Chapter 76: He's Like A Clown

"What?" Wang Yu was baffled. Charles' reaction felt strange to him. Avia had failed, hadn't she? Cracking only the fourth layer was hardly a great result.

"By the god of light, where did you find a magician like her? She bypassed the dynamic circuits entirely and directly connected the source of the magic to the endpoint nodes! How did she even figure that out? That level of calculation and overarching understanding of magic structures is terrifying. I'd never have thought of such an approach.

"It might have looked as though she only reached the fourth layer, but it's likely that the inner structures she cracked first caused the outer layers to collapse as a result. Regardless, her qualification is guaranteed."

Charles reviewed Avia's handling of the structure again in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more ingenious he found it.

"Is that so? That's great." Wang Yu smiled. The qualification was what mattered. As for Avia's talent and abilities, Wang Yu probably understood them better than anyone else aside from the girl herself. All he could say was—it wasn't surprising.

Still, the fact that Charles could understand what Avia was doing made Wang Yu wonder how truthful he was being when he said he wasn't skilled at theory.

Avia returned to Wang Yu's side and whispered to him, "I didn't fail. I manipulated the internal structure, which caused the outer layers to collapse. I should qualify."

"That's good." Wang Yu gave her a light fist bump, then settled in to wait for the other students to complete their trials.

There weren't too many students in total—perhaps fifty or so, a far cry from the universities from Wang Yu's previous life. Back in his world, this hall surely wouldn't have been able to accommodate them all. They'd probably still be waiting to finish the trial by tomorrow evening.

Most of the subsequent students managed to crack the magical circuits of the first five layers. However, when faced with the dynamic circuits beyond the fifth layer, most could only progress one or two layers—or even just a few steps into the first layer—before they failed. Despite using mana potions to ensure their mana reserves were sufficient, none could achieve results comparable to Daniel's.

Unexpectedly, close to the end, a wealthy student managed to completely solve the structure.

As he fully unraveled the cube, a surge of mana erupted from all sides, enveloping him and forming a spotlight-like effect that turned him into the center of attention.

The principal's voice, tinged with approval, echoed through the hall: "Congratulations to our first student tonight to fully solve the structure. Let me see—ah, Lucas! Excellent foundation, and... hmm, a touch of trickery. Acceptable. Congratulations, Lucas, your qualification is assured."

The slightly chubby Lucas opened his mouth as if to say something but remained silent. The wealthy student didn't seem particularly comfortable being the center of attention. The atmosphere became a bit awkward; the principal didn't say anything else. As the cube reassembled itself, the testing continued.

"He's quite clever," Charles remarked, explaining the situation to Wang Yu and Edward.

"How so?" Wang Yu had learned to play along.

"The cube only has finitely many layers, and the dynamic circuits inside must be limited in size because the inner layers are smaller than the outer ones. With enough data, brute-forcing the solution is possible.

"This Lucas managed to bribe a dozen or so students ahead of him who knew they didn't have the skill to solve the structure. He had them memorize the dynamic circuits for him. He wouldn't have exhausted the whole range of possibilities, of course, but with some luck, he can—and did—succeed.

"Even with his bribery, it takes talent and skill to memorize a dozen or so entirely new magic circuits in such a short time and reproduce them flawlessly. No wonder the principal approved of him."

"Of course, I now find our Miss Avia even more terrifying. May I ask, Miss Avia, if you dislike being the center of attention?" Charles turned to Avia.

The girl nodded shyly. "Yes. I just noticed that completing the final node would trigger something, but I didn't expect this. Still, it's for the best. I'm not comfortable with being in the spotlight."

"Brilliant!" Charles applauded.

Soon, the remaining students finished their attempts. None managed to fully solve the structure. As the last student completed their attempt, the cube slowly dissolved, and the principal spoke up again.

"Students, your results will be announced privately later. I will inform your mentors, who will relay the results to you. As for why—well, some of you should understand that very well."

"Tsk." Many students discreetly abandoned any ill-intentioned plans they might have harbored. The principal's words clearly served as a warning to those with dubious intentions. Delaying the announcements was an effective way to shield qualified students from unnecessary trouble.

As for accusations of favoritism against the principal—well, the Grand Library belonged to him in the first place. Even if no qualifications were awarded, the students would have no grounds for complaint.

"Let's go. No need to worry. With Miss Avia's abilities, securing a qualification is child's play." Charles waved everyone away dismissively, his face radiating pride and arrogance, as if Avia's success was his own.

No one objected. Wang Yu decided to head back and get some rest. He hadn't slept in two days. Although it hadn't significantly affected him yet, proper rest was in order.

Charles declared that he needed to grab some juice to take back, insisting it was far superior to what was available outside. He darted back inside the banquet hall, Edward following after him to ensure that the unreliable Charles didn't stir up trouble.

Wang Yu and Avia proceeded to the academy gates, where their carriage home awaited them.

The grand banquet hall was spacious and near-empty now that the students had all scattered. They hardly encountered anyone as they made their way to the exit.

As they approached the main entrance, however, a figure leaning against the doorframe caught Wang Yu's eye. Messy hair, loose clothing—Daniel was standing there, glancing in their direction.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes. The young man's gaze was fixed on Avia. Wang Yu didn't know what he wanted.

If Daniel didn't act, Wang Yu planned to ignore him. He had no real interest in others' behavior.

"Please hold on, you two. Might I get an introduction?" Daniel's words halted Wang Yu and Avia in their tracks.

Frowning, Wang Yu realized they couldn't simply walk away. This unexpected disruption annoyed him. Fine—he'd see what this young man wanted.

"My name is Avia. May I ask what this is about?" the girl answered plainly. Since her identity was easy to uncover, there was no point hiding it. Her tone was calm and distant; she was replying more out of courtesy than anything else.

"Did you figure out the internal structure of that cube? It looked like you failed, but you actually deconstructed the internal structure, didn't you?" Daniel bombarded her with questions, his face brimming with excitement and curiosity.

"Yes," Avia replied simply.

"Brilliant! I knew it! How about joining my family as a professional scholar of magical inscriptions? I could really use a partner to study magic inscriptions with me. The pay is excellent, I promise!" Daniel finally revealed his intent.

"I'm not interested, thank you," Avia replied curtly.

"Don't be like that. We can negotiate the terms. Your talent far surpasses those mediocre students. I really need your help! Your abilities... I don't think even our mentors could match what you've done." Daniel wasn't ready to give up. His words dripped with desire.

"I'm sorry, but I refuse. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." Avia frowned. She had no intention of dealing with this strange young man.

"Ah, why won't you agree? Researching inscriptions and alchemy together would be so interesting and wonderful! With your talent, you must understand how fascinating these fields are. Maybe if I took you to see my family's assets, you'd change your mind. After all, I'm from an earl's family. It's best not to refuse me."

Daniel shook his head in frustration. Malice and fervor warred in his eyes.

He waved a hand, motioning for a knightly attendant standing outside the banquet hall to enter and approach Avia. "Apologies, Miss, but I hope you'll consider Young Master Daniel's request some more. I'd rather not hurt you."

This was likely a full-fledged knight, the maximum rank permitted for escorts in the academy. As he took long strides toward Avia, he reached out to her.

A hand caught his outstretched arm. Wang Yu, with a cold glint in his eye, stepped in front of Avia.

"Hm? I can understand a squire's loyalty, but your resistance is futile. You're not even a mid-rank knight-in-training. Just give up. It'll be better for both of you." The knight shook his head and glanced at Wang Yu, who was gripping his wrist.

Wang Yu didn't respond. His skin started to turn a faint red as Bloodburn Drive activated silently. His grip on the knight's wrist tightened, and the knight's metal bracer even started to twist and deform. His bones creaked.

"What the hell are you doing?" the knight roared, shouting out in pain and attempting to withdraw his arm. However, Wang Yu's raw strength, enhanced by Bloodburn Drive, was overwhelming. Trying to pull free felt like wrestling against a steel vise; his arm simply wouldn't budge.

"Damn it!" Realizing that Wang Yu was far stronger than he had given him credit for, the knight threw a punch at Wang Yu's face with his free hand.

Wang Yu's other hand effortlessly caught the punch. With both his arms firmly restrained, the knight frowned. The veins in his forehead bulged as he struggled to break free, but his efforts were futile against Wang Yu's physical strength.

Wang Yu shot a cold glance at the slightly stunned Daniel nearby. Then, without any hesitation, he kicked the knight squarely in the chest. The impact left a deep dent in the knight's breastplate as he was sent flying backwards. He crashed into Daniel and knocked him to the ground.

"You bastard!" The knight, enraged, helped the disheveled Daniel up while ethereal flames began to emanate from his body. This was clearly the effect of a full-fledged knight's inner potential.

"Enough, Baker. We won't be a match for them," Daniel said, patting the knight, who was gearing up to charge at Wang Yu and Avia. He glanced at the duo with frustration.

Wang Yu glanced at Daniel, his expression icy. His skin was still flushed red, faint steam rising from his body. At some point, he had put on his steel gauntlets.

Behind him, Avia prepared for battle. The Twinned Star gloves on her hands glimmered as void energy intertwined with her magic. Two blazing fireballs had already begun to form, merging and intensifying into a radiant, almost blinding light.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Attempting to fight would be futile, Daniel knew. Forcing himself to suppress his resentment, he spoke with a hint of mockery, "Fine. I see I won't be able to invite Miss Avia for a visit tonight, but this is just a small hiccup. What about next time? Though my title may not be grand, I am still an earl. Miss Avia, I'd advise you to reconsider. After all, it wouldn't be such a bad thing for you."

It was a thinly veiled threat. His emphasis on his title was meant to remind them of his power—a classic, predictable move.

"Your title is indeed very unimpressive. It's been a while, Daniel. When did you become just like your father? Make sure you die like him too."

Mockery, blunt and unrestrained, piped up from behind Wang Yu. Wang Yu smiled faintly, already knowing who the speaker was: Charles.

Charles and Edward stepped out from behind Wang Yu and Avia. Charles held a small wooden bucket brimming with juice.

"Charles Ryder... a disgrace and pariah to your household. Do you really think you can afford to meddle here?" Daniel's face twisted in anger as he glared at Charles.

"Right, right, the Ryder family doesn't care about me anymore. What a shame! So what does a yapping dog like you want? Your father's already dead, and all you have is an empty title. Do you think making a fuss here makes you any less of a joke? Wow, I'm so scared!"

Charles exaggerated his tone and gestures, layering sarcasm with mock concern. His antics would make anyone want to punch him.

"You—the Ryder family has officially disowned you. If I wanted to make a fuss, none of the three of you would leave here unscathed!" Daniel growled, unable to suppress his fury. He looked every bit as frustrated as the tavern drunks Charles often antagonized.

"Ah, yes, yes, I'm terrified. Wang Yu, Avia, would you be so kind as to show a little fear? Let's take some pity on this barking dog. Oh, and Edward... Hmm, never mind. I wouldn't dare offend you, Edward!"

Charles' tone suddenly shifted to one of fawning obsequiousness as he addressed Edward, making the latter shiver with goosebumps.

"You!? Edward... Edward... You're the son of the Grand Duke of Lionheart?" Daniel had been preparing to attack the three of them once they were all away from the protection of the academy grounds, but his anger turned to dread as he recognized Edward. His fury vanished, replaced by cold sweat as realization sank in.

Though his father had been an earl, it was nothing compared to Edward's father, the Lionheart Duke. The difference in their stations was akin to that between commoners and nobles.

"I... Apologies... My apologies for my impudence. I won't trouble you again." Daniel swallowed his pride. Suppressing his humiliation, he left with his knight in tow.

Wang Yu watched Daniel retreat, deactivating Bloodburn Drive as he did so.

"Thanks," Wang Yu said, giving Charles a brotherly hug and pounding him on the chest.

"Hehe, no problem," Charles replied, scratching his head, uncharacteristically shy.

"Don't get cocky. You still had to rely on Edward's status," Wang Yu teased, giving him another friendly thump.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get going. Running into Daniel really was bad luck. Time to get some sleep."

The four of them left the academy together, like satisfied spectators leaving the circus after enjoying a clown's performance.