Chapter 47. Preparing for Midterms
As soon as the awards ceremony ended, a system message popped up for the first time in a while.
【Sub Event – Dungeon Raid Competition has ended.】
【You have succeeded in an impossible mission! You gain bonus EXP as a reward.】
【You have reached Level 20.】
Wow. Crazy.
Because I defeated Elpior, which had been considered impossible to kill in the game, my experience skyrocketed.
I invested all 20 bonus stat points into magic power, finally reaching a satisfying number.
【Name: Van Astrea】
【Level: 20】
【Strength: 15 | Magic Power: 60 | Divine Power: 10】
【Skills: Fire Magic (Intermediate), Water Magic (Basic), Wind Magic (Basic), Earth Magic (Intermediate), Dual Casting, Swordsmanship (Intermediate), Holy Arts – Healing (Basic), ■■■】
Finally—Magic Power 60!
To have that level of magic power even before midterms meant I wouldn’t be outshined by any supporting characters in terms of firepower.
Honestly, I wanted to show off my ability right away, but I couldn’t reveal my full strength yet. If I had to fight against another character, I’d only go far enough to cancel them out.
As for skill proficiency, nothing increased this time, since Lestar and Hazen handled most of the fighting during the event.
Still, relationship points had gone up quite a bit.
【Several affinity levels have increased.】
【Affinity】
……
【Ridipin Lightjustice – 41%】
【Reina Serenia – 36%】
【Drenar Azerum – 27%】
【Ceres Laplace – 18%】
……
Ridipin had already surpassed 40% affinity.
It was slower compared to surpassing 20% by the second week, but still faster than average. Her second character event should be coming soon.
Drenar had also passed 20%, but judging from how Reina’s event still hadn’t triggered, his probably wouldn’t appear either.
Regardless, this raid ended with me spending nothing but a potion, so I was in a very good mood.
And once the awards ceremony was over, the way the other students looked at us changed.
For example, on our way to the classroom as a group of three—
Before, people would silently step aside whenever I walked by, but now they didn’t go out of their way to avoid me.
Some even tried talking to me—though they’d run off as soon as they saw my face. Well, honestly, I haven’t really changed. If anything, the difference is that people no longer click their tongues at me.
Reina and Ridipin, however, experienced a much more dramatic change in perception.
Reina, for one, began receiving admiration.
“Wow… that’s Lady Reina Serenia!”
“She’s the top of the year, won the freshman initiation, and just took first place in the dungeon raid!”
“I always thought she was incredible!”
The same people who had ignored her before now acted as if they had worshipped her all along. It was infuriating. Especially that last guy—I wanted to punch him in the face.
Reina, though uncomfortable with the attention, didn’t avoid it. She seemed to be influenced by what Seren had told her during the welcome party.
Ridipin also attracted quite a bit of attention, though not as much as Reina.
“Look, that’s Lady Ridipin Lightjustice!”
“She’s an archer skilled enough to rival Ceres Laplace’s space magic!”
“So the reason she never used swordsmanship was just because she’s an archer by nature!”
Unlike Reina, the perception of Ridipin centered around restoring her honor.
As a direct heir of the Lightjustice family, simply regaining her proper standing was considered impressive.
But Ridipin seemed overwhelmed by the stares and stuck close to Reina and me.
Like a drenched rabbit—it almost made me laugh.
But we couldn’t let that continue.
Reina and I pulled her hands off and pushed her forward.
“V-Van? R-Reina?”
Even though she wasn’t moving away from us, she looked terrified.
“You can’t hide forever. Stand proudly at the front.”
“B-but…”
When she glanced at Reina, Reina smiled warmly yet firmly.
“You’re only scared because it’s unfamiliar. The more you do it, the easier it’ll get.”
In the end, Ridipin took the lead, and we walked behind her.
I spread a faint killing intent from behind her, just in case anyone tried to mess with her.
With the reputation of being a delinquent on top of that, most students didn’t even dare meet my eyes.
Whenever Ridipin looked back, though, I quickly withdrew it.
“U-um, Van… I-I keep feeling some sort of killing intent behind me?”
“Hmm? Really? I don’t feel anything.”
Like a game of “Red Light, Green Light,” she’d glance back and I’d erase my aura, then release it again when she faced forward. Reina chuckled quietly beside me.
“You’re like an awkward dad who dotes on his daughter.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. It’s just funny.”
Soon, we arrived at the classroom, and right on the hour, Professor Hazen stepped up to the podium.
“Good to see you all. Before we begin today’s lecture, I have an announcement regarding the midterms.”
Finally—the second main story had arrived.
The second main event of [Spell Breaker] was the joint tactics midterm.
In the game, during the exam, Tairon interfered with protagonist Drenar. At the same time, Reina fell into Elpior’s trap, triggering the second raid.
But now, Elpior was already dead, so things might play out differently. Still, I had to be ready—what if Elpior’s absence meant the third raid came early?
“The joint tactics midterm will be an actual battle against magical beasts. The exam will take place in the eastern forest, and your score will depend on how many beasts you defeat. Additionally, any team that defeats the field boss hidden somewhere in the forest will automatically receive full marks.
The exam will be held simultaneously for three classes, including your joint tactics Class C. I’ll explain again before the test, but remember: this is practical combat. Only minimal safety measures will be provided, so take care of yourselves.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then, let’s begin the lecture.”
After class, I headed straight to the library to prepare for the exam.
Since midterms were next week, Ceres had decided to skip the study group for now, meaning I had to study alone.
Of course, I only planned to avoid failing. Getting too high a score would raise suspicion.
The Iris Academy library was enormous, the third largest after the Mage Tower and Imperial Library, about a third the size of the main building itself.
It had been pure luck that I’d run into Ceres, Drenar, and Sonia here before.
I asked the librarian where the books I needed were, then headed inside.
I was currently taking six courses: Joint Tactics, Basics of Elemental Studies, Fundamentals of Magic Formula Structures, Introductory Mana Sensitivity Theory, Basic Swordsmanship, and Theology I.
Of these, two had practical exams, while four had written ones. Since practicals would be easier to pass, I focused on preparing for the written exams.
Of the four, Fundamentals of Magic Formula Structures only covered first- and second-circle spells, which I already knew, so I didn’t need to review. That left me with three books to borrow: The Basic Theory of Elements, Analysis of Ancient Traditional Swordsmanship, and The Structure of Creation.
First, I went looking for The Structure of Creation, which was useful for Theology I. Theology covered such a wide range that finding books was difficult.
This world’s theology included everything from creation myths to imperial history. Surprisingly, even science and mathematics were considered branches of theology.
Theologians claimed: “This world is a perfect space created by the Lord God, Lumen. Everything interacts flawlessly, and thus can be expressed in formulas.” It sounded absurd, but it strangely overlapped with real-world science and mathematics.
In truth, the developers of [Spell Breaker] had likely thrown in this lore to justify the world’s “sacred formulas.”
Before, I’d only thought, That’s silly. But now, stuck in the game, it was actually troublesome. I had to study math and science in a world with magic and aura…
To make things worse, the names of great figures and theories were different, making memorization a nightmare. Seeing “Isaac Newton’s Law of Gravity” renamed as “Izactern Nua’s Divine Law of Attraction” nearly gave me a headache.
Anyway, I wandered the theology section until I found The Structure of Creation. There was only one copy left.
Relieved, I reached out for it—only for someone else to grab it at the same time.
“Hey, I got it first.”
“No, I grabbed it first.”
That voice…
When I turned, the owner of the voice was frowning back at me.
“…Van Astrea, was it.”
It was none other than the arrogant protagonist—Drenar.
“What are you doing here?”
“I should be asking you. Weren’t you supposed to be far from studying?”
“I am—but I still don’t want to fail.”
“Well, I’m aiming for the top spot, so you’ll have to step aside.”
“Sorry, but Reina’s going to be first place again this semester, so you might as well back off.”
Neither of us let go of the book, glaring at each other.
Then, I had a brilliant idea.
“Oh! Look, it’s Sonia!”
“What?!”
The moment Drenar turned his head toward where I pointed, I smacked his hand away and snatched the book.
He glared at me.
“Van Astrea…!”
“Ah, my mistake. Must’ve been someone else.”
But suddenly, his figure vanished—only to reappear behind me, snatching the book from my hand.
“Pathetic. Did you think you could win against me with such tricks?”
Tch. This bastard…
“You started it, remember?”
“So what if I did?”
I lunged for the book, and he took a fighting stance.
Ever since my swordsmanship skill hit intermediate, I’d been able to use 【Ignite】 even without a blade, as long as I focused.
Reading the flow of his movement, I slipped inside his guard and struck his arm down with my elbow.
“Guh!”
The book flew out of his hand. I reached for it—but he tripped me and shoved me away.
“Urgh!”
As I stumbled, he stretched for the book midair.
Not happening!
Sacrificing my balance, I kicked upward, striking both his hand and the book.
Thwack!
“Damn it!”
The book arced higher. I scrambled up, but he rammed me with a body tackle.
“Urk!”
This lunatic!
While I staggered, the book began to fall. I swept my leg in a kick, but he dodged with a jump, grinning as if certain he’d won.
But I had anticipated that.
Stopping my kick, I leaped and tackled him in midair.
“Ghhk!”
A clean body check sent him flying.
Crash!
And I caught the book again.
“You’ve got a long way to go before you can beat me.”
“Heh. Then I’ll just stop holding back.”
He proudly drew the sword at his waist, golden energy radiating from the blade.
Seriously? He was even using 【Demonic Slayer Sword】?!
I quickly tucked the book away and drew my own sword and wand.
“It’s already in my subspace pouch. You should just give up.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll beat you down and take it.”
Drenar suddenly accelerated toward me. I flared my magic, casting 【Ignite】 as we clashed.
But just as our weapons were about to collide—
Thwack!
“Argh!”
“Guh!”
A massive book slammed down on both our heads.
Groaning in pain, I turned to the side—and saw the librarian.
Wearing a smile, but with dead eyes…
