WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 88

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-Tooth Necklace: Then I’ll start the lecture first. Anyone who wants to watch, please come visit. I’ll play the video on the message board!

I have no idea how long it’s been since I last met people.

(A picture of teeth being brushed with a toothbrush)

(A picture of a ribbon tied to a tooth)

I even dressed up so I would look neat. What do you think? Do I look cool?

└ Star-Eye: Success. Wishing. First beginning.

└ Ring of the Sky: I want. To do. It soon too. Learning. Letters. Is hard.

└ Blood Axe: Slaughter, slaughter!

└ Tooth Necklace: Blood Axe-ssi knows what’s what. You need to look good on the outside if you want it to be easier to eat them later.

└ Blood Axe: Slaughter?

└ Tooth Necklace: Ah, I plan to operate a little differently. Our targets won’t overlap, Blood Axe-ssi, so don’t worry.

└ Blood Axe: Slaughter! Slaughter!

└ Tooth Necklace: Yes, then I’ll go enjoy myself first.

The tower’s doors were firmly shut. After the previous lecture ended, the tower had kept everyone else away. Those without permission did not dare approach it.

And today, the tower was about to open its doors once more. My heart trembled slightly. Opening a new lecture really was nerve-racking. I remembered how I had even prepared every line in advance last time.

Even so, compared to back then, I had changed quite a bit. After all, I could feel a little excitement in my chest now. I glanced down at Mira. She was lightly hugging my arm.

She noticed my gaze and met my eyes. Then she gave me a small smile. This was another difference too. Unlike back then, when I had been alone, I now had someone I could call a companion.

I could see No. 0 moving puppets around here and there. Since it was handling everything, there was not much for me to do. This was probably why people formed organizations. They could share their burdens with one another.

It was something I had built over five years. And once these doors opened, a new five years would begin again.

“Then shall we go welcome everyone?”

I jerked my chin toward No. 0. The shadow puppets that received its order opened the doors. The scenery outside the tower came into view. Countless people were walking around the garden I had cultivated.

I quietly examined them. Had they sensed the doors opening? They began walking toward the tower. The magical power flowing from them colored the surroundings.

I slowly stepped outside the doors. Then I clapped my hands to gather their attention. At that, their gazes poured toward us all at once. Amid those gazes, I bowed my head lightly and smiled.

“Everyone, it is nice to meet you. Welcome to Professor Irian’s tower. My name is Evron, and Professor has granted me the position of storehouse keeper. Please feel free to call me by my name.”

The moment I spoke, they began pouring magical power toward me. It formed something like a net and surged over my body. There was no clear malice inside it.

That was a kind of probing. In their eyes, I was a weak mage who had only recently reached the Young Tree realm. It was only natural that they would poke at me a little.

Mira gently poured fog toward that magical power. The fog quietly swallowed their magical power. Inside it, the magical power lost its way, wandered, and vanished. I bowed my head slightly toward Mira.

There was no further probing after that. I looked around. Two hundred pairs of eyes were on us. It was the same number as the previous lecture. But the atmosphere was very different. The magical power they gave off was thicker and greater.

Of course it was. The people participating this time were staying on the second and third floors.

What kind of students would make the lecture easiest to run? I had thought quite a lot about setting that target. If I had simply wanted to make things easy, it would have been comfortable to run the class with the first and second floors as before, or even only the first floor.

But that would not have been efficient. Those staying on the first floor were far too weak. Just like I had been in the past. They would not be very useful to the treasures or to me.

That did not mean I could touch the fourth floor. The mages there were headed for graduation. Had I not already experienced that in Canyon City? They were entirely different beings from those on the floors below.

If I dragged people like that into my lecture, they would clearly become difficult to control. That was how the students before me had been chosen. A few of them were somewhat familiar faces too. They had participated in the previous lecture.

The students I had chosen were a little immature, but also a little experienced. I had deliberately chosen a large number of people like that. From now on, our lecture had no need for people who would only end up lying on the ground.

I moved to one side of the path. Then I gestured to the open doors with my palm. Following my hand, their gazes turned toward the tower.

“Now then, please come in. I will guide you through the tower. From now on, one puppet will be assigned to each of you. They will assist you going forward, so please do not treat them carelessly.”

With that, shadow puppets began walking out through the open doors. A total of two hundred puppets approached the students. From now on, they would each take charge of one student and assist them.

Led by the puppets, the students slowly stepped into the tower.

Then a few people flinched in surprise at the sight of the first floor. Seeing that, I gave a faint, bitter smile. It was understandable. Even I was sometimes surprised by it.

The surroundings were full of extremely metaphysical sculptures. They were No. 0’s works. The sculptures filled not only the corridors but even the ceiling, and they welcomed the students by wriggling dozens, hundreds of body parts.

It was a very bizarre sight. I had told No. 0 to decorate the first floor, and that was how it had decorated the entrance. I could see it nodding. It seemed quite satisfied with people’s reactions.

How should I put it? It did seem like something that did not fit human aesthetics.

But Mira really liked looking at it. Professor was quite satisfied too. She had said she liked it because it was unique. The treasures felt the same.

These days, even I was starting to find it cute.

If they spent five years getting used to it, it would become a little more bearable for them too. We passed between those writhing things and headed inside.

Various sculptures were showing off their bodies inside as well. No. 0 liked using stone. Unlike me, who connected pieces of wood together, it made puppets by carving one stone into one complete whole.

Its skill was excellent, as anyone could see. Excellent enough to make people recoil. I quickly sent a signal. The shadow puppets that sensed it smiled brightly at the students beside them.

Their beautiful appearances gradually softened the stiff atmosphere. Then the students began sticking a little closer to the puppets at their sides. This was also one of the reasons I had told No. 0 to decorate the first floor.

It was to make the puppets feel more familiar to them. The puppets had a fixed appearance standard that I had drawn up. In other words, an appearance humans would find beautiful.

Beautiful things naturally drew affection. In this grotesque space, the puppets stood out even more. If this process repeated, they would come to keep the puppets beside them more naturally. It was a kind of illusion.

Thanks to the efforts of those shadow puppets, the atmosphere gradually grew lighter. The students began looking around as they moved forward. Soon, the central hall came into view. I stopped there for a moment and spoke to them.

“Now, the first floor is a free space. Anyone may use it after the lecture ends, so please enjoy it comfortably. Those who wish to look around may do so for a while.”

They made reluctant expressions. They did not seem to have any intention of moving. I quietly looked around. It did seem hard to rest comfortably here.

“Then we will go up to the second floor. Please be careful when climbing the stairs. If you make a mistake, you may end up climbing beyond space.”

After giving that warning, I climbed the stairs. The second floor looked normal, just as it had before. Perhaps the students felt a little relieved, because they lightly released their magical power.

“The second floor is also a free space. Please use it as much as you like. Now then, this way.”

We passed through the second-floor central hall and headed straight for the lecture room. The students began heading inside under the puppets’ guidance. I watched all of them enter, then crossed through the door myself.

The lecture room had changed quite a lot. It was the result of decorating it as much as possible for this lecture. Blackened mirrors had been attached everywhere, from the ceiling and walls to the desks. There was also a huge mirror on the platform.

Standing before that mirror, I quietly looked at the students. They moved in a fixed flow and began forming clusters. The first to gather were those who had bought seats.

Dozens gathered around them. It was similar to the people from the great families before. It was also the direction I had expected.

Next were those who had originally taken the lecture. Perhaps they had discussed it beforehand, because they gathered together and whispered among themselves. The swordsmen also gathered separately and formed a group. That was their trait, after all.

In that way, I could see roughly four groups taking shape. The flow was very natural.

The previous lecture had probably influenced that too. The previous Treasure Hunt lecture had involved organized combat. They had fought to occupy limited areas. Professor had wanted that.

But that was not the main theme of this lecture. The treasures who were the clients this time did not want that. They wanted these people to grow more freely.

So the third floor was also scheduled to open this time. It was still being redecorated, so it had not opened yet. Since there would be enough space, organized fights probably would not happen much. Individual ability would become more important.

I waited for the people’s murmuring to die down. It did not take long for them to settle into place. I clapped my hands and gathered their gazes. Soon, the lecture room grew quiet.

“Everyone, it is nice to meet you. As I explained earlier, my name is Evron. Professor has entrusted this lecture to me, which is why I am standing before you like this. But please rest assured. I will not be the one conducting the lecture.”

As I said that, I lightly released magical power. With it, the mirrors filling the lecture room began giving off a faint light. Within that light, a single shape began to rise.

“As you saw in the syllabus, from now on, you will receive power from treasures. Those treasures possess very powerful abilities. Power great enough to swallow mages like us whole. They will be in charge of this lecture.”

The wavering shape soon took on a perfect form. It was a strange necklace made of teeth. It looked at us, then clattered its teeth wildly. A clack-clack sound rang through the lecture room.

It was a three-dimensional illusion created through the mirrors installed all around. Its form was depicted in great detail.

“I will step back now. The remaining explanation will be handled by today’s treasure, Tooth Necklace. Everyone, please look carefully at the mirror in front of you. It will communicate through writing. Now then, please welcome it with applause.”

-Haha, nice to meet you. Everyone, please call me Tooth Necklace! I do have another name, but if Professor Irian says she calls me that, what can I do? I have no choice but to follow along!

The necklace clattered its teeth. At the same time, words appeared on the screen. The students began clapping awkwardly. As if responding to it, the necklace kept clattering its teeth.

-Thank you, overwhelming thanks! Ah, how long has it been since I last heard applause like this? Almost nine hundred years. That is just about how long it has been since I was locked in the storehouse, you see. Ah, many of you must not know about me. I first awakened roughly three thousand years ago. Ah, I was so frightened back then....

Like that, every time Tooth Necklace clattered its teeth, its words were furiously written across the mirror as well. The students’ gazes focused on the mirrors. Its words showed no sign of stopping. I always felt this, but that thing talked too much.

It began introducing its own history at length. Some people’s complexions turned a little pale as they read the story, while others’ eyes sparkled. I quietly watched the sight.

-...So I happily chewed up and swallowed an entire city, only to be caught by Professor Irian. When I came to my senses, I was inside the storehouse. Well, what does the past matter? Isn’t what matters the fact that I am now meeting and talking with all of you like this?

Tooth Necklace kept pouring out words like that. The students quietly focused on it. In truth, quite a few of the other treasures had wanted to take charge of the first lecture too. But after discussing it with them, we decided to send that thing out first.

That was because there was no treasure that could speak as fluently as it did. The other treasures were not yet skilled at forming words through magical power. Strangely, only that thing had been able to communicate very naturally from the start.

-Some of you will receive power from me today. Please do not be too disappointed if you do not receive it today. After all, you will be able to talk with us through mirror bugs! For just 50 points a month, an opportunity to communicate with us treasures! You must not miss this opportunity, absolutely not! Ahaha, storehouse keeper-sir. That should be enough advertising, right?

I nodded. It would have been nice if it had not included that last line. Tooth Necklace, which had quietly checked my expression, slyly erased the last part. Of course, since all the students had already seen it, the action meant nothing.

-At any rate, the power we give you like this will be yours. For five years, on a temporary basis! So everyone should aim to pass. Only twenty among you will be able to leave with that power! The rest will have it taken back. Khehehk.

As it wrote that, the necklace clattered its teeth cheerfully. It was creating a kind of rhythm. It seemed very pleased.

-Then what will I give you? This. Ta-da, a tooth fragment!

It pretended to spit something out. With that, one tooth cracked off slightly. It used magical power to float it into the air.

-Power, to me, is simple. As long as I can chew and eat something, that is enough. If you have this, you will be able to eat your opponents. Yes, everything! Souls, magical power, strength. A portion of what you devour like that will go to you. Just by chewing up and swallowing living things, you will be able to build up power.

A magical beast in the shape of a small rabbit approached it. It was the test subject prepared in advance. It drove the tooth fragment straight into the magical beast. Then the rabbit shriveled in an instant and disappeared into powder.

With that, the tooth fragment began shining a little more. The students’ eyes sparkled as they saw it. Strong desire began filling those eyes.

-You may replace your own teeth with it, or process it in some other direction. But please be careful. If you eat too much, you may go mad! Ah, that happened to me when I ate a city. I had eaten too much and simply got drunk. Still, it was very delicious.

The teeth clattered. A slight hunger rippled inside it. Its magical power was so vivid that all the students could feel it.

-The process by which I choose you will be very simple. It is the first lecture, after all. What I want is only one thing. Fight. Fight each other, then fight more, and die. After seeing those wretched ends, I will choose the ones I like!

Tooth Necklace clattered its teeth excitedly. The students began examining their surroundings. An air of wariness toward each other slowly started to form.

-Now then, everyone, move!

With those words, the mirrors turned off their light. Tooth Necklace’s illusion disappeared with it. Silence filled the lecture room. I stepped forward again.

“Today’s lecture will take place across the entire second floor. It will begin in thirty minutes, so please prepare in advance. Movement to other floors will be blocked, so keep that in mind. Ah, you do not need to worry about dying. You will be transferred to the infirmary before that happens.”

For this, I had prepared the entire second floor as a duel zone. It was the result of manipulating the tower’s magic. Since I had become quite used to handling the tower over time, simple manipulation like this had become possible.

Of course, I was not at the level where I could use its magic to alter the terrain like Professor did. To do that, I needed to grow stronger. It was impossible for me right now.

The students began hesitating a little. That was understandable. It was the first day of the lecture, and they had immediately been told to fight. But then one person suddenly stood up and left the lecture room without hesitation.

It was Cassian, the woman whose blank eyes left such an impression. Her bear puppet waddled after her. Watching her leave, I let out a faint, bitter smile.

In truth, since she had entered the tower, she did not have to take the lecture. But when she heard what this lecture was about, her eyes had sparkled. She said it sounded fun. Mira had also encouraged her from the side.

She did not want to gain a treasure’s power. What she wanted was the opposite.

To face those who had accepted treasures. And to grow at the end of it. That was why she had participated in this lecture. She said the other lectures did not appeal to her much.

When she stepped forward without hesitation like that, the others also began moving after her. The students quickly left the lecture room.

After all of them had left, Mira came up onto the platform. I glanced at her. She smiled lightly.

“What do you think? Do you think the lectures from now on will go well?”

At those words, I shook my head slightly. The treasures were eccentric. They were impulsive too. Over the course of five years, accidents were bound to happen.

“Then let us move too.”

When I said that, Mira came over and naturally linked arms with me. Professor was probably watching this lecture as well. So for now, I needed to finish this first lecture properly.

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