The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student-Chapter 23: The Spark of Genius

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The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student

[Original — Yerona]

[TL — MiT7]

[PR — Spades]

[QC — Lumi]

Chapter 23 — The Spark of Genius

——————

"Expulsion? Isn't that a bit harsh?"

Carl wiped cold sweat as he spoke, and Chloe asked, "Nervous?"

"Of course! A Lumern magic test is bound to be brutal!"

"They wouldn't give freshmen problems beyond our level, would they?"

"Must be nice being an honor student."

Carl, who'd barely passed the entrance exam, was anxious about tests.

He wasn't alone.

"Expulsion?"

"That's too much!"

"Professors have the authority to expel students. You all knew that, right?"

"But they can't expel without just cause!"

"Of course, expulsion without cause is impossible."

Ren tapped the test paper with his fingertip.

"But if you can't pass a test like this, you don't deserve to study magic at Lumern."

A male student, likely from another department, raised his hand.

"What about students taking magic as a minor?"

"You can still take non-major magic classes."

"And dual-class aspirants?"

"Dual-class, huh..."

Ren trailed off, smiling.

"You might discover hidden magical talent in this trial class."

The sudden remark puzzled students.

"That kind of complacent thinking is why minors take this test too."

Several students flinched visibly.

"Isn't it rude for someone untrained in magic to stand alongside those who've dedicated their lives to it?"

Ren smiled, but his eyes were cold.

Chloe nodded enthusiastically, eyes sparkling.

"The test is out of 100 points. Score 40 or higher to pass."

The lenient cutoff drew sighs of relief.

Ren snapped his fingers, summoning a giant hourglass in the air.

"One hour. Finish early, submit your test, and rest outside."

Students pulled out their quills.

"Begin."

The hourglass flipped, sand pouring down.

Students grabbed quills and reviewed the test.

The test consisted of a question sheet, an answer sheet, and several pages for spell formula calculations.

Amid the scratching of quills, Leo's face hardened as he read the questions.

'Describe the effect when these spell formulas are combined.'

A headache crept in.

'What kind of formulas are these?'

If asked what ability had changed most since Kyle's era, Leo would say magic.

Magic was a field of exploration.

While core runic languages remained constant, formula applications evolved across eras.

In this era, the Hero Record had drastically advanced spell formulas.

Having not studied modern grimoires since reincarnating, Leo was blind to current formulas.

Glancing aside, Carl, despite his grim expression, was solving problems.

Chloe scribbled answers at a blazing pace.

'Kids these days are sharp. Solving complex formula combinations mentally?'

Leo, exasperated, took a deep breath.

'Fine, let's get a rough sense of modern formulas. Even if they differ by era, grasping the structure lets you guess the answers.'

Steeling himself, Leo thought, 'I can't get kicked out of my first class—that'd be humiliating!'

A great hero who saved the world had his pride!

Eyes flashing, Leo tackled the formulas at breakneck speed.

'Phew, I know all these formulas!'

Meanwhile, Carl sighed in relief.

Contrary to his fears, the test wasn't overly difficult.

He'd memorized all the formulas on it.

The combinations were complex, but as Ren said, failing this meant you didn't belong at Lumern.

'As expected, a genius like her solves combinations mentally.'

Carl marveled at Chloe, who wrote answers without calculations.

Turning to Leo, he saw him scribbling furiously.

But unlike his speed, Leo's answer sheet was blank.

'What's up? He's aiming for dual-class but lacks formula knowledge?'

At this rate, Leo wouldn't qualify for Magic Studies classes.

Carl felt a pang of disappointment at not sharing the class.

"Thirty minutes left."

'Crap, focus. Solve the problems.'

Meanwhile, Leo, having filled a calculation sheet, paused his quill.

'Who the hell made formulas this convoluted?'

Given time, he could crack them.

The issue was the severe time constraint.

Checking the next problem, he found more unfamiliar formulas.

Tearing at his hair, Leo's eyes stopped on the final question.

The test had 50 questions.

Questions 1 to 49 were formula combinations; the last was to analyze a formula and derive its result.

Compared to earlier questions, its formula wasn't overly complex.

Solving it mentally, Leo wrote the answer, stood, and submitted his test. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

All eyes turned to him.

'He gave up. He couldn't even solve the first problem—continuing's a waste.'

Carl smacked his lips, watching Leo hand his test to a TA.

'I'll drop Magic Studies.'

With only one question he knew out of 50, how could he keep up?

'I'll self-study or something.'

Blaming his complacency, Leo left the lecture hall.

The hourglass kept draining, but no one else stood.

Even non-majors, despite casual attitudes, had chosen magic as a minor, giving them basic knowledge.

"Time's up. Submit your tests to the TAs."

"Ugh, exhausting."

Stretching, Carl asked Chloe, "Yo, what was the last question's answer? I couldn't crack it."

Chloe frowned, looking drained. "I ran out of time and didn't finish."

"Really? It was brutal."

"What about Leo?"

"Looked like he didn't solve a single one."

'That's why he left.'

Nodding, Chloe stood and approached someone.

Curious, Carl followed.

"Big brother! I got this one right, didn't I?"

"Yup, correct!"

"Sweet!"

Chloe had gone to Abad and Chelsea.

"Chelsea, hey."

"Oh, Carl? Who's she?"

"This is Chloe Muller."

"Northern top ranker?"

Chelsea's eyes widened.

"Nice to meet you, Abad Lewallin. Did you solve the last question?"

"Ran out of time. You?"

"Same."

Chloe pulled out her test.

"Want to compare how our solutions differ?"

"Good timing—I was curious too."

Chloe's test was packed with calculations for the last question.

Abad's was equally dense.

Carl whistled. 'Top rankers are built different. With more time, they'd have nailed it.'

"What about Leo?"

"He left earlier, probably left the building. Looked like he didn't solve anything," Carl said.

"Well, it's not a test for knights."

Knowing Leo as an exceptional knight, Chelsea nodded.

Ren returned to the podium, and students hurried back to their seats.

"Good work on the test."

Ren flashed a clean smile.

"The TAs will finish grading soon. Until then, I'll briefly explain my Magic Theory class."

Ren's lecture began.

Students couldn't help but marvel.

His content was clear and engaging.

They instinctively knew they'd met an exceptional professor.

'I get to take classes from someone like this!'

Students swelled with anticipation.

As Ren finished, a male TA approached.

"Professor, the test results are ready."

"Shall we check them?"

Other TAs brought a leaderboard with rankings to the front.

"Actually, the test had forty-nine 1-point questions and one 51-point question."

Murmurs rose, and Ren continued.

"This test wasn't just to screen for Magic Studies—it's the core of my class."

"Over the past few centuries, spell formulas have advanced rapidly. Now, you can use formulas without fully understanding them, just by memorizing activation conditions."

Ren opened his palm, conjuring a mana-woven formula.

He crushed it.

The formula shattered, mana fragments scattering.

"That advancement has degraded mages!"

The sudden shout startled students.

"Recent mage trends focus on memorizing more formulas. It's an easy way to cast magic... but that's not a true mage! A mage's essence is exploration and understanding, not rote memorization! Yet young mages neglect understanding, obsessed with memorizing! Formula advancements have led to mages' regression!"

Ren raised both hands.

A vast array of spell formulas unfolded in the air.

"This is the essence of my spell formulas. Not generic activation sequences, but my unique formulas, crafted from scratch. How many modern mages research their own?"

It was the pinnacle of a mage's unique magical world.

To mages, Ren's world was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Magic duels are as much about understanding and countering opponents' formulas as they are about mana. Activation sequences alone won't reach high realms. So!"

The formulas vanished.

"I'll teach you to deepen your formula understanding! To make you true mages!"

Ren spoke passionately.

Moved, students began clapping.

The term "true mage" struck a chord with young hearts.

Nodding at their fervor, Ren pointed to the leaderboard.

"Check your scores and ranks. Those below 40 points, I'm sorry, but please leave."

Students crowded the leaderboard.

Ren watched them with a gentle gaze until a male TA approached.

"Professor."

"What is it, Assistant Professor?"

"One student got question 50 correct."

"A perfect score?"

Ren was genuinely shocked.

'Such talent enrolled? Abad? Chloe? Finally, a lifelong disciple?!'

"Not a perfect score."

"Not perfect?"

Ren's face twisted oddly.

A student capable of solving the last question shouldn't struggle with the first 49.

Yet not a perfect score?

"Ah, they missed some questions rushing the last one."

"No. Everything but the last question is blank. Look."

The assistant handed Ren the answer sheet.

Reviewing the pristine sheet, Ren asked gravely, "Who is this student?"

---

Chloe checked the leaderboard, naturally looking at the top ranks.

She froze, stunned.

2nd: Chloe Muller, Abad Lewallin (49 points)

3rd: Chelsea Lewallin (48 points)

No matter how she looked, Chloe and Abad tied for second.

At the very top was:

1st: Leo Flove (51 points)

Staring at the ranks, Chloe glanced at Leo's former seat in the front.

His test papers were still there.

Rushing over, she checked them.

'What in the world is this?'

Seeing Leo's calculations for the first question he'd abandoned, Chloe could only gape.

'Leo Flove... what kind of guy is he?!'