WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 177

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177.

The turtle moved forward without hesitation, trampling the thick trees underfoot and snapping them apart. Standing on its head, I quietly looked around.

I could not feel any magical power nearby. Only the vibrations of the turtle’s steps rang through the area. We had left the tower and were heading toward the city.

Normally, once you left the tower, magical beasts would attack one or two at a time without fail. Yet on the path we were traveling now, I could not sense a single magical beast. Only mountains and trees stretched endlessly ahead.

I quietly scratched my head. I had expected this, but I had not imagined the trip would be this comfortable. The turtle must have been bored too, because it let out a meeh. I patted its head and smacked my lips.

The reason not a single magical beast could be seen was that they had all run away. Of course they had. I understood exactly how they felt.

I glanced behind me. The first thing I saw was the tree growing on the turtle’s back. That tall tree had now become a giant tree. It could stand proudly even beside the trees currently breaking beneath the turtle’s feet.

That was also proof of the turtle’s growth. The turtle was a false god created from the gathered wishes of puppets, after all. As that tree grew, the turtle grew larger and sturdier as well.

But that was not what had driven the magical beasts away. In the end, it was only a tree. The ones who had terrified the magical beasts were the people sitting beneath it.

Several people were seated around a table beneath the tree. The magical power I felt from them was downright fierce. It wrapped around the turtle’s body and flowed like a kind of killing intent.

If any magical beast sensed that magical power, it would have no choice but to run. On top of that, there were no magical beasts nearby strong enough to oppose it, so it was even more certain.

Feeling that magical power, I lightly stroked my chin. As it showed, every one of them could be called strong. Maybe the weakest one here was me. I shook my head slightly. No, it was definitely me.

I had grown a lot since coming to the university. But those achievements had been in areas outside combat. The power that made up my own self had not increased much.

That was also the direction I had chosen. The path I had walked had not been about simply increasing strength. It had focused on survival, on staying alive.

Of course, even taking that into account, I was still far too lacking. I tried drawing a simple magic circle. It was the most basic magic, a fireball. Even though I poured in a lot of magical power, the flame was pitifully weak.

Feeling that, I gave a faint bitter smile. My own attack power was still crawling along the floor. Perhaps this was instinctive for me. The whisper of my soul, afraid of death.

I placed a hand on my chest. Then I felt the presence of the soul fragments flowing beyond it. Every one of those soul fragments contained memories of death. That might be why my magic flowed in such a strange direction.

This was something I had guessed while researching the soul all this time. Talent was carved into the soul. Their strength must also come from the soul. Thinking that, I stared at them.

The turtle peeked at what I was looking at and let out a pleased meeh. I felt a faint will flow in from it. It seemed satisfied that they were riding on its body.

What a sly thing. I could not believe this thing was another me. I tapped its head a few times and stood up. Since there was nothing wrong nearby, I planned to rest for a moment too.

As I walked toward the table, I saw a girl running toward me. It was the little Professor in rabbit clothes, Rabbit. With an axe tucked at her waist, she stopped right in front of me and met my eyes.

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit held out a small cup to me. She shook the empty cup, her eyes sparkling. She was asking me to pour her some tea.

At that, I glanced toward the table. A human-shaped puppet was waiting there quietly. If she only wanted tea, she could just ask that puppet.

Rabbit sensed my thought and shook her head. Apparently, she was not satisfied with that puppet’s tea. Well, that made sense. She had always stayed beside Professor and only drunk tea I had brewed with all my effort.

Compared to the simple tea that puppet made, the difference in taste was night and day. I laughed quietly and moved my magical power. It quickly wove circuits together and drew a spell.

It was Perfect Tea magic. Unlike when I made a fireball, that magical power flowed with real delicacy and activated the spell. As Professor Irian had once said, this was my talent.

A stream of water born from magic seeped into the teapot. At the same time, a sweet fragrance began spreading around us. I had used hundred-year-old stone honey as the ingredient.

I lightly stroked Rabbit’s head and poured her tea. This one cup was a precious thing worth three thousand points. Since we had come outside, I should serve good tea.

Rabbit sipped it, then stamped her feet. Soon, she showed me a bright smile and lightly hugged me. After rubbing her head against me a little, she carried the teacup back to the table.

Rabbit sat near the bear puppet and started playing hand games with it. She seemed to like the bear puppet quite a bit. The bear puppet also played along with Rabbit well.

It was probably because they had owners with a similar feel. I looked at Cassian, who had quietly approached beside me and held out a teacup. Just like Rabbit, her eyes were sparkling.

I filled her cup with tea too. Then she returned to the bear puppet with a smile. Rabbit looked up at Cassian, then naturally settled into her arms.

Rabbit’s face was full of smiles as she sat in Cassian’s arms. I quietly nodded at that. She must have naturally sensed that swordsmen were reliable.

After watching the two begin playing with the bear puppet, I sat at the table. Then I looked at Isabella, who was quietly reading a grimoire across from me. Perhaps she felt my gaze, because she met my eyes.

“When we reach the city, Isabella, please lead them well. I am sorry I cannot help.”

[Please do not worry. I have been to Stalactite City a few times myself. Leave everyone to me and rest comfortably.]

Isabella smiled gently. She placed a hand on her chest and bowed her head. She looked very dependable. Unlike Rabbit or Cassian.

Isabella was a sort of guardian accompanying them. I was a little uneasy about leaving them alone, after all. I quietly watched as she turned another page.

The magical power flowing from her was very powerful. That was natural, since she was also a mage who had graduated from the university. After waking, she had quickly recovered her power.

Of course, compared to when she had been human, her level was surely very low. Even so, there was no doubt that she possessed enough power to knock me down easily.

That was possible because even if her soul had fallen because of Ugo, her mind itself had not vanished. Just as my soul fragments held memories, memories flowed like fragments through her soul and formed who she was.

In life, she had been a mage who had gone beyond Complete Tree and spread branches. She had also completed the university’s basic curriculum. Compared to me, of course her power was stronger.

That made me curious. Why had someone like that fallen to Ugo? That was strange too. Ugo at the time should have been no more than the Young Tree realm at best.

But Isabella did not give me a clear answer to that question. She only smiled bitterly and dodged the subject. There must be some story behind it.

The reason Isabella was going to the city with us was that she had requested it. She said there were several things she wanted to look into in the city. And so, she left the tower for the first time after waking.

I did not press her on why she wanted to go to the city. She was an independent being, different from my existing puppets. As a mage, I needed to respect her personal territory.

So I had allowed her to move freely in the city. I only asked her to lead the others. I glanced at Cassian and Rabbit.

They were still playing with the bear puppet with relaxed looks on their faces. Cassian had joined this trip because her grade evaluation would take place around the same time as mine. So I had expected her to join us.

But I had not expected Rabbit to follow us too. She came along because she wanted to buy a gift. A gift for her companion, Armor, who would soon awaken.

Thinking about it, this was also Rabbit’s first time leaving the tower. So I had prepared plenty of points for her. Enough that no matter what she bought, it would be fine.

That was why I had attached Isabella to them. If those two were left alone, I could not help worrying they would pour points into strange places. If Isabella was there, there would be no problem.

I shook my head. Normally, there would have been no need to leave it to Isabella, and I would have led them myself. But this time, I also had work to do in the city.

Sitting quietly, I sipped my tea. I felt the bitter taste linger on the tip of my tongue. Once we arrived in the city, it would be hard to enjoy this kind of freedom. So I needed to warm myself in advance.

As I enjoyed that leisure, I sensed someone approaching me. I could tell who it was right away. Mira’s distinct rose scent brushed the tip of my nose.

Mira sat beside me and linked arms with me. She looked around, then began laughing.

“Seeing you gather so many women around you like this, you really are quite the playboy.”

Mira placed a hand on my chest and looked up at me. I gave a dry cough.

“That is a misunderstanding.”

Following her lead, I looked around. Just as she said, right now, there were only women on top of the turtle. All of them were people deeply connected to me.

But this had not become that kind of gathering because I wanted to collect them. They had simply joined one by one, and at some point, only women remained.

“Hehe, I do not mind if more women appear. You only need to remember that I am the first.”

Mira lightly tapped my chest and smiled. Mischief was overflowing from her. She looked full of intent to tease me.

That meant I needed to deny her words clearly. Stroking my chin, I observed the area. Then I noticed the loophole in what she had said.

Thinking about it, Mira’s words were a little inaccurate. There was only one woman around here, after all. I looked at Cassian.

Perhaps she felt my gaze, because she glanced at me. I smiled and waved at her. Then she bowed her head and went back to playing in the bear puppet’s arms.

The only person here was her. Everyone except her was a puppet. Mira, Isabella, Rabbit. And perhaps even me.

In that sense, I was very confident. How could one distinguish gender between bodies made of the same puppet material? That was why I had no shame at all when dealing with these puppets shaped like women.

I conveyed that logic to Mira as well. Then I saw her look a little flustered. She clicked her tongue lightly and shook her head.

Mira quietly muttered something. But her words were blocked by magical power, so I could not hear them well. Even when I asked what she had said, she only smiled brightly.

She leaned against me a little more and looked up. I felt a thick rose scent coming from her. She smiled and gestured with her chin toward the direction the turtle was moving.

“Teasing you is not very fun anymore, so I will stop. More importantly, we will soon arrive at the city. Are you confident?”

I knew right away what she was talking about. It had to be the advancement evaluation. Confidence in advancing, huh. I quietly stroked my chin.

I had heard that it took an average of twenty years to reach the third floor. Right now, I had only spent ten years, half of that. Could someone like me advance?

“Of course.”

I smiled at Mira and nodded. The old me might have doubted myself. I had no certainty in my talent, no certainty in myself.

But now, I had come to know myself well. My talent, and the path I was walking, were different from theirs in direction, but they continued straight and true. With that certainty, I had grown a great deal.

So of course I would climb to the third floor. I looked at Mira with that confidence. After quietly watching my face, she tapped my chest with a finger.

My heart matched the motion of her hand and gave a small beat. Mira leaned her head against me with a light smile.

“How wonderful. To think that Evron would show this kind of side. I am truly moved.”

Mira pretended to cry. I could only smack my lips at that. Was it really enough to make her react like that?

After that, Mira stayed by my side and brought up small topics. And while I talked with her, the turtle moved its feet quickly.

It did not take very long for it to reach the city. After hanging the shrunken turtle on my chest, I slowly stepped down onto the dock.

[Master, then we will move first.]

Isabella flowed magical power and wrote in the air. Feeling it seep into me, I nodded. Isabella gently bowed her head to me, then led the others forward.

It seemed she had not been lying about having visited the city several times, because her steps were steady. I watched their backs, then glanced at Mira, who remained beside me.

“Mira, you do not need to stay beside me. There is still a little time before the advancement evaluation.”

At that, Mira linked arms with me and smiled with her eyes. She leaned her head against my chest.

“Hehe, I find it more fun to stay beside Evron. The interruptions have all disappeared, so this is time for just the two of us.”

Apparently, she had no intention of leaving my side. Then we had no choice but to move like this. I quietly nodded and stepped into the crowd.

As I had told Mira, there was still some time before the advancement evaluation began. Even so, I had come to the city this early because there was someone I had to talk with. A mirror bug flew up and told me the time.

The appointed hour was almost here. I slowly moved my feet. My destination was the building at the center of this city, the Arcana General Trading Company.

Most of the flow of people was also headed toward the center, where we were going. As we walked along with that flow, we quickly reached our destination. Looking up at the huge building that pierced through the city, I gave a faint bitter smile.

I remembered the advancement evaluation for the second floor. Through the series of events that followed, some of my mirror bugs had been taken away. Since then, I had steadily supplied them to these people.

Perhaps because so much time had passed, I could feel their presence all over this building. They were hardened like stones and rejecting my connection.

The ones sunk inside the shadow domain Myra had created were nothing but tools, unable to grow or think. I gently closed my eyes and cut off my connection to them.

I still could not help them. But one day, I would definitely free them. I reminded myself of that once again. This was almost like a ritual I performed every time I stood in front of this building.

Then I slowly opened my eyes and walked into the building again. Perhaps because this was the lowest floor, the structure was extremely simple. There were only paths leading to buying and selling.

At that moment, I felt a small vibration from inside my clothes. When I felt around for the source, a small medal touched my hand. I took it out, and the medal gave off light before flowing magical power forward.

That magical power created a new path between the two roads. I slowly advanced along that path. At the end, I found a small door.

I carefully opened the door and went inside. A small room came into view. At the center of that room, a woman was looking through documents.

She had sharp eyes that left an impression. I felt magical power like wind flow from her. I lightly bowed my head to her.

“It has been a long time, Hwaryeong.”

After seeing me, she rose from her seat and gave a bright smile. I saw the name tag on her chest shining. It read, First-grade Assistant Manager, Hwaryeong.

Did she get promoted again in the meantime? As expected of someone from a great family. Ripping me off must have been one reason for that promotion too. I still had not forgotten that debt. Hiding those inner thoughts, I smiled at her.

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