Chapter 42: The Three Geniuses of the Academy

"I’m Rollin, but what’s this about the Academy’s Three Prodigies?" Rollin was a bit confused, not knowing where this title had come from.

The girl, realizing it really was Rollin, couldn’t help but beam with delight. "Senior Rollin, as soon as I started here, I heard the teachers and other students talking about you. Wow, you’re triple-affinity superlative! That kind of talent is rare even in the thousand-year history of Porter Academy. And you won the championship in the year-end competition."

It turned out that during the year-end assessment last year, Rollin’s triple-affinity superlative talent had been revealed, causing quite a stir among the examiners. This result didn’t match his previous dual-affinity superlative status from when he first entered the academy, but with the help of Professor Harvey and President Lev, they made up an excuse to smooth things over. Rollin was deeply grateful to them and felt that leaving his research notes on necromancy at the academy had indeed been a wise choice.

The girl continued, "Most importantly, you reached Second-Rank Mage in just one year! That pace rivals the two greatest prodigies in academy history—Thomas and Kerson. Oh, and Senior Victoria, who’s in fifth year now!"

Being praised so effusively by a little girl, Rollin scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, and hurriedly changed the subject. "So, who are the other two prodigies?"

The girl blinked her wide eyes. "One is Senior Tracy—he was the first to reach Second-Rank Mage and moved up to second year. The other is Senior Simone, who, just like you, reached Second-Rank Mage in only a year!"

A student’s rank was determined by the academy’s official assessment. Tracy had gone to be tested as soon as he advanced, while Rollin and Simone, though they had also reached Second-Rank Mage within a year, didn’t get tested until the start of their second year. So their advancement was listed after Tracy’s.

At that moment, the girl looked at him with adoration, hesitating before finally saying, "Senior Rollin, c-could you give me your autograph?" As she spoke, she produced a sheet of paper made from magical materials and handed it to Rollin.

Rollin was taken aback.

"Senior Rollin, you’re the most popular of the three prodigies in our class! I’m definitely one of your biggest fans. With your autograph, the others will be so jealous!"

Rollin couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing how persistent the little girl was, he agreed and signed his name on the magical paper with a flourish, using his fire magic. The girl left, beaming with joy.

An autograph signed with one’s own magic on special magical paper could last for thousands of years. Moreover, magical energy was unique to each mage, so Rollin’s three kinds of magic all carried his distinct aura—making forgery impossible. He chose to use fire magic for the signature because of White Stone; Rollin felt most at ease controlling fire magic, and the resulting script was elegant and free-flowing.

However, from that day on, Rollin’s peaceful days were over. Every time he appeared on campus, someone would approach him for his autograph, leaving him exhausted. In the end, he had to store his meals in the necromancer’s space and stopped eating in the academy dining hall at noon, just so he could continue his studies undisturbed.

In the second-year lightning magic classroom, it was time for the weekly lesson. Professor Sofit, the lightning arts instructor, strode into the room, surveyed the class, and finally fixed his gaze on Rollin, nodding to him with a smile.

"All right, let’s begin. This lesson, I’ll be teaching a Second-Rank Lightning Spell—Lightning Spear. Pay close attention! I want to commend Rollin for his progress. Not only did he advance from First- to Second-Rank Mage in just a year, but he’s also picked up lightning spells incredibly quickly..."

Ever since witnessing Rollin’s performance in last year’s tournament, Professor Sofit’s attitude toward him had changed dramatically. He now praised Rollin in almost every class. While it was pleasant to be recognized, the sheer frequency of the compliments had started to wear on Rollin.

"Hmph, what’s so special about Rollin? He just leveled up a bit faster, that’s all!"

"Yeah, going from First- to Second-Rank quickly doesn’t mean he’ll get to Third-Rank just as fast. He might not even make it in several years."

Most of the students in the lightning class had been there for two or three years, some even more than a decade, unable to progress to Third-Rank Mage and thus stuck in the second-year group. Seeing a newcomer advancing so rapidly and being showered with praise from the teacher left these already frustrated students feeling hostile toward Rollin.

Rollin merely smiled and let it be, focusing on the lesson and his own cultivation.

The same scenes unfolded in both the fire and dark magic classes. In those classes, however, besides Rollin, the other two prodigies—Tracy and Simone—also received their share of praise.

With the ten-year limit on his younger brother’s life, Rollin pushed himself harder than ever before. Whenever he was close to the breaking point, he would picture the frail, skeletal Hawk, tormented by illness in his wheelchair. The thought made Rollin grit his teeth and persevere. Even the seasoned Cus was astonished by Rollin’s relentless training, so much so that he felt embarrassed to encourage Rollin any further—for Rollin was already exceeding any expectations.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the new term had passed. The topic of the Three Prodigies of Porter Academy never faded, not just among the students, but among the teachers of every discipline as well.

The testing chamber at Porter Academy housed a variety of instruments, all used to measure students’ magical and mental strength. Except during the year-end mass assessments, the place was usually quiet, only visited by the occasional student who had made a breakthrough.

Jack and Jerry, real brothers, had worked in the testing chamber for decades. They found the job delightful—busy only at the end of the year and otherwise quite relaxed. To pass the time, the two often sat together, chatting about academy gossip.

"Jack, who do you think will be the first of the Three Prodigies to reach Third-Rank Mage?" Jerry asked.

Jack thought for a moment. "I’d say Tracy. He broke through the fastest last time, with the other two more than a month behind. He’s got a clear advantage."

Jerry shook his head. "I’m not so sure. Rollin winning the first-year tournament says a lot about his potential. Maybe he’ll be the first."

"If that’s the case, then Simone could do it too," Jack replied. "He lost to Rollin, but I watched their final. The way he fought—giving it his all—I have a feeling he might reach Third-Rank first after all."

Jerry chuckled. "It isn’t easy, going from Second- to Third-Rank Mage. But with their abilities, I think we’ll know who breaks through first by next year or the year after!"

As they spoke, there came a sudden knock at the door. Jerry got up to answer, smiling. "Let’s see which lucky youngster has broken through this time."

But when he opened the door and saw who stood there, his mouth fell open in astonishment. "Ro—Rollin, have you advanced already?"