I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

34

After adjusting my attire, fixing my tie, tying a white apron, putting on gloves, I turned around.

There is one flaw in this exam.

Instead of ‘Magradi’s Grass,’ which is the key ingredient of ‘Magradi’s Tears,’ the herb has a drawback of lowering the quality of the potion and fixing it as inferior.

That’s why the high-grade ‘Tears of Magradi’ are sold at a high price.

First, water was put in the cauldron, followed by a jumble of other herbs.

Just like in the childhood game of maple leaf, whether you drink three red potions or one orange potion, the HP recovers by 150.

Among the thousands of potion recipes in my head, I found a way to replace ‘Magradi’s Grass’ while achieving even higher effects.

The reason why Magradi’s Grass is rare in the original work is one.

Because the herb itself consumes an enormous amount of magic around it.

So…

‘If you pour a massive amount of low-grade herbs to infuse the same amount of magic as Magradi’s Grass, it should work.’

It might sound absurd in reality.

Based on my experience so far, this world has always faithfully followed the original content, no matter how twisted it became.

‘Then, let’s give it a try.’

Boiling for 2 minutes will turn the contents purple.

This is the first step.

At this stage, the stench is strong, but unavoidable.

Once the contents in the cauldron transform like Ebnis’s homemade cuisine, switch to a high flame, add the pre-cut heap of herbs, and let it boil.

Then.

“Ugh!”

“What’s that smell!”

“That villain… Is he finally trying to kill us all with biochemical weapons!”

The stench worsens to the level of food waste left for a month.

I slowly lowered the contents in the cauldron with an expressionless face.

“Hmm.”

I added the remaining herbs, precisely one more cup of water, and waited for 5 minutes.

Now, the purple liquid will gradually darken, and the scent will change slightly.

“Done.”

Once everything is boiled, transfer only ‘half’ of the liquid from the cauldron to a glass bottle, seal it…

[Success in manufacturing intermediate ‘Tears of Magradi’!]

[Success in manufacturing ‘Tears of Magradi’ with a new recipe without ‘Magradi’s Grass’! You can name the recipe…]

“Hmm.”

Intermediate won’t do.

I opened the lid again, added a bit more liquid to the glass bottle, and closed it.

I know.

This world is undoubtedly real.

But if the system I’m seeing, ‘I’, has brought the game system of the Salenium Saga as it is, then it’s not impossible.

[Success in manufacturing ‘Tears of Magradi’…]

Swiftly pouring ‘half’ of the potion, closing the lid, and repeating the process rapidly.

[Manufacturing ‘Tears of Magradi’…]

[‘Tears of Magradi’…]

[‘Magradi’…]

[‘Ma…’]

The system window continued to announce success.

Yes.

This is it.

Just by closing and then removing the stopper, the ‘real-world action’ was perceived differently in the ‘system’.

[Success, success, success, success, success……]

Close, insert.

It was after repeating this process about six times.

Fizz!

The moment the stopper was inserted, a golden lightning effect exploded next to the system window, and sentences swiftly appeared.

[Great success!]

[You have successfully crafted the highest-grade ‘Tears of Magradi’!]

[Due to great success, your grade has been elevated by one level!]

[‘Tears of Magradi’ now come with all beneficial additional effects!]

[You have succeeded in crafting ‘Tears of Magradi’ with an unknown new recipe. You can name the recipe!]

“Hmm.”

A name, huh.

Since the ‘Tears of Magradi’ I created achieved ‘great success,’ it would have various additional effects from simple fatigue recovery to bonus health regeneration, increased mana recovery speed, and more.

A recipe name.

‘Tears of Magradi’ is a black potion.

Users have given it a nickname based on this.

“Double Ginseng Broth.”

So, I submitted the Double Ginseng Broth to the professor and received a perfect score.

Come to think of it……

“I believe there was an issue with Magradi’s Herb Potion, where the cauldron would explode if ‘too much was put in’ during the brewing process.”

As he muttered those words.

Boom!

A strong explosion occurred on the diagonal table, and an unknown male student was sent flying to the far side of the classroom, crashing into the wall.

That guy is the culprit.

Tsk.

He’s definitely failed without even looking at his score.

That’s why one should live a good life.

* * *

The exams continued thereafter.

As for the General Imperial History exam, it was all content we already knew.

Since the Herbology scores were given on the spot, we could say that both subjects were confirmed to be perfect scores.

Lunchtime.

Perhaps due to Salenium Saga being a Korean game, the lunch break after the morning exams in the Department of Magic presented an authentic scene that would bring back memories for those who had spent their school days.

It’s quite… a familiar sight.

Some gathered not to eat in the cafeteria but to compare test papers, discussing if you got a question wrong, I got it right, we both got it wrong, but I got it right, or this one has multiple correct answers, alongside friends planning trips during the vacation after exams.

“Hmm.”

Even if it’s a prestigious academy, a school is still a school, isn’t it?

At times like this, rather than elites from somewhere, everyone seems like kids my age.

In truth, since there wasn’t much else to see in the School of Magic at this hour, I made my way to the Knight Department where the midterms and public duels were unfolding.

They probably just started by now.

And then.

“Oh.”

At the newly arrived first duel stage, I could see it.

“Please take care of me.”

“Please take care of me.”

A boy inserting his longsword into the duel stage and bowing his head.

And on the opposite side, a girl elegantly performing noble etiquette.

Yes.

What’s happening now is the first and second rank of the Knight Department.

Ebenice and Eran.

A duel risking each other’s prestige.

“Prepare!”

Following the referee’s command at the center, the two freshmen stepped back to the end of the stage and raised their weapons.

Ebenice’s heroine route was already destroyed.

In the original event, Ebenice must always lose to Eran.

This result never changed even after playing the original dozens or hundreds of times.

But what will happen this time?

The moment I sat down with a strange feeling, waiting.

“Begin!”

The match started.

“【Heroic Sword: Truth】!”

“【Holy Sword: Swiftness】!”

The first move belongs to Ebenice.

She immediately transformed her holy sword into a spear shape and hurled it toward Eran.

Clang!

Eran’s pupils reddened as he parried the attack with his longsword, his face turning pale.

A sight often seen in the original, Eran awakening.

Thwack!

Pushing off the ground, Eran rapidly accelerated.

Then smoothly swinging his sword.

The black longsword, cutting through the air, aimed at Ebenice’s shoulder.

Ebenice stepped back, transforming the shape of her holy sword.

“【Holy Sword: Resolve】!”

A wide shield of light unfolded in front of her.

Crack!

Ebnis effortlessly blocked the Hero Sword.

“【Holy Sword: Destruction】!”

Throwing his shield upwards, he leaped, conjuring a large battle axe of light in mid-air, bringing it down forcefully.

“Yaaah!”

The air resisting the axe crumpled and soon tore apart.

“Ho.”

That was the strength bestowed by the heavens.

The massive axe, imbued with a power akin to that of a War God, descended and fell above Erhan’s head.

However.

“That over there is the protagonist of this world.”

As if to prove a point.

“【Hero Sword】!”

Erhan deflected the attack by supporting it with his hand beneath the blade.

Advancing, he swung the sword, narrowly grazing Ebnis’s side.

A few strands of golden hair floated in the air.

“Ha, excellent, splendid.”

“….”

“It’s even more enjoyable when you can dare to retaliate against me!”

The strength from the heavens rendered her opponent helpless.

Yet here, she encountered a foe who could confront her with audacity.

How delightful.

“【Holy Sword: Execution】!”

Ebnis’s sharp sword strike transformed into a blade form.

The longsword-shaped sword was much faster and more precise than Erhan’s greatsword.

In reality, Erhan was now being pushed back helplessly.

However.

“…Excessive enjoyment leads to carelessness.”

It was the same in the original.

At that moment.

“I am!”

With a grand swing of his greatsword, Erhan deflected all attacks, then kicked the ground and charged towards Ebnis.

Ebnis’s stance faltered.

“I can’t give up!”

What will you do, Ebnis?

I, amidst the crowd, raised my arms and looked at the arena.

His face was flushed red.

“Ha! Of course, that’s how it should be! Come on!”

Shouting so, he laughed, holding “Execution” and charged forward.

Well.

It’s over.

I have nothing to say in particular.

Even if I lose here, the story will continue as per the original.

I just thought I could play around with that guy to my heart’s content… At that moment, I thought.

“No way.”

With those words.

Ebvnis, as Erhan’s greatsword touched his own ‘execution,’ he ‘dropped’ the holy sword from his hand.

“Hmm.”

Erhan’s bewildered expression is clearly visible from this side as well.

Passing by him lightly, Ebvnis drew his sword from his waist, imbued it with a bright light, and raised it up.

Clang!

Erhan tried hard to retrieve the sword stuck in the ground, but it wouldn’t budge.

On the contrary, Ebvnis can launch an attack.

“Do you know that? Chasek?”

“Yes?”

“It’s not enough to just enjoy it because it’s fun. If I do that, I won’t be able to fulfill my duty. I have a reason to win. I vowed to deliver a blow to ‘that person’s’ shameless face.”

“Yes? That, I, that, that…”

“Even though you investigated me in your own way and took thorough precautions, it’s a pity. It was a short but enjoyable duel.”

With the light of the sword blazing, Erhan, whose eyes were spinning, fell down.

“Ouch! Ah! The winner is! Ebvnis Rothschild de Lepelheit Sophujak! This makes it 2 wins out of 2 battles! The top freshman continuing the momentum of victory!”

Turning around, he quietly basked in the cheers of the crowd, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Well.

In the end, did he succeed?

I knew he wasn’t the type to fall on his own.

Turning away, I walked towards the exit, blending into the crowd.

The gazes shot from the arena felt like they hit the back of my head.

Well, that’s none of my concern.

* * *

In the midterm duel event where he would have been forced to lose again, Ebvnis succeeded in overturning his fate.

After watching that, I left.

I wasn’t close enough with him to go congratulate him just because he won.

After watching the duel and having lunch, it was already afternoon, and I headed to the Magic Department classroom for the next exam.

And…

“Adrian, how was the exam? By the way, I was perfect.”

Reina, who was sitting next to me, started a conversation.

“I’m okay too. I got a perfect score in Herbology and General Imperial History.”

“Yes, yes? What, what did you say…?”

Reina looked up at me with a truly shocked expression.

“Adrian? Oh, you don’t have to lie… I…”

“If you can’t believe it, go see the professor in charge. Besides, now is not the time to worry about such things.”

“That’s… right.”

Reyna didn’t respond and looked ahead.

The exam for the “Elemental Theory and Application” lecture was simple.

In front of the classroom, a long table was set up, with two students at each end, raising their wands to engage in a magic duel.

“Alright, is everyone here? Pay attention.”

Professor Walnut, in a green robe, yawned loudly before speaking.

“The method is simple. We’ll draw lots… meaning my assistant will draw a name from the box he’s holding. The person picked first calls out the person behind them, and they both step forward to engage in a magic duel using only intermediate and basic spells. That’s it, the end.”

Next to Professor Walnut, Melwood Elion stared at the students with sharp eyes.

Even though it hadn’t been long since he last saw them, shadows filled his eyes.

“Now, about the grading. My assistant will evaluate your duels based on form, elemental advantages, tactics, strategies, and the outcome of the battle. Results will be out in 3 days, so be prepared.”

Someone raised their hand.

“Keep your questions brief, within 3 lines.”

“Professor, then what will you be doing? It seems like your assistant is doing everything.”

“Me?”

Professor Walnut raised a book from his lap, showed it, then went to a corner of the classroom, crossed his legs, and opened the book.

A truly dignified pose.

“From now on, my assistant will take care of everything regarding this exam, so make sure you know that and don’t disturb me. Anyone who disturbs will get an F.”

“…hahahaha. Seriously, how did Professor Walnut even become a professor?”

“Even though he seems like that, he’s really good at giving lectures.”

In the original game as well, Professor Walnut’s lectures were essential with things like critical hit rate increase, basic magic damage increase, etc.

Now that it was implemented in reality, Walnut became a professor who was incredibly lazy but exceptionally good at teaching.

“Alright, then… let’s pick Adrian first.”

From now on, it’s a development not found in the original.

I wonder who will be matched up.

I stepped forward and put my hand into the paper box Melwood was holding.

I drew.

“Call out the name written on the note and step forward.”

And the moment I opened the note.

My expression stiffened.

“Reyna.”

As I unfolded the note, Reyna’s face also turned pale.

“Pon, Wolfgang.”

Hmm.

Is this correct?