The Final Exam

A few months later, the finals were upon us. It was a stressful time for all students for all years because your grade in the finals would determine whether you could move up to the next level or graduate. If a student fails, they face immediate expulsion.

I was already dealing with depression from my break up with Iris and the awful treatment from the students that the finals were just extra baggage. Usually, I would dedicate hours to studying and training, but around that time I simply didn’t have the energy or motivation. I would study a little and then go right to bed, sleeping for the rest of the day.

When the day of the finals came, our class was taken to the massive hall where Professor Willow was giving out the written form of the exam. Like on the midterms, I breezed through the written exam, being the second person to finish.

Once everyone was done, the first years were brought to Room 300, which was a big classroom where we would usually have combat practice. On the other side of the room was a male teacher with a long lanky body. He wore fancy green clothes and carried a small brown wooden wand. And on the man’s ugly face was ridiculously long nose.

His name was Braern Perhorn, an old retired Holy Knight who was known for his obsession with golems. Every day he would create a new beast made of rock or mud.

“This is the second phase of the finals!” Professor Perhorn said in a loud voice. “The first and second years will have one match with a classmate of their choosing! The victory will be awarded extra points! Defeat will equal a decline of points! Find your opponent— NOW!”

I was not surprised by the fact that the second phase of the exam was a battle since that had become a trend for the tests of Elendria. Overall I was just glad I didn’t have to fight upper-class men like before. The reason why they were not present was because the third and fourth years went out on missions to the Dungeon of Agmethaz where the lower levels harbored powerful monsters for the students to test their strength against.

“Hey there Null!”

Stroking in front of me while cackling was my worst bully— Damien Jupiter. Back then, Iris used to protect me from him but ever since our break up became known to everyone he was one of the first of the students to start harassing me.

“Ready to be turned into charred meat?”

Damien took out his giant sword. I grumbled as I took out my katana.

“I really don’t want to deal with this right now…”

“Ready…begin!”

A loud bell rang throughout the room and me and Damien crossed swords. At first, it seemed as if we were evenly matched in the strength of our sword technique, but when Damien started to use his magic the fight was starting to get more intense.

“Lightning Magic: Rays!”

A giant yellow magic circle appeared in front of Damien and released multiple light beams at me. I dodged and deflected a few while three managed to hit my body and electrocute me.

While my guard was down after getting hit, Damien bridged the distance between us. With a large downward lash, the bastard left a massive gash on my chest to my stomach. I groaned in pain as I fell to my knees, blood spilling from my wound.

“That’s gonna leave a mark huh Null? Lightning Magic: Arrow of Light!”

A lance of lightning fell on me and shocked me with volts repeatedly. Then Damien kneed me in the face— launching me into the air. As I was sent flying, the bully aimed his sword at the sky, his body letting off a yellow, white, and blue aura.

“Charge at 100%!!”

Lightning strikes flew off of Damien and in a second he jumped into the air like a spear made of light.

“Lightning Magic: Zeus’s Bolt!”

Damien flew at me and sliced me up with his Blade of Lightning. The pain was unbearable and I was leaving in and out of consciousness. The electricity-covered Damien would then bounce off the walls and ceiling like a rubber ball— repeatedly coming back to hit me with his attack before I fell back down to the ground.

I was kissing the floor while my body was covered in cuts, blood, and soot. Damien appeared before me again, laughing his ass off.

“Come on, Null! Entertain me a little!”

The annoying laughter of Damien made me forget my pain and my rage reached an intense level. I took a deep breath and delved into the State of Zen.

Sinking into the waters of the Spirit World, I used my eyes to follow the path of the white fish that swam in swirling patterns around Damien. Once I got to my feet I charged at the frozen Damien and began slicing the mana fish around him. As I was cutting the white fish into pieces my head started to pound as if a hammer was being slammed across it repeatedly. I stopped where I was clutching my aching skull as the words of my former girlfriend Iris— the same words she said to me the day we broke up— flooded into my mind.

“Since day one you have been beaten, ridiculed, and turned into a laughing stock!”

“The determination that I admired just became sad to look at!”

“You’re a Null so…you can’t help being weak.”

“I’m sorry Baxter…”

All of a sudden, my body started to burn and the Spirit World faded away. I was unsuccessful in killing all the white fish surrounding Damien— and so most of his magic still remained.

When I returned to the normal world, it probably looked to Damien that I disappeared for a second and then reappeared on his right side.

“W-what the-? How the fuck did you get there?”

Damien held his hand out to me and tried to blast me with a beam of magic. But the electricity in his palm died out causing the bully to look at his hand in confusion.

“Huh? I didn’t use that much magic? Why am I experiencing some shortage?”

I was able to disable half of Damien’s mana, but that wasn’t going to change the outcome of the fight.

“Whatever…Thunder Magic: The Scream of a God!”

A deafening thunder ruptured throughout the entire room. My eardrums exploded— blood flying from my ears as I lost all my strength and fell on the floor.

“I’m not done yet, Null! Thunder Magic: Force of a Thousand! Lightning Magic: Strike of the Light! Lightning and Thunder Magic: Brothers of the Sky!”

Damien unleashed spell after spell on me but at that point my entire body was numb and I was losing consciousness. As I was slowly fading away I started to wonder if I would die at that moment…and if I did would anybody care?