Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 211 As soon as he passed through the main gate, the dark, gloomy sky brightened, revealing a clear blue expanse. Simon stopped his Golem Board. 'W-what is all this?' It was as if he had entered a different world. Simon stood on a high stage that stretched from the main gate to the center of the campus, and below him, countless people were cheering. Simon! Simon! Simon! They were even chanting Simon's name. He stood there, dumbfounded, when a booming voice suddenly echoed beside him. "This is Simon Pollentia, Special Admission Student No. 1! He has once again passed in first place! Please welcome him to the stage!" Whoaaaaaaah! At the center of the stage, a lavishly dressed host was shouting into a Magic Megaphone. Their eyes met, and the host gestured towards Simon. 'There weren't this many people outside the main gate. It must have been hidden by Illusion Magic. As expected, this is…...' Simon's gaze turned to a large mana screen floating in the air. The sight of other students fighting the Prima Materia monsters was being broadcast in real-time by Observers. 'It was all Kizen's test.' It seemed the test ended once one arrived at the Kizen campus. On another mana screen, there was a board displaying rankings. And in the top slot, marked with a golden '1', were Simon's face, name, nationality, and desired major. 'Did I really arrive first?' Click! Click! Dazzling flashes from Magic Cameras burst from all directions. Simon frowned and raised an arm to shield his eyes. Beside the cameras, men wearing masks and black ties were seen furiously writing something in notebooks at incredible speed. 'Even Scouters?' He was completely overwhelmed, but belatedly, a sense of alertness washed over him. Simon calmly adjusted his tie and straightened his clothes, then ascended the stage where the host stood. "Please give another big round of applause for Simon Pollentia!" "Whoaaaaaaah!" Amidst the fervent cheers, Simon reached the center of the stage. The host lowered the megaphone from their mouth and quietly spoke. "You must be very surprised, aren't you? Do you need any further explanation of the situation? Would a brief interview be alright?" The rapid-fire questions seemed urgent. Of course, he needed a situation explanation, but he'd probably get it backstage. "It's fine. I'll do whatever I can answer." Simon gave a business smile and took the megaphone. "You must be very surprised! Are you alright?" "I'm a bit dazed. Yes, I'm in good condition!" "First, please give a brief self-introduction!" This was his first public appearance as Kizen's Special Admission Student No. 1. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on him. No mistakes were allowed. Simon took a light breath and opened his mouth. "Hello. I am Simon Pollentia." *** Whoooooosh! Thousands of meters above Locke Island. Hector, armored with the wings and scales of a Corpse Dragon, refused the ordinariness of other students. He was utilizing a high-altitude route above the clouds. The moment Hector regained his senses, he realized this was all a Kizen test and soared into the sky. Of course, going into the sky was by no means easy. Kizen had released numerous bird-shaped Prima Materia monsters into the air. Lethal flashes of divine power rained down on Hector, concentrating solely on him. He briefly considered joining forces with other students and taking the ground route, but in the end, he pushed through with the aerial route. 'I can't defeat him with ordinary methods.' Driven by that single conviction, Hector dodged and fought countless flying monsters, finally spotting the Kizen campus from high above. 'Now all I have to do is descend from here!' He had delayed too long dodging attacks. He had lost a considerable number of scales. Hector glanced back at the pursuing monsters, then concentrated all his Jet Black into his Corpse Dragon wings. His legs lifted, and his head pointed downwards. In that posture, he began a super-high-speed descent towards the campus. Whoooooosh! It felt as if his scales would tear off in the fierce headwind. But Hector was willing to endure it. And he was certain. 'This time, I'm definitely first!' In an instant, the Kizen campus grew closer. Seeing the transparent flow of Jet Black spread like a membrane over the empty campus, Hector became even more convinced. This was indeed Kizen's test. 'I'll start Kizen's Unified Second Semester with my victory! I, the successor of the Moore Family…...!' His body pierced through the Jet Black membrane. 'I'm the best!' "Whoaaaaaaah!" The surrounding scenery abruptly changed, and countless people were seen cheering with their arms raised. A thrilling sensation coursed through his body from the extreme pleasure. Hector threw his arms wide and roared. It was a cry like that of a dragon. "While the interview was ongoing, student 'Hector Moore' has arrived!" As expected, I'm…... Huh? What did they say? "As expected of the prestigious Moore Family! Please give a round of applause to Hector Moore, who bravely took second place, outmaneuvering all the formidable special admission students and monsters!" I'm second? Not first? "Now, returning to the interview with Simon Pollentia, who came in first…..." Hector's expression turned cold. He saw Simon, who had already arrived on stage, holding the Magic Megaphone and answering the host's questions. "Kuaaaaaaaah!" Hector's face turned crimson with rage, and his roar shook the banquet hall. *** The interview went smoothly. Questions about how he spent his vacation, what dark magic he was practicing recently, the most difficult aspects of Kizen life, and his aspirations for the upcoming Unified Second Semester. He had worried they might ask about his past or background, but there were no difficult questions to answer. They were just questions at a level students could respond to. After finishing all the interviews and descending backstage, a woman was waiting with her hands politely clasped. Their eyes met, and she bowed her head first. "Student Simon." He didn't know her name, but she looked familiar. Jane's Teaching Assistant, who was in charge of Class A. He had met her occasionally when she oversaw training or when Jane called for Simon. Simon also bowed respectfully in greeting. "Have you been well, Teaching Assistant?" Seeing someone he knew here made him even happier. "I've been well. More importantly, you looked like you were going through hell on the screen earlier. Are you hurt anywhere?" At her words, Simon clutched his throbbing left arm. "This arm, a little." She approached and took Simon's arm. "How about here?" "It's fine…..." "And here?" "Aargh! It hurts!" Simon screamed, and she nodded with a smile. "Follow me. I'll guide you to the treatment area." "Thank you…..." Whoaaaaaaah! Another fierce cheer erupted. Both of them turned their heads simultaneously. It was hard to see from here, but someone seemed to have arrived third. The host was shouting the name Shatel Maer. "Let's go." Simon followed the teaching assistant. She explained that while agents were originally supposed to handle this, due to the scale of the event, teaching assistants were directly managing the students. "By the way, Teaching Assistant. What is all this?" As Simon poured out his pent-up curiosity, she chuckled softly. "I'm sorry. Were you surprised? You'll hear the details at the opening ceremony, but this is a kind of first-year-wide Performance Evaluation. It counts towards your grades, and probably at least 50 students will be taking off their Kizen uniforms today." Simon's heart sank at her words. '50 students?' "And this test is being conducted publicly. Like the public Duel Evaluation when the Princess of the Dresden Kingdom came to watch." Saying that, she glanced at Simon and continued. "Of course, I understand how you feel, Student Simon~ I experienced it when I was at Kizen, and it wasn't a very pleasant feeling. I was struggling, throwing up, and wetting myself during the test, and thinking that the audience was watching all of it was quite annoying." Simon was startled and waved his hands. "N-no, it's not that bad! Kizen has provided a stage for me to promote my name and reputation, so…...!" She subtly curled the corner of her lips, as if she could see right through his thoughts. "Even though I'm just a lowly teaching assistant, not an official, I'll apologize on behalf of the educators. In truth, this opening exam was already decided, and the decision to make it public was Kizen Headquarters'." "Huh? Why suddenly the Headquarters…..." "Actually, after the first-year terror incident, the voices of those questioning Kizen's dominance grew louder." It was never easy for a single organization to rule four kingdoms and great families like the Ivory Tower by sheer force. In that regard, Efnel was clever. Their system involved destroying all existing nations and kings to create a single empire called the Divine Federation, establishing religion as the core foundation above royal authority, and controlling residents under the system of inquisition while blocking information. Conversely, Neptis chose the relatively difficult path of 'harmony' and united forces under the name of an alliance. For the anti-Kizen factions that emerged in response, the recent Holy Maiden incident was a good opportunity. "Conducting the test publicly is a form of display. It's showing them~ Kizen is still the strongest, and the students involved in the incident are not intimidated to this extent." According to her, when Kizen initially revealed the test's intensity, the audience was aghast. Seventeen-year-olds who hadn't even finished their first semester were immediately thrown into death-trauma situations, forced to fight divine monsters and actual Priests, and even had their Kizen uniforms neutralized before being cast into the battlefield. It wouldn't have been strange if students' Cores were destroyed. But in the end, the vast majority of students overcame their fear, fought the Priests, and entered the Kizen campus with all their might. The audience was greatly impressed by this, and the atmosphere when Simon entered was formed based on that sentiment. Ultimately, it seemed to be flowing according to the big picture Kizen Headquarters had drawn. '…...They're certainly an organization with potential. It feels like they're playing with the political situation.' He could already predict the headlines of the newspaper articles that would be distributed throughout all kingdoms. Simon smiled inwardly and cleared his mind of杂念. "By the way, what happened to those Priests from earlier?" "That will also be explained a little later at the opening ceremony. Simply put, they are people who escaped from the Divine Federation and are cooperating with Kizen? You can think of it that way." They arrived at the emergency medical station. The teaching assistant bowed politely and left, and Simon received treatment. Fortunately, his left arm didn't even need a splint and was quickly taken care of. He was told not to strain his left arm for two days. He received his medicine and left the medical station, walking back towards the student waiting area. Mutter, mutter, mutter! At that moment, he heard the murmuring of the crowd. Simon's gaze also turned to the mana screen, and a welcoming smile appeared on his lips. 'It's Mei-rin!' She had arrived at the Kizen campus entrance, among the top 10. Now, the battle with the elderly Priest remained.
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