Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 381: Episode

A few days later, during Basic Black Magic class, the information the students had been desperately waiting for finally came from Jane’s lips.

"An announcement regarding the exam has come down from Kizen headquarters."

’Finally!’

Simon and the other Class A students swallowed hard, unable to hide their tension. This was the infamous exam rumored to fail two or three hundred first-years. Jane rustled the document she had received from her TA and unfolded it.

"The stage for this promotion exam and the fifth integrated BMAT will be..."

Her voice rang out, clearer than ever.

"A dungeon."

’A dungeon!’ Simon clenched his fist. He was finally going to enter that truly unknown space.

"See! Told you I was right!" Dick chuckled.

The promotion exam had a different format each year. Last year, they were sent to an island teeming with monsters; the year before that, it was a dungeon. Since they had already completed the ‘Island Survival Evaluation’ this year, Dick had correctly predicted a dungeon was next.

"First, there is a document you must all fill out."

At Jane’s gesture, TAs bustled around, placing papers on the students’ desks.

"...Ah."

Simon gave a bitter smile as he looked it over. It was the document students commonly called the ‘death waiver’. In short, it stated that they acknowledged the exam’s risks and would not hold the school responsible under any circumstances. Having signed it several times already, the students looked less surprised and more resigned.

"The risk level of this promotion exam will be on an entirely different plane from all previous tests," Jane stated. "Until now, all exams have been administered and controlled by Kizen headquarters. Not this time. Inside the dungeon, you will receive no help from anyone. The convenient teleportation magic that returns you to school when your barrier gauge hits zero..."

Her voice was sharp.

"Does not exist."

The words landed heavily in the classroom. "Death in the exam is real death. We don’t know what will happen in the dungeon, and nothing can be guaranteed. If you wish to give up, now is your last chance."

She placed the documents on the lectern and sat down, her posture exuding an aristocratic grace.

"You could probably make a living somewhere with the credential of having survived the first year of Kizen. The choice is yours."

Before she had even finished speaking, Dick was the first to sign. Simon and the other students followed suit, taking their quills and firmly writing their names. Having survived this far, they had no intention of backing down with promotion just around the corner.

"It seems there are no cowards, at least." As the TAs collected the documents, Jane rose and returned to the podium. "Then, I will explain the rules of the exam."

Listening to her, Simon realized the scale of the exam was immense, just as he’d expect from Kizen. The entire first-year student body would enter the dungeon, each wearing an unbreakable artifact embedded with ‘recording magic’. Their objective was singular: clear the dungeon. Because of the extreme danger, combat between students was strictly forbidden, punishable by expulsion.

The moment the dungeon was cleared, the exam would end.

"To put it another way," Jane emphasized, "the exam will continue until the dungeon is cleared. It could take a week, or it could take a month. It’s possible you might still be in the dungeon when the new freshmen enroll next year."

’This is intense.’ The thought crossed every student’s mind. Kizen’s promotion exam was as notorious as its reputation suggested. It wasn’t for nothing that only about 300 of the 1,000 entering first-years survived. Jane was deliberately instilling a sense of crisis to match the enormous risk.

A hand shot up. It was the person everyone expected. Jamie Victoria.

"Professor! What do we have to do to clear the dungeon?"

Jane gave her a slight nod.

"In a dungeon, there is an entity called the ‘Dungeon Lord’, or ‘Boss Monster’. If you destroy this core entity that drives the spatial distortion, the dungeon will naturally collapse, and you will all return to our world."

This time, a male student raised his hand.

"Scott Snyder! Professor, you said the entire student body’s goal is to clear the dungeon! Does that mean we can all just swarm the Dungeon Lord and fight it 647 against one?"

"Yes, you can."

Students began to murmur amongst themselves. Scott lowered his hand, turning to his teammates.

"Wouldn’t that be too easy then?"

"Of course," Jane added coolly, "among the 647 of you, only a very small number will be able to reach the final location where the Dungeon Lord resides."

"R-Right, that makes sense."

Next, Meirin, sitting in the back, raised her hand. Jane gestured for her to speak.

"Meirin Villenne. I’m curious about the evaluation and grading criteria for the promotion exam."

A question befitting an honor student.

"The evaluation criterion is ‘your performance in the dungeon’," Jane explained. "The decisions you make, which monsters you hunt with which black magic, how you react in an emergency, your ability to secure food and shelter, your mental fortitude, and your sense of purpose. Everything you do will be subject to evaluation."

As the final exam of the first year, it was a comprehensive test of everything they had learned, experienced, and mastered as necromancers.

"However, I did say the criterion is ‘performance in the dungeon’. A meaningful grade will only come from acting in accordance with the goal of clearing it."

Even the brilliant Meirin tilted her head.

"I-I don’t quite understand. Could you give an example?"

"For example, let’s say there’s a student who, for the sole purpose of a good grade, mindlessly hunts monsters throughout the exam period." She sketched a figure on the chalkboard with incredible speed. "On the other hand, there is a student who deliberately lures away swarming monsters to buy time for those fighting the Dungeon Lord. Even if the former hunted more monsters, Kizen will award far more points to the latter."

’Oh.’

Simon was impressed. It was a rule that defined the entire exam, fundamentally preventing students from focusing on meaningless monster hunting with the thought, ’‘Someone else will clear it.’’ To get a good grade, everyone had no choice but to work toward the common goal.

"Hmm... hmm..."

Dick, sitting next to Simon, was tapping the desk with his fingertips, a thoughtful expression on his face. He shot his hand up.

"My beloved Professor Jane!" Dick Hayward announced, jumping to his feet.

"Yes, the most worrisome student in our class, Dick Hayward," Jane replied dryly.

"So, if cooperation is possible, is it always better to cooperate? What would the evaluation criteria be then?"

Jane looked Dick over for a moment before answering.

"I can’t say that cooperation is unconditionally good. If you form a ‘party’, factors like teamwork and how well you fulfill your role will be added to the grading."

In a party, a student focused on defense would be graded on their defense, while one focused on support would be graded on their support. Of course, this also introduced the risk of negative points for poor teamwork.

"In other words, if your clever tricks contribute to the party, that can also be scored."

"That’s Professor Jane for you! You saw right through me!"

"Take your seat."

"Yes, ma’am!"

Amidst a few chuckles, Dick quickly planted himself in his chair. Behind him, Meirin sighed heavily and covered her forehead.

"...I have never met anyone in my life as embarrassing as you."

"Why, thank you! I’ll take that as high praise!"

"You’re a complete psycho."

Other students followed with a flood of questions, which Jane answered fluently. The type and theme of the dungeon, she explained, could not be revealed, per Kizen headquarters. They would have to see for themselves. The only information she could disclose was that the dungeon was vast—so vast that one could go through the entire exploration without ever meeting another person.

"The promotion exam is one week from now," Jane concluded. "I trust there will be no students in Class A slacking off just because finals are over. Hone your abilities to their absolute limit. It would also be wise to study the basics of dungeons. That is all."

---

After the schedule and details of the promotion exam were announced, the students were in an uproar.

Since students from other classes had been briefed by their respective professors, the cafeteria buzzed with chatter about the dungeon all through lunch.

[A dungeon the size of a small kingdom...]

Simon was taking a stroll up a hill with Herseva, who had formed a feminine figure from the surrounding sand and was now floating beside him.

[This is quite fascinating!]

"I have something else I want to ask," Simon said, his tone serious. "Can you use your third authority—the one that invites an opponent into your dungeon—while we’re already inside another one?"

[Of course I can!] Herseva replied, as if the question were absurd. [Are you getting caught up on the word ‘dungeon’? Space is just space. Whether I use my power here or inside another dimension, it functions perfectly. When the duration ends, we’ll simply return to our original location.]

"That’s a relief."

Herseva frowned, the sand shifting to mimic the expression.

[But why do you ask? I’d rather not use my third authority if I can help it.]

After the battle with Chatel, Herseva had been listless for a week. The aftereffects had been severe, leaving her with a lingering trauma. Simon had been gently coaxing the reluctant lich, researching ways to use her abilities more efficiently.

"Speaking of which...!"

Simon grabbed Herseva tightly, causing her to let out a surprised yelp. He picked up a nearby pebble, tossed it lightly into the air, then struck the ground with his staff. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

’‘Gild!’’

A small patch of ground turned to gold, and from it, a pointed golden spire erupted, perfectly intercepting the falling pebble.

"See? This isn’t so taxing, is it?"

[W-Well, no. Ah! Don’t hold me so tight!] Herseva grumbled. [The problem is the third authority.]

"I’ll try to fine-tune that as much as possible, too. I think summoning that mummy dragon at the end was what really did you in."

As Simon diligently tested her abilities, swinging Herseva through the air, he soon found himself in a densely wooded part of the mountain.

"You can go into the subspace now, Herseva."

She blinked her sandy eyes.

[Why? The view is lovely. Can’t I look around a little longer?]

"It might be difficult for a lich like you beyond this point."

’Meow! Meow!’

Just then, two tiny kittens, one white and one black, came scurrying toward Simon.

"Whitey! Blacky! Have you two been well?"

[What, cats?]

The two kittens rubbed against Simon’s legs, insistently demanding to be petted and held.

"You two haven’t grown at all," Simon grinned, scooping them up. Each one fit perfectly in each hand.

"So, you’ve come, after all."

An old man with a white beard, dressed in a martial arts uniform, emerged from the bushes.

"Professor Parahan!"

It was Parahan, the professor for Defense Against Divinity.

[Whoa! What? Who is that man?] A violent tremor ran through Herseva’s sandy form. It was a natural reaction; this was the first time she had felt divinity since becoming a lich. Out of consideration for her, Simon placed her inside his subspace before walking toward Farhan’s house.

’If I can pull my opponent into Herseva’s dungeon, one of my constraints disappears,’ he mused, a confident smile touching his lips. ’A space for just me and Herseva. If I can solve the problem with the recording artifacts for this exam, I’ll be able to use my divinity without holding back.’

He would use everything he had. Simon decided to move forward, keeping every possibility open.

"Alright," Parahan announced. "Today, we’ll review the fundamentals of Divine Beast Studies."

"Yes, Professor!"