Surviving at the Magic Academy

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The power bestowed by the Sky Ring felt like a form of brainwashing. It was the power to naturally subdue others, and the way it grew his strength was simple: just brainwash more targets.

Once a target was fully subdued, it would bestow a little power back, causing the tiny piece to grow. What started as the size of a nail gradually increased.

As the Sky Ring mentioned, there was a limit to its power over people, especially Mages. The complexity of a Mage’s mind and the sturdiness of their soul simply couldn’t be crossed.

So, those who received the power targeted Monsters. Most Monsters lacked intelligence compared to the power they possessed, after all. Their approach was quite effective.

The Sky Ring’s power fundamentally bestowed happiness. Life in the wild was a relentless cycle of pain. The anxiety and suffering Monsters felt were transformed into happiness through the ring’s power.

Monsters felt nothing but joy and began to follow their master. They obeyed all commands to experience even greater happiness.

I blankly stared out the window. The bottom of the mountain, once filled with trees, had been cleared to create a wide plain. Within it, various Monsters were frolicking about.

The Sky Ring had delivered its lectures, and this week, a rather large territory for Monsters had been established. It was Hao’s creation—an area released by students for the Monsters.

I was a bit worried about Hao getting carried away again. However, this time he didn’t create a major issue. Instead, he handled the power with great caution.

Hao used the strength the Sky Ring granted him more prudently than others. Despite having fully brainwashed—uh, made happy, as the Sky Ring would say—one target, he didn’t move on to the next.

Rather, he continued to care deeply for that Monster. The Monster was utterly happy.

He called that power a blessing given by the Sky Ring. Therefore, he said, one should not use that power just to boss others around. There were limitations at the end of that road.

One must first make them happy, so they could in turn create happiness for us. He declared this and created the Monster area, then began to look after the Monsters with his companions.

I saw people climbing the mountain beyond the window. It was surely the time for the tower to open, and students were gathering from all around.

And at their destination, beneath the tower, there was already a guest—Hao.

He started handing out flyers to students entering the tower alongside others. Even if the students ignored him and walked past, he didn’t mind. He simply approached others and handed out flyers with a smile.

Yep, he had made companions. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call them devotees.

In the span of this week, he had somehow become a cult leader.

He and those around him wore the same robe—black with a white ring depicted on it. That was the attire of the sect they created.

They referred to themselves as the Sky Ring Church, with Hao as the head.

Hmm, scratching my cheek quietly while watching them felt rather strange. It was a surprising situation for me.

I knew he was deeply influenced by the Sky Ring. After all, he wouldn’t have visited the Sky Ring seven times during lecture hours if he wasn’t. He had even gained enlightenment in the process, making it all the more plausible.

Had it been about a week since then? From that point on, he had started preaching his faith in the Sky Ring like a fervent devotee. He even came to me saying he wanted to meet the Sky Ring in person.

At first, I thought he must have been completely consumed by the power. So, upon hearing that ridiculous story, I quickly checked his condition.

But even after multiple examinations through the Mirror Bug and my magic, I couldn’t find any abnormalities in him.

Wondering if there was an issue I was unaware of, I even did a cleansing, but it was still the same. He was perfectly fine and still held onto his belief in the Sky Ring.

Even when I asked the Sky Ring, I couldn’t get a clear answer. It just said it had taught Hao about happiness. Their attitude was so proud, even allowing me to check the conversation from then.

Feeling a bit apprehensive, I checked the records, but I didn’t find anything unusual in there. Hao merely vented his guilt along with some backstory, and the Sky Ring shared a few stories in response.

He began believing in the Sky Ring after hearing those stories. It was very unsettling. I knew he was gullible enough to trust everything the Tooth Necklace said, but I never expected him to create a religion.

Nevertheless, it was something natural, I suppose. If he wanted to believe in the Sky Ring, what could I do about it? It wouldn’t be right to stifle that.

If I tried to stop him, he’d surely continue that religion somewhere else. Better to let him move boldly and observe from a distance.

Though I had some doubts, I couldn’t deny that it was quite useful. Looking at the vast Monster territory, I found myself feeling quite relaxed.

The treasures generally enjoyed consuming Monsters. So they frequently used their request opportunities for that purpose. Hence, I needed to secure more Monsters.

However, the Monsters around the tower had long run dry. I hunted some down, and others were devoured by those attempting to grow the Tooth Necklace’s power.

So I often had to venture further to acquire Monsters. Normally, that wouldn’t be such a hassle. I just needed to ride on a Turtle and watch it swallow Monsters like a casual stroll.

But these days, it was becoming a bit bothersome. Due to the assignment, even while thinking about the Doll, I still couldn’t stop the requests from the treasures. New treasures had joined a few boards, which made it even more so.

In that situation, the Monster territory alleviated my annoyance. I just needed to buy a few Monsters at a low price. They wouldn’t even rebel due to being intoxicated with happiness.

Focusing my magic on their flyers, I saw they merely stated, ‘Believe in the Sky Ring, and you will find happiness.’ There were no clear doctrines or purposes in this religion they had concocted.

Hao simply believed in and followed the Sky Ring. Who would be lured into such a religion? Initially, I thought that way.

But no, several people began seeking Hao out. They were all people who had received the Sky Ring’s power, just like him. Of course, not all of them. Initially, only four people had joined this religion.

As of now, even with this week passed, that number hadn’t increased too much. I started counting slowly. Maybe about ten? Compared to before, it was a meager increase of just five.

I frowned slightly. Was “just five” the right expression? Thinking of it another way, it was quite remarkable. That was a story of doubling their numbers in such a short time.

“What are you up to?”

Mira approached, perhaps curious about why I was staring out the window. She followed my gaze and smiled upon seeing Hao.

“Ah, are those kids starting to preach now? How interesting.”

“Care to join me? I’m planning to keep an eye on them today.”

“Shall we? Then I won’t hold back.”

A Shadow Doll that had been waiting brought a chair for her. It was a doll made in the image of a beautiful woman. Mira seemed to like it and often took it along.

She sat in the chair and leaned against me. I softly supported her as we continued observing the Sky Ring Church.

Today marked their first day of preaching. They hadn’t shown such significant movement until now, which is why I started to monitor them with suspicion.

Their preaching was quite strategic. They weren’t enthusiastic about approaching ordinary people. They merely approached once or twice and left.

Their targets were those with the same powers. The ones possessing the power granted by the Sky Ring. Most of those students ignored and walked past the Sky Ring Church. Yet, they clung on persistently.

Just like now. A student with somewhat sharp eyes was caught by them, looking annoyed as he unleashed magic, sending everyone sprawling.

He muttered something and left while laughing at them. I couldn’t hear what he said, but I could tell from his lips. Something along the lines of “those treasure-obsessed fools.”

Nodding quietly, I shared his thoughts. However, no matter how much I examined them, I couldn’t detect any abnormalities. They genuinely seemed to believe in and follow the Sky Ring.

Until morning, they continued their preaching until everyone entered the tower. Only after handing out all their flyers did they head for the tower.

I kept tracking their movements through the vision of the Mirror Bug and Shadow Doll. Inside the tower, they lived quite ordinary lives. Nothing in particular changed for them.

They zealously absorbed magic, trained in spells, with some challenging the upper floors and others managing the Monsters outside the tower. A day like any other rolled on.

Of course, there were times they gathered along the way. However, they didn’t hold any prominent discussions there. They merely listened to Hao and dispersed.

They began acting peculiar by evening. They gathered in a quiet room on the first floor—an area no one visited. Before them lay a Mirror Bug.

They sat upright, staring at the Mirror Bug. Hao stood before them, bowing his head towards it. The Mirror Bug glowed in response.

“Thank you for taking the time to grace us again today, Magnificent Sky Ring.”

Hao said. As he spoke, the Mirror Bug began to spew words. It hung in the air, forming coherent sentences.

-There’s no need to call me that. You can simply refer to me as the Sky Ring.

Hao shook his head and enthusiastically pounded his chest.

“How could we? You are someone who has bestowed us mere beings with profound enlightenment and power. I will always hold your teachings deep in my heart and follow them.”

-If you find joy in that, then I am satisfied.

“Thank you for your kind words. Just like you said, we will always strive to be happy.”

Hao bowed deeply. The others behind him followed suit, bowing toward the Mirror Bug.

-So, what brings you to call me?

“We have spread happiness to others today and diligently trained. And at the end of it, we’ve gathered here to hear today’s teachings. Here, we bring offerings as a token of our dedication.”

-Thank you. You’ve put in efforts today as well. Keep up the great work.

The Sky Ring delivered a very simple response. Hao, upon seeing that, nodded. He turned to look at those behind him. Illuminating the piece overhead, he opened his mouth.

“Now, the Sky Ring has spoken: ‘I recognize your efforts. There will be trials ahead, so do not falter and endure all pain. At the end, a greater happiness awaits you.’ That’s today’s teaching. Let’s all raise our prayers to the Sky Ring and conclude today’s worship.”

Hao brought his hands together, forming a large circle, and placed it on his chest. The others mimicked his movements.

I smirked. I had seen scenes like this a few times before. They would gather daily to offer tributes to the Sky Ring.

As they said, this was a form of worship. Mira beamed at the sight, as if it was the first time witnessing this worship.

“Hehe, is that real? How amusing! Just believing in the treasures was fascinating enough, but I didn’t expect them to go this far.”

Believing in the treasures was a common tale. Their power was substantial. Hence, those who worshiped that power had always existed.

Of course, it was merely a story among weeds. It was the first time seeing a Mage act like this.

I slowly gazed at them. Their subsequent actions mirrored the past. They continued their training and waited at the entrance to leave on time.

And again, they carried out their preaching. Even as many people ignored them and walked past, they remained undeterred. They even exuded a sense of mission.

I again brought up Hao’s information to check for any alterations.

-Body Points: 38 points, steadily growing. Very good.

-Mind Points: 96 points, very elevated mental state. How about calming that excitement a little?

-Soul Points: 33 points, very normal state. Just like usual.

Overall Evaluation: You’re intensely immersed in something. If you only observe closely, there are things you won’t be able to recognize, so how about taking a step back?

No abnormalities were found. In fact, his mental points were only rising, just as indicated. That was peculiar as well. His strong belief kept increasing those points.

As everyone left the tower, they tidied up and started descending the mountain. Nothing special happened. Just the repetition of nearly the same day, with the addition of preaching in the process.

“Mira, you should go in and rest now. It seems there’s nothing out of the ordinary after all.”

I wondered if it was unnecessary to worry about them. Perhaps they were merely enjoying a hobby.

Of course, that might not be the case. This certainly was an anomaly. A Mage believing in others? That was a story even a passing dog wouldn’t believe.

The next morning arrived. They resumed their preaching. I stared blankly at them. Their methods mirrored those of yesterday: handing out flyers and striking up conversations.

But there was one change that caught my eye, and I frowned slightly.

The ten members had somehow increased to eleven. The new addition was that sharp-eyed student who had previously brushed them off. He was all smiles, handing out flyers to others.

And the following day, they had gained yet another member. I sighed at the sight. There was definitely some kind of trick at play. They made a move, so now it was my turn to respond.

 

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