The last sentence was undoubtedly redundant. There was no way that players wouldn’t find these potions useful. Even though they were basically “immortal” and could resurrect endlessly, they would want to minimize death as much as possible, though only wealthy players would consider purchasing them. Newbie players were better off saving up for spell models first before dreaming of getting a health potion.
What was the use of a potion if you yourself couldn’t even cast a spell?
“Seven hundred and fifty!” a voice rang out amidst the crowd.
Victor recognized the voice immediately; it was neither Auralise nor anyone else who had participated in the bidding so far — it was Aphrodite.
Despite seldom being seen on the frontline, his contributions to the battle against the bandits couldn’t be underestimated. Besides the flammable liquid, he helped a lot in crafting various makeshift weapons for newbie players. Due to that, he became one of the wealthiest players in the academy. Perhaps his background as a chemist piqued his interest in the potion’s contents.
Several other players engaged in a bidding war with Aphrodite. It wasn’t until the price reached nine hundred merit points that no one dared to bid further.
“Sold to Aphrodite for nine hundred merit points,” Victor declared, concluding the bidding war with three resolute knocks of the gavel. However, the law of supply and demand dictated the potion’s value; with limited availability, the price was bound to soar.
The subsequent four potions sold for similar prices, ranging from as low as 750 merit points to as high as 900 merit points. The buyers were as expected: They were rich veteran players who had been part of the game almost from day one.
Next on the line, Victor put up various other potions for auction, including strength potions and haste potions, totaling fifteen in all. Unsurprisingly, the players eagerly snapped up each potion at prices similar to those of the health potion, making the total merit points gained on the potion sell to 15,450. Even in small quantities, potions were worth much more than the equipment used by the mercenaries.
By the way, these potions naturally originated from Victor’s former comrades’ belongings (mostly Graviel). There were actually other magic items worth auctioning, but Victor deemed them more useful for himself and opted to keep them. Once the academy had developed more and was capable of producing this stuff or when Victor reached the stage where he wouldn’t need it any longer, it would be up for sale for the players.
With the conclusion of the potion auction, the event finally drew to a close.
“…Alright then. Acolytes of the Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi, you have successfully brought justice and defended those in need. I salute you for your efforts and dedication.” Victor assumed a salute pose that commanded the rapt attention of all present.
After a moment’s pause, he continued, “The auction is now concluded. I do hope that all of you will continue to dedicate yourself to righteousness and the defeat of evil, as you did with the bandits. You may now return to your usual activities.”
Victor clapped his hands and drove the players out of the auditorium to resume their daily routines, much like shepherding a flock of sheep.
***
Back in his office, Victor was contemplating the next steps necessary to make this academy the greatest it was in the universe. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when, but he understood that achieving his ultimate goal of living possibly thousands of years and reaching the pinnacle required him to evolve alongside the academy — maintaining the illusion of a game for as long as possible.
Perhaps there was another motive, a deeper desire to offer Earth’s inhabitants the opportunity to learn magic and evade enslavement or even extermination by powerful Magi. However, Victor wasn’t inclined to admit to this ulterior motive upfront.
“Say,” Lizbeth suddenly interjected, landing on Victor’s shoulder, “I’ve been curious about this since the auction: How do you remember every single player’s name?”
“Huh?” Victor looked at the fairy in confusion. “Of course, it’s because I can access their profiles through the Shadowlink Mark. How else?” He wasn’t so idle that he would commit every player’s trollish username to memory just to enhance his NPC persona.
“Oh, I thought it might be some sort of kink, just like your love for gacha,” she remarked.
“Hey, don’t mock my love for gacha,” Victor retorted and clenched his fist as he recalled his past life experiences. “See, I’ve spent tens of thousands in my past life just to obtain that limited character and max out their rank. The rush of acquiring them is… awesome…” He wasn’t being melodramatic; such was the logic of a gacha addict.
“So, it is a kink,” Lizbeth concluded with a teasing grin.
“Gah!” Victor groaned at Lizbeth’s harsh appraisal. It was difficult to argue against her assessment…
“Jokes aside, something important just came to mind,” Victor interrupted, swiftly shifting the conversation. “Speaking of which, how’s the development of the new meditation technique?”
Three days ago, the Spell Generator program managed to generate a mind control spell called {Mind Programming} based on the book he acquired from the mission reward and supplemented it with related modern knowledge. While it was only an Aleph-tier spell at the moment, the potency and the versatility of the spell were top-notch. Not only could it control the minds of individuals below the rank of official Magus, but it manipulated them in all kinds of manners as if programming a bot.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
With them becoming his mindless pawns, Victor had been able to extract a wealth of magical knowledge and spells through the spell. On top of that, he discovered multiple meditation techniques that could be added to the new program’s database — they were even hiding high-rank meditation techniques within their minds. Given that they were all third-stage Initiate Attunement acolytes on the cusp of advancement, just like Victor prior to all this happening, this situation was not out of the question.
Naturally, the details of such meditation techniques were hidden within their minds, sealed by potent magic. After all, no matter how affluent a Magus family was, a high-ranking meditation technique held immense value, especially when it was their family’s heritage — their lineage’s lifeblood. Forcibly breaking through this seal would potentially cripple their minds. However, Victor harbored no concern about the potential consequences. With the {Mind Programming} spell at his disposal, any mental harm inflicted during the extraction process could be swiftly repaired. As a result, he proceeded to extract the coveted information without hesitation.
Due to this, they were still in a state of maintenance though. Hence why Victor hadn’t rolled them out as NPCs yet. It was a different thing for the mercenaries, as they had started mining in the ravine as a form of their “punishment” in the eyes of the players.
“That one? Funny you should mention it; I was just about to update you actually.” Lizbeth giggled before her lips curled into a smug smile. “’Course it has shown incredible progress. Unfortunately, with the current data that we have, it’s all but impossible to construct a complete high-rank meditation technique suitable for the Elemental Adept rank.”
In actuality, Lizbeth’s statement was a bit of an exaggeration. The meditation technique that Victor was aiming to create was something that was out of the ordinary and intended to enhance his powers manifold — being the most suitable for him while also offering unparalleled versatility. This was so that the players could also use it regardless of their elemental affinity. In other words, it served as the continuation of the Myriad Elements Method but better.
“The silver lining?” Victor questioned. He knew better than anyone that at moments like this, she liked to deliver the bad news first before offering any positives.
“Well,” she raised a finger and confessed, “while a complete level is currently out of reach, crafting a sub-level should pose no issue.”
“That’s more than enough!” exclaimed Victor, a spark of excitement igniting within him.
Once an acolyte reached the rank of Elemental Adept Magus, he or she would have to consolidate their foundation before progressing further. The next stage after this involved forming what was known as a “magic sigil” on their body. Sigils were conduits for storing and channeling powerful magic; they also acted as a prerequisite for Magi to advance further.
This phase effectively divided the Elemental Adept rank into six levels, determined by the number of sigils an individual possessed as well as their potential. Advancement beyond this rank required a minimum of six sigils, and only then would they be able to become a Nexus Temporal Magus. Additionally, as Magi progressed, their sigils would eventually merge, culminating in the creation of a “Primordial Sigil,” which only Sigil Conversion Magus could wield. It was still a long way off from where Victor was currently at in any case.
Nevertheless, despite having recently attained the rank of Elemental Adept Magus, Victor was confident and steadfast in his ability to progress further. One sub-level should be more than enough to help him form one sigil, effectively making him a first-sigil Elemental Adept, which would significantly enhance his magical prowess and provide him with an additional trump card. So much so that if Graviel had formed sigils during their last encounter, Victor’s chances of winning would have been significantly diminished. Even a single sigil difference would have rendered him akin to facing a newly promoted Elemental Adept Magus while still at the third-stage Initiate Attunement level — an abysmal gap, to say the least.
Having said that, Victor asked Lizbeth to focus on creating the first sub-level. Conveniently enough, the groundwork had already been laid, so he anticipated it would only require a few days to complete. He had to just sit and wait patiently for that.
With that taken care of, Victor turned his attention to the new mission that had appeared not long after he finished the revenge mission.
—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——
Mission: Thornwood Village Shall be Your Domain
The village’s currently in a state of disarray after the raid, now’s your opportunity to assert your influence and establish dominion over the village. The villagers would surely thank you for what you have done to the evildoers, and all you need is a single push to convince them to become your subjects.
Type: Main mission
Village Submission: 0/1
Reward: 1,000 academy points
————————
Mission: What kind of an Academy Doesn’t Have Any Staff
It is a logical assumption that a fully functional academy would have numerous staff members, including teachers, mentors, guards, administrative personnel, etc. With that assumption, you have to bolster the academy’s staffing levels to ensure smooth operations.
Type: Side mission
Reward: 500 academy points
…
Victor had always been wondering how the System could anticipate events and tailor missions to align with his current circumstances. Surely the magic behind its operation was far from ordinary and might even be beyond the realm of comprehension. It wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea that it surpassed anything he had known or heard in this world.
Just what were the true intentions behind the previous headmaster? Now that he had gotten his vengeance, he finally had the chance to think this through. To gain a deeper understanding of the world around him and devise more astute strategies in response.
Peeking at the fairy perched on his shoulder, Victor couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that there might be more to her than met the eye. Was it possible that she was not as clueless as she claimed to be? Could she have been subtly manipulating him, pulling the strings like a puppet master behind the scenes? There was also the matter of the two homunculi overseers recognizing the Shadowlink Mark…
Perhaps he should take some countermeasures in case things went south, not that she appeared like someone who would betray him. Despite these suspicions, Victor couldn’t deny the bond of trust that had formed between them over time. After all, she had ample opportunities to betray him in the past, particularly when he was at his weakest. Yet, she had remained loyal to his side, offering her support and guidance without faltering. So, her intentions might have been indeed as genuine as she portrayed them to be.
Hmm. A countermeasure is still a must.
Shaking his head, Victor refocused his attention on the task at hand: seizing control of Thornwood Village. It just so happened that he had something at his disposal that could be useful for this situation: Wouldn’t the corpses of the mercenaries — their most hated enemies — be an effective tool in convincing them?
Anyway, it was time to bring the village under his fold and turn them into NPCs like he should have done a long time ago.