The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy

It was finally exam day.

The atmosphere in the academy was different—quieter, heavier. Everyone was either rushing to their assigned rooms or standing around, muttering last-minute revisions under their breath.

I had a total of four exams, based on the classes I had chosen:

Magic Theory.

Spellcraft Fundamentals.

Complex Circuits & Mathematics.

Combat Magic Tactics.

According to the schedule I received, my first exam was Complex Circuits & Mathematics, held in Class Z-21.

Great.

The only problem?

This academy was too damn big.

Seriously.

Whoever designed it must've had a personal grudge against students trying to be on time.

I navigated through endless hallways, up two flights of stairs, down another corridor, and past at least three different classrooms that all looked the same.

By the time I finally reached Z-21, I was already regretting my life choices.

I stepped inside and immediately spotted a few familiar faces.

Ella.

Rose.

…And Telmo, though he was probably just here because of Ella.

Ella glanced up when she saw me and gave a small nod before returning to her notes.

Rose, on the other hand, was tapping her fingers against her desk, looking somewhat nervous.

The moment her eyes met mine, she quickly looked away, pretending to be focused on her book.

Telmo?

He just glared at me.

I ignored him.

Instead, I walked over to an empty seat, stretching my arms as I sat down.

After a few minutes, the instructor walked in, carrying a stack of exam papers.

"Alright, settle down," he said calmly.

"You have exactly two hours to complete the exam. No talking, no magic assistance, and no leaving early unless you finish. Once you receive your paper, begin."

The room fell into complete silence.

One by one, the papers were handed out. When mine landed on my desk, I gave it a quick scan.

Complex Circuits & Mathematics Exam

Question 1:

A multi-layered mana circuit is designed to amplify spellcasting efficiency by 35%. The base circuit consists of three interwoven mana nodes, each transferring energy at a rate of 𝑅₁ = 8𝑒³ Joules/sec, 𝑅₂ = 6𝑒³ Joules/sec, and 𝑅₃ = 5𝑒³ Joules/sec. However, due to interference loss of 12% per node, the final efficiency drops. Calculate the optimized configuration for minimal loss and determine the adjusted amplification percentage.

…Yeah.

This was the kind of stuff that made half the students in the academy cry at night.

I picked up my pen and started writing.

First, I calculated the total raw mana output, then I accounted for the loss per node.

Each node loses 12%, so the total loss per node is exactly:

2.28e3

With three nodes, that's a total energy loss of:

2.28e3×3=6.84e3

Which means the final usable mana output is:

19e3 − 6.84e3 = 12.16e3 J/s

Now, to calculate the adjusted amplification percentage with minimal loss, I restructured the mana circuit into a dual-phase configuration, splitting the highest-energy node and distributing the load.

That reduced the total loss by about 4% per node, bringing the total efficiency up to 28.4% instead of 23%.

Final amplification percentage:

35%−6.6%= 28.4%

I scribbled down the answer and moved on to the next question.

Question 2:

A spell matrix with an inverse exponential decay absorbs external mana interference at a rate proportional to the inverse square of distance from the core. Given an absorption rate of A(r) = 1200/(r² + 4r + 3) and a decay constant of λ = 0.85, determine the total mana absorbed over a region spanning from r = 1 to r = 10 and optimize for peak spell efficiency.

I sighed.

These questions were getting ridiculous.

Still, it wasn't hard.

I set up the integral and then factored the denominator before reaking it into partial fractions.

Then I simply solved for A & B and found:

A= 600 & B= −600.

So, I only needed to rewrite the integral.

And after solving, I got a total mana absorption of 415.2 units.

I quickly wrote my answer down, optimizing for peak efficiency by modifying the spell's exponential decay rate to λ = 0.73, which increased overall absorption by 8%.

I looked up.

A few students were still stuck on the first question.

A random student was chewing the end of his pen, looking like he was trying to decipher some kind of ancient language.

Rose had her head buried in her hands, muttering something under her breath.

Telmo was glaring at his paper like it had personally offended him.

As for Ella...

She actually seemed quite calm.

Well, anyway, I should just finish the exam as soon as possible.

There were only eight questions left.

—

"Ugh... that exam was so fucking hard!"

"Yeah... why did I choose this class?! It's frighteningly difficult and complex!"

As soon as the bell rang and all the students got out of the class, they immediately started to complain about the difficulty of the exam.

As for the reason why I was still here...

I fell asleep.

I solved the entire exam in about fifteen minutes, and instead of handing over the paper to the instructor, I decided to take a short nap.

And, of course, the only reason I woke up was that annoying bell.

"The next exam should be... Combat Magic Tactics."

"Let's just get it over with..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

RIIIIINGG!

After some gruesome six hours, I was finally done with the rest of the exams.

The exam's questions were fairly simple. For example, in Combat Magic Tactis, one of the questions was:

You are facing three enemies in an open field. They are armed and seem well-trained. You have limited mana reserves. How do you use your magic to neutralize them efficiently without exhausting your resources? Consider positioning, terrain, and spell efficiency in your response.

There were plenty of ways to deal with this.

But I opted for the most executive one while using my new spells.

First off, I would use 『 Ice Series: Frost Crash! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』to create a massive ice wave, sweeping them all off their feet.

It would freeze them solid before they could even react, and it wouldn't take much mana.

If there were any survivors, I could follow up with a 『 Shield Series: Winter's Barrier! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』 to protect myself and lock them down long enough to deal the finishing blow.

The Winter's Barrier spell would be perfect for blocking incoming attacks while I strategized my next move.

I wrote down my strategy in the clearest terms possible, explaining my reasoning for each spell I would use and how I would conserve mana during the engagement.

It was that simple.

Not to mention about the Spellcraft Fundamentals and Magic Theory, they were damn easy.

An example of a question was:

You are given a basic spell structure with insufficient mana flow. How do you fix it? Provide at least two methods for improving mana efficiency and explain how they work.

The answer was straightforward.

First, I would adjust the spell's mana flow using the principle of mana layering.

By using multiple mana channels, I could split the mana load and spread it more evenly, allowing for better efficiency and reducing mana waste.

I also wrote about casting sequence optimization—if you cast multiple spells in quick succession, the residual mana from the first spell could be used to fuel the second, making the overall casting more efficient.

Anyways, for me, at least, it was pretty easy.

And all of that is thanks to my predecessor.

I mean... everything I have currently is thanks to him.

I walked down the long hallway of the academy, making my way to the garden, the place I always went to when I needed some peace and quiet.

The garden was a welcome relief, the fragrant scent of flowers filling the air and the rustling of leaves in the breeze somehow soothing.

I found a quiet corner near the stone fountain and leaned against the cool stone wall, closing my eyes for a moment.

I just needed a few minutes of silence, but as soon as I relaxed, a voice broke through the calm.

"Aestrea."

I turned my head, instantly recognizing the voice.

It was Zeva.

She was standing near the entrance of the garden, her arms crossed, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

There was something different about her today, something I couldn't quite place.

"Zeva?" I raised an eyebrow, standing up straight.

"What are you doing here?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Instead, her lips curved into a small smile, but there was something... strange in her eyes.

And in that instant, I felt that bad feeling coming again.

Fwoop!

Then, before I could react, she dashed toward me with incredible speed, her body surrounded by a faint green aura that seemed to pulse with energy.

My eyes widened, and my instincts kicked in.

I tried to step back, but it was too late.

She was already on me.

I barely saw her move, but next thing I knew, I felt the weight of her energy slam into me.

It wasn't physical, but it felt like a pressure—like something deep inside me was being forced out.

My body froze, and I couldn't move as her hands gripped my shoulders.

Then, her eyes—

Her eyes glowed.

A deep, strange green light flooded her pupils, and they transformed into vertical slits, like a snake's.

The moment I saw them, a cold shiver ran down my spine, and I couldn't pull my gaze away.

It felt like her eyes were staring straight through me, reading everything I had ever done, every weakness I held.

Before I could even process what was happening, the ground beneath me shifted.

Zeva's voice rang out, cold and almost haunting.

"You shouldn't have broken your promise."

"If you didn't, I wouldn't need to resort to this."

The world around me started to spin, my vision blurring as everything felt like it was slipping away.

"Hagh... fuc—!"

The pressure from her green aura was too much.

I almost couldn't breathe.

My chest tightened, and my body started to quiver.

I tried to fight it, tried to raise my arms, but my body felt like it was made of stone.

It was like having a snake wrapped around my body...

And it was about to bite my neck.

My limbs refused to obey, and the last thing I saw before everything went black was Zeva's smirk, her eyes still glowing, the aura around her growing brighter.

The next moment, there was nothing.

No sound.

No sight.

Just complete darkness...