Chapter 49: A Twice-Fatal Task
After Ransi left and the next day,
we unpacked our bags at the temporary accommodation, moved them to the original dormitory, and held a meeting at the first-year cafeteria.
Project name: Turning Damian into a model student.
A project of unprecedented difficulty, the name alone hinted at its extreme challenge.
We were about to start the first meeting.
I crossed my arms and quietly observed Damian and Chanbi.
"Sure enough, this won't be easy."
Could the noun 'model student' ever be attached to the noun 'Damian'?
Of course, we didn't need to turn him into an actual model student.
"Turn Damian into a model student?"
If that were the case, the difficulty would not be extreme but impossible.
No one could achieve it, so I wouldn't have accepted it either.
- Please rank in the top 16 overall.
Pulling Damian up to 16th place would be easier than that. Of course, 'easier' doesn't mean it would be easy.
"This, this is... what exactly..."
Chanbi was pulling her hair in despair.
It had only been 20 minutes since the meeting started.
Objectively, Damian's academic performance was that desperate.
No, it was more than desperate.
- Damian, how much of the basic principles of magic do you understand?
Not knowing the subject name after a month of classes was typical.
- That... Damian. Can I see your notes? Hmm... but, where's your textbook?
- I don't know. I brought everything I have.
He didn't even have a textbook for some subjects.
Of course, it wasn't all despair.
- D-Damian. Did you at least do the assignments on time?
Damian, who had done the assignments on time.
For a moment, Chanbi's face lit up.
A thick stack of parchment.
If he had done the assignments on time, it meant he had at least done some basic studying.
I casually flipped through the parchment on the table.
Instead of magical formulas, it was filled with incomprehensible scribbles and equations.
Next to it, the words "Sweat, Tears, and Blood 2" were written, indicating he had drawn the design for Sweat, Tears, and Blood.
I didn't mention this fact.
"Chanbi would die twice if I did."
Look at her now, pulling her hair out in clumps.
If I told her this, Chanbi would reach the first stage of the penholder.
The first stage of the penholder.
The beginning of hair loss.
However, Damian crushed Chanbi's heart.
"Don't worry too much. I won't give up. I will definitely succeed."
"Aa... Aaa... Aaaaaa...!"
Could there be a more frustrating statement?
This despair was caused by someone, yet he was so calmly burning with determination.
However, Chanbi was an indomitable man.
With even a small spark of hope, he could burn with determination.
So, I threw her a small spark.
"Y-Yeah. That's right. Let's look at the assignments."
Chanbi, reaching for the assignments to gauge Damian's level.
Just by the sounds, I could infer Chanbi's despair.
The sound of paper flipping.
It wasn't a long, continuous scream like before, but this was a true scream. The sound of hope disappearing.
Sure enough, when I opened my eyes, I saw:
Her complexion was the same, but she looked like she had turned to ash.
"Chanbi, if you study hard, you can do it. Don't be too discouraged."
I added a little more oil to the fire.
Chanbi was completely defeated.
Anyway, enough of the jokes.
I crossed my arms and looked at the level Chanbi had summarized over the past 20 minutes.
Two general education subjects.
Four magic-related subjects.
"At least, the good news is that the culture and history, classified as general education, are not bad."
Culture and history are common knowledge.
These were parts Damian had been educated in while in Blando.
The problem was the other magic-related subjects...
There was no solution in sight.
The three magic-related textbooks Damian brought.
There should have been four, but one was missing.
The ones he had were as good as new.
In other words, he had never studied once.
"Chanbi, at least Damian did the assignments on time, so there's still hope, right?"
Of course, Chanbi knew this fact. She just didn't expect this level.
"Chanbi was relying on Damian's genius. His talent is remarkable."
However, sadly, that was a misplaced hope.
There are two types of geniuses in the magic world: theory and application.
He is a genius in magic theory.
His magical skills are not lacking, but he is more specialized in exploring and understanding principles rather than direct application.
They were specialized in direct application.
"Using the body versus using the mind."
Of course, with his magical talent, he could easily grasp the principles and formulas...
But could he do it in just a month? Who knows.
Chanbi suddenly lifted her head.
Damian's eyes lit up as he looked at her.
"Isn't the scoring method for major subjects like this?"
Chanbi wrote on the parchment.
The four magic-related subjects.
The scoring method is as follows:
The high weight of the practical exam compared to the written exam.
This was a significant piece of good news for us.
Damian, if nothing else, could ace the practical exams.
"But, this isn't just to remind us of this obvious fact..."
What strategy would she come up with?
I looked at Chanbi with some expectation, and her mouth opened then.
"First, it's obvious that Damian needs to do well in the practical exams."
"But, the written exam is the problem, right?"
"Think about it the other way. Does Damian really need to score high? Rather..."
And when her next words came, I realized Chanbi was not in her right mind.
"What if we lower the practical scores of other students? Or, lower their written scores? Either way."
"Then, if Damian does well in the practical, he could still rank up, right?"
She was definitely not in her right mind.
"How could he possibly rank 16th with just half the written score..."
Of course, even half the written score wouldn't be easy.
Five questions, essay format. The exam required solving the magical puzzles presented in the questions logically.
Still, with Damian's magical talent and intelligence, it seemed possible.
He clearly didn't see Damian as a being capable of learning.
However, everything was due to Damian's accumulated karma, so I couldn't say anything.
I fell into deep thought.
"Ultimately, the straightforward approach, right?"
I don't study, but when I do, I do well.
Not as orthodox as the professors, but far beyond the level of undergraduates.
I had already read about a third of the magic theory book Henji gave me.
If I were to teach, I could do it without any problem...
"Chanbi, are you very tired?"
"If you're tired, you can take a break. But, I believe you can do it, Chanbi!"
At least, she was doing it to someone else, so I let it slide. If she did it to me, I might have hit her.
A boy cautiously approached us.
He had been sitting at the next table, and his face was quite familiar.