In fact, this pre-class exam was not arranged by Dak.
It was the result of a collective discussion among all the teachers of the academy.
The 'Ice' attribute magic, as the sixth magical attribute to appear in the world, was a completely new magical system.
Regardless of its practicality in combat, during times like these, countless mages would flock to learn it like moths to a flame, all striving to be the first batch of Ice attribute mages.
Especially for these young children in the academy.
If others couldn't use 'Ice' magic, but I could, wouldn't that make me quite powerful and prestigious?
However, according to Dak's explanation,
Ice attribute magic, being a new attribute formed by the fusion of two different magic attributes, was incredibly difficult to learn. To even take the first step on the path of Ice attribute magic, one must have mastery over both Wind and Water magic.
But how many students in Tristain Academy of Magic met that requirement?
Were there even thirty of them?
No.
But the number of people attending the class would definitely exceed thirty.
Because everyone would want to give it a try, some even with the mindset of stubbornly banging their heads against the wall until they succeed.
Once such incidents occurred,
The disruption of the students' learning progress would be minor, but provoking the wrath of the Tristain nobles would be serious. After all, the academy's income depended on the investments from the kingdom's nobles.
Therefore, with Dak's approval, it was decided to set a threshold.
The threshold was this pre-class exam.
The exam paper was jointly prepared by the Wind Magic instructor and the Water Magic instructor, with each type of question worth 50 points.
Only those who scored at least 30 points on each type of question would be considered qualified.
In other words,
If someone scored a perfect 50 points on Wind magic but only 10 points on Water magic, the total of 60 points would still be considered a failure.
The proctor for this exam was Dak.
Since weekends were days off for other teachers, Dak didn't want to delay their time due to this exam.
Moreover, Dak intended to use this opportunity to familiarize himself with the students and observe how they answered the questions, so he volunteered to be the proctor.
...
July 16th, Friday, 8:00 PM.
In the second-floor lecture hall of the second-year building, a total of 112 examinees were present.
This meant that a third of the entire student body had shown up. However, many of them were probably just trying their luck, with only a few genuinely having the required level of proficiency.
The students sat upright in their seats, all sorts of expressions on their faces as they stared at Dak.
Dak didn't greet the students with much fanfare and simply handed out the test papers.
The exam duration was 60 minutes.
During this period, some students kept glancing around, but Dak pretended not to notice. Only when their behavior crossed the line and could be classified as 'cheating' did he pull them out of the classroom.
With these examples made, the rest of the exam went without incident.
Some students, after just a glance at the questions on the test paper, simply gave up. They flipped their sheets over and, after giving Dak a polite goodbye, left the classroom.
During the exam, Dak walked around the classroom, glancing at the students' answers.
As he expected, the two academic stars, Tabitha and Louise, performed exceptionally well, both scoring perfect scores of 100.
Other students struggled with the questions, but in the end, there were still a few who managed to pass.
By the time the test papers were handed in, Dak had already made his estimates.
The number of students who passed was roughly fifteen. Out of the second-year students, only four qualified, including Tabitha and Louise. The remaining eleven were all third-year graduates.
The students received their exam results the next morning.
Although those who failed were somewhat discouraged, they weren't about to let it ruin their weekend. So, they decided to leave those feelings of frustration until Monday and ran outside the school grounds with excitement, ready to enjoy their freedom.
Especially some of the male students, who seemed unable to wait any longer.
Given the societal context of this world, establishments like brothels did exist. For teenage boys, if they lacked strong self-control, it would be difficult for them to resist the allure of such places.
Although brothels were technically shady businesses, if they were run by nobles, then everything was seen as acceptable.
...
July 18th, Sunday, 8:00 AM.
Today was Dak's first class, and he had already planned how to conduct his lecture.
Instead of diving straight into theories, he decided to start with a 'miraculous display.'
He wanted the students to clearly understand what Ice attribute magic was, what kind of effects it could produce, and then decide for themselves whether or not to continue learning it. That way, they wouldn't waste their time.
At the same time, it was to prove his own skills, so the students would have confidence in his abilities and cause less trouble.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Dak, and I will be your teacher for the foreseeable future."
As Dak entered the classroom, he saw that all fifteen students were seated without exception.
Out of the fifteen students, ten were girls. Sure enough, girls had more patience when it came to studying tedious magical theories.
"Good morning, Teacher!"
The students all stood up and bowed in unison. Without needing a class representative to lead them, it was evident this habit had already been ingrained.
"Good morning. For today's first lesson, I will help you understand the effects and basic concepts of Ice attribute magic. However, since demonstrating it indoors would be inconvenient, follow me to the courtyard."
Dak smiled and nodded slightly, while also discreetly glancing at Louise.
She was staring at him with a suspicious look, clearly not trusting his abilities or skills.
However, the other students were well-behaved and very polite. Basic noble etiquette had already become second nature to them.
...
Westley Plaza.
If it were the first class of the morning from Monday to Friday, this plaza would undoubtedly be empty.
But today was Sunday.
Although most students had already left school to have fun, a few remained for various reasons and stayed within the academy.
Some of the lucky ones who had the habit of exercising in the plaza in the morning noticed what was happening and their faces lit up with excitement.
"Teacher, can we watch from the side?"
Some of the bolder kids took the initiative to step forward and ask.
"Of course."
Dak responded with a gentle smile.
In reality, he had no way of refusing.
Although attending this lesson had prerequisites, this was a public place. He had no authority to ask others to leave, and it wasn't like he was about to perform some sort of dance in the plaza.
These kids could have just watched from the side without asking, but they came to ask out of basic politeness and respect.
This left Dak feeling quite comfortable.
A few students exchanged pleased glances and then stood aside, waiting quietly.
Seeing this, other students who had been secretly watching from a distance also mustered their courage and walked over. When they saw that Dak had no objections, they finally relaxed and even felt much better about this new teacher.
"If you have nothing better to do, you're welcome to come and watch as well."
Dak's words were directed at a few girls dressed in maid outfits standing in the corner.
They were around the same age as the academy students but were of commoner origin, so they could only serve as maids attending to the noble students.
Dak recognized one of them. She was Siesta, one of the original protagonist Saito Hiraga's harem members and Louise's most despised romantic rival.
Siesta's nature was kind and gentle, but when it came to matters related to romance, she displayed a level of enthusiasm and even aggressiveness that was absent from her usual demeanor.
The reason Louise considered her a rival was that Siesta's hidden figure could rival Kirche's, and she had a traditional Japanese appearance that made Saito Hiraga feel a sense of closeness.
"No, thank you."
The maids were both flattered and surprised by Dak's invitation.
However, they didn't dare to actually stand alongside the noble students for fear of being disliked and consequently bullied, so they hurriedly left.
But their worries were purely overthinking.
Nobles indeed might show disdain or look down upon commoners.
However, for these simple-minded students in the academy, it wasn't true hatred or disgust toward the commoners. Rather, they merely followed these customs to maintain their sense of uniqueness and nobility.
It was an 'old tradition' passed down through noble families over generations, and these students were blindly mimicking the behavior of their elders.
As for oppressing innocent commoners, not even their parents would stoop to such behavior.
It was considered extremely disgraceful for nobles to bully commoners, as it would be seen as incompetence and an inability to find a better sense of self-worth. Such nobles would be ridiculed as trash by others of their kind.
Although Siesta had wanted to stay and watch, her friends pulled her away.
"Well then, first, let everyone take a look at the effects of Ice attribute magic."
Seeing the maids leave, Dak didn't say anything more and continued with his lesson.
Today, Dak was dressed quite differently from before. He wore a white cloak and held a teaching wand in his hand.
The so-called wand was just a small stick resembling a chopstick. It had no special effect on using magic. In fact, it could even reduce the lethality of spells due to its narrow mana flow.
Such a wand was useless for combat, but as a teaching tool, it was excellent.
Dak turned around, twirling the little stick in the air before him while mumbling the magic incantation he had just learned over the past few days.
This was a basic general magic spell, whose effect was merely to release one's magical energy outward.
In the next moment, a stream of icy-blue magical energy shot out and struck the ground in front of him.
Under the students' watchful eyes, the ground quickly froze over, turning into an ice-covered surface.
(End of Chapter)
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