Surviving at the Magic Academy

---

The Tower was buzzing with a tremendous uproar.

As I strolled around, I observed people bustling about, while groups that used to growl at each other were now laughing and chatting.

It was quite an awkward scene. But then again, there was no need for fighting anymore, so it made sense. The last lecture had just wrapped up a month ago.

Leaving the Tower right after the course wasn’t necessary. We had about a month of grace time, during which they were relaxing comfortably.

Of course, I wasn’t one of them. I fiddled with the paper tucked under my arm.

Anyway, that grace period was over. Today was the final day, and they all had to clear out of the Tower. Hence, everyone was busy packing their things.

I kept my stride as I headed straight for a door. Crossing that threshold revealed a scene inside that looked even messier than outside.

It made sense. In five years, countless items had piled up there. Over those years, each room had been remodeled according to the tastes of its inhabitants.

My mind drifted back to Hongryeong’s room. The furniture inside was quite luxurious, harmonizing beautifully with the Tower’s magical aura, creating a clean and lovely atmosphere.

I had even received some of that furniture as a thank-you when I handed them that paper. I didn’t refuse it. Those were items worth several hundred at least.

In fact, I was quite grateful to receive them; they had somewhat satisfied this little one.

I gave a sideways glance at the doll beside me. It was inspecting the mirror given by Hongryeong while smiling. With all those gifts, I hoped it would quiet down a bit going forward.

Anyway, compared to Hongryeong’s room, this place was a complete disaster.

The area was packed with people. There must have been dozens moving around frantically. If Hongryeong’s room felt like a fancy inn, this place felt more like a military barracks.

As I ventured deeper, I spotted someone gesturing around and issuing commands. People were following his movements with precision.

I slowly approached him. He noticed me, wiping off sweat from his head, and waved with a small box in his hand.

I waved back slightly. Then he started walking towards me, his steps lively.

It was Jun. The box he was holding was a space-swallowing box. It seemed he had gotten pretty used to handling it by now. I mean, it had been five years, so I guess that was expected.

Honestly, seeing that always stirred a feeling of regret in me. When the professor first announced he would give out those, I didn’t fully grasp their value.

Then I found myself at the auction house. But none of the items there surpassed that box. Yet they sold for millions. So, how many points was that box worth?

The reason students were fixated on treasures was due to that exact reason. Just obtaining one could turn their lives around. Jun was living proof of that. I opened my mouth towards him.

“Sorry to bother you. You must be busy. It’s quite urgent, so I didn’t contact you beforehand.”

“Not at all, it’s no problem whatsoever. So, what’s on your mind?”

“I came to deliver this.”

I handed him the paper I had tucked under my arm. He took it and began examining it. The paper had a short message along with the signature of the professor’s magic.

“Oh, this is…”

A smile slowly spread across his face. He lifted his gaze from the paper, flashing me a big grin filled with joy.

“A passing certificate, huh? This is the first time I’m getting one. I’ve half given up since I hadn’t heard from you all this time.”

“The professor handled it carefully. But honestly, who other than you would even receive this?”

“That’s true, ha ha!”

He laughed boastfully. He looked completely different from the first time I met him.

As I mentioned earlier, if Jun wasn’t eligible for this, no one else could be. Hence, I felt no hesitation in handing him the passing certificate.

Of course, if it was just a matter of power, others were no slouches either. Just the other day, I heard someone from an influential family made it to the third floor. They said it took them ten years to reach the second floor.

No way could anyone outshine the members from those influential families in terms of strength. That’s why I gave them passing certificates. They had proven their power perfectly.

However, if you look at the achievements before and after joining the lectures, no one had done better than Jun. He got that treasure, reached the second floor, and now he was about to join a massive organization called the Throne Council.

“So, what’s your plan now?”

“Well, now that I’ve joined the Throne Council, I need to move to that city. That will be my base from now on. I’m planning to take the next lectures nearby.”

He stroked his chin while speaking. Then he glanced around discreetly. I followed his gaze. I noticed those who were obeying his commands were glancing at us. He smiled and waved his hand at them.

“Others have decided to follow me too. After five years of building a new group, it’d be a shame to disband it like this. We should create a small organization and secure a place.”

“I see, you’ll do just fine there.”

I smiled back and watched them. Jun’s crew started packing their things again. The items they gathered were being sucked into the box held by Jun.

An organization, huh? I understood why they were following Jun. Most of these magicians were wanderers. For them, Jun’s proposal must have been extremely appealing.

Of course, not everyone could join the Throne Council like Jun. But if he formed an organization, they could still be seen as a subsidiary group of the Throne Council.

To be part of an organization that governs a city held a significant meaning. I understood that power very well; I had experienced it firsthand.

And so I chatted with Jun for a while until the doll beside me nudged my shoulder.

“Hey, are we just going to keep doing this? Don’t you have to distribute those certificates?”

The doll pointed at the paper tucked under my arm. I shook myself awake. She had a point. I quickly nodded at Jun.

“Sorry about that. I need to give out the certificates to others as well, so I’ll be heading out.”

“I apologize for keeping you longer than necessary. If you find yourself in that city again, please do give me a shout. I’ll treat you well.”

“Ha ha, I look forward to it.”

I left the room while waving back at Jun. There were five people left. I began weaving through the crowd, handing out the papers.

Those who received them were overjoyed. I could totally understand why. I wanted one myself.

That’s how important those passing certificates were. It was the biggest reason all students took the lectures. Without it, you couldn’t graduate.

To complete the basic course on the fourth floor, you needed at least three passing certificates, and only a certain number of students could pass each lecture. Those over that amount could not receive a certificate.

There were two hundred of us in the class, meaning only twenty could be selected. And it was up to me to choose those passing students. That was a task the professor had handed over to me.

I had spent the last month deeply pondering their achievements. Selecting the top students was easy. However, the mid-tier was quite fierce. That had me troubled.

Eventually, I referenced the rankings from the duel competition to grade them. That was the only way to distinguish between them. Well, aside from Jun, there hadn’t been anyone who acquired treasures.

Having decided on the passing students, I submitted the list to the professor. He then infused his magic into the paper I had written, completing the passing certificates.

After delivering the last certificate, I gazed down at my now-empty hands.

I desperately wanted one for myself. But that wasn’t possible. I hadn’t even signed up for the course, nor could I.

From the moment I got accepted into the university, I was already part of the Tower. Therefore, I was prohibited from attending the Tower’s lectures. If I could, I’d have flooded myself with certificates; how unfortunate.

Lectures, huh? I needed to attend different classes myself. I needed those passing certificates.

Of course, I did have one. It was the one I received from Professor Heisen. Not just any passing certificate, but proof that I had perfectly completed the lecture. I felt grateful towards her all over again.

Truthfully, I had been eyeing new classes for some time. Classes worthy of a passing certificate. But nothing had really caught my interest until now, and time had flown by.

The list of classes available for enrollment changed every year. Just like our class, the lectures were organized roughly every five years.

I plopped down on a chair in the main hall on the first floor and pulled out several papers.

This was a list of classes likely to open next. Of course, whether these genuinely opened would only be known during the enrollment period.

There had been years where classes didn’t run at all. Some professors, like our own, might take a millennium-long break.

Still, I managed to find some classes that caught my fancy. They were task-oriented classes in fields like theory or experiments. They were less popular, meaning lower competition for enrollment.

If I decided to apply for a class, I’d have to pour a lot of points into it. Because aside from the enrollment fee, I had to buy a seat outright.

I sighed. Points were always lacking. They would always be insufficient.

Most of the points I had earned came from the Tower’s students. And today, they were leaving. I looked at those making their way out of the Tower.

There were two months left until enrollment. It meant the new semester would kick off even later. How would I earn points in that time?

Of course, some points came in from other sources. Like the fees for handing over Mirror Bugs. If I had known, I should have sold more even at the cost of my growth. That regret hit me.

My point shortage was largely due to that doll.

I glanced at the doll sitting next to me, still examining the mirror. Our eyes met through the reflection. She frowned slightly as she glared at me.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, right. I’m not really happy with the structure of the arm I modified this time. I saw some pretty nice ones in the list sent by the Arcana Consortium last time; change it to that.”

She waved her hand, speaking with a pout. I gave a bittersweet smile. When did she even look at that? I had hidden them deep in the workshop. Points were definitely going to drain away again.

“Understood, Anshim.”

I grumbled with a hint of resentment. I knew she hated being called that. She shot me a glare with her angry eyes.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that? My name is Mira, remember?”

“It just doesn’t roll off the tongue.”

“It’s completely different.”

She said firmly, grumpiness lacing her tone. I reluctantly nodded.

Points had been pouring into transforming Anshim, I mean, Mira’s body. That had been at her request.

However, I couldn’t refuse it. Her requests were quite reasonable. Even I could see that using those upgrades would be better.

Besides, she had only chosen items within the points I had available. I couldn’t even make the excuse that I lacked points. Thus, my points were vanishing like snow.

Of course, that meant she was able to channel more power into herself now.

Through that process, I had to rethink my strategy.

A doll that could fight perfectly wasn’t just a pipe dream; even carving out others’ abilities was an enticing idea. At first, it felt like a perfect theory.

But costs became a problem. To emulate their abilities and magic required a lot of points, just like with her. It was a shame.

So, I shifted my thoughts. What if I utilized only a portion of that power rather than trying to contain it fully? After all, one perfect doll was more than enough.

I stole a glance at Mira. Our eyes met once more. I awkwardly smiled at her.

“I was just wondering why I’ve been staring at you for so long.”

“Not really. I’m just thinking it’s a truly perfect body I made.”

She scoffed at that.

“Still lacking. Put in a bit more effort.”

“Haha, understood.”

I forced a chuckle. Well, to be fair, she was right. There was still plenty of room for improvement. While improving, points just disappeared like mist.

Then I thought, why not just make it light from the start? Rather than pursuing perfection, it could be easier to create mass-produced ones.

That fit my growth style better, too. Considering the time those dolls would adapt to their bodies and the knowledge and information granted to them, along with the merging of their consciousness.

The number of people leaving the Tower started to rise gradually. Mira and I sat in our chairs, leisurely watching the flow of people.

Some of them greeted us as they passed by. It was mostly Jun or Hongryeong. I nodded in return and offered a greeting back.

The students slowly emptied from the Tower. Soon enough, silence enveloped the surroundings. After waiting for a while, no one else came out. I locked the Tower’s door, and we headed deeper inside.

Climbing up to the workshop, I looked out the window to see students from the mountain heading down. Everyone was likely headed their own way. Some might go to the city; others would wander off across this continent again.

“It’s going to get really quiet.”

Mira said.

She was spot on. No one would be coming in from tomorrow. I began to realize that the lectures had truly come to an end.

Even the Mirror Bugs, which were always buzzing around, had fallen silent. Naturally, that was the case since their users were gone. The Mirror Bug in my pocket sensed my will and flew up.

All other Mirror Bugs had been collected. That was the agreement. Now that those who had left the Tower were no longer its members, I couldn’t distribute them.

Still, I did hand out a few to my loyal dolls. They were all items whose ownership had changed during the modifications. Those transactions were made before the contract, so they were exempt from the agreement.

Besides, once they grew distant from me, they’d merely be ordinary dolls, so it wouldn’t be a big issue. Still, they had given me many points, so I figured I should at least reward them a little.

The Mirror Bug displayed a screen. Records from the previous day were still visible. The once-bustling bulletin board had gone incredibly quiet.

Over the time, I had gathered a fair amount of information through this. I’d probably need it for the next lecture. It would help raise my level more easily.

“Shall we tidy up the Tower a bit?”

As I said that, I attempted to put the Mirror Bug away.

But at that moment, it began to vibrate. Someone had posted on the bulletin board.

Surely, I had collected all the Mirror Bugs. I checked again.

– Kashian: Come see the cute Bear Doll. Day 761.

[Unidentifiable drawing]

[A blurry illustration of Kashian’s face]

“Mister, I have something to say.”

Reading that made me blink. I slowly began to type a reply underneath.

┗ Ebron: How did you leave this message?

┗ Kashian: The Bear Doll wrote it for me.

┗ Ebron: Where are you right now?

┗ Kashian: Outside the Tower.

I peeked out the window. I saw Kashian waving at the Tower. The Bear Doll beside her was mirroring the gesture. I hadn’t anticipated this scenario at all.

“I can guess what that kid wants to say. Let’s hurry over.”

Mira said, her face lit with a curious smile. She gently tugged at my arm.

 

---