circuit of a Hellhound. Identify the differences between it and the Kobold’s circuit by labeling the corresponding numbers.
The students’ faces began to pale.
Are they really giving us enough time to write anything?
The time ticked away quickly, even before they could draw a few lines.
The hourglass flipped over, signaling the next question.
Ding—
3. Describe the basic formation of Firestorm.
“This is insane.”
“No way, it’s already over?”
In the midst of the chaos, the only one moving calmly was Solia.
Solia steadily erased a mistaken formation she had written. Despite her composed exterior, she was also feeling the pressure—her mouth was dry.
‘What is this? Why is it so difficult?’
She hid it well, but her eyes were darting nervously.
She had heard that passing this promotion exam required only a 50% correct rate, but she hadn’t expected it to be this hard.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know the answers, but the suffocating pressure made her forget even what she did know.
‘They could at least give us enough time to write!’
Ding—
Ding—
Ding—
As a few more questions passed, some students began to look like they were halfway out of their minds.
“Ugh….”
“Please, just kill me….”
The never-ending barrage of questions was wearing down the first participants, who frantically called for help from their teammates.
“Take over! I can’t do this!”
But their teammates were just as clueless.
“I think I got the mana circuit answer wrong?”
Ding—
“No, damn it. What am I supposed to do? There’s no time to fix it… oh, wait, the next question is coming!”
The exam hall had turned into a madhouse.
Solia, biting her lower lip in frustration, steadily filled in her answers.
Judging by the reactions of the other students, she was doing more than enough.
Lee Han and Adela would handle their parts well, and the Necromancy student in their group was capable in his section.
‘If we can get even 70%, we’ll probably be in first place.’
After quickly assessing the situation, Solia took a deep breath during the brief pause before the next question.
Then, her gaze shifted to the right.
She recognized him.
“He seems to be doing fine?”
Han Siha was standing there, scratching his head with one hand while holding his test sheet with the other.
Before she could observe him more closely, the bell rang again.
“The Necromancy section of the exam will now begin!”
With the first test for the Magic Department over, it was time for the Necromancy section, so Solia quickly moved to the back.
As the Necromancy student in their group stepped forward, Lee Han asked Solia, who had just returned.
“Was it difficult?”
“Uh… much more than I expected.”
But she managed to fill out most of the answer sheet. Solia nodded in relief.
“I doubt half of the other students could even answer.”
“That bad?”
Lee Han’s eyes widened in surprise.
If even Solia, who rarely complained, was saying this, the difficulty level of the exam must have been exceptionally high.
“That’s what I think.”
As Solia answered, she glanced back at the auditorium.
Even though her part was over, the exam was still ongoing.
The written exam for the Necromancy section had just begun.
But for some reason.
“Huh?”
Han Siha was still standing in the center.
“Is he doing the Necromancy section too?”
Solia couldn’t believe her eyes and dropped the pencil she was holding.
Murmurs spread through the hall.
“Wait, what was the last question?”
“I… I missed it.”
“This is crazy.”
“It passed by again!”
In the chaotic center of the hall, Han Siha stood unmoving, calmly scribbling on his sheet.
He remained there even as the Necromancy section ended and the Natural Sciences section began.
While everyone else was frantically looking for someone to take over, Han Siha stood there, working through the problems on his own.
Occasionally, Creek and Fabian would hover around Han Siha, unsure of what to do.
Han Siha had enough composure to deal with them as well.
Instead of gently patting their heads…
He was smacking the back of their heads.
“You were supposed to memorize this, idiot!”
“Ah! Sorry!”
He even had time to talk.
“Oh, forget it. Hand it over. I’ve memorized this stuff already.”
Han Siha clicked his tongue and quickly flipped through the pages of the test.
It wasn’t until halfway through the Natural Sciences section that he finally handed off the next part to Yoon Haul and stepped back.
Solia watched in stunned silence, unable to believe what she was seeing.
And Lee Han was just as surprised.
“Did he solve everything…?”
With such weak teammates, he must have been desperate.
He wouldn’t have taken on all the sections unless he was left with no choice.
That was what Lee Han thought.
But Solia felt differently.
“I think… he solved everything?”
They wouldn’t know for sure until the results came out.
But somehow, Solia had a gut feeling.
While she had been anxiously rushing through her part, Han Siha had been calmly, and genuinely, focused on his tasks.
Not a false sense of calm, but a true, unshaken confidence.
And as always.
Han Siha had a knack for creating miracles that defied common sense.
“He must have solved everything.”
Solia muttered quietly, her voice filled with certainty.
At that moment, the assistant professor, Selene, stepped forward to collect the test papers.
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