Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The commotion at the training ground caught Etala’s attention, prompting her to turn around.

Amid the watchful eyes of the students, Sirone repeatedly launched flares from his hand. This display of active magic was a clear indication of his success in strengthening his Spirit Zone.

Etala approached him. “It seems like you’ve prepared well, Sirone.”

“Thank you, Professor, but I’ve only just succeeded,” he replied modestly.

“Sequencing seems to have been effective for you. Could you demonstrate it once more? I’ll watch.”

“Of course, Professor.”

As Sirone executed the Photon Emission spell, Etala watched intently, her lips pursed in thought. She realized that he wasn’t merely performing basic sequencing. He’s surpassed the standard enhancement. Could he have integrated modularization from the information field into his technique?

Whether he was consciously aware of it or stumbled upon it instinctively, it was Sirone’s insight that enabled this possibility.

After pondering this, Etala made a suggestion, “You haven’t tried hitting a target yet, have you, Sirone? Would you like to enter the Image Zone for a practical test?”

“Yes, I would,” he replied.

As he moved toward the device, students paused their training to gather around.

“How effective will Photon Emission be against moving targets?” one student wondered aloud.

“I’m not sure. Photon Emission is fast, but its accuracy largely depends on the mage,” another student speculated.

After ensuring all safety measures were in place, Etala gave Sirone the go-ahead, “You may begin.”

Sirone nodded, and with a flick of his fingers, targets began soaring swiftly through the air. The spikes of his attack form Spirit Zone extended in every direction. Photon Emission. He cast his spell without hesitation, and a flare shot forth, instantly reducing the target to ash.

The students around burst into exclamations of awe. The brilliance of the light, though not directly impactful in combat, was undeniably striking.

Not bad at all, Etala thought to herself, impressed.

Sirone continued, firing flares in rapid succession. Each one disintegrated a target as soon as it appeared. The immediate effect of his technique, unaffected by distance, was a distinct advantage. I’ve done it! This approach works!

He had already passed sequencing 1,500, and the scoreboard’s count continued to climb. He demolished 172 targets, and with over twenty seconds still remaining. Surpassing 200 points seemed well within his reach.

Observing his performance, Etala was certain of her earlier deduction. He must be utilizing modularization. The insight he gained from crossing the Pathless Bridge is evident in this exam.

Initially, Etala had been concerned about Sirone’s approach to strengthening his Spirit Zone, wondering if mental cultivation rather than technical enhancement would better suit his inclinations. However, as she watched him in action, she realized there was an aggressive side to Sirone as well. His desire to excel and win seemed to be driving his thoughts and actions toward achieving greater strength.

A minute elapsed, and the targeting program concluded. Sirone stepped down from the device, panting from exertion. The scoreboard displayed an impressive tally of 342 points.

“That was 342 points in just a minute. How did he manage not to miss even once? Maybe I should consider switching to Photon Emission too,” one student said.

“It’s not that simple,” another student pointed out. “Sirone’s proficiency in teleportation is what enables him to handle it so effectively.”

Away from the students, Nade and Iruki sat together, exchanging thoughts.

“Typical of Sirone. He excels in the attack form, even though his strong suit is defense. This practical evaluation could very well boost him into the lead group,” Nade observed.

Iruki, seemingly indifferent, expressed his doubts, “I’m not so impressed. Scoring 342 points is not particularly remarkable.”

“Still, it’s quite impressive for a first-timer, especially considering that he couldn’t even perform Photon Emission until yesterday.”

“It’s not about the number of hits but understanding the essence that counts. That’s what deserves recognition,” Iruki stated, surprising Nade.

“Wait, are you complimenting Sirone right now?”

“I can give credit when it’s due. Plus, it’ll be interesting to see who excels in the upcoming practical evaluation.”

“What are you planning?”

Instead of answering, Iruki headed toward the Image Zone. “Professor Etala, may I have a go too?”

“Iruki?” Etala responded with a hint of apprehension, recalling the recent incident and wary of potential mishaps.

“I’ll just do a quick warm-up and come right back down. The safety systems are already activated anyway.”

With no solid reason to refuse an eager student’s request during the exam preparation period, Etala reluctantly agreed. “Fine, but no trouble. Understand?”

“Of course.”

Iruki’s action captured everyone’s attention, including Sirone’s. Intrigued, he wondered if Iruki’s savant syndrome would prove effective for sequencing. Calculating complex equations was one thing, but rapid number counting was another. Sirone eagerly anticipated what kind of demonstration he would deliver under these circumstances.

With everyone eagerly watching, Iruki chose the isolation form.

“Huh? He’s using isolation form again?” someone remarked.

The isolation form was known as the most compact and agile variation of the Spirit Zone. It emphasized reduced dependence on synesthesia.

“Seems so. Wouldn’t the attack form be more effective in an exam that focuses on hitting the targets with the naked eye?”

Despite their doubts, Iruki compressed his Spirit Zone even further to maximize speed. At the start signal, a sixty-second countdown began, and targets appeared abruptly. The sounds of explosions echoed across the training ground. The students watched in awe as Iruki’s Spirit Zone shrunk to a mere twenty centimeters and lashed around with incredible speed, striking targets as swiftly as a whip.

Exclamations of awe echoed around them, and even Etala looked impressed by the precise and rapid targeting. Using the isolation form is quite a unique method.

The count on the scoreboard soared past a hundred points.

Sirone, having demonstrated in the same exercise just before, could gauge Iruki’s skill with a discerning eye. So that’s how he does it. If Photon Emission negated distance, then the isolation form was about immediate activation. The downside is identifying targets with the naked eye. But for Iruki... It wasn’t just dynamic vision. He was predicting the targets’ movement patterns in advance, utilizing his savant abilities.

Iruki wore a smile of satisfaction. If you’re already surprised by this, Sirone, wait until you see more.

Then his Spirit Zone began to move at an unfathomable speed, invisible to the naked eye. The students’ faces registered shock, and the sounds of exploding targets echoed from all corners.

The minimized power of the Atomic Bomb spell eliminated virtually any delay in the detonation reaction. The count surged past 200 points, and Sirone knew that Iruki’s score would surpass his own without needing to watch until the end.

If that was the outcome, it would be deservedly acknowledged. But what truly intrigued him was how Iruki had enhanced his Spirit Zone.

“Could he have used modularization?” Sirone pondered aloud.

“No,” responded Nade. He was stuck in an awkward position between his two competitive friends but wasn’t averse to pure competition. “Iruki is determined to beat you his way. The number he’s counting to isn’t in the thousands.”

“Not in the thousands? Then what is he counting?”

“One million.”

Sirone’s expression was one of disbelief. Counting to one million within a minute seemed unfathomable.

A minute flew by, and Iruki stepped down from the Image Zone, having used the full allotted time. The final score displayed was 548 points, a figure significantly surpassing Sirone’s.

The students were abuzz with excitement and disbelief.

“That’s incredible,” a student murmured, having witnessed Iruki’s focused performance for the first time.

“How did he get 548 points using the isolation form? Is that even humanly possible?” someone asked in awe.

Another student added, “Relying on his savant abilities to calculate the trajectories of the targets... Isn’t that cheating?”

Even Etala looked puzzled. Iruki’s proficiency in using the isolation form to hit targets is a product of merging mathematical calculations with his savant syndrome. However… That alone didn’t explain how his Spirit Zone could move faster than the targets. How did he enhance it? As she pondered, a spark of realization dawned in her eyes. Could it be? That child…

Meanwhile, Iruki, having stepped down from the Image Zone, approached Sirone with a cheeky grin. “How did you find my performance? Not too shabby, right?”

Sirone admitted honestly, “Yeah, it was impressive. I hadn’t thought of using the isolation form like that.”

“Hmm, is that all you got from it? That’s disappointing.”

“What do you mean?” Sirone frowned, puzzled.

Iruki, ever nonchalant, revealed, “You increased your speed by modularizing the numbers. It’s a method that utilizes your strengths.”

Sirone flinched, surprised by Iruki’s analysis.

“Do you want me to explain how I enhanced it?”

“Are you sure you want to share that with me? You seem quite wary of me.”

“It doesn’t matter. Knowing isn’t the same as being able to do it.”

True to form, Iruki relished stirring up emotions. “The truth is that it’s nothing special. If you increased the unit with modularization, I simply reduced the unit using logarithms.”

“Huh? Logarithms?” Sirone stood dumbfounded. Such a method... No, it’s beyond that level.

Iruki’s claim that knowledge didn’t equate to replication wasn’t unfounded. “By applying logarithms, even astronomical numbers can be simply expressed. This was merely a preliminary attempt for me. The true competition will come during the practical evaluation.”

Sirone bit his lip. With logarithms, even the highest numerical units can be intuitively understood. Even ten billion wouldn’t be a challenge. However, logarithms were originally developed as tools to simplify complex equations. Therefore, using them for straightforward numerical tasks like sequencing would ironically complicate the process. Yet, he managed it, developing his own sequencing method with his savant syndrome. What is the limit of Iruki’s potential?

Sirone had encountered many geniuses like Amy Karmis and House Ojent, but none as extremely tilted in talent as Iruki.

“So, what do you think?” Do you still believe you can beat me?”

“I’m not doing this to beat someone. If I do my best, the outcome doesn’t matter.”

“What a cliché… But what do I care? I guess I was wrong about you and your potential. One more thing, you should watch your words next time. An idealist without skill preaching about the value of life is irritating.”

Sirone clenched his teeth, frustrated. Seriously, what’s his problem? All he wanted was to express the importance of life. If that was dismissed as idealistic, then he had no choice but to prove his point through his actions. “All right! If that’s what you think, let’s compete. I will beat you in this exam.”

“Ha! That’s the spirit. But just remember, I’ll be the winner.”

Before Sirone could respond, his classmates swarmed around Iruki, interrupting their exchange.

“Wow, you’re amazing! How did you do that? Can you teach me?” one student eagerly asked.

“Why have you been hiding such skills? Want to join our research club? With you on board, we could probably complete our project in a month,” another suggested excitedly.

Iruki, despite being surrounded by a sea of praise, remained focused and addressed Sirone, “Your insight on the Pathless Bridge was remarkable, but…” He turned away with an ominous smile. “My calculations are faster than insight.”

Remaining silent, Sirone felt a lump in his throat. He had faced many competitors since joining the magic school, but none were as formidable as Iruki.

Nade patted Sirone’s back, “Hang in there. I know it’s not my place, but it’s actually quite thrilling to watch. You and Iruki are both my friends, so I’m neutral about who wins.”

“I want competition too, but not like this. Iruki just seems to be driven by animosity toward me.”

“What can you do? That’s just how he is. But you’ve managed to push him to give his all. That alone makes you impressive too. The only ones likely to break the targeting record are you two.”

“What? There’s a record? What’s the score?”

“Let me think. Last I heard, it was 987 points.”

“What? How did someone get 987 points?” Sirone was stunned.

Even Iruki’s logarithmic approach had only achieved around 500. It was unfathomable how fast one had to be to achieve a score of 987.

“That’s incredible. Who set that record? They must have graduated by now.”

“What? You don’t know? I thought you’d be aware of it since you’re dating. The record was set by Miss Amy.”