WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 31

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I took a deep breath and looked at the front gate. The firmly shut door was beautifully embroidered with the magic circle I had spent days restoring.

Beyond this door were two hundred mages. Their magical power was strong enough for me to feel even from here.

I steadied myself and opened the door. At the same time, countless gazes poured toward me. I smiled brightly and bowed to them.

"Welcome. Thank you for coming to Professor Irian's tower."

Having two hundred people reach toward me with magical power all at once was something else. The moment they saw me, they tried to examine me with all kinds of magic.

Thankfully, the tower's magical power bounced every attempt away. I knew this would happen, so I had not taken a single step outside the tower. If I had, I was sure they would have grabbed me by the limbs and shaken me down.

"It has been a while, Mr. Evron."

I heard a familiar voice. When I raised my head, someone was walking toward me. It was Hongryeong. He still wore a neat smile. I smiled back and greeted him.

"Yes, this is the first time since the entrance ceremony. How have you been?"

The others' gazes shifted to Hongryeong. Their magical power, however, stayed very quiet. Unlike me, who looked weak, Hongryeong was clearly radiating powerful magical power at a glance.

"I have been well. What you told me back then was true, then. That Professor had taught you."

I scratched my head with an embarrassed smile. At the same time, I studied the situation. Was he showing off that he had ties with me? Not a bad choice. The gazes on me and Hongryeong had settled down a little.

"So, what should we do now?"

"I will guide you. Please follow the puppets' instructions."

I moved my magical power slightly and called out the puppets that had been waiting inside the tower. The puppets that went outside lined everyone up and slowly guided them into the tower. The people followed the flow of the puppets inside.

After gathering them in the central hall on the first floor, I bowed my head and smiled.

"As you saw in the syllabus we handed out, you have been given the opportunity to attend lectures here for the next five years."

They slowly looked around. The furniture I had thrown together had spent a month steeped in the tower's magical power, so it now had a decent air to it. That much was a relief.

"This is the first floor, the communal space. We have arranged it so that you may come here and spend time whenever you like over the next five years. If you happen to be passing nearby, you may stop in and rest at any time. If there is anything you are curious about, you may briefly examine it with magical power now."

At those words, the students began releasing magical power and inspecting their surroundings. I had opened every room so they could see clearly, allowing them to check all the way inside.

Maybe I had no right to say this as someone who lived here, but being able to rest on this first floor alone was definitely a huge benefit.

A tower was usually the center where all the magical power of a mountain gathered. Training here would be several times more effective than training anywhere else.

"There are many puppets moving around in this tower, so if you need anything or have any questions, please speak to a nearby puppet. The puppet will respond to your request."

I waited until they withdrew all their magical power. Soon, every person had gathered their magical power and was staring intently at my face. I smiled and started moving again.

"The classroom is the Theoretical Lecture Room on the second floor. Please be careful not to enter any other rooms. The doors will not open, but if you somehow enter one by mistake, you might fall into a gap in space."

Professor had fixed everything, so that would not actually happen, but I brought it up as a joke anyway. The students' faces stiffened at my words. Apparently it was not very funny.

I went up the stairs. We proceeded to the central hall on the second floor, and I stopped in front of the Theoretical Lecture Room.

"This is the Theoretical Lecture Room. The second floor and above are not open outside class hours, so please take care when entering."

I opened the door and pointed at the shimmering curtain inside. One puppet slipped right through it. The students examined the door for a moment, then followed it in.

After the last person entered, I stepped inside as well. A tiered structure came into view, with seats forming a semicircle around a single podium. The students each found a seat and sat down. I stood on the podium and watched them.

Hongryeong was sitting in the center of the very back row. Several people sat around him, talking among themselves. A bitter smile came to me. Hmm. I had picked them out and picked them out again, but was it still not enough?

About five people seemed to be the core of that group. Every movement they made was full of dignity, so they looked like people from great families. Around thirty people had gathered around them.

That was more than I had expected. When I examined them closely, there was a sort of line among them. Aside from those five, the atmosphere in the group was very awkward.

Hmm, did they hire the other students? It was only a guess, but it was probably true. This was my oversight. I had never imagined they would use points to draw in more people.

They could have found out in advance who had been accepted into the lecture. In that case, it made sense for them to build a force beforehand like this. Since the class was called Treasure Hunt, the more people they had, the more advantageous it would be. Their formation was clearly built around obtaining the treasure.

Well, that did not mean they could get past Professor's traps.

I looked over the others as well. Since many students were sitting far apart from each other, the ones who had formed groups stood out at a glance.

Another group was made up of sword-wielders. As expected of the sort of people who clumped together and swarmed as soon as they gathered, they were huddled close and murmuring among themselves even though they had only just met here.

Among them, I saw a face that felt somehow familiar. It was a woman with long black hair and a somewhat vacant look. Had I ever had a reason to see a sword-user? I thought hard about it, but nobody came to mind.

She was also tilting her head while looking at me. Judging by that puzzled face, I was sure we had met somewhere. But I had no idea who she was. I avoided that uncomfortable gaze and turned my head.

The other group was, how should I put it, a gathering of mages who each gave off their own distinct personality. There were about ten of them. Each one was radiating strong magical power, but unlike the other groups, they had no sense of unity. They seemed to know one another and were chatting comfortably.

So there were roughly three groups, and everyone else was sitting scattered apart. They all seemed to be individuals. I had failed to predict that a great family group would hire people in advance, but it seemed my efforts to split everyone up had still had some effect.

Hmm, even so, this was within my expectations.

I looked at the puppet standing beside me. The puppet took a watch from its chest and showed it to me. Exactly 3 o'clock. It was class time. I clapped my hands and gathered the gazes of all these mages in one place. Soon, the lecture room grew quiet.

"Nice to meet you, everyone. We will be spending the next five years together. Please take a good look at the people sitting beside you. No one knows whether that person will become your ally or your enemy during this lecture."

I said it with a smile. It was a joke meant to lighten the mood. But it seemed I had failed again, because the air sank even further instead. I hurriedly waved my hands and continued.

"It was a joke, a joke. Shall we move on to the class? Quite a few of you may have already looked into this, but our Professor Irian has never once opened a lecture until now. For over a thousand years, in fact."

Most of the students looked surprised. Fewer people had researched it in advance than I expected. Aside from a few people in the larger groups, it seemed to be their first time hearing it.

"During that time, Professor instead wandered the continent in search of treasures. And the treasures she accumulated over all those years are sleeping peacefully in this tower. This class, Treasure Hunt, will introduce those treasures to you and give you a chance to possess them."

The students' eyes began to shine. To raise their excitement, I added more.

"From the few I have examined, most of them held value that could not be converted into points."

Yes, like that eyeball. Even now, thinking about it made my head hurt. Among these people, there was probably no one who could look at that eye and come out fine. For a moment, a sinister smile slipped out. I noticed it and immediately fixed my face.

"For the next five years, one treasure will be revealed during the class held once every three months. Among these two hundred people, only one will have the chance to obtain it. You may cooperate with each other, or you may keep each other in check. As long as you obey university rules, you may do anything."

As I said that, I flicked my finger. A puppet took the signal and pulled out a thick bundle of papers. Several puppets accepted the bundle and began handing the pages out to the students. Watching them examine the papers, I continued.

"The materials handed to you contain a brief explanation of the treasure I will introduce today. Since today is the first day, we have prepared a relatively ordinary treasure. I am sure you are all curious about what kind of treasure it is. This treasure is..."

I injected magical power into the wall behind me. The magic circle activated, and an illusion sprang out. It was a very small box whose contents could not be seen. Inside it was only deep darkness. I lifted the illusion in my hand and showed it to the students.

"The Space-Eating Box. As the name says, it eats space. But please do not misunderstand. It is not a simple box enchanted with space magic."

As I said that, I floated text in the air. It was the same content written on their papers.

"Six hundred years ago, does anyone remember the mass disappearance incident that took place in Orin, the Empire's foremost trade city? It was a strange incident in which tens of thousands of weeds and even hundreds of mages vanished."

I showed a scene that reconstructed the events of that time. It showed an entire district of the city gone without a trace. No one knew what had happened inside it, so the incident had remained as nothing more than a legend. I had heard the story a few times outside as well.

"Professor happened to be passing by the scene at the time, so she investigated it personally and discovered the truth. And what she found at the end was this treasure. Its effect is as written on the paper. Please check it."

For a while, the sound of papers being flipped filled the room. I also slowly read the writing.

"As you can see, this box devours space. No matter how wide a place may be, if it is 'sealed,' this thing can eat it. That was how the tragedy of Orin occurred. The moment some unknown mage wrapped that district in magic, this box awakened and swallowed the entire district. If you can tame this treasure, they say you will be able to use the space the box has eaten however you like."

On the screen, I showed the scenery the sixth floor had shown me before. Space twisted, and the pressure from that time, when the walls devoured everything, came through the illusion. It was a vivid illusion carved directly from my memory.

"You could store a workshop, or you could store a stronghold. Or, like this illusion, you could devour an enemy. It becomes an excellent means of defense and attack."

The flames of desire rose thickly in people's eyes. Their desire even overflowed as magical power, heating the lecture room.

A bitter smile came to me. This thing was actually the one that had swallowed the sixth floor. Professor had torn it out together with the wall and sealed it again. Do you know how much trouble I went through filling that wall back in? I only learned this thing was that dangerous after hearing it from Professor.

"The opportunity given to you comes only once. This opportunity cannot be transferred to someone else, nor can it be stolen. Once every three months, for a single day, all of you will have the chance to seize the treasure."

I slowly looked around at them and smiled.

"Then shall we all go?"

The students sprang up from their seats. The puppets quickly guided them. Between the puppets, they moved their magical power and prepared for the treasure contest that would soon begin.

Watching them, I swallowed my laughter. Most of them would probably be eliminated before they even saw the treasure. I only had to watch them and pick up the crumbs. This was a good chance to earn a pile of points.

I left the lecture room and headed for the stairs. Once I reached them, I pressed the button leading to the sixth floor. The magic of the stairs rippled and drew a circuit different from before.

"Space is layered in these stairs, so you must enter the exact floor. If you press two floors, or press one and then release it, you may be fixed in place between the stairs, so please be careful."

This was something I had learned after many experiments, since I had also been curious about how it worked. Several puppets I had sent in as experiments had disappeared between spaces like that.

"The moment we arrive on the sixth floor, Treasure Hunt begins. The sixth floor will be open for only the next 24 hours, so please do your best while taking care not to get hurt."

When I said that, the mages all released magical power and quickly climbed the stairs. The two hundred people vanished in the blink of an eye.

I stood where they had left and rubbed my chin. I had been fairly nervous, but once the situation actually arrived, the words flowed easily from my mouth. I had even prepared a script in case I forgot what to say, so that was a relief.

Hmm, should I go up too? I gave the spatial pouch I had filled in advance a reassuring pat, then set foot on the stairs as well.

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