"Ribbit, hello, Professor!" Muji flew gracefully up to Laugen on his flying carpet.
"Begin your assessment."
"Ribbit, all right."
Muji took his position, then cast his thaumaturgy once Laugen confirmed that the assessment had begun.
Bang-
A water bullet rapidly formed in front of him, then shot into the thaumaturgy target ten meters away.
No external manifestation of Lineage required to assist casting. Volume adjustment time: 1 second Timbre determination time: 1.03 seconds Frequency adjustment time: 1 second EVE released: 40 spirits Accuracy: good. Overall grade: A-
He was approaching the three-second threshold. Laugen recorded Muji's results.
"Ribbit~ Professor, I can cast the other three elements too, but not as quickly as [Water Bullet]," Muji told Professor Laugen.
"That's fine. Test them all. I'll record your best results."
"All right."
Under the astonished gazes of the other students, Muji proceeded to cast thaumaturgy of the other three elements, and Laugen recorded his results.
Fireball: B- Sand and Soil Spell: B- Air Bullet: pass
"Very good. Next, Lifenel!"
Dressed in his Deer College uniform, Lifenel floated up to Laugen and said shyly, "Here..."
"Your turn."
"All right..." Lifenel's voice was soft and weak, making him seem like a pushover.
Lifenel took his position and raised a hand toward the target ten meters away. Once Laugen gave the signal, [Fireball], [Water Bullet], [Sand and Soil Spell], and [Air Bullet] appeared in his hand in succession.
No external manifestation of Lineage required to assist casting. Volume adjustment time: 1 second Timbre determination time: 1.14 seconds Frequency adjustment time: 1 second EVE released: 40 spirits Accuracy: good. Overall grade: A-
These were the recorded results for the first spell, [Fireball]. The other three elements varied from this baseline by no more than 0.01 seconds.
All four elements received a B+, an excellent result.
Laugen quietly recorded the results, then dismissed Lifenel.
As Lifenel returned, the students unconsciously moved aside to give him room. As a result, once he rejoined the group, Muji was the only one still standing near him.
The ghost and the frog exchanged a knowing glance, then both looked toward the last person yet to be tested: the boy with golden hair and golden eyes.
"Last up, Xiu Abraham!" Laugen narrowed his eyes as he called out the final student's name.
Xia Xiu stepped out of the crowd and greeted Professor Laugen with a smile:
"Hello, Professor."
"Don't forget what you promised me when you asked for leave. If you fail all four elements, every toilet in Deer College will be your responsibility for the next six months," Laugen told Xia Xiu irritably.
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied, Professor." Xia Xiu smiled, his eyes narrowing.
"Begin your assessment."
"All right."
As the final student to take the stage, Xia Xiu naturally drew plenty of attention. The students watched the golden-haired, golden-eyed boy take his position. He looked completely untroubled; a closer look even revealed an air of laziness about him.
The boy's casting gesture differed from everyone else's. He simply raised his right hand, then curled his middle, ring, and little fingers.
He formed a finger gun. His casual casting stance looked exactly like Professor Laugen's when he had explained thaumaturgy to them upon their arrival at Deer College.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
Four consecutive impacts rang out, leaving four small craters close together on the thaumaturgy target ahead.
Before the students could even react, the casting was over.
"How was that, Professor?" Xia Xiu asked Laugen, lowering his fingers.
"..."
No external manifestation of Lineage required to assist casting. Volume adjustment time: 0.54 seconds Timbre determination time: 0.58 seconds Frequency adjustment time: 0.55 seconds EVE released: 10 spirits Accuracy: excellent. Overall grade: A+
He had cleared the three-second threshold with ease. Every spell's EVE Particles content had remained at ten spirits, with terrifying accuracy...
"...You did very well." Professor Laugen gave Xia Xiu a complicated look.
Absolutely terrifying!
What extraordinary talent!
Xia Xiu returned to the group with a smile. Most of the students now looked at him as though he were a monster. In truth, he was already quite well known among them.
Every Numbers and Science class, Xia Xiu was the only one who got to leave on time. The other students could only watch enviously as he strolled out of the classroom, whistling without a care. Professor Dylan was fierce with everyone, but he treated Xia Xiu a little more kindly.
Excellent grades were one thing, but why did his talent for thaumaturgy have to be so absurd too?!
Once Xia Xiu had returned to his place, Professor Laugen entered and uploaded all the results, then addressed the students:
"All right, that concludes this month's assessment."
"Next, your studies will enter a new stage. You'll be able to take specialist courses offered by the Esoteric Studies Group. These courses teach extremely important practical knowledge of the supernatural, so study diligently. If there's anything you don't understand, ask the group's professors. Don't try to figure everything out blindly on your own."
"Also, aside from your specialist courses, the class hours for your other three required subjects will be reduced. Sometimes you may only have one or two sessions a week."
"The college hopes you'll use that extra time to participate in thaumaturgy experiments and hands-on club activities. You all know the college's GPA requirements for your first academic year, so work hard, little deer!"
After finishing his address, Laugen once again departed aboard a six-pointed array composed of multiple triangles.
Once Laugen had left, the students scattered, gathering in their respective little circles to discuss their upcoming college lives.
Xia Xiu naturally had a circle of his own. Sure enough, Camille approached him with the boisterous Ushas in tow.
"Whoa, Squinty! I never knew you were so good. No wonder Camille... Mmph... let go of me..." Ushas loudly praised Xia Xiu as she approached, only for Camille to jump onto her back and cover her mouth halfway through.
"Ahem-Camille, you're getting better and better at jumping. Now you can leap straight onto my back." Only after making sure Ushas would behave did Camille climb down, though Ushas was giving her a resentful look.
"I'll treat you to milk chocolate later," Camille told the disgruntled Ushas with practiced ease.
"I forgive you." Ushas beamed, instantly forgetting what had just happened.
"You two are as close as ever," Xia Xiu said with a smile.
"Of course," Ushas replied.
"Come on. If we're going to chat, let's do it somewhere else. This isn't a good spot," Camille added.
Xia Xiu glanced at the students around them, who kept looking his way, some openly and others less so. He nodded and replied:
"Indeed."
Before you continue