WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Translator: Touch

Editor: Grass

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Chapter 62: The Bell Rings Over Snow-Covered Ruins (7)

Finals week was approaching.

Due to the recent incidents, most professors decided to replace their exams with written reports or assignments. Still, a few stubborn individuals insisted on holding in-person tests, regardless of the circumstances.

One such example was Professor Dante Hiakapo.

“Did you hear the news, Hwaru?”

“Hm?”

But this time, things were taking an unusual turn.

All cadets enrolled in Illusion Arts-related courses were going to take a single, unified exam.

“What’s going on, Dominic?”

“According to those in my line of work, I heard that…”

Apparently, the central academy administration had prepared a massive Illusion Arts exam for everyone.

The central administration? Not the Assassin Department? What does that mean…?

Indeed, it wasn’t just the Assassin Department. Even the Mage Department cadets taking Illusion Arts courses—from first-years to fourth-years—were all brought together to take the same test as the Assassin Department’s cadets.

They were now all in Zone 9, Hiaka Academy’s outermost area, also known as the 「Forest of Magic」.

And Dominic’s words turned out to be true.

“Whoa… there are so many people.”

“Is this for real? They’re gonna make all these people take the test simultaneously?”

On the day of the exam, over 1,200 cadets had gathered in Zone 9. Around 450 were from the Assassin Department, while the Mage Department boasted 750.

The cadets of the two distinct departments kept a respectful distance from each other, but couldn’t help stealing curious glances.

The mage cadets wore their ridiculous pointy hats with wide brims, while the assassin cadets looked like a mob of lunatics, harnesses strapped across their chests like rabid dogs.

The scene resembled a showdown between fantasy cosplayers in wizard hats and perverted weirdos in bondage gear.

As the cadets sized each other up, a professor appeared before them on the podium.

“Attention, everyone! I am Collider, the elite senior professor of Illusion Assassination Studies!”

He had the face of someone ready to voice many, many complaints.

Professor Collider then shouted at the top of his lungs.

“First off! If I am to speak of my qualifications, I was ranked No. 1 at the Lemontree Barony Academy! Graduated top of the class at our prestigious Hiaka Academy’s Assassin Department, Class of 475! Ranked No. 1 in the national Illusion Arts test ‘Flower of Confinement’! No. 1 in the Empire’s exchange program! Global rank of 6,001st— What are you lot doing?! Aren’t you going to clap?!”

Clap, clap…

Reluctant applause followed.

Amid the scattered clapping, the mage cadets noticed something odd. The assassin cadets beside them were all lowering their heads.

Oh, c'mon... Why is it him of all people?

This is so humiliating.

The Assassin Department cadets suffered an immediate, unprovoked, mental defeat under the weight of Collider's relentless bragging.

But not every cadet was willing to sit back and endure his rambling obediently.

Eventually, a certain mage cadet raised their hand.

“What is it?!” Collider barked.

“Why are you here, Professor?”

It was a fourth-year Symphony cadet.

Mage cadets were divided into four categories: Étude → Toccata → Sonata → Symphony.

Symphony cadets were akin to the Black Dragon cadets of the Assassin Department.

“I’m here to explain the exam.”

“Then please just explain the exam.”

The plaza instantly fell silent.

Did that cadet really just provoke the professor?

It wasn’t just Collider. Even the assassin cadets felt a little annoyed. No matter how much of a moron he was, hearing someone from another department talk down to one of their professors didn’t sit right…

Still, the mage cadet wasn’t exactly wrong. Time was limited.

Collider clenched his fist behind his back, then lifted his head.

“...Right! I shall now explain the final exam for Illusion Arts Studies!”

Snap!

With a snap of his fingers, a speck of light appeared and floated in midair.

“The exam is simple! From this singular ‘starting point,’ you will use your Illusion Arts to build and expand upon it, like layering flesh on bone! Needless to say, you can’t just attach anything to it!”

With another gesture, a small stone appeared out of thin air. Collider then tried to attach it to the starting point.

Clang!

The stone shattered instantly.

“There are predetermined illusions that can attach to this point. You must find out what can be added using your illusory senses and intuition! The more you attach and the bigger you make it, the more points you will earn. Eventually, the illusion will form one complete structure!”

“What a lame test.”

Collider froze.

It was the same fourth-year Symphony cadet again, heckling him.

“It won’t be as lame as you think! This exam is extremely intricate, difficult, and will take a long time to solve!”

“Doesn’t look like much. And if I start attaching stuff, won’t everyone else just copy me and attach the same illusions?”

Collider closed his eyes. He was still fine.

After months of enduring a certain gray-haired girl’s relentless badmouthing, Collider’s patience had grown. He clenched his teeth. He could ignore this brat.

But then, another voice rang out from the assassin cadets.

“Motherfucker’s yapping like a damn mutt. Maybe I should just kill him…”

Everyone flinched and turned.

It was Gray, scowling in irritation, her signature cheeky fang poking out.

The Symphony cadet quickly weaved through the crowd and approached her.

“Hey, you. What did you just say to me?”

“Nothing. Wasn’t talking to you,” Gray replied nonchalantly.

“Do you really think I’ll fall for that? You were clearly saying it loud enough for me to hear.”

“As I said, I wasn’t talking to you. But since you’re here, let me ask—do you think the professor is your buddy or something? Don’t talk to him like that.”

Pot calling the kettle black…

Some assassin cadets who knew how Gray usually treated Professor Collider silently judged her for being a hypocrite, but none of them dared to say it aloud.

“Oi, who do you think you are?” the mage cadet growled.

“I’m your mom, asshole,” Gray snapped. “And right back at you. Who the hell do you think you are, acting all smug in front of a professor who’s here to explain the exam? You got a death wish?”

“Get lost, you vulgar wench. Illusion Arts originates from magic. So why on earth is an assassin professor here to explain the exam? That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Stop whining like a baby and go suck on your mom’s teats some more.”

“…Are those your last words?”

Tension spiked between them, spreading across the plaza. Whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd as both departments bristled.

Then, a cadet randomly looked toward the podium and froze.

One by one, the others followed, turning to see what had caught their attention.

Even Gray and the mage cadet paused their glaring match, glancing toward the podium to see what had made the crowd fall completely silent.

Silence gradually settled across the crowd. Not even the cadets’ breathing could be heard.

Standing on the podium was a pink-eyed professor wearing the senior professor badge.

It was Professor Dante Hiakapo.

Even though the mage cadets didn’t know who he was, they instinctively felt the urge to shut their mouths.

After silencing over 1,200 cadets without uttering a single word, the professor finally spoke.

“From now on, anyone who causes a disturbance will be disqualified from the exam entirely.”

His low voice echoed across the plaza.

“Try speaking up just one more time. I dare you.”

His tone was slow, oppressive, and domineering.

The cadets each felt an inexplicable pressure, like a vulnerable deer standing before a ferocious tiger.

And so, the exam ground was swallowed in silence.

“Now, now, I’ll take over from here, kiddos.”

The next person to appear beside Collider was Chief Professor Galois.

“This exam was created by the genius Illusion Arts practitioner, Chief Professor Cain. Cain is a genius we secretly brought into Hiaka, so don’t take the exam lightly. Alright?”

Cain? Who’s that?

Curiosity spread among the cadets. Even they knew how hopeless Hiaka’s Illusion Arts studies had become after Kreutz poached Chief Professor Gloomy and sabotaged Hiaka’s research.

Just then, Professor Dante spoke again.

“Copying another cadet will be impossible. Once the exam begins, you will each enter your own illusory subspace and solve the problem on your own. Is that clear?”

“…Yes.”

The mage cadet who had snapped at Collider now nodded obediently.

Galois continued, “The exam will last for 48 hours. Since we’ll start during the day, it’ll span over three days and two nights. How many hours you dedicate each day is up to you.”

He paused before delivering the next part.

“Based on the results, the Mage Department will provide letters of recommendation from the Dean and me to the top-ranking mage cadets. As for the Assassin Department, multiple graduation diplomas will be awarded to their top-ranking cadets.”

The cadets’ expressions immediately froze.

Only then did they realize this wasn’t just any ordinary exam.

As murmurs began to rise once more, Galois raised his hand and added one final statement.

“And a special prize awaits the exam’s top-ranking student. You’ll be awarded the opportunity to learn a secret technique from a professor of your choice. It’ll be a one-on-one tutoring session with whoever you want, to learn whatever they can teach. All members of the faculty have agreed to this arrangement.”

The crowd exploded in utter surprise and excitement.

The chance to learn a professor’s secret ability, skill, or magic spell? From anyone among the academy’s faculty?

The cadets’ imaginations ran wild as they pictured their ideal outcome.

Gulp—

Gray swallowed hard. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Unable to hold back, she raised her hand.

“Can it really be anyone we choose? Even a department dean or the chairman?”

“The chairman is an exception,” came the reply.

The cadets gasped and turned toward the deans standing to the side.

That meant Shaman and Ezekiel weren’t exempt.

They had the chance to receive private tutoring and learn the techniques of a Challenger-ranked combatant—one of the top 200 globally.

“…”

But unlike the other cadets, Gray’s eyes were focused on another professor.

Dante Hiakapo.

She just had to meet him privately to ask and confirm something.

Surprisingly, she wasn’t the only assassin cadet watching Dante.

The other was Elize—who had no interest in the exam whatsoever.

Bracelet…

All that mattered in her mind was when she’d get the chance to give the professor her gift.

“Your skill will be important. But skill alone won’t be enough to solve this problem. The real theme of this exam is whether you can identify your core strength, and whether you can surpass your own limits.”

Galois’s words sparked something in many cadets.

If the real task was to surpass their limits, then everyone had a fair chance at success.

“Well then, we shall now begin the exam.”

* * *

The exam had begun. The cadets entered their illusory subspaces.

In their pure white spaces, they began analyzing and manipulating the starting points laid out before them.

I opened the 「Aperture」 I had created. Mana rotated clockwise in the air, transforming into a mirror through which I could observe multiple illusory subspaces.

Chief Galois said that skill or talent had little to do with their success rates.

But that wasn’t entirely true. 

There was no field in the world untouched by the influence of talent or skill. Often, those brimming with talent were also the ones who pushed themselves the hardest, overtaking everyone else.

Even the act of overcoming one’s limits was affected by one’s talent.

Unsurprisingly, the Symphony cadets began taking the lead among the Mage Department, while the Moon Shadow and Black Dragon cadets surged ahead in the Assassin Department.

Some had even begun analyzing and working on the exam while we were still explaining it earlier. Those cadets quickly attached illusions to the starting point to form a tree. Their instincts were remarkably sharp. After all, the final form of the illusion was indeed meant to be a tree.

But they weren’t quite correct—yet.

However, something took me by surprise. Something I hadn’t anticipated at all.

Hm.

In truth, I already knew who would win this exam. It was obviously going to be Gray.

Not only was she from House Habanero, she also had her overwhelming potential that was purposefully increased by Hell Mode to raise the difficulty of the game, making it easier for her to assassinate me now.

Those qualities were supposed to carry her to victory.

And yet… what on earth was going on?

“Hmmm…”

Elize waved her hand across the space below the starting point, and the previously blank white floor began to cave in, revealing the form of a tree.

“Hm? Is this it…?”

She scratched her head and began erasing more of the white space around her, having absolutely no clue what an insane thing she was doing.

Elize was erasing the background of the illusion.

To put it simply, it was like digging into the ground around a tree to expose its roots.

This was a fusion of Illusion Arts and Stealth Arts: a hybrid technique only those who had reached the level of Grandmaster—and endured a long and intricate convergence of powers—could even begin to attempt.

The combined ability, Erasure.

She truly was a prodigy with insane talent. Furthermore, Elize wasn’t just erasing any ordinary illusion, but one I had crafted.

“Hmm, is this right…? I don’t know…” she muttered.

Though clearly uncertain, she continued recklessly erasing the space around her, uncovering the forms of the tree and its roots.

“Oh? It increased.”

As her score shot up, Elize giggled to herself.

There was an illusory scoreboard I used to track the cadets’ scores. Each cadet could see their own score.

And to my utter surprise, Elize was currently ranked No. 1.

——

1st: Elize – 84

2nd: Farhan – 26

3rd: Gray – 21

Only then did something come to mind.

Could this be the reason?

Elize Csikos [2.8]

Gray Habanero [2.7]

Were Elize’s incredible achievements over Gray the result of that mere 0.1-point difference in their potential?

Speaking of, Gray was still trying to attach various illusions to the starting point. She groaned in frustration.

“Oh, c’mon… Why does it keep breaking…?”

She was acting quite strange today—flustered, unable to concentrate.

As a result, she was butchering the assignment, which required intricate precision.

In truth, each cadet had been designated a specific section of the overall “tree.” If Elize was in charge of some roots, then Gray was working on branches.

And yet, she kept trying to attach a trunk to the starting point.

No wonder it wasn’t working out for her.

The illusory subspace I had created would reject any illusion that wasn’t the intended answer, no matter how impressive it looked.

Shatter—!

Which was why Gray’s illusions kept falling apart so helplessly.

“Eh…?? What’s going on? The answer is ‘tree,’ and I made a tree. So why isn’t it working?…”

She needed to be delicate. Delicacy was key.

I was starting to feel a little disappointed. Gray, a famous Black Dragon cadet, was performing far worse than expected.

But that wasn’t my only problem.

“Huh. Your ace is a bit slow, wouldn’t you say?”

Chief Professor Galois approached me with a smirk playing on his lips.

“Larger vessels take longer to craft,” I replied evenly.

“That’s a phrase for pottery, not for the task at hand.”

We locked eyes, a flicker of rivalry passing between us. There was no disrespect, just the weight of a long-standing feud.

In truth, the two of us had made a bet before the exam even began.

Assassin Department vs. Mage Department…

It wasn’t merely a matter of pride. These two departments had always competed intensely, particularly in areas such as Illusion Arts, Alchemy, and general magic.

That rivalry gave birth to our wager: whichever department’s cadet ranked highest at the end of the exam would win.

“Our dearest Farhan is already at 35 points,” Galois said smugly. “He may be arrogant, but he’s undeniably a genius when it comes to Illusion Arts. How’s your Gray doing?”

His scoreboard only showed the Mage Department’s rankings, so he had no way of knowing.

Farhan, by the way, was the name of that loudmouthed fourth-year Symphony cadet from earlier.

“…She’s at 25 points,” I said quietly.

“Oho! Will you be okay? That’s already a ten-point gap between her and our Farhan.”

“We shall see. It’s still just the beginning.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Just because you’re a genius in Illusion Arts doesn’t mean your cadet is one too. Besides, Illusion Arts is traditionally the domain of mages, you know?”

I didn’t respond. I also didn’t tell him that Elize was already at 91 points. And counting—92… 93…

Why?

Because I still wanted to win the bet with Gray.

She had to win no matter what. It should’ve been an easy task, especially considering Farhan’s potential was probably no higher than 2.3.

“Don’t forget about our bet,” Galois added with a grin. “Every ten-point difference means you’ll spend one extra day as my assistant professor. Remember?”

A chill ran down my spine.

Being an assistant… The dreaded fate of a grad student.

I absolutely couldn’t go through that again. I had to win this bet.

“Don’t forget my end of the deal,” I shot back, keeping my voice calm. “Every ten-point difference in my favor means you give me one additional elixir.”

I turned my focus back to Gray.

“Ah, seriously… Why…!”

Unfortunately, she was still completely lost.

As time went on, the gap between her and the other cadets widened even more.

The old geezer beside me, it turned out, was far more immature than I’d expected for someone pushing ninety.

“Teeheehee!”

Even his laugh grated on my nerves.

And once the score difference passed one hundred points, he dragged over a chair and plopped down beside me.

“What’s this? A hundred-point gap already? Looks like I’ll get to boss around a genius assistant professor for ten whole days! Teeheehee!”

“Please go away, Chief,” I muttered.

“Impossible! I’m the kind of man who can’t resist interesting things by nature! Teeheehee!”

I endured his teasing for nearly 30 minutes. But eventually, I snapped.

“Oh, is that so? Then I suppose that’s why you couldn’t resist taking someone else’s thesis 30 years ago.”

His grin vanished. His eyes sharpened. The plagiarism scandal—his sore spot.

“At least I don’t kill my fellow professors,” he shot back.

“…!”

That hit my sore spot. Even though I’d denied the accusation again and again, people just wouldn’t let it go.

We stared at each other in tense silence. Sparks flew between our gazes.

“I didn’t kill him,” I said.

“I didn’t plagiarize the thesis either.”

“Pretty sure you did.”

“I didn’t, you punk.”

“We’ll see who wins in the end.”

“Right back at you. You’d do well to remember, I’m a man who never goes back on his word.”

“You had no problem taking back your thesis, though.”

“Y-You little…!”

The old man began trembling with fury.

It was a temporary victory, but our battle of wits wasn’t over yet.

I turned my eyes back to the illusory subspace. 

Gray had to do well. 

She had to. 

Only an overwhelming victory would suffice.

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