How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magic Family (47)

“You’re only taking the general magic examination, correct?”

“Yes.”

I arrived in Bavaria once again in Nicolaus’s appearance and moved to the Royal Magic Association examination site to officially receive my magic license.

It’s best to modify everything related to the core that goes on official documents to match the timing when the school will act foolishly, so I need to handle this quickly without delay.

“Your Highness…”

“That’s not me.”

Leo, who was standing beside me, waved his hand slightly.

The employee smiled, nodded, and spoke to me.

“Then, Count Nicolaus, you can go up to Examination Room 1 on the upper floor right now.”

“How long does the examination take?”

“There are five sections, each taking about 1 to 5 minutes. Including the time to compile everything, you should think of it as within 40 minutes total. Ah, for Count Nicolaus, it might take twice as long.”

Twice as long?

Anyway… the school only does a simplified core examination, but here they measure values to put on identification, so there are many examination items.

“What sections are there?”

“First you’ll receive a core examination, then purity, intensity, and total amount of mana. You need to be examined for these three things. Finally, we’ll test if there are any blockages in the implementation process by having you cast magic once at maximum output.”

It’s no different from what I researched beforehand.

I gave a simple greeting and went upstairs to open the examination room door.

The examination room was completely empty without a single person.

I removed all my artifacts and placed them in the storage compartment, then stood in front of the red tape marked on the floor.

A single instruction board was placed in front of it.

‘Place your frequently used hand.’

It was written that it comprehensively evaluates various factors like the core’s hardness, capacity, and stability.

Since I’m doing this anyway, I hope I get at least 8 points out of a perfect 10.

‘Where did your conscience go.’

It’s a bit much to expect an 8-point increase just from training someone who had 0 points for about two months.

Anyway, below that it was written that the skin might tingle when the test mana flows.

It’s a very… reluctant comment that makes me not want to raise my hand.

But since there’s no need to delay what I have to do anyway, I immediately raised my hand.

Crack―!

“Ugh!”

Without realizing it, I pulled my arm away and stepped back.

It felt like a blood collection needle had flowed through my blood vessels to my heart and stabbed deep.

‘The person who wrote this doesn’t know the definition of tingling.’

More than that, since I pulled away in the middle, do I have to do it again?

I don’t want to raise it again… let me take a look first.

Beep―

The moment I tried to see if anything had changed, along with a notification sound, red letters glowed from above the instruction board.

Below the self-evaluation score, a percentage was displayed.

Core rating top 1%

“…1%?”

I couldn’t believe what I saw, so I closed my eyes for a while and opened them again, but nothing had changed.

It really was 1%.

‘No matter how many factors were combined… a core that’s been soaked in poison for more than half a lifetime couldn’t be that good.’

The examination has ended. Please move to Examination Room 2.

As soon as the message appeared, I left Examination Room 1 and moved next door.

And…

I took the grade sheet printed from the last room and went back to where the employee was.

“Everything is within the top 1%. What’s going on?”

“That level is natural for Count Nicolaus, so what do you mean what’s going on…”

Leo muttered from behind.

The employee also nodded at those words.

“It’s probably because this is an adjusted examination. Those who score within the top 1% in each category need to move to a special examination for new measurements.”

“There’s another examination.”

“Yes. It’s a method that was added not long ago, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know.”

If it’s within the top 1%, it moves to a special examination?

Then for now, I’ve just passed the general level.

‘It’s a bit surprising… I guess I judged my condition too low.’

Looking at status windows, there are quite a lot of people with mana stats between 0 and 1.

While society doesn’t necessarily call them mages, strictly speaking, they are mages.

In a situation where basic core qualities are included in the score, they make up about 78% of the mage population, so converting to units of 100, 78 out of 100 people I surpassed can be considered such individuals.

Even though my stamina score isn’t high, that factor probably contributed to my core rating being in the top 1%.

And from now on, it means I’m competing with others like me who beat 99 out of 100 people.

I don’t know what level I’ll be positioned at among these people.

I stroked my chin while having these various thoughts.

‘But I have to take that examination again.’

I felt my pulse strangely quickening as I went back up to Examination Room 1 on the upper floor.

Looking down at the instruction board telling me to raise my hand, I cleared my thoughts and hit the instruction board with my right hand. I just wanted to finish quickly.

Bang― Crack―!

“Phew…”

Fortunately, this time I knew what intensity would hit me, so I could handle it smoothly.

Beep―

Core rating top 40%

‘Hmm.’

When competing among the top 1%, my core is positioned slightly above average.

‘That’s decent.’

Luca’s core was 9th grade.

In just two months, I surpassed about 100 ordinary mages, and then among the top 1% of mages who passed that way, I beat about 60 out of 100.

Honestly, I thought it would come out lower, but seeing it come out above average, the innate characteristics of the core must have been good enough to suppress the degree of damage.

The examination has ended. Please move to Examination Room 2.

When I went outside and told Leo my percentage, Leo clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.

“Your core is definitely not good. Let’s get some treatment from Wittelsbach later.”

“…”

I almost asked why he was using formal speech even here, but I just closed my mouth.

When moving around as Nicolaus, it’s necessary to maintain courtesy just in case.

I nodded to Leo and asked.

“What percentage are you?”

“…What kind of speech pattern is this… Anyway, when I first measured after it was introduced, it was 1%.”

“In the special examination.”

“Of course.”

“…”

I just silently moved to the next room.

I understand how he climbed to this level despite not having great magical talent. With his core supporting him, he could somehow rise through effort. No matter how much magic potion he poured in, it wouldn’t create much burden.

‘This examination is for mana purity.’

I know because I went through it earlier.

Fortunately, this examination wasn’t a method where I get attacked by a machine, but I just needed to flow mana into holy water.

I briefly flowed mana into the water that had traces of divine energy.

Beep―

Top 0%

‘Hmm.’

According to the guidance text I saw earlier, it said the values were rounded.

Anyway, it was 0% in the general examination, and it’s 0% here too.

I had guessed it when I could use divine power freely, but seeing it with my own eyes makes me even more pleased.

After that, in terms of magical power intensity and total amount, I scored the same top 4% and top 1%.

“I’ve been watching since you were warping five or six times a day, but total amount in the top 1% on this test? This is really possible.”

Leo let out a hollow laugh.

Warp magic consumes too much magical power, so by our school’s student standards, once or twice a day is the maximum.

But… for someone who talks like that, Leo has never struggled with warping.

“What’s your total amount that makes you say… that.”

“Was it top 13% or 11%…? I thought it wasn’t on the low side, but I guess I don’t know.”

If school friends heard this, they’d want to hit him.

That means 89 out of the top 1% of 100 people are standing behind him, but it’s not on the ‘low side’? It’s just not low, period.

‘Anyway.’

Core is top 40%, magical power is top 4% at worst.

When the gap between core and magical power is this large, it’s hard to demonstrate abilities as they are, and the core gets continuously damaged.

Even though I’m steadily drinking enhancement potions and training, I’m still at this level, so it might be good to try other methods now.

‘I really need to get treatment at Wittelsbach or do something.’

Another problem is…

If Hyung finds out that strangely only my core score is poor, there’s a high possibility he’ll become suspicious.

I cast a sound-blocking spell and spoke.

“Leo, do you know who can access examination results here?”

“What, you usually speak formally fine, but now you can’t use formal speech?”

“Yeah.”

Usually there’s a clear feeling that this is a workplace.

That guy is a student and politician, and has been in a position where he had to use formal speech even with his parents since childhood, so he wouldn’t think much of it, but I’m different.

Of course, since you never know who might be listening where, I do need to cast a sound-blocking spell.

Leo readily accepted my maladjustment and nodded.

“That’s understandable. The only person who can see your information is the person who guided us earlier. That person is the overall supervisor here.”

“Really? Thanks for letting me know.”

“Are you worried Hyung might check?”

“That’s right. He’s definitely the type to do that.”

“Don’t worry. Since this place was established until now, there’s never been a single leak. And there are more people than you’d think who only have bad cores.”

“Hmm, I see…”

There really are quite a few people who only have bad cores.

Cases where the contents are good but the vessel is bad. It’s something you’re born with, so it can’t be helped.

Anyway, this is the last one now.

I entered the examination room at the end of the hallway.

* * *

The percentage for the last item, magic demonstration, was top 10%.

It’s not a number I’m particularly pleased with, but considering my core’s poor condition, it’s a score that came out not badly.

While waiting on the first floor, an employee called us.

“Everything including the comprehensive evaluation is finished. The result sheet we’re giving you now includes calculations with weightings.”

Grade 4, three Grade 1s, Grade 2.

The average value calculated including weightings is 92.2.

“You are final Grade 2.”

“You mean Grade 2 within the top 1%?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

This is much better than I expected.

If I fully recover my core, it should improve even more from here.

The employee held out two palm-sized identification certificates.

Unusually, one was printed on bright blue paper.

“You’ll probably use the standard mage certificate normally. This blue certificate here will mainly be requested by institutions in special situations.”

I looked down at the certificates silently.

‘Magic Standard Grade 1, Magic Special Grade 2.’

I was already living well without proof, but this filled the gaps in documentation.

This was clearly an examination testing talent.

Of course, recovering my core up to this point was in the realm of effort, but if Hyung hadn’t ruined it, I should have been at a level exceeding the present, so it’s fine to exclude that.

This kind of proof would be a result Luca could never see in his lifetime, and I’m curious what he’d think if he saw this directly.

“Let’s go, sir.”

Hearing Leo call me from behind, I gathered the certificates and left.

* * *

The next day, school brought up the core examination topic like a ghost.

They said not to talk about it until the day after tomorrow, but they really seemed to plan on announcing going to the restricted area tomorrow, that is, the day after tomorrow.

‘They’re scheduling things so freely just because there’s a dormitory…’

By the way, since I drank two and a half bottles of medicine to kill my core, I’m just getting sleepy.

Enhancement potions are basically the same components, so if I drink that here, it would only have reverse effects.

But if I really sleep, I might never open my eyes again. I need to stay awake as much as possible.

Anyway, the results were successful.

I checked the chart the school distributed.

Core grade top 97%

Magic Standard — Core Grade 9

‘Grade 9 in standard, isn’t that too different from Nicolaus?’

Everything else was also Grade 9, so Luca’s ID perfectly says [Magic Standard Grade 9].

Still, Grade 9 in a total 9-grade system is perfect for deceiving Hyung.

Be very relieved that it turned out this way.

Then Narke, who warped to the meeting place, hit my back loudly and cast purification magic.

“What’s got you laughing alone?”

“I got the grade I wanted.”

“Haha, you’re probably the only person who wants Grade 9. Of course I know Grade 9 is better for you… but it’s still fascinating.”

“That’s understandable. Thanks for the purification.”

Thanks to that, my heavy body is gradually getting lighter. The drowsiness has also lifted a layer.

Let me check my survival chances around now.

Dawn777

—Until final ending ‘Chapter X. Death’ 702 days 23 hours 31 minutes 58 seconds

—Possibility of change: 15.4% (+1.0%p)

‘15.4?’

I couldn’t close my mouth at that number and let out a hollow breath.

Two weeks ago, from what I remember checking last, it was 7.9%.

‘That means it went up 7.5%p in that time.’

In two weeks, it rose by the amount I had accumulated over two months.

And this time, by getting Grade 9 and clearly disrupting the information going to Hyung, it went up 1%p.

Even excluding that 1%p, it’s 6.5%p, so I can clearly see Nicolaus’s impact on survival.

Narke nodded at my words.

“Come to think of it, there was something the kids told me. They said Lucas, your grade has been famous since last year? Even the Knight’s Department has an average core of Grade 3, but there’s a Grade 9 in the Department of Magic.”

“…That’s brutally to the point.”

I heard all sorts of things today too.

Starting with ‘How did he even get here’ to ‘What’s he trying to do with 97% on the standard test’, ‘That guy really needs to at least be good at studying’, and so on.

Of course, it wasn’t said to my face, but I heard it all.

‘Actually, those guys aren’t in a position to worry about others.’

Most students in the Department of Magic were positioned around the top 5% of the standard examination.

It’s high within the overall mage pool, but even so, he doesn’t have the qualifications to move to special examination.

Well… it’s not my concern. Let him worry plenty.

“Haha, still, it’s a good thing situation-wise~ After all, this grade was a result you guided. More than that…”

Narke fell into thought for a moment, then continued with a smile.

“How does it feel to get a 9th grade on the standard exam while being Special 2nd grade? I’m really curious about this more than anything else?”

“…”

When did I ever tell him that? Of course I never did.

Narke’s words just made me let out a hollow laugh.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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