Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

Chapter 37

"What the...? That guy."

Roan suddenly ran off on his own.

I was unexpectedly left alone.

"Was he that shocked?"

I considered that possibility, but it didn\'t quite make sense.

Roan was already at a level where he could easily perform attribute combinations.

There was no need for him to feel negatively just because I succeeded in attribute combination.

Well, unlike Roan, I did combine higher attributes...

"But even that was only possible with the professor\'s help."

I probably would have failed if I had tried it alone.

No, it might have even caused an explosion and led to a major accident.

Anyway...

"Hmm."

In the end, having no other choice, I left the lecture hall and wandered around the academy.

Since things turned out this way, I thought I\'d take a look around freely.

As I wandered around, I arrived at the magic training hall.

"Wow..."

At first, I was quite surprised by the facilities in the training hall.

Although not large in scale, it had everything from a meditation room that aided in meditation to mana detectors, breathing concentration sensors, crystal balls, and more.

It was overflowing with facilities and equipment that would be helpful for magic training.

It was incomparable to the academy training hall from 100 years ago that I saw in the game.

"If I trained in a place like this, I could even use magic that I couldn\'t use before."

And what was even more surprising was...

"What? All of this is free?"

"Yes. Any mage belonging to the academy or the association can use it freely."

[TL/N: Society→Association]

"Huh..."

The fact that I could use artifacts owned by the association for magic training.

Without any cost or time restrictions.

Moreover, the grades weren\'t bad either.

There were common grade and rare grade ones, of course, and some were even heroic grades.

This was more than enough to use for training.

\'So that\'s why Roan was so good at using artifacts.\'

With that thought, I asked the administrator who managed the training hall,

"Could I possibly try using them too?"

"Of course. You can use them as much as you like. Those are the Dean\'s orders."

"Is that so?"

I asked just in case, and fortunately, I got the okay.

Perhaps the Dean gave me this convenience because I was a guest invited by Roan.

"Then it would be rude not to use them."

With a slightly excited heart, I carefully observed the artifacts and equipment.

Currently, with Professor Jyren\'s help, I had a vague grasp of the attribute combination process.

Since things had turned out this way, it seemed like a good idea to firmly master attribute combination this time.

"It\'s okay if I use this, right?"

"Yes, of course."

I picked up a couple of artifacts that increased mana capacity and entered a room-type training hall.

This place was under a blinding magic, so you couldn\'t see the inside or sense the mana changes happening within.

I heard it was for maintaining secrecy during academy exams or competition preparations.

In any case, this was the perfect place for me right now.

"Alright."

I immediately settled down and floated two spheres.

One was the same water attribute sphere as before.

And the other one was...

Whoosh!

The radiant sphere of light I had obtained while facing Baal.

"Hoo..."

This combination I was about to attempt was very important to me.

Depending on whether I succeeded or not, it would determine the build I would use in the upcoming war, the [The Prophecy of the Blood Moon].

If I succeeded, I could proceed with my original build, and if I failed or was delayed, I would have to find a new build that I could use even for a short time during the war.

In other words, I would be wasting unnecessary time learning magic that I didn\'t necessarily need to learn.

I hated such inefficiency.

Both in the game and now in reality.

Therefore...

"I will definitely succeed."

Flash, crackle, pop!

-Magic calculation ability is maximized.

I quickly used the artifacts I had brought and entered a state of concentration.

At the same time, I recreated the sensation I had felt earlier.

\'...Soft and flexible.\'

Mana containing the light attribute basically has a quality that makes it difficult to control.

That\'s why the mana fluctuated so much when I attempted the attribute combination before.

And Professor Jyren gave me the solution to that obstacle.

The so-called mana soothing technique.

I carefully gathered the spheres.

Swoosh.

Unlike before, a pleasant sound spread out.

Maintaining that stability, I quickly established the mana path.

Even though this was only my second attempt, the talent within me had already reached a level where it could provide feedback and make corrections immediately.

\'Now!\'

Rumble.

The moment a faint vibration ran through the staff...

Whoosh.

It felt like all the mana in my body was being drained at once.

It definitely consumed more mana than the light magic I had lowered the level of earlier.

If it weren\'t for the help of the artifacts, I probably wouldn\'t have even been able to attempt it.

\'Increasing my mana capacity is also urgent.\'

The increased mana regeneration effect from [Prodigy of Magic] provided good sustainability, but there was a limit to magic that consumed this much mana at once.

Perhaps with my current mana capacity, I would struggle even at the 5th circle.

Adding \'increase mana capacity\' to the list of things to do before the war, I slowly opened my eyes.

And I couldn\'t help but admire.

"Huh."

In front of me, a single sphere of dazzling light floated above the [Holy Staff].

But it was completely different from what I had created before.

The scattered light, influenced by the water, was maintaining a perfect form.

Its beauty was unmatched.

"...This is not the time to be flabbergasted."

I pulled myself together.

I still had things to do.

What remained now was to give \'form\' to this sphere that I had successfully combined.

A form much more solid and perfect than the ice spear I used when closing the crack in Aldeon.

If I could just succeed in this, I could consider myself to have reached the midpoint of the build I had planned.

"Let\'s do this."

I let go of my greed and attempted a very minute form transformation.

Into a cube, a cylinder, a cone, a star.

How much time had passed?

Finally.

Clank.

What was just a sphere now had a handle and a sharpened blade.

Yes, simply put... like a \'sword\'.

I gently swung the completed sword of light.

Whoosh!

-300% proficiency correction for all bladed weapons.

Flutter.

Even though I hadn\'t cut anything, a thrilling sensation ran up my arm.

It was the thrill of accomplishment.

How long had I waited for this moment?

"...Finally."

The long-awaited main element of my build.

The moment I became a \'Magic Swordsman\'.

***

By the time I left the training hall, a lot of time had passed.

I was so engrossed in practicing light magic that I lost track of time.

Because of this, I decided to end my tour of the academy here and stopped by the Dean\'s office to say goodbye.

"So, did you enjoy the tour?"

Asion Gale asked, stroking his beard.

"Yes, well. The academy facilities were better than I expected. It was a good experience."

I wasn\'t just saying that.

I actually got to see how the academy education of this era was conducted, I grasped the level of the students, and I even achieved unexpected magical results.

I gained a lot in many ways.

"I\'m glad you were satisfied."

Asion Gale smiled with satisfaction.

Then his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"So... do you have any thoughts about enrolling here?"

"Excuse me? Did you just say enroll?"

"That\'s right."

Huh, this was a completely unexpected offer.

I was just wondering if there was any way to get help from the academy, and he offered it to me first.

But I couldn\'t readily accept the offer.

There were still many issues.

"Thank you for the offer, but... as you know, I can\'t afford to enroll in a place like this. I\'m from a commoner background."

First, money.

Even in the game, the academy courses were notoriously expensive.

And now, 100 years later, it wouldn\'t be any cheaper, if not more expensive.

But then...

"Don\'t worry about that. I\'m not planning on charging you tuition. No, not just tuition, I\'ll exempt you from all additional costs as well."

"Excuse me?"

Asion said something very tempting.

\'No tuition?\'

The cost was the biggest obstacle for me.

But if that obstacle was removed... it was something I could seriously consider.

However...

"I\'m sorry. I think it will still be difficult."

I wasn\'t in a position to leisurely take classes at the academy.

Just the upcoming [The Prophecy of the Blood Moon] event alone was enough to tell me that.

If I attended the academy, I would have to spend most of my time here, and if a war broke out, what could I do as a student?

I would just be blankly following the association\'s instructions and evacuating.

Being affiliated with the academy was a significant restriction for me.

No matter how I looked at it, enrolling was impossible.

"Hmm... So you\'re saying you can\'t be tied down here?"

But then...

"Alright. Then let\'s do this. You don\'t have to attend regularly, just come and listen to lectures whenever you want."

"...Excuse me?"

Asion made an even more unconventional offer.

"Come only when I want to...?"

"Exactly. As long as you take care of the exams, there won\'t be any problems."

This was the first time I heard that this was possible.

Even when I played the game with the intention of following the academy path, there was no such route.

"Are you sure that\'s okay? There will be a huge backlash from the students."

"This is Asion Academy. If you prove yourself with your skills, there won\'t be any backlash. In fact, Roan did the same."

"Ah, Roan..."

Come to think of it, Roan was a member of the association and a student at the academy, and he even took the Aldeon exam.

Something that was common sense-ly impossible when I played the game.

It seemed like this system was newly established.

But...

\'Why?\'

The question I had been having deepened.

"..."

I quietly observed Asion Gale.

He was pretending to be calm, but his facial muscles were stiff, and there were tiny beads of sweat on his forehead.

As if he was very nervous.

Sensing something strange, I started to probe Asion Gale.

"It\'s quite a distance to travel here..."

"I\'ll provide you with a place in the dormitory."

"If that happens, it would be like settling down here..."

"Then I\'ll give you a dedicated carriage. You won\'t have any inconvenience in traveling. Of course, that includes a coachman."

"If I spend that much time here..."

"If your exam results are good, I\'ll let you graduate early. Two years should be enough."

"But this again..."

"Are you kidding me? We\'re offering you full support! Free tuition! Free meals! Free attendance! Guaranteed graduation! Carriage support... Huh? What more do you need?"

Did I probe too much?

In the end, Asion Gale exploded.

\'...This is actually a really good offer.\'

I laughed awkwardly and then hardened my expression.

There was still one last thing I had to say.

"Why are you going this far? I don\'t understand why I deserve all this."

"..."

At my question, Asion also became serious.

His face was like that of a ferocious beast, as it was when I first met him.

An imposing charisma emanated from him.

His answer was short.

"It\'s talent recruitment."