My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

What could be more painful than being tutored in hell by a genius of the century?

The answer is—two people.

If you were a parent, seeing your son getting tutoring from these two teachers would be so exciting you wouldn't be able to sleep.

Unfortunately, Char is that "son".

He sensed that something was wrong.

He invited these historical figures with the intention of making himself feel more relaxed.

It inexplicably rolled up.

In the morning, I learn math and physics from Einstein. In the afternoon, I learn engineering thinking from Tesla. In the evening, I also have to find time to make compressed hydrogen-oxygen bombs to fill my own "arsenal".

Weekend? Extra classes on the weekend.

He never worked this hard in college.

Sometimes Einstein and Tesla would teach him together, but they would often argue about how to solve a problem.

Char was caught in the middle and had a headache.

Days passed by like this.

Char sometimes felt like a spinning top, being whipped around by two old men.

But he was indeed turning.

And it's spinning more and more steadily.

Inside the meditation room, Char was using his mental power to "weld" the last second-order configuration he planned to learn.

Unlike the Burning Hand - Oxygen Type, Tesla's improved Lightning Hand is not able to use magic regardless of whether there is more or less oxygen, or whether the fire output is weak or strong.

It doesn't need to be a very precise number.

However, the data involved in [Lightning Hand] is much more extensive.

For example, Paschen's Law is not actually a fixed value; it needs to be calculated based on other factors.

He spent several days experimenting and calculating to arrive at an optimal feasible solution.

He then substituted this value into the parameter settings of the "Gas Manipulation" rune and redesigned the topology of the magic circuit.

At the very moment the last magical loop connection was established.

Char felt like a completely different person.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, several hair-thin magical circuits connect the three second-order configurations.

The magic circulates along this path between the three, like a beating heart.

With each pulse, new magic is "pumped" up from the depths of his surroundings and flows into his body.

Char felt changes happening to his body.

Bones, muscles, and nerves all felt a slight warmth during the strengthening process. It wasn't pain, but rather a deep, pervasive warmth emanating from the bone marrow.

Of course, the most important thing is the change in magical power.

Feeling the magic surging through his body, Xia silently made a calculation.

If he might have only had around a thousand magic points in the past, now it's about... two thousand five hundred?

He suddenly opened his eyes and felt that the world was much clearer, and his mental perception had also expanded outward a little.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, in addition to the three configurations, the other four runes were also slowly rotating and interacting with them.

At this moment, he has officially entered the second stage.

Two months,

Four runes.

Three second-order configuration spells.

Of course, the most important thing is the thousands of compressed hydrogen-oxygen spheres in his storage space.

Carrying a thousand grenades, he would be a grim reaper even in World War II.

Although he didn't know what trump cards those Golden Families might have, Xia felt that this was the best preparation he could make.

He got up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the meditation room.

The living room was much brighter than the meditation room. The setting sun streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a long, golden sliver of light across the carpet. The fireplace burned brightly, the fire crackling occasionally and sending sparks flying.

"Did it work?" came Einstein's voice.

Char saw the old man sitting at the dining table, holding a cup of coffee, looking up at him. Tesla was sitting next to him.

"How did you know?"

"The sound of your footsteps has changed," Einstein said. "Your steps are lighter, and your landings are more stable. Magic has enhanced your muscle control."

Einstein took a map out of his pocket, spread it out, and placed it on the table.

Char took a closer look. "What is this?"

"A topographical map of the eye of the abyss," Einstein said. "Meredides gave it to me."

A few days ago, Meredith visited Einstein and told him about the location of the upcoming exam, and even informed him that he had been selected as an invigilator.

Char is approaching this map.

It was a huge depression, like an eye embedded in the earth. At its center was a bottomless vertical shaft, surrounded by a ring of gentle slopes with many pits on the surface.

"This used to be a mining area," Einstein said, "an ether mine."

Char opened his eyes.

"I was quite surprised at the time," Einstein continued, "but... there really were real ether deposits in this world, it's just that they've been depleted..."

Einstein pressed his finger on the bottomless shaft in the center of the map.

"The mining area originally belonged to the Vilvia family. In their quest to mine ether, they kept digging deeper and deeper... and they dug into something they shouldn't have."

Char stared at the black dot without saying a word.

"When the first group of miners who went down into the mines came back, they were all insane." Einstein's voice trailed off.

He paused.

"Later, the Vilvia family sent four magicians down. Only one returned."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know." Einstein shook his head. "I saw these in the library. I only know that the Vilvia family sealed off the mine and never went back. But now there are many monsters inside that have been mutated by the ether."

"So, what are the exam questions?"

"Surviving in the Eye of the Abyss also earns you points for killing monsters," Einstein said.

"If you were the invigilator, wouldn't you also be responsible for the safety of the test takers?"

"I've asked around," Einstein said. "The students will likely be equipped with short-range teleportation escape devices that will automatically trigger when they're near death. Healing mages will be on standby. Also, there will be a certain number of deaths allowed in this exam. But... there will inevitably be some unforeseen circumstances."

"What's going on?"

"For example, short-range teleportation devices being widely blocked," Tesla continued, "leading to a large-scale death of students."

Xia's brow relaxed. "That should be a rare case, right?"

"Not necessarily," Einstein said calmly.

Xia was taken aback.

"Didn't you ever think about why you'd have a magician like me, who's only been at the school for two months, be the proctor for this kind of exam?"

Char quickly realized something. "A test?"

The living room fell silent. The firewood in the fireplace crackled with a crisp pop, the flames flickered briefly, and then returned to stillness.

As dusk deepened outside the window, the outline of the Tower of Truth in the distance became a blurry silhouette against the dark blue sky.

Char frowned, lost in thought. If it really was a test, then an "unexpected situation" during the exam was highly likely.

Even if it was fake, Einstein had to treat it as real.

This exam isn't just testing him, it's testing Einstein...

He looked up at the old man opposite him.

Einstein's expression remained unchanged; his grey-blue eyes held neither worry nor tension, only a faint calm that came after weathering many storms.

Tesla picked up the now-cold coffee and took a sip.

"So you'd better not fail the exam."

Looking at the two calm old men, Xia Ya felt a strange sense of calm ease in his initially uneasy state...