Chapter 222: The Test (1)

The next afternoon.

Louis’s exploration of the underground labyrinth continued.

Having checked five of the six passages leading outside Transcendence Academy the previous day, today’s task was to investigate the remaining one.

Crunch.

The exit connected to the final passage led to a fireplace.

Emerging through the open fireplace, Louis smiled as he surveyed the interior space.

“No way… This is it.”

The room he entered contained no furniture whatsoever.

Though completely empty, that wasn’t the important part.

Thud-thud.

Louis slowly approached the window.

Beyond it lay a clear view of Syron’s cityscape.

His smile widened as he stood by the window.

“The highest floor of the Tower of Wishes…”

Surprisingly, the final passage had led to the very top of the Tower of Wishes.

The rumors about the tower’s highest floor were so well-known that even Louis had heard them before.

Lord of the Tower’s Empty Room

This was the ownerless room that had never been used since the construction of the new Tower of Wishes. Even the Grand Masters’ offices were situated on the second-highest floor of the tower. Yet, the secret passage from Transcendence Academy was directly connected to the very top of the Tower of Wishes.

”…”

Louis moved away from the window and silently surveyed the desolate room before turning back toward the fireplace passage.

Not yet. Though I entered through the secret passage this time…

He paused, his gaze fixed on the tightly shut door.

Next time, I’ll enter through that door.

The moment was drawing near.

Without hesitation, Louis stepped into the secret passage.

Click.

The fireplace mechanism swung shut, concealing the hidden path. The top floor of the Tower of Wishes fell silent once more, awaiting its master’s return.

The next day in the tech team’s lecture hall.

The students of Low 1 Class gazed at Harold standing at the podium with such intensity that their eyes seemed to burn with heat.

This was understandable, as the one teaching them was a Master.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

When would they ever get to hear a Master’s lecture again?

In fact, even combining all the lectures taught by Masters throughout the year amounted to a mere five days.

Though quite some time had passed since the semester began, this was Harold’s first lecture.

As a result, the students assumed postures as if they wouldn’t miss a single word of Master Harold’s lecture.

Of course, not everyone was like that.

The white-haired student sitting at the back near the window.

Louis alone wore an expression showing little interest in the class.

In truth, he was preoccupied with other thoughts.

I’ve set the trap, but… how to drive the rabbit to it…

According to Fin, William was still merely investigating Victor without any breakthroughs.

He remained unable to grasp the essence of the matter.

Still, a professor shouldn’t struggle with such a basic task, right?

William needed to discover the existence of the underground labyrinth. Only then would Louis’s trap prove meaningful.

For now, I’ll wait.

Better to trust William than risk stirring things up by approaching prematurely.

If he can’t figure it out, I’ll gently drop some hints.

While Louis became absorbed in these thoughts, Harold’s lecture neared its conclusion.

“That’s enough theory for now… Any questions?”

The moment Harold finished speaking, 24 hands shot up.

Everyone except Louis had raised their hands.

As expected of Class 1, composed of top students, their academic fervor ran high. Yet not all lectures drew such fervent questioning. This phenomenon occurred exclusively during Harold’s classes.

The students’ behavior stemmed from a single, shared motivation:

I must catch the Master’s eye by any means!

If I can make a good impression on the Master… I might become his direct Trainee!

A Master’s direct Trainee.

Though all Trainees shared the same 4th rank, the distinction of being a Master’s direct Trainee carried extraordinary significance.

At Transcendence Academy, stories of senior students becoming direct disciples of the Master during class often circulated. It was only natural for students to compete in asking questions.

Knowing this situation well, Harold sneered and pointed his chin at a student.

“You there, first on the right. Ask your question.”

“Ah, yes! I am…”

The student confidently pronounced his name before posing a prepared question.

However, he failed to capture Harold’s interest.

In fact, he ended up arousing the Master’s irritation instead.

“What have you been learning all this time? You could have figured that out yourself through independent study. Do you think my precious lecture time is meant for such trivial questions?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Next.”

After the first student received a scolding, the next questioner tensed up and fired off their query with renewed vigor. Of course, effort and results were two different things.

“That’s covered on page 79 of the textbook. Write ten pages on that section and submit it to the instructor by next class.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The student who’d asked a pointless question now had an unexpected assignment.

As more students received similar reprimands, the rest of the class grew hesitant.

“Ah, the friend in front of me already asked my question, so that’s fine!”

“M-me too!”

Harold clicked his tongue as the students’ attitude shifted, no longer eager to ask questions.

“Tsk, no more questions?”

As everyone swallowed nervously, a hand rose from the front.

“Yes, you.”

“My name is Brew. I’ve been studying this on my own… Might I ask something now?”

“Go ahead.”

“I understand that attribute power conductors entering the Transcendent stage become fluid rather than fixed in form. Why is that?”

“Ho?”

For the first time, Harold showed genuine interest in Brew’s question instead of irritation.

“Attribute power conductors are materials even skilled craftsmen struggle to handle… Impressive you know that.”

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study.”

“Fortunate, you say… Whether by luck or not, developing an interest in research is an excellent habit. There’s nothing more foolish than letting learning opportunities slip through your fingers. In that sense, you’re on the right path.”

Brew smiled faintly as Harold showed interest.

“Thank you.”

“Yes, Brew. Why do you think attribute power conductors are not fixed but fluid? You must have some thoughts on the matter, right?”

Brew inwardly smiled at Harold’s question.

Harold’s counter-question.

This too was part of Brew’s calculated plan.

However, Brew didn’t let his satisfaction show too clearly.

This is my chance to catch the Master’s eye. How did I seize this opportunity…?

Brew answered with a face that showed he was thinking deeply.

“I believe… since the Transcendent mimics human form, perhaps the attribute power conductor takes the shape of blood.”

“Hmm… It seems you’ve given it considerable thought, but you’ve taken the wrong approach.”

“Ah…”

Brew closed his mouth, disappointed. If his answer had been correct, it would have made a stronger impression on the Master. But he quickly let go of his regret.

For now, it’s enough that the Master mentioned my name.

There was still plenty of time left.

It was an opportunity to make an impression on the Master.

While Brew was contemplating his options, Harold turned to survey the lecture hall and called out, “If anyone has a different opinion on this matter, raise your hand.”

But would any student dare to raise their hand after realizing the risks of premature action?

Amidst this tense silence…

Swish.

A hand rose from the back of the room.

“The guy in the farthest seat.”

“Shiba.”

The owner of the hand was none other than Shiba.

“Very well, Shiba. Share your thoughts.”

“I believe the fluid nature of the attribute power conductor is primarily an efficiency issue.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I believe liquid attribute power conductors have better conductivity than solid ones. That’s probably why these conductors maintain a fluid form.”

Harold’s lips curved into a smile at Shiba’s response.

Seeing this, Brew’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Not bad.”

“T-Thank you.”

“Isn’t the efficiency issue of conductors not easily discernible? That’s something only those who’ve handled them would know.”

“Yes, I witnessed the workshop leader handling them at the atelier where I was trained. I picked up bits of knowledge by eavesdropping…”

“The owner of that atelier must have been quite skilled. To handle attribute power conductors…”

“Yes!”

“But it’s not a perfect answer. It’s only a 90-point solution.”

Still, Shiba flopped down in his seat with a look that seemed to say, “What’s the big deal?”

After that, Harold looked around and asked, “Now then, is there anyone who can give me a 100-point answer?”

”…”

“Tsk. I had high hopes since this is supposed to be a class of top students… But fine. Anyone who brings me a 100-point answer after this moment will be exempt from all future assignments I give. Plus, I’ll give you full marks for all previous assignments.”

The moment Harold finished speaking, the students’ eyes lit up with intense focus.

The Master’s reputation was matched only by the infamy of his assignments.

Exemption from those assignments plus full marks!

This was an opportunity.

If only Harold hadn’t continued speaking.

“However, if you’re wrong, your assignment will be marked as 0 points. Of course, you’ll still have to submit the assignment properly.”

The students’ enthusiasm quickly cooled.

Even after working so hard on the assignment, they’d still received zero points.

The bigger the reward, the greater the impact of failure.

Seeing how quickly the class’s mood had soured, Harold snorted.

His gaze then fell on a student who had been staring out the window with his chin resting on his hand throughout the lesson.

Louis was the only one who hadn’t raised his hand when everyone else had.

This made him stand out even more.

Harold called out to Louis.

“Over there, by the window.”

”…”

“Can’t you hear me? Whitehair.”

When Louis remained silent even after being addressed by the Master, Shiba, seated next to him, panicked and prodded him in the side.

Only then did Louis tear his gaze from the window and look forward.

“Are you not interested in my class?”

“No, I am interested.”

The answer could be interpreted in multiple ways depending on how one heard it.

This made Harold’s eyebrow twitch.

”…You’re interested?”

“Yes.”

The class itself was certainly interesting.

The Transcendent developed by myself.

And the Transcendent developed by humans.

Comparing these two branches was a helpful lesson in itself.

However, that was separate from…

…It’s not fun.

No matter how interesting it was, how could reviewing something I already knew be fun?

I just couldn’t say that openly in front of Harold.

Of course, that alone was enough to irritate Harold.

“Then let’s see how interesting you found the class. Ask a question.”

“I didn’t raise my hand though?”

“Ask anyway.”

“Can I ask any question?”

“Ask.”

“Who was your first love?”

”…”

Louis’s question hung in the air.

Everyone wore expressions that said, “That crazy bastard!”

Even Shiba was speechless.

Yet Louis remained unfazed.

“I did say you could ask any question, didn’t I?”

Harold averted his gaze from Louis, who shrugged nonchalantly. As if dismissing the question as unworthy of response, he turned to address the students.

“That concludes today’s lecture. I’ll assign your first homework.”

The mere mention of “homework” made the students’ eyes tense with anticipation.

“Summarize today’s lecture on ten sheets of lined paper and submit it to the instructor.”

“Ah…”

Though condensing a two-hour lecture into ten pages seemed absurd, no one dared voice their discontent to Harold.

“And you there, white hair.”

Louis peeked up at the address.

“You’ll submit thirty pages. One sheet short and it’s an automatic zero.”

The students wore expressions that said, “Well, that’s about right.”

Bull didn’t even bother hiding his delight at Harold’s instructions.

Meanwhile, Louis scratched his cheek.

“Hmm…”

It seemed he’d been thoroughly caught. He raised his hand toward Harold, who was glaring at him.

“Question.”

“Ask. Twenty sheets of paper per question.”

The amount was so staggering that even bystanders flinched, though it had nothing to do with them.

Undeterred, Louis opened his mouth.

“If I submit that 100-point answer, will all assignments be exempt?”

“I keep my word. All assignments are exempt. And that question just cost you fifty sheets.”

“Can I submit my answer now?”

“This is also a question. You’re now at 70 pages. I told you to submit your answer anytime, so you can do it now. However, if you’re wrong, you’ll still get 0 points even after submitting 70 pages. Do you still want to do it?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead.”

Harold and Louis locked eyes.

Harold’s gaze was fierce.

Louis’s gaze was indifferent.

Despite the blazing intensity of Harold’s stare, Louis’s voice remained steady.

“You’re right that the efficiency problem arises because the attribute power conductor has fluid properties. But the key point is why the conductivity increases when it’s fluid.”

The moment Louis finished speaking, Harold’s face hardened.

He stared at Louis and asked:

”…What’s the key point?”

“It’s because high-efficiency attribute power conductors can only be made from 100% pure Mind Conversion Material. This material, when completely free of other substances, exhibits molecularly fluid properties. That’s why we don’t just fail to create fixed-attribute conductors—we physically can’t make them.”

“How… did you know that?” Harold asked.

Louis shrugged in response. “How do I know? Because I tried making one.”

”…You attempted to create an attribute power conductor?”

“Yes.”

”…”

Harold glared at Louis, as if trying to pierce through his words to determine their truth.

As the lecture hall filled with Harold’s oppressive aura, an air of suffocating silence settled over the room.

How much time passed in this manner?

Dong!

The bell signaling the end of class chimed.

Harold, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

“I despise lunatics. Those half-wits with loose screws always try to pull off impossible feats while flaunting their so-called talents. They spout nonsense about revolutions and innovations, completely oblivious to their true capabilities.”

”…”

“But… I do appreciate competent madmen. Anyone with the ability to bring their crazy ideas to life is more than welcome. After all, that’s precisely what geniuses are made of.”

The corners of Harold’s frozen lips twitched upward.

No one present needed to be told who his smile was directed at.

“Louis, was it?”

“Yes.”

“You’re exempt from all future assignments I assign.”

With those words, Harold descended from the podium and left the lecture hall.

The moment he departed, students urgently turned to look behind them.

Louis met their astonished gazes with a shrug and addressed his classmates:

“What are you staring at?”