[385] Vol. 16 - The Meaning of Survival (7)
Alpheas let out a bitter smile.
"The enormity of the universe might be nothing more than a speck of dust to something outside it. If that's so, what meaning do we hold in this universe? That terrifying truth is what Gonggeop sought to reveal. Shirone took the first step toward that truth."
The two of them fell silent for a long while. They both knew the visions forming in their minds were the same.
"How close did that child come to the truth?"
Nineteen years ago, the school produced its first survivor to pass Survival Stage 7.
She was an unlocker who had already grasped the truth of scale, a being beyond the essence of humanity.
"Adrias Miro. When I founded the school I hoped one genius might arise who could surpass me. But when I saw Miro, what I felt was fear. Perhaps that child should never have been born into this world."
Alpheas himself had been regarded as a prodigy in his youth, but Miro was different.
A student so strange and singular that the word genius didn't begin to cover it.
"It didn't take long after the survival test before there was the Judgment of Twenty. I can't say we weren't affected. Everyone wanted geniuses, but for Miro it must have been a curse."
Olivia's gaze calmed.
"She'll… resent me, won't she?"
"It was a difficult choice. Miro's sacrifice saved us all. And nineteen years later, here stands Shirone."
That was what made Alpheas uneasy.
History does not repeat itself simply because of a single similarity, but the Judgment of Twenty was humanity's original sin—something so grave that even a similar incident should never occur again.
"Don't jump to conclusions. Just because someone broke through Gonggeop doesn't mean the 'crusade' will start moving. Miro was already a complete scale mage back then. Even if we'd released her into society as she was, she would have been world-class."
"Maybe. But levels tend to pull toward their extremes in the end."
There was still no visible limit. Without one, there was no guarantee the feared outcome wouldn't happen.
Shirone smiling at his friends resembled the clear-eyed Miro from nineteen years ago.
'Miro filled her vessel with the lives of all humanity. Shirone, what will you put into that enormous vessel?'
* * *
On the final holiday of week four, the survival assessment came to an end.
One-Man Team (1)
Week 5 Mental Activity Assessment.
From week five the mental activity test, which evaluates changes in the Spirit Zone's form, had the four-way advanced technique called Joint attached, drastically raising the difficulty.
Because this trait sits opposite endurance, Shirone was unusually focused, reciting the sequence and concentrating more than on other days.
Shirone, of course, thinks quickly and rationally.
But treating this as a test of ordinary character would be a grave mistake.
Mages specialized in mental activity possess a mental fluidity that's second to none.
For them, conviction means not being bound by fixed beliefs.
They had no qualms about merging with others—even monsters.
"Arian Shirone. Next."
At the teacher's call, Shirone stepped into the Image Zone.
The Spirit Zone's test area had a diameter of twenty meters. The floor became transparent and, centered on Shirone, a spherical mental projection appeared.
A chime sounded and the first problem was presented.
Two circles attached vertically like a figure-eight formed the filter.
The week-five difficulty was to joint a specific section of the mind to create a symmetrical Spirit Zone.
"What? This is pretty hard."
Watching others beforehand, Shirone had assumed there would be time to spare, but experiencing it proved a misjudgment.
He poured everything into placing the Joint in the Spirit Zone. All the while the filter approached, indifferent and inexorable.
Ten meters. Five meters.
With each closing step his heart hammered.
With one meter left, the Spirit Zone's center constricted violently and the filter slid past Shirone.
A green pass light lit up ahead.
"Phew, that was close."
The subsequent problems were figure-eight filters tilted at various angles.
This time Shirone operated the Spirit Zone with composure and passed the filters.
His mental fluidity might be lacking, but he possessed a second weapon: extraordinary insight. Once he grasped the core, his ability to apply it was peerless—true genius.
Having cleared all ten problems, Shirone earned five points, but his face when he stepped down from the Image Zone was not bright.
By week five, not a single student had yet scored four points.
Part of it was the students' high level—mental activity is a skill that can be improved through training.
Class Two had already gone through the week-30 evaluation once, so the week-five difficulty should have been well practiced.
But that fact offered little comfort. Class Three also contained formidable talents.
"Next up, Arin. Step into the Image Zone."
The students who had been chatting fell silent.
It was rare even in society to witness a demonstration by a mental-type mage who also wielded the weapon known as Chogyeong.
The Image Zone darkened and Arin's Spirit Zone visualized in blue.
Among the five patterns arranged for week five was the same figure-eight filter Shirone had faced.
But Arin made no move.
Even as the filter drew to within five meters, she only watched.
"What's she doing? Why like that?"
When the filter reached almost her face, Arin's Spirit Zone rippled like water and in an instant its center constricted.
"Wow…."
A chorus of astonishment rose from Class One. Even Shirone, who knew Arin's skill, gaped.
"This is unreal. How can a human mind change like that?"
To Arin, the world was filled only with sensations.
The foul desires exhaled by every human throng.
If the raw substance of thought weren't as fluid as water, she would have already been driven mad, buried under rage, lust, and enmity directed at her.
That was why Arkein had called Arin the top talent in the mental field.
When the near-miraculous demonstration finished, the gauge read a filter coverage rate of 99.9 percent on the indicator.
It meant she had shaped the form proposed by the Image Zone with virtually no error.
"As expected, the graduating class isn't easy."
And so every student's assessment concluded.
As expected, the week-five test didn't hugely distinguish the students; almost everyone earned five points, and only Aider missed two problems.
Aider was the first student this year to score four points. That dishonor felt personal to Shirone.
'He seems similar to me in disposition.'
Despite his youth, Aider had shown astonishing endurance in the survival tests, reaching stage five. He resembled Shirone in nature.
The difference was that Aider lacked Shirone's insight.
'But he's still young. With another year or two of training, he might really be able to graduate.'
Aider came down from the Image Zone looking dejected, then forced a pitiful smile when he saw Shirone.
"Ugh, that was really hard."
"You were close. If you'd placed the Joint just a bit sooner it would've been fine."
Aider sighed.
"If it were that easy I would've done it earlier. I'm not a genius like you, hyung."
The youngest's wit—that at least he was a decent-enough genius—was part of his charm. He wasn't actually incompetent.
"What are you talking about? You're the youngest student in the graduating class. That alone proves you stand shoulder to shoulder with us. And mental activity is something that improves with training."
"Honestly, I used to think that too. But after seeing Class Three today, all that went away. Arin nuna and everyone else—they're insane."
Even in Shirone's mind, Class Three's squad could hold its own against any prestigious school in the kingdom.
"Besides, my major is the Air attribute. It's the most common, too. People joke it's chosen by the untalented."
Affinity with an attribute is closely tied to one's divine power, but nothing is absolute.
"That's not true. Plenty of strong Air mages exist. Sabina's strong and—"
Shirone shut his mouth.
If he wanted to encourage Aider, citing the Magic Association head Gaold would have been perfect—but he didn't want to risk leaking any confidential hint.
"Hey, Aider! What are you doing over there? Hurry up and get your butt here!"
Screamer shouted from afar. Already annoyed at losing twenty points, he had no patience for shirking and socializing.
"Ah, I'll go. As you know, that's the youngest's survival strategy."
"Ha ha! Go on, then."
Aider turned and hurried off. Lacking in skill, he aimed to gain advantage through relationships.
In a sense it was a bit sleazy, but his frankness made it hard to dislike him.
'Do your best, Aider.'
* * *
When the assessments finished, the students headed to the dining hall.
The graduating class had flexible meal times according to schedule, so the food was arranged buffet-style.
Shirone's friends sat opposite and beside him and continued the story they'd been telling since Nade arrived.
"And then his calf cramped. It hurt so much he curled up, but he tensed so hard a fart slipped out."
"Snicker. That's embarrassing. Then what happened?"
"His leg hurt to death but he couldn't stop laughing. He laughed until he cried! Hahaha!"
Shirone grabbed his belly and stamped his foot.
"I can picture it. Seriously, I'd cry in that situation."
"Hey! Do you have to tell that at the table?"
Despite her protest, a smile lingered at the corner of Amy's mouth. With the graduating class joining this year, she'd found more ease than last year.
"Hi. Mind if I join you?"
Maya from Class Two approached with a tray.
"Ah, of course."
Nade pulled out the chair and Maya bowed politely before sitting.
"Thanks. It looked so fun I wanted to listen in."
"You probably shouldn't. Nade's sense of humor doesn't exactly match dining etiquette," Iruki said.
"Hohoho! It's fine. I have a strong stomach. What is it? Tell me."
Shirone watched Maya—who naturally fit in with his friends—with his usual affability.
Uncommon brown skin. Apart from always coming last in the graduation exams, she seemed an unknown quantity.
Noticing Shirone's gaze, Maya turned her head.
"Huh? Why are you staring at a stranger? You do have a boyfriend sitting right next to you, you know?"
"What? No, I was just—"
Shirone hesitated and Amy snorted.
"Hmph, boyfriend my foot."
Maya playfully glared at Amy, cut a large piece of meat, and shoved it into her mouth. She then gulped down the water beside her.
Everyone paused knife-and-fork mid-air and stared. She seemed to be forcing it down, not savoring it.
Realizing all eyes were on her, Maya hurriedly said, "Ah, sorry. That looked a bit off, didn't it?"
Shirone waved his hand.
"No, not at all. It's just a little unusual. Drinking water with meat deadens the flavor."
Maya nodded bitterly.
"Yeah. But I can't help it. I have to eat to keep my body up. I'm the type who doesn't easily gain weight."
Nade asked, "Is there a special reason you have to gain weight?"
"Of course. My major is sound magic—buff-type. If my divine power amount grows, the effect range widens and efficiency improves."
Iruki, gnawing on a vegetable with his front teeth, asked, "Gaining weight doesn't necessarily increase divine power, though."
"That may be. But for me it seems to help to some degree. The truth is I don't have talent. So I'm desperately trying to at least bulk up."
Understanding her reason, Shirone shrugged it off and poked a fork at the salad on his tray.
"You'd be really pretty if you slimmed down."
Everyone's heads turned to Shirone.
Seeing his friends' surprised faces, Shirone realized his mistake and scrambled to explain.
"Ah, no, of course you're pretty now too, but I just thought you might be even prettier if you lost weight… that's what I meant."
Maya, who had been staring at him blankly, changed expression to a pleased smile.
"Thanks. You're really kind, Shirone. Amy's lucky."
"Hmph, lucky my foot. You'll learn soon enough how infuriating she can be."
Maya gave an eye-smile and resumed cutting her meat.
Between Maya's carrot-and-stick and Amy's barbs, the three boys simply buried their faces in their trays.