-Chapter 31, DGM-

Link would have never entertained the thought of the him who studied slags on earth doing this before. Quietly sitting down in a corner to immerse himself in a stuffy and insipid magic book for half a day.

In the beginning, he had to force himself to look at those dreary, dry texts of magical formulae and technical jargon which looked like the undecipherable scitbblings of a 5-year-old kid. He had simply stared dumbly at the first few pages for a few moments.

But as he begin to settle down to read the magic book properly, he became increasingly obsessed and excited with the contents.

As compared to last night when he had skimmed through the book while in Celine’s quarters, rereading the ‘turbulence theory of magic’ was a completely new experience. He had merely felt a vague understanding of the book, and had never thought much of it nor practiced its contents. However, this time, Link removed all his thoughts to read it.

He drawled through the pages at a snail’s pace, pausing from time to time to think.

The book introduced the 6 main branches of magic,1namely: the element branch, the mystery branch, the illusion branch, the summoning branch, the enchantment branch 2 and the alchemic branch.

The spells of these branches were not much different from others below the range of level 3, and a magician could easily grasp the theories and comprehend them. However, past level 3, if a magician wanted to have some achievements, he needed to choose a kind of specialization to major in.

A magician would often only specialise in one field of magic. After stepping over the level 3 boundary, specialising in mutiple fields would be nigh impossible, apart from rare exceptions.3

This magic book ‘Magic Composition’ catalogued ‘fireball’ ‘earth spike’[footnote]or earth thorn as elemental magic, while ‘secondary invisibility’ was listed as illusionary magic. As for mysterious and summoning magic, there were none. These branches of magic were more abtruse, and it was difficult for it to be written or recorded down on paper. One would need to find a specialized magic tutor.

After he finished reading the ‘fireball’ spell’s composition, Link grabbed his crescent moon magic wand and begin testing it out.

The process of casting could be broken down into three parts. Respectively, they were guiding the magic, constructing the magic structure (composition) and discharging the magic.

The crux of successfully casting the magic lay in the construction of the magic structure.

Link stilled himself. Applying the contextual knowledge he had gained from the book, he operated the casting methodically. After 2 seconds, the tip of the crescent magic wand began to glow.

This was the undeveloped form of the fireball.

The glow was only as small as a granule. After maintaining it for another second, the glow faded away.

As the construction of the magic structure failed, the casting was forcefully terminated.

“This is harder than I thought.”

Link clicked his tongue. This was entirely different from using the magic learnt through free points. The magic was like an unruly piece of grain which he had to keep under control. If he wanted to direct the magic east, they would go west. It was extremely hard to predict their fiddling.

Link tried again.

After another three seconds, a granule of light once again crumbled into speckles of light, fading in the air. ‘Fireball’ had failed once again.

A warm gust of wind swept into his face. Link was glad that it was only the level 0 spell that he was practicing. If he had failed in the process of casting the ‘level 4 ‘flame burst’, he would have roasted himself down to the bones.4

Magic could be said to be this world’s dominating power, but a double-edged sword cut both ways. The more powerful a magician was, the more prudent he needed to be in his casting. A revered magician had once said something along those lines. The words finally resonated with Link.

If he was unable to even bear the backfire of a terminated level 4 magic spell, then his soul would not even remain if he failed in a casting a legendary tier spell.

In reality, if a magician wanted to learn high tier spells, he would require the aid of various equipment or facilities. One of the most essential equipment in learning high tier spells was a functioning magic tower.

A magic tower could allow magicians to monitor the environment around the tower. The array of equipment and facilities within the tower would also ensure the safety of the magician when he testing new magic.

The only drawback was that they were extraordinary exorbitant. The construction of the magic tower required both the use of the magic and magic-resistant materials. A conservative estimate of the most ordinary magic tower still boasted the astronomical sum of 10,000 gold coins and above.5

Power did not come cheap, after all.

The pursuit of magic was a road which burnt money like joss paper.6 The rate at which funds were spent to support a magician’s studies were beyond the imaginations of ordinary people.

Of course, Link was nowhere near suited for considering a magic tower. ‘Fireball’ was a level 0 spell, so he could cast aside his worries and brazenly experiment.

The third attempt, the fourth attempt, the fifth attempt. They were all disappointments. When Link reached his sixth attempt, a sphere of marble like a gla.s.s marble finally stably emerged from his crescent magic wand after 5 seconds of bated breath.

Link had finally experienced the entire process of casting.

“Pour in magic, complete the magic structure, fire elements in the surroundings are rapidly attracted, transforming into a stable composition of relative neutrality. Amazing.”

Feeling the warmth of the tiny fireball before him, Link felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

‘Fireball’ was the the first magic spell that he had truly grasped.

However, Link was also slightly disappointed. ‘A level 0 magic spell with 5 seconds of casting time? This can only be used for lighting firewood.’

In the previous game world, the level 0 spells he cast were all below 0.1 seconds. Only then did they have fighting value.

However, Link believed that practice made perfect. He continued practicing.

Because this fireball was not discharged, the magic within it was not consumed. Hence, Link did not need to bother with the consumption of mana. He controlled the mana back into the magic wand as the flame slowly died.

Link sent mana back into the wand, constructing the magic structure. This time, the fireball was completed within 4 seconds.

Link begin to repeatedly cast as he practiced his casting.

Time trickled by, unnoticed.

He repeatedly practiced like a maniac. He did not know when it started, but he fusing his contextual knowledge on cast spells and the way he learnt casting from the free point system. They seemed to mix together in perfect harmony, eventually forming a h.o.m.ogenous blend.

‘Ss!’ From the tip of the crescent magic wand emerged a stable fireball. ‘Puff~’ The fireball dispersed, and the mana returned instantaneously, like a flick of a light switch on earth.

Unknowingly, Link’s casting speed had been increased back to 0.1 seconds. No, even faster. Link estimated that he could cast 20 fireb.a.l.l.s in a split second at the minimum.

He felt like he was in a fantastic state of mind. He could feel the a.s.sistance of the game system smoothly aiding his casting, but he could also distinctly feel the meticulous construction of the magic structure. It was like ‘fireball’ was a spell he had been familiar with for years.

“Did you a.s.sist my casting?” Link could not help but mumble towards the game system. There was no way he could reach such a degree in that short a period of time.

The game system replied: ‘Of course. Monotonously recasting the construction of the magic structure would only consume additional energy without improving the player’s comprehension of spell. When the player has thoroughly grasped the spell, the system will automatically intervene and boost the player’s casting speed to the maximum.’

“Then how fast do I cast a level 0 magic spell specifically?”

‘0.0512 seconds. This has almost reached the limit of the speed of the fire elements’ convergence. A higher casting speed for this spell is impossible.’

Element magic’s casting speed was comprised of two points.

One was the time spent constructing the magic structure, which hinged on the caster’s speed of thought. This could be improved continuously through practice.

The second was the time taken for the convergence of the elemental particles. This would depend on the element’s concentration in the caster’s surroundings which could vary. Between the icy climate in the north and the blistering weather in the southern desert, the latter would have a greater converging speed of the fire elements – 10 times of the south.

In Link’s room, the fire elements’ time for convergence was 0.05 seconds. This was the boundary of the fireball’s casting speed.

“Ah, that’s more than sufficient.” 0.0512 seconds was like lightning. Link was very satisfied with this speed.

Link begin to practice once more on the discharge of the fireball. This time, Link did not bother with excessively maintaining the stability of the magic structure. Instead, he begin to a.n.a.lyse the process of the magic structure attracting fire elements.

Link begin to slowly comprehend. ‘This magic structure isn’t half bad. Although it is not very effective in attracting the fire elements, it is stable, easy and simple to understand. But these advantages are useless to me. Maybe I should try my hand at modifying it.’7

Link believed initiative took the cake, and he immediately made preparations.

However, a rapping sound rang out. Al Wright’s voice came from outside his room. “Link, we should start moving.”

Link gazed outside the window. It was already day.

“Wait a moment, I’m coming.”

Link kept his magic wand before taking a quick shower to sort out his mind and raise his spirits. However, his spirits were quelled when he stared into the mirror of his bathroom. He was already ordinary to begin with, but the effect of ‘mana deficiency’ just made it worse.

When Link opened his door and met Al Wright, he was even more perturbed.

After a good night’s rest, Al Wright had changed into a new attire. He seemed to radiate charisma, like a layer of radiance shrouded him. Those clear yet deep green eyes seemed to glow with light, allowing everyone to see that he had a powerful soul.

There was magic spell named ‘divine light detection’. It was a spell used to detect the various smells on the target’s body.

Link had never learnt it before, but he believed that Al Wright’s body would be shrouded in the radiance of magic.

“Ai, I’m unworthy of being called the most talented magician and the most beautiful man…”8 Link sighed.

After the two of them had their breakfast in the dining hall, they set off.

Eastern valley magic academy was in a ravine 30 kilometers from the east-southeast of river valley village. It was not long, and the road was even. Within 2 hours, they spotted the mouth of a huge ravine in the distance.9

A large stone plaque was erected at the entrance. The bold words ‘EASTERN VALLEY MAGIC ACADEMY’ were inscribed onto the plaque, and an insignia was carved on top of it. The insignia had a lion’s head in its middle, with two magic wands crossed over it. It signified magic protecting Norton kingdom.

An ordinary wooden house with two levels lay beside the plaque. The house had a courtyard by the porch, and a wizened old man draped in a grey and blue gown reclined on a bench within it. He seemed to enjoy basking in the sun.

Link glanced at the old man. Information immediately emerged in his mind.

Vincent

Level 2 ordinary magician

Status: constant ‘divine light detection’

Affiliation: Tester for qualifications of those applying for eastern valley magic academy

Vincent had just noticed Al Wright and Link. He swept an eye over them. “Did you guys come here to learn magic?”

“Yes.” Link and Al Wright replied respectful.

Vincent lifted his magic wand, pointing at Al Wright. He nodded, “Qualified. As long as you hand over the school fees, you can enter the academy to study.”

He then ponted his wand towards Link. “As for you, your magic talent does not make the cut. Unless you prove your insight in magic is sufficient, then you have to go back to where you came from.”

-Chapter 31, end-

-Chapter 32, DGM-

The gatekeeper of the academy did not mince his words.

Fortunately, Link had already made preparations in advance. His mana capacity was 24.1, which was the standard of an ordinary magic apprentice. It would be more unusual than miraculous if he was allowed in.

Of course, he had 105 free points to blow. If he wished it, he could pump everything into mana capacity. In that case, even with the effect of ‘mana deficiency’ whisking away 90% of his attributes, he would have 129.1 mana capacity due to the scale of 1 free point to 10 mana points. This was equivalent to a level 2 magician’s standard, which would allow him to get admitted into the academy.

But squandering away his free points like this was foolish, as even if he had the power of a level 2 magician, he did not have knowledge on par with it. He would be known as an anomaly.

After entering the academy, the academy would arrange an educational program for level 2 magicians. However, he would not understand one whit of it and would simply look r.e.t.a.r.ded.

Link’s attempt at entering the academy was merely a gamble. If he was rejected, he would return to the inn to strengthen his basics and self-study. He would not suffer any loss through this. He returned Al Wright’s comforting gaze with a faint smile to show that it was fine.

However, there was also room for profit. The previous game had not mentioned that eastern valley magic academy used paper as stepping stones.

In the game, as long as the player met the bar and handed over a sum of money, he would be an official student of the academy. Nothing else would be taken into consideration.

Al Wright asked in place of Link. “Then how would my friend demonstrate his insights in magic?”

Vincent chuckled, sizing up Al Wright. He glanced at the humble attire Al Wright wore. “Young man, I suggest you worry about yourself first. The studying fees for eastern valley magic academy are not low.”

Vincent had inspected a countless number of people before, and his gaze was very sharp. He estimated both the prices of their attires and compared them. Although the grey robes of the ordinary youngster beside him looked dull, it was meticulously handsewn with the skin of a gray rat. The price it could fetch was probably 10 times the price of the other handsome youngster’s attire.

If he was not wrong, the ordinary looking child was probably the son of some n.o.ble or aristocrat, while the handsome looking one was a commoner.

As for the studying fees, Al Wright had long prepared the necessary sum. When he decided to study magic, he had racked his brains for ideas to earn money. As he was bright, he had managed to sc.r.a.pe together 200 gold coins which he had heard was the academy’s studying fee.

“200 gold coins, was it? I’ve already prepared that amount.” Al Wright nodded.

To his astonishment, Vincent laughed, shaking his head. He held up two fingers. “Lad, you’ve heard wrongly. 200 gold coins is the privilege that only those with the background of n.o.bles enjoy. The norm is 300 gold coins. However, the school has aready met the quota for accepting students this year. If you enter now, you will be considered an additional student, which will require additional arrangements and magic resources. These all require money. However, you are only a commoner without any privileges. The final amount probably totals to 2,000 gold coins.”

Al Wright stared blankly, his brows twisted. “Even so, how could the additional feed swell to 10 times the original?”

How many commoners could dole out 2,000 gold coins in this world? Only the merchants of big businesses in the southern freedom alliance could bear hefty studying fees like that.

Wasn’t this blatant preferential treatment of n.o.bles?

However, Link knew that the magic academy wasn’t totally ripping off cash from the students. Because to magicians, material wealth were merely figures. To ordinary people, they were astronomical amounts of digits, but magicians squandered them on whatever magic resources they thought they needed.

For example, the crescent magic wand in Link’s hand was worth its weight in 1,000 gold coins. As for the fire crystal magic staff, it was even worse. An estimate would set it at above 3,000 gold coins.

This was also reflected in the previous game world, any magician chosen in the game could be embodied in one word: Money splurger! Just learning the necessary skills would be several folds more expensive than other occupations, let alone the various magic equipment.

From Vincent’s stand, 2,000 gold coins was not a figure he had simply cast out, but instead a number he had arrived at after slight calculations. The magic academies were not biased in their treatment towards commoners.

Evidently, Al Wright did not understand the magician world. Hot fury erupted in his heart.

On the other hand, Vincent was expressionless. Vincent spread his hands, reclining on the bench. His tone was lackadaisical, “I don’t know, I didn’t set the price. The dean did. I’m only in charge of telling you this.”

However, Al Wright was did not back down. He dug out a letter. “I have a recommendation from Earl Lady Alice.”

Vincent shot it a glance. The letter was sealed with a waxed seal. The crest of a rose flower blossomed on the seal. He recognised this seal. It was the crest of the only female earl in Norton kingdom’s family insignia.

Vincent looked at Al Wright’s handsome face closely, before bursting into laughter. “Oh, it looks like being handsome has its fair share of advantages. I can’t believe you managed to obtain an earl’s recommendation. The dean stated that applicants with a n.o.ble’s recommendation would have their studying fees reduced by 500 gold coins. The academic fees are 1,500 gold coins now.”

Link’s eyebrows shot up when he saw the letter. It looked like this chap knew how to adapt to situations. Many commoners could not earn 200 gold coins even if they slaved away for a lifetime, but this young man of 17 years had achieved it. Furthermore, he had obtained an earl’s recommendation, and the earl was female. If Al Wright did not sacrifice even one thing to stand where he was now, Link would not believe it.

However, the price of 1,500 gold coins was a price that Al Wright still could not bear.

He finally erupted, unable to keep his fury down. His handsome face was flushed with anger as he grated his teeth. “This is daylight robbery!”

Vincent shook his head, unconcerned with the scene Al Wright was making. He tranquilly admonished Al Wright. “Watch your tongue, young man. I have a good temper and I won’t find trouble with you. If you repeat these words to a magician with a bad personality, he’ll personally light your candles.”1

Al Wright was still furious, and he wanted to step forward and argue. Link frantically pulled him back.

They were just some n.o.bodies currently, while eastern valley magic academy was Norton kingdom’s cradle for magicians and their dean was a level 7 magician. Making a scene here would leave a vile impression and had no use.

Al Wright was a commoner with insufficient cash. Although the system of the academy was somewhat unbalanced, these were indisputable facts and not something making a scene could solve.

When Link met a problem, he would rationally confront it before finding a solution to it.

It was because of this nature of his that he had became the number one magic G.o.d in the game. It was also because of this that the ruler of light sent him to this alternate world. Not only had he escaped from Glaston city alive, he had also wrestled it from the claws of defeat.

Now, it was the same.

Link was extremely clear on how the academy worked. If one wanted to alter the practices of eastern valley magic academy, dissatisfied hooting would be vain. What one really needed was strength, shocking strength that would raise eyebrows.

With Link’s pull, Al Wright was brought back to his senses. However, his eyes were red.

He had experienced the injustice of society before. If it were the past, he would definitely be able to restrain his temper. But he had poured all his efforts, blood and dreams into this day.

For this sum of 200 gold coins he had eaten countless grievances that ordinary people could not imagine.

He had taken on various kinds of missions. Because he lacked martial skill, he had taken on investigative missions instead. He had narrowly escaped from every single mission by the skin of his teeth. with the rewards from the missions, he had went into businesses, only to suffer the extortion of local ruffians and hoodlums. He had h.o.a.rded copper coin by copper coin ever since he was 10. Other than the invitation of his friends, he had only eaten 3 dry barley bread a day, forgoing meat and fish. With insufficient nutrients, he would go to the river in the middle of the night to catch fish to eat. He could only go in the middle of the night because he was too busy in the day. His clothes had been the same ones he had worn since 3 years ago. The old horse he had ridden on the king’s road was also not his. It was something his friends had pooled together to buy to give him as a departure present.

Now, he had heard that the magic academy was more demanding towards commoners, so he had thought of every possible method to obtain a recommendation.

For this, he had slept with that fat and ugly harlot for a month on a daily basis. He had endured that terrifying torture every night. He had abandoned his reputation, his pride.

He had invested everything, his entire life to achieve that dream of magic in his heart, so as to not squander away his gift in magic. He had invested everything to excel.2

But when he had handed out the recommendation letter and had h.o.a.rded enough money, with his heart br.i.m.m.i.n.g with hope – reality had hit him harder than a baseball bat in the stomach.

The doorstep of the academy had been raised to a plateau he was unable to reach. And his efforts had gone down the gutter, along with all his investments.

h.o.a.rd money once again?

Pooling together 1,500 gold coins would only be achieved after he was 20. If his luck was terrible, he could die in the midst of completing missions. Furthermore, these years were the prime years for studying magic. How could they be squandered so easily?

Anger. Sadness. Desperation. The young Al Wright could see his life’s objective right before his eyes, but it was blocked by a moat, a layer he was incapable of pa.s.sing. Unconsciously, his vision had begun to blur.

‘Is a commoner pursuing his dreams really that harsh?’ Al Wright clenched his fist tightly, looking towards the sky as he restrained his tears.

He would not allow this guard dog to mock him.

Vincent saw everything. He smiled and shook his head, sarcastically remarking, “Young man, I’ll point you an obvious road you can take. You can return and find Earl Alice again, and serve her well. Maybe she’ll dish out the cash for you then. Hehe.”

Al Wright trembled in indignation. This was the one blotch of disgrace in his history. Vincent’s words had cut like a knife, cruelly opening the old scars in his heart.

His face flushed, his heart palpitating. His fist clenched as a thought formed in his mind. That was to rush forward and beat up this old man.3

Just as his limit broke, a grip came down on his shoulder. He struggled madly, but the grip was like iron. “Let go of me!”

Link’s voice came into his ears. “Al Wright, don’t destroy yourself!”

The voice was freezing cold, like a bucket of icy water had been poured over Al Wright’s head. His struggle immediately died down.

He turned to look towards the youth of similar age quietly watching him and lightly shaking his head. His black pupils were as dark as midnight, and his features were ordinary. However, his gaze seemed to carry a power that could quieten people down immediately. It seemed as if nothing in this world had ever emotionally moved him.

As calm as unmoving waters, yet as chilly as a cold blade.

This moment, this scene, had been deeply engraved into Al Wright’s heart.

Many years later, every time he was irate, indecisive or in despair, this moment would would emerge. It would tell him how a magician faced the cruel, merciless world.

-Chapter 32, end-

Al Wright prost.i.tuting himself to get the cash was very sad because i once read a manga about the interactions of an inmate on death row and a suicidal pianist. The inmate’s backstory was really similar, and the entire manga was really, well, sad. Might wanna check it out: Watas.h.i.+tachi no s.h.i.+awase na Jikan

It’s only 8 chapters but its heartrending. Right, enough of that. I was down in the dumps for the entire day because i just read a sad webtoon

Next chapter is really short, and yes, although it’s a spoiler as some of you may point out once again, I’ll give a hint of the next chap: something to do with gravity and newton.

edit: i had honestly hoped to give ya’ll a personal edit on this chapter because i wanted this chapter to somewhat emotionally impact readers even a bit but looks like i couldn’t make it. soz, maybe another time or smth. Chapters 27-32 are still unedited :/