CHAPTER 64 — WHY A+

THE FALLEN LIGHT — SEASON II

CHAPTER 64 — WHY A+

Percy and Clara had arrived at the classroom before anyone else. After placing her bag beside her desk, Clara sat down, slowly turning the pages of the history book in front of her. Percy, on the other hand, although he had opened his book, was staring out the window. The academy courtyard hadn't fully crowded yet. A few students were running into the main building, while teachers walked down the hallways carrying papers. Without raising her head, Clara asked:

"Aren't you going to study?"

Percy didn't take his eyes off the courtyard.

"I am studying."

"By looking outside?"

"I'm trying to remember."

Clara finally looked at him.

"Remember what?"

Percy answered with a serious expression:

"That I got an A+ on all the exams in the first term."

Clara was quiet for a few seconds.

"That's not studying."

"It's motivation."

"No. You're putting pressure on yourself."

Percy turned his head to her.

"If I get an A on even one exam in the second term, my average drops."

"An A is not a bad grade."

"Losing the plus is bad."

The corners of Clara's lips curved.

"You're turning into William."

The relaxed look on Percy's face vanished instantly.

"I need to study."

He turned back to his book so quickly that Clara couldn't hold back her laugh. The door opened right then. The first person to enter the class was Arthur. As usual, his uniform was flawless and his bag was over his shoulder. Seeing the two sitting together, he paused for a moment, then walked to his seat without saying a word.

Clara called out:

"Good morning, Arthur."

Arthur bowed his head slightly as he placed his bag on his desk.

"Good morning."

Percy raised his hand as well.

"Good morning."

Arthur gave him a brief look.

"Don't fight anyone today."

"I haven't decided yet."

Arthur took a deep breath as he sat down.

"It's only seven in the morning."

"People might challenge me early."

Clara tapped her book lightly against Percy's head.

"Don't give anyone the chance to challenge you."

Then William entered. He could barely see ahead because of the stack of books in his hands. Upon reaching his desk, he set the books down neatly, adjusted his glasses, and scanned the room.

"Good morning."

Percy looked at the books William had brought.

"Did you read all of those last night?"

"No."

Percy relaxed. William sat down in his chair.

"I read the last three this morning."

Percy looked at the single book in front of himself. Then pushed the book slightly toward Clara.

"Let's read this together."

"A moment ago you thought you didn't need to study."

"In light of new information, I've revised my decision."

The door opened again. Charlotte and Marcus entered together. While Charlotte cheerfully wished everyone a good morning, Marcus settled for merely raising his hand. Behind them came Nathaniel and Ethan. As soon as Nathaniel stepped into the room, he yelled:

"GOOD MORNING, SURVIVORS!"

Charlotte flinched.

"Why are you shouting?"

"End-of-term exams are starting."

Ethan added calmly as he took his seat:

"For him, that's the same thing as death."

Nathaniel froze upon seeing the books on William's desk.

"Are all of those on the exam?"

William looked at him over his glasses.

"These are just summaries."

Nathaniel slowly turned to Ethan.

"I think I'm going to fall sick today."

Ethan pulled his chair back.

"You said that yesterday too."

"Yesterday I was making preparations."

As Sophia and Amelia walked in, Nathaniel was still explaining which illness would be most convincing to fake. Behind them came Daniel, Lucas, Theodore, and Elias. Noah and Adrian arrived just before the bell rang. In no time, the classroom was filled with overlapping morning greetings and complaints about the exams. Percy looked around. Throughout the camp, they had crawled across the same sands, come close to drowning in the same lake, and run from the same scorpions. It had only been two days since returning to the academy, but the old state of the class already felt strange. Nathaniel opened his bag, and seeing that nothing came out, stared inside for a few seconds.

"I forgot to bring my books."

Arthur frowned.

"There's an exam today."

"Books aren't allowed during exams anyway."

"You were supposed to study yesterday."

Nathaniel closed his bag.

"Yesterday I trusted my future self."

Ethan rested his head on his desk.

"Your future self hates you."

When the door opened once again, all talking stopped. Wycliffe walked in. But he wasn't alone. Behind him was Eleanor. And behind Eleanor walked a man everyone in the class knew very well. Holar Jun. One of the attendants placed a simple chair at the front of the class. When Holar came and sat on the chair, the kids looked at each other. Nathaniel raised his hand. Wycliffe stopped before even reaching the podium.

"What is it?"

"Why is the President here?"

"Part of today's history exam will be conducted with a live source present."

Nathaniel looked at Holar. Then turned back to Wycliffe.

"Will he beat us if we answer wrong?"

Holar replied calmly:

"If you want."

Nathaniel lowered his hand.

"I'll give the right answers."

Wycliffe dropped a thick file onto his desk.

"You will take six exams this week. Geometry, physics, Core theory, Orin control, world history, and contemporary civilizations. Your first-term results showed you were qualified enough to be accepted into the academy. These exams, however, will show whether you deserve to stay here."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Percy's gaze locked onto the file. Wycliffe noticed this.

"Do you have a question, Percy?"

"Can you get an A+ on all six exams?"

"Yes."

"A perfect score?"

"Theoretically."

Percy leaned back.

"Alright."

William turned his head to him. Their eyes met for a moment. A silent agreement needing no words was established between the two. Clara saw it.

"You're both terrifying."

The exams lasted three days. In the geometry exam, students weren't merely asked to calculate shapes' areas. They were asked to calculate at what angles a city's defensive walls should be positioned, how pressure would be distributed along the wall based on the mass and speed of attacking monsters, and how barrier casters' blind spots could be covered. In the Core exam, it wasn't just levels being asked. They had to draw the pathways Orin followed after entering the core, detail symptoms of circulatory blockages, identify which veins suffered damage first during an overload, and outline the long-term consequences of choosing the wrong element. The Orin exam went far beyond theory. Students were expected to sense the Orin density in stones placed at different spots around the room, explain the difference between ambient energy and their own internal energy, and find the weakest stone without making direct contact. Nathaniel stared at one of the Orin stones for a long time before raising his hand.

"Teacher, the stone is looking at me."

Wycliffe replied without putting his pen down:

"Stones don't have eyes."

"That's why I was worried."

At the end of the exam, instead of selecting the weakest stone, he picked the brightest one, and when explaining his reason, wrote only this: The others looked suspicious.

On the morning the results were announced, the classroom was quieter than usual. Wycliffe stood in front of the board, examining the papers in his hand one by one. Holar Jun was in his chair at the front again. This time, no one asked why he had come. The names of the six subjects were listed on the board. Wycliffe didn't announce the overall rankings first. Instead, he separated a few exam sheets.

"First, I will point out two common mistakes."

He wrote the first question on the board. A barrier evenly distributes eighty percent of the force reaching it across its surface. If a seventy-ton monster strikes the north wall at a speed of forty meters per second, where is the barrier's weakest point? Elias raised his hand.

"The point where the impact occurs."

"Wrong."

Daniel answered:

"The corners. When force is distributed over the surface, pressure builds up where two walls meet."

"Incomplete, but in the right direction."

William raised his hand.

"Without knowing the geometry of the wall, a precise point cannot be given. If the barrier is a perfect rectangle, the load accumulates at the two adjacent corners. However, if the Orin flow is supplied by a single core, the true weakness is not the physical corner, but the node furthest from the energy distribution center. Since twenty percent of the impact force passes directly through, the position of internal supports must also be taken into account."

Wycliffe nodded.

"Correct."

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Nathaniel looked at William.

"How did you see a wall that wasn't in the question?"

William calmly adjusted his glasses.

"I didn't. That's why I said a precise answer couldn't be given."

"That's even worse."

The second question was written on the board. If an Orin user intentionally closes off one of their circulatory pathways while channeling energy out of their core, what happens?

Sophia answered:

"They use less power."

Charlotte raised her hand immediately after.

"Not always. Energy redirects to the open channels. If the user can't maintain control, the veins suffer extreme pressure. However, if they reduce the flow beforehand and direct it to a single limb, they can perform a more precise healing spell."

Wycliffe raised Charlotte's paper.

"Charlotte is one of three people who received full points on this question."

Charlotte's face lit up. Marcus smiled faintly. Nathaniel leaned over.

"Did anyone get full points on the stone looking at me question?"

"No."

"Nice. Equality achieved."

"You got a zero."

"Equality broken."

Laughter erupted in the room. Wycliffe began announcing the results. Grades varied as expected. Nathaniel passed physics with a D, but surprisingly got a B in field strategy. Ethan remained consistently between B and B+ across all subjects. Sophia and Charlotte excelled particularly in Core circulation and biological Orin. Marcus received an observation score surprisingly high for his quiet nature. Then came the top rankings.

"Arthur Green."

Arthur straightened up.

"History: ninety-six. Defensive geometry: ninety-seven. Core theory: ninety-two. Overall average: ninety-four."

Arthur merely nodded.

"Clara."

Clara didn't take her eyes off Wycliffe.

"Orin control: ninety-eight. Core theory: ninety-six. Physics: ninety-two. Overall average: ninety-four."

Clara slowly looked at Arthur. Arthur had turned to her at the exact same moment. Their gazes locked onto each other for a few seconds. A small smile appeared on Clara's lips.

"A tie."

Arthur leaned back.

"For now."

"I'll pass you on the next exam."

"You can try."

Clara's smile grew a bit bigger. Percy looked at the two of them. Then leaned toward William.

"Did something start?"

William didn't raise his eyes from the paper in front of him.

"It never ended."

Wycliffe picked up the next paper.

"William Hart."

The class fell silent.

"Geometry: one hundred. Physics: one hundred. Core theory: ninety-nine. History: ninety-five. Overall average: ninety-eight."

Nathaniel spread his arms.

"Where did you lose one point in Core theory?"

William frowned.

"I'm wondering that myself."

Wycliffe answered:

"On the twelfth question, you assumed feedback loss to be three percent. The exact value is three point two percent."

William froze.

"The reference book states three percent."

"The reference book rounds the value."

William slowly reached into his bag and pulled out his book.

"This is unacceptable."

Nathaniel whispered to Arthur:

"He's going to start a war over losing one point."

William flipped open the book.

"There's a printing error."

Arthur retorted:

"Next he's going to sue the academy."

Wycliffe picked up the last paper.

"Percy Grant."

Percy sat up straight. Wycliffe looked at the paper for a long time. Then placed it on his desk.

"All six exams of the first-year curriculum are one hundred. Overall average: one hundred. A+."

For a moment, there was silence in the room. Then Nathaniel jumped up from his seat.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET SIX ONE HUNDREDS?!"

Percy turned to him.

"By writing down the answers."

"I wrote them down too!"

Wycliffe raised Nathaniel's exam paper.

"On a history question, you wrote 'Holar Jun got mad and beat them all up.'"

Nathaniel looked at Holar sitting at the front.

"Is it wrong?"

Holar stroked his beard.

"Not entirely."

Nathaniel raised his arms as if claiming victory.

"I OBJECT!"

"Your grade won't change."

"This education system is killing creativity."

Percy smiled, but Wycliffe didn't let him sit back down.

"Step up front."

Percy's smile vanished.

"Did I do something?"

"Not yet."

Percy walked to the front of the class. Wycliffe pointed to the empty spot beside Holar.

"Stand here."

When Percy took his place, the students leaned forward with curiosity. Wycliffe turned to the class.

"Some of you think I give Percy more leeway than other students."

No one spoke. However, a few glances shifted away. Percy noticed this as well.

Wycliffe continued:

"Some of you might think this is favoritism. Today, I won't ask questions to embarrass or defeat Percy. To show you why I trust him, I will step outside the first-year curriculum."

Percy raised his hand.

"I'm already standing. Do I need to raise my hand?"

Wycliffe looked at him.

"No."

Percy lowered his hand.

"Good."

Wycliffe wrote two dates on the board. Year 250 of the War.Year 300 of the War. Then he wrote a single name between those two dates.

THE FIRST KING MONSTER

The atmosphere in the room shifted.

Wycliffe asked:

"According to official records, the First King Monster was slain in the two hundred and seventy-eighth year of the war. Who were the two people who killed it?"

Percy answered without hesitation:

"Holar Jun and Rowena."

"Their elements?"

"Holar Jun had full mastery over fire, ice, and lightning elements. Rowena's elements were earth and lightning. Her strongest element was earth."

"The monster's special trait?"

This time Percy didn't answer immediately.

"It is written that it nullified elemental attacks."

Wycliffe's gaze sharpened.

"It is written, or was it so?"

Percy's eyes turned to the board. The question had changed.

"I need to know by what method it nullified them."

Nathaniel frowned.

"If it nullifies them, it nullifies them."

William turned his head to him.

"No. Percy is right. Destroying energy, redirecting it, absorbing it, or transforming it into another energy type are not the same thing."

Wycliffe asked:

"Why is this distinction important?"

Percy answered:

"Because if it destroys it, using elements is pointless. If it redirects it, attack angles can be altered. If it absorbs it, there is a capacity and absorption speed limit. If it transforms it, we can find where the resulting energy goes. Is there any record of the monster's body temperature rising after attacks?"

Holar turned his head to Percy for the first time.

Wycliffe answered:

"There was. At the thirteenth minute of the engagement, the armor plates on its back were recorded to glow red."

"Which means it wasn't destroying it. It was transforming at least part of the energy into heat."

"Continue."

Percy stepped closer to the board.

"There are three possibilities. First, if transformation is instantaneous, consecutive elemental attacks won't empower it, but will overheat it. Second, if the absorbable energy amount is limited, attacking simultaneously from different angles can exceed its limit. Third, if its defense only disrupts Orin order, it is vulnerable not to the element itself, but to the physical result produced by the element."

Wycliffe asked:

"Give an example."

"Rowena doesn't throw earth directly at the monster. She raises the ground, compresses it, and moves the mass. Even if the monster nullifies the Orin inside the earth, the mass doesn't disappear. Gravity doesn't disappear. Momentum doesn't disappear."

William's fingers began moving across the desk. It looked as if he were writing an invisible equation.

Percy continued:

"Holar Jun doesn't try to burn the monster either. First, he lowers the ambient temperature with ice. Next, he sends lightning not at the monster itself, but along the conductive mineral lines Rowena created. If the monster wants to nullify the attack, it converts energy to heat. However, if the surrounding area is sufficiently chilled, a sudden temperature differential forms between the outer armor and inner tissues."

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Thermal stress."

Percy nodded.

"The armor doesn't shatter instantly. First, expansion differences occur. Rowena then drives earth into the armor's cracks. Holar freezes the moisture in those cracks with ice. Water expands. Cracks grow. The final strike doesn't have to be an elemental attack. Rowena drops the massive raised mass onto the weakened area."

The class had fallen completely silent. Wycliffe looked at Holar.

"Is that correct?"

Holar's eyes were on Percy.

"Most of it."

Percy immediately turned to him.

"What part is wrong?"

The corners of Holar's lips twitched slightly.

"We didn't break the armor on its back."

"Then what did you do?"

"We forced it to its knees."

Wycliffe drew a crude sketch of the monster on the board.

Holar continued explaining:

"While Rowena appeared to attack on the surface, she pulled the ground out from under the monster's feet. But trapping it in a pit wasn't enough. It could fly."

The expression on Percy's face changed.

"It could fly?"

Nathaniel slammed his hands on his desk.

"THE MONSTER COULD FLY?!"

Holar continued as if he hadn't heard Nathaniel:

"I chilled its wing joints with ice. Forced them into spasms with lightning. It nullified the energy, but while doing so, it had to exceed its transformation speed limit. Rowena closed the ground right at that moment."

Percy looked at the drawing of the monster thoughtfully.

"So the attacks weren't meant to kill. They were meant to overload its defensive system with too many tasks at once."

"Yes."

"How did you land the final strike?"

Holar's answer was prompt.

"We didn't."

Everyone in the class looked at him.

Holar explained calmly:

"We kept it underground for three days. Rowena maintained the pressure. I constantly altered the temperature around the monster. With every escape attempt, its defensive mechanism fired up again. It consumed its own energy. At the end of the third day, its heart stopped."

Percy's eyes gleamed.

"A siege of attrition."

Wycliffe nodded.

"Most official history books portray the fight as won with one massive attack. In reality, history's first King Monster was slain not by a single blow, but through terrain control, energy management, and three days of relentless pressure."

Nathaniel looked at Holar.

"You waited by it for three days straight?"

"Yes."

"Did you eat?"

"Rowena ate."

"You?"

"I forgot."

Nathaniel nodded.

"Percy's older version."

Percy objected:

"I don't forget to eat."

Clara called out from the back row:

"You forgot yesterday's lunch."

"I was busy."

"You forgot to eat."

Wycliffe tapped his fingers on the desk.

"Moving on."

He erased the writing on the board and wrote a new question.

AWAKENED CORE

The relaxed look on Percy's face faded. Wycliffe saw it.

"You are at the second level of Advanced Core. I won't ask about a level you already know. Describe the fundamental change in a user's Orin perception when transitioning to Awakened Core."

Percy thought for a while.

"Core capacity increases."

"That is the result. I am asking about the change itself."

Percy remained silent. William's eyes were on the board as well. He didn't seem to know the answer either.

Percy spoke slowly:

"At the Advanced level, a user converts their own Orin into elements and can affect ambient Orin to a limited degree. At the Awakened level... they must begin sensing not just Orin, but the things Orin interacts with."

"Things like what?"

"Pressure. Heat. Movement. Perhaps electromagnetic fields."

"Perhaps?"

"I haven't reached Awakened. If I claimed to be certain, I'd be lying."

A subtle look of satisfaction formed on Wycliffe's face.

"Gravity?"

Percy's look sharpened.

"Do they sense that too?"

Wycliffe didn't answer. Percy thought for a few seconds.

"If an Awakened user can sense gravity, can they alter it?"

Galahad wasn't in the room. Yet for no apparent reason, his face popped into Percy's mind.

Wycliffe retorted:

"I am asking the questions."

"I'm trying to find the answer."

"Then find it."

Percy began walking slowly in front of the class.

"Sensing a force doesn't mean being able to control it directly. But you can direct Orin to counter that force. Completely canceling the force of gravity on your body would be dangerous. The smallest push would send you flying uncontrollably. Instead, you would reduce downward pull and establish horizontal and vertical balance fields."

Wycliffe asked:

"How many fields?"

Percy stopped.

"At least three axes. But for rotational movement, three wouldn't be enough."

William suddenly spoke up:

"Six degrees of freedom."

Percy turned to him. William adjusted his glasses.

"Three linear movements, three rotational movements. If you only calculate up-down, right-left, and forward-backward forces, you can't control rotation around your own axis."

Percy looked at him for a few seconds. Then smiled.

"Correct."

Wycliffe turned to William.

"That was the detail Percy missed."

The tension on William's face eased. Percy looked back at the board.

"So a six-directional balance field is needed. But calculating it consciously all the time would be impossible. The user's Core must establish a feedback loop to correct minor variations automatically."

William added:

"Latency is also important. If correction comes after deviation, the user will constantly oscillate."

Percy nodded.

"If Orin flow can read signals coming from muscles right before movement occurs—"

Nathaniel stood up.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

Percy turned to him.

"I don't know. I'm guessing."

"THAT'S WORSE!"

Wycliffe changed the question.

"Fourth-year level. What happens if two Awakened users interfere with each other's gravity balance within the same field?"

Percy opened his mouth to answer. Then closed it. Thought for a long time.

"I can't answer without knowing how the fields operate."

"Make an assumption."

"If I state an assumption, the outcome will only be an assumption. If fields add together, gravitational direction shifts. If they suppress each other, the stronger field wins. If they enter resonance, both might lose control. But I don't know which mechanism applies."

Wycliffe took a step closer.

"You have two seconds to make a decision when fighting an opponent."

Percy frowned.

"I retreat."

Nathaniel's jaw dropped. Arthur looked at Percy in surprise as well.

Wycliffe asked:

"Why don't you attack?"

"Because testing an unknown interaction on my own body would be foolish. I would first send a small piece of Orin into his field and observe the reaction. If two seconds isn't enough for that, I create distance."

"What if the opponent doesn't let you escape?"

"I use a physical barrier. If the field affects Orin, the stone's mass remains."

"What if the opponent can fly?"

Percy went silent. Everyone in the class waited for the answer. Percy finally lowered his shoulders.

"With current information, I can't win."

Silence fell.

Wycliffe asked:

"Is that all?"

"No. If I can survive, I make observations and win later. But if I gave you a definitive solution here, I'd be making it up."

Wycliffe turned to the class.

"This is the correct answer."

Arthur involuntarily leaned forward.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

The entire class looked at Arthur at the same time. Arthur froze. Nathaniel's eyes welled up. Placing his hand over his heart, he whispered:

"Finally, you understand me."

Arthur's face darkened.

"Sit down, man."

"I am already sitting."

"Sit down more."

Charlotte covered her mouth to suppress her laughter. Marcus raised a single eyebrow. Clara, meanwhile, was looking at Percy. Percy's inability to answer all the questions hadn't disappointed her. On the contrary, she was smiling. Because Percy had stopped where his knowledge ended. He hadn't blindly entered a battle he couldn't win. And he wanted to learn. Percy turned back to Wycliffe.

"So what actually happens when two fields collide?"

"You'll learn in your fourth year."

Percy's face fell.

"But you asked the question now."

"Yes."

"That's unfair."

"Life is unfair too."

"You know the answer."

"Yes."

"Won't you tell me?"

"No."

Percy turned to Holar. Holar calmly looked away.

"Grandpa?"

"Wycliffe is right."

"Do you know the answer?"

"Yes."

Percy looked at the two adults back and forth.

"Both of you are mean."

Eleanor spoke from the back of the class:

"I know it too."

Percy turned to her.

"Auntie?"

Eleanor smiled.

"You'll learn in fourth year."

Percy raised his head toward the ceiling.

"This family does not support me."

Clara raised her hand.

"I support you."

Percy immediately looked at her.

"Do you know the answer?"

"No."

"Thank you."

Wycliffe raised Percy's exam paper.

"Percy scored one hundred on first-year exams. He answered most of the second- and third-year questions. In the fourth-year questions, he had gaps. He misconstrued some. On another, he needed William's help. On yet another, he couldn't find the answer."

Percy frowned slightly, but didn't object.

"The difference between you and him isn't that he knows everything," Wycliffe continued. "It's that he notices what he doesn't know. That he requests missing information in a question. That instead of memorizing an answer, he investigates under what conditions that answer holds true. And if his information is inadequate, he isn't afraid to say so."

William looked at Percy silently. Arthur crossed his arms. The pride on Clara's face was too obvious to hide. Wycliffe handed the paper to Percy.

"That's why he gets an A+."

Percy took the paper. He looked at the six separate one-hundred scores in the top corner. Then turned to the last page. Underneath the fourth-year questions, there was an additional evaluation. Seventy-eight. Percy's expression changed.

"What's this?"

"Your fourth-year exam score."

"I'm a first-year student."

"A moment ago you were asking for answers to the questions."

"I wanted answers. I didn't want a grade."

Nathaniel shouted from the back row:

"HE GOT A SEVENTY-EIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME!"

Percy slowly turned to him. Nathaniel's smile vanished.

"It's a pretty good grade."

Percy looked back at the paper. Seventy-eight. All first-year exams in the first and second terms had been A+. But now he had a new number to beat in front of him. Seeing the look on his face, Clara shook her head.

"It has begun."

Arthur asked:

"What has begun?"

William had seen how Percy was looking at the paper.

"He's going to finish the fourth-year curriculum."

Percy raised his head.

"How long does it take?"

Wycliffe walked behind his desk.

"For a normal student, three years."

"And for an abnormal one?"

"Percy."

"Yes?"

"You're only in the first week of your second term."

Percy carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

"So I have time."

Wycliffe closed his eyes. Arthur rested his forehead in his palm. William had already started calculating which books would be necessary. Clara, on the other hand, was laughing. Nathaniel leaned toward Ethan.

"I think giving him a seventy-eight was a mistake."

Ethan nodded.

"Definitely."

Sitting at the front of the classroom, Holar Jun looked at the exam paper Percy had put in his pocket. A small smile formed on his lips. Percy Grant had received perfect scores on six exams that morning. Yet as he left the classroom, the only thing on his mind was the twenty-two points he had lost.

END OF CHAPTER