My Magus Academy is Run by Players?! [Western Cultivation LitRPG]

From a secluded vantage point atop a sturdy branch in a nearby tree, Victor observed the players below as they scrambled into formation to face the giant boar. A faint smile played on his lips; this was indeed an entertaining watch.

Despite their initial shock at his abrupt disappearance, the players quickly regained their composure and showcased their adaptability as veteran gamers. They were no pushover, after all, and they’d grown accustomed to the realism that this “game” had to offer. A bit of challenge and trial was what they needed to sharpen their instincts.

Among them, a couple of particular individuals captured Victor’s attention. Prominence was one, as he confidently assumed a leadership role with confidence that belied his previous uncertainties. He barked orders, rallying his teammates and providing much-needed leadership. It was a pleasant surprise for Victor; he had known Prominence as an old online friend, and while he was aware that Prominence was perhaps not as adept as Zero and Storm, his actions spoke for themselves.

Thunder was another who stood out. At first glance, he might have seemed unexceptional, but in the heat of the moment, he exuded a surprising calmness. In fact, Victor believed that this guy was the closest player who regarded this game as real — all his actions were similar to those of seasoned extraordinary people in this world.

Armed with a crossbow, he took careful aim and let loose a bolt, striking the giant boar directly in the eye and partially blinding it. Though he was supposedly the leader of the construction group, it was clear that his ambition was far beyond that role. Victor was curious about what he would accomplish in the future.

With its formidable size and raw power, the giant boar was indeed a formidable adversary. But still, under the combined might of six first-stage Initiate Attunement acolytes, even with their relative lack of experience, the boar could do nothing. The air crackled with elemental particles and energy as spells flew in rapid succession, steadily wearing down the giant beast.

“Not bad at all. They truly possess a wealth of potential,” Victor silently affirmed, nodding appreciatively.

Compared to the pampered nobles and those born into prestigious Magus families, players were a unique breed with an inherent desire to learn and improve. Transforming them into efficient and deadly killing machines seemed increasingly plausible… Uhh, I think these thoughts of exploiting them have gotten too far into my head.

As the giant boar finally succumbed, collapsing with a ground-shaking thud under the relentless assault of Prominence's {Flame Dart}, Victor seized the opportunity to reappear beside the players, his hands clapping in approval.

“Well done! I must say, you acolytes have exceeded my expectations. However, due to the extensive damage inflicted upon the giant boar’s corpse, I’m afraid I must adjust the reward. Fifty merit points for each of you.”

While the giant boar’s hide was too marred to yield any high-quality products, Victor was willing to acknowledge their earnest efforts. Thus, he decided on a reward amounting to half of the initial offer. Swiftly, he stored the boar’s carcass in his interspatial ring, eliciting surprised glances from the group that were followed by their melodramatic reactions.

“Nooo…!”

“Please, anything but that, Headmaster!”

“Welp, saw that one coming when I noticed the state of the corpse.”

The players let out a mixed reaction of dismay and resignation, but Victor paid them no mind and simply continued, “We shall proceed with our hunting expedition. Ensure you handle the next beast more delicately, or a similar deduction shall follow. And bear in mind, the high merit point reward is exclusive to today.”

The reason Victor issued this mission was, after all, to motivate the players. In a typical scenario, the reward for slaying a giant boar wouldn’t surpass four hundred merit points per carcass. No, he should probably decrease it to two hundred merit points so as to prevent any undue inflation and maintain balance.

***

The afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky as Victor led the players, now laden with their hunting spoils, back toward the academy. They had successfully hunted two additional giant boars and even managed to take down an extremely young Mossback Turtle — the smallest he had ever seen, but a creature truly of the magical beast classification, nevertheless. However, transporting their trophies proved challenging, as Victor’s interspatial ring had space for only one, leaving the team to carry the rest manually.

Victor, with his superior strength and a capable NPC he was, took on the task of dragging the Mossback Turtle. The remaining two giant boar carcasses were left for the other players to handle. These were in a better state than the first, so he didn’t deduct a lot of points from the rewards. All in all, the players earned a total of almost four hundred merit points each.

“If we do this a few more times, won’t we be so far ahead of the other players? We’ll be unsurpassable by then!” GladiusZone quipped, his voice strained as he dragged one of the giant boar carcasses.

“Didn’t you hear?” Prominence interjected, “The increased rewards are only for today. Plus, I doubt the headmaster would have the time to join us on such expeditions other than today.”

“Uh-huh, and these things are heavy! Even with three of us on one, dragging it all the way through the forest is a total nightmare,” Locktekei added, his complaint resonating with the shared sentiment of the group.

Victor listened to their chatter and secretly shook his head at their complaints. But that was the truth; the only reason they could manage to transport the carcasses with just three to a beast was thanks to their bodies being enhanced by inverted mana. Without this enhancement, a group of ten people would struggle to accomplish the same feat and likely would find themselves collapsing before reaching the academy’s boundaries.

“Urgh… I feel utterly filthy.” MsMelody cried out as she assisted in carrying the second giant boar. Even a female player like her was no weaker than the other male players, thanks to mana.

“Man… I’m definitely in need of a lengthy bath after this…” SuperNova chimed in, releasing a prolonged sigh.

The enchantments woven into the acolyte robes might have provided some degree of cleanliness, but they were not impervious. Streaks of dirt and grime found their way onto the players’ faces, and occasional tumbles to the ground while evading attacks only added to the mess. This, however, was a natural part of doing combat.

They still have a lot to learn, Victor thought. Yet, through this expedition, he had ascertained their capability to undertake hunting endeavors without his direct intervention.

The plan for the next day was set; he would replicate this hunting session with the other team. Following that, the players would need to rely on their own initiative for such undertakings. His role would transition to ensuring that hunting missions, complete with necessary prerequisites, were available and accessible to the players via the mission list.

Not long after, they finally reached a clearing that was the academy grounds. Victor then instructed the players to deliver the giant boars to the kitchen before dismissing them. He himself switched the giant boar in his interspatial ring with the Mossback Turtle to dump it on the makeshift morgue right outside the Nexus Tower.

The players cheered and swiftly headed toward the public bath once they had done their job. Really, modern people and their ingrained habits of frequent bathing — though he understood the sentiment, it was something he distanced himself from even now because of years of living in this seemingly medieval-like world at first. Not that it was truly medieval, with steam technology and airships being common and all in developed cities.

As Victor didn’t join the players to go into the public bath, he made his way to his office. The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by the immediate appearance of a fairy, her wings fluttering energetically as she hovered in the air.

“Master! I have great news!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Oh?” Victor raised an eyebrow at the whimsical Lizbeth as he stepped inside. “It’s a rare sight to see you this excited, Liz. Does this have to do with the program? Have you managed to complete it?”

“Indeed, I have!” Lizbeth struck a victorious pose, flashing a peace sign as her smile widened with glee. “The program is ready and successfully compiled. All that’s missing is a computer to execute it.”

“Lizbeth, you really are my golden goose!” It wasn’t too far-fetched to say that Lizbeth was Victor’s true cheat in this world, not the System. As long as she stayed on his side, even conquering the world was not an impossibility.

“I require more praise.” She showed a spoiled princess-like smug posture.

“Alright, alright.” Victor played along, amused. “Lizbeth, you are my one and only indispensable partner in crime, as mischievous as you are proficient. You might slack off sometimes, but when it comes down to it, you’re dependable.”

Lizbeth tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Victor shrugged with an equally snarky smirk. “I suppose so. It’s my genuine impression of you.”

“Well, I suppose I can live with that.” A playful glint streaked across her eyes as she projected a vivid holographic screen toward Victor and said, “Now, without further ado, let me present to you my masterpiece.”

Victor leaned in to see the fruits of her labor, curious about her creation. And completely dumbfounded he was. His eyes widened in astonishment as he took in the complex array of programs that were woven together, that it could very well be a working application. Like seriously, the level of sophistication and intricacy was staggering.

To think that she accomplished such a feat single-handedly in a mere two days was unbelievable… Victor couldn’t help but wonder, just where in the world did she acquire such advanced knowledge?

“Lizbeth, you’re crazy! Are you absolutely certain you’re not some form of AI?” Victor couldn’t help but voice his suspicions, squinting his eyes as he scrutinized the tiny fairy.

Lizbeth, however, did not take his words lightly as her expression shifted to one of offense. “How dare you! Accuse me of being an AI one more time, and you can forget about any further help from me!” she yelled.

Caught off guard by her reaction, Victor quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa, I didn’t mean to offend you. My apologies.” There goes again… my habit of making fun of her.

But despite that, Victor let out a chuckle inwardly — her antics were indeed amusing. Though he knew it was wise to tread carefully and not provoke her further; he couldn’t lose his precious asset, after all.

“Hmph! Consider yourself lucky; I’m feeling generous enough to let this slide just for now!” Lizbeth declared, her petite form puffing up as if to assert her authority.

“Of course, of course, your wisdom knows no bounds, O Great Lizbeth,” Victor responded with an impish bow.

AstraMagically