Trials of the Multiverse

--- Professor Railey ---

In my career as a teacher, I've encountered all types of students. From the prodigious geniuses who seemed to breathe magic as naturally as air, to those whose incompetence left me wondering how they ever passed the first screening to reach the practical test.

But that wasn't the issue at hand right now. My attention was firmly fixed on the current confrontation between Exam Taker 022 and Exam Taker 204.

There was something about Exam Taker 204's tone that struck me. It was dismissive, almost contemptuous, towards the professors of this Academy.

It's one thing to have your own opinions, but to make them so blatantly obvious during an entrance exam? In my long tenure as a teacher, that kind of attitude usually pointed to one of two possibilities: either the student was grossly overestimating their abilities, letting arrogance cloud their judgment, or they possessed enough raw strength to back up their insolence.

For reasons I couldn't yet pinpoint, I found myself leaning towards the latter.

Rather than stepping in to diffuse the situation, I chose to remain silent, to observe.

This could reveal a great deal about both students and potentially influence their futures in this Academy. There was more at stake here than just their scores.

As Exam Taker 204 readied himself to execute his magic, I seized the moment to analyze him in finer detail.

'What grand magic will he show us?'

What I wanted, was to see something amazing. 

It was the least he could provide after all that talk.

However, as more than 20 seconds passed and he still hadn't completed his spell, I couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh.

This wasn't a test of magical endurance or complexity, so it's not like they'll affect his score, but it was still a fair indicator of his skill level in its own way.

The rumors I had heard about him being not talented in magic seemed to be true. Based on this delay, it was clear he couldn't realistically compete with Exam Taker 022.

'Was I mistaken?'

Was all his bravado just empty arrogance? But just as this thought was forming in my mind, he finally moved.

The speed wasn't surprising, but what truly caught me off guard was the intensity of his gaze.

As our eyes met for a brief moment, I felt a chill run down my spine. His eyes were void of emotion, cold and cutting like sharpened steel. They held a darkness that seemed to pierce right through me, as if he could end a life without a second thought.

Those were...the eyes of a seasoned murderer.

A kid not even half my age had this kind of murderous intent within him? That's... more than just strange. It's terrifying.

And then, it happened.

His fist connected with the dummy.

For a split second, I could see the impact ripple through the reinforced material. The force meter's numbers skyrocketing.

50

200

400

800

1500

.

.

??\Error??

The dummy couldn't withstand it anymore.

It didn't just break—it exploded in a violent burst of energy. The reinforced material, designed to absorb powerful impacts, simply gave way under the overwhelming force. Pieces of the dummy flew in all directions, a cloud of fragments and synthetic fibers erupting outward like shrapnel from a detonation. The sound was deafening, a sharp crack followed by the rattle of debris hitting the floor and walls.

The wall behind the dummy, which I had assumed to be sturdy and well-reinforced proved no match for the residual force of the blow. The impact transferred through the disintegrating dummy and slammed into the wall. Cracks spider-webbed outward from the point of impact in the blink of an eye, and then, with a crunch, a sizable portion of the wall simply caved in.

Chunks of concrete and twisted rebar jutted out from a jagged hole, easily large enough for a person to step through. A plume of dust billowed outward, filling the air with a choking haze.

The entire sequence happened so fast, yet each moment seemed etched into my mind with crystal clarity.

It was to the point that a geniune question popped in my mind.

If this blow was directed at me, would I have been able to withstand it....?

As the chaos settled, he stood there.

The same cold, murderous look in his eyes, as if the destruction before him was not his concern at all.

The message he was spreading was just one:

It was an expected outcome.

That was hard to take.

In fact, a tense silence fell in the surroundings, on another level compared to the previous one.

Not a single person could utter a word, the shock palpable in the air. It was Professor Milton who finally broke the stillness, springing up from his chair, his face a mask of disbelief.

"I-Impossible!" he stammered, and truth be told, I was just as shocked, if not more.

The magic he had used appeared to be nothing more than a simple acceleration spell, something that most of the students present should be able to perform with ease. Yet, that simple magic had resulted in the complete destruction of the training dummy, and even the wall behind it.

Doubts invaded my mind.

Was there something more to the spell that had escaped me?

Even though I was doing my best to concentrate on him?

Whatever it was, it had everyone fooled, including me.

The more I thought about it, the more I suspected this might be some kind of Born-Specialized Magic unique to him.

Even if that was a possible explanation, it was still...quite a bitter pill to swallow.

While us professors were still too shocked to talk, the silence that had been broken by Professor Milton was all but gone, replaced by the excited chatter of students.

"If we thought Exam Taker 022 was a genius from some famous magic family, then what about Exam Taker 204? He's on another level entirely! What a way to show the disparity!" one student exclaimed.

"We were all blind. The two aren't even in the same class. Only one of the two destroyed the dummy, after all..." another student chimed in, their words dripping with disdain.

Such humiliations towards Exam Taker 022 rained down, and his face flushed a deep red, tears welling in his eyes. I could only sigh.

Sadly, the way Exam Taker 204 had acted left no room for consolation.

It was a naked, brutal humiliation.

Even I could do nothing to help him at this point.

Or else, it would be a sign to the students that I promoted favoritism, which couldn't be further from the truth.

All students are equal.

And, although I couldn't say it aloud, I thought it was fair this way.

After all, it was clear that Exam Taker 022's behavior hadn't exactly been saintly.

He must've deserved this, judging from Exam Taker 204's expressions.

Either way, for me, this was a valuable lesson that Exam Taker 022 would need to curb his behavior in the future, so it wasn't all bad. Within limitations, it was alright to completely humiliate one another at this stage. It was a harsh but necessary part of the learning process.

Some professors felt the urge to speak up, but I shut them down. Whatever they wanted to say, I just know it wouldn't do good.

Just as Exam Taker 022 was about to retaliate against all those insults directed at him, the instructor in charge of assigning scores looked towards me, clearly at a loss for what to do.

He didn't know what kind of score to give Exam Taker 204. But there are still many Exam Takers to test, we can't waste more time.

I clapped my hands sharply to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone, let's stop here." The situation quieted down, all eyes turning to me.

"Exam Taker 204," I announced, and a murmur went through the crowd as they looked at the student in question. He stood tall, still no emotion evident on his face. "You will get the maximum score possible for this part of the practical exam." A few students gasped, while others nodded in approval.

I turned to the rest of the group. "As for everyone else," I continued, "we will now fetch another dummy." This statement was met with a few groans.

"Come on, now," I said, a hint of amusement in my voice. "As Professor Milton pointed out, just one destroyed dummy isn't enough to bring us to our knees. We're supposed to be a prestigious Magic University, after all." This time, the students laughed openly, the tension finally easing a little.

Unexpectedly, Exam Taker 204 chimed in. "I know you all are not arrogant young masters who think the world is their plaything," he began, his voice steady and clear. A few students exchanged amused glances, knowing full well who he was referring to.

"Unlike a certain someone," he continued, and the air filled with soft laughter, all eyes briefly flicking towards Exam Taker 022. The latter's face flushed a deep red, his hands clenching into fists.

'You messed with the wrong person, my guy. I almost feel sympathy for you...'

"As such, I hope you all manage to exert the full extent of your potential," Exam Taker 204 encouraged, his tone sincere. The students nodded, their expressions turning serious and determined.

"And that my example does not serve as an intimidation, but encouragement," he added, a small smile playing on his lips. More nods and murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

"Let's tell the so-called genius from a famous family who's the real deal, and who's not," he finished, his voice firm and resolute. The Exam Takers erupted in laughter, the tension dissolving completely to all but the poor Exam Taker 022, whose face was all but ashen right now.

I hope this guy shows up for the second part of the exam at this point.

"If he's the one to encourage us, then we have no other choice!"

"Yeah, we gotta show our best shot now! When is that dummy coming, I'm itching to punch it!"

he students all fell into his rhythm, hanging onto his every word. With each sentence, they nodded in agreement, laughed at his jabs, and seemed to draw inspiration from his encouragement. It was as if he had cast a spell over them.

Just to be sure, I even checked if that was indeed the case.

The worst part of all this, was that he was even being careful enough not to step over the line.

I had no room to intervene at all.

'What a cunning fox...'

I could only wait until his speech was done. When he finally gave me back the word, I coughed lightly, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Well, then," I said, my voice firm yet friendly. "Let's get yourselves together and resume the test. We don't have all day." The students nodded, their expressions determined and focused.

Although Exam Taker 022 was utterly humiliated, at least the atmosphere around the Exam Takers wasn't tense.

'Sometimes, sacrifices must be made. That's the way of life...'

With this passing thought, the exam continued smoothly... or so I would like to say.

---

Author's Note:

Hi!

Longer chapter to apologize :(

I know I said I would've posted a chapter as soon as I came back, but I unexpectedly got a fever, so I couldn't concentrate properly.

I'm sorry.

This chapter will be released for WN, but from the next, we'll resume giving priority to patrons!

Thanks to everyone who's still with me, I know I'm a handful hehe.