Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 22 The top ten recruitment targets for tomorrow's group project class were set. The first priority target was 'Jamie Victoria'. She was a promising student in Curse Studies with excellent grades. Her active and energetic personality was also a plus. The second priority target was 'Claudia Menzies'. She was the talent Dick had called ideal, specializing in main Hemomancy and sub Toxicology. If they could recruit her, they'd be comfortable for the entire first semester. Beyond that, they had a list extending to the tenth priority. "Even if we can't get Jamie or Claudia, it's important to let go of regrets and quickly move on to the next ranked kids. Oh! And when we're recruiting, I'm going to actively emphasize that you, Special Case #1, are on our team. Is that okay?" "Yeah. No problem." Only after meticulously planning did the two lie down in their beds. Simon felt a sense of pride. Would there be any other group that prepared their strategy this diligently? He secretly looked forward to tomorrow's class. *** The next morning, A new week at Kizen began. Upon entering the 'Beginner Dark Magic' classroom for the first period, it was completely different from the quiet atmosphere of last week. Now, students had familiar faces and were chatting boisterously. Simon quietly sat down and took out his textbook when Dick placed a hand on his shoulder. "I just talked to Jamie! We've pretty much broken the ice." Simon looked impressed. "You're really good at this kind of thing." "Hehe, networking is essential for business. This was always my job." Just then, footsteps were heard from outside the classroom. Students, sensing the moment, quickly scrambled to their seats. It was finally the moment to determine who Class A's homeroom professor would be. "Please, Bahil!" Dick muttered. Simon also secretly wondered what it would be like if Aaron from Summoning Studies became Class A's homeroom professor. Besides them, Hongpeng from Martial Arts was also good, and Eric from Jet Black Mechanics seemed like he would teach Jet Black in a kind and gentle manner. And the moment the door opened. "Ah……!" Everyone's mouths fell open. "No, you're kidding, right?" Dick's pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck. The professor walked through the silence and stood before the podium. Her extremely restrained bob cut, cold and sharp impression, and charismatic purple eyes. She was the Acting Dean of Kizen and held the title of Vice Dean. "My name is Jane Olivia." She was Kizen's second-in-command. "Although I hold the title of Vice Dean, you can comfortably address me as Professor in class." She was Neptis's closest confidante and, in essence, the true power wielding full authority over Kizen in her stead. Among all the professors they had seen so far, she was close to the pinnacle. "……Why is that person teaching a first-year class?" Dick muttered, holding his breath. As he said, it was rare for her, the Acting Dean, to directly teach students, and even when she did, it was mostly for third-year classes. "Well. Don't you think unexpected situations can happen in life, Dick Hayward?" Dick flinched as if he had seen a horror movie, straightening his posture. 'H-how does she know my name?' Dick's nape was drenched in cold sweat. Jane turned her head and looked at the students. "I will be in charge of the first-year Class A's Beginner Dark Magic class for one semester. As student Dick Hayward just mentioned, I have only taught third-year classes until now……" Her eyes narrowed. "I hope you all strive not to feel the difference in levels too keenly." Sounds of gulping could be heard everywhere. In truth, being able to take a class from Kizen's Vice Dean was an immense stroke of luck, but due to rumors about her, students couldn't simply smile. Jane was the person who best fit the common Kizen slang term, 'Kizen-like'. She was famous for boldly expelling students if they showed even a slight lack of potential or if their attitude displeased her. Even the 'third-years', Kizen's cherished top forces, couldn't escape her blade of expulsion, so it was no wonder that Class A students were already gripped by fear. "Then, let's begin the class." Jane broke the silence. "As you all know, <Beginner Dark Magic> oversees eight subjects and supplements the fundamentals of Necromancy that those eight subjects cannot teach." She gave a signal, and teaching assistants brought thick stacks of paper, distributing them to the students. "Before that, you all need to know your own skill levels in the eight subjects, don't you?" Simon and Dick's shoulders trembled. A full-subject test from the very first class! This was completely unexpected. "The exam time is 22 minutes per subject. First, you will take four subjects, then have a 4-minute break, and then take the remaining four subjects consecutively. If cheating is discovered, I will remember your name and expel you after the student protection period ends." There was no time to even catch their breath. Jane, who had easily pushed the students into a state of pressure, crossed her arms and declared, "Then, let the exam begin." *** For Simon, it was his first school exam. At the same time, it was one of the most difficult and painful three hours of his entire life. Of course, it was more mentally agonizing than physically exhausting. [7. After casting the Paralyze Curse, the subject's body showed symptoms of muscle rigidity and hypertonia, then petrified after 20 minutes. Assuming the subject's internal mana loss rate is 0, what are the correct values for the subject's curse resistance and the additional Jet Black amount to be injected into the Paralyze magic circle?] '……I can't solve this at all.' Black was letters, white was paper. It was clearly written in the common language of the continent, but he couldn't understand what it was talking about at all. He felt frustrated. It was clearly a problem meant to be solved, but it was hard to be the only one sitting blankly while other students moved their quill pens. A kind of powerlessness he had never experienced before dominated his body. Just because things had been going well recently, just because he had obtained his father's undead legion, thinking he could easily adapt to Kizen was arrogance. 'Right, this is reality.' Since he hadn't done any pre-study, he had to work much harder than others, like a madman. Facing problems he couldn't even touch, Simon grew more stubborn and determined. Thus, three hours, which felt like an eternity, passed. "Ugh." "It's really hard." After all the exams were over, the expressions of the other students weren't good either. Dick handed his test paper to the student behind him and turned his head. "How was it? Simon." Simon gave a bitter smile. "……I really need to study hard." "I agree." Jane, who had collected all the test papers, looked at the students and said, "Everyone worked hard on the exam. Have a good lunch and I'll see you in two hours." "Thank you for your hard work!" No matter how miserable they felt, the mention of lunchtime made their bodies spring up as before. As the Class A students flowed out of the classroom like an ebb tide. "Let's begin." "Yes!" Jane and the teaching assistants' work began now. They divided and distributed the test papers and started grading at their respective seats. Among them, Jane was overwhelmingly fast. Her hands moved so quickly they were invisible to the naked eye, sweeping down the paper with her quill pen and immediately flipping to the next page. "……" But when did it start? A girl's face appeared next to Jane's desk. Her cheeks rested on the edge of the desk, and her large, blue eyes blinked. "……You must be busy, why are you here, Lady Neptis?" To Jane's cold question, the girl smiled innocently and said, "To play!" "……" Jane ignored her and resumed grading. Neptis, feeling mischievous, stuck to the desk and swung her legs, playing around. Jane, finally losing her patience, chopped Neptis on the crown of her head with the side of her hand. "Ow!" "Don't disturb me." "Waaah! Jane always hits only meee!" Clutching the top of her head, she burst into tears and ran to grab the clothes of a nearby teaching assistant. At the sudden appearance of Kizen's ruler, the teaching assistant's face also turned pale. "Hmph." Jane sighed. "Stop bothering my poor subordinate and come over here." "No! No! You'll hit me again if I go!" "Now." Jane said coldly, and Neptis pouted her lips and approached. "Everyone, move to the empty classroom next door and continue grading." "Yes!" As if waiting for that very command, the teaching assistants grabbed their test papers and scurried out of the classroom. Neptis puffed out her cheeks, her eyes narrowed. "Jane! You're too cold to me lately!" "I'm always the same." "Hmph. You've really changed! When I picked you up from the slums, you were a pure child, trembling and clutching my hand with scared eyes!" "That pure child became like this after suffering from 24/7 overwork and job stress." Jane cut her off sharply and handed half of the test papers to Neptis. She blinked. "Huh? What's this?" "What do you mean? Since you're here, don't disturb me and help with the grading." "……" Neptis, belatedly understanding the situation, giggled and backed away. She turned to run, but Jane appeared faster, grabbed her, and tucked her under her arm. "Ugh! No! Let me go! I don't want to work!" Jane hit the struggling Neptis on the crown of her head once more to quiet her, then sat her down properly and handed her a test paper and a quill pen. "Jane. Do you know this is child abuse and a violation of labor laws?" "Who is a damn child? Stop talking nonsense and hurry up." "……Yes." For a while, only the sound of quill pens moving could be heard. Jane, who finished five test papers in one go, subtly glanced at Neptis. Neptis, pouting and grading the test paper, was writing 'Idiot' over a wrong answer. "What are you doing? Don't play around." Another merciless attack on the crown of her head followed. Neptis clutched the hit area with both hands, whimpering. "But! This kid is a complete idiot! They got the ingredient question for Toxicology #2 right, but then got the comparison question right below it wrong!" "Hmm." Jane examined the problem and chuckled softly. "Number 2 was solved using a formula, and number 3 was solved using common sense without thinking. It's a common mistake students make." "Idiot, idiot! What's this kid's name?" Neptis flipped the test paper to the front page. "Huh?" The name was covered. "It's a blind evaluation. If we grade by name, prejudice might creep in." "……You're doing this much for just a test? How thorough." "Even if it's just a test, there are many interesting samples." Jane pulled out one of the graded test papers. "And this is the opposite case of what Lady Neptis graded." "What is it?" "From number 1 to 15, the basic problems meant to earn points were mostly wrong. But." She flipped the test paper over. "Number 20. They challenged the most difficult problem." The 20th problem on the very last page. The entire test paper was filled with dense formulas, enough to make one dizzy. "What is all this?" "Ancient runes from Jet Black Mechanics, instance skeleton formulas from Summoning Studies, Exhaust calculation methods from Curse Studies." "……No way?" Jane smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes. This student did not do any pre-study. They meticulously deduced the answer by combining only the lessons learned last week." Neptis read down the test paper. "What, it's a Jet Black amount calculation problem, but they used a summoning formula? They assumed resistance was proportional to Jet Black loss rate to solve it." "Yes." "So they got it right?" Jane shook her head. "Using the Teron formula, the answer is exactly '1,200,000'." "Then what was this student's answer?" "1,200,146." Jane's expression became terrifyingly serious. "It's not the intended correct answer for the problem, but they provided an answer closer to the correct answer." Neptis subtly looked at the test paper. She could see that the strict Jane had marked problem 20 as correct. "Lady Neptis. There's something I'd like to ask." "What is it?" "Why did you assign me to a first-year class? And not just any class." She tore off the white paper covering the name. [Simon Pollentia] "To Class A, where this boy is." Neptis rested her chin on her hand and smiled brightly. "Hehe, I don't quite understand what you're saying?" Jane sighed inwardly. '……That 300-year-old fox of a person.'
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