Chapter 75: True Genius

"Is this for real? Weren't the selections previously based on mentor recommendations? Why have things changed?"

"This is going to be troublesome... the competition might get really intense."

"Claire, what should we do?"

"What else can we do? There must be something special about this opportunity if they're making the selection criteria so stringent. Aren't you confident in yourself?"

"Are you kidding me? As if I'd be scared!"

The students were all astounded by the principal's sudden announcement—clearly, the news hadn't been leaked in advance.

"What do you think, Wang Yu, Edward?" Charles asked, leisurely pouring himself some juice and pretending to drink it as if it were alcohol. Wang Yu itched to smack him.

"I have no idea..." Wang Yu shook his head. He genuinely didn't know how to react. This supposedly groundbreaking announcement meant nothing to him.

"Hmm, since the Grand Library is one of Stevenson Academy's most important resources, its closure will undoubtedly have a huge impact. The academy might be using this special opportunity to find a group of students who can truly advance its reputation," Edward analyzed.

"That makes a lot of sense. You're lucky, Avia—your cohort is probably going to receive more resources than any other." Charles put down his glass and turned to Avia.

"After all, most of the older cohorts are either too old or out of touch with modern sensibilities, haha." Charles chuckled lightly and leaned back against the soft cushion of the long bench.

The principal continued to speak. "Alright, then. The first test will now be revealed. Don't worry, there's no danger. Try to unlock this magical construct to secure your slot."

A glowing, semi-transparent cube began to rise slowly from the center of the ballroom floor.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary cube. On closer inspection, one could see intricate, unimaginably complex magical circuits on its surface, shimmering faintly as energy coursed through them.

"A construct of pure mana?!" Charles spat out the juice he was drinking. It splashed in Edward's direction, but Edward ducked and avoided it all.

"It's a top-tier material for magical engraving," Avia explained to Wang Yu, who was utterly clueless about magic.

Since Avia described it as "top-tier," it was undoubtedly something rare and valuable. Why would the principal bring out something so valuable for a group of students with little fame or strength?

"These specialized magical circuits can create a pocket dimension through an incredibly intricate flow of mana. Unlocking it is simple: you just need to dismantle the space by magical methods alone.

Teamwork is allowed, as are individual attempts. However, only one person can approach the construct at once. There's plenty of time, so everyone will get a chance. Now, let's begin."

As the principal finished speaking, an eager student rushed forward—only to be intercepted by another group of students who were glaring menacingly.

"What do you think you're doing?" the student asked nervously.

"Hey, buddy, maybe step aside and wait your turn. Otherwise, don't blame us for... Ugh!"

One of the students in the intercepting group, a particularly burly fellow with an intimidating demeanor, cracked his knuckles in a threatening fashion.

Before he could finish speaking, however, an invisible wall suddenly appeared before him. His body struck the wall with a loud thud that caused everyone in the vicinity to wince.

"Let me make this clear: we do not tolerate such methods in our academy. Everyone will have a chance. You can form a line if you'd like, but if you intend to use threats or violence to hinder others, leave this academy right now. We researchers don't welcome people like you."

The principal's voice resounded once more, providing a stern warning to those attempting to use brute force to suppress their peers. Some nobles' hired bodyguards retreated reluctantly.

It was obvious that these bodyguards possessed combat abilities that far surpassed the majority of the students present. If violence were permitted, such nobles would likely monopolize all the slots.

"Not bad, huh? I like this principal—straightforward and no-nonsense. Way better than those people who waste time on trivial politics." Charles nodded approvingly.

"I agree."

"Yup."

The principal's intervention quickly suppressed all underhanded tactics. The students began lining up and forming small groups. With no shortcuts available, they had no choice but to rely on their own abilities.

Thanks to Edward and Wang Yu's physical strength, Avia managed to secure a spot relatively far up the line. She stared at the magical cube thoughtfully.

The first student to approach, the one initially intercepted but later defended by the principal, began his attempt to unlock the construct.

With his wand in hand, he channeled mana through the construct and painstakingly traced out the circuits. At first, the process seemed smooth.

However, about thirty seconds in, sweat began to bead on his forehead as his movements faltered. He glanced around uncertainly.

His hesitation caused the mana he had channeled to disperse. Unless he resumed quickly, the leaking mana would destabilize his trace.

Gritting his teeth, he chose a random direction in which to proceed. Unfortunately, he made an error. The circuit he traced clashed with that in the original construct's paths, causing a collision of mana. His model disintegrated like shattered glass.

"Ah..." He sighed and stepped away from the cube, sitting to the side in frustration. He hadn't even made it past the outermost layer of the construct.

"That guy's hopeless," Charles remarked, as sarcastic as ever.

"Why don't you give it a try, then?"

"Uh... um... well, you know, I'm not really into theoretical stuff. I'm more of a hands-on, practical type of guy. This is... uh... kind of pointless, right?" Charles stammered.

It was clear that this wasn't Charles' specialty. Wang Yu had seen Charles staring at the cube without blinking—he was certain that, if Charles had figured it out, he would be raring to give it a try.

The next few students showed varying levels of competence. While some failed within a minute, others managed to progress a little further before succumbing to their own lack of knowledge. They were eventually forced to guess in which direction to proceed, and, when they made a mistake, their models would inevitably shatter.

"Well? Are you confident?" Wang Yu turned to Avia, who was intently focused on the cube.

"Judging by what I've seen so far, the first to fifth layers aren't particularly complicated. The difficulty seems to spike after the fifth layer, where structures from wizardry and other runic systems are integrated into standard magical theory.

"The outer layers follow patterns found in common textbooks. Beyond that, though, is a lot of obscure knowledge. I suspect even my background is insufficient to solve it on the basis of knowledge alone. There's just too much that's unfamiliar to me—but the structure is incredibly coherent.

"Hmm... These structures must be interconnected. Wang Yu, the mathematics you taught me is incredibly helpful here. If I can understand two of every three consecutive structures—or five out of eight—I should be able to deduce the remaining patterns. As for the innermost layers, I'd need more time to analyze..."

Wang Yu scratched his head. He was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand a single thing—not one bit. Avia had already analyzed parts far beyond anyone else's progress, even though no one else had yet cracked a single layer. Her talent was terrifying.

Wang Yu turned back to Charles, expecting another round of snide remarks from him. Instead, Charles was staring wide-eyed at the contemplative Avia, utterly stunned. Evidently, someone who actually knew magical theory could appreciate her brilliance far more.

The subsequent students displayed varying levels of skill. Some couldn't even crack the first layer, while others made it to deeper levels before failing against the increasingly intricate structures.

Since the principal hadn't specified how far one needed to progress to qualify, the students had no choice but to go as far as they could.

Some quickly noticed the advantage of going later. By observing the performance of those before them, they could glean valuable information to make their own attempts go more smoothly.

This was the crux of the competition: everyone had to do their best to unlock as many layers as they could, since no one was certain of the exact threshold to qualify.

However, there were only a limited number of qualifying slots. Deliberately going later could backfire if all the slots were taken beforehand. Only the truly capable students could afford not to worry about such last-minute strategizing. That said, this method of selection, focused purely on skill, was far superior to the underhanded tactics that might well have taken over if not for the principal's injunction.

Avia, as the ninth participant, didn't need to worry about the others. She simply had to do her best.

When the sixth student managed to unlock the fifth layer, the true difficulty of the test finally revealed itself. Those who had progressed smoothly up to this point found themselves stuck at the fifth layer, with its myriad obscure and complex structures. One incorrect choice while tracing the model would render all prior efforts void.

The seventh student was a scruffy-looking individual. His messy curls and wrinkled clothes suggested he didn't bother much with his appearance, though the noble crest on his attire spoke to his distinguished lineage.

"Ah, that's young Daniel. Haven't seen him since old Daniel passed away. He's just like his father!" Charles remarked. Clearly, the young man was someone of note.

Daniel approached the cube and began his attempt. His deconstruction of the first five layers was astonishingly swift, each stroke deft and precise.

As he reached the sixth layer, his pace slowed, but he continued with shocking accuracy. Despite his pauses, he managed to make the right choice at every juncture.

The scruffy noble worked steadily, his progress drawing the quiet attention of the crowd.

Stroke by stroke, he deconstructed the cube. With each new layer unlocked, the cube grew smaller as he approached its core.

As the cube shrank to the size of a fist, Daniel suddenly stopped. Shaking his head with a hint of resignation, he stepped back, triggering an outburst of genuine applause and sighs of admiration.

"A true genius!"

"Unbelievable. Those circuits beyond the fifth layer... they're dynamic circuits, aren't they? Damn it, memorizing everything isn't going to do us any good!"

"He must have qualified. Why did he stop, though? He could've gone further."

"He ran out of mana. Can't you sense it?"

"What a shame. Still, his performance was extraordinary. Watching him decode those magical circuits might have been more enlightening than a lecture."

At heart, many of the students were seekers of knowledge. The skill that Daniel had displayed made them set aside their jealousy and petty thoughts for a moment. They admired Daniel's display of skill and lamented his inability to finish.

Not everyone was pleased, however. A group of noble students had been furiously taking notes on the circuits from the first five layers.

Their superior resources and manpower allowed them to analyze and strategize, but the dynamic circuits beyond the fifth layer rendered their method futile, leaving them frustrated.

"I don't think I can unlock it either," Avia murmured, shaking her head regretfully.

"My mana reserves won't last. I have slightly more mana than Daniel, but not enough to etch the immense number of runes beyond the fifth layer. This test doesn't just demand knowledge—I'd need significant mana just to complete the relevant inscriptions."

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Charles interjected with enthusiasm.

He pulled a tarot card out of his sleeve, like a magician performing a trick, and held it up dramatically.

"Guess what this is!"

"The moon—upright," Wang Yu replied flatly, denying Charles the chance to show off.

"Correct! And as a reward, I'm giving this to you, Avia. This card will continuously supply you with mana." Charles handed her the card, unusually serious.

"Thank you, Charles," Avia said sincerely as she accepted the card.

"No need to thank me—it's destiny's gift!" Charles declared, though the twitch of his lips betrayed his smug satisfaction.

Wang Yu nodded in approval. The principal had emphasized teamwork; surely this counted.

The eighth student successfully unlocked the first five layers but faltered on the complex circuits beyond. After failing to continue inscribing in time, her mana dissipated and her model collapsed.

It was finally Avia's turn. Wang Yu, Edward, and Charles all gave her a thumbs-up as she stepped forward. Wang Yu had full confidence in her abilities.

As Avia approached the cube, she observed it more closely.

"It's as I noted before—static circuits on the outer layers, with dynamic, shifting circuits inside. If I can master the majority and deduce the rest, I'll succeed. With Charles's help, my mana reserves should be enough to complete this."

Her mind raced as she analyzed the structure—but then she frowned.

"What's this? I was too far away to notice it before. The runes seem to form a cohesive structure, but there are gaps that our trace is supposed to fill in. Once complete, they'll connect the source of the mana circuit to its endpoint...

"Is this whole structure meant to connect just the starting and ending nodes? No—there are lots of secondary nodes throughout, and they're distributed even more densely after the fifth layer. They're meant to score our progress, perhaps...

"If I link only the key nodes without completing the entire structure... Yes, it's feasible. The final node appears to be connected to something else—better not trigger it. I'll stop at the second-to-last node."

Her thoughts crystallized in an instant. In mere seconds, she began her attempt and deftly began to trace the circuits..

Avia linked the nodes together, but just as she unlocked the fourth layer, a deliberate "mistake" caused the entire model to collapse.

Avia calmly stepped off stage. Wang Yu smiled comfortingly at her. Her failure was a little regrettable, but everyone made mistakes.

Then, Wang Yu turned. He sensed Charles stirring.

Charles' mouth was agape. He muttered under his breath, "She's... a true genius."

In the distance, Daniel suddenly looked up sharply. His gaze landed on Avia with an expression of disbelief and awe.