“Of course!” Lizbeth exclaimed with conviction, placing her right hand over her chest. “As your assistant fairy, I am committed to supporting you in every way possible. It is my utmost desire to help you in your cause. Didn’t I promise to stand by you even if the whole world turned against you?” Her pupils were locked in Victor’s eyes.
Seeing that she was so serious about this, Victor was moved while chuckling at the same time, amused. “Pfft, hahaha!”
“Hey! My support is not something to laugh at!” She puffed her cheeks in mock indignation, crossing her arms below her chest.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just amusing that you, who often forgets important details despite being my self-proclaimed ‘assistant,’ turn out to be my most reliable ally in times like these.” He wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. Since when had he become this expressive?
“I’m not a fool! Argh!” Lizbeth protested, jabbing Victor’s neck, though it felt more like a mosquito’s bite to him.
“Ahem, right, back to the matter at hand.” Victor continued, returning to a more serious tone. “We’ll need to utilize everything at our disposal — and I mean everything — to make this work.”
This had been something that Victor had kept on the back burner. As what had been known and experienced, the Thornwood Forest was dangerous and teeming with all kinds of unexplainable supernatural phenomena. If he could harness these against his enemies, it would be akin to “using someone to do one’s dirty work.”
Be that as it might, he shouldn’t forget to put some focus on the immediate priorities. Since his advancement to an Elemental Adept Magus five days ago, the academy had undergone significant transformations. For starters, all four directional earthen walls had been completed — it wouldn’t have been possible if not for one or three players breaking through every single day.
But this progress brought with it a growing challenge. The increasing concentration of players practicing meditation techniques in close quarters led to a competition for mana absorption and infusion. This issue was relatively minor for players not yet at the Initiate Attunement rank, but for those who were, the requirement for mana drastically increased.
Victor had anticipated that by now, one or two players would have reached the second-stage Initiate Attunement, but they were held back because of this problem. In fact, the players were speculating the reason for this in the forum, and it had become a popular topic, as it concerned the whole player base. The situation underscored the urgent need to construct dormitories to alleviate this issue. Unfortunately, now was not the right time for that; Victor couldn’t expend manpower and resources to build dormitories given the pressing circumstances.
Speaking of which, a number of players, notably Auralise, had expressed dissatisfaction with the current living arrangements. Although the Headmaster’s Building was spacious enough to accommodate more than a thousand people easily, when it came to private rooms, there should indeed be some privacy — even if the players were logged out most of the time in there.
With these considerations in mind, Victor activated his Master Shadowlink Mark and opened the academy’s main page.
Academy Name: Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi
Headmaster: Victor Asteriscus
Academy Points: 290
Academy Grade: Level 2
Total Acolytes: 184/250
Progression Value: 210/250
Leveling up the academy to level three within the remaining time frame seemed unattainable. With the current rate of ten players joining the game each day, it would take at least another week to reach the necessary quota, and this estimation didn’t even factor in the deficit in progression value points.
“On that note…” Victor turned his attention to the notification he had received a few moments earlier but had initially overlooked.
[Mission Accomplished!]
[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have discovered the whereabouts of your old enemies and their army.]
[The reward (100 academy points) has been issued.]
There was a new mission after the successful occupation of the mine, and that was this — a task to scout the enemy. This was why he had been monitoring the village and its surroundings for any traces of his former comrades and their assembled forces over the past few days.
Regardless, the players had effectively taken control of the ravine and initiated a mining operation. However, due to the pressing need for iron and the inherent risk of venturing inside the cavern to mine the mana crystals, Victor prioritized mining external resources first. Nonetheless, the few days’ worth of mined ores were enough to serve as a solid foundation for this whole operation.
Next, he shifted his attention to the next mission listed in the Headmaster’s Journal’s tab.
—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——
Mission: The Calm Before the Storm
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It is becoming apparent that your old enemies will come back to get to the vault of a mysterious Magus organization in the pocket dimension. As such, you have to be prepared and utilize everything at your disposal, whether that is through internal or external forces. It is imperative to devise at least three trump cards.
Type: Main mission
Trump Cards Prepared: 0/3
Reward: 400 academy points
Instead of the good ol’ force assembling task, the mission this time wanted him to devise at least three trump cards. But what does it mean by “trump cards” exactly? Does it mean devising three distinct, effective plans to defeat his arch-enemies, or something more abstract?
Without clear guidance, Victor had no way of knowing the exact answer to these questions, so he thought of asking Lizbeth. However, before he was able to do that, his train of thought was interrupted by the very person, or a fairy, he intended to consult.
“So, what strategy should we concoct? I can help you, but only if you give me something to build on. Does this involve the pocket dimension? Perhaps a trap of some sort? You know, like trapping them there or what have you?” Lizbeth inquired, tilting her tiny head.
Right. Victor had previously shared with Lizbeth the chronology of how he was seeking the remnants of a Magus and learning that it was a ruin of a mysterious Magus force from the Ancient Era. However, he hadn’t delved into the specifics.
“My thoughts precisely.” Victor nodded. “The truth is, we never did enter the pocket dimension. So, I don't know about its internal condition, and whether there are assets we can exploit remains unclear. If, by a tiny chance, it is unguarded and filled with treasures, then we are doomed.” He shrugged his shoulders. “For all we know, it could be a deadly trap lying in wait. Who knows. It’s like buying a cat in a bag; we don’t know what’s inside until we open it.”
All he knew was that Graviel was exceedingly cautious and calculating to a fault, so much so that it would put Victor to shame. And as cautious as Graviel was, he would likely have guards stationed around the pocket dimension’s only entrance. That would be the most opportune time to strike and take down his subordinates.
“Furthermore…”
Putting something on the back burner didn’t mean he was doing nothing. He had instructed Eleanor to craft a special magic tool that worked in reverse to the Spectral Aegis Amulet — rather than repelling supernatural phenomena, it would attract them instead. If Graviel and his army were to encounter countless supernatural phenomena and dangerous magical beasts on their way to the chasm, their journey would be significantly hampered, possibly even wiped out.
One should not underestimate the value of terrain and territorial advantage.
Afterward, Victor and Lizbeth worked in tandem to brainstorm a strategy. They deliberated and revised until they had crafted what Victor considered the most devious plan possible. It was designed not just to defeat his enemies but to crush their spirits entirely, replacing their morale with utter despair. His intent was not to simply kill them; he planned to transform them into mindless puppets, forced to serve him until their demise. Only then would Victor be satisfied with what they had done to him and the villagers.
As the plan took shape, a wide, sinister arc formed on Victor’s lips, almost splitting his face in half. Beside him, Lizbeth mirrored his expression with a devious smile of her own. How unusual, considering that she would be the first one to point out his evil face. Having a like-minded partner in crime in this kind of situation had him on cloud nine.
All things considered, to execute such an ambitious scheme, Victor had to make sure he had what it took to pull it off. Several key elements were necessary for the success of their plot.
First, it had something to do with his newly updated status screen and its contents.
Victor Asteriscus
HP: 100%
MP: 417/417
Power Rank: Elemental Adept Magus
Elemental Affinity: Cosmo (95%) | Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%)
Mana Aptitude: Inferior bright grade
Meditation Technique: Myriad Elements Method (prototype schematic, -)
Status: Healthy
Strength: (30 → 31)
Agility: (29 → 30)
Vitality: (31)
Magical Power: (40 → 41)
Infused Mana (total): (408 → 417)
Spell Repertoire:
* Aleph: {Blink Step}, {Spatial Mirage}, {Slicing Wind}, {Zephyr Dash}, {Tempest Burst}, {Wind Guard}, {Flame Whip}, {Flame Dart}, {Ember Shield}, {Heat Wave}, {Demonic Eye}, {Blazing Burst}
* Bet: {Warpblade}, {Volcanic Spear}, {Tempest Gale}
Victor had diligently worked on consolidating his foundation, and as a result, he was now at his strongest. Alas, without a complete high-rank meditation technique, further advancements in strength would be unattainable.
Other than that, due to the ever-growing repertoire of spells at his disposal, Victor had meticulously organized each spell tier to avoid confusion. On top of that, he had successfully mastered the two spells he had recently purchased, along with an esoteric Cosmo-elemental spell he had been developing through programming. Yet, he realized that these spells alone were insufficient for his plans. He still lacked that “one pivotal spell” that would enable him to exact his revenge.
Magi were renowned for their diverse array of spells, which extended beyond elemental magic, to do all kinds of strange deeds. Unfortunately, in this aspect, Victor was a failure. After all, he didn’t have access to extensive spell libraries available to a large academy, and his time as an official Magus had been extremely brief.
Non-elemental magic existed and was quite extensively developed after countless generations, but it was often less favored compared to elemental magic. The reasons were manifold: Non-elemental spells typically required more mana, their destructive capabilities were generally less impressive, and there was no specific affinity that could aid in their mastery, unlike with elemental magic. Despite these drawbacks, Victor believed that in the hands of players, it could be harnessed in innovative and effective ways.
For some reason, the players’ discussion about signature spells like summoning tentacles popped into Victor’s mind, to which he instantly shook his head to erase the astray thought.
At any rate, the next logical step in his plan would be to direct the players through the next version update. However, he didn’t immediately do that and instead decided to take a momentary respite. Rising from his chair, he announced, “Liz, I will be taking a walk around the academy to clear my head and get some fresh air.”
“Sure,” Lizbeth responded, not trying to dissuade him in the least.
Just as Victor was about to step out of his office and embark on his walk, she suddenly added, “Oh yeah, there’s something important I need to tell you. It’s about your family back on Earth,” which stopped Victor on his tracks to look back.