NABC Chapter 29: Opposition [2]
Chapter 29: Opposition [2]
Chapter 29: Opposition [2]
Charlotte glanced at the clock again.
It was 10:15 P.M. now.
Still no sign of Cassandra, her roommate.
Her unease deepened. Cassandra wasn't the type to stay out late, especially not without mentioning it.
She didn't have friends to hang out with, and if she were in the library, she'd have at least said something before leaving.
Charlotte bit her lip, unable to focus as she stared at her books.
July was fast approaching, marking the beginning of their first exams, and many students had been staying up late to prepare.
"Maybe she's just studying?"
The room felt quite lonely without Cassandra's usual fidgeting or cheerful chatter.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Charlotte resumed her study session.
The sound of scribbling filled the air as she dissected the intricacies of spellformulas.
She paused, alternating her gaze between the book and her paper.
The spell she was working on required a tri-layered magic circle.
Charlotte began sketching.
The outermost circle represented stabilization. Its symbols were designed to anchor the spell to its caster.
The middle circle on the other hand, was an amplification. It was a framework to magnify the essence channeled through it.
And finally, the innermost circle.
"...."
She hesitated.
The core.
This was where the spell would manifest, but only if the equations dictating its essence flow were perfect.
"Flow coefficient of 7.8...." she murmured.
After double–checking her calculations, her pen hovered for a moment before she added the final symbol.
"Done."
Charlotte took a brief moment to stretch before resuming her next set of problems.
It was then.
Click—
The faint jingle of keys echoed from the other side of the door, followed by the sound of a lock turning.
Charlotte glanced over her shoulder as the door creaked open.
"Oh, Cassandra," she greeted with a smile. "Welcome back. Where have you been?"
Her roommate stepped inside with sluggish movements despite the smile plastered across her face.
"Something came up," Cassandra replied vaguely as she brushed past Charlotte's desk.
Her voice was light, but Charlotte didn't miss the fatigue behind it.
"I'm heading to bed first," Cassandra added, setting her bag down and kicking off her shoes.
"Oh, okay. Goodnight."
"Night," Cassandra muttered before climbing on top of the bunk.
It was strange.
Cassandra was always the one who stayed up late.
But tonight, she seemed different.
Charlotte shrugged it off, telling herself it wasn't her place to pry.
Turning back to her desk, she resumed her work.
***
Today's lecture shifted its focus to practical.
After three weeks of theory, the emphasis had shifted to hands-on application to prepare the students better.
After all, the upcoming exams were split into two parts—theoretical and practical.
Astrid Barielle Aetherion sat in the front, listening intently.
She didn't expect the announcement that followed.
"This will be a pair activity," Professor Vanitas announced.
Each and every student was called upon alphabetically.
Naturally, since her last name started with "A," Astrid was called upon first.
"Astrid Barielle Aetherion," Vanitas called.
Astrid stood gracefully, making her way to the podium.
The lot-drawing system was meant to assign random pairs.
Reaching into the box, Astrid pulled out a folded slip of paper.
Unfolding it, her gaze settled on the number.
[34]
Returning to her seat, Astrid watched as students approached the podium one by one.
Her gaze settled on Professor Vanitas.
"...."
He was an enigma.
On the first day, he had set a strict tone for the class.
But lecture after lecture, despite his stern demeanor, Astrid couldn't deny the effectiveness of his teachings.
He never wasted words, and every lesson was precise.
Complex theories became understandable under his guidance as he broke down intricate spellformulas into simple components.
Step by step.
Layer by layer.
He challenged them.
Pushed them beyond their comfort zones in just three weeks.
Astrid recalled how he demonstrated difficult spells effortlessly. Then encouraged each student to attempt them.
When they struggled, he didn't scold. Instead, he asked probing questions.
"Why did it fail?"
"What could be improved?"
He made them think critically and urged them to analyze their mistakes.
He didn't hand out answers.
Astrid's gaze drifted to the board, where a complex circuit sprawled across the chalkboard.
It was dense, and as she narrowed her eyes, she realized it was layered with intersecting spellformulas and unfamiliar symbols.
"Your task is to decipher, dissect, and activate this circuit."
A collective wave of murmurs swept through the students.
"What in the world...."
Astrid frowned, narrowing her eyes at the complex design.
Even with her advanced knowledge, she could barely make out the outer layer, usually the simplest part of every circuit.
"You have three days. This will count as 5% of your practical exam. It's up to you if you want to take on the challenge."
"Wait, Professor," a student piped up from the back. "The exam isn't set until July 7. Why are you starting already?"
Vanitas turned his gaze toward the student.
"Because I am your professor," he said flatly, "and I decide when you start preparing."
"...."
Astrid stifled a sigh. Vanitas's sharpness was notorious. Anyone who tried to argue usually regretted it.
It didn't take long for Vanitas to emphasize further.
"Take my advice. Deciphering this circuit will provide invaluable experience for your upcoming exams, both theoretical and practical. Any questions?"
"...."
The room fell silent.
"Good," Vanitas said "Now, as I said, you have three days. Begin."
The students exchanged hesitant glances before turning back to their partners. Quiet murmurs filled the room as they began dissecting the circuit.
Astrid leaned closer to her notes, her focus narrowing on the first layer of the circuit.
"The outer layer doesn't make sense," Astrid muttered. "Judging from the pattern, it's supposed to stabilize the mana flow, but it's too chaotic."
Ezra, who was scribbling something on his notebook, tapped his pen against the page.
"Maybe it's a diversion."
Astrid frowned. "A diversion?"
"Yeah. Like a decoy. If we spend too much time on the outer layer, we might miss something crucial."
Astrid considered his words.
It wasn't a bad theory.
She hated that he might be right.
"If that's the case," she said, "we should analyze the second layer. It might reveal what's wrong with the first."
"Okay."
Ezra nodded and flipped to a fresh page in his notebook.
Astrid glanced at him from the corner of her eye. For all his infuriating confidence, he had a sharp mind.
Time passed.
Astrid's furrowed brows deepened as she stared at the sparse notes on her page.
"....Why is this so complicated," she muttered under her breath.
The circuit was complex, and every attempt she made to decipher it only seemed to lead to more questions.
She let out a quiet sigh out of frustration.
Then, she glanced at Ezra.
Her eyes widened. An incredulous look spread across her face.
"Excuse me, what is that?"
Ezra paused mid-stroke and looked up. "What?"
"That." Astrid pointed at his notebook. "What in the world is that?"
Ezra followed her gaze, looking at his own notebook. His expression remained blank.
"My notes."
Astrid stared harder.
The page was filled with what could only be described as an artistic mess.
The lines overlapped, with spellformulas pointing in every direction, and squiggly symbols scattered across the page.
It seemed like a poor attempt at the second layer.
"How can you even read that? Let alone make sense of it?"
Ezra shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "It's all about the process, Princess. Doesn't need to look good, just needs to make sense to me."
She shook her head, baffled. "You're impossible."
"Thanks."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
Astrid sighed, realizing it was going to be a long three days.
From her observation, it didn't even seem like Ezra knew what he was doing.
It was as if it was all written out of instinct.
Vanitas's voice cut through the quiet hum of scribbling and whispered conversations.
"Time's up."
The students stilled. Their pens hovered over their notebooks
"You're all dismissed, but do know this lecture room will remain open at all hours until the task is complete."
Students exchanged uncertain glances. Some had even ignored his announcement and continued scribbling on their notebooks.
"I won't be conducting any more lectures until this exercise is finished," Vanitas added. "You have three days. Use them wisely."
Without waiting for a response, he turned sharply on his heel as he strode toward the exit.
Karina followed close behind, clutching a stack of papers to her chest.
As they left, the room fell silent.
Astrid tapped her pen against her notebook, her gaze flickering toward the empty chalkboard.
Vanitas had erased nothing. The circuit, layered with spellformulas, was still there.
There was an option to copy it. However, copying it perfectly meant nothing without understanding its logic.
It would be akin to reproducing an advanced computer without knowing how its components interact.
Replicating the outer casing and even fastening the circuits together might've been possible.
However, without understanding the flow of electricity, the function of each chip, or the software that ran it, the machine would never function.
Flip—
Astrid flipped to a fresh page in her notebook and began sketching.