Chapter 18

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Episode 4 - Weekend [3]

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A few days ago, on the day of the opening ceremony for the new cadets,

Professor Ashly received unexpected news.

The professor in charge of the opening ceremony exam said something shocking.

"Professor Ashly, the theory on shortening verses to a single line has been solved."

"What?"

"Check it out for yourself."

Professor Ashly read the exams of two cadets: Adel and Lumina Moonlight.

There was also breaking news about Adel’s attribute, but Professor Ashly didn’t pay any attention to it.

His focus was on the theory he had proposed years earlier, hoping that some genius would respond to it.

That day had come; not just one, but two geniuses responded.

In any case, Professor Ashly continued reading and put the answered theory to the test.

The result?

It was a one-verse spell; it could be cast in 1.27 seconds.

Two-verse spells usually took three or nearly four seconds to cast.

For magicians, those seconds are extremely important.

For anyone who isn’t a magician, it might seem trivial, but the world of magic is completely different.

In any case, Professor Ashly and the Theory Professor were elated and managed to create five one-verse spells.

Of course, they were one-star magic, as magic superior to five stars would take much time to develop.

"What do you think, Professor Gregory?"

"This is definitely a great advance in magic, although it’s a shame that these two cadets aren’t magicians."

"That’s true, but they can easily become scholars and enter the Tower of the Sage."

The Tower of the Sage is a place where only those who have created revolutionary things or original magic, etc., can enter.

It is a place where the creators who have developed almost everything that exists today live.

Such as magic, elixirs, weapons, and relics, among thousands of other things over the millennia.

"For the next class, I will put you to the test."

"That’s a good idea. If they pass the test, then she’ll take them on as her assistants."

Professor Ashly nodded.

The reason she hadn’t spoken to those two cadets about the exam in the last few days, but rather in the last class of the week, was simple.

She was creating a plan of objectives and a magic verse for those two cadets.

That’s why she was delayed, and she was eager for the next class to arrive so she could introduce the topic she wanted to use as a test.

***

As expected, Professor Ashly’s question was related to the exam.

She looked at Lumina and then at me. After that, as if to hide it, she looked at the other cadets.

’So she’s testing us.’

The professor’s actions were easily spotted by me and, probably, by Lumina as well.

She’s been through this several times.

Anyway, seeing that Professor Ashly was testing us, there was probably a reason for it.

’In the game, a player who was a magician was chosen as his assistant, but since I’m not a magician, the choice of his assistant will probably be based on the answer given to the theory exam on the first day.’

That was definitely the case. Knowing this, I could take advantage of it.

There’s a small event where Professor Ashly takes you on as her assistant; as her assistant, you get great benefits.

The most coveted item among players is an elixir that increases mana and other stats by 25%.

It’s a significant boost to stats, since increasing them all is very difficult.

’Adel has enough talent to increase her stats fairly quickly, and with some training, she can reach that 25% in less than a month.’

If we combine the elixir, that would be 50%, which would bring us halfway to four stars.

Since she’s testing me, I should naturally answer her question, shouldn’t I?

I immediately raised my hand to get the professor’s attention.

"Yes, Cadet Adel."

"I can answer the question, Professor Ashly."

She nodded with a smile.

"Of course."

"Reducing from three verses to two is very different from reducing from two to one."

That’s why all the magicians and scholars who try to reduce magic to a single verse fail.

That’s because they’re going about it the wrong way and not changing their perspective.

If, when transitioning from three to two verses, you try to modify the structure so that only two remain, and you choose the wrong words, the magic won’t work.

Then, reducing the spell from two verses to one follows a similar pattern, but at the same time, it is different.

"To condense the spell into a single verse, you have to shift your perspective. Of course, the process follows a similar approach to reducing it from three verses to two, but with one key difference."

When I began my explanation, a dozen eyes immediately turned to me.

Ignoring their stares, I looked straight at the professor and continued.

"The way to reduce the spell to a single verse is as follows."

This was a one-verse spell that Professor Ashly had already performed in the future; a three-star spell modified from two verses to one.

"I wish for the blood to grant me its mercy."

"Fall of the Bloody Judgment."

Of course, magic didn’t appear because I’m not a wizard.

However, Professor Ashly was a wizard and possessed the attribute of blood.

She repeated exactly what I said, and the magic of a three-star, one-verse spell appeared.

A kind of lance, held by invisible hands, emerged from the classroom ceiling and descended to the floor.

Before the lance could fall like a judgment, it disappeared, and the silence in the classroom was a sign of shock.

"Ha, I knew it."

I heard Professor Ashly’s murmur as clearly as if she had whispered it in my ear.

In any case, I continued with my explanation.

"The criteria for using one-verse magic are as follows."

I raised a finger.

"Everything is contained within the three verses of a spell. For example, ’Bloody Judgment’ is a three-star spell with three verses. However, I used the term ’Desire,’ which represents a direct request to the magic, as if you were demanding that it be fulfilled. Then, the word ’clemency’ acts as the means that allows that desire to become reality, in addition to reflecting the nature of the magic being used."

"Fall of Bloody Judgment, as its name indicates, is a judgment."

"If, when casting the magic, you introduce the idea of clemency alongside a genuine desire, then you are altering the original intent of the judgment."

"That’s why it works. It’s just an example, though."

"There are two criteria."

"Second, regardless of the magic being used, the last word must be related to the meaning of the magic’s name."

Of course, the magic of a single verse is easy to understand.

The problem is not the concept itself, but the way it is explained, as it can become confusing due to the use of terms that are not usually taken into account.

But that’s why magic of a single verse has never existed.

’Of course, there is also the way to cut the verse, but for the magic of a verse it is very difficult.’

In the end, a one-verse spell is already short enough to be cast almost instantly.

Applause! Applause!

Professor Ashly applauded with a radiant smile.

"Congratulations to Cadet Adel for answering a question that wizards from all over the world have been asking for centuries."

And with that, the class ended; however, I didn’t give Lumina a chance to say her part.

However, since she was coming in with the player as Professor Ashly’s assistant, there was no problem. Besides, that means that every time I go with Professor Ashly, Lumina will be by my side, following her instructions.

’What matters are the things you gain from being Professor Ashly’s assistant; that’s what really counts.’

Before the professor left, she said:

"Oh, and Cadets Lumina and Adel, I’ll see you in my office this weekend."

With that, Professor Ashly left the classroom in silence.

Leaning back in my seat, I let out a long sigh.

At the same time, Rinna’s voice made me turn to look at her.

"H-hey, Adel, how... how did you figure that out? It’s a question that’s been asked since the creation of two-verse magic, and you answered it as if it were nothing..."

Maybe I shouldn’t have added curiosity to Rinna’s configuration.

Tilting my head, I said:

"Well, it’s not my fault that no one used their head to change their perspective and see how easy it was to create magic from a verse."

"..."

Rinna pouted and muttered:

"I feel like you’re saying that to me, too."

’Oh, so you guessed it.’

Laughing to myself, I couldn’t help but look at her for a few seconds before turning my gaze to the rest of the cadets.

They had various emotions; the most notable were shock and disbelief.

However, the negative emotions persisted.

’These idiots, no matter how big the difference is, will never admit their mistakes.’

Shaking my head, the next class soon began.

Naturally, Rinna wouldn’t stop asking me questions, even during the break.

Finally, the weekend arrived, one day before the start of Chapter One of Holy Land.