Luke searched for the rooftop every recess after that.
The rooftop was the only place within the academy where he could enjoy the wind infused with external magic while engaging in conversation with Liv without worrying about the attention of other children.
However, for some reason, Helena no longer appeared on the rooftop, and he had no chance to meet and talk with her. He had wanted to ask about her health if she showed up.
Could it be because of the cold?
No matter how quiet and conducive to studying the rooftop was, catching a cold would only be disadvantageous to him.
———–
Thus, the exams proceeded smoothly.
There didn’t seem to be any particularly difficult questions, and according to Luke’s expectations, he might aim for a perfect score this time.
Helena likely fared similarly.
Most of the questions were from the material he had advised her to study.
That girl was a top student who studied diligently and reviewed thoroughly, so her level in the exam would probably be similar to his.
Finally, as the bell signaling the end of the last exam rang, the children burst into cheers.
“Wow! It’s finally over!”
“We’re free now!”
With the end of the exams and the liberation from the clutches of the exam period, the classroom nearly transformed into a festive atmosphere.
Until Emma said something.
“Everyone, quiet down! The final exams are still ahead, so it’s too early to celebrate.”
“Eh…”
“Ugh…”
Soon, the cheers ceased, replaced by sighs and jeers.
Well, it’s never pleasant being judged by others.
It’s understandable.
The stress of being graded by someone else was something Luke had unconsciously experienced as well.
‘I should definitely be able to get a full score this time.’
Luke nodded to himself as he thought.
The “requirements for taking the early graduation exam” Luke had learned were twofold.
First, excel in the school exams, and second, possess some external award history.
His external awards included one won at the Academy’s Magic Competition, an award at the Ras Festival which was postponed due to the award time, and the Drag award which he could not yet prove due to lack of evidence, plus the upcoming Tosk Competition.
This seemed sufficient for an award history, but the problem lay with the school exams.
All this time, Luke had often missed a perfect score due to a few mistakes during exams.
Differences in common sense, ways of understanding knowledge, and comprehension of the questions led him to stray from the correct answers once or twice, which made it more challenging than expected to score 100 in all subjects, even if he got a perfect score in major subjects.
However, this time, he had thoroughly analyzed and memorized everything in the textbooks, and along with understanding modern society’s common sense and cultural studies, he even analyzed the preferences of each teacher regarding question setting, so there shouldn’t be any points to deduct.
This time, he could aim for perfect scores across all subjects.
And that score held a significance beyond mere numbers for Luke.
It served as proof that he had fully integrated into this era.
A testament to how a human from the mythical age had finally transformed into a perfect modern person.
Therefore, the first full score he would receive for all subjects was especially meaningful for Luke.
“So, don’t just play outside too late since the exams are over. Go in early. And for the older students, please don’t run around or be too noisy in the academy corridors since they are still taking their exams. Understood?”
“Yes!”
With those words, Emma finished the class dismissal.
However, the moment the supervising teacher was out of sight, the children quickly began to chatter again.
The classroom became noisy with children preparing to head home, discussing exam answers, and those just chatting.
It was then.
“Hey, let’s ask Luke!”
“Oh right! He can do it too.”
Suddenly, the kids from over there spotted Luke and began to point and chatter about him.
Seeing this, Shirud, who was caught in the middle, looked horrified and shook his head.
“Why are you calling Luke?”
“Why not? It’ll be better to call him too.”
“Yeah, he does the best among us. Shirud, you go ask him.”
“No, no way…”
As Shirud continued to refuse, Luke, who was more concerned, approached first.
“What’s the matter?”
“Wah! Wh-what?!”
Startled by the voice from right behind him, Shirud jumped as if he were a frightened frog and then began pouring blame onto Luke with a voice full of resentment.
“It happened in the morning too, and now you’re suddenly behind me! You’re messing with me, aren’t you!”
Honestly, it would be a lie to say that this reaction wasn’t fun.
“I can’t say I’m not considering it at all.”
“You really!”
Shirud’s face flushed in anger at Luke’s answer.
He seemed like he could boil over if a kettle were placed on his head.
In truth, Luke deliberately approached and played pranks because he felt Shirud was avoiding him.
Friends usually play pranks on each other to get closer.
Although he couldn’t reciprocate any crush, it didn’t mean they had completely cut ties either.
So he believed that a certain level of teasing could aid in developing a natural relationship.
Shirud’s child-like behavior was also somewhat cute.
Being in the 3rd Circle, there was no need for a mage to always hide their emotions.
While Luke watched for a moment, one child happily greeted him and waved.
“Hey! Just in time, Luke! I was going to ask you something. Do you want to join us?”
“What do you mean?”
As Luke tilted his head, the child replied brightly.
“The Super Magic League!”
—-
In the past, Luke had been deeply immersed in a game called the Super Magic League.
However, he had not played it at all recently.
There were reasons such as not having an account or the performance of his computer being insufficient, but the most important reason was surprisingly simple.
It was “too” fun.
The game was so entertaining that he became so absorbed in it that he neglected all other tasks he should have been doing.
He needed to focus on alchemy, magic research, walks to build magic power, and the quest for new knowledge, but due to sheer enjoyment, his priorities shifted.
‘After all, it was a completely new form of play.’
Mages easily fall for new things.
It’s almost like an instinct engraved in their brains.
Because of this, new enjoyment was something Luke found hard to shake off.
A game based on illusions that could be converted and manipulated in real time!
It was a type of fun that could never have been found in the past.
“…”
That might not sufficiently explain why Luke was at the Internet Cafe now.
But look.
Could the magic users of the mythological age have ever conceived it?
Mages were generally dull folk.
Even if they had the technology to create it, they pursued only their own personal desires of magic research or the quest for knowledge they had yet to learn, making it impossible for them to conceive an industry that required massive interaction like games.
Selling fun to others, they likely thought it was something a jester does, not for someone like them.
Thus, it can be said that games are undoubtedly an industry born solely from modern class magic.
So, it could be said that Baal had created this devilish toy to enchant kids like himself.
However, now Luke knows that Baal Nier, who founded class magic, is Renie Arinseia.
And he also knows that her ability to create class magic came from his own magic research.
Thus, in a way, this “game” can be viewed as a child born from Luke and Renie.
Ultimately, the game inherited extraordinary magical abilities from its father and a playful personality from its mother.
‘I’m thinking of something foolish again.’
Luke shook his head with a sigh at the absurd thoughts that crossed his mind.
Perhaps because there were many things to do after the exams, his mind was drifting to unnecessary thoughts.
‘Still, well. For today…’
Luke thought it might be okay to be lenient with himself just for today.
Since it seemed like he could smooth out his path to a perfect score, and he had held back a lot, wouldn’t it be okay to play freely for just one day?
After today, there would be no room for leisure anymore.
“So, let’s start by creating an account! We’ll be practicing in the meantime!”
“Got it.”
Luke nodded to the excited child next to him before turning his gaze to the account creation procedure for Super Magic League displayed on the screen.
As it was a game intended for ages 10 and up, Luke had not been able to create an account until now, but since his recent birthday had passed, he was now able to create his own account.
‘By the way, am I just now officially 10 years old?’
Today feels memorable in many ways.
After taking a deep breath, Luke slowly began to read through the terms and conditions carefully.
It’s important to read these things thoroughly to avoid future losses.
As Luke was about halfway through reading the terms, the children, unable to wait any longer, began to push Shirud to “go help him.”
“No way, why should I? You can just go ask him. You’re the one who brought us to the Internet Cafe.”
“But I don’t know Luke that well.”
“…”
Shirud thought to himself.
‘No, I’m feeling pretty awkward about it too.’
It’s not that they fought, but honestly, he was hesitant to talk to him.
Whenever he got close, his embarrassing past kept coming to mind.
He knew Luke wouldn’t go around saying ridiculous things about him, but still, psychologically, it felt awkward.
However, everyone was stopping by to play games before heading home or to the academy, and they seemed impatient since it was taking too long.
Eventually, Shirud sighed and replied.
“Ugh… Fine.”
Shirud approached Luke and spoke brusquely.
“What are you taking so long for?”
“Oh, I was reading the terms. It’s important to read these things carefully.”
Luke was reading the tightly packed terms of use line by line, placing his hand on the monitor.
He did this last time when signing up for a network mail as well.
“That kind of stuff can be skimmed over! You’ll have to agree to play the game anyway, so hurry up and write your name! Everyone’s waiting.”
“Hmm, is that so? I guess I have no choice then…”
Reluctantly, Luke checked the agreement box for all terms and began filling in the name field.
-Name: Luke Riswind Genefer Irushi.-
