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 8

Chapter 8   The Legendary Scoring Results (Side: Examiner)

“What’s going on with this exam paper…?”

The day after the entrance exams for the Zelgius Royal Magic Academy, an examiner for the written tests couldn’t help but voice her disbelief as she reviewed a certain student’s answers.

“What’s the matter?”

Intrigued by her words, the examiner for the swordsmanship, who was seated next to her, asked.

“There’s a student who scored a perfect score in all written subjects.”

“That’s quite rare.”

The swordsmanship examiner’s eyes widened at the news.

The Zelgius Royal Magic Academy’s exams are designed so that the passing mark for any subject is roughly 50%, and the average score for successful candidates hovers around 65%. It’s incredibly rare for someone to achieve a perfect score; it happens perhaps once every two or three years. Even then, the perfect score would typically be in only one or two subjects at most. Achieving a perfect score across all subjects was unprecedented.

“What an extraordinary genius.”

“Right? But that’s not all…”

However, even this unprecedented event was only the beginning of what the written examiner had witnessed.

“That’s not all…? What do you mean?”

“Take a look at this.”

The written examiner handed the swordsmanship examiner the answer sheets for all six subjects from the said examinee. It didn’t take long for the swordsmanship examiner to realize what was so extraordinary, even without reading the detailed answers.

“Could it be that this person… answered even the subjects they didn’t need to?”

“Exactly. And not only that… out of sheer curiosity, I graded the additional two subjects, and they scored full marks on those as well.”

“Is that even possible…?”

The swordsmanship examiner was at a loss. The examinee had managed to answer six subjects within the time allocated for four. Logically, there shouldn’t have been enough time for that.

The swordsmanship examiner, who had been the type to compensate for his academic shortcomings with his practical skills during his student days, found the existence of this examinee so incomprehensible it was beginning to overwhelm him.

“But that’s not the main issue.”

“As if all this isn’t bizarre enough… there’s still more?”

The swordsmanship examiner was starting to regret having responded to the initial remark.

“In the elective subject ‘Spirit Epidemiology,’ this examinee answered question six in a completely different way from the model answer… and in the process, he solved an unsolved problem.”

“What!?”

The swordsmanship examiner’s voice involuntarily rose, and he stood up with a start.

No wonder. An unsolved problem is a challenge that has stumped scholars throughout history. It’s not something a student should be able to solve on a whim while providing an alternative answer.

With his head spinning, the swordsmanship examiner stared blankly at the six answer sheets. Then, he noticed something terrifying recorded among the answers.

“…Hmm?”

Rubbing his eyes, he checked the part in question again.

“This exam number…”

“What about this exam number?”

“No doubt about it. It’s that person.”

He remembered. The unforgettable experience from the swordsmanship exam.

“…That person?”

“There was someone in the swordsmanship exam who fought in an unbelievable way. Specifically… he forgot to bring a sword, so he made one with alchemy magic, and then he broke my sword with that sword. Feeling sorry about it, he tried to give me his sword… which turned out to be made of Orichalcum-Adamantite alloy.”

By this point, the strangeness of the situation had dawned on the written exam examiner as well. She might not know much about swordsmanship, but she understood that an Adamantite alloy sword wasn’t something a person should be able to swing around casually.

“How was he even swinging something like that?”

“Well… it seems he thinks it’s common sense to make swords out of Adamantite alloy…”

“How does someone even grow up thinking that way…?”

Now it was her turn to hold her head in her hands.

After exchanging these shocking facts, a moment of silence fell between the two of them.

…At that moment, another teacher entered the staff room.

“Oh my, what are you two talking about so enthusiastically?”

It was one of the examiner who had overseen the magic exam during the entrance tests. Specifically, the examiner in charge of the creative exam.

“We’re talking about a particular examinee. In the written exam, he solved an unsolved problem, and in the swordsmanship exam, he swung around an Adamantite alloy sword. Wouldn’t you talk about such an extraordinary talent?”

The written examiner summarized the story so far for him.

“An unsolved problem…?”

The word “unsolved problem” caught the magic examiner’s attention, and he looked over the answer sheets.

“…I knew it. This exam number.”

He, too, reacted similarly to the swordsmanship examiner.

“Oh no, don’t tell me he did something incredible in the magic exam too…”

“Exactly. He chose the creative exam… and made a gravity manipulation device.”

“G-gravity manipulation device…!?”

The two examiners voices harmonized at the mention of the gravity manipulation device.

“See? When you mentioned the unsolved problem, I thought, ‘could it be?’ Someone like him could certainly create a supposedly non-existent magic device.”

The magic exam proctor continued with an expression that seemed to say he now understood everything.

“We’re fortunate he didn’t choose the attack magic exam. Otherwise, this academy might have been reduced to ashes by now…”

The written examiner muttered an alarming yet casual observation, which sent a chill down the spines of the magic and swordsmanship examiners.

“By the way… I actually came here to discuss something related to that matter.”

With that, the magic examiner finally brought up the main reason for his visit to the staff room.

“The Creative Exam normally has a maximum of 30 bonus points, right? I want to remove that limit and give 100 bonus points for creativity. Is that okay?”

His proposal was utterly outrageous and would normally never be approved. This is because the benchmark of “minimum passing score of 50%, average passing score of 65%” applies not just to written exams but to all subjects.

The total maximum score without the creative points is 300, which means the minimum passing score is typically around 150.

So, what does it mean to give 100 bonus points for creativity? It means that a single examiner’s decision could grant a student a passing score.

If you add 100 bonus points to a 100-point exam, it alone surpasses the minimum passing score. This essentially asks, “Can we pass this student based solely on their magic exam performance?”

Allowing one examiner such discretion could lead to rampant cheating, which is why the creative points are capped at 30 to prevent this.

However, the reactions of the two examiners were also unprecedented.

“Go ahead. I don’t mind.”

“I was going to give him full marks anyway. His top passing score is assured. Give him 100 points, or even 1,000 or 10,000.”

At this point, it was up to the principal to approve this exceptional measure. The principal typically does not overturn a unanimous decision by the examiners.

Thus, Hadar’s score became the highest in history—indeed, an unprecedented achievement.