Paying no more mind to that, Victor turned his attention back to the state of the academy and opened the main tab.
Academy Name: Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi
Headmaster: Victor Asteriscus
Academy Points: 610
Academy Grade: Level 3
Total Acolytes: 491/500
Total Professors: 3/5
Progression Value: 375/500
It seemed that the past ten days had been very productive even without his presence. The number of acolytes had almost reached the targeted five hundred, and the only reason it hadn’t done so was the casualties among players from the magical beasts. The total incubation pods might have risen to twenty-five, but so did the death rate among the players. If anything, the players might have become a bit reckless after thinking that their resurrection line had become smaller, despite the demerit of losing merit points and meditation progress.
As for the huge reduction of academy points, before his seclusion, Victor had purchased various potion and elixir recipes such as the Liquid Shadows Potion, Starlight Tonic, and most importantly, Mana Aptitude Enhancement Elixir, among others that cost him about 800 or so AP. He thought that the current magical plants growing inside the Magic Botanical Garden were sufficient, so he hadn’t increased the plants there yet. Only that some materials to make potions and elixirs weren’t available around the Thornwood Forest, so he stocked up a bit. Consequently, he was left with a measly 610 AP.
Aside from this, Victor learned that all the walls had been reinforced by bricks and cement, turning the academy into a fortress capable of withstanding any magical beast invasion. The players also had gone ahead and constructed a teacher dormitory to the north of the Headmaster’s Building, albeit quite small at the moment.
The workforce of hundreds of players had proven incredibly effective, boosting progress manifold. With this level of development, Victor could expect that the target would be reached within two weeks. If the target value was exceeded, it would be stored for the next level up, so he didn’t have to worry about progressing too fast.
“But the problem to get to the next academy grade is still the total number of professors…” Victor closed his eyes as his mind wondered about a solution to this conundrum. Though the only answer he could come up with was still to recruit someone from outside, so that would have to wait until after the battle with the twin overseers had been dealt with.
“Well, no use thinking over this now.” Victor opted to put the issue on the back burner.
“Oh yeah, Master, the company you called ‘WorldGate Soft Co.’ is generating quite a sum of money from the money exchange platform as well as the transaction tax,” Lizbeth suddenly informed him.
“How much is ‘quite a sum of money’ are you telling exactly?”
She poked her cheek with a finger and said, “About one hundred thousand something dollars in total… Yup, about that much in ten days.”
“Wow, that’s quite a lot.” At the current stage, the total number of players was still a far cry from reaching one thousand. Nevertheless, it’d generated a significant sum of one hundred grands in a short span of time. To top it all off, Victor hadn’t yet charged the players for the gaming capsule plus the subscription fee that he might roll out in the next update.
If all of that was calculated, wouldn’t the game generate hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars? The potential was enormous!
But it’s not like Earth money is useful in any way to solve my current problem at all. Victor smirked ironically. In his past life, he died from overworking. Now, he possessed the very thing that had driven him to his death in large quantities but had no way to make it useful. How ironic.
While Earth money wasn’t useful, the indirect influence it had was still a boon for Victor. With more money, he could enlist even more professional players with specialized skills. That would be very useful for him in the long run. So at the very least, there was that.
Speaking of which, the main mission had been updated, and a new one had appeared alongside another side mission.
—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——
Mission: The Impending Battle
You have gotten stronger after forming your first sigil, and the duel against the twin overseers is awaiting on the horizon. Prepare yourself thoroughly and claim victory so that you won’t lose your life. After all, you only live once twice.
Type: Main mission
Objective Accomplished: 0/1
Reward: Interspatial ring (10 m3)
————————
Mission: Sharpen Your Fangs
Equip yourself with the strongest equipment possible for your upcoming challenge. Enlist an Artificer’s help to create a weapon that could change the tide of battle.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Type: Side mission
Reward: 500 academy points
…
What the heck’s wrong with the main mission’s description? Victor thought, but his irritation quickly gave way to elation when he saw the reward: a larger interspatial ring! He had been troubled with the insufficient space of the two interspatial rings that he currently possessed. Now that the solution to his dilemma was in front of him, he just had to go ahead and complete the mission.
As for the side mission…
Victor thought for a moment. “I will need Eleanor’s help for this,” he uttered. He did need a strong magic weapon to help him with incoming battles. The Voidborn Orb was good, but it alone wasn’t enough.
Lizbeth, who was watching from her perch on his shoulder, asked, “Should I call for her to come here?”
Victor shook his head. “No need. Rather, I will take this chance to go there myself while inspecting the current progress of the academy. It’s been a while since I last checked everything in person.”
Lizbeth nodded in understanding, saying, “Good idea, Master. It’s been a while since you’ve seen the players in action. They’ve made a lot of progress, y’know. While at it, I shall guide you since I am your assistant.” She patted her chest quite smugly before turning her face away. “Although, I will stay outside when you enter Eleanor’s workshop.”
Victor stood up from his chair, stretching his limbs. “Mm, all right. I suppose I should see firsthand how things are going. It also has been a while since I last met Eleanor.”
Lizbeth hovered beside him as he walked outside the office. “Oh, right. Speaking of her, she informed me a few days ago that she has something to show you, saying that you will be amazed to find out.”
“Then, let’s not waste any more time.”
“Aye!” Lizbeth chirped with enthusiasm.
With that, they both quickly headed out of the Headmaster’s Building. As they stepped outside, Victor noticed the bustling activity of the academy. Hundreds of players were busy out and about, dabbling in all sorts of works, engaging in animated discussions about their latest discoveries, and some were practicing their spells and sparring with each other. Because Victor had been focused on breaking through, he hadn’t welcomed new players like he used to. So, the new players were unfamiliar with him, which gave him some level of anonymity as he blended through the crowd with the help of his magic.
He observed the new faces around him. They were eager and energetic, their eyes filled with the same child-like excitement and awe he had seen in the first batch of players. Furthermore, the classes with many new subjects seemed to be a success as these players were enthusiastically talking about them.
Victor soon made his way toward the industrial area. Along the way, he could see some new buildings under construction that had not existed previously. Although despite the impeccable diligence of professional players, the place was a bit of a mess with them disputing over some areas. This was all because there were no clear regulations, as he hadn’t had the spare time to take care of the workshop matters.
On another note, Lizbeth informed him that a market area had been set up for players to the southeast of the Headmaster’s Building, just east of the dormitories. Players had established stalls there, selling all sorts of goods, including food stalls for all kinds of foods and snacks. The economy seemed to have finally boomed after the introduction of currency and the physical shop.
At last, he reached his destination: a blacksmith workshop with a signboard outside. Victor couldn’t get used to seeing the chibi-style drawing of Eleanor on there; maybe the players were the ones responsible for teaching her about that.
“Ah, um, I’ll be staying here…” Lizbeth, who somehow looked a bit frightened, hid nearby.
He chuckled at her comical act before pushing the door open and stepping inside. The clanging of metal and the heat from the forge greeted him as he entered. To his surprise, even as the sun was about to set, Eleanor was still hard at work. She looked up as he approached, wiping the sweat from her brow and smiling.
“Yo, Patron! Been a while,” she greeted and waved at him cheerfully, setting her tools aside.
Used to her informal way of speaking, Victor nodded and returned her smile. “Indeed, it has. Lizbeth mentioned you had something to show me—
Eleanor’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yup! But before we got to the meaty part of the news… Where’s Lizzy?” She looked around energetically. “I sensed that she was not far from here. I could get a good sniff of her.”
How did she sense her without using mana sense? Victor questioned in his heart and stated, “Well, she’s busy with other tasks. Hmm?”
Victor noticed that there was something different about Eleanor. The mana fluctuation that she emitted was always hidden because of a special magic tool, but he couldn’t help but feel that it was slightly more powerful than in the past.
“Ah, it seems that you have noticed.”
“Have you made a breakthrough?”
“That’s right! I’ve reached the third stage of Initiate Attunement." She made a peace sign.
Victor raised an eyebrow, impressed. “That’s quite an achievement, Eleanor. It seems you’ve been working hard despite the unending work on your end.”
“Hehe. Praising me will get you nowhere.” She rubbed her nose while smiling widely. “Just wait ‘til the day I become an official Magus,” she said, her eyes shining with determination. “I hope the day will come soon when we can stand side by side as equals.”
Equals, huh? He didn’t know why she was obsessed about being an equal to him, but he wasn’t one to pry into small matters. On the bright side, this would push her to put more focus on her path as a Magus, and Victor welcomed that.
So, he replied with a smirk, “Hah! Then, I’ll be waiting. Don’t disappoint me. How about I reward you with the knowledge to break through to Elemental Adept Magus? Of course, I’m expecting something in return from you.” This knowledge would become the reward for the request he was about to make from her.
Eleanor’s face lit up in enthusiasm. “Really?! Request me anything, and I won’t let you down!”
Victor nodded, then glanced around the workshop. “Now, before that, what was it you wanted to show me?” He failed to notice any significant mana fluctuations from the items around, so it probably wasn’t a magic weapon or armor.
Eleanor’s smile turned into a smug grin. “Follow me.” She beckoned Victor and walked toward the back of the workshop, stopping before an object sheathed in a white cloth. “I— No, me and some acolytes that I took as apprentices have been working on a special project, something I think you’ll find quite useful…”
From her explanation, it appeared that Eleanor had taken some players as her apprentices. Ever since the last update, Victor had specifically selected individuals with blacksmithing and manufacturing professions. Some of them must have caught her attention, and it was pretty much obvious what happened after that.
“…Your acolytes sure have the strangest and otherworldly idea in their noggins. One of my dreams has been accomplished this way…” She looked at the covered object with a longing expression before realizing that Victor was intently watching her, causing her to become a bit shy. “Ahem. I have digressed too much.”
“Lo and behold!” She then pulled the cloth, revealing the thing hidden beneath.
“This. Isn’t this…”