Surviving at the Magic Academy

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I stared into the mirror.

The reflection showed a face that looked a decade older, gaunt and worn. Fatigue had darkened the area under my eyes, the dark circles flowing down to my chin. It was evident that I had spent the last three days and nights lost in endless worry.

How on earth was I supposed to conduct that lecture?

I looked around the room. An explosive surge of magic swirled around me. This was one of the rooms on the fourth floor, transformed mostly into my Workshop over time, saturated with my own power. If I kept channeling my magic here for about a month, I could completely tame it.

It was nothing compared to my old underground Workshop. Thousands of times more efficient, impeccable security, and vast enough to do anything. It was the perfect Workshop I had always dreamed of.

But there was nothing funny about it. That damn lecture was the problem.

I had no grasp on how to proceed with the lecture. I thought about going out to seek help, but quickly dismissed that idea.

There was no one I knew, and everywhere around was just mountains; I had no idea where to go. Besides, who would help me? I wouldn’t be able to pay for it anyway without any credits.

In the end, I had to squeeze all that I had been given and somehow complete the lecture proposal.

I had considered various plans.

First, a lecture about magic books. Those old magic tomes displayed in the Library. What if I shared them with the students and led discussions about the knowledge and magic contained within?

I thought this had a decent chance. All I needed to do was throw the books at them. The students could interpret the tomes and learn on their own.

But there was a huge problem. I lacked the capability to supervise that class. How could I lead the students when I didn’t fully understand the tomes myself? As someone who barely learned two spells in a month, this was simply impossible.

So, I scrapped that plan. What if I focused on practical application instead? Thus, I toyed with the idea of a hands-on lecture.

Letting students duel with each other. They could build experience and acquire skills through combat. I thought it was a brilliant idea.

But there was clearly a flaw again. Like before, how would I supervise it? How would I grade them? I ended up scrapping this idea too.

So far, dozens of lecture ideas popped into my head only to fade away due to limitations.

One undeniable truth stood out among all those lectures: I was the sole creator of every limit.

Because I was weak, lacking the depth of knowledge, every class came to a standstill. I ultimately realized I wasn’t capable of conducting a lecture.

It was, after all, quite obvious.

I was just a freshman barely entering the University. How could I teach other mages who might have been working for years? No matter how I thought about it, it was impossible.

So I pondered various scenarios over the past few days.

The most certain thing was the help from Professor Ilian. If she could help me even a little, there was a chance I could construct a class. Maybe a survival lecture or a practical-focused class.

But after declaring that she would leave everything to me, she had been stuck at the top of the Tower, not moving an inch. When I sent up several proposals just in case, her magic came soaring down from the Tower and slapped me right on the head. With that stinging pain, I had no choice but to give up on seeking her help.

I felt a tiny bit of resentment towards her. Why did she throw this problem onto me? Knowing full well I lacked the capability, why, oh why?

That resentment quickly spiraled back to my past self. Why did I bother trying so hard? I could have slacked off, and none of this would have happened.

But the damage was already done. The face staring back at me in the mirror was the result. This exhausted state was overwhelming.

I couldn’t let it stay like this.

I was at a complete loss for answers. However, I couldn’t give up here. I had to present something to Professor Ilian by the end of this week.

“Damn it, if I could toss this responsibility back like Professor Ilian does, I wouldn’t be worrying like this…”

I angrily threw the mirror down. It shattered on the floor. The waiting doll swiftly approached and started cleaning up the shards.

Wait a second.

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. I felt like I had just said something enormous.

What did I say? I replayed the situation in my mind. I threw the mirror. It broke, and the doll came by to clean it up. But before that?

I was irritated. If only I could toss this burden like Professor Ilian.

Yes, that’s it. That thought cleared my mind.

Professor Ilian had shoved everything onto me. And that was why I, with no abilities, was struggling.

So, couldn’t I just do the same?

That thought began to engulf me. Perhaps this was a kind of surrender state. But hope was all I had left. Anyway, I was lacking in both capability and knowledge to conduct the lecture.

Then the only option left was to find someone to handle it for me.

But there was a problem. Who on Earth could I trust with it?

That was where my thought process hit a wall. I didn’t know anyone in the University. I had no knowledge about the place. Speaking to Professor Ilian about it would surely end badly.

So, who could I hand this to? That thought began swirling in my mind, shaking my unstable soul and causing pain. I bit down on my teeth.

Damn it, instead of taking it easy, I was still pushing myself, leaving my unstable body and soul struggling to find their place. Remembering those damned eyes made my soul scream.

“Wait.”

I looked at my broken body and soul.

And then it hit me, Professor Ilian had said something.

The being was among her treasures, among the gentler ones. In front of such beings, I was like a mere ant. Although I felt inadequate, it didn’t mean others were vastly stronger than me.

Even if there were students stronger and more accomplished than I, standing in front of those treasures, they would just be slightly larger ants.

What I lacked was strength.

And there were plenty of strong ones in the Tower.

Treasures, yes. Professor Ilian’s treasures. From the sixth to the ninth floors, the treasures she carefully selected emitted immense magic.

It was terrifying to come down here. Although Professor Ilian said they had been stabilized, my heart raced every time I passed the room filled with those treasures.

These were beings far too strong for me to approach.

Even their absentminded magic flow could melt me in an instant. I almost lost my senses in a battle to contain the soured remnants of magic seeping through the barriers. 

Then the memory of entering the sixth floor to clean resurfaced. The bizarre magic that transformed the very floor. Back then, I could do nothing but flee from that overwhelming power.

If I just tossed students into them, wouldn’t the treasures handle it? Well, they’d surely learn something from that experience. As I turned my thoughts to using the treasures, several ideas for lectures popped into my mind.

I quickly unfolded the scroll and began jotting them down. The thoughts erupted forth, releasing all the pent-up ideas accumulated over those three days.

All mages love treasures. No, upon seeing them, they would lose their senses and dive right in. Each treasure was like a lifeline to them.

What if I distributed that among students? I could turn the class into a treasure hunt.

I had no idea what was in that storage. Just toss the students in there and the ones snagging treasures would keep them. People would flock for sure, and I’d have nothing to do.

In front of the lecture proposal I had crafted, I trembled with excitement. A class so perfect! Was this what Professor Ilian thought I could figure out? With that thought, it felt like she knew my limits better than I did.

But the moment I thought of Professor Ilian, my energy suddenly faded. I had planned with the treasures, but Professor Ilian was the issue.

Those treasures were items she had accumulated over her lifetime. Just handing them over seemed like it could spell disaster. It’s likely I’d get my head knocked off for a slip of the tongue.

While conducting the class this way, I needed to ensure it wouldn’t rub her the wrong way. I had to resolve this problem.

Another day passed.

Carefully passing by the treacherous treasures emanating deadly magic, I climbed towards the tenth floor. The stairs leading to the tenth floor were blocked by a barrier, and a small sign dangled beside it.

It must be telling me to ring that bell.

Gingerly charging my magic, I rang the bell. An explosive current surged from within, and a spirit emerged, screaming. Startled, I stumbled backward. It was immediately sucked beyond the barrier.

I gazed intently at the bell. It suddenly clicked: I had seen that somewhere before. A memory of Professor Ilian boasting about it floated back.

It had surely housed an immense number of spirits, exuding dreadful magic. But now it was transformed into a doorbell? I burst into a hollow laugh.

Moments later, the barrier opened and the stairs were revealed. I slowly ascended them toward the tenth floor.

It was, once again, a beautiful room. The view through the walls made the room feel like a part of the very nature around it. At the center of the room, Professor Ilian lay in bed, receiving a massage from her Butler.

The tenth floor was her bedroom, Workshop, and office all rolled into one. The massive magic erupting from this mountain flowed through her body according to the ebb and flow of her Workshop. Just watching that powerful flow was enough to fry my brain.

Cradling a thick stack of papers that could be a book, I quietly approached her. I glanced at her face. She looked quite pleased, a smile stretching from ear to ear. I decided to ask for permission first.

“Professor Ilian, I’m really sorry to intrude while you’re resting.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. What’s the matter?”

“I’ve drafted a lecture proposal and came to bring it to you. I hoped you could take a look at it.”

She opened her eyes slightly. Then she beckoned me with her finger. Cautiously, I unfolded the paper and held it up in front of her. Using her magic, she grasped it and began reading slowly.

“A treasure hunt?”

“Yes. Students will search for treasures, and whoever finds one gets to keep it. That’s what I’ve envisioned for the lecture. I believed this would suit the structure of our Tower the best.”

“Are you talking about the treasures I collected?”

Her magic flowed chaotically, that explosive current palpable. I quickly bowed my head, as her magic breezed by. It was an instinctual movement, likely from having been hit too many times in the past. When I saw her magic about to move again, I raised both hands.

“Just let me finish my story!”

The magic paused mid-flight. It floated right up to my face. Cold sweat dripped off me. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if I got hit by that.

“Go on. If I don’t like it, I’ll toss it right out the window.”

I sneakily peeked out the window. The sheer drop greeted me. If I fell from here, with all that magic, I wouldn’t even be able to fly; I would surely become a bloody mess. Taking a deep breath, I continued.

“I felt painfully unable to build a decent lecture. Professor Ilian, you made me realize this wasn’t something I could pull off alone. So, with that intention, I set out to seek help. I wondered what could provide me the most assistance in our Tower, and came to the conclusion that it was your treasures.”

Professor Ilian stared intently at me. Annoyance still flickered in her eyes. I had to pique her interest quickly. I continued without delay.

“The treasure hunt is the result of that. From the sixth to the ninth floors, we can open those treasure vaults. Students will surely flock to find them!”

“But they’ll take them.”

She frowned as she spoke. I had expected that scenario. Over the past day, I devised all sorts of plans to handle this situation.

And recalling Professor Ilian’s character, I could come up with a fitting approach for her. I spread my arms out dramatically and exclaimed.

“We’ll just keep them from taking anything! We’ll set up all sorts of traps to block them.”

As I expected.

Professor Ilian‘s eyes began to sparkle. A hint of interest glimmered within. It was a method tailored to appeal to her as an explorer.

She was well aware of the process of seeking treasures. Usually, all treasure hunts required one to pass through all sorts of traps protecting them. She must have understood that difficulty from firsthand experience.

There was no way she could casually dismiss a situation that involved torturing others, so I had hit the nail on the head. Professor Ilian leaned forward slightly and started reading through the proposal.

“Oh, this sounds fun.”

“Just barely missing out, still leaving them wanting more. Next class, they’ll definitely be riled up. And then, they’d despair in front of those traps, having to turn back with the treasure right in front of their eyes.”

I threw in as much imagination as I could to depict their despair. Accordingly, Professor Ilian‘s face lit up. She clapped her hands, utterly pleased.

“I’ll make the traps!”

Awesome. I sighed in relief internally. The traps were the biggest concern of this treasure hunt. No matter how I pieced it together, I’d still fall short.

However, if I could catch Professor Ilian’s interest enough, I anticipated she would take it upon herself to help. With her participation, I wouldn’t have to worry about traps. In fact, the students would be the ones in danger.

This would lessen the burden on me considerably. Honestly, all I would have to do was guide those who came looking for help.

If it didn’t meet her expectations, I’d need to come up with another lecture idea. From what I observed in her reaction, it seemed like this was going well, but it was still too early to breathe easy.

Having little to do meant almost everything would fall to her hands in terms of conducting the class.

This was drastically different from what Professor Ilian had declared to me. She must have sensed that I had implicitly handed back the authority to her.

If she found that uncomfortable, it was certain I’d get clobbered again. I monitored her with a jumpy tension, only to find her cheerfully reading through the lecture proposal. Thankfully, this meant she seemed to approve of it.

I bowed deeply, offering my condolences to the participants. Knowing her, I could only imagine how immensely cruel the traps she would set would be. I simply must not attend this class.

Yet something felt off. An ominous feeling engulfed me. What was wrong? Stealthily, I lifted my head to gauge Professor Ilian’s demeanor. She was grinning at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Seems you’ll have little to do. You’ll have to attend this class too. It’s your punishment for handing it off to me.”

Damn, I hadn’t anticipated this. My vision went dark.

 

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