Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 266

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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 School — Episode 266
Ten minutes before the test began.
Sway, sway.
Simon stood waiting on a floating platform in the middle of the sea.
The platform appeared to be made from slime byproducts — flat and buoyant. Each platform held roughly twenty to thirty students, all dressed in wetsuits provided by Kizen, with protective vests worn over top and Thung Pads fastened to their wrists.
Glancing around, one could see countless such floating structures scattered across the water.
In other words, this test was being administered to all 847 first-year students simultaneously.
“Simon! I’m over here!”
From a platform far away, Dick waved his arms and shouted. Simon smiled and waved back.
‘All right. Stay focused.’
Simon checked the Thung Pad secured around his wrist.
‘The design is different from the one I wore during the island survival evaluation.’
Points earned from hunting monsters were calculated remotely by the Thung Pad and transmitted to headquarters for tallying. The device could also display current points and overall rankings. Simon had tested its various functions before the competition began.
Everyone seemed nervous; the platform was silent. Students either stretched methodically or performed deep breathing exercises to center themselves.
[Khaha! Are you nervous, boy?]
At Pier’s voice, Simon shook his head with a smile.
‘I’m fine. It’s too early to be nervous.’
Whooooom!
Just then, a Magic Circle opened across the sky, and a booming voice echoed out.
[Thank you for your patience! We will now begin the third comprehensive Black Magic Aptitude Assessment.]
[Beginning the countdown!]
[10.]
[9.]
……
The students began calling out the count in unison, their voices strong.
[6.]
[5.]
The spectators watching on screens in Rocksum did the same.
Regardless of nationality or status, everyone was chanting the numbers.
[2.]
[1.]
[The test begins!]
Boooooom!
As the ship’s horn blared across the entire sea, the students dove into the water as if they’d been waiting for exactly this moment.
Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
The sight of hundreds of students leaping into the sea simultaneously, throwing up great sprays of water, was a spectacular sight.
“Ha-ha! I’m going first!”
Surprisingly, it was Dick who surged to the front of the entire student body. As he activated an Enchantment on his flippers, Dark Element burst forth like a booster.
“All the coins are mine… huh?”
Snap!
Dick’s movement stopped. As he turned around, a male student holding an odd contraption that resembled a fishing rod grinned wickedly at him.
A hook had caught on Dick’s flippers without him noticing.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
As he yanked the fishing rod, Dick’s body was pulled back at tremendous speed.
“Ahhhhh! What are you doing! Don’t you know who I am!”
“No idea! I’m just targeting whoever’s in front!”
As the male student raised the fishing rod, Dick’s body flew up to the water’s surface. The student’s face lit with satisfaction.
Crack! Snap!
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, Black Arrows shot at him from behind, causing his Barrier Gauge to drop significantly.
“Who is it!”
Turning around, he found several other students with their hands extended toward him.
“These bastards……!”
“Better watch your back, huh?”
The sea had descended into absolute chaos.
The number of Coins on the seabed was limited. Only a thousand had been scattered initially.
Considering that each student needed to collect at least ten Coins to pass the test, only around a hundred students at most could advance quickly.
Naturally, competition became fierce beyond measure.
Of course, Kizen released more Coins onto the seabed as time passed, but the race for the top rankings drove the students into even greater frenzy.
“Grab that one!”
“Break out!”
“This isn’t the time to fight among ourselves! Let’s focus on catching the ones coming down!”
The waters churned with tangled chaos—projectiles and curses and dark magic streaking out from all directions.
And Simon, singled out by Jane as one of the students to watch during her running commentary,
“…….”
simply crouched motionless atop a floating debris platform, watching the scene unfold beneath the waves without intervention.
The sea erupted with booms and spray—the students down there were tearing into each other like madness itself.
‘No need to rush in headfirst. If I push ahead, I’ll draw concentrated fire and burn through my energy for nothing.’
In fact, Simon wasn’t alone—most of the top-tier competitors held their positions on the floating debris, conserving strength while waiting for the others to exhaust themselves.
Simon charged his Air Magic Circle and settled in to wait with patience.
[But the exam is only four hours long. Aren’t you being a bit too leisurely, boy?]
Pier said.
[I suggest we reverse the order.]
‘Reverse the order?’
[That’s right! Head out to the Outer Sea, hunt monsters and rack up points, then come back once the Coin competition loosens up a bit!]
‘Ah, that’s a decent strategy too.’
Indeed, not a few students were bypassing the fierce competition down here and heading straight into the Outer Sea.
The inner waters where the coins lay were only about twenty meters deep—shallow—but once you crossed into the Outer Sea, the depths plunged sharply and monsters swarmed.
The strategy was to hunt monsters first, secure points, then return with roughly an hour to spare and collect coins. By that point, everyone would have already grabbed theirs and moved out to the Outer Sea anyway.
Of course, you could also hunt other students in the Outer Sea and recover coins from them. That’s what all the students venturing out now had in mind.
‘Still, I think I’ll wait a bit longer.’
He had Deimos, his hidden trump card.
But from the few training sessions they’d run together, Deimos wasn’t particularly fuel-efficient. It could operate effectively for roughly two hours.
So Simon’s plan was to secure the coins first and then refuse to come back until the exam ended.
‘I mapped out a flawless strategy the moment I heard the rules. This time, I’m certain of it!’
His face remained calm, but Simon’s fighting spirit blazed.
With Deimos, anything less than first place was meaningless.

* * *
“This third BMAT is developing in a most unusual way!”
The announcer shouted with excitement.
“Thirty minutes into the competition now! Only two students have collected eight or more coins! The interference is absolutely ruthless!”
The students were far too focused on eliminating their rivals to prioritize coin collection.
They concentrated on cutting off air to those floating on the surface, or sniping the students who dove to retrieve coins from the bottom.
“Ah! The situation is unfolding in an unexpected manner! According to exam regulations, failure to collect ten coins results in disqualification—expulsion—regardless of how high your other scores are! Vice-Principal… no, Professor! Won’t this lead to mass disqualifications if time keeps slipping away?”
Jane, resting her chin on her hand beside him, gave the announcer a look of disdain. He flinched.
“The students aren’t idiots, Conrad.”
“Yes! Yes, of course not! You have such faith in them, Professor! I do too! Oh—the moment I mention it—!”
The screen shifted.
A boy was cutting through the water with impressive speed.
Dark-skinned, white hair beneath a white swim cap, he stretched both arms and legs wide, and six magic circles erupted with projectiles simultaneously.
Thwack! Crack! Thwack!
Students swimming toward him were struck and buried in “snow,” rendered completely helpless. And the snow didn’t dissolve even underwater.
In the chaos, the boy spotted and claimed two coins from the bottom.
“Ah! There’s the student Professor Jane mentioned! Special Exception Number Eight, the Lord of the Snowland Clan, Raheim! He’s already collected ten coins! Sole leader!”
The crowd erupted in cheers now that something dramatic was finally unfolding.
The announcer beamed at Jane with satisfaction.
“Professor! What kind of dark magic is that student using?”
Raheim drew a magic circle beneath his feet. Like he’d done with the projectiles, it spewed vapor and propelled him through the water at fish-like speed.
“It’s Golden Snow—a unique dark magic of the Snowland Clan. It resembles ordinary snow, but has no melting point. Once buried in it, the snow proliferates on its own and becomes extremely heavy.”
The students hit by Raheim’s snow bombs sank helplessly toward the seabed.
Their only fates were to signal for rescue with their Thung Pads and be marked Out, or to be teleported away once their breathing magic expired and Kizen’s monitors initiated removal.
“A veritable dominating force in water! But Raheim isn’t advancing to the Outer Sea even after securing all his coins—he keeps circling the inner waters. Who could he be searching for? Ah! The moment I speak, students with ten coins are pouring in!”
Following Raheim’s lead, the powerhouses worthy of being called “named” competitors threw themselves fully into the race.
Special Exception Number Seven, Elisa, had constructed a sort of “submarine” that transcended the Ghost Ship. Taking every blow, she reached the seafloor and swept coins into her grasp.
Special Exception Number Ten, Malcolm, used Doppelgänger to search the bottom rapidly, while Kamibarez compressed herself inside an enormous blood sphere, descended to the seafloor, then rolled like a ball collecting coins.
Serne simply sat still on the starting platform, and students began delivering coins to her of their own accord.
“The competition ignites! Students who were maintaining their positions on the surface to interfere are now rushing downward in droves!”
“They were waiting for the coins to multiply.”
Jane explained.
“As time passes, the coins at the bottom keep accumulating. Just now, another thousand coins were added. So collecting them is starting to outweigh the strategy of simply defending the surface.”
“I see!”
The spectacle grew richer, and the crowd seemed thoroughly entertained. The announcer pressed forward with renewed energy, spraying words across the commentary.
Just then, one of the assistants approached and thrust a sheet of paper toward the announcer and Jane.
“Ah, we’ve just received fresh statistics! Currently, Magical Combat and Poison Studies candidates hold the advantage! And Summoning Magic candidates are facing overwhelmingly unfavorable odds—the data shows it clearly! We’d love to see them give it their all! And speaking of which, let’s turn our attention to Special Exception Candidate Number One Simon Polentia—the so-called hope of the Summoning Department!”
Click.
The main screen spun, and Simon’s figure came into view, still waiting at the starting line.

* * *
Simon was still waiting.
He’d plotted out a strategy to rake in points during the final two hours, so there was no helping it—but his fingers itched with restlessness nonetheless.
‘Maybe I could slip out for a quick look without pushing myself too hard?’
As Simon was turning this thought over, the space beside him suddenly erupted into chaos.
He turned his head.
“!”
Simon threw himself backward in one motion.
Projectiles came screaming in and lodged themselves in the debris. Boom! Boom! Flash explosions detonated in a cascade of light.
‘That power… could it be?’
Crunch-crack-crack-crack!
The impact of the explosions sent the entire raft listing violently to one side, tipping it over.
Students who’d been standing on the same raft as Simon shrieked as they plunged into the sea.
Simon immediately channeled his Shadow Aura beneath his feet and rocketed upward in a burst of motion, scaling to the top of the raft.
“Finally found you!”
A man with soaking wet white hair tore off his swimming cap and laughed wildly.
“A duel right now—and Merin’s the stake!”

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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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