Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 111 The next morning. After the mission evaluation, Simon's new routine began. “Has everyone been well?” “Yes! Professor!” It was Jane’s Beginner Dark Magic class after a long time. Simon sat at the same table as Dick, Mei-rin, and Kamibarez, listening to Jane. Occasionally, he would exchange greetings with Cindy Vivace or Jamie Victoria from the next table, with whom he was friendly. He also exchanged glances with Toto, with whom he had become closer through the ‘Mutant’ club activities. “There are announcements this week as well.” Jane said. As always, Kizen’s major events followed her words. Everyone waited with tense expressions for what she would say next. “First, your midterm exam results are out.” Ah— Sighs echoed from various places. Dick buried his head in the table, while Mei-rin couldn’t hide her anticipation, tapping rhythmically on the table with her fingers. Kamibarez flapped her bat wings behind her back with her characteristic nervous expression. “Your midterm exam scores and ranks will all be released. Of course, the ranks are based purely on written scores, without practical evaluations reflected.” Teaching assistants moved busily, calling out students’ names. The report cards were unusually enclosed in envelopes. “Simon Pollentia?” “Yes!” Simon politely received the envelope from the teaching assistant. He had only vaguely thought he had worked hard, without doing any self-scoring. Now that the results were in his hand, a frantic tension surged through him. Simon swallowed hard, opened the envelope, and pulled out the stiff paper. [Simon Pollentia] Curse Studies: 63.00 Jet Black Mechanics: 65.00 Summoning Studies: 87.00 Necromancy: 44.00 Hemomancy: 61.00 Toxicology: 60.00 Martial Arts: 73.00 Divine Defense: 70.00 Total: 65.375 [Rank: 458th] ‘Wow!’ The results were much better than Simon had initially expected. His first test with Jane had an average of 37 points. And this time, an average of 65 points. He had improved by nearly 30 points! To have stably landed in the middle ranks based solely on written scores at Kizen, a place teeming with geniuses, was significant in itself. Simon felt ecstatic, as if his efforts had paid off and he had proven that he could succeed even without prior learning. And as soon as Simon looked up, his eyes met Mei-rin’s resolute expression. She forced a smile and asked. “What did you get in Summoning Studies?” “You first.” “Ah, what is it! I asked first!” Mei-rin whined, urging him to tell her quickly. Dick, sitting next to them, peeked at Simon’s report card and let out an ‘Oh~’ sound, grinning. “Simon really studied hard! You’re going to be tough, Mei-rin.” “So, what’s the score?!” Simon gave a wry smile and replied. “87 points.” Mei-rin’s expression became complex and subtle. A mix of a smile, frustration, and relief? This time, Simon became anxious and asked. “I told you, so tell me quickly.” “Haa.” She laid her report card on the table as if revealing a poker card in her hand. “I lost. 85 points.” “Waaah!” Kamibarez let out a fervent cheer and tightly clasped Simon’s hand. “Congratulations! Simon!! We get to stay at Kizen together!” “Th-thanks, Kami.” Seeing Kamibarez so moved, Mei-rin smiled silently. She had never intended to make Simon leave Kizen with such a bet anyway. And Mei-rin scored in the 90s for all subjects except her weak point, Summoning Studies. She once again achieved an average of 90 points. However, her overall rank was a bit unexpected. Total: 92.00 [Rank: 2nd] Even with an unbelievable score of 92, Mei-rin was not ranked 1st in the entire school. “Kizen is truly vast.” She sighed deeply. Simon comforted her, saying. “Still, you’re 2nd in all of Kizen, right? That’s really amazing.” “Nah— not really. Midterm scores are nothing.” She waved her hand. “At Kizen, practical evaluations are more important than written ones. Things like duel evaluations, performance evaluations, and mission scores. Their weighting is so high that once all the monsters’ scores are added, I’ll probably be pushed out of the top 10.” “B-but we all made it into the ‘Mansion’, didn’t we? We can expect good scores from Island Survival too!” Simon also had significant room for improvement in his rank. He was always stronger in real combat. His Cyclops hunt score was the highest in Class A, ‘100 points’. His written performance evaluation before the midterm was also well-managed thanks to Mei-rin’s efforts. His Island Survival score is expected to be high since he made it into the mansion. His missions, ‘Arnish’ and ‘Blue Harbor’, were both perfectly cleared. He was also undefeated in the duel evaluations so far, belonging to the upper squad. Simon’s heart swelled with anticipation, wondering how much his rank would rise by the end of the semester if all these practical scores were reflected. “Attention.” Students, who had been excitedly chattering and comparing scores, fell silent at Jane’s single word. “Now you all know where you stand. Students in the upper ranks did well, but don’t rest on your laurels; aim higher. Students in the lower ranks still have room for a rebound, so I hope you all strive harder.” She met the students’ gazes and continued. “Because we’re only halfway through the first semester.” “Yes! Professor!” “This week overlaps with the mission period, so there are no major issues. I hope you use this time to prepare for the duel evaluation as usual, supplementing your weaknesses and maximizing your capabilities.” Her lips curled slightly upwards. “Because that’s how you’ll endure the next performance evaluation.” The students’ eyes tensed at her meaningful words. Jane turned around. “Teaching assistant. Are the next duel evaluation matchups out?” “Yes! They were just released, Professor.” Jane received a document. The students murmured, craning their necks. The duel evaluation, a 1v1 fight against another Kizen student, was always the students’ greatest interest and topic of conversation. “It’s been a while since the last duel evaluation, after the midterms, Survival Island, and mission evaluations.” Jane shook the document and continued. “From now, halfway through the first semester, is when it truly begins. It’s different from the beginning when you were lost, not knowing what dark magic to use in person-to-person combat. Everyone will have established their own style, and your opponents will have grown just as much, if not more, than you.” Simon nodded at Jane’s words. The time of being bewildered was over. No matter who he faced, everyone would have at least one trump card, and the skill gap would have narrowed significantly. Especially since Simon was in the upper squad, he would inevitably fight against the best. Who would he fight this time? The teaching assistants distributed handouts listing the duel evaluation opponents. Simon took a handout, took a light breath, and checked his opponent’s name. It was someone he had already met once. Dick turned his head to look at Simon’s list. “Simon! Who are you… Ah.” Dick clicked his tongue. Mei-rin also had a complex expression. “This won’t be easy this time.” [Arena 2 - Round 1, Match 6] Class A Simon Pollentia vs. Class M Malcolm Randolph. It was that aggressive Special Admission Student No. 10, with whom he had a slight conflict at the ‘Mansion’ during Island Survival. Simon was about to fight a named student for the first time. * * * That night. Inside a dusty abandoned building. *Creak. Creeeeak.* The silver staff dragged across the hard building floor, sparking. “This school never lets you get bored.” The man with yellow-dyed hair walked, dragging his staff. Though it was an abandoned building, curtains were drawn over the windows, and Class M students stood rigidly, their faces tense. All of them were Malcolm’s faction members. Malcolm lifted his staff onto his shoulder, let out a grunt, and sat on a bumpy mound. Then, painful groans emanated from beneath him. In fact, it wasn’t a mound, but Kizen students, covered in blood, piled up and collapsed on the floor. Some coughed, spitting blood. “You managed to make something like this. It’s not even taught in Toxicology.” Malcolm held a potion bottle with his fingertips and swirled it around. “Memory Destruction Potion. A potion that, when drunk, damages the most painful recent memory.” He placed the potion on the floor and said. “You were going to make me drink this, weren’t you? Say something.” And in front of Malcolm, a student hung limply, his arms chained to an old blackboard. Malcolm grinned. “Haren Koke.” “……” Haren was covered in blood from head to toe. Blood dripped from his mouth, pooling on the floor below, and teeth lay scattered around. Several of his fingers were even strangely bent. Malcolm extended his staff and poked his face. “Did you plot this because you were afraid of my retaliation? Ha, really.” This was how it started. During the last Island Survival, Haren Koke had failed to properly carry out Serene’s instructions and failed to regain Bahil’s trust. Now, with no one protecting him, it was time for him to pay the price for toying with Malcolm using Serene’s feathers. So, he planned to strike Malcolm first before Malcolm could get to him. At the time, Malcolm was carrying out a ruthless purge of his own faction. He was treating the Class M students who abandoned him when he was toyed with by Serene’s feathers as traitors and oppressing them. So Haren recruited those traitors, whose interests aligned with his, and bought the Memory Destruction Potion from Rochester’s black market. The plan was to lure Malcolm, who was dining with the traitors, and then secretly slip the potion into Malcolm’s food and drink. —Malcolm! They tried to give you something strange! But a traitor emerged from his own side. Everything went to naught, and Malcolm, enraged, mercilessly and thoroughly punished Haren and his gang. And now, this situation. “You guys are so transparent.” Malcolm chuckled, shaking the potion bottle. “You wanted to make me drink this and erase the memory of me bowing my head like a dog to Haren, right? No, no. I have no intention of ever forgetting this humiliation.” *Cough! Cough!* Haren, coughing up blood while tied to the blackboard, looked at Malcolm with a terrified expression. “P-please spare…” “Bullshit.” *Whack!* Malcolm struck Haren’s face again with the staff in his hand. “If you wanted to live.” *Crack!* “You shouldn’t have.” *Crunch!* “Provoked me in the first place.” *Thud!* Blood splattered continuously. Malcolm’s faction members all bowed their heads, but one of them bravely spoke up cautiously. “M-Malcolm. Isn’t this too much?” “Right! It’s going to be a lot of trouble to clean this up…” Malcolm glared at them with sharp, cold eyes. “Then you do it instead.” At his words, the faction members immediately fell silent. Malcolm’s family was a famous gangster group. One of the three major gangs operating throughout the Dark Alliance. Malcolm had inherited his father’s cruel personality entirely, and he understood very well how to make people feel fear, the emotion of fear itself. “Tie them up.” Malcolm gestured. His faction members rushed over, sat the collapsed traitors on chairs, and tied their hands behind their backs with ropes. Their mouths were also gagged with cloth. “Lift their shirts.” The traitors’ clothes were rolled up, revealing their abdomens. Malcolm walked steadily and picked up a heated iron. The gagged traitors screamed and wailed. “I wanted to live like a student now that I’m at school, so why aren’t you helping me?” “Mmph! Mmmph!” The traitors shook their heads frantically. “Go ahead and cry to the professors later. Got it?” Malcolm approached with a grin. “That way, I can give up on my lingering attachments and comfortably work on your families as a civilian. Don’t you think?” “Mmph! Mmmmmmph!” Malcolm’s mouth twisted like a demon. “Help me.” A horrific scream erupted. “Help me just be a student.” The work of instilling fear began. Malcolm turned around, smiling chillingly. “You’re last, Haren Koke.” Haren’s face was filled with terror, tears and snot streaming down.
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