noveldrama
Chapter 167
Chapter 167
**The Great Festival for Paimon’s Subjugation, "Academy Je."**
The event was scheduled for the weekend of the 15th week, Saturday to Sunday.
On weekdays, the students would focus on their regular final exams, and the main festival would take place on the weekend.
“I really should be focusing on finals…”
“Ugh, are we going to be on TV? I haven’t even been able to materialize my mana yet…”
Because of this, the students found themselves in a state of tension.
They hadn’t prepared for finals properly, as they had unexpectedly become a part of a global broadcast. It was only natural for them to be anxious.
“Don’t worry too much. Your battlefield will be in the gate. No one’s going to care about your dueling skills.”
“Besides, you’re all freshmen. No one expects much, so don’t stress.”
“Your grades won’t be affected much, so just put on a flashy show and waste your mana during the fights.”
Even though the president tried to ease their worries, the students weren’t exactly reassured.
*‘We’re classmates with Yu-jin, you know?’*
*‘Alice and Yu-shia are in the same group, and now they’re calling us the golden generation...?’*
*‘We’re just ordinary Awakeners, though...’*
Everyone was making excuses to avoid the inevitable.
They all knew that the expectations were high because of Yu-jin and his wives.
And they knew that they couldn’t ignore those expectations.
Even more so because of Seol Ha-yeon herself—she was a living legend, a figure who would be hard to even talk to for regular students, let alone face in battle.
How could they simply accept her encouragement when it came so naturally?
That was the reason the students looked so miserable as the final week approached.
- **Shifting.**
"Professor Han, how are you handling the final exam questions this year?"
“I haven’t decided yet…”
The students weren’t the only ones feeling the pressure.
The professors were also looking grim.
It was only natural, as they had gotten involved in this insane festival, which was set to take place in just five weeks.
“Even so, isn’t this too dangerous? Even if the exam is on Friday, it’s already Monday!”
“I’m aware, but we’re really cutting it close here.”
Among the professors, there were some who seemed especially stressed.
These were the professors in charge of first-year classes.
The reason?
“...Because of Seo Yu-jin.”
“Ah.”
The young man who had turned the academic world upside down.
What had Yu-jin done during midterms?
He’d put on his "That’s not how you do it!" performance on every exam.
And, on top of that, he had presented a “core processing method” that could revolutionize the academic world.
Instead of taking the exams, he had written up entire papers.
For the public, it was an “amazing! Seo Yu-jin!” moment, filled with national pride.
But for the professors, it was a nightmare.
[Professor Han, I have a research project. Could you please include a related question for the final exam? I’m sure Yu-jin would be able to handle it...]
[The Royal Mana Society (RMS) strongly recommends that the questions for the final exam include the following, in honor of Seo Yu-jin’s outstanding accomplishments…]
*‘These insane academic enthusiasts?!’*
Emails flooded in to the academy.
Those thirsty for knowledge didn’t miss the chance.
Yu-jin didn’t use social media, so they had been frustrated until now...
But with the finals coming up, and the necessity of passing them for graduation...
What if they could slip a question they were struggling with into his hands?
Just like during the midterm exams, when he casually solved problems no one else could.
The scholars, fully aware of the opportunity, bombarded the Pentagon Academy with emails.
On the surface, they were polite requests, but underneath, they were begging: *“Please, help us with our research!”*
Of course, the professors saw right through this.
*‘Dr. Brooks?! The Nobel laureate—why is he doing this?!’*
It was hard to turn them down, especially when the senders were so prestigious.
The most prominent name among them was Emily Brooks.
She had presented the probabilistic prediction model for gate occurrences, and proposed groundbreaking theories through quantum mechanics and complex systems research.
Her work had won her a Nobel Prize...
So when even she sent a polite request, how could they ignore it?
The professors were torn. They had to respond somehow, but they couldn’t possibly just add these questions to the exam.
*‘How can we ask our students to solve problems we can’t even solve ourselves?’*
But even so, they couldn’t just add them right away.
With the Academy Je looming, they were already making the students suffer.
If they added these problems to the exam, the students would be looking at them with “are you human?” expressions.
The professors were humans too. They had their limits.
“Professor Seo, what about the Mana Control class? Yu-jin is also enrolled. The exam is on Tuesday.”
“Oh, me? Well…”
The professors in charge of the first-year classes were putting their heads together to figure out what to do.
They were being forced to include questions with absurd difficulty, while also knowing their students would be horrified when they saw them.
How could they balance the two?
After much debate, they came to a solution.
"Then, we’ll start the final exam now. Yu-jin, please come to the teacher’s office."
“Huh?”
“Yu-jin, you’re exempt. Please come with me to the office.”
“Exempt?”
— **Yu-jin Exempted**.
It wasn’t fair, but the professors closed their eyes and called him.
They kept repeating apologies in their heads.
This was a situation even a well-mannered young man like Yu-jin couldn’t avoid.
“Did I do something wrong? Is it because of a cheating suspicion? If so, I’ll wear the mana seal.”
“It’s not that, please follow us. Yu-jin, you’ll be taking a different exam.”
“A different exam? I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
Yu-jin nervously glanced at the professors, wondering if he had done something wrong.
He only realized the situation when he arrived at the teacher’s office.
“What is all this?”
“This is the ‘special’ problem prepared for you, Yu-jin.”
“We haven’t learned anything like this…”
Stacks of papers piled up in the office.
The pages were filled with problems.
They had packaged it in a way that seemed simple on the surface, but to Yu-jin, it didn’t feel simple at all.
*‘Why do the professors look so... uneasy?’*
“...Aha?”
Yu-jin, who had a keen sense, immediately figured it out.
Ah, this was because of the things I did during midterms. That explains it.
A sigh escaped from Yu-jin’s lips.
“Ugh. Do I really have to solve all of this? Even I’m not sure about that.”
“No! You’ll get full marks just for solving one of the questions.”
“No, no. You’ll get full marks for solving just one, but you need to do all three.”
The professors were nervous.
They knew it was unreasonable to demand such a thing from a current S-rank, let alone someone who could be an S-rank in the future.
But how did Yu-jin react?
“Hmm. Let me take a look.”
Yu-jin was calm.
After all, he was a regressor. He had lived through 15 years of experience, and he was currently ranked S-rank 1st in multiple fields.
His knowledge was top-notch compared to regular non-specialists.
Of course, he wasn’t an expert in every field, but he wasn’t going to struggle with this.
- **Crinkle.**
*‘I’ll skip the stuff unrelated to Awakeners, and ignore the ones I don’t understand...’*
And with that, Yu-jin started his final exam.
The piles of paper quickly diminished.
He sorted through the papers, figuring out which ones to tackle.
“Hmm, the Riemann hypothesis? What is this nonsense? Get out of here.”
“This seems related to Awakeners, but I’m not sure. I’ll skip it.”
In no time, the papers were sorted into three piles:
1. The ones he had no clue about.
2. The ones he kind of knew.
3. The ones he felt he could solve.
- **Swipe.**
*‘I think I can solve these three.’*
At the end, Yu-jin had three pages in front of him.
The professors couldn’t help but silently cheer.
They had expected nothing more than a miracle, but here he was, solving problems at a speed that blew them away.
*‘We didn’t even expect him to get one right, but three?!’*
They were impressed, especially when they realized one of the problems was one suggested by Dr. Brooks, the Nobel laureate.
But Yu-jin didn’t even blink.
He looked at the papers, as if they were just an ordinary task.
- **Scratch.**
*‘Ah, this one’s about reversing mana into power. Paimon’s into this kind of thing. I know how to do it, but…’*
*‘Using mana condensation to create room-temperature superconductors...
Ah, this was all over the news. What was it again? The material...’*
Yu-jin kept scribbling on the paper.
In the world 15 years from now, this knowledge would be common sense.
But for now, it was knowledge that could change the world.
He reached the final page and paused for a moment.
- **Pause.**
*‘Wait… isn’t this the Nobel-winning question?’*
This was the question Dr. Brooks had asked.
Yu-jin thought for a moment, holding the paper.
The professors who had been watching him let out a small sigh.
*‘Even Yu-jin can’t solve a problem that’s stumped a Nobel laureate, can he?’*
But then...
- **Scratch. Scratch.**
Yu-jin’s pen started moving again.
“...!!!?”
The professors’ reactions changed instantly.
Yu-jin wasn’t just solving it—he was going to finish the question.
They couldn’t believe it.
Yu-jin's pen scratched across the paper once again.
The professors gasped, realizing that Yu-jin was still moving forward with the problems.
"…!!!?"
The professors’ reactions quickly shifted from skepticism to awe. Yu-jin wasn’t just solving the problem—he was finishing it.
“He’s solving the problem!”
The professors murmured among themselves. “He’s really solving it… Even the Nobel-winning scientist couldn’t get past this!”
Yu-jin, however, was unfazed. For him, this was just another challenge to overcome, no different than any other task.
The problem that had stumped experts was now being conquered by a single person. Not even the most renowned scholars had expected this outcome.
- Scratch. Scratch.
Yu-jin’s pen danced on the paper as he confidently worked through the solution. His mind had already worked through the complexities, and now, he just had to write it down.
With a flourish, Yu-jin placed his pen down.
"Done."
The professors stared at him, stunned. They hadn't expected him to complete the question, let alone with such ease. The final page was filled with solutions, meticulously calculated, and all the while, Yu-jin showed no signs of stress. It was as though this was just another day at school for him.
"Is this... really happening?" one professor whispered.
Yu-jin smiled and picked up the completed exam papers.
“I’ve finished everything. But... there's one thing I’m not sure about.”
"Really? You solved all three questions already?" The professor asked, barely able to hide his disbelief.
"Yes, but... the last one... I’m not entirely sure about it." Yu-jin gestured at the final paper. "It’s a bit tricky. Would you mind passing it on to Emily Brooks for me? Don’t bother with my name; just tell her I did my best."
The professor blinked, completely thrown off by Yu-jin’s casual tone. He had solved problems that were considered near impossible by many, including those submitted by a Nobel laureate, yet now he was offering to let them pass on one of the questions?
"…What?!"
Yu-jin gave a carefree smile, showing no hint of regret or hesitation in his actions.
The next day...
- Crash!
"ALICE RITENWOOD! That damn brat! Where is Seo Yu-jin!?"
"...Who are you?!"
"It’s me! Emily Brooks!"
"Who the hell are you, and how did you get into my dorm!?"
A quirky scientist had arrived in Korea.
And now, she was causing chaos in Alice’s room, demanding to see Yu-jin.