Chapter 576
Monday.
The students left the door of the dormitory tower with feelings of tension, frustration, fear, regret, enlightenment, anticipation, and more.
"Are you looking forward to it now, Nillia?"
"My goodness. How confident are you..."
"Ah, no. I was looking forward to the end of the semester after this week is over!"
"No need to be humble. Nillia. We're the ones who didn't study, so you can be confident."
"I said I'm not confident either...!"
As if blessing the final week, thick snow began to fall from the sky.
"It's snowing."
"Wearing warm clothes, it seems quite pretty too."
"Yeah. It can snow more."
The students were much more relaxed.
When wearing old and tattered coats, the cold wind seeped inside no matter how much magic was cast, but it was different when they were solidly armed with cold-weather gear like now.
The students who were thickly wrapped in fabric scraped from outside and had hot heat potions in their coat pockets were calm even in the thick snowfall.
"Don't say crazy things."
Nillia became serious.
If you stayed up all night in the coldest part of the northern mountain range, you could feel in your bones how terrifying snow was.
What a thing to say that could lead to big trouble!
"Everyone, pray that the snow doesn't get worse until next week. Got it?"
"S-sorry. Nillia."
"We were wrong..."
The Black Tortoise Tower friends looked at Nillia and became gloomy.
The white snow was just pretty, but Nillia was too strict.
***
Yi-Han arrived at Professor Garcia's lecture hall first.
He woke up early in the morning, went to the stable to appease the sulky Griffin, and was about to return to the dormitory to prepare a meal, but thanks to the priests waking up early and helping with the work, it ended much faster than expected.
"Hello. Professor."
"Yi-Han. Why did you come so early?"
Professor Garcia, who was doing a final check on the final exam prepared in the lecture hall, was puzzled to see Yi-Han.
"I wanted to help you."
"Why did you come early when I considerately told you to rest?"
Professor Garcia waved her hand and told him to go sit on the side.
"Prepare for other exams or something. The final exam preparation is all done anyway."
"Yes. But please call me if you need a helping hand."
Yi-Han glanced at the exam site as he walked.
Professor Garcia's final exam was a test that comprehensively checked the life magic learned during this semester.
Entering deep into the water with , removing poison with , finding a way in the water with ...
Yi-Han already knew it because Professor Garcia had personally shown it last week.
But…
"Professor. Shouldn't the water be darker?"
Yi-Han asked, puzzled.
He clearly told Professor Garcia, 'I think the water should be darker'?
"Ah. That. Looking at it, it seemed fine to that extent."
"Is that so...?"
'I think it should be darker.'
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed like it should be darker, but Yi-Han accepted it for now and moved on.
If Professor Garcia said so, there must be a reason.
"Ah. Professor. Have the fake passages been added?"
"No. I didn't think it was necessary to go that far."
"Oh. Wouldn't it be better to add fake passages?"
Although pouring dark elements into the water was blocked, Yi-Han thought it was worth adding fake passages.
It would surely make the exam more exciting.
"It becomes too difficult."
"Is that so..."
Yi-Han became slightly anxious.
Like last time, Professor Garcia had shown such kindness, but Yi-Han couldn't repay her at all.
'I need to find areas for improvement somehow.'
"What about the poison...?"
"Yi-Han. Sit down and study something else."
"Yes..."
Yi-Han sat down reluctantly.
As he took out a book to read and study, Professor Garcia suddenly remembered something and asked.
"Yi-Han."
"Oh. Is there something for me to do?"
"Not that. By any chance, are you raising giants?"
"?!?!!"
***
"Am I the only one who finds it strange that Yi-Han is sitting there?"
Gainando asked his friends as he prepared to take the exam.
Since entering the lecture hall, Yi-Han had been sitting on a chair next to the professor, reading a book from another school of magic.
"It's not strange?"
"He probably took it first."
"Or he just passed. Look ahead. Gainando. Did you cast underwater breathing properly? Don't spit out water like last time."
"It was a one-time mistake!"
"One time becomes two times, and two times becomes three times. Now, go in."
Splash!
The students entered the water one by one to take the exam.
Yi-Han, who was writing next to them, squeezing out as much as possible, stopped for a moment.
And then he approached Nillia, who had finished the exam and came up.
"Gasp, cough. I almost threw up...!"
"Nillia. Nillia."
Nillia was happy to see Yi-Han approaching.
Professor Garcia's final exam was more tiring and concentration-consuming than expected.
She couldn't relax for a moment while avoiding traps and finding the correct answer in the dim water.
Seeing a friend who was waiting to cheer her on approaching when she was so tired and exhausted, she thought this was friendship.
"Here. Drink."
"...Thanks."
Nillia was slightly moved and softened her usually sharp attitude.
As Nillia sipped the steaming hot coffee, Yi-Han slyly asked.
"Wasn't the water too bright inside?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"When you went inside, was it too easy to find the passages or..."
"No. It was dark and hard to find."
Nillia said, shivering.
The water was colder than expected and the physical exertion was not easy either.
"Really? You didn't cast the magic wrong?"
"...Wardanaz, you... What are you doing now?"
Nillia looked at Yi-Han with very suspicious eyes.
At first, she was moved, but as she kept listening, it seemed like there was some evil intention hidden in this conversation.
"No. Nothing. Here. Eat this too."
"Are you trying to appease me with snacks now..."
"Ah. It's snowing a lot today. Does the Shadow Patrol move even on days like this?"
"Usually, yes."
"Wow. That's really amazing."
"It's not that amazing. It's basic. People living in the northern mountain range are used to snow. There was a time like this before. I was trapped in a small hut used by the mountain keepers, and a snowstorm raged for a week. There was no way to get out..."
Yi-Han nodded his head and glanced to the side.
Another friend was coming out.
"Yonaire. Yonaire. Here, coffee."
"Oh? Than..."
"Wasn't the water too bright inside?"
"..."
Yonaire, who was sipping coffee while pondering for a moment, stared at Yi-Han as if she had thought of something and asked back.
"Did you by any chance tell Professor Garcia to raise the difficulty of the exam?"
"...?!"
Yi-Han was startled and looked at his friend.
Yonaire shook her head.
***
Alchemy final exam.
Professor Uregor was astonished to see the students coming in with bundles of reagents.
"You guys are the first among the students I've taught to take the exam so comfortably."
"Thank you. Professor."
"It's not a compliment."
"Then I won't thank you. Professor."
Professor Uregor hung Ratford upside down and continued.
"Usually, the exam starts with gathering ingredients, but you prepared them in advance like this..."
"Isn't preparation also a skill?"
"It's because of you, Wardanaz!"
Professor Uregor was dumbfounded by the brazen attitude of his disciple.
The guy who took his friends out and swept up all the reagents!
"Right. Preparation is also a skill. I won't say anything. The principal may hate you guys going out, but I don't really care about you guys going out."
"Then please let me down..."
Professor Uregor dropped Ratford with a thud.
Then he moved the chalk and engraved letters on the blackboard.
[Potion of Resistance]
'Got it!'
Yi-Han was relieved to see the name of the potion.
Even the students who had prepared a lot for the exam showed a similar reaction to Yi-Han.
The was one of the topics that were thought to come out as a final exam.
"What's a Potion of Resistance?"
"..."
Of course, not all friends had studied a lot.
Professor Uregor looked pathetically at the student who asked despite clearly saying it during the lecture and explained.
"I've said it several times, but this Potion of Resistance must work in a broad direction. Sometimes, incompetent alchemists make a potion that only works in one direction and misunderstand, but you guys should not make that mistake."
The Potion of Resistance was a potion that increased the drinker's endurance, something similar to defense.
The reason it wasn't called a defense potion was simple. It was a slightly different concept from defense.
When an arrow flew, making the skin harden and bounce it off was a defense potion, but reducing the pain even when a strong impact from an arrow shook the inside of the body was a Potion of Resistance.
Sometimes, unique monsters inflicted damage by contacting sight or hearing.
Monsters that made you vomit blood just by looking at them or made you collapse just by hearing their cries were of this type.
Also, even if it didn't go that far, illusion mages often cast magic by contacting the opponent's five senses.
To prepare for such situations, something like a Potion of Resistance was essential.
'Sprinkle the ground malachite crushed with a bronze mortar three times, stir twice with a staff, and when the water boils golden...'
Yi-Han and other excellent alchemy students proceeded with the work without hesitation.
Professor Uregor watched them and asked.
"It seems you forgot to measure in advance?"
At those words, the students took out the newly purchased balance scale artifact from outside.
Seeing the scale that moved and measured on its own, Professor Uregor frowned deeply.
'I think I know why the principal hates students going out so much!'
Seeing the freshmen easily making potions with artifacts, he wanted to find fault for no reason.
"Hmph. The Potion of Resistance is not that easy. If you rush like that, surely..."
Boom!
Flames erupted over Nillia's pot.
Only then did Professor Uregor relax his expression and feel satisfied.
"See. This happens. It will be really hard to revive that."
However, Nillia emptied all the contents of the pot without paying attention.
And then she took out new reagents from her reagent bag and immediately started working.
There was no big impact because there was a generous amount even if she failed a few more times.
"..."
Professor Uregor decided to make the problem for next year's 1st-year final exam with reagents that absolutely could not be obtained from the market.
"Wardanaz. I'm trying to check the effect, do you have any magic to recommend?"
Bartreck approached Yi-Han.
As he was excellent in alchemy, he seemed to be trying to check the potions of other White Tiger Tower students on their behalf.
"Originally, you should strike with magic after drinking, but if you can't do that, you should do it by stimulating the five senses."
The effectiveness of the potion could be checked with loud noises, strong smells, or spicy tastes.
Hearing that, Bartreck was lost in thought.
"Stimulation..."
"There are onions here. How about this?"
"It might be a good idea."
"Did you drink the potion? Try eating it."
Yi-Han fed Bartreck a piece of onion.
Bartreck frowned.
"This one is made wrong."
"Oh no. Drink the next potion. Did you drink it? Here."
"Ugh."
Bartreck drank the potion, ate the onion, drank the next potion again, and ate the onion.
Before long, tears welled up in Bartreck's eyes.
"Bartreck! I made it again!"
"...T-this one seems well made. The onion isn't spicy."
"Really?!"
Yi-Han, who was watching from the side, tilted his head and said.
"No? The color is murky."
"...Thank you very much. Wardanaz. I almost let it pass by mistake."
"It's nothing."
Yi-Han cheered for Bartreck.
It was very admirable to see him finish his own potion and help his fellow tower friends.
"Wardanaz. If you're done, go."
"I was going to filter it more to increase the purity."
"It's a perfect score. Go."
"You didn't even look at it?"
"It will be a perfect score. Move. Yep, perfect score."
"But I made it with effort..."
Professor Uregor chased Yi-Han, who was being clingy, out of the lecture hall with the ladle he was holding.
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