Subspace Magic
I was looking forward to the practical exam.
However, it ended more anticlimactically than I expected.
“...Did I pass?”
“Ah, yes. Next time, you can come back after practicing the second-year curriculum.”
With that, the blindfolded man left his seat.
Of course, I had used some difficult techniques, but to pass me so easily…
It was a bit awkward.
But well… I couldn't ask him to watch me again, so I let it go.
Then, I replayed the situation in my head.
‘…So, I deployed the technique like this…’
I tried the technique I used in the exam again.
At what point did he see the potential and pass me immediately?
As I deployed the technique and observed the mana, I realized something.
“Ah, so that’s why.”
How to explain this… Simply put, I unconsciously mixed in an extremely high-level technique.
Even an expert would have difficulty noticing it.
And I had done it.
I wasn't particularly impressed.
It was something I had to do anyway.
With that thought, I returned to the library.
From now on, I was going to study the second-year curriculum.
“Haaam.”
I already felt sleepy… but I couldn't give up.
Since I’d come this far, it seemed right to graduate quickly.
With that thought, I buried myself in books once more.
How much time had passed?
“Ah… If I pass this exam, I graduate.”
The day of the fourth-year promotion exam had finally arrived.
I had already passed the written exam, so all that was left was the practical.
If I quickly passed the practical, it meant I could graduate from the academy.
Thud-
“I didn’t realize it would take this long.”
I had no idea I would be at the academy for a whole four weeks.
I never imagined it would take this long.
I thought I would be out in two weeks at most.
But to stay here this long…
It felt a little off from my plan.
Thinking such thoughts, I quickly entered the building where the promotion exam was being held.
Then, the blindfolded man, now a familiar sight, appeared.
“Hello.”
“...You’re here already?”
He seemed a little flustered.
It made me wonder if I had done something wrong.
It had been a while since he had reacted like that.
As I was wondering about the reason, the man quickly composed himself and began to speak.
“Then, let’s begin the promotion exam. You passed the written exam last time, so if you pass the practical this time, your diploma will… be issued.”
“Ah, yes.”
I already knew that, so I moved on quickly.
Well, I felt like I was setting a new record, but that wasn't important.
I wanted to return to Baruk quickly and check how things were at home.
I hadn't been home for a month, so I was getting antsy.
With that thought, I looked at the blindfolded man.
And then-
I felt mana enveloping my body.
It seemed to be the mana used by the man, so I entrusted my body to its flow.
And a moment later.
I was transported to an empty lot.
I could see buildings around me, so it seemed like we were still inside the academy.
As I looked around, the instructor spoke to me.
“Then, in a moment, a monster will appear before you. Please defeat it using only basic techniques.”
With that, the instructor disappeared.
“Ah… Only basic techniques.”
Honestly, if I used Tsar Bomba, I could take out most monsters in one go.
To give me this kind of test… it seemed like they wanted to see me utilize the detailed manipulation of mana.
However-
“...Isn't this, like, basic?”
One of the things Silvia taught me was how to handle mana meticulously.
That’s why I was able to deploy techniques and modify them in real time.
If I hadn't learned it back then, wouldn't it have been difficult to master magic to this extent?
Thinking such thoughts, I waited for the enemy to appear.
And a moment later.
A familiar figure appeared before me.
“Ah. Of all things…”
The person who had pulled me out of my life as a beggar was standing before me.
But it wasn't the real person.
I could tell from the flow of mana; it was subtly different.
It seemed like the subject that the examinee thought about the most appeared as the enemy.
Or maybe it was the being they considered the strongest.
Normal people would probably see a monster.
That's probably why the instructor said ‘monster’ earlier.
Thinking such thoughts, I immediately deployed a technique.
“Let’s end this in one go.”
It might be fake, but I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable since it had the appearance of my master.
So I decided to end it quickly.
“[Lightning].”
I was using [Lightning] because I had to use only basic techniques.
[Thunderbolt] wasn't considered a basic technique.
With that thought, I used [Lightning] to tear through the being that had taken my master’s form.
I disrupted the flow of all the mana in its body.
And then-
Fzzzt-
Mana erupted from the being in my master’s form, interfering with the casting of [Lightning].
It annoyed me a little.
Couldn't it just accept defeat gracefully?
“I don't want to do this the hard way.”
Even I wasn't completely devoid of human emotions.
I just had a little less empathy than others.
Thinking such thoughts, I manipulated my mana.
‘Here… I need to mix in other techniques.’
I needed to mix in other magic.
Since I knew that using only one type of basic technique wouldn’t work, I decided to use all types of basic techniques.
And a moment later.
Crackle-
The being in my master’s form split apart with an unpleasant sound.
And then it collapsed to the ground.
Curious about what it was made of, I approached it, and then-
“Congratulations. You have passed the fourth-year promotion exam.”
The blindfolded instructor suddenly appeared.
It was a suspicious situation, no matter how you looked at it.
So, ignoring the instructor, I approached the collapsed being and checked the flow of mana once again.
“...They added an illusion to this?”
“Ah, that’s right.”
They had taken a real living being, added an illusion to it, and made it appear as the strongest being I could imagine.
As I rummaged through the collapsed being, I saw a creature, its body twisted into a grotesque shape.
“What is this?”
“It's a dedicated opponent for the fourth-year practical exam, prepared by the academy. There are a lot of ghosts appearing in this area, you see. They materialized one of them to create this.”
I didn't know much about that kind of magic.
So, I could only nod my head.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was strange…
I decided to ask Master about the academy in detail later, and left the place.
After that, things went smoothly.
Receiving my diploma was also very easy.
Of course, I thought Master would come to see me graduate, but she couldn't make it because she was busy.
So, I ended up receiving my diploma alone.
“Wow, you really are a monster. How did you manage to do it in a month?”
“Talent, I guess.”
“Oh, be careful about saying that outside. You’ll get beaten up.”
“I don't think I'll be getting beaten up anywhere… Haha.”
“You’re as shameless as your master. Infuriating.”
“Haha…”
In the meantime, Chloe and I had become a little closer.
Enough to exchange light jokes, at least.
That’s why I had just made that joke.
Besides, I could trust anyone who was close to Master.
Because there were very few people Master was actually close to.
“Ah, right. I’ll teach you Subspace Magic… Listen carefully. You know you have to make an oath to mana before you hear this, right?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. If you didn't, your master would have told you already.”
“That’s true.”
There was a reason why he hadn’t taught me Subspace Magic, despite how convenient it was.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t taught me, but that she couldn’t teach me.
As I was thinking about this, Chloe yawned and continued speaking.
“Then… I’ll show you the technique slowly, so memorize it carefully.”
Chloe said so and began to deploy the technique.
And a moment later.
“There, done.”
Now I could use Subspace Magic too.
There was a reason why this magic was difficult.
Bending mana here, putting in less there, putting in more over there…
There were dozens of traps, even if there was only one of each.
Of course, it was easy once you knew it, but it was impossible to use until then.
And then I got curious.
Who on earth invented Subspace Magic?
It must have been an incredible mage.
As I was thinking such useless thoughts, I made the oath and said goodbye to Chloe.
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Yeah, go on. And I did you a favor by teaching you Subspace Magic now. You’d normally have to wait until the end of the semester, you know? Be grateful.”
“Ah, yes.”
I thanked Chloe for her boasting and left the academy, wearing my graduation robe and carrying my diploma and subspace pouch.
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graduation speedrun
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