022. "On Teachers Calling Me a Genius, But I'm Actually an Idiot—How Do I Keep My Degree?"
Morphedria.
He murmured.
The universe did not answer him.
Leoz nodded.
So, He was dead.
Leoz showed no disappointment, only cold indifference as he remarked.
「It's over, time for me to begin.」
Leoz opened his eyes, devoid of sadness, anger, or even a hint of disappointment. These emotions, possessed by mortals, held no meaning to him.
He had never experienced such feelings, nor did he need them.
Leoz looked at his reflection in the glass—the brilliant blue starry sky in his eyes was slowly fading.
「…Still not enough.」
Li Aozi was gradually awakening, his will would slowly descend, regaining control of the body.
However, saying it like that was imprecise.
They were one and the same, so there was no need to talk about competing for control.
Leoz simply stood up. He didn't want to waste time on such trivial arguments.
From high above, he gazed down at the ground, walked around for a while, and laid out his plan.
「He is me, and I am him. There is no need to fear memory—we are one. But Li Aozi is too emotional, I cannot trust him.」
「There are too few memories, and leaving a personality would be no help—so I will awaken more instincts.」
He stretched out his hand, and the power of [Paradox] faintly emerged. If he wished, it could immediately be transformed into a genetic seed and implanted into his body.
He didn't have much power left, even though Li Aozi had only collected two so far.
Should he leave it for him?
Leoz pondered for a moment.
「The powers of the top three Sequences cannot be left behind, or it will attract the Usurper. He won't survive in the hands of the Usurper.」
「I can't sense the Pantheon, but it hasn't been destroyed—I need to acquire it.」
「Search the memory—I've already made contact with Gaia's hounds, good. The downfall of the secret society's lackeys is inevitable.」
「The magic of the Star Abyss is peculiar. I need to study it and combine it with my powers; only then will the 'societies' submit.」
There was one more thing.
Leoz had arranged many things, but one thing he could never participate in.
「…The Usurper is still hunting me.」
The forces that once served as trump cards chose to betray him at the most critical moment, surely for a reason.
They hadn't bowed to the 'society'. As noble beings, He—they—had their own dignity, and would never stoop to mingle with mere mortals.
They simply hated him, resented the status he had given them.
Leoz could not intervene, but he didn't hate them. Hatred was meaningless to him—a cheap, inefficient existence.
However, if it were Li Aozi, perhaps he could rekindle that power and change their perspective.
He could persuade the Descenders, making them serve him, and could even win over Gaia's council members—Li Aozi had his own strengths; there was no need for Leoz to interfere.
「The deployment is complete. I'll leave it to you.」
Leoz closed his eyes and lay back in the chair.
「Refine your soul, you must continue awakening.」
...............
"Ugh—damn, how long was I out? Did I miss the exam?"
When Li Aozi opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a warm, soft bed. Rubbing his head, he slowly sat up. Once his brain cleared and the pain faded, Li Aozi started examining his surroundings.
"—Where am I?"
Li Aozi looked around blankly. One thing was certain—this wasn't his room. It was a student dormitory.
Dormitory? School?
Li Aozi vaguely sensed something.
He walked forward, pulled open the curtains, and saw the magical light surging outside the balcony, gathering into a magnificent tide of energy, undulating beautifully through the air.
Glancing at the layout of the campus, Li Aozi immediately remembered this place from his long gaming sessions.
The Crystal Tower • White Candle Interstellar University.
One of the top-tier magical academies, an interstellar institution that gathered the elite talents from all of Crystal Tower's allied civilizations and colonies.
Ranked third or fourth among the sixteen top magic universities.
"What the—? Did I really score that well?"
He quickly checked his system log, and then froze in shock:
——————————
[You passed the magical aptitude exam]
[Score: 500 points (perfect score)]
[You have achieved the title—"Magic Exam Champion"]
[White Candle Star Reputation: +20]
[You have gained the feat—[Outstanding Student]]
[Outstanding Student]:
"Your existence has shattered the dominance of noble families and clans. In the past, they took pride in their lineage and believed their talents to be inherent, making them superior. Now, you will redefine 'talent'."
[Effect]: When your mana is full, casting magic will trigger a critical hit, dealing 250% damage.
[You passed the magical aptitude exam—primary class inheritance completed]
[You have gained the primary class—[Craft] Magic Branch • Mage]
[Wisdom Presses Upon the Heavens, Skill Crowns the Stars]
[[Mage] will enjoy the following benefits]:
Class Talent • Arcane Deconstruction—The energy of a [Mage] is converted into 'mana', and for every extraordinary skill learned, your maximum mana and mana regeneration rate permanently increase by 1%.
Class Bonus: For every 5 levels gained, Intelligence increases by 5.
Class Exclusive • Spell Modeling: A [Mage] can freely combine magical knowledge to create different magical effects.
Class Exclusive • Rune Theory: A [Mage] can enchant their items with their own magical attributes or add various magical effects, allowing the creation of magical weapons, spell scrolls, and rune stones.
Class Exclusive • Weapon Proficiency: Based on the class traits, [Mage] is proficient with the following weapons, gaining a bonus to casting success when using them.
— Single/Double Action Revolvers
— Bolt-Action Rifles
— Pump-Action Shotguns
— Polearms (spears, halberds, long blades, lances, impact drills, etc.)
— Battle Standards
— Staves (One-handed)
— Scepters (Two-handed)
— Magical Books
— Magic Conduits
— Crystal Armor (No casting penalty)
— Cloth Armor (Low casting penalty)
— Leather Armor (Low casting penalty)
— Metal Armor (High casting penalty)
— Composite Material Armor (No casting penalty)
——————————
[You have joined the faction: Crystal Tower • White Candle Interstellar University]
[Current faction favorability: 100 (Admiration)]
[Your teachers have high expectations of you, please study diligently to meet everyone's hopes]
"To hell with that!"
Li Aozi held his head in frustration:
"I just wanted to scrape by with a bachelor's degree, and now I'm enrolled in a double first-class program?"
"And how did I get fast-tracked just from sleeping for a while?"
"Now the teachers all think I'm a genius, but I'm actually an idiot. What if I fail my courses... will I get expelled?"