The Blind Assassin's Dilemma: Seeking a Peaceful Life

As Zarek entered the academy grounds, a sense of unease washed over him. He had noticed a faint scent associated with the dark association before entering the academy, but he had dismissed it as his heightened sensitivity and caution. Now, however, he could definitely sense that the dark organization had already infiltrated the academy.

This revelation confounded Zarek. How had the dark association managed to infiltrate a place protected by the legendary Archmage of the Millennium? The dark association was known for corrupting everyone they came into contact with, and this presence here only meant that they were going to destroy the academy from within. But how could this have remained unnoticed by the protectors of the academy?

Determined to know the truth, Zarek activated System 64. "System, find out how many dark worshippers are within the academy," he ordered. The system only could trace and track the singular foul smell from those devil worshippers to only a certain location, but at least it was something.

After a minute, the analysis was done. "About one hundred people with some residue of dark power found behind the barrier of the academy," System 64 said.

Zarek opened his mouth wide in shock. A hundred? That was insane. He had never heard a plan to use the academy as part of the dark association's 100-year conquest plan. This was something that needed immediate attention.

System, identify any dark followers among the students around us," Zarek ordered. The status window of the system showed a map, pointing out four people within an 80-meter radius who had remnants of dark power.

Zarek quickly realized that one of the three was a noble, the son of a viscount in the empire. The other three seemed to be his servants. That told him that dark worshippers could consist of dark magic users who were not members of the dark association itself. Still, their existence would hinder his ability to live an ordinary life within the academy.

Deep in thought, Zarek pondered over the implications. If the dark association had indeed infiltrated the academy, then it was his duty to investigate and determine the extent of their involvement. He would have to decide whether he would eliminate these individuals to prevent further corruption.

Leo tried to attract Zarek's attention as he was lost in deep thought. "Zarek, are you fine? You seem to be thinking of something very seriously," Leo said, waving his hand in front of Zarek.

Zarek came out of his thought and tried to give a reassuring smile. "No problem, Leo. I was just thinking about something."

As they waited for the other stages of the examination, Zarek looked around at those System 64 had pointed to. He was curious to learn if they actually belonged to the dark association; this was, after all a sensitive matter which needed careful thinking and decisive actions. His own future in the academy and even the safety of the academy hinged on these next steps he was going to take.

A loud voice echoed across the academy grounds, announcing that all students would be instantly transported to the center of the academy's stadium, where the test would take place. In an instant, a bright light enveloped each student, and within seconds, they found themselves standing in an arena-like stadium. The space was so vast that the thousand students looked like only a third of the arena's capacity. The stadium was incredibly huge that could accommodate a hundred thousand people.

Zarek understood that to move this many people, the person had to be at least a 7th-rate magic user. As he observed the scene, he saw that the students were in three columns, third-rate on the left, fourth-rate in the middle, and fifth-rate on the right. Most of the students, almost 90%, were third-rate, the column of fourth-rate barely counted a hundred, and the fifth-rate only had five individuals.

The senior students sitting around the stadium cheered and shouted, excited by the number of new students entering the academy. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation. All the students faced a magically constructed stage, where a single person stood, holding a microphone. The man appeared disinterested, casually dressed and seemingly unexcited to speak. There was a distance of about 200 meters between the two, but Zarek could feel his glowing aura—a sure sign of his power as a 7th-rate magic user.

The man started to read, in a tone that sounded indolent and laidback. He proclaimed the rules of the entrance examination, which consisted of three different tests: one written test, one practical, and the third, related to talents and genius, showing creativity and inventiveness.

Prepare for the first test," the teacher told, his voice resonating across the stadium. Magical barriers immediately appeared, each forming a cube around a student.

"System 64, analyze the magic barrier," Zarek ordered.

After a while, System 64 replied, "The barrier is a highly compressed space magic. Outside the barrier, no sound can be heard, and it is impossible for the host to escape once trapped.

The students were stunned, confined to their respective cubes. A pen and piece of test paper materialized before each student, hanging in mid-air. The instructor's voice thumped once again, "Cheating is impossible. Any attempt at using magic will be detected inside the cube. You can try, but you won't be able to use your mana.

Students tried casting spells, but they failed. Cubes covered their bodies so they could not cast a single spell. The faces around the stadium indicated a sign of anxiety since people realized cheating was not possible. A countdown started as a way of announcing the start of the exam.

Zarek scanned the paper with his radar sense. Although he was blind, he could read the written word by sensing the mana used in inscribing it - a sort of braille. He scanned all the questions first. Most were advanced magic questions, worth 80 points; two master-level questions required deeper comprehension and were worth the remaining 20 points.

The first master-level question asked for the missing formula to create an explosion spell using three elements. Common interpretations in books suggested using a catalyst and a source to create explosions with fire and air. However, the test sought a more expanded formula.

Zarek thought about the question, knowing that if he answered it correctly, he would pass. He decided to answer it fully but keep his overall score low so that he wouldn't draw attention. His response was:

One must add three fundamental components in a judiciously balanced way. The fire, as fuel, is the main source of energy, cast in the guise of a magical flame or concentrated heat. That fire must then be magnified by the air, acting as the oxidizer, be it natural oxygen or a magically charmed gust of wind to further fuel the explosion. Those two elements are multiplied together to produce the basic force of the blast.".

This base energy is then amplified by the intensity of the reaction, which is either determined by the focus of the caster or by the inherent volatility of the components. To ignite the reaction, a catalyst such as a spell, a ritual glyph, or a magical incantation is added. This catalyst combines with a magic factor, representing additional enchantments or the mana of the caster, to multiply the explosive force further.

Finally, the released energy is regulated by dissipation, the contribution that determines exactly how much energy is intentionally directed and lost, avoiding unnecessary destruction on the day of the explosion itself. In so doing, they create a carefully metered release of power, balancing raw potency with accuracy

Zarek answered the first challenging question, completed 40 points of the advanced questions, and purposefully answered the rest incorrectly with the intention to reach a score of 50 points-total half score.

After 30 minutes, Zarek completed his test and surveyed the other students. He found that Leo looked good, had no signs of strain, and appeared to be closing up as well. When the count ended, the instructor called for the written test to end. The pen and paper disappeared and the barrier spell cast around them was lifted off.

Suddenly, a magical board appeared above the students, and the results of the test were displayed on it. The students were shocked at how quickly the results came out. The instructor explained that while they answered the multiple-choice questions, their responses were being recorded and checked. He made it clear that out of the 50 people who attempted the two hard questions, only five got it right. This led most of the students to glance at the fifth-rate students, assuming it was all of them. The five students who answered correctly looked nonchalant as if they had expected it to turn out that way.

The results were listed from highest to lowest scores. What caught Zarek's eye was not the top 1, 2, or 3, but the top 5. As the instructor announced the names, Zarek noticed that Leo took the fifth spot with 90 points, meaning he did not answer one of the last questions. "Did he purposely do that?" Zarek thought to himself.

Zarek asked the system to read his own result. The system replied that he was in the 400th spot with 50 points, exactly as he had planned. Out of nowhere, Leo appeared in front of him, having looked for Zarek after the written exam was over. Zarek, not one to pry into others' business, simply congratulated Leo.

"Well done, Leo. Congrats on scoring 90 points," Zarek said with a smile.

"Thanks, Zarek! And congratulations to you too. Scoring 50 points means you passed as well," Leo replied enthusiastically.

But the lecturer had a word of caution for them yet again. "Everyone who scored below 60 points has failed in the written exams." News like this threw all the relieved students, who had scored between 50 and 60, into a state of depression, for they realized they had flunked.

Zarek was shocked. "I see!" he exclaims. But he knew what Leo would try to do--console him, tell him what a good idea it was-and he stopped Leo. Zarek had made sure to study ahead, understanding that the teacher would recognize a pattern of answers and there was zero chance a student could answer one of the really tough questions score 40 on the advanced and get the remaining wrong unless of course it is intentional. Surely the teacher will catch on.

He planned from the beginning that if the passing score was 50, he would go for that, but if it was not that, he planned to answer one hard question and answer correctly to 40 points of the advanced questions in such a way that it would seem intentional. It meant that in the eyes of the examiners, he would come across as being deliberate and calculative.

The tension in the air was palpable as the students waited for the next stage of the examination. Zarek knew he had to keep his head straight and continue executing his plan to succeed in the academy.

Standing and waiting for preparation for the next test, Zarek suddenly became aware of a staring gaze on him from the corner where the other instructors were. Even though many students were present, he felt the strong stare pointing at him. It was a woman staring at him, as if she sensed something odd about him. Curious, Zarek asked System 64 for information regarding the woman gazing at him.

System 64 answered sarcastically, "Which woman? Do you think that the host and the system share one eye to see so that I know which woman you are talking about?"

Zarek apologized and further specified, "At 9 o'clock, there's a woman watching me."

The system found the woman Zarek was talking about and displayed her information in the status window: a 7th-rate instructor, specialized in both ice and fire elements, and a level 8 threat to Zarek. The woman felt something fishy about Zarek but couldn't pinpoint whether it was danger or something else.

Proceeding with the next exam, the same light emerged from the feet of the students, in the same fashion as before; however, the barrier was this time a 100-meter by 100-meter prism. And even with that, they still only occupied 90 percent of the arena's space. In the center now appeared a crystal ball, twice in size to what a normal basketball is. Although Zarek were at the end row and the cube prism blocked all sounds, they could still hear the instructor loudly.

The instructor declared that it was a practical exam in which every student was allowed to cast the most powerful spell they had to the orb so that it could compute the magical power of the spell. He informed the students to cast their spell when they felt that everything was ready, with any weapon or staff they had. Zarek began to think which weapon he would use as most of his spells were for assassination and wouldn't be useful in this form of examination. He then chose an attack spell which relied on wind pressure and used that to cut through objects and instead focused it into a single point like a bullet. He could control the speed, and with the spell perfected, it could travel up to 2000 meters per second.

Zarek aimed at the orb, gesturing with a flick of his arm. Without incantation, a very sharp needle, about an inch in size, materialized. As he flicked his finger, the needle-like high-pressure air hit the orb at a speed invisible to the naked eye. A small plume of smoke indicated a tiny hole to the center as it appeared, in the middle of the orb. A score then appeared atop the orb and read 9999, a score it wasn't capable of giving.

Zarek was stunned. He didn't realize that the spell he used was that advanced. The orb was built to take massive attacks as a whole, but a concentrated high-pressure air with a 1-inch diameter was on another level, penetrating through an 8th-rank defensive spell. The realization hit Zarek: his plan to blend in as an average student was shattered.

An alarm sounded and his name appeared on the boardlist with a score of 9999. There was a chaos of the instructors and students asking for who could have crafted such powerful spell. The instructors looked for the name and shouted out for Zarek. He then had no choice but raise his hand. The instructor walked hastily towards Zarek, examining the orb, and came across a small hole with traces of smoke.

All the students who were about to cast their spells stopped and looked at Zarek. The teacher studied the marks of mana and recognized air magic. He wondered how such a strong attack, which could pierce a hole as small as a needle, could come from a 3rd-rate student. He thought that the orb must have made a mistake but ruled it out as the orb's high-density mana crystal composition was unlikely to have done so. To ensure accuracy, he asked Zarek to repeat the spell.

Zarek came to the conclusion that there was no way out now. The speed and mass of the attack could be manipulated to show enough power without entering the orb, but his mistake could no longer be solved now. He was very hesitant, yet he cast it again. The instructor watched very closely as he again repeated the attack with ease by materializing a small air needle and flicking it at the orb. This time, though, the movement was so quick it was hardly perceptible, and no incantation was used.

The instructor, typically apathetic, was bewildered by what he was seeing. Zarek asked if he was finished and if there were any other questions. The instructor nodded and said that all the students could go. Meanwhile, the other instructors were talking to one another, clearly unable to make sense of it and very troubled by Zarek's display of power.