Surviving at the Magic Academy

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The towering trees shot up into the sky, exuding magic and creating a bizarre flow. I kept fiddling with the ring on my finger. A slight infusion of magic revealed a score.

50 points.

Great, just what I needed to ruin my mood. I nervously commanded my turtle, clearing a path through the trees blocking our way.

Taking out my map, I confirmed my location. A single dot marked me, just a bit away from the tower. I still had a long way to go. Sighing, I took a sip of my tea, the aroma calming my insides.

The map was a gift from the professor. Surprisingly, it detailed every area within the university. The professor said it was given to him when he became a professor. So, it was probably a map not shared with students!

When the professor tossed it to me, saying he didn’t need it, I almost bowed deeply on the spot out of gratitude.

Thinking back, it had already been a week since I started at the university.

Time sure flies when you’re busy! I remembered when I first arrived at the tower. I fainted while cleaning after seeing something odd, planned lectures in place of the professor, and then spent all my time repairing and stabilizing the tower.

Wait, was I here to work at the university?

Funny enough, becoming a student hadn’t crossed my mind at all. I was so busy that whenever I had a moment to rest, I fell asleep on the spot. Then I’d get up and dive right back into work.

It had already been a whole day since I left the tower. Sitting on the turtle, just doing nothing and wasting time felt like a guilty pleasure—my hard work rewarded.

How much further did I have to go? Checking the map again, I saw my destination was the closest city to the professor’s tower. It was named Crystal Spire City. Tacked on beneath was a sign that read Arcana General Meeting.

Such cities littered the map—all twelve of them. I also noticed a label under it that read Beast Corporation.

I recalled that guy, Ruoh, from the entrance ceremony. He had said he belonged to Beast Corporation. So, did these names represent the organizations ruling those cities?

Arcana General Meeting. The area represented by this Crystal Spire City was the largest among all the cities. It was nearly twice the size of the smallest region.

Thinking of the lecture plan I had neatly tucked away in my dimensional pocket, it bore the professor’s magic seal, radiating a very dense magical aura. I had to submit this. Especially considering it was the biggest city, there had to be a place to submit it.

But it was just so far away.

I sighed, feeling the distance like a boulder on my chest. When I left the tower, I wasn’t thinking of any of this; the map just seemed a bit off. I guess it made sense since the whole university was mapped out.

Despite running all day, I still hadn’t even covered half the distance. And through these past hours, I realized just how dangerous this university is.

The university was a wild zone. Every region was overflowing with monsters. Oh look, here comes another one. A massive snake lunged from a tree, biting at my turtle’s neck. It wrapped itself around the turtle’s neck, stretching nearly ten meters long.

The turtle quickly dove its head into its shell. With the snake suddenly gone, it thudded onto the ground. The creature tried to escape, but the turtle’s foot came crashing down on it before it had a chance.

With a deafening crunch, the snake was flattened. The turtle withdrew its head from the shell and looked down at its foot. The snake was so squished it was unrecognizable.

The turtle swallowed it whole. It wasn’t a particularly strong monster, but even weak ones needed to be collected. I barely had any materials, so even this one was precious.

In any case, monsters were everywhere. The region I was in was at quite a low elevation, so just these weak creatures appeared, but the higher mountains with dense magical energy were crawling with even stronger monsters.

The professor’s mountain was like that too. Strong monsters lurked everywhere that could gulp down small things like me and my turtle in one bite. Without the professor’s magic seal, I would’ve fled desperately back to the tower.

No wonder it was taking so long to reach the city when I thought I’d get there quickly. It took longer because I was trying to navigate through areas with fewer monsters.

I had a scroll next to the map marking all the territories of these monsters. The map just dealt with the university’s key areas, so it lacked detail. Someday it would surely prove useful.

I kept running and running. Unexpected areas appeared, paths became completely blocked, and time slipped by incrementally.

Finally, after two solid days of travel, I reached the city zone.

“This should be the place.”

Inspecting the surroundings while checking the map, I saw the bright red dot indicating my position within the area marked as a city.

However, there was nothing around. Just a slightly lower peak than the other mountains. While scanning the area, I sensed a faint magical presence. Someone else was approaching.

Quickly, I dismissed the turtle to lay flat on the ground and began to conceal our presence. The turtle tucked its limbs in, camouflaging itself like a rock. I, too, suppressed my magical aura and observed the approaching figures.

A ragtag bunch of mages appeared. They were floating a huge monster in the air, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

“This is where the magical traces were left?”

One remarked, a woman with a slightly stiff demeanor.

“Nah, just some mages trying to enter the city. Is there anything special here?”

A light-hearted man replied, casting a light detection spell casually. The woman started moving again after a moment’s glance around.

They headed toward that low peak and began to sink into the ground. Was there a path there?

It must have been hard for me to find. The path blended perfectly with the surroundings, appearing completely natural. Once they left, I waited just a short while. They might still be lingering nearby.

But after quite a bit of time, there was no movement at all.

Carefully, I moved the turtle toward the area they’d disappeared into. There, I found a very deep cave leading underground. A strong gust of wind was rushing out, suggesting something was inside.

I reduced the turtle’s size and tucked it into my chest before cautiously entering. Was the city hidden beneath the ground? The walls of the cave were illuminated by magically maintained lanterns, guiding my way.

After a long descent, I finally encountered a massive flow of magic. It was a gigantic city. This brought to mind the university city above ground with its towering buildings.

Those structures hung upside down from the ceiling. The ground was nowhere to be seen. Below, a deep abyss seemed enshrouded in thick mist.

So that’s why it’s called Crystal Spire City. I couldn’t help but admire it. The very idea of maintaining buildings upside down was possible because every resident of this city was likely a mage.

Focusing my magic, I gazed intently at the city. Countless buildings dangled from the ceiling like stalactites, with bridges swaying in the air connecting them.

The buildings formed a massive underground maze. Between the structures, a few stalls appeared, trading goods, while lanterns scattered around illuminated the darkness.

And through the numerous holes that dotted this underground ceiling, mages floated in and out of the city. My entrance was just one of those openings.

I lifted my feet from the ground. The magic in the area was all linked to that city. With only a hint of magic, I could easily levitate toward the city.

Being intoxicated by the powerful magic and atmosphere exuding from the city, I slowly ascended. As I neared the city, I felt a magical force blocking my path. It was a protective barrier for the city.

How was I supposed to get through this?

I scanned the surroundings slowly. In the distance, I spotted what seemed to be a checkpoint located at the city’s lower levels. Other mages were all making their way there. I queued up behind them.

In front of me was the same group of mages I saw earlier. They were lounging around atop piles of monster corpses, chatting animatedly. They traded a few words with the guards, then waltzed right in. Others swiftly followed suit into the city.

I mingled with them, trying to blend in as naturally as possible while entering. The guards didn’t appear too interested in the mages passing by. They seemed to just be keeping their posts, yawning without a care.

But even those guards emanated stronger magical auras than I did. They seemed to be at least as powerful as Hongryeong. I gulped. These kinds of beings are merely acting as guards? I really felt for the first time that this university was the cradle of mages.

Most mages headed toward the dimly lit lower levels of the city. A very small number were trying to reach the upper floors. The upper levels were bursting with light, similar to the surface. I didn’t have either the points or the strength to reach them. First, I needed to thoroughly understand the lower levels and gather some information.

Following the leading mages, I arrived at what seemed to be a sort of docking area. It looked like a passage that everyone entering and exiting the city had to pass through. They scattered in all directions, each taking their own path.

So where should I go? The best bet would be to find some sort of information guild that was likely lurking somewhere. But I didn’t have any points to spare. I needed a way to gather information about this university and the city without spending a fortune.

And I knew just the trick for that. It was something I had learned while wandering the continent. To gather the most common information, I had to visit places where chatterboxes tend to gather.

And those places were likely taverns. Once the drinks start flowing, anyone becomes a chatterbox.

Surely there would be a tavern in this upside-down city. I looked around. Many were crossing bridges heading somewhere.

Who among all these people would be most likely to go to a tavern… Ah, it hit me—the mages from earlier!

They navigated the path to the city with ease. With such little caution, they wouldn’t even notice me trailing them. They were chatting away about where they sold the monster carcasses they brought along, enjoying their stroll.

Keeping a safe distance, I followed them quietly. I surveyed my surroundings, blending in as naturally as I could.

Wandering about the lower levels, I took in the bustling crowd. Most seemed to be saplings or higher-level mages. Various mages were setting up stalls on the bridge, peddling their goods.

Feigning interest in their items, I trailed after the group. Eventually, they entered a building.

It bore the sign [Arcana Tavern]. The prices listed on the menu outside showed a beer and ham set for about 5 points. Damn, that was 10% of all I owned!

Still, for the sake of gathering information, this kind of expenditure was worth it. Upon entering, I was met with a cacophony of lively noise. The many tables inside were packed with people.

I attempted to blend in and quickly set up a table, ordering ham and beer. I purposely seated myself near the group of mages.

Speaking of ham, it had been a while since I had it. I hadn’t seen any food during my stay at the tower. I was needlessly excited.

The mages next to me began to loosen up and chat.

“Great job today, Captain!”

“We’ll settle accounts back at the inn.”

“Hehe, with this settlement, I can finally register for classes!”

The mention of class registration caught my ear. I pulled out a scroll and hastily scratched a rough design of a doll, leaning in closer.

“Hmph, to secure a spot, you need to gather more points.”

The captain, a woman, scoffed.

“Well, with 8000 points, I should be able to secure a reasonable spot, right?”

8000 points. My breath caught. That was not the unit I had been thinking of. I had only been considering hundreds of points; what they mentioned was ten times that!

This certainly threw a wrench in my plans. I bit my lip. The purpose of submitting my lecture plan was also to find a way into Professor Heisen’s classes.

But 8000 points? That practically meant the new entrants this year should give up and not attend classes. They might have to toil for several years to even register.

“How did they gather that much?”

“I haven’t spent a single penny in these last two years.”

The carefree guy scratched his head and downed his drink.

Hmm, food finally arrived before me. And the aroma and magic radiating from them took my breath away. I had imagined something simple, like ordinary food outside the university since it was the cheapest menu, but it was anything but.

Raising a glass slowly, the golden beer swirled in the transparent glass, exuding fresh magic. As I brought the glass closer, the bitter scent of beer wafted up to my nose.

Taking a sip, it slid smoothly down my throat, refreshing my exhausted insides.

This beer was incredible! The magical essence added to it heightened both the first and last taste, engulfing me in a gentle embrace. I shivered with pleasure.

What about the ham? Five pieces were served. I carefully picked one up and popped it in my mouth.

The hint of monster meat made each bite release a wave of juicy flavors mixed with magic, flooding my mouth with the essence of the meat.

The salty ham’s flavor danced around, mingling with the lingering bitterness of the beer, creating a brand new harmony. Each of them was great separately, but together they were divine!

Another sip of beer, another bite of ham. The ham, thickly oiled, combined delightfully with the crispness of the beer, sparking joy in my tongue.

A smile crept onto my lips, and in this moment, I could forget about information and everything else!

I savored the beer again before exhaling deeply. Could happiness like this really come from just ham and beer for a mere 5 points? All the food I had previously eaten paled in comparison to this simple menu.

Now I understood why this tavern had such a crowd. Even mages, who didn’t need to eat, would find it impossible to resist tasting something like this.

Tuning into the conversations of the mages next to me, I continued to sip my beer.

A lot of useful topics were being discussed. Talks about the city’s architecture, why the underground city was built, and so on. I pieced together the bits of vital information they casually let slip as I filled in the gaps in my knowledge.

The discussions about the city were fascinating. They mentioned how one single building often functioned as a gigantic shop. The lower parts were of a lower caliber, with quality increasing as your climb went higher. I could glean such insights from their chatter about the tavern.

But what if there were even more spaces above? This was the lowest floor. Yet they sold such delicious fare here, so how exceptional were the dishes offered up in the upper floors? My curiosity was piqued.

I also figured out roughly why the city was built underground. It was ungodly expensive above ground! The same went for underground zones too. The closer you got to the surface, the more the prices skyrocketed.

“Hey, another ham and beer, please!”

Unable to resist temptation, I shouted. The bartender quickly brought me what I asked for.

Damn, I hadn’t intended to spend this much. I needed points to register for classes fast! But it was just too delicious. I shoveled the ham and beer into my mouth.

The mages beside me, already halfway into their revelries, were babbling nonsense. But even that chatter was precious information for someone like me, who knew nothing about the university.

The cacophony in the tavern, filled with mages inadvertently letting slip tidbits of information, cemented all those fragments in my mind.

“One more of the same menu over here!”

But this was unbearable. I’d only order one more and call it quits after that.

Only after spending half of my total assets could I finally exit the tavern.

 

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