Surviving at the Magic Academy

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I pulled out a doll and straightened my posture. Checking myself through the Mirror Bug, I steeled my resolve. At least I had to keep my mind sharp.

There was a fleeting desire to run away, but it was already too late. The moment I stayed here, I was trapped. What would I even say in my defense while escaping?

Their intentions were still unclear to me. But considering the nature of this place, one fact stood out clearly.

They wanted me to use my scores. Those enormous scores that I didn’t currently possess.

The auction house was filled with items that seemed useful to me. Things I would never get to see in the lower levels. I almost bought several yesterday.

In this situation, there was only one thing I could do: not spill out my scores. Given my inability to grasp the exact nature of what was happening, participating in the auction felt insane.

The Mirror Bug chimed and displayed a message. It was a contact from Hwa-ryeong, who was waiting outside. Time to go out. I gathered my resolve and opened the door.

“Good morning!”

Hwa-ryeong greeted me, her face still wearing that joyful expression. I carefully returned her greeting while surveying the area.

A considerable number of people were moving about. All of them were powerful mages. They were forming a single flow heading towards the auction house.

“Shall we move as well?”

She suggested. We followed the flow of people towards a door deep inside the Arcana General Meeting. A door that distorted the space around it.

People placed their gems against it to pass through. I did the same with mine, and the door opened to let me through.

Inside was the same place as yesterday. The lowest chamber, right in front of the stage.

I quietly walked to a chair and sat down. Yesterday, I was so focused on the items that I didn’t even consider my surroundings. Today, I needed to take it a little easier.

Soon, the mages’ magic began filling the auction house. The auction was likely about to start. It was clear that today’s auction would stretch from morning to evening.

Just thinking about it made me tired. Hwa-ryeong naturally offered me a cup. A deep fragrance wafted from the tea with a few flowers blooming in it.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, just this.”

I quietly drank it. My overwhelmed mind felt a little clearer. What was the first auction item again? I recalled the list Hwa-ryeong had given me yesterday.

Right, something called the Core of Thunder. It was an essence drawn from the Thunder Spirit. It should be perfect as a doll’s heart.

Then the auction began. The first item was brought up—a bizarre rock radiating azure magic. People started calling out their scores.

But given it was the first item, the response was rather weak. It stalled at a mere 500,000 points.

Considering the power it contained, it was far more potent than the Banshee Tree’s brain. And yet, such a low price.

Yesterday’s Banshee Tree came close to two million. In comparison, this was a bargain. I swallowed nervously.

“Aren’t you planning to buy that?”

Hwa-ryeong asked. When I glanced at her, she smiled gently. But her eyes were calm.

“Yes. It’s just too expensive.”

I said with a wry smile. She didn’t say anything more. The price then climbed a little more before being sold at 700,000. If it had shown up yesterday, I would have purchased it without hesitation.

Several items followed. They were things I didn’t need to worry about. I stared blankly at them while checking my scores.

10,302 points.

Just a little above ten thousand. Yesterday, I didn’t even care about this number.

I looked at Hwa-ryeong. She was gazing at the stage with sparkling eyes. There was a fan on display. It seemed to catch her interest.

“Are you planning to participate in the auction?”

“Oh, me?”

Hwa-ryeong replied slightly delayed, seeming a bit flustered as if she hadn’t expected my question. She was very focused on the fan.

“Yes. You seem quite taken with it.”

“It’s too powerful for me to use. Plus, it’s expensive, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“Is it a lack of scores?”

“Yes. It’ll surely exceed a million.”

Hwa-ryeong sighed softly. As she said, the fan quickly exceeded a million. And then it soared close to two million.

“I see.”

I replied while surveying the surroundings. I couldn’t see those above me because I was sitting at the lowest level, but I could definitely feel the undulating magic.

Curiosity piqued, I asked Hwa-ryeong, “What level do the people here usually reach? Their magic feels unusual.”

I had heard they were people residing on or above the seventh floor of the city, but that was just the basic requirement.

I had no idea just how strong they were. Hwa-ryeong turned her gaze from the stage and began to think deeply before soon answering.

“Hmm, well… They are probably enrolled in advanced and even completion courses. I don’t know the exact levels, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And since this is the upper-level auction house, there are likely many who have climbed quite high. Their positions in the city mirror the floors they’ve achieved, so most would be above the seventh.”

That means I have to be on the level to use that fan. And it also meant I was among those powerful mages.

The fan was sold to an unknown buyer. Hwa-ryeong looked disappointed. Then another item was brought up. Scores were pouring out.

This one also surpassed a million before being sold. I had tried to compete with such people. Just thinking about it for five or seven years was laughable. Nonexistent scores felt outrageously light.

The next item was presented. It was a heart extracted from a monster called the Blade Scale Tracker. I found it quite interesting when I glanced through the booklet.

When I saw its living form in a vision, I really liked it. A lizard the size of a person that could cut its prey in half with its tail. Its magic was said to be very sharp and chilling.

Until now, what I primarily wanted to create was dolls for swordsmen. They didn’t have complex circuits like the other mages, and their spells were quite simple as well.

And that heart would fit very well as a core for such dolls. I held back my desire to spend scores, letting my eyes flutter half-shut. Watching it would only add to my longing.

“So, you’re not buying that either?”

Hwa-ryeong asked. I repeated the same answer as before. I could feel her gaze slowly on me. After a moment, she spoke up.

“By the way, how many years has it been since Ebron came to the university?”

“It’s been four years now.”

“Only that? It feels like decades with that caution of yours. That’s a good approach.”

I smiled wryly. A good approach, huh? She was subtly hinting at something.

But it was still insufficient. If I had truly been cautious, I wouldn’t have even come to this auction house, feeling something was off.

With the auction continuing, I no longer even looked at the stage. I simply focused on Hwa-ryeong and engaged in light chit-chat.

She mentioned that it had been 40 years since she came to the university and that she reached the fourth floor during that time. Quite an impressive talent. As we chatted, time flew by pretty quickly.

The fluid of the Ouroboros floated by in our conversation. But the price was surprisingly low. It sold for a mere six million points.

That was a lower price than expected. Curiosity struck me, and I asked Hwa-ryeong. She briefly responded that defective items tend to lower in price regardless of their attributes.

I simply licked my lips at that. Six million points. That would take 13 years to gather, assuming everything went smoothly.

“Well, shall we get up?”

Hwa-ryeong spoke. Before I knew it, the auction had ended. She led me down the same path as yesterday, towards the door to my accommodation.

I opened my mouth to Hwa-ryeong, who was standing silently waiting for me to enter.

“May I take a look around the city? It’s my first time in the upper levels.”

“Of course! Would you like me to accompany you? I can guide you.”

“No, I wouldn’t want to trouble someone busy like you. I’ll manage on my own.”

“Alright. I hope you have a good look around then.”

Hwa-ryeong smiled and left the scene. After watching her retreating figure for a moment, I set off in the direction of the exit of this enormous building.

As I exited the building, the scenery of the city came into full view. Many people were crossing the bridge and moving about. All strong mages befitting the upper levels.

Below them, numerous bridges were stacked layer upon layer. People were filled on top of those as well. I slowly examined the sight of them.

I frowned. Just as I suspected, no one was carrying any Mirror Bugs. Despite waiting a while, the same remained true. People just streamed past.

There was no reason for me to stay here longer. So, where should I go?

I walked slowly. When I thought about it, there was a place I had always wanted to visit when I came to the upper levels. I needed to go there and slowly organize my thoughts.

I had no fear of getting lost. The layout of the paths was almost identical to the lowest floor. The buildings were coming down from the ceiling. Even if the levels were different, the location remained the same.

Eventually, I arrived at a building emitting a bright light. A sign that read [Arcana Tavern] welcomed me. The menu board set outside listed various drinks and foods.

Whenever I came to the city, I would visit a tavern like this once in a while. It was a perfect place to clear my head.

It was the same now. I needed to wash away my muddled thoughts with all those swirling ideas. As I stepped through the door, the atmosphere welcomed me like a completely different tavern from below.

First, a soft light enveloped my body. Particles seemed to sparkle strangely in the air. It was the dust of light sprinkled from the crystal orbs on the ceiling.

That light created a path before me. As I slowly followed it, a table appeared. A neat table with a small candle flickering on it.

As I sat at that seat, the space slightly warped, giving me a feeling of calm isolation. It seemed designed to help me focus on conversation and food, cut off from the outside world.

I began to look at the menu prepared on that table. I had seen it briefly from outside, but I still needed to choose carefully. The prices were exorbitant.

Ultimately, I had no choice but to order the cheapest option. A drink called Starlight Mist. It cost a thousand points for a single glass.

Just like that, a tenth of my points disappeared to buy it. Now that I had paid with scores, I truly began to feel how unreal it was to have a million points.

As I waited for my drink to arrive, I slowly focused my mind. My tree was absorbing magic through the Shadow Tree. I briefly cut that connection and poured my will into the realm of the Shadow Tree.

Then, various lights that I couldn’t comprehend through magic began to rise up, fully connected to me. Countless quantities came into view. They were the Mirror Bugs I had previously delivered to Miryeong.

They were forming sturdy connections with each other. However, it wasn’t a natural flow. That connection was being enforced, leaving deep scars on their bodies.

They glimmered very faintly and were about to go out at any moment. Within that connection, they merely existed as devices to temporarily store information.

I’d sensed their presence like this when I first came to the city. But I had never examined them closely. I just assumed everything was flowing normally.

As I tracked their locations, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Just as I thought, something felt off.

The drink I ordered arrived, transmitted through magic. I gazed blankly at what settled on the table. Instead of liquid, it looked more like wafting smoke gathering.

The smoke in the glass shimmered with a clear silver hue, almost like the starlight condensed within it.

I lifted the glass and cautiously took a sip. It flowed gently, spreading lightly in my mouth like mist.

The taste was rather fascinating. A mix of bitterness and smoothness enveloped my tongue, leaving a sharp aftertaste as it faded away.

And that mist seeped into my mind. A coolness spread deep into my forehead, loosening the tangled knots of thought one by one.

Along with that, the situations that had seemed complex began to feel remarkably simple.

It had been seven months since I had passed the Mirror Bugs. Already, I had created seven hundred of them. It might seem small, but in some sense, it was quite a large number.

Yet, there was no one in this city carrying Mirror Bugs.

Not in the upper levels, nor the lower levels. I hadn’t heard any of the students traveling back and forth in the city mention them either.

It was a very strange situation. If I were them, I would have promoted heavily, capitalizing on high-priced sales for the Mirror Bugs. Just like I had done in the tower.

Since I hadn’t been coming to the city, I hadn’t picked up on this. After all, my job was merely to supply them with the Mirror Bugs. Yet, it was this quiet.

So, I checked the locations of the dolls. They were scattered across several buildings in the city—places that all belonged to the Arcana General Meeting.

In no other location could I find them. Now that I think about it, I did see someone using a Mirror Bug. It was Hwa-ryeong. And she was also a member of the General Meeting.

That meant my previous assumptions might have been wrong all along.

I had thought they were taking my Mirror Bugs to build a massive communication network within the university. After all, the scores they could amass through that would be monumental.

But had Miryeong mentioned anything like that? I considered my memories carefully. No, he had only talked about a hundred for the moon.

There were no clear deadlines or firm objectives. I had simply assumed that due to my own beliefs. If it were me, I would have done it that way.

But what if their goal wasn’t that? I took another sip of my drink.

That was why they seemed intent on burdening me with debt.

If Miryeong announced the end of the deal while I was in a situation where I owed them millions of points, what would happen?

Of course, I could potentially regain what I had lost. I wouldn’t need to create Mirror Bugs, so my growth would steadily continue, and one day, I could build my own communication network.

But that potential for ‘one day’ would undoubtedly crumble in the face of overwhelming debt.

I calculated how many points I was currently earning. Three thousand points per month. This was after excluding the points I had to pay monthly. Plus, my classes were almost over.

Even if I started a new class, I couldn’t guarantee they would utilize my Mirror Bugs. That was an uncertain future.

If they pressured the students, I wouldn’t be able to earn enough points.

This entire process originated from me borrowing points from them. Since I chose this path, even Professor Ilian couldn’t easily intervene.

In that moment, it clicked. They had absolutely no intention of maintaining a communication network through the entire university. I had roughly guessed the reasons why. Unlike me, scores were mere trifles for them.

So, what if I didn’t accumulate points like I do now? I smiled bitterly. Here was yet another problem.

However, by realizing their objective, I could identify a glimmer of opportunity. I finished off the remaining drink in my glass. I had to move quickly.

 

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