Advanced Profession

Aoko, under Tsukashi Tsurumaru's gaze, which was as resentful as a neglected wife's, gracefully and casually rode her motorcycle away from the campus.

As if I'd waste my precious time on meaningless high school life!

If her elder sister, Touko, wasn't lurking in the shadows, watching her like a hawk, she would have already gone off to study at Tokyo University.

That being said, Aoko had already made a rough plan for the next few months before she even clashed with Touko.

It was currently October. Once Touko came running back, Aoko would first teach that rebellious sister a lesson. Then, by December, she'd have the time and energy to pre-register for Tokyo University.

For Japan's national universities, two exams were required.

The first exam was the so-called Center Exam (センター試験), a nationwide unified test held every January, primarily assessing high school educational standards in basic subjects.

After the results of the first exam were released, students could apply for the second exam, which was the university's own individually designed Secondary Exam (二次试験), based on their scores.

Aoko was quite confident in her own scores, so she planned to pre-register in December to secure a spot. By February of next year, she could complete the entrance examinations a little earlier than others.

Touko, who had arrived at an undisclosed location in Misaki Town at this very moment, had no idea that her beloved younger sister, Aoko, had already scheduled her into her own timetable.

In Aoko's opinion, most Magus in this world were disreputable fellows.

She personally believed that pursuing the Root did not conflict with maintaining humanity and morality. Yet, many Magus seemed to have abandoned the essence that their race had gained through millennia of species evolution and civilizational development.

However, if Aoko were to actually interact with magi other than Alice or Touko, she would discover that ordinary magi did not possess the composure and grace to maintain their moral standards.

What Aoko saw as a slightly strenuous effort to reach the Root's vortex was, for other Magus, practically an unattainable paradise.

Perhaps after completing her studies at Tokyo University in the future, Aoko might visit the Clock Tower again to study for a while.

But for now, compared to the headquarters of the Mage's Association, where one had to constantly scheme and worry about colleagues backstabbing them, the pinnacle of a national university held a greater attraction for Aoko.

After years of studying and researching Magecraft and the Weave, Aoko understood that although the principles governing Weave Spells and Magecraft might differ from modern science, there was indeed a common ground: mathematics.

If one paid attention to cutting-edge physics research, they would know that at the most fundamental particle level, matter is actually governed by mathematics.

Perhaps in the perception of ordinary people, microscopic particles are just very small spheres. But in the physics community, all fundamental particles described by the Standard Model do not possess substructure; in other words, they are points in a mathematical concept, without volume.

In the realm of the occult, through her research and study of Number Magecraft, Aoko understood that mathematics was indispensable, whether for constructing spell models or enhancing the operational efficiency of Magecraft.

For instance, the Magic Bullet Magecraft system, which Aoko herself excelled at, was greatly strengthened by Number Magecraft. Therefore, no matter how mysterious and incredible Magecraft might appear, it still had to adhere to the most fundamental rules governing this universe—mathematics.

Perhaps there were some differences in rules compared to the "previous life's" universe, but undoubtedly, in this universe, mathematics remained an irrefutable truth.

To the extent that Aoko, without much hesitation, directly decided that her future research field at university would be mathematics.

Touko, although she wouldn't admit it, possessed considerable academic achievements in architecture and human engineering of the mundane world, aside from her research in Magecraft.

It was likely that if not for the obsession with the Aozaki family's Magic that confined Touko, she might have become an architect or a doctor.

Then I'll personally knock some sense into you, my dear elder sister.

Aoko thought happily. As for the Fifth Magic, leave it to your little sister.

Returning to the Kuonji Residence, Aoko found that her housemate had not yet returned. However, considering that Reien was quite far from the Kuonji Residence, it was normal for Alice not to have returned yet.

After changing into her loungewear, Aoko went back to her room. She picked up her guitar and played for a while to relax, then took out her spellbook and began her daily routine of spell research.

During her previous journey through the Weave, Aoko had acquired knowledge about "advancement" classes, but this knowledge was not entirely complete. From the limited information she obtained, Aoko only knew of a few methods for a Wizard's class advancement.

Among these Wizard advancement classes, Aoko had the highest regard for a type called "Archmage."

Archmages were authorities in the study of a Wizard's metamagic specialization, exceptionally skilled at influencing one spell with another. Furthermore, Archmages were very adept at modifying Magic according to their will.

From the knowledge obtained from the Weave, it was known that even in the Forgotten Realms, it was difficult to find a male Archmage, meaning this was basically a female-exclusive advancement class.

Although she strongly desired to become an Archmage, Aoko did not yet meet the conditions for advancement.

The advancement conditions for Archmage were broadly divided into four categories, corresponding to skills, feats, spellcasting ability, and special requirements.

In the skills domain, for a Wizard to become an Archmage, they must possess at least 4 ranks in Concentration, 8 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana), and 8 ranks in Spellcraft. Aoko had already met all the conditions in this area.

In terms of spellcasting ability, Aoko could already cast 5th-level Arcane spells, meaning she had met the condition of casting at least 3rd-level Arcane spells required for an Archmage.

Moreover, she had not chosen any opposing schools of magic so far, so the Archmage's requirement of not opposing Abjuration and Divination schools was also irrelevant to her.

However, to advance to Archmage, Aoko still had one unmet condition: her feats.

Archmages required spellcasters to possess a metamagic feat, and Aoko's current feats were Alertness and Spell Mastery. She did not regret choosing Alertness as her first feat, because without it, she might have been killed by some inexplicable monsters and ghosts, such as a certain unknown white dog, and a shadow clad in red rags.

But now that Aoko wanted to advance to Archmage, she had to obtain a metamagic feat. The next time Aoko would gain a feat was when her Wizard level reached 10. Before then, she needed to have sufficient understanding and research in metamagic theory.

Although she had not obtained any metamagic feats yet, Aoko had gained a considerable understanding of metamagic techniques through her years of study and research.

As long as she successfully defeated Touko and Touko's dog, she should smoothly reach level 10, obtain a metamagic feat, and then advance to Archmage.