Chapter 18
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Episode 4 - Weekend [3]
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A few days ago, on the day of the opening ceremony for the new cadets.
Professor Ashly had received unexpected news.
The theory professor in charge of the opening ceremony exam said something shocking.
"Professor Ashly, the theory about shortening verses into a single verse has been solved."
"What?"
"Check it yourself."
Professor Ashly read the exams of two cadets; they were none other than Adel and Lumina Moonlight.
Although there was also late-breaking news about Adel's attribute, Professor Ashly did not even pay attention to it.
Her focus was on the theory she had proposed years ago, hoping that some genius would answer it.
And that day had arrived; it was not just one genius, but two.
In any case, Professor Ashly continued reading and tested the completed theory.
The result.
It was a single-verse spell; it could be cast in 1.27 seconds.
A two-verse spell used to be cast in three seconds, nearly reaching four.
For mages, those seconds are extremely important.
Probably, anyone who is not a mage would see it as nonsense, but the world of magic is completely different.
In any case, Professor Ashly and the theory professor were euphoric and managed to create five single-verse spells.
Of course, they were one-star spells, since magic above five stars would take a long time to develop.
"What do you think, Professor Gregory?"
"This is definitely a major breakthrough in magic, although it is unfortunate that these two cadets are not mages."
"That is true, but they could easily become scholars and enter the Sage's Tower."
The Sage's Tower, a place where only those who have created revolutionary things or original magic are allowed to enter, among other achievements.
It is a place where the creators who developed nearly everything that exists today reside.
Such as magic, elixirs, weapons, and relics, along with thousands of other things throughout the millennia.
"In the next class, I will test them."
"That is a good idea; if they pass your test, then you will take them as your assistants."
Professor Ashly nodded.
The reason she had not spoken about the exam topic with those two cadets over the past few days, waiting instead until the last class of the week, was simple.
She had been creating the single-verse magic and an objective plan for those two cadets.
That was why it had been delayed, and Professor Ashly eagerly awaited the next class, eventually managing to move into the topic she wanted to use as a test.
***
The question Professor Ashly asked, as expected, was related to the exam.
The professor looked at Lumina and then at me; afterward, as if trying to hide it, she looked at the rest of the cadets.
'So she's testing us.'
Professor Ashly's actions were easily noticed by me and probably by Lumina as well.
Since Lumina has gone through this several times.
Anyway, seeing that Professor Ashly was testing us, it was probably for a reason.
'In the game, a player who was a mage would be chosen as her assistant, but since I'm not a mage, the selection of her assistant will probably be based on the answer given to the theory section of the first day's exam.'
That was definitely the case; knowing this, I could take advantage of it.
There is a small event where Professor Ashly takes you as her assistant; by becoming Professor Ashly's assistant, you gain great benefits.
And the most coveted item among players is an elixir that increases mana and all other stats by 25%.
It is a huge leap in terms of stat growth, since raising all stats is extremely difficult.
'Well, Adel has enough talent to increase her stats fairly quickly, and with some training I can reach that 25% in less than a month.'
If we combine it with the elixir, it would become 50%, reaching halfway to four stars.
And since she is testing me, I should naturally answer her question, shouldn't I?
Immediately, I raised my hand, drawing the professor's attention.
"Yes, Cadet Adel."
"I can answer the question, Professor Ashly."
She nodded with a smile.
"Of course."
Although shortening magic from three verses to two is completely different from shortening it from two verses to one.
That is the reason why all mages and scholars who seek to reduce magic to a single verse fail.
That is because they take the wrong path and fail to change their perspective.
When going from three verses to two, if one attempts to alter the structure so that only two remain, choosing the wrong words will cause the magic to fail.
Thus, going from two verses to one follows a similar pattern, but at the same time, a different one.
"To shorten magic to a single verse, one must change their perspective. Of course, the process follows a foundation similar to reducing it from three verses to two, but with one key difference."
When I began my explanation, a dozen eyes immediately turned toward me.
Ignoring them, I stared directly at the professor and continued.
"The method for reducing magic to a single verse is as follows."
This was a single-verse spell that Professor Ashly had already performed in the future; a three-star spell modified from two verses into one.
"I wish for blood to grant me its mercy."
"Fall of the Bloody Judgment."
Naturally, the magic did not appear, since I am not a mage.
However, the one who was a mage and possessed the blood attribute was Professor Ashly.
Professor Ashly repeated exactly what I had said, and the three-star single-verse spell appeared.
A kind of spear, held by invisible hands, emerged above the classroom ceiling and descended toward the floor.
Before the spear could fall like a judgment, it vanished, and the silence in the classroom was a sign of shock.
"Ha, I knew it."
I heard Professor Ashly's murmur as clearly as if she had whispered it directly into my ear.
In any case, I continued my explanation.
"The criteria for using single-verse magic are as follows."
I raised one finger.
"Everything lies within the three verses of a spell. For example, 'Fall of the Bloody Judgment' is a three-star, three-verse spell. However, I used the term 'wish,' which represents a direct request to the magic, as though demanding that it be fulfilled. Then, the word 'mercy' acts as the medium that allows that wish to come true, while also reflecting the nature of the magic being used."
"'Fall of the Bloody Judgment,' as its name indicates, is a 'judgment.'"
"If, when casting the spell, you introduce the idea of mercy along with a genuine wish, then you are altering the original intent of the judgment."
"That's why it works. It's just an example, anyway."
"There are two criteria."
"First, add the word 'Wish' to transform the invocation into an absolute request."
"Second, regardless of the magic being used, the final word must be related to the meaning of the spell's name."
Of course, in reality, one-verse magic is easy to understand.
The problem is not the concept itself, but the way it is explained, since it can become confusing due to the use of terms that are not normally taken into consideration.
But that is precisely why one-verse magic has never existed.
'Of course, there's also the method of cutting the verse short, but for one-verse magic, that's very difficult.'
And at the end of the day, one-verse magic is already short enough to be cast almost instantly.
Clap! Clap!
Professor Ashly applauded with a radiant smile.
"Congratulations to Cadet Adel for answering a question that has been posed for centuries by every mage in the world."
And with that, the class came to an end, although I did not give Lumina the chance to answer her part.
However, since she always entered alongside the player as Professor Ashly's assistant, there was no problem. Besides, that means that every time I go to Professor Ashly, Lumina will be by my side, following the professor's instructions.
'Still, what matters are the things obtained by being Professor Ashly's assistant. That's what truly matters.'
Before the professor left, she said:
"Oh, and Cadets Lumina and Adel, I'll be expecting you in my office this weekend."
With that, Professor Ashly left, leaving the classroom in silence.
Leaning back in my seat, I let out a long sigh.
At the same time, Rinna's voice made me turn to look at her.
"H-hey, Adel, how… how did you figure that out? It's a question that has been asked ever since two-verse magic was created, and you answered it like it was nothing…"
Maybe I shouldn't have added curiosity to Rinna's settings.
Tilting my head, I said:
"Well, it's not my fault nobody used their brain to change perspectives and realize how easy it was to create one-verse magic."
"..."
Rinna puffed out her cheeks and muttered:
"I feel like you're saying that to me too."
'Oh, so you figured it out.'
Laughing inwardly, I could not help but look at her for a few seconds before shifting my gaze toward the other cadets.
They showed various emotions, among them the most noticeable being shock and disbelief.
However, the negative emotions still remained.
'These idiots, no matter how huge the gap is, will never admit their mistakes.'
Shaking my head, the next class soon began.
Naturally, Rinna would not stop asking me questions, even during break time.
And finally, the weekend arrived, one day before the beginning of Chapter One of Holy Land.