WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 148

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148.

I looked around. The first thing that caught my eye was the calm, settled magical power flowing quietly through the space. Its current passed between the puppets and made their bodies sway faintly.

I lifted the teacup in front of me and quietly closed my eyes. I thought this every time I came here, but this place truly never changed. That feeling that only puppets existed within the quiet stillness had become utterly familiar.

I had visited several times over the years, but except for a few changes in the puppets on display, this place always showed me the same sight. Even decades from now, I felt as if it would look exactly the same.

That sense of unchanging stillness seemed to reflect the nature of its owner. I reached out slightly and let my magical power flow. A small puppet followed that magical power into my hand.

It was a wooden puppet without a single decoration. My magical power flowed lightly through it. The circuit inside was almost absurdly simple. And beautiful, too.

I nodded quietly. That efficient structure felt fresh every time I saw it. Should I say its depth grew the more I understood it? I gave my hand a light flick and returned the puppet to its original place.

That kind of efficiency was not based on one structure alone. Every puppet hanging here expressed that efficiency in its own way.

As expected of Mauro, perhaps. They really were fascinating puppets. I glanced at him. The magical power rippling from Mauro’s body as he stroked his beard closely resembled the calm magical power circling this place.

That was also proof that this was his shop. Mm, a shop. Watching Mauro sip his tea, I rubbed my chin for a moment. A sudden question had occurred to me.

Mauro’s shop was incredibly quiet. And a shop being this quiet also meant it had no customers. In that case, did it really make any money?

There were all kinds of puppet shops on this puppet street. When I visited, I had sometimes seen people enter the other shops.

Each of them had people who could be called regulars. The puppets they made were highly specialized. Each one had its own proper use.

But the puppets Mauro made had nothing except efficiency. Of course, that efficiency was remarkable, but the only ones who could fully understand its value were surely puppeteers like us.

That was why his shop was always filled with nothing but silence. Yet Mauro was always completely relaxed. Perhaps selling these puppets did not matter much to him.

Maybe he was only keeping this place to represent the association. I nodded quietly. My thoughts about the shop moved on from there. Then if I opened a shop in this city, what sort of business could I run?

With my arms crossed, I lightly tapped my arm with a finger. Just as this was puppet street, I would probably sell puppets too. That was the only thing I could sell.

And among those puppets, the one I was most confident I could sell well was the mirror bug. Its communication function would be incredibly convenient for mages.

In that sense, the mirror bug was the most efficient and most innovative item. Of course, selling it was impossible.

I clicked my tongue lightly. The moment I thought about selling mirror bugs, I felt the contract text engraved on my wrist vibrate faintly. It was the contract that tied me to Miryeong and Myra. As long as it existed, I could not spread those mirror bugs around.

They did not want this communication to spread through the university. They wanted to be the only ones to use it. I could not refuse that contract.

After making that contract, I had sometimes visited Arcana General Trading Company to check where the mirror bugs I had handed over to them had gone. Those things were still puppets that belonged to me, after all.

According to Hwaryeong, those mirror bugs were now heading beyond this city and into other cities as well. The shadow net Myra had built was stretching farther toward the university in that way.

That had also been a possibility I could have had. Now it had been taken from me by their hands. I grimaced faintly and placed a hand on my chest. I could feel the tree inside giving off the same will as me.

It was a kind of vengefulness. Goodwill for goodwill, hostility for hostility. When taking revenge, repaying it tenfold had been my belief since before I entered the university.

But reaching them was still terribly far off. They were enormous, and I was terribly weak.

Even so, there were ways only the weak could act. Simply waiting in silence. If I waited like that, someday they would show an opening. When that time came, I needed to dig into that gap with all the persistence I had.

I rubbed my chin slightly. It seemed my thoughts had drifted somewhere else. Had I been thinking about business earlier? In any case, selling a communication network using mirror bugs was impossible.

Then, setting that aside, what use did my puppets have? I thought about what set my puppets apart from the puppets controlled by other puppeteers.

That special trait showed itself immediately. My tree and soul fragments were mixed inside the puppets, giving them egos.

Because of that, unlike other puppets, they could function semi-permanently even outside my reach. What I had been banned from was communication alone. Spreading the puppets themselves was a separate matter.

Then what about spreading puppets to everyone in the city? If they stayed by their sides and handled every chore for them, everyone would be satisfied. Just like the students in the tower.

Yes, I would usher in an age where every person had one puppet. I wore a pleased smile, then shrugged. In the end, everything I came up with was nothing but fantasy.

“What are you thinking about so happily? I would like to know too.”

Mira asked while leaning slightly against me. I lightly shook my head at her.

“I was just indulging in some idle thoughts. Imagining what would happen if I had a shop like this.”

Mira covered her mouth at my words and smiled softly. Still, there was a reason I kept thinking about the city like this. I felt a slight ripple beyond the hand placed on my chest.

It was the sensation of the shadow tree’s territory growing little by little. The distance my puppets could move was increasing.

As my magical power increased and my realm deepened, this territory gradually grew in size as well. At first, it had only been large enough to cover a few mountains. But now, I had an area several times that size.

It was the result of constantly stealing the treasures’ magical power. With that as the foundation, I had obtained a territory larger than what I could originally possess.

If I drew that territory out as thin as thread, it could now just barely reach from the tower to the city. Of course, if I tried to forcibly reshape my territory like that, it would quickly collapse.

In any case, the territory continued to grow. If I reached the third floor and built my realm more firmly, its scale would probably grow even larger. When that happened, I would be able to adjust it a little and make it reach the city well enough.

Not only the tower, but the city would enter my sphere of influence. This Stalactite City was the territory of Arcana General Trading Company. If I steadily built up my abilities here, a day might eventually come when I faced them.

Of course, that was still a matter for the far future. For now, I first needed to worry about whether I could pass the next advancement evaluation. I quietly shrugged.

Then I looked at Mauro, who was sitting nearby. He was talking to a man whose hair stuck out in every direction. The young man’s nervous eyes, not hidden even by his thick glasses, left a strong impression.

He was Dagon, the only 7th floor mage in the puppeteer association. I glanced around. This place, which had always remained unchanged, had a slightly different atmosphere today.

I could see many people seated between the puppets hanging in the air. Some leaned against tables, and some had outright sat down on the floor.

They were all puppeteers from the association. They were scattered throughout Mauro’s shop, each spending time as they pleased. Far away, I saw Amelia, who could be called my direct senior.

Amelia was leaning against the wall while hugging a werewolf puppet. Her eyes held a very hazy light as she looked at the puppet.

She calmly stroked the puppet’s body, then let out a loose giggle. I watched her sink into a world of her own with it and shook my head. It was a truly puppeteer-like sight.

Most of the others were the same. Honey seemed about to drip from their eyes as they looked at the puppets they had each created. The puppets were clinging tightly to them as well.

I quietly stroked my chin. Did I look like that to others too? Mm... probably not. I was a little more normal than they were.

I could be called a mage who knew how to restrain himself. Exactly. I nodded to myself.

They had all gathered to attend the general assembly, just as I had. It was convenient for the association to move together.

After waiting quietly like that, Dagon soon finished his conversation with Mauro and left his seat. Watching Mauro stroke his beard, I raised my hand slightly. Then I drew magical power from my fingertips and sent it toward Mauro.

Mauro sensed that magical power and looked at me. I bowed my head slightly to him and touched my lips. It meant I had something to say.

At that, Mauro rose from his seat and slowly approached. Then he sat beside me and let out a light, hearty laugh.

“Hoho, good to see you. So what is it?”

“There is something I wanted to tell you about the request you gave me before.”

As I said that, I let out a slightly awkward laugh. Seeing Mauro lean his arms on the table and look at me, I carefully continued.

“I believe I originally said I would participate in the competition together with Mira. I think I need to revise that a little. Mira will be sitting this one out. I thought I should let you know.”

At the same time, I felt a light pressure on my arm. When I glanced down, I saw Mira hugging my arm tightly while looking at me. Once our eyes met, she narrowed hers and laughed.

Mauro stroked his beard slightly and blinked. After quietly looking back and forth between Mira and me, he tilted his head.

“It sounds like you mean to use another puppet. Did some serious problem arise between you two?”

I scratched my head for a moment. There was no problem with Mira at all. Compared to when I had first accepted the request, her power had actually grown much stronger. I had continued reinforcing her body, after all.

“Mira is certainly strong. Strong enough that I can be certain no one in this competition could defeat her.”

I quietly looked at Mira. She leaned her head toward me slightly. I gently accepted her weight and shook my head.

“But as Mauro knows, she is not a being that originated entirely from me. That is why I would like to try going through this competition with only my own puppet this time.”

At my words, Mauro quietly stroked his beard. He seemed to be thinking. Mira lightly tapped my chest and laughed. I let out a small cough because of the strength in her fingers.

“Hehe, I never thought you would have such a cute idea. I was surprised when I first heard it too.”

Mira looked at me and smiled mischievously. I gave a bitter smile. This was something I had asked her understanding for in advance. She had accepted it too. Though she was a little sulky, just like now.

“But is there any need to go that far? It would be more convenient if you used me. I will always move for your sake. So it does not matter how Evron handles me.”

Mira whispered that and kept poking my chest. A faint rose fragrance drifted from her. Convenience, was it? That was true. Her power was endlessly useful.

But that was exactly the problem. I gently shook my head. Over the years, I had thought a lot about Mira. Especially ever since the incident with Blood Axe. At that time, I had felt just how lacking my own strength was.

All this time, I had been relying heavily on Mira. Of course, that was not a huge problem. Using her power also matched the direction I pursued.

What was wrong with clinging to the strong? Mira was practically a reliable support for me. Besides, if you looked at it closely, Mira could also be called my puppet. There was no way using what belonged to me could be a problem.

This matter was the same. If Mira appeared and scattered her power, the other puppets would fall away in droves. Like that, I would easily seize victory.

But in that process, what exactly would I gain? Of course, I could obtain the reward. But aside from that, nothing would remain.

This competition was not a place to fight enemies. It was more accurate to see it as a place to fully show off one’s talent. In that sense, this could also be called an opportunity to confirm my ability as a puppeteer.

Among the other newcomers, among those talents who had passed into the university, how far could I reach? I wanted to test that. Beyond that, I also wanted to grow my own strength.

I placed a hand on my chest. I felt the soul fragments flowing through the tree.

If I defeated them all, I could plant greater confidence in this incomplete soul. The confidence that it could become great even if it was not perfect. That my talent was not worthless.

And within that confidence, I would certainly grow further. I strongly felt that would be the case. Opportunities always came together with danger, after all.

In that sense, Mira’s great power had become the problem instead. It made anything that could be called a danger to me move aside on its own. I could not grow within that comfort.

That was why I had brought this up to Mauro. Mauro, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded readily.

“Well, I do not mind. I did not choose you only because of Miss Mira beside you in the first place. I saw your potential. So have confidence.”

Saying that, Mauro subtly raised his thumb. I could only feel grateful that he trusted me that much. When I quietly bowed my head, Mauro burst into a loud laugh.

“Still, make sure you win. Otherwise, there will be no point in having paid part of that reward in advance.”

Mauro lightly winked at me. I nodded and glanced at Mira.

She wore a pleased smile as she lightly stroked the necklace around her neck. That silver necklace held magical power and gave off an elegant light.

At the center of the necklace sat a Lantern Core. Black mist seemed to ripple inside it. It was probably not an illusion. That thing was already half-subordinated to Mira’s power.

That was the reward Mauro had offered me in advance. Its value was extremely high. Perhaps because of that, Mira seemed to like it quite a bit, as she was showing now.

If I failed to complete the request, I would have to spit it back out again. So I needed to live up to Mauro’s expectations. Winning, was it? That was only natural. I had confidence too.

Like that, I slowly continued talking with Mauro. During that time, the narrow shop began to fill with even more people. As the time to leave approached, more of the association’s people gathered.

Roughly thirty people filled the place. Mauro checked their number and lightly stroked his beard. He tapped my shoulder lightly and rose from his seat.

“Mm, looks like everyone who should gather has gathered. Then shall we get going? The rest will come on their own.”

At Mauro’s words, people staggered to their feet. Then they quickly left the cramped shop. Leaving the city was the same.

The puppeteers each climbed onto their own puppets and began moving. It would take several days to reach our destination. So we needed to move diligently.

Mira looked at them and smiled with her eyes. With her arm linked through mine, I could see interest in her gaze.

“Oh my, everyone is riding something interesting.”

“They certainly are.”

I nodded and swept my gaze over the surroundings. They were all moving in one direction while keeping distance from one another, each riding their own puppet.

Someone floated a giant ghost ship and flew through the sky, while someone else dug into the ground and swam through it.

Among them, the most impressive was Dagon. He hugged the cylindrical puppet he had been carrying on his back, then vanished. When he appeared again, it was near the edge of my vision. He had folded space and moved.

The puppets’ traits were truly varied. Of course, our turtle was not inferior to them either. I lightly patted the turtle hanging from my chest.

Then it threw itself onto the ground and rapidly grew in size. The thing quickly became as huge as a mountain and snorted powerfully. When Mira and I climbed onto its shell, the shell transformed and created a small table.

At the center of that table stood a giant stem. It was the tree that had been planted when I made it into a Moon. What had once been like a sprout now looked a little like a tree.

It was an achievement reached after the puppet developed, that star lodged within it, and the Moon grew in size. That was how the turtle increased its power. Just like the original turtle, time would make it more complete.

While the turtle moved swiftly, we settled at the table. With this many mages moving all at once, magical beasts certainly would not attack carelessly.

“So, what kind of puppet is it?”

Mira, who sat beside me, lightly touched my arm. When I glanced at her, she met my gaze and quietly rested her chin on her hand.

“I mean the puppet you will use in this competition. I am very curious. A puppet to replace me. It makes me jealous.”

She smiled softly and poked my chest with a finger. At that, I quietly stroked the front of my robe. It was where the spatial pouch sat.

“Please look forward to it. It could be called the finest puppet I have made so far. Once we reach the general assembly and you see it for yourself, you will understand.”

Mira’s eyes sparkled slightly at those words. It seemed my words had stirred her interest. I quietly rubbed my chin. More than three years had already passed since I began this lecture and started attending Professor On’s lecture.

During that time, I had learned many things. I listened to Professor On’s lecture, and beyond that, I came to understand more clearly what sort of being I myself was while exploring the existence known as a puppet.

And during that time, I had managed to accomplish at least a little of the original goal that had made me want to attend Professor On’s lecture. What was inside this pouch was the result. It could be called the culmination of all the puppetry I had built up until now.

Mira leaned slightly against me and looked at the spatial pouch. The puppet I had prepared for this matter was sleeping inside it. It had not fully stabilized yet. This was something I had created after much thought over the years.

“No wonder you have been spending more time alone in the workshop lately. Was it to make that puppet? Then as you said, I will look forward to it. It sounds fun. Though I am a little disappointed you are not using me.”

Mira covered her mouth and laughed softly. Then she stared at me and gently smiled with her eyes. Mischief flowed from them.

“Then shall we make a promise too? If Evron loses, I will punish you. Since you left me out like this.”

She puffed her cheeks slightly. A punishment, what sort of punishment did she mean? When I looked at her, she lightly stroked around my chest and laughed.

“Hehe, I have often seen that child Hari playing lately. If you do not win this time, I will raise Evron like that too. Would about one year be enough?”

“Oh my, now that I think about it, perhaps it would be better if you lost. I am really looking forward to it.”

Mira added that and smiled mischievously. At that, I felt cold sweat run down my back.

There was not a trace of falsehood in her words. She was truly full of thoughts of tying me up. I quietly nodded. I had gained one more reason why I absolutely had to win.

Mm, should I adjust the puppet a little more on the way? I could make it release a stronger output. Thinking that, I scratched my head and swallowed.

At that moment, magical power rippled and quickly approached my turtle. That magical power fell onto the turtle in an instant. It was dreamy magical power rippling with violet light.

“Hey, let me ride here too. I left in a rush, so I left all the rideable puppets behind.”

A man with a plump body emerged from the magical power. There was only one mage with a body like that, Koite. He approached us with a refreshing smile.

I had not seen him when we left, so it seemed he had joined us just now. When I checked the surroundings, I saw Koite’s employees moving quickly as well.

“Good to see you. You may come aboard as much as you like. There is plenty of room.”

Saying that, I lightly tapped the floor. Then the shell transformed, and another chair rose up in front of the table. Koite sat on it and looked at us.

“It has been a long time since I saw both your faces. I was very hurt, you know. You kept refusing my contact. Well, I have some breathing room now.”

Koite lightly shrugged. His face was extremely bright. I could feel magical power stronger than before flowing from his body. He had clearly grown a little more.

“Oh my, you have come to carry a slightly more delicious fragrance. Congratulations.”

Mira smiled while drooling slightly. I wiped away the drool and looked at Koite. He smiled so widely that all his teeth showed. Then he nodded.

“It is thanks to that damned dream. It was a pain to deal with, but it tasted just as good.”

Koite lightly smacked his lips. He was certainly talking about that extremely expensive dream. I had heard before that he had dealt with it well. Something about that dream turning into one giant magical structure.

If he had absorbed a dream like that, it was only natural for him to have that sort of result. Anyone grew after overcoming a crisis like this. I had to do the same. This matter would become that sort of foundation.

While we talked with Koite, the turtle silently continued moving. And after it steadily advanced, we arrived at our destination. The place where the general assembly would be held.

I quietly looked up at the tower, which was like a sphere. There was only one place fit for the association’s puppeteers to gather. Professor On’s tower.

As always, the tower was strongly sucking in the magical power around it. Normally, I would have been listening to a lecture here. But this time, there was no lecture.

The general assembly had replaced that lecture. And the students who attended that lecture could soon all be called my competitors.

We headed into the tower. Then I blinked. The scenery inside the tower had changed a little. The wide corridor was still full of puppets that could not be distinguished from people.

And at the end of that path stood a giant door. Beyond that wide-open door, I could see an enormous clearing spread out at a glance. And the many people filling it too. They were certainly puppeteers who had come from other cities.

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