Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 213
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Summoning Genius of the Necromancer Academy: Chapter 213
“P-Professor Bahil……!”
Recon dropped to his knees before Bahil, his faculty advisor. His hands trembling, he clutched at his chest as he spoke.
“You… you remember me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, Recon.”
A gentle smile crossed Bahil’s lips.
“I heard your voice from a distance and recognized you at once.”
Recon’s face brightened with hope.
“P-please! There must be some mistake about Kizen expelling me! If you would just speak on my behalf……!”
“Ah, actually, the reason I came here was.”
Bahil’s smile vanished.
“To say goodbye.”
“…… What?”
Bahil adjusted his hat brim with a sweep of his hand.
“You’re a reasonably competent student. Had this not been the Integrated Second Semester, had it been a normal curriculum, you might have lasted quite a while longer. Perhaps you’d even have made it to second year.”
“T-that’s right! I still have—”
“But crucially.”
A hollow tone crept into Bahil’s voice.
“A Necromancer who cannot fight Priests has no place at Kizen.”
At those words, Recon’s face went rigid.
“We are fortunate to have weeded you out here. A unit led by someone who, no matter how skilled in peacetime, wets himself at the mere sight of Holiness—such a unit would inevitably become nothing but prey for Priests in any real war. Ah yes, truly.”
Bahil’s mouth twisted into something almost demonic.
“By removing you, we have saved countless lives.”
Thud.
Like a curse spoken on the tongue, the words carved into Recon’s heart with savage precision.
As Bahil watched the dazed student slump in defeat, he gestured to his subordinates. They seized Recon’s arms and dragged him away across the Campus Grounds.
……
Silence settled over the courtyard.
“Mocking the defeated is a victor’s right.”
Bahil pressed his top hat firmly onto his head and turned to face the students who had gathered to watch the spectacle.
“But there is nothing more pathetic than ridiculing someone through petty envy, without the skill or standing to do so.”
The silence grew heavier still, and several students flushed with shame.
As Bahil turned and walked away, a hesitant female teaching assistant hurried after him.
“Professor Bahil—”
“You are suspended, Arita.”
She froze.
“You let personal sentiment cloud your judgment and couldn’t even handle this petty task properly—was this really something I had to address myself?”
It was highly unusual for a professor to reprimand a teaching assistant in front of all the students.
But Arita had steeled herself. She swallowed hard and bowed her head.
“I apologize. I accept any punishment—”
“I will send a letter to Moirance Public Necromancer School.”
She looked up in surprise.
“Recon is a promising talent. Moirance will be glad to take him in. Whether he steadies himself afterward and becomes their top student, returning to Kizen as a transfer candidate, or collapses entirely—that depends on his own resolve.”
Arita’s eyes glistened with emotion. She bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Thank you, thank you so much, Professor……!”
Bahil raised his hand slightly in acknowledgment and moved on.
As students parted to let him through toward the Grand Hall, Bahil paused mid-stride and spoke in a gentle tone.
“See you in class.”
Simon’s head snapped up in surprise. Bahil had already turned away and was walking briskly into the Grand Hall.
Once Bahil disappeared, the students’ voices erupted. The topic was, naturally, Bahil himself.
“From now on.”
Dik clenched his fists with determination.
“I’m changing my specialization to Curse Magic—ack!”
“Please, get some sense knocked into you, you idiot!”
As the two turned around, Merin and Kamibarez, now in fresh School Uniforms, had arrived.
“When did you get here?”
“We just arrived after hearing the commotion.”
Kamibarez answered with a grin. Dik turned to Simon with excitement blazing across his face, poking his elbow.
“Hey! Hey! But did you see that? You guys heard, right? Professor Bahil told me to see him in class! That’s basically saying I’m being considered as a direct disciple, isn’t it?”
Simon turned away without comment, Merin sighed, and Kamibarez, taking it at face value, kept repeating “Really? Really?”
“Come now, students! Please hurry into the Grand Hall!”
The attendants came out and shouted.
“The Opening Ceremony will begin shortly!”
* * *
Simon stepped into the grand, imposing Grand Hall building, feeling the flutter of a promising beginning.
‘Being here brings back the entrance ceremony.’
Even now it made his head spin. He remembered sitting there knowing nothing, then being called up at the mention of Special Case Number One, Simon Polentia, and taking the oath as student representative—his chest still lurched at the thought of it.
“Now then! Please take your seats!”
“We’ll begin the ceremony shortly!”
The attendants moved about, seating the chattering students.
Then, a moment later, the curtain behind the lectern at the far end of the Grand Hall was drawn back, and a man appeared with a slow, deliberate gait.
“Silence.”
Students who had been craning their necks to see broke into exclamations of surprise.
Hollow eyes and dark circles, an expression devoid of any enthusiasm, hair tousled nearly to wildness—and Simon felt a deep smile tug at his lips.
‘It’s been a while, Professor Aaron!’
Still, because it was an official occasion, he’d dressed in a sharp suit unlike his usual disheveled appearance. At the sight of Aaron in such a rare, well-fitted suit, the female students in the front rows squealed with delight.
“Do you not understand the word ‘silence’?”
At that single remark, absolute silence fell over the Grand Hall like a tomb.
As the students sat rigidly with their hands folded in their laps, eyes darting nervously, Aaron walked forward and stopped at the very front of the lectern. An attendant set up a stand microphone fitted with an Amplifying Crystal and withdrew.
“Ah. Ahem.”
Aaron adjusted the volume on the Amplifying Crystal and opened his mouth.
“First, congratulations on passing the Opening Ceremony Test. I’m pleased we’ll be able to spend another semester safely together.”
The cautious students began clapping hesitantly. Seeing this, Aaron’s expression remained flat, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“You don’t seem very pleased about it.”
Roooaaaarrrr!!!!
A torrential wave of explosive cheering erupted as if the students had been waiting for permission, and the sound was deafening.
Simon and Merin covered their ears. Students were swinging their ties through the air, Kamibarez was clapping enthusiastically, and Dick had climbed onto his chair and was whistling loudly.
“Good. I had no intention of starting the Integrated Second Semester with such a stiff atmosphere either. You are victors. I’ll let you savor that feeling of victory, however briefly.”
Simon, listening quietly, let out an ambiguous smile. The word “briefly” sounded oddly ominous.
“Now I’ll explain the exams you’ve just taken. I imagine there are still some bewildered students.”
He gestured, and a massive Mana Screen materialized in the air.
“This is the core program that runs through the entire Integrated Second Semester. Its official name is the Comprehensive Black Magic Ability Assessment. It’s also called the BMAT.”
Aaron coughed briefly and continued his explanation.
“It’s the most important exam, replacing the existing First Semester Final Examination and Second Semester Midterm Examination. The written portion will be evaluated entirely in the Second Semester Final Examination. The frequency of Duel Evaluations will also decrease compared to the first semester.”
Students murmured as they looked at each other. Merin sighed, her expression troubled.
“I expected as much, but it really does mean they’re throwing out the written exam.”
Merin’s greatest strength was written examinations. She’d ranked second among all students on the Midterm Examination alone, so this was a disappointing development for her.
Kamibarez spoke soothingly.
“But you still placed in the top ten on this Opening Ceremony Test! You’ll definitely do well on the practical exams too.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Kami.”
Meanwhile, Aaron’s explanation continued.
“The Comprehensive Black Magic Ability Assessment, commonly called the BMAT, is divided into five different exams in total.”
A new screen appeared, showing images of deserts, snowy mountains, grasslands, and other landscapes. Students scrambled to their feet, eager to discern what the next exams would involve.
“These images are merely samples, so don’t read too much into them. To put it simply, you’ll each be thrown into five different types of battlefields and tested on your various abilities to apply Black Magic as Necromancer operatives.”
Students who had been struggling through the air with all manner of Black Magic, crashing against obstacles and falling in apparent agony, were visible on the screen. Simon was deeply grateful that this course was merely a sample.
“Each exam has a theme, and the evaluation criteria differ. Rankings will be determined for everyone, from first place all the way down to last place at 898th. The bottom fifty will be expelled on the spot. Go home.”
Students swallowed hard.
Since there were five exams, at minimum 250 students would be guaranteed to fail based on the Comprehensive Black Magic Ability Assessment alone. When you factored in the bottom squads in Duel Evaluation and those who fell below the standard on the final exam and overall grades, it was catastrophic.
“And the Opening Ceremony Test you’ve just completed counts as one of these five. The theme of this exam was, needless to say, Holy Magic Countermeasure Ability, mental management, and trauma recovery.”
Simon nodded. If the Opening Ceremony Test counted as one of the five exams, that meant four tests remained for the Integrated Second Semester.
“I’ll warn you in advance—these exams will be difficult.”
Aaron spoke in a heavy voice.
“It’s not about the fifty; anyone falling short of the standard is eliminated. I’ve seen 120 students washed out all at once. Achieving first place is important, but your top priority must always be survival.”
“Understood!”
The students answered in tense voices.
“Furthermore, the exam themes can be somewhat extreme. A student who ranks first in one exam might end up in the bottom tier in another. Here’s a tip: don’t fixate on a single skill. Develop a range of abilities and raise your overall level as an Elite Necromancer. That said, if you’re determined to specialize in only one technique, master it so thoroughly that you can adapt to any situation with that single skill.”
At that moment, a student in the very front row shot their hand up.
Aaron continued explaining as if he hadn’t noticed, but the hand waving back and forth caught his attention, and he frowned at her.
“What is it. Jamie Victoria.”
By now, there was not a single professor entering Class A who didn’t know the name of Jamie Victoria, the master of questions.
She shot up from her seat and asked in a loud voice so the other students could hear her too.
“I’m Jamie Victoria from Class A! I’m curious—when will the exam theme be announced?”
“We won’t announce it.”
Jamie froze mid-gesture, arm still raised. The other students murmured in confusion and dismay.
“You must discover the exam theme yourselves. The course content, the subjects of practical assessments, the flow of resources, rumors among the residents, legends and folklore—and so on. We will provide hints in various ways. There may be hints even in the jokes professors casually throw out, so stay focused at all times.”
While the students gaped in shock, Dik looked as though he might burst into a cry of joy at any moment.
“Insane! Amazing! This was an information war? This semester’s gonna be a blast! Hehehehe! We’re all doomed for real!”
Simon quietly kneaded Dik’s shoulder. They had to survive at Kizen.
“Of course.”
Aaron’s mouth opened again.
“False rumors and red herrings meant to eliminate competitors will run rampant. I’m telling you now—take rumors lightly, store them in your heads, and focus above all on drawing out your own capabilities.”
Simon felt as though Aaron was speaking while looking at Dik. Dik, sensing the same atmosphere as Simon, was laughing while sweating profusely.
“That explanation ran a bit long because it was important.”
The broadcast team assistant standing before the podium was gesturing frantically, signaling him to wrap it up.
“That concludes the briefing on the new exam. Now we’ll officially begin the ceremony.”
Having finished explaining the new exam, Aaron stepped aside and became the master of ceremonies for the Opening Ceremony.
Simon had thought Aaron might be weak at these formal events, but he was surprised to see him handle it so smoothly.
The anthems of the four kingdoms and school songs that followed were rushed through or skipped entirely.
Speeches from representatives dispatched by each kingdom.
Announcements from the facilities manager.
Precautions from the head of security and so on rolled past in succession.
“Next is the student representative oath. The male and female students I call upon should come forward.”
Aaron held up the paper in his hand.
“Normally this would reflect grades from the Final Examination of the first semester, but given the somewhat special circumstances, we’ll proceed as we did at the entrance ceremony. Special Case Number One: Simon Polentia. Special Case Number Two: Serne Aindark.”
Cheers erupted!
Simon rose from his seat with the look of someone who’d expected this. Dik, more excited than Simon himself, smacked his arm, while Kamibarez clenched both fists and shouted words of encouragement.
……
Merin, by contrast, looked thoroughly displeased. When Simon gave the two a subtle signal, Dik and Kamibarez belatedly sat back down.
It was obvious she deeply resented that Serne, her natural enemy and counterforce, had been chosen as the female representative.
As Simon went up to the podium first and waited, Serne walked past the students with a regal gait.
She climbed one step and stopped, then extended her right hand toward Simon and smiled gently.
She was clearly asking him to escort her.
“……No, don’t do that.”
Simon protested in alarm, but Serne pretended not to hear, tilting her head and waving the extended hand.
As Simon hesitated, the ceremony stalled, and the broadcast assistant, unable to bear it, let out a deliberate cough.
Left with no choice, Simon took Serne’s hand and escorted her gallantly up onto the podium.
Watching this, sparks flew from Merin’s eyes.
“@#$%*&!! He’s doing that to get a reaction from me, isn’t he!!”
Kamibarez desperately held her back, trying to calm her down.
But not far away, there was another man equally fired up, kicking at the seat in front of him and thrashing about.
“Damn it! If things had gone normally, I should be up there, not that bastard!”
“Hector, calm yourself!”
Hector’s faction held him back, restraining him.
Though Merin and Hector raged, Aaron proceeded with the ceremony regardless.
“Everyone rise. Repeat the oath in unison with our student representatives.”
Nearly nine hundred students rose with a thunderous sound.
Simon and Serne caught each other’s eyes and nodded.
The assistant had apparently used Dark Magic; the text of the oath floated before the two of them.
The pair straightened their chests and raised their right hands, then opened their mouths.
“I swear.”
“I swear.”
Then, echoing from behind, roughly eight hundred ninety-six other students cried out “I swear!”
Simon took a light breath and opened his mouth.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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