[377] Vol. 16 - One Step Further (2)
Shirone lowered his gaze to the evaluation sheet. The master difficulty ratings for dozens of items cascaded downward.
"So he was an amateur."
Having seen real combat, he'd assumed he'd reached something close to a pro level in certain areas. There had been times his methods had clearly worked.
But that wasn't the point.
That the Photon Cannon was faster and stronger than other branches, that one person beat another, or that Ataraxia couldn't be copied—
The Association was making its judgment through the evaluation form.
If you couldn't clear this much, you were just an amateur who'd gotten lucky with a special sheet.
-Your balance is really broken.
Plu's voice seemed to echo in his head.
Plu—the royal magic school's valedictorian and a certified eighth-rank mage. Even among the countless eighth-rank mages in the world, Plu held a special position.
Warm-hearted in general, she didn't spare harsh words when it came to magic. Now he felt he understood the way she'd looked at him the first time they met.
Until he conquered all twenty items on the sheet, in her eyes he was still an amateur.
"Senior, weirdly I want to see you today," he thought with a smile as he pictured Plu shivering and recoiling.
"Have you decided? Whatever you choose, I'll follow your judgment."
If he changed majors, the difficulty would be understandable.
He'd already learned the basic spells, so with effort he might pick up points more easily.
But Shirone, who'd already experienced the post-graduation world through the Association, knew that wouldn't mean much.
"I'll do this. God Particle. Register it as my major."
Colli made sure to ask once more.
"Are you absolutely sure? Once the evaluation starts you can't change your mind."
"Yes, I'm sure. Even if I don't score high, I won't regret it."
No regrets.
This is my magic, and my life.
"Understood. I'll register it then. Good luck."
"Yes. I'll do my best."
Shirone bowed politely and left Colli's office.
Iruki and Nade were waiting in the corridor.
Iruki, ranked twenty-second in the graduating class, had just finished his interview; Nade, ranked thirtieth, still had to wait.
Nade asked anxiously, "So, think you can handle it?"
A bitter smile said more than a hundred words.
Iruki—sharing the same plight—unfolded and refolded his crumpled evaluation sheet several times as if it had been through the wringer, then waved it at him.
"The master difficulty for the explosive-power item is fifty kilobursters every twenty seconds. In short, they want you to blow up a fruit shop every twenty seconds."
Nade couldn't pretend it was someone else's problem.
Shirone was an Unlocker, so that might be forgiven, but his own major, lightning magic, was nearly as difficult as detonation magic.
"The Association folks—are they crazy? Do they actually think students can pull that off?"
Shirone felt the same hollow frustration.
"Maybe they do. But if anyone could pass, there'd be no way to distinguish candidates, so it's not entirely their fault."
"There's a huge gap between ninth level and master difficulty. At nine points you might scrape by. Still, Shirone, you seem oddly calm. Confident or what?"
Shirone shook his head.
"No. I'm absolutely not confident. But it's something that has to be done."
Iruki and Nade agreed in silence.
He was right — it had to be done. How could someone aiming to be the best mage fail to even master their own major?
(Of course I'm not going to do it,) Nade thought to himself.
Competition System Activated (1)
The morning the graduating class's official schedule began was bright.
The first evaluation of week one was one-on-one combat: thirty students split into fifteen pairs to face off.
The venue was Training Ground No. 2000 on the hill behind the graduating-class building — a huge battlefield laid out over 120 square meters.
The graduating class gathered by class on the field and stood in line to wait for the one-on-one combat examiners.
Shirone stood between Nade and Iruki.
Classmates chatted a little within their own class, but overall the mood remained awkward.
The examiner arrived right on time.
A man in his mid-fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and sharp eyes, he was known for never speaking about anything unrelated to the evaluation.
"Starting today, one-on-one combat evaluations begin. You already did Class Two, so I'll briefly go over things for Class Three. Under the kingdom's education law, the synchronization rate for Training Ground No. 2000 is set at eighty percent. Of course, the graduation test requires one hundred percent."
Even at eighty percent you couldn't relax.
Given magic's superhuman power, even eighty percent of an attack would be intolerable if it hit true.
Shirone had fought Dante at fifty percent synchronization, and that simulated duel had felt intense enough to be real.
"No weapons are allowed. Only embodied weapons are permitted."
Some Class Three students tilted their heads, and the model-student Boil raised his hand.
"Question. What's the criterion for 'embodied'?"
"The clear criterion is whether it can be removed. Weapons that cannot be stripped are considered embodied. Even if removal is possible, if detaching it would impair bodily function, the Association regards it as embodied."
By the teacher's standard, Shirone couldn't use Armand.
On the other hand, Kanis could fight alongside the Harvester — it couldn't be stripped.
Another person who came to mind was Richard of the Fermi crew.
True to his nickname, Alchemist Richard had modified thirty-five percent of his body with alchemical devices. The parts were detachable, but if removed his body wouldn't function normally, so they were classed as embodied.
If someone amputated their right arm and attached Armand there, they might be able to use Adamantine Armament even in the graduation test, but Shirone absolutely had no intention of doing that.
Some in Class Three looked displeased.
They knew they couldn't do such insane things themselves, and resented others who altered their bodies as if it were unfair.
Boil glanced at Kanis and said, "Lucky you, getting that approved."
No wonder Boil was jealous. A summoning mage who had to use slots like him envied Kanis, who controlled magical creatures without slot restrictions.
'Don't worry. You can do fine without a Harvester,' Kanis thought, saying nothing.
Everyone knew about the Harvester after the Arcane Incident; no student was unaware of its existence.
But very few truly understood the nature of magical creatures — at most Shirone and Amy.
Some secret techniques were best reserved for the decisive moment. Unless it was critical, the Harvester wouldn't get a chance to shine.
Of course Kanis didn't plan to entrust her whole future to a magical creature either.
"This time I'll win, Shirone. Don't think the Harvester is the end."
After questions, the examiner began the evaluations.
"We will now proceed with the one-on-one combats in order. Fight time is ten minutes. Wait your turn wearing Bracelet No. 2000."
Except for the evaluation and standby groups, they could move freely around the training ground.
The atmosphere was different from the advanced class that emphasized discipline and principle.
Shirone and his friends found a spot with a good view of the field. He opened his schedule and said, "My opponent today is Dorothy. Iruki, who's yours?"
"Huh? Oh, some guy named Binder, I think."
Shirone turned to the opposite side of Training Ground No. 2000 and watched Binder performing a formation.
A Class Two student he'd seen at graduation events — not one who'd left any particular impression. He had light brown hair, glasses, and patchy stubble on his nose and chin.
He hadn't stood out much at last year's graduation test, so Iruki was sure of victory.
"Well, that's basically a guaranteed three points, right?"
"Don't get cocky. We haven't even fought a match yet. Things can change once you're in there."
"I accounted for that. By my calculation there's absolutely no variable with that opponent."
Shirone worried at Iruki's confidence.
As Plu had said, imagining the outcome in advance was foolish, and battles weren't decided by numbers alone.
(Then again, picturing Iruki getting nervous is hard.)
In any case, today's main matches weren't Shirone's or Iruki's.
"By the way, Nade, you okay?"
Shirone asked, and Nade shrugged.
"Well, I'll give it a shot."
His opponent today was none other than Fermi.
He'd failed the graduation test but was a mysterious student who always topped the final evaluations. When people first talked about Fermi, only vague analysis was possible, but now that Shirone knew what the class rankings really meant, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
Other students seemed to think the same and watched Fermi closely.
Sensing the attention, Fermi turned and smiled, waving at his opponent Nade.
"Is that guy trying to provoke me?"
"No, he just looks like he was saying hi."
Nade shot Shirone a predator's look.
"That's provocation! Since when did that jerk know me and start pretending he did? Watch closely. Today I'll expose that man's skill."
Shirone watched the training ground as his own turn approached and stood.
"Anyway, I should get ready."
When he entered Training Ground No. 2000, Dorothy came toward him dragging a tin-can doll.
Every step the doll scraped the ground with a jangling clatter.
Dorothy came right up to his face. Her face was small and her glasses large, like a stage mask.
Her expressionless face and unfocused eyes acted as a shield against reading emotion.
(What do I do? Should I at least say hello?)
The pre-bout procedure for one-on-one combat was the same as in the advanced class.
At the center of the field they'd check Bracelet No. 2000, return to their positions, a ten-minute timer would start, and the bracelet would activate.
There was no need to greet an opponent; turning away coldly was a kind of psychological warfare.
But in the first-week evaluation, when friend-or-foe lines weren't settled, wiping away all traces of humanity wasn't necessarily a good idea.
Besides, it didn't suit Shirone's character.
"Nice to meet you. This is an important evaluation for both of us, so let's fight hard."
"Draw?"
At Dorothy's sudden proposal, Shirone immediately asked, "Huh? What?"
"Let's make it a draw. Then I'll do one thing you want."
Before he could parse her meaning, his face flushed. It might be nothing, but if the other party was a girl, the implications could be different.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"Just what I said. I'll do anything you want. Besides, you know showing your skill early can be a disadvantage. So let's split one point each."
He had no intention of colluding, but it was wise to weigh the pros and cons, so Shirone considered it.
Her offer did have potential usefulness. It could create a useful variable at a key moment.
(If she really does keep her promise—)
A draw gives each side one point. He couldn't tell whether the value of the two points he'd give up by not winning was accounted for in her offer.
He wanted to win the first match if possible.
A good start would build confidence for future evaluations and be practically advantageous in the rank competition.
"No. I'll refuse. I want a fair, proper fight. Do your best."
Dorothy showed no emotion. Then, as if satisfied, she nodded and turned away.
"Then nothing can be done. Let's fight hard."
Shirone watched her walk back to her spot dragging the tin-can doll, stunned.
If it had been a psychological ploy, it had worked perfectly.
He felt oddly unsettled.
(Get a grip. Nothing happened. Just fight like you always do.)
When Shirone reached the standby area, the lights on the No. 2000 display cycled green, yellow, red, and the system came online.
Shirone crouched slightly, ready for a quick shift from defense to offense.
A beep sounded, and Bracelet No. 2000 lit up.
Dorothy remained motionless, clutching her tin-can doll.
Shirone equipped the teleportation spell and drew up Omnipotence, leaning his body forward.
"Going on the offense!"
At that same moment Dorothy twisted her body and said, "I concede."
Shirone hastily canceled his magic and pitched forward.
He barely caught himself from falling, and when he looked up Dorothy was already walking off the training ground.