Beads of sweat built up on Victor’s palms as he carefully counted the eight cyan crystals resting on the pedestals; they were advanced-grade mana crystals, after all. Their energy was far more potent and condensed than their novice-grade counterparts, and each of them was at least ten thousand times more valuable than those common mana crystals. On top of that, even if you had ten thousand novice-grade mana crystals, no Magi would want to trade their high-grade mana crystal for them.

It was just that valuable.

“No, wait… by the color and the faint glow, these crystals are clearly running on fumes, maybe less than 5 percent of their original power. In fact, all except for one of these crystals are practically used up! Well, shit!” Victor clenched his fists, fully aware of the dire implications.

The energy from the advanced-grade mana crystals was the lifeblood of the academy’s barriers. While the barriers could slowly accumulate mana over time, it was woefully insufficient to sustain their operation. Sooner rather than later, the defenses would crumble, leaving the academy vulnerable to the impending arachnid invasion, unless he somehow managed to exchange the mana crystals for a set of new ones.

But bad news. Forget about advanced-grade mana crystals, he didn’t even have a single intermediate-grade mana crystal… How was he supposed to rejuvenate the barriers?

As Victor was in deep contemplation, a familiar notification appeared inside his head, and a luminous blue holographic screen materialized before him.

[Mission Accomplished!]

[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have located and determined the conditions of the academy’s barriers.]

[The reward (One Aleph-tier spell model for each normal and rare element) has been issued.]

The glowing holographic screen displaying his rewards went unnoticed for the moment, as Victor wasn’t in the mood; there was an elephant in the room that needed his immediate attention. Lizbeth, true to her nature, explained it all in direct terms.

“Master, judging by the remaining energy levels, it seems that the academy’s magic barriers are on the brink of collapse, and we have about ten days at best.” Her somber tone contrasted with her usual cheeky one.

Victor’s brow furrowed deeply. The stakes had just been raised, and his race against time became even more critical. “This is not good…”

What Victor dreaded the most was that even if he tried to substitute advanced-grade mana crystals with novice-grade ones, they would provide only a temporary solution, lasting a few days at most. Moreover, with only a handful of novice-grade crystals left, this solution lacked a clear purpose.

“Why are the formations running out of energy now of all times after sustaining for centuries? Isn’t it too coincidental?” He couldn’t help but wonder about the timing. Is this another of the former headmaster’s shenanigans?

“Well, Master, it’s quite simple,” Lizbeth chimed in with a mischievous glint in her eye as if relishing the opportunity to explain. “The moment the Magus Academy System got activated, it used up the remaining reserve energy that the formations had. Just like that — poof!” She made a popping hand motion.

Hearing her nonchalant explanation, Victor just rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the eloquent breakdown, Lizzy.”

Lizbeth shrugged and continued, undeterred, “But, no worries. With the passive mana-gathering still active, it means that the Nexus Beacon, the Nexus Tower, and the other facilities should still be able to function normally. Just that…”

“Just what?”

“Just that the only tiny, itty-bitty catch is that the concealment formation, which required a substantial amount of mana, will fail. In essence, the academy will no longer be hidden from outside threats. Well, it’s what consumed most of the mana anyway.”

Victor’s shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world had descended upon him, and he slumped to the ground, almost in resignation. “Ugh! As if this couldn’t get any worse.”

“Oh, and the formations have deteriorated enough that you may have to redo the whole thing soon before it’s too late.”

Victor cast her a sidelong glance and opened his mouth. “You know, you could’ve just said all that in one go.”

A heavy sigh escaped him as he considered the dwindling timeframe. Ten days might sound like a substantial duration, but it was remarkably short in the grand scheme of things.

Lizbeth, with her mesmerizing golden eyes and striking black and luminous white hair, leaned in closer to Victor. Her presence, while small, was enchanting, and her words carried an unusual weight. “What are you so concerned about? Don’t you trust this little assistant fairy of yours?” Her voice was almost hypnotic. “I would gladly stand by your side, even if the world turned against you.”

“It’s not about trusting or not… but you do have a point.” Their conversation made Victor look at Lizbeth in a new light; she had shown herself to be a reliable ally. In any case, all he could do now was to make the most of the precious little time he had at his disposal.

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With a clear purpose in mind, Victor strode over to the Nexus Beacon. It was time to claim his reward from the System. As he approached, a holographic screen materialized before him, displaying a comprehensive list of Aleph-tier magic spells encompassing a wide range of normal and rare elements. Yet, there were exceptions; Victor couldn’t select spell models for Cosmo and Chrono elements, which were notably scarce and commanded a cost five times higher than other spell models of the same tier.

Because the spells would be intended for the players’ use, Victor needed to choose the most practical spell models. Some spells might demand prerequisite knowledge that the players didn’t have, and the simplest type of offensive spells were easier to learn than others.

“Alright, these choices should do it.”

Victor had mastered many Pyro and Anemo spells, but he found himself lacking in defensive capabilities. Hence, he opted for {Wind Guard} and {Ember Shield} to provide the players with defensive options and for himself, of course. For the other normal elements, he selected {Sparkburst}, {Ice Bolt}, {Aqua Jet}, {Stone Bullet}, and {Vine Snare} — simple yet effective offensive spells. Additionally, he picked {Solar Spark}, {Shadowy Grasp}, {Healing Touch}, and {Summon Shadeling} for the four rare elements.

Most of these spells were designed to shoot or manipulate elemental energy to deal damage to enemies. The simplest of the simple. Victor required these players to be proficient in dealing damage and not to become magicians who could only sit in the back and only specialized in defensive spells.

Once he finished making his selections, the eleven spell books materialized from the Nexus Beacon and floated toward him. He made sure to touch each one so that the Master Shadowlink Mark could record them before storing them in his interspatial ring. He then instructed Lizbeth to list them in the virtual shop for players to purchase.

“’Kay,” she answered, getting right on the task.

“Now then.” Victor flexed his fingers and opened the private chat with SuperNova.

CyberWarlock: “The code has executed flawlessly, and the programmer in question is now working harder than ever. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know about the game. Naturally, private information about the company and its employees is off-limits.”

SuperNovaX: “So, I can ask literally anything about the game?”

CyberWarlock: “Of course. Be it leaks about future updates or hidden mechanics you can exploit. Sure, I’ll answer any single question you have.”

Naturally, there was no such thing as future “updates” or hidden “mechanics” since this wasn’t truly a game. However, Victor was adept at crafting believable narratives, and he could introduce fictional elements or expand upon existing ones if they aligned with the setting.

SuperNovaX: “Great! There’s something I’ve been curious about, and it’s been a topic of discussion within our group. It concerns the headmaster NPC.”

CyberWarlock: “What about him?”

SuperNovaX: “Well, a debate has been raging among us, and given my background as an IT student, I can’t help but wonder. The headmaster NPC, is it an employee of your company, or is it an AI?”

CyberWarlock: “This…”

Seeing that Victor was hesitating, SuperNova must have thought that it was something confidential, as his reply came almost a second later.

SuperNovaX: “If it’s something you can’t answer, I don’t mind changing my question.”

CyberWarlock: “No, it’s fine. Although it’s a bit confidential, a promise is a promise.”

SuperNovaX: “Mm! Then please tell me!”

Victor took a moment to gather his thoughts and then began typing. “If we want to talk about the headmaster NPC, then we have to delve into the AI that governs the entire game. Let’s call it ‘MAS,’ short for ‘Massive Artificial Supercomputer.’ Remember when you five were asking about scripted and unscripted events happening in the game? And for the immersive graphics and gameplay? Well, you can thank MAS for those.”

Obviously, this was all an elaborate fabrication Victor had prepared. But if MAS stood for Magus Academy System instead, then what he said couldn’t be entirely false.

CyberWarlock: “In short, his existence is very special because he’s intertwined with the very AI that controls the whole game.”

His cheeks felt a bit hot as he shamelessly sent that message.

SuperNovaX: “So, he’s like the Messiah to this game’s God?”

CyberWarlock: “Uhh… Well, if you stretch it, it’s not wrong in a sense. I guess…”

SuperNovaX: “Oh, heaven… This is a lot to take in…”

It was apparent that this came as a shock to him. However, if the real “truth” was revealed, Victor dared to bet his entire savings that the guy would faint and be brought straight to the ER. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, weaving tales within tales.

SuperNovaX: “Hmm, but this doesn’t answer my question: What is he?”

CyberWarlock: “He’s the first generation of fully artificial intelligence developed by our company.”

SuperNovaX: “Fully artificial intelligence?!”

CyberWarlock: “Indeed, it’s an AI that blurs the lines between machine and human intelligence. Unlike MAS, which is a more traditional AI, he possesses his own personality, memory, thinking patterns, as well as values and motivations. That’s why we’ve empowered him with the authority to influence players and guide them through the game.”

SuperNovaX: “Now it’s starting to make sense. No wonder his decisions can affect the game’s progression… But what intrigues me the most is this supercomputer AI — its potential seems limitless. With how immersive the game is, wouldn’t this AI be able to create infinite virtual worlds with its own laws of physics? It’s like the simulation hypothesis!”

Victor was struck speechless. This player was more imaginative than he expected. He was thinking on another level!

CyberWarlock: “Well, it’s not on that level yet. We do, however, plan to enhance the AI’s computational capabilities to rival those seen in fiction. Although, that’ll have to wait as our AI and technology continue to advance.”

What he wrote was undoubtedly bullshit. Even with Earth’s technological advancements, developing such technology within fifty years seemed highly improbable. But nevertheless, building up hype and anticipation among players, even if it meant resorting to some creative exaggeration, was his job as the game’s promotional manager. Besides, what kind of shady game companies did not do this nowadays?

SuperNovaX: “Is it fine if I share this with the group? Storm will go wild if he learns about this.”

CyberWarlock: “That’s perfectly fine. Sooner or later, this information will become public knowledge, so no need to keep it under wraps.”

SuperNovaX: “No! I will ensure that everyone in the group keeps a tight lips on this insider information. At least we won’t spill the beans about MAS!”

CyberWarlock: “Feel free to handle it as you see fit.”

On second thought, Victor realized that if this information were to leak to the public, it could potentially ignite a widespread frenzy. Imagine this: Someone had clandestinely developed a super AI capable of simulating an entire universe in their garage. This would definitely put such a person on the government’s radar.

After all, who could resist the temptation of becoming a god-like figure of their own universe, wielding control over a meticulously crafted world? Victor himself couldn’t deny that the concept had stirred his imagination on more than one occasion.