Chapter 79
The Promotion Exams started the very next day after all other tests were done.
The 1st-circle disciples who had achieved 2nd-circle went first to the snowy mountains for their Promotion Exam.
Once they returned, the 2nd-circle disciples would take their turn.
While it might seem logical to hold all the Promotion Exams at once, given the relatively small number of participants and non-overlapping test areas, it wasn't practical.
‘It wouldn't be good for all the instructors to be away at the same time to supervise them.’
If an unforeseen emergency were to arise while the instructors were out overseeing their respective floor's disciples' Promotion Exams, the clan would have to respond with significantly diminished strength.
Of course, this wasn't 200 years ago, when Desmond's followers were running rampant, and the likelihood of an emergency in the remote snowy mountains—a place people hesitated to visit—was low.
‘Still, we must uphold what needs upholding.’
Kain nodded.
For this reason, Edward, Fohn, and Bolio departed for the snowy mountains to take their Promotion Exam before Kain and Anias.
The main objective of the exam was to go to the Snow Bear habitat and hunt them. While Snow Bears were typically solitary, their population had recently surged, leading them to form groups.
The purpose of this exam was to hunt them and control their numbers.
‘They should be able to handle that much on their own.’
Kain could have provided detailed explanations about the Snow Bears' behavioral patterns or characteristics when they formed groups, but he chose not to.
‘This is their test, after all.’
If they wanted to learn more about such things, they should have proactively sought detailed information in the records office themselves.
‘And knowing them, they’ll manage perfectly well even as they are now.’
Although they had only recently achieved 3rd-circle, they had diligently followed the training Kain had provided since they were at 2nd-circle.
‘And they've experienced a lot of real combat too.’
Especially having survived the struggle with the Fog Mermen in the swamp, the disciples would be better equipped to handle unexpected crises. People tend to grow stronger through battles where their lives are on the line.
As Kain expected, they returned safely.
"Kain! We all passed!"
"T-that's a relief."
"We went and absolutely crushed it!"
They all passed and were promoted to the 3rd-circle floor.
And now, it was Kain and Anias's turn.
***
"...Are we really going this far, Instructor?"
"Don't worry too much. No monsters were found inside the cave."
Rowen said with a smile.
"And before you even get there, if push comes to shove, I'll step in. Of course, it'd be best if it doesn't come to that, right?"
"Well... if something happens that requires you to step in, it means we'll fail."
"Not necessarily, but mostly, yes."
Kain, Anias, and a newly initiated disciple who would also be taking the Promotion Exam with them, Fred, were looking at the map Rowen had handed them.
The place Rowen had marked was considerably far from the Siers clan's castle.
‘It's even farther than where I went to find the Snow Blossom Ice Crystal.’
Moreover, that place was right in front of the border region of the Flondia Empire.
‘Although 'border' here doesn't really mean there's a special wall or border demarcation...’
As Blake Siers, the Clan Head, said, the Siers clan carries out the sacred duty of protecting the snowy mountains at the border.
Usually, 'border' refers to the boundary between countries.
But beyond this border, there was no country.
Only endlessly stretching snowfields and snow-covered mountains.
The reason this place was set as the border was simple.
It was because that was the extent of the territory the clan could manage.
‘Beyond that, the terrain is not only rougher, but there's also a high probability of much more dangerous monsters lurking. In the first place, it's impressive enough that our clan's strength and personnel can regularly manage this area.’
During its prosperous era, the Siers clan had a very strong layer of 4th- to 5th-circle intermediate disciples, and aspiring disciples lined up to join, so there were no worries about personnel.
However, the current Siers clan is in a situation where every single disciple, even those of lower circles, let alone 5th-circle disciples, is precious.
As a result, even when sending them on a single mission, safety must be prioritized, forcing them to conservatively set the search range and objectives.
This further narrowed the area they could manage.
‘The fact that this much is still being maintained is probably thanks to the instructor-level mages doing a good job.’
Especially yesterday, Kain had personally witnessed Rowen's skill with his own eyes.
‘He usually doesn't stand out and seems to wander around, but it seems he was working hard behind the scenes. He's a very commendable instructor.’
Kain felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Rowen.
‘Just having such a skilled individual holding strong within the clan is equivalent to the clan's power increasing.’
The current Clan Head of the Siers clan, Blake Siers, was at the master level of 7th-circle.
Most Clan Heads of clans renowned as magic clans are at least at the beginning of 8th-circle, and Clan Heads of clans listed as noble clans must at least reach the master level of 8th-circle, or even the realm of Ultimate Attainment.
‘Because I achieved 9th-circle and became an Archmage in my past life, the Siers clan was able to ascend to the position of one of the Empire's four great noble clans.’
Below that, the disciples' circles were not as strong compared to other clans, and their activities objectively did not surpass those of other noble clans.
Sein Siers.
He had even defeated Harman Flameforce, who was then undoubtedly called the continent's greatest mage, in a spar.
It was no exaggeration to say that his presence alone made the Siers clan a noble clan.
‘The mere fact of becoming a noble clan caused an explosive increase in the number of aspiring disciples lining up...’
And at that time, the Clan Head of the Bederman clan, who had reached the Ultimate Attainment of 8th-circle, was pushed aside by Sein Siers and yielded his position as a noble clan...
‘Bederman...’
Kain quickly cleared that name, which brought a sour feeling, from his mind.
In any case, it was clearly very encouraging to have an instructor like Rowen in the Siers clan.
‘However... there is one thing I'd like to ask him about wind magic.’
For now, with the Promotion Exam ahead, it seemed better to find an opportune moment later to ask quietly.
"So, we just need to go into that cave and mine a certain quantity of White Mana Stones of superior quality or higher?"
Just then, Fred spoke up.
Rowen nodded.
"Yes."
The objective of this Promotion Exam was to mine a certain quantity of White Magic Stones of superior quality or higher from the cave marked on the map.
There were no other conditions whatsoever.
"We don't have to hunt any monsters at all?"
"Exactly. If you can manage that, that is."
"..."
Fred swallowed hard.
Kain quietly watched Fred, then shifted his gaze back to Rowen.
"Instructor, in that case, may I, representing the three of us, set the course?"
Rowen smiled faintly and nodded.
"Of course. As long as the three of you agree, by all means."
***
Crunch, crunch.
They moved forward, treading on the deep snow. It was a journey of unknown duration, depending on various variables.
In the prolonged silence, Fred broke the quiet.
"...Instructor Rowen is following us, right?"
"Yeah. Worried?"
"Kain, you..."
Fred looked at Kain, who had addressed him informally and rather stiffly.
Fred was a 26-year-old initiated disciple.
He was about to point out Kain's tone, given that Kain was ten years his junior, but he stopped himself.
Disciples were, in principle, equal.
Furthermore, the unspoken rule among initiated disciples about calling each other senior and junior didn't apply to direct lineage disciples like Kain or Anias.
Direct lineage disciples referred to each other as older and younger brothers, while initiated disciples used senior and junior.
That was the ordinary relationship within the clan.
"If it's because of Kain's way of speaking, don't worry too much. He doesn't do it to put you down or look down on you."
Kain tilted his head at Anias's words.
"Put down?"
"See? You've seen it a few times recently, but his way of speaking is just like that. It's the same with me."
Fred was a 3rd-circle disciple who had achieved 4th-circle, but he hadn't actively participated in the training recently.
This was because he had already attempted the Promotion Exam twice before and failed both times.
His attendance on the 3rd-circle floor was long since fulfilled, and he had already learned all the theory.
However, his weak point was practical application.
‘I wanted to enter the Research Hall...’
The Research Hall was where magical theory and alchemy were handled.
Fred was interested in researching magical theory and then implementing and developing magic according to those theories.
However, he lacked the courage to directly unleash those spells against monsters charging with killing intent.
‘The Overseer told me that if I wanted to enter the Research Hall, I needed to at least receive training on the 4th-circle floor and achieve good exam scores...’
So Fred had attempted the Promotion Exam to advance to the 4th-circle floor, but each time, he failed to properly respond to crisis situations and couldn't defeat the target monster on his own.
This was now his third attempt at the Promotion Exam.
Because of this, he had only heard about Kain through rumors, and during the recent practical exam, he was the very last to spar, so he hadn't even seen Kain's spar with Rowen.
This was practically his first time seeing Kain up close.
"My apologies if there was any misunderstanding. I have no intention of looking down on you. I haven't seen you much during the training sessions, so I'd be grateful if you could tell me about yourself."
"Kain...!"
At those words, Fred's expression brightened slightly, and he began to open up about himself.
"...I see."
"Yeah. I just want to apply theory to real combat and create better magic..."
Kain responded immediately.
"That's a very foolish thought."
"...What?"
He was about to say, 'Didn't you just say you weren't looking down on me?' but Kain immediately continued.
"You said you're interested in implementing and developing magic according to theory, correct?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Then all the more reason you need to experience real combat."
"..."
Kain continued speaking as he stepped on the snow.
"It's a simple matter. Imagine you've studied a theory and developed magic in a certain direction. How would you know if it's genuinely 'developed'?"
"Well... like increased destructive power, or easier integration of additional spell formulas... or easier coordinate manipulation in teleportation..."
"The theories that have been established over long ages cannot be simply developed like that. If you want to increase the destructive power from the currently established theories, there's always some accompanying effect. Whether it's increased mana consumption or prolonged casting time. It's the same for other fields."
Kain raised his hand and cast a Fire Arrow.
"How does this Fire Arrow appear to you?"
"...Wow. It looks flawless. Almost perfect."
Fred exclaimed in admiration.
He couldn't help but wish he could create a Fire Arrow like that.
However.
"Wrong. If made like this, it cannot exert its proper power."
With those words, the Fire Arrow swiftly flew into the air.
GULP!
And it pierced the heart of a Snow Wolf, which had been hiding in the snow and suddenly leaped out.
"Holy moly! Didn't you say there were no Snow Wolves on this path?"
Fred stopped in surprise.
Kain paid him no mind and continued his explanation.
"Even though this was a Fire Arrow cast by me, it couldn't completely pierce through the Snow Wolf's body and fly all the way through in one go. Furthermore, such magic is cumbersome to use with additional spell formulas or to freely manipulate its coordinates."
"Wait, a Snow Wolf? Now that you mention it, its appearance..."
"On the other hand, a Fire Arrow like this is quite efficient in actual combat."
Kain launched his next Fire Arrow.
It didn't just pierce the Snow Wolf's body; it practically tore it apart, then swiftly dispatched the other hidden Snow Wolves.
"While entering combat without theory is foolish, theory that disregards practical application is the epitome of inefficiency. Understand that theory and practice are in a constant, mutually complementary relationship."
"..."
Fred was speechless for a moment.
Honestly, the second Fire Arrow Kain had just demonstrated didn't particularly appeal to Fred.
No, it wasn't just that it didn't appeal to him; it seemed as if Kain had deliberately grafted on only the parts that would grate on Fred, who sought theoretically perfect magic.
‘But the effect was, quite literally, incredible.’
Kain continued,
"If magic could only develop through your so-called 'brilliant theories,' why would the Research Hall Overseer have told you to come only after reaching at least the 4th-circle floor?"
"..."
Fred couldn't answer, but he knew what the answer was.
"Well, that's enough talk for now."
Kain looked up at the mountain peak ahead.
—AWOOOOOOO!!
"It's a Mutated Snow Wolf. Prepare for combat."
