Class Upgrade

Another month passed, and the results for the new month's exam were released.

Everyone waited anxiously for Drew to set the questions, staring longingly at Drew—or rather, at the test papers in Drew's hands. The scene was truly reminiscent of a classroom before an exam in the past.

Drew felt a brief moment of nostalgia before handing out the papers under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

The classroom fell silent, and everyone began writing diligently; there was no sound other than the scratching of quill pens and the dipping of ink.

After the exam, the students didn't leave immediately, instead gathering to discuss the content of the test.

"Do you think the exam was hard? What score do you think you'll get?" asked Student A.

"I don't think it was difficult. I reckon I can get an 80. It's just that the last few questions felt familiar, like I'd seen them somewhere before," said Student B.

"I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Why did I think this exam was so hard? It was full of questions that recognized me, but I didn't recognize them," said Student C.

"I wonder how Master did. Can he pass 90? He did say he was aiming for a 90," said Student D.

"Why don't we just go ask him? We'll have to wait for Drew to tally the scores anyway," said Student A.

"Let's go ask Master how he did," said Student B.

"Yeah, let's go!" said Students A, B, C, and D.

"Master, how did you do? Are you confident about getting a 90?" Students A, B, C, and D asked Joseph.

"Don't bother me yet, I'm checking my answers," Joseph said, not even lifting his head as he pored over his book, as if it were held by a magnet.

With a serious expression and intense focus, Joseph had been verifying his answers the moment the exam ended.

"I guess Master didn't do very well. Look at how his brows are furrowed and how serious he looks," Student B whispered to the others.

"Are you cursing Master? You have so little faith in him."

At that moment, Joseph finished checking his answers and looked up.

"How could that be? We all have full confidence in Master, right? So, how did it go?" Student B quickly backpedaled and changed the subject.

"So-so. According to my precise calculations, my score is between 92 and 96," Joseph said with a pretentious air of indifference.

"Wow, Master is amazing!" said Student A.

"Master has been very diligent lately; we've all seen it. It's only natural he'd get a result like this. But Master, your estimation is so accurate—do you have a trick?" asked Student D.

"Actually, if you can master the concepts thoroughly and be careful enough not to make mistakes, then everything you know will be 100% correct, and even the things you don't know might turn out right. That's how you get your score. I knew how to do almost everything, which is at least a 92. I missed one question, and I'm not sure about another, so that brings it to 92 to 96," Joseph took the opportunity to show off again.

"Let's stop discussing scores. They are what they are; talking about them won't change anything. Go on back; the results will be out tomorrow."

Drew, listening from the side, silently pulled out a book titled Advanced Solid Geometry. It seemed this book would be needed soon.

The next day, the results were out.

The top spot went to Joseph, as expected, with a 96—the highest in the class. He had kept his promise and scored over 90.

This guy wasn't actually stupid. As mentioned at the beginning, no one who becomes a mage is dull-witted. He just hadn't found his rhythm at first, but by learning geometry step-by-step, he had slowly found his footing. It was like breaking through a bottleneck; he could now look forward to a smooth path ahead.

Besides Joseph, there were his dozen or so apprentices. Their scores were quite good; after all, with more people, a learning atmosphere had developed. The students learned from each other, guided one another, pushed each other, and competed. Plus, they were all clever. In just two short months, they had basically mastered the geometry curriculum.

Only three unfortunate souls scored below 80, while everyone else was above.

After announcing the scores, Drew decided to upgrade the study group from a beginner class to an advanced class. Everyone began studying the new book, Advanced Solid Geometry.

Those who didn't score 80 were also moved to the advanced class; after all, it wouldn't be practical to keep a beginner class with only three people. They had already learned the beginner material, they just hadn't fully grasped it yet. Drew had them catch up on the curriculum, with Joseph providing extra tutoring to help them improve quickly and keep pace with the rest of the group, ensuring no student was left behind.

Joseph declared that he would fulfill his duties as class monitor and was willing to spend his extracurricular time tutoring his apprentices to ensure they caught up with the class.

Drew felt reassured after hearing this; with such an excellent class monitor leading the way, he was certain the students would be guided to study hard and improve every day.

He gave them one day to prepare, with formal classes set to begin tomorrow.

When classes started on the third day, the students discovered that the difficulty of the textbooks in their hands had increased significantly.

It was a leap from the plane to space, from two dimensions to three.

Fortunately, learning was not just about acquiring knowledge, but also about learning how to learn.

Through their previous study of plane geometry, the students had learned how to approach new subjects.

Moreover, having gained experience with geometry, they were able to get started quite quickly.

Sure enough, after just a short while, the students found their rhythm and began to grasp the basics. Because they were absorbing new knowledge, the usual lively atmosphere and enthusiastic participation were absent.

The students were all focused on listening clearly and understanding the content Drew was presenting.

They maintained a cautious attitude toward this new knowledge, listening with undivided attention and earnestness.

After Drew finished his lecture, everyone moved in perfect unison, turning their books back to the first page to study them carefully. The entire process was synchronized and a pleasure to behold.

When class ended, no one moved; they all remained in their seats, silently reading.

It was only when some had grasped the fundamentals and felt they had mastered the material, needing to return home to internalize it, that they began to leave one by one. Others still had questions they couldn't resolve even after the others had departed.

They had no choice but to seek Drew's guidance, and it wasn't until the sky grew dark that the last of them finally left.

Drew looked at the empty classroom, feeling very satisfied. He decided to finish the curriculum as quickly as possible so the students could study on their own.

That way, he could free up his own time.

Should he introduce evening self-study to this world? Drew felt that was a possibility.

He would mention it to Joseph tomorrow. Then, he would let them organize the evening sessions themselves, so he wouldn't have to waste his time managing them.

Having made his decision, Drew headed home to rest and meditate; he had fallen behind on alchemy and meditation while busy playing the role of a teacher.