I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 305 (Patreon)

Chapter 305: I'll Stuff the Exam Paper into the Chancellor's Mouth!

Apade was an ordinary apprentice within the Iyeta Academy. He knew well his intellect and calculation skills paled compared to the elite students. If he aimed to stand out in this graduation test and earn the Chancellor's recognition, he had to resort to unconventional means!

Last night, he splurged on a potent alchemical powder from a skilled herbalist. He blended it into the ink, creating a cheat sheet only visible through specific magic.

So, boldly, Apade laid out the parchment paper filled with formulas and exercises on the desk. Pretending to solve problems, he discreetly used a revealing spell to peek at the questions.

"Great... These few questions were explained by the Chancellor. Just a few number switches, and they're solvable."

Proudly, Apade worked through the parchment, cracking the first five questions within minutes. But soon, he realized this method wasn't foolproof. Many questions on the exam were unfamiliar, resistant to simple formula substitutions or number swaps.

Puzzling over it, Apade persisted, repeatedly casting the revealing spell on the parchment, line by line, searching for any missed formulas.

Suddenly, a piercing sound tore through the air. Before Apade could react, a long copper nail zoomed past, pinning his quill and the exam paper in his hand. The parchment in front of him fluttered, autonomously flying towards the invigilator's desk.

"Chancellor..." Apade startled, jolting up from his seat.

Lord Lynn extended a hand, and the parchment landed in his palm.

Struggling to maintain a composed exterior, Apade suppressed his fear and anxiety, reassuring himself about the invisibility of his special ink. He believed it was undetectable.

Meanwhile, Orlando and Flora, contemplating the exam questions, remembered their responsibilities as invigilators. They hurried over, finding some messy drafts on the parchment, seemingly nothing extraordinary.

But they understood; this had to be some form of cheating. The Chancellor wouldn't act so abruptly otherwise.

Lord Lynn cast a knowing glance at Apade, instantly deducing the ink's invisibility.

Such trickery was far too naive to escape his notice.

Invisible ink merely manipulated a spectrum unseen by the naked eye. Lord Lynn's thoughts spun, conjuring a prism, refracting sunlight from the window into ultraviolet rays that converged onto the parchment. The concealed writings emerged instantly.

Apade turned pale. Cursing the herbalist in his mind, he wondered how his supposedly concealed ink had been uncovered, even by a seasoned wizard.

"Apade, I warned about the consequences of cheating. You may leave now," Lord Lynn tossed the paper back, coldly instructing.

"Chancellor, please, give me another chance..." Apade pleaded anxiously. At twenty-nine, according to Iyeta's custom, not becoming a full-fledged wizard by thirty meant being expelled from the academy.

Lord Lynn remained resolute. Choosing shortcuts meant facing risks. Not punishing would be unfair to those earnestly studying.

Despite Apade's cries, Lord Lynn gestured for Orlando to escort him out, avoiding disturbing the other examinees.

Although this lesson was learned, the attempts to cheat persisted among the examinees. Each held a glimmer of hope, believing they wouldn't get caught.

Methods of cheating were diverse. Some foolishly wrote on their hands or sleeves, sneaking glances when unobserved.

The clever ones employed different tactics. One apprentice wielded a mystical magic, covertly observing answers through reflected light, almost hoodwinking Lord Lynn, had he not been an adept grand wizard.

Tactics like using farsight spells to peek were also attempted. But Lord Lynn, with experiences transcending magic from past lives, was adept at unveiling these cheats. Within minutes, all were exposed.

Lamentations echoed in the exam hall. Among the 230 examinees, a whopping 37 attempted various cheating methods, promptly ousted from the exam, their results nullified.

Elok watched as each apprentice faced disqualification, his expression dim. They'd confront severe penalties. He, too, had prepared a cheat sheet but hesitated to use it, haunted by the Chancellor's warning.

Despite barely escaping, he racked his brains, continuing the test.

Even if his written exam faltered slightly, there was a practical test awaiting. If he performed exceptionally, securing a decent score was plausible.

Contrarily, Lydia, also present in the exam hall, had a different mindset.

As a halfling devoid of inherent magical talent, her participation was solely due to Lord Lynn's special approval. But there would be no leniency from the Chancellor.

It meant she'd score naught in the practical subject of shaping, focusing only on alchemy and herbology, struggling even for a pass.

To smoothly pass the exam, she needed exceptional performance in the written subjects...

Lydia worked tirelessly. Being an airship maker and pilot, she was well-versed in geometric calculations, gravitational formulas. The foundational questions were solved within an hour and a half.

However, the subsequent dozen questions stumped her. They involved celestial mechanics or intricate function-related geometry, taxing even the sharpest minds.

Like this one...

[A, B, C are our three artillery positions. A is 6,000 kilometers east of B, and C is 5,000 kilometers north-northwest of B, with a 30-degree angle. P marks the enemy clergy's position. At a certain moment, a bishop casts a message spell detected by us three seconds later due to B and C being farther from A. The message spell propagates at 1,000 kilometers per second. Determine the azimuth for A's artillery to strike the clergy's position...]

So difficult...

Lydia grimaced, scribbling on her paper. She wished she could stuff the entire exam into the Chancellor's mouth. Couldn't they ask something simpler?

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