Chapter 5: Taki and the Giant Stalk

Taki shielded his eyes from the scorching sun above. He sighed as sweat incessantly flowed down his dark skin. He had been walking around the city of Methuzelda for quite some time now, but he could not still find the place he was looking for.

“It should be around here,” he mumbled as he looked at the map he held in his hands. A bead of sweat dropped down and created a large blotch on the map. He frowned then looked around him once again.

Numerous stone houses were seen in all directions, and the cobbled road was filled with cracks, with occasional weeds growing here and there. The passersby on the streets wore hooded cloaks, probably to shield themselves from the sun.

Taki felt stupid that he was wearing nothing but an old tunic and a turban. To make matters worse, the bag on his back was absurdly large, covering almost his entire body. It had taken him great effort just to roam the streets.

“Still, it’s really as large as the rumors say, eh?” he said as he looked above, towards the absurdly large vine piercing through the sky. It was a well-known fact that in order to arrive at the Sky Academy, one would first need to climb that giant stalk. To aspiring magicians, this was a great hurdle, considering the fact that they needed great physical prowess and endurance to reach the top.

Reaching the foot of the large vine may seem easy for the ignorant, but Taki knew that there was magic surrounding this city that would make it difficult for anyone to know the location the vine originates from.

Taki grabbed the skin flask on his waist, and was disappointed after noticing that it was empty till the last drop. He sighed and cursed the desert-like city.

His stomach grumbled and he realized that it was almost an entire day since he last ate. He currently had 5 silver coins in his pouch, and as much as possible, he did not want to use any of it until he reached the Sky Academy. After all, this was money given to him by his parents after selling what was left of their livestock.

Within his mind, he vowed that once he became a magician, he would give his parents their very own farmland. It was a dream he had held for so long. His strength and motivation.

Taki broke out of his daydream upon noticing the commotion in a nearby intersection. The passersby halted in their tracks as they stared at five people with battered bodies. Cuts and bruises filled their skin, and their faces were swollen.

“Those guys again?” said one of the vendors.

Taki, out of curiosity, asked the old woman. “Ma’am, what do you mean?”

The old woman shook her head. “Muggers. They created a small base near the entrance to the Great Vine. They rob all students of their belongings, and they severely beat up all those that refused to concede. Lately, they’ve began killing too.” She pointed to the group of severely beaten up people. “Those guys’re probably aspiring magicians. First year applicants, see. Probably got beaten up by the damn Muggers. Poor lads.”

Taki’s eyes widened. For the first time since arriving to the city, he finally had his first lead towards the entrance to the Sky Academy. If he followed the direction where those guys came from, then he would surely arrive at the entrance to the Great Vine. He swallowed the lump in his throat as this thought crossed his mind. But first, there was something he needed to ask.

“Something’s not right,” he said to the vendor. “Judging by your story, it seems that everyone is aware of those outlaws.” The vendor looked at him in understanding. “Why isn’t the City Lord doing anything about it? Or the Empire? The Sky Academy is a well-known institution. There’s no way the Empire will do nothing but watch as the applicants to that place are being severely beaten up one after another.”

“You see, kid, the area around the Great Vine is off limits to soldiers of the Empire. That place’s already considered part of the Sky Academy,” she said. “They can’t interfere in that place. And as for the academy, they seem apathetic to what’s happening to the first years. Numerous letters of protest’s been sent already. No response. Don’t know what’s going through the head of that monster magician ruling that place.”

After listening to the explanation of the old woman, a creeping sensation flowed through Taki’s body. If they went according to the logic and rules of that place, then even if he was killed by those outlaws, the Empire would be unable to do anything but watch. After all, it was no longer under their territory.

This single fact made him somewhat hesitant, but his will to become a magician persevered in the end. He thanked the vendor then approached the battered group from before.

“Excuse me,” said Taki. The light in the eyes of the group was dim. “Could you tell me how to get to the entrance of the Great Vine?”

One of them, a young man with muscular body, halted in his tracks. Half of his face was still swollen, as though he was hit several times by a sledgehammer. He scrutinized Taki from head to foot.

“Don’t do it,” he mumbled through his swollen mouth. “You’ll simply be killed by those bastards if you enter inside. Just go back. The Academy does not care for the students. It’s useless.”

Coming from someone big and muscular, the statement seemed utter convincing. But Taki stood his ground.

“Please. I can’t simply go back here. Please tell me.”

The muscular man sighed, then made a wry smile. He turned around and pointed at a nearby intersection. “After crossing that, turn left until you reach the bronze statue. Go right after that and you’ll see a crack in the air. That’s the entrance.”

“Thank you,” said Taki with a bow.

“I’ve warned you. If you’re eager for death, go ahead,” he said. “The mirage surrounding the entrance changes place every half an hour. If you don’t hurry, you might miss it.”

After the group left, Taki immediately went towards the place the man indicated. He stopped right in front of a crack in the air. This was probably the mirage he told him about.

Taki gulped down, his throat dry after walking through the city for almost an entire day. “No turning back. Here I go,” he mumbled to himself.

With hesitations, he dived headfirst into the crack in the air. There was a full second ear-splitting sound, and he suddenly found himself in a large field devoid of any weeds. The ground was parched and cracked, as though it had never experience rain for the past ten years. Not far from him, an absurdly colossal vine sprouted from the ground, and even after looking up, Taki was unable to see the top.

Judging by the size of the vine alone, it was probably large enough to fit five mansions in, with room to spare afterwards.

He heard voices, and he realized that there were numerous other people near him. Judging by the bags they carried on their backs, they were probably aspiring students too. Also, there was a platoon of soldiers nearby, their swords hanging on their waist.

Taki approached the group, and he listened on the conversation.

“I came here to take the entrance exam, but it’s been two days already. Why can’t the soldiers just take care of those guys?” said one of them.

“Do you see that line over there?” replied another.

Taki looked at the place where the man was pointing at. Indeed, there was a line there. It was circular and surrounded the entirety of the Great Vine.

“If you cross that line, you’ll be considered inside the Sky Academy’s territory. The soldiers can only watch from this distance. They literally can’t enter. Otherwise, the Empire will suffer the ire of the magicians ruling the Sky Academy.”

Taki thought that such rules were stupid, but he knew that this was a world where the strong dictated the rules. The weak had no choice but to simply obey. Furthermore, this was the Sky Academy. It was an institution that gave birth to tens of thousands of magicians all throughout the ages. It would be foolish to make an enemy out of it.

Taki estimated that there were probably over a hundred students here stuck outside the entrance. Everyone was afraid to enter, especially after the display of corpses near the Great Vine. The group he had met before coming here were probably daredevils, and they were probably strong applicants, considering the fact that they were able to survive even after trying to enter the Great Vine.

The Great Vine was absurdly large that it covered almost everything the eyes could see. There were no signs of the outlaws he heard about, but they must be there and just waiting for a prey to come out.

He was hungry. His throat was dry. Taki regretted not buying more rations before entering this place.

His survival instincts kicking in, Taki joined the bandwagon. He also sat on the ground, not daring to enter the line that clearly demarcated the territory of the Sky Academy.

An hour passed, and one of the students finally got inpatient and made his move.

“Damn it,” he snarled. He pulled out a small mana stone and began chanting his magic. His body was soon enveloped by a dim white light. “I’m going to start climbing the damn Great Vine! Who’s coming with me?!”

His bold declaration made everyone’s attention turn to him. Taki knew that most people were trying to see what would happen once the man entered the Sky Academy’s territory. He, too, was curious.

“No one, huh?” he smirked. Taki was sure that the man was trying to hide his trembling feet underneath his cloak. “Cowards. Go and stay there forever then. I’ll become a magician. These damn lowlifes can’t stop me.”

After that declaration, the man boldly stepped inside the line. He cast one last glance at the onlookers before he went deep inside the entangled vines. After more than a minute, his figure disappeared off into the distance.

And then it happened. Chill crawled through Taki’s spine when cries of agony reverberated through the air. Everyone that heard it stiffened, their faces pallid with fear.

“S-Stop!! Please! Arghhh! Stop!!!”

Taki and the everyone else were unable to see it, but they were aware of what must be happening right now inside the entrance.

“I’ll give everything to you guys! Please! Let me go! Just this once, please!”

The cries and pleas continued, and it eventually stopped after some time. Laughter from several men was heard near the entrance. Eventually, silence once again befell everyone.

“That’s it. I’m leaving.”

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“Me too.”

“I can’t waste my life just for this. I’m done.”

One after another, students started leaving the area. They passed through the cracks in the air, then disappeared from sight.

By this time, Taki was already losing his will to climb the vine. He did not want to die, and he knew that a corpse would not be able alleviate the poverty of his family. The thought of remaining a farmer starting running through his mind.

***

After receiving his mission from the Master, Yuan immediately went towards the Empire of Travis. To the country where the Sky Academy was located.

He passed through an endless desert, eventually arriving at the City of Methuzelda.

“So that’s the Great Vine?” he mumbled after seeing it even from the city’s entrance.

According to the information he received from the magicians of Morvius, every student would need to climb the colossal plant that pierces the clouds, if they wanted to reach the Academy on the Sky. It was some sort of test. All teleportation magic was blocked in the city, making it impossible to directly go towards the Sky Academy using magic.

Yuan looked at the ring on his finger. It was an item created by the “Mad Scientist of Morvius.” An item that prevents his mana from leaking out. While wearing this ring, he would pass off as a very weak magician, probably as weak as an average student. Furthermore, he could not use anything but basic spells. Otherwise, the ring would simply break and he would blow his cover.

“What an annoying item,” he said, clearly displeased.

Right now, he could not use Magic Perception, and he would need to rely on his feet to find the entrance to the Great Vine. At most, he could use the most basic type of Speed Magic, but that too had its limit. He could not use it for an extended period of time.

Yuan walked around the city, a simple hooded cloak covering his entire body. Normally, he would be able to quickly find the entrance if he used Magic Perception, but removing the ring even once would destroy it, and he could not afford to do so.

Within his mind, he cursed the fat woman for creating such a flawed item. It would have been perfect if he could just simply remove then wear it as he pleased.

He remembered her words as she laughed: “Listen, Yuan. Other Rings of Suppression will simply break if a monster like you wears them. But this item created by yours truly won’t! You can even use magic! Isn’t that amazing! Here, I’ve made three of the same item! You can have them!”

Yuan smirked after the reminisce. He could not even call the basic spells he was allowed to use as magic.

Currently, he had two more of the same rings with him, but destroying one of them just to momentarily use magic to find the location of the Great Vine would be such a waste. He tucked this thought in his mind as he went further inside the city.

He kept walking through the city, and thankfully, he found what he was looking for. He momentarily stared at the cracks in the air, before he leapt inside. An ear-splitting sound was heard for a full second, and he found himself inside a barren ground. A good distance from him, the colossal vine sprouted from the ground. It was large enough to cover his view of the sky above.

Yuan was taken by surprise when he saw the hundreds of people near the Great Vine. Most of them were sitting on the ground, some stood while staring at the stalk, and there were even those that were soundly sleeping.

He noticed a group of soldiers not far from him.

He asked the nearest guy, “What’s going on here? Why are there so many people near the Great Vine?”

Yuan was reminded of gnats upon seeing the crowd. He would have preferred it if he was the only one in this place.

“Ah, you don’t know about the Muggers?”

Yuan, still wearing the hood over his head, responded, “Muggers?”

He felt that the name sounded stupid.

“Yeah. The guys that started controlling this place almost a month ago. They’ve been killing the students that tried entering the Sky Academy, looting their things afterward. The soldiers can’t even do anything since it’s within the Academy’s territory.”

Yuan clearly heard the grimness within the man’s voice.

“Then… all these guys here are first year applicants?” said Yuan, astonished at the fact that so many of them chose to stay here rather than climb the vine. What was so scary about a bunch of outlaws anyway? Yuan was pretty sure he could take care of those guys even without using much magic. It was a matter of experience in the battlefield.

“That’s right,” sighed the man. “Well, I’m leaving. No use staying here. I’ll just end as a corpse if I entered that damnable institution. Think about it carefully, mate.”

A self-mocking laugh came out of the man’s lips. He smirked, then entered the crack in the air without another word. Some of the student applicants followed after him, vanishing into thin air after exiting the mirage.

“Outlaws, huh,” mumbled Yuan.

He stared at the giant stalk for a moment. It was probably larger than the castle in Morvius. And using his keen perception in magic, Yuan realized that there was a protective shield covering its body. Even at full strength, Yuan knew that it would be hard even for him to take down this giant stalk.

Well, if someone were to take this thing down, the aftereffect would be catastrophic. A large vine like this falling down the sky would instantly destroy several cities.

Yuan fixed his cloak, then entered the line that demarcated the territory of the Sky Academy and the Empire.

Murmurs filled the air the moment he entered, and he felt all eyes staring at his direction. Yuan thought that these cowards did not deserve to enter the Academy, if mere outlaws were enough to hinder their resolve.

Not even a minute had passed by after he entered the line when he felt numerous presences nearby.

“Just seven?” said Yuan. He had expected more of them to pounce at him. “These weaklings made those guys hesitant to enter this place? Pathetic.”

Controlling his mana, Yuan channeled magic to his fingertips. Right now, the maximum number of lightning orbs he could summon at once were around three, a pitiful amount considering the fact that he could summon a hundred of them at once without the limiter.

Three orbs of lightning violently crackled in front of him. Without uttering another word, Yuan shot them towards the men hiding behind the vines. Sounds of agony were heard after lightning struck human flesh.

“W-What?”

“How did he know where we are?”

“H-Hey! Call the other guys here! This one’s strong!”

Panic enveloped the group. One after another, orbs of lightning shot towards the men hiding in the vines. It was so accurate that they were unable to dodge the crackling bolts.

Yuan frowned. He momentarily stopped channeling mana to his fingertips. If he summoned more lightning spells now, he was afraid that the ring would break. He needed to let the ring regenerate for a bit.

He gnashed his teeth. This damn ring was indeed inconvenient.

“Ran out of mana, huh?”

One after another, numerous men came out of the vines. Most of them carried swords with them, while some held wands.

“Kid, you’re strong. But you can’t win against this many people,” mocked the man who appeared to be their leader. Judging by the flow of mana in the air, he was a magician.

Yuan looked at the ring on his hand. It would take some time more before he would be able to use offensive magic again. For a moment, he felt the urge to simply break the item and annihilate these outlaws in a single shot. Surely, that would be possible without the annoying limiter.

“Let me pass,” said Yuan. “It’ll be a waste of time to fight all of you guys.”

The outlaws chuckled after hearing his statement.

“You killed some of my men! You think we’ll simply let you go?!”

“Boss, that cloak looks expensive. Can I have it after we kill the kid?”

Yuan raised a brow. This was the second time these guys called him a kid. Was he really that short that even these lowlifes thought he was a child? He was starting to get more annoyed as time passed by.

The outlaws started arguing on who would get the items after they killed him, and Yuan merely stood there as he listened.

Eventually, the leader of the group issued his orders. “Kill him.”

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen men charged at his direction. There was greed within their eyes, and Yuan knew that they probably thought he had ran out of mana.

“Just speed magic should be enough,” he mumbled. Mana flowed through his feet, lightning crackled for a moment, and his body shot towards the charging outlaws.

His figure blurred as he struck the neck of his enemies one after another. Those blows were probably not enough to kill them, but they should be more than enough to render them unconscious.

Shards of ice flew towards him, and he sidestepped as he dodged them one after another. He looked at the one who shot the magic. It was the leader of the outlaws.

“Not bad,” said Yuan. With that level of magic, he would probably pass as resident in Palamesh. This one was a decent magician, but he lacked the experience.

Lightning crackle on Yuan’s feet, and his speed accelerated further. A shout of surprise escaped the lips of the leader, and a second after, he fell unconscious after Yuan’s hand struck his neck.

The remaining outlaws froze upon seeing their leader defeated.

“W-What the hell is that kid? He’s a monster.”

“I’ve never seen speed magic used like that!”

Yuan thought of how weak these guys were. If the soldiers outside the entrance were here, they should be able to take care of these scrubs easily.

Yuan checked the ring on his finger. It had regenerated a bit by now. He should be able to once again cast a few orbs of lightning.

He pointed a finger at the outlaws, and three orbs of lightning manifested itself in front of him. Upon seeing this, the outlaws began running in all directions, afraid of being hit by the crackling bolts.

“This is a waste of time. Damn it,” he grumbled.

Orbs shot the remaining outlaws one after another, scorching their flesh in the process. There were some that managed to get away, but Yuan chose not to pursue them any further.

He breathed in then sighed. He looked at the colossal stalk before him.

Silently, he leapt from one vine to another. His goal was the Sky Academy at the top.

***

Taki could not believe his eyes. Just now, someone defeated the outlaws residing in the entrance to the Great Vine.

He was unable to properly see everything that happened because of the distance, but he was sure that it was a one-sided slaughter. After everyone had confirmed that the outlaws have ran away, they began entering the line demarcating the territory of the Sky Academy one after another.

Just a few minutes after the unknown individual defeated the outlaws, hundreds of aspiring students began climbing the Giant Stalk.

Taki, with the large bag at his back, began climbing too. He pulled out two iron picks and stabbed it into the vines as he made his way up.

“Finally, we’ll be able to enter the Sky Academy!”

“Waiting all this time was worth it!”

He heard words of excitement and relief from the guys climbing up the stalk. Within his mind, Taki thought of how pathetic everyone was, including him, for waiting it out.

Well, what could he do? Some of the outlaws were capable of magic, and everyone of them were armed with weapons. Furthermore, they had no hesitations when killing another person. And that was the most frightening part.

If the territorial dispute between the Empire and the Sky Academy did not exist, this mess would have been instantly taken care of by the soldiers. But clearly, that was not the case.

With these thoughts in mind, Taki continued climbing the Great Vine. The stalk was so massive that it was able to accommodate over a hundred students at once. They probably looked like ants climbing a plant when looked from above.

Even the leaves and the thorns of the Great Vine was massive. Most of the students that had gotten tired of climbing would sit on the leaves and recuperate.

“H-Hey! Hold on tight!”

A shout was heard near Taki. Upon looking, he saw one guy clinging to the edge of a leaf for dear life. The wind was strong, and he was close to losing his grip. His friends started tying a rope to his body, but it was too late. The man lost his grip and fell down the giant stalk. It took several seconds before a loud plopping sound was heard below.

Taki shuddered. If he fell down this stalk, he would also meet the same fate as that guy. This simple test to enter the Sky Academy was no laughing matter. He realized that people really do die while taking this test.

Thunder bellowed above, and Taki trembled upon seeing the dark clouds.

“You’re kidding me!” he protested.

Just as he had expected, rain began to pour. The giant stalk started to become slippery, and Taki almost lost his footing. There was another student that fell to his bane, and numerous guys shouted in horror upon seeing it.

Wind violently blew, and the leaves started rustling against the stalk.

Taki tied his arms to the iron picks latched on the vines. Just like most people climbing the stalk, he decided to wait for the rain to die out. It was far too dangerous to keep climbing under such weather.

Seconds passed and quickly turned into minutes. After almost an hour, the rain eventually stopped. The wind calmed down, the dark clouds receded.

Taki heaved a sigh of relief, and he once again started climbing up.

He was hungry, and his throat was dry. He should have invested a few copper coins for some water to drink. Even a slice of barley bread would have been good too.

Now, he no choice but to reach the top if he wanted to fill his empty stomach.

“I’m going to become a magician! Don’t give up! Don’t give up!”

He repeated those words like a mantra. He kept climbing the stalk, along with over a hundred others. After a few hours, they soon reached the clouds. The view of the Empire below was a breathtaking sight. It was so beautiful that they momentarily stopped and stared at it, their fatigue alleviated a little bit.

A couple of hours once again passed. Night came and eventually, it became dawn. The moment the sun started making its appearance, the floating Academy finally came in sight.

Taki was speechless. He had heard of how spectacular the Sky Academy was before, but seeing it in person was a different matter entirely. He never knew that magic was capable of creating something so magnificent as this.

The floating academy resembled an inverted mountain, with its bottom tip touching the Great Vine. Above, a large bubble, which should be the infamous impregnable barrier of the Sky Academy, enveloped everything. It was impossible to see the entirety of the floating academy, but Taki was able to make out the large, tall structures inside.

It was like a small country built on top of a floating, inverted mountain.

One after another, the aspiring students that climbed with him reached the end of the Great Stalk. There was a small entrance there, which probably lead towards the Sky Academy. Upon entering, they disappeared from sight.

Taki firmed his resolve as he approached that place. Soon, he also reached the end of the Great Stalk. There was a hole there, and judging by the azure light that it emitted, it was probably some sort of teleportation portal.

Taki knew that teleportation portals required massive amounts of mana to maintain. Just the fact that this academy was able to operate one indefinitely spoke loads of how powerful this institution was.

A chill crawled through Taki’s spine.

He swallowed down the lump in his throat, gnashed his teeth, then entered.