Chapter 308: Don’t Let It Get To Your Head
The crowd answered with a respectable cheer, though it lacked the bloodlust of the combat tournament.
That was expected. A quiz competition only served the purpose of testing, there was really no entertainment value for the students or the viewers watching from home.
"Today, your representatives will face questions drawn from the magic system, world history, politics, Demon studies, Class mechanics, geography and the laws governing Awakeners!"
A long groan moved through the student sectors.
The speaker grinned. "That sound tells me Dean Ordenance made the correct choice."
Dean Ordenance raised one hand from the golden table and accepted the hatred without concern.
Everyone loved the Dean. He knew how to perfectly balance respect, fear and amicability from the students. But he also was a little too obsessed with the educational part of the Academy sometimes.
"The rules are simple. Every correct answer earns one hundred points. Each faculty pair may discuss the question, but only one representative can submit the answer. A wrong answer earns nothing. Attempting to attack another team, steal their crystal or frighten them into silence will result in immediate disqualification."
Kallan shouted something about cowards from the Elementalist section. With his only value being his lightning output, it came at no surprise that he was not selected to represent Elementalist-D.
But he did have another value; using his big mouth to attempt to rattle the other representatives all the way from his seat.
No one paid him any attention.
"Twenty questions will be asked. The highest possible score is two thousand points. Representatives, place your hands on your crystals."
Kasto and Anita touched theirs together. The crystal lit gold.
Lancet rested his elbows on his knees. "Let’s see if all that arguing was useful."
The first question appeared above the arena.
⸢ Which form of magical energy is naturally produced within the human channels? ⸥
Anita struck the crystal before the speaker finished reading. "Grace."
The answer flashed green.
⸢ CORRECT — SUMMONER-D: 100 ⸥
Kasto blinked at her. "That was easy."
Anita looked at him and nodded her head. "Even for a warm up question. I think they’re going to test our speed too. Thankfully, the question caught everyone else off guard so I was able to take the moment."
Kasto made a face. "Alright. Great job. Don’t let it get to your head."
Anita giddied.
The next questions moved quickly.
The founding year of Awakener Supreme.
"2345!"
The difference between a Demon Break and a Gate Break.
"Demon Breaks are invasions of Demons into a city in an attempt to claim it as a citadel. A Gate Break is when an uncleared Gate reaches its time limit and shatters, releasing beasts into the surrounding location!"
The three channel failures most commonly caused by forced overcasting.
"Wear-and-tear, fractures, and shrinking!"
Amira answered the more magic-leaning questions, aided by Jon-Mark who whispered the ones she couldn’t recall. Renan carried Specialist-D through military history and combat law. Leslie earned Elementalist-D several early points through spell theory.
Kasto and Anita did not miss.
When the question concerned Kingdom policy, Anita answered.
When it involved Beasts, Summon classifications or history, Kasto took over.
Lancet watched his friend’s nervousness vanish by the fourth question. Kasto stopped looking toward the crowd and began leaning over the table, one finger raised each time he and Anita argued over the wording.
The seventh question appeared.
⸢ What is the minimum number of stabilizing runes required to sustain a standard three-layer defensive enchantment? ⸥
"Six," Jon-Mark said immediately.
Amira grabbed his wrist before he submitted. "Isn’t it eight?"
"Six if the formation shares a foundation."
"But the question says standard."
Jon-Mark looked up at the wording.
Amira pressed the crystal. "Eight."
Their answer turned green. Jon-Mark exhaled and sat back. "I knew that."
"You nearly lost us a hundred points."
"I was testing you."
Amira stared at him until he looked away. That caused the audience to laugh.
Kasto and Anita continued building their lead.
They answered that Gloom primarily attacked the spirit and channels before corrupting flesh. They named the Council authority responsible for interstate Gate disputes. Anita identified the political agreement that separated Guild military action from Kingdom command.
Then the screen changed to a question that made Lancet sit straighter.
⸢ Under the known rebirth cycle of a true Phoenix, how many years must pass before its bones and ashes restore its body? ⸥
Kasto’s hand hit the crystal so hard that Anita flinched. "Fifty years!"
The answer turned green.
⸢ CORRECT — SUMMONER-D: 1,100 ⸥
The crowd applauded.
Lancet stared at the number above their table while the question remained on the central screen. Fifty years.
Inside the Academy Museum, Solaris Ashen’s bones were already approaching the end of that cycle.
He had checked the countdown before leaving the dorm. A little over one day remained.
Min Tu noticed him staring. "That wasn’t an easy one."
"It wasn’t?" Lancet narrowed his eyes. He sometimes forgot that the reason he knew everything he knew was because he had read the novel over a dozen times, not to talk of the wiki, fandom and every other stuff.
Most people inside the world itself didn’t know shit.
"You knew?"
"I knew."
She looked at him. Lancet kept his attention on Kasto. Min Tu narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
The quiz grew harder after the halfway point.
A question about Demon hierarchy cost Elementalist-D when Leslie confused a Descending Demon with the conditions required for an Ascended classification. Frieda realized the mistake after she submitted, then lowered her head onto the table.
Sienna missed a question about Summon contracts. Renan knew the answer, but she pressed the crystal before consulting him.
"Catalyst," she said.
The screen turned red.
⸢ INCORRECT ⸥
The correct answer appeared beneath it.
⸢ Anchor ⸥
Sienna covered her face with both hands. Renan patted her shoulder once. "It’s fine."
"It wasn’t even our category."
"That’s why it’s fine."
Kasto leaned toward Anita. "He’s nice when she gets things wrong."
Anita whispered back, "Because he likes her."
"If I get one wrong, will you be nice?"
Anita gave him a deadpan face. "No."
The fifteenth question concerned a law passed after the destruction of three unauthorized private laboratories.
Anita’s eyes widened.
Kasto looked at her. "You know this?"
"The Controlled Research Act."
"Which revision?"
"Fourth."
"You sure?"
"Uhm... not really."
Kasto stared at the answer crystal while the timer began counting down from five.
Anita slapped his arm. "Submit it!"
Kasto pressed the crystal.
"The Fourth Revision of the Controlled Research Act."
Green light rose from their table.
Anita grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "I told you!"
"You said you weren’t sure!"
"I said not really! Hah! Gosh, I’m so smart!"
By the nineteenth question, Summoner-D had nineteen hundred points.
No other team could catch them.
Elementalist-D had lost three questions. Specialist-D had lost two. Enchanter-D had lost four.
Kasto stared at the final blank on the scoreboard. "We only need one more."
Anita rubbed both palms together. "Don’t say that."
"Why?"
"Because now you’ve cursed it."
The final question appeared.
⸢ Which of the five Demon Lords is known as the spreader of lies who twisted the soul of one of Earth’s mightiest Awakener and turned him against us? ⸥
Four options formed beneath it.
Anita’s face went blank. Kasto read them twice.
Lancet bit his lip. He knew the answer to the question, and he knew the exact Awakener who had gone all Skywalker and joined the dark side.
Kasto leaned toward Anita. "I don’t know about the Awakener who turned against us, but I do know the Demon Lord called the spreader of lies."
"It sounds like Moloch," Anita said.
"No, Moloch is the Well of Rituals. He eats babies and is very selfish. He’s the least driven of the Demon Lords."
Anita’s eyes raised. "That’s true."
"Think about it, An. There’s one Demon Lord who has communicated more with humans compared to the others. So that gives us a lot of possible examples to get the liar title from."
A light of realization gleamed in Anita’s eyes immediately. "It’s the mosquito-looking one! The... the Aspect of... the Advent of..."
"... Gluttony," Kasto helped, then flashed a smile. "It’s Beelzebub."
Lancet’s eyes shifted to him. ’Smart kid.’
Kasto pressed the crystal.
"The answer is the Advent of Gluttony, Beelzebub."
The answer turned...