Chapter 6 - Kalin Magic Academy (2/2)

”Little brat, you are back. I thought you already quit the academy,” said the old man with a mocking smile.

”Old man, I see you are still alive. You should be more careful about moving around with that frail body of yours,” answered Shad with a mocking smile in return. He did not answer the old man's question but taunted him instead.

”Oh ho, this old man is only 250 years young. I still have plenty of time left to live. Do you want your great grandfather to die that young, little punk?” asked the old man as he poked Shad with his staff. ”Anyway, I am looking forward to your progress during those two years of training,” said the old man as he headed back inside the academy.

This old man was Franklin Djage, the dean of Kalin Magic Academy and the grandfather of the current Emperor of the Djage Empire. For some reason, he and Shad were like oil and water, and no matter the circumstances they'd never been able to get along.

Shad did not dwell on his reception too much and simply followed the group of people throughout the school. Ever since he was a kid, this old man always treated him as an adult, rather than a child like his mother or his family. It was as though he could see through his soul and discern his true age, which always gave Shad the creeps. Fortunately, he didn't have any ill will towards Shad, but if he did there was nothing Shad could have done to stop it. He was one of the ten 9th class mages throughout Egul, and as such was one of the strongest mages in the world.

The large group finally made it to the exam site and entered the exam room. The written exam soon started, and and the room was soon full of the sound of scratching paper. Most of the questions were fairly simple and oriented towards the theory of magic, such as the basic formula of a magic circle, and the strengths and weaknesses of each of the standard magical elements. Every student hurried to finish the exam within the allotted time, except for Shad. He was quietly snoring in his seat with the exam paper as a pillow. The other students who saw him briefly wondered what he was doing, but they did not have time to waste worrying about him and were soon back to answering their questions as quickly as possible.

Shad really couldn't be blamed for sleeping through the test. Not only was he still tired, but he didn't know at least eighty percent of the questions. He always knew he would fail the written exam anyway, so he was relying on the magic battle exam and the monster hunt exam. One of the reasons Shad decided to train on his own in the first place was because the magic education system focused on learning the largest variety of spells, and placed very little emphasis on their practical use. Shad found this idiotic, so he decided to train on his own.

Most mages think having more spells available to them makes them more powerful, but they can normally barely reduce the casting time of their spells. Shad on the other hand was the complete opposite, he spent most of his time learning how to modify his few spells and shortening his chants so that he was a master at the spells he knew.

”Time is up, everyone put your pen on the table and I will come by to collect your tests,” said the teacher. Everyone did as instructed, and when the teacher collected Shad's paper he didn't say a word, as though this was completely normal.

”Now, you may all go to your rooms to rest and prepare yourself. The magical battle exam will begin in two hours,” said the teacher as he left the exam room. As soon as he left, all the students began to talk with their neighbors and compare questions from the test to try and gauge their performance. Meanwhile, Shad did not linger in the exam room and headed outside immediately.