Abandoned in the mountains, I was adopted by a lizard ~I mastered magic and surpassed my parents, but I didn't know they were legendary ancient dragons~ - Chapter 7

Chapter 7   Entrance Exam 3 – Magic

On the way to the magic exam venue, I noticed a sign on one of the paths:

“Attack Magic Exam ↑ Creative Exam →”

I remembered that the magic exam involves choosing one of two methods. These are the Attack Magic Exam and the Creative Exam, as indicated by the sign. The Attack Magic Exam involves hitting targets with attack magic, while the Creative Exam requires making a magical tool from provided materials.

The safer choice here is the Attack Magic Exam. Its straightforward nature makes the evaluation criteria clear, making it easier to aim for a high score. On the other hand, the Creative Exam, where “what kind of magical tool you create is up to you,” has scoring based on the examiner’s discretion, making it harder to aim for a high score. The average score for all candidates in the Creative Exam is typically about 90% of the average score in the Attack Magic Exam, a significant difference. Therefore, most candidates opt for the Attack Magic Exam.

Naturally, I also intended to choose the Attack Magic Exam. I saw no merit in deviating from the norm.

But—that was until the outcome of the swordsmanship exam. Now, I’m inclined to take the Creative Exam.

There’s a single reason. The Creative Exam isn’t inherently more disadvantageous compared to the Attack Magic Exam; it also has its own advantages. One such advantage is the “Creativity Points” system. Normally, the magic exam is scored out of 100 points, but considering the Creativity Points, you can earn up to 130 points in the Creative Exam.

The swordsmanship exam proctor outwardly told me not to worry, but it’s clear he harbored some bitter feelings. I should assume my score in that exam won’t be great. To pass, I’ll need to make up for it by scoring exceptionally well in the magic exam.

I’m not particularly skilled at creating magical tools, but I can’t afford to play it safe. It’s a choice between getting an average score and failing, or taking a risk for a chance at passing. Choosing the latter is a no-brainer when comparing a 0% chance to a 1% chance.

So, I headed right towards the Creative Exam venue. As rumored, this exam was unpopular, and the crowd that had gathered for the swordsmanship exam was nowhere to be seen.

◇

After waiting for a while at the venue, each candidate was given a single magic stone. The rules for this exam were simple: within the one-hour time limit, create a magical tool using the provided materials.

We were allowed to use only the one provided magic stone. For other materials like metals and wood, we could take as much as we wanted from the shared supply area.

I examined the magic stone and began contemplating what to create.

To be honest, the quality of the magic stone was not great. This would severely limit what could be made from it.

However, this limitation could also be seen as a hint: “We’ll give you a high score if you create the most advanced magical tool possible within these constraints.”

With that in mind, the best tool to create would be something challenging yet feasible with this stone—like a gravity manipulation device.

Even though such a device is considered high difficulty, it’s only “high difficulty within the given constraints.” I could complete it in about 10 minutes. Since it’s the best idea I have, I might as well go for it.

As I was pondering, the examiner gave the signal to start. I immediately began inscribing a magic circle onto the magic stone. That task took six minutes.

Next, I retrieved some iron from the supply area and began crafting. I fashioned a base with a knob, allowing the user to adjust the radius of effect and the gravity multiplier by turning the knob.

I crafted two knobs, each with its own set of markings. The first knob’s scale ranged from 0.1 to 3, while the second knob’s scale ranged from 0 to 10. The first knob determined the gravity multiplier, with a minimum of 0.1x and a maximum of 3x. If the magic stone were of better quality, the device could manage zero gravity or even 100x gravity, but given the stone’s quality, these limits were the best I could achieve. The second knob indicated the effective radius, showing that gravity could be altered within a maximum radius of 10 meters.

Once I set the magic stone into the base, the device was complete. As expected, it took a little over ten minutes to finish.

After completion, I set the effective radius to about 30 centimeters and conducted a test run to confirm that the device worked properly.

According to the rules, we could submit our work as soon as it was ready. With plenty of time left, I decided to go ahead and submit mine. I took the gravity manipulation device to the examiner.

“That was quick… Are you done already?”

“Yes.”

I handed the gravity manipulation device to the bewildered examiner.

“Explain what kind of magical tool this is.”

“It’s a gravity manipulation device. The right knob sets the effective radius, and the left knob sets the gravity multiplier.”

After briefly explaining the device as requested, the examiner let out a heavy sigh, looking rather disappointed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. A gravity manipulation device is mere theoretical fantasy. Such things only appear in myths and fairy tales…”

It seemed I had disappointed him. Perhaps I had made the wrong choice in creating this device. However, what struck me was the examiner’s tone, which suggested he regarded this as some fictional magical tool. Far from being a theoretical fantasy, I had even tested it to ensure it worked properly.

“Well, as an examiner, I should at least see how it works. Let’s see… if I set it here, the gravity should become one-tenth, right?”

The examiner said this while turning the knob. In the next moment, his expression changed dramatically.

“…!? My body… feels lighter…”

The examiner lightly jumped, and with just a small push, his body floated about ten meters into the air… descending slowly and gently, defying the usual speed of free fall.

“This… this can’t be…!”

The examiner was completely stunned, his jaw practically dropping in disbelief. He stood frozen in place for about a minute, utterly astonished.

“Is this… a dream…?”

He murmured as if in a trance.

What on earth is this guy doing? I wondered as I watched him. Finally, the examiner snapped back to reality.

“Ah… sorry, sorry. I doubted you.”

He apologized and bowed deeply to me. Could it be that this person genuinely thought a gravity manipulation device was something out of a fairy tale?

“But still… this is a bit of a problem. I don’t know how to even begin grading something like this…”

He returned the magical tool to me, still looking troubled.

If you’re going to apologize, at least give me the creative points. Ideally, the full 30 points.

I silently prayed for this outcome. While the chances of this prayer being answered were slim, I had done everything I could, so now I just had to wait and see what fate had in store.