Surviving at the Magic Academy

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The tree in my chest gave a subtle vibrate. From that vibration, magic stretched like thread and quietly slipped out through the tips of my fingers.

I slowly moved the magic that I had pulled out. It wriggled like a snake, heading towards Mira, who lay on the crafting table.

The magic burrowed into her chest. I held my breath and focused. It was time to put in some serious work.

The thread slowly wrapped around her heart. At that moment, her heart felt my magic and exploded with mist.

Trusting the flow of the mist, it soon returned to her heart. My magic’s thread began to carve into the heart, following the mist.

I adjusted the interior little by little, handling the magic slowly. This was preliminary work to enter a dream. It was something I had learned over the past month from many experiences.

I had to mark the doll with magic so that the client wouldn’t get completely swept away in their dreams. This was something the doll manipulators under Koit had shared with me.

Once I finished marking, I calmly closed my eyes. I could tell that a kind of signal originating from her was being sent to me.

I nodded. This should be enough. With that, I drew the thread of magic away from her. Mira let out a light sigh.

“Are you okay?”

“Hehe, yes. It’s a really fascinating experience. Having someone else’s magic etched into my body, you know?”

She said, lightly stroking her chest. Then she lifted herself up. I supported her as she checked her body.

Was it due to the magic from just now? There seemed to be a slight error. I gently touched her body, delicately refining her form. I had to be thorough to withstand the dream.

“Alright, let’s get up now.”

She stretched her arms wide and placed her feet on the ground, standing up. A captivating scent seemed to waft from her body, clad in a floaty fabric.

She picked up a small pair of glasses that had been lying on the crafting table and began to examine them. Eventually, she put them on and smiled at me.

“How do I look? Do they suit me?”

She tipped the glasses up slightly with her finger and leaned towards me. They were a kind of prop for this dream. I nodded lightly.

Then I sent my will to the tree in my chest. Instantly, the dolls waiting for me responded to my will and began to rise. They bounced towards Mira.

Slowly, the dolls began to undress her. Mira accepted these dolls’ actions very naturally and turned her body with a light cough.

After a moment of rustling sounds, the dolls moved away from her and returned to their positions.

I glanced at Mira. She was wearing the loose robe that magicians often wore. The robe displayed an exquisite hue.

When she wore all her clothes, she looked very dignified. She gently raised her hand and shook the robe.

As I saw the robe lightly flopping, I took a string from her pocket and subtly tied it around her waist.

“How does it look?”

Mira felt the string and nodded in satisfaction. She smoothly twirled around and examined herself, then laughed lightly.

“Hehe, it’s new for me to have Ebron-san moving for me like this. It’s really fun. I’ve been asked to visit the dreams often from now on, and I’m a little interested.”

She covered her mouth and smiled slyly. Hearing those words made me slightly squirm. It felt a bit off.

She was my doll. This time, she was entering the dream due to a kind of commission. But now she wanted to do it again just for interest—this was unacceptable.

“Shall we go then? Everyone should be waiting.”

Mira leaned her head against me. And she naturally linked her arm with mine. I slowly led her out of this vast room.

I glanced back. The room displayed quite a luxurious appearance. It was the place assigned to Mira. She had stayed here for the past month, undergoing some training.

That month had passed quickly. Another treasure had conducted a lecture in the tower, and I had also been able to attend Professor On’s class.

Throughout that process, Mira had been apart from me. I quietly placed a hand on my chest. The discomfort I felt just now could be seen as a kind of jealousy.

This was the first time she had been away from my side. Realizing that made me smile bitterly. Mira noticed my mood and smiled softly.

We walked slowly down the corridor. At the end, I could see a gigantic door. Magic was seeping out through the cracks like water.

Over the past month, I had witnessed many dreams. From very simple dreams to complex ones. Within those, Koit had me create dolls—dolls fitting for the dreams.

As I stood before the door, I could feel connections arising from the dolls beyond it. They would be the ones entering the dream with Mira.

Standing at the door, I carefully knocked. I heard faint sounds of rustling from inside. When I opened the door and entered, a massive chamber lay before me.

The space, large enough to accommodate a few turtles, was filled with intense magic, just as I had felt from beyond the door.

This magic flowed towards the magical circle that filled the chamber. I slowly surveyed the magical circle.

The circuits pulsing in the magical circle hungrily absorbed magic, looking as if they would explode at any moment.

However, the magical circle had been finely tuned. During my time wandering through the dream theater, I had seen many such rooms.

This dream theater had five rooms, and depending on the price of the dream, one would determine which room to use.

The dreams I had seen until now had been the cheapest items. Those rooms were incredibly small. This was the first time I had entered this room.

This was said to be the second largest room. Nodding at the intricate magical circle suited to the score, I realized I couldn’t quite grasp its structure at my level.

As the magical circle shimmered, several dolls were working on it. Those were the dolls manipulated by Koit.

All of those dolls were beautiful and possessed striking appearances as we passed by, moving towards the magical circle.

In the center of that magical circle, Koit was engaged in conversation with someone, dressed in very flashy clothes. The ring on his finger gleamed brilliantly.

“Oh, I guess that person is our guest,”

Mira remarked. I nodded and quickened my steps. Koit glanced at us and lightly gestured.

It was an exaggerated gesture as if trying to make us aware of our presence. As we walked toward him, the protagonist creating today’s dream came into view.

It was a woman with a cold, distant expression. She glanced at us, and I could sense a thread of suspicion blooming in her eyes.

I rummaged through my mind to recall the contents of the paper Koit had shared about her while preparing for this dream.

She was a mage named Rumira. It was noted that she had stayed on the 6th floor and had attempted to ascend to the 7th several times. It had been added that she had used nearly all her points for this commission.

Koit approached me and patted my shoulder, giving a mild smile. Then he bowed deeply to Rumira.

For now, she could be considered a guest to me as well. Therefore, I had to give my best effort. Mira also lightly bowed next to me.

“These two will be in charge of this dream. Quite trustworthy, right?”

Koit said with a big smile. Rumira emitted magic, scanning me from head to toe. Mira received the same treatment.

Accepting the flow, I felt her magic brush past my tree. Rumira clicked her tongue lightly as she looked at me.

“This weakling is going to handle my dream?”

As she said that, she glanced at Mira. Her magic was smoothly subdued, blocked by Mira. Mira met her gaze and smiled gently.

“The doll next to me is indeed the one that he made. As you’ve checked, it’s a very impressive doll. You’ll be pleased in the dream.”

Koit smiled at Mira. Rumira, alternating her gaze between us, shot Koit a look filled with suspicion.

“If the dream is weird, I’ll demand a refund. I’ll be watching.”

“Of course, that’s only natural. Now, let’s go in. All the actors have gathered, after all. We’ll begin preparations right away.”

As Rumira quickly surveyed the three of us, she turned her body. A doll from Koit approached her.

While being escorted by that doll, she headed towards the center of the magical circle. There, a bed lay—a bed that could also resemble a coffin.

“Just get in and calm your magic. Then I’ll guide the client into the dream.”

Koit called out loudly. Rumira, staring at him, nodded. She laid her body down on the bed.

Then, the waiting dolls covered the bed’s lid. As they did, magic surrounded the bed and sealed it off.

It was clear that whatever we said inside wouldn’t be heard. After verifying that, Koit changed from a smiling demeanor to a serious one and clicked his tongue.

“Ugh, how troublesome.”

Then he casually stretched lightly. I quietly peeked at him as he grumbled softly. As if feeling my gaze, Koit met my eyes.

“What if you really want a refund?”

It was a light question to ease the tension before work. He gave a sly smile, gently pinching his double chin.

“That’s just how our business works. Mages are always sensitive to their own interests. So, all you have to do is give undeniable satisfaction.”

Koit looked Mira up and down. He grinned widely, flashing a thumb up.

“Very good. That fellow seems quite satisfied too. Perfect.”

At that remark, I nodded. Mira lightly adjusted her glasses. Her current appearance was a reflection of Rumira’s preferences.

Did it also need to encapsulate the guest’s tastes? I stared at Koit with that question in mind. He flashed a bright smile, showing his teeth in return.

As he clapped lightly, the dolls adjusting the magical circle gathered around. He nodded in satisfaction as he looked at their beautiful forms.

“In dreams, coherence isn’t important. The most crucial thing is a sort of persuasive power. As long as it seems plausible, the dream will flow naturally. And the easiest way to gain that persuasive power is to gain their favor.”

Koit smiled at the dolls. They began to slowly exit the magical circle in alignment with his smile. He directly faced Mira with his gaze.

“Exactly. The charm that enchants people is indeed the quality of an ace. Your doll fulfills that perfectly. I didn’t suggest this business for no reason.”

He extended his hand politely towards Mira. She gently grasped it. Then Koit shook her hand lightly.

Releasing her hand, he extended his palm towards me as well. Cautiously grabbing it, he beamed brightly.

It was a contrast to the previous avaricious smile—this one radiated the craftsmanship of a doll manipulator. He shrugged lightly.

“So, I’m counting on you for today’s dream. Your roles are very important.”

He patted my shoulder. I nodded slightly. And I sneaked a glance at the coffin positioned at the center of the magical circle.

I had preconceived notions of dreams. What is a dream? One could say it’s a collection of experiences.

Everything we had seen, heard, and done piled up to take flight in dreams. Meaning, we couldn’t embed things we hadn’t experienced in the dream. That was one limit of dreams.

So, I hadn’t placed much value on dreams. Other mages likely felt the same. After all, mages didn’t necessarily need to sleep.

But this dream theater was slightly different. Koit waved his fingers. Magic began to arise from his fingertips, moving in complex patterns.

“Now, let’s put your dolls in.”

Koit clapped his hands. Following that, I signaled towards the dolls that had been waiting on one side of the vast chamber. My dolls began to move.

They would become the key to fulfilling Rumira’s dream. The dolls each took positions at the heart of the magical circle, settling down quietly.

I glanced at Koit. Using my dolls rather than his wasn’t different. Mira was the one situated at the center of this magical circle.

This meant that this dream we would create required a certain cohesion. Koit’s magic began to seep into the magical circle.

Mira lightly tapped my chest and relaxed her arms. She headed toward the center of the magical circle, to the spot where the coffin was located.

She perched on the coffin and began to hum a tune. She appeared quite happy.

With each magical gesture from Koit, the magical circle began to tremble. He motioned subtly for me to leave the magical circle.

Carefully, I moved, crossing through the circuits that filled the chamber. Following closely behind me, Koit began enveloping the magical circle with his magic.

As such, the magical circle started to violently sway. The dolls at the center also reacted similarly. The circuits began to engulf this massive chamber.

Slowly, Koit’s body, pouring out powerful magic, started to grow thinner. The several layers of his double chin faded, revealing a slender jawline.

Eventually, when he had become so emaciated that only skin and bones remained, the magical circle began to float in the air.

After a while of swirling, the magical circle became hazy like mist. To the extent that I couldn’t recognize the scenery inside.

And how much time had passed? The mist gradually began to settle. I scanned the surroundings lightly.

In that chamber, there was nothing but a single coffin. The dolls that had entered the magical circle had also vanished.

I slowly closed my eyes and traced the signals of those dolls. I felt a faint connection reaching towards me from somewhere. It seemed I had properly landed in this dream world.

“Thanks to you, this dream will become more perfect.”

Koit murmured as he again cast magic. His body grew even thinner. His magic began to permeate into the coffin.

“I didn’t expect all your dolls to have a slight consciousness. They’re things I find hard to make as well. Mauro will surely love them.”

As he added that, he began to finely tune his magic. Along with that, something began to digest my dolls. The connection towards me also wavered.

Calmly closing my eyes, I gently severed that connection. As such, my dolls began to slowly slip into the dream. The connection entirely disappeared, allowing them to be completely immersed in dreams.

Except for the kind of marking I had engraved on their hearts, they were entirely separated from me. Feeling a slight pang of deprivation in my chest, I clicked my tongue.

I had practiced a few times, but I wasn’t fully adjusting to this sensation. I glanced at Koit. He seemed to be energetically manipulating magic.

Severing the connection with the dolls was crucial. Only dolls could enter the dream.

If I kept the connection going, the dream would flow into me as well. Thus, I had to leave the dolls behind in the dream.

As Koit said, the ones called aces all had consciousness. Some were made by him, and others by the doll manipulators under him.

The consciousness was incredibly perfect, as Mira demonstrated. But they didn’t dream. Hence, those dolls were able to enter other people’s dreams.

This dream was no different. As I severed the last connection with Mira at its center, I let out a light sigh.

The core of Mira was the Mist Heart, essentially a treasure. She was like a doll. Because she was the treasure’s body, she didn’t dream.

Yet, that powerful force was excellent for acting as an anchor for dreams. It was also why Koit coveted Mira.

Koit ceased releasing magic and staggered over to me. I sat him down at a table and poured a cup of tea to offer.

“Now, let’s skillfully manipulate this dream. The theme of the dream was the tower and realization. It’ll be quite the interesting play.”

Koit sipped his tea as he spoke. He busily rummaged through his clothing. From it, a few orbs popped out. He swallowed them in one go and let out a big yawn.

As that skinny body began to swell back up, he returned to his previous form. He softly patted his belly and smiled cheekily.

He waved his hand and his magic began to undulate above, condensing into a sphere.

That hardened into a shape resembling crystal orbs. It was something I had seen numerous times. Koit’s unique magic, revealing dream landscapes.

Koit placed the enormous crystal orb, the size of a human torso, on the table. He lightly tapped its surface with a finger.

At that, the black mist contained within shimmered, and a scene brightened, revealing a woman. A woman with a cold expression—Rumira.

She stiffened her gaze slightly and began to scan her surroundings. Before her stood a colossal tower.

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