Surviving at the Magic Academy

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“Growth is the process of becoming a better version of oneself.”

Going up is about surpassing who you were and transforming into something new. This desire for growth and ascension has always existed in everyone.

It wasn’t just the story of mages. The moment magic resides within, it seeks to contain more magic. That’s precisely why monsters abound in this world.

Animals could absorb magic more easily into their bodies. They instinctively engraved it upon themselves. The mutated monsters that came from this began to form a new kind that passed their blood to their offspring.

These creatures dream of ascension, driven by their ingrained instincts. That’s why monsters went wild whenever they saw a mage. It was like a superfood for their bodies. Thus, battles with monsters were a constant at the borders of the empire.

This wasn’t limited to living beings, either. Ascension occurred in non-living things as well. In lands where magic had sedimented over time, in rocks struck by lightning, in shadows that lingered for long periods—at the end of accumulation, they grew and ascended.

They rise and die; they rise and break apart. Only a few survive amidst the countless remnants, reaching this very moment. It was sure to continue this way into the future.

The very existence of a mage reflected this too. Knowledge and magic are types of records. After passing down what many have learned from their deaths to build a better foundation, this system of magic evolved.

Indeed, everything imbued with magic possesses a tendency to grow and aspire to ascend.

This was no different coming from me.

It was the first week since we returned to the tower. At first, Kashian tried to leave upon seeing us enter. The tower was forbidden territory for her. We managed to catch her before she could go.

Getting Kashian into the tower wasn’t hard. The professor was asleep, so her magic flowed gently. In the mist of Mira, Kashian wouldn’t disturb the professor’s nerves.

So, as you can see, Kashian roamed around the tower, rolling about. In the central hall on the first floor, she sat quietly watching the busy moving dolls. A dazed light flickered in her blank eyes.

In hindsight, letting a person or two into the tower could have been pretty easy. I thought if I needed to, I could ask the professor, and it wouldn’t be a big deal. I just hadn’t thought about it so far.

Why would I want to bring someone else into the tower? They’d surely be untrustworthy. But in that respect, Kashian seemed quite reliable. I had a good handle on her personality, and we were bound by a promise.

There was no reason for her to harm us, and if she did, Mira could control her. So, I was even considering asking the professor to let her in once she woke up.

It seemed too wasteful to only use her for five years. If her talent was special, wouldn’t it be necessary to keep her in the tower for research and application for a long time? It was good for both of us, and there was no reason not to choose the path where everyone would be happy.

Speaking of which, Mira had mentioned something. She was chatting with Kashian, saying that the limit of what Kashian could handle with her physical body was currently the sixth floor.

But that was okay. After all, I didn’t plan on advancing beyond that for now. However, someday, I would have to face those eyes. And I would make sure to return the pain I endured to her. I made that promise.

The dolls Kashian and Mira were watching weren’t under my control. I too absently observed them. The shadow dolls moved quite naturally, sparking with two stars that formed their identities.

In the two months I was gone, they underwent tremendous changes. At the center of it all was that one creature.

I looked at Unit 0. It moved here and there, giving instructions to the dolls. In response, the shadow dolls naturally collaborated to redecorate the tower. The dolls it had personally created hung around like sculptures.

I quietly admired those sculptures. They were all quite quirky. Some had dozens of legs, some dozens of arms, others had dozens of heads. They still held a bit of magic, it seemed, as those heads stared directly at me.

Unit 0 said it wanted to decorate the first floor however it pleased, so I let it do so. I was curious about how far it could go. It was now splendidly managing the shadow dolls.

I carefully scanned Unit 0. Since it was made based on me, it looked exactly like me. Even the clothes were identical. The robe made of shadow perfectly reflected my taste.

But there was something new embedded in its chest. Something familiar to me. A fake tree. I chuckled bitterly. It had implanted it into its own body.

While I was off to Canyon City with Kashian, I had given it a fake tree and entrusted the tower’s management to it. It was the only one I could trust.

And it had flawlessly managed the tower while I was gone. It dealt with certain anomalies that arose in the tower and self-resolved various magical errors. The results were truly astonishing.

And in that process, the fake tree had lodged itself into its body. I was quite surprised when I first saw it. I had no idea how that happened.

This was understandable. Unit 0 and the fake tree each had distinct personalities. So I hadn’t considered merging them. Who knew what would happen due to that conflict?

But coming back after two months to a different city, I didn’t expect this would happen. It sent me the message that it was the only way.

It said the first month was fine. But the subsequent months were a problem. Perhaps because I had been gone too long, the shadow selves became stagnant. Maintaining their state was possible by clinging to the fake tree, but further growth became impossible.

Within that, the shadow selves began to solidify. They lost purpose, and limits started to show. I had anticipated some of these issues before leaving. That’s why I left the minimum number possible behind.

Unit 0 said it couldn’t just watch its younger siblings like that. Hearing that left me a bit moved. Younger siblings, huh? I must have raised it quite well. Truly the firstborn.

It sent me word that it had pondered various methods. Then it recalled my shadow tree. And the fake tree. The reason for the selves to grow was that my shadow tree provided stability.

So, it wondered if it too could do that, and in that thought, it implanted the fake tree into its body. Since it resembled me, it thought it would become the center by connecting to the fake tree.

That was a very risky attempt. It didn’t detail the process, but just from the leftover traces on its body, I could tell it had suffered greatly. The process would have been profoundly painful and very lengthy.

And at the end of it, it had transformed. It had achieved communion with the dolls’ selves flowing through the fake tree and moved like another tree. The fake tree had thus become another tree inside its body.

It even connected over the star-like gallaxy to my shadow tree. My bond with it had also solidified within that.

The previous version of it only maintained a connection with me. But the current version was half-absorbed into my shadow tree, based on that fake tree. It seemed quite satisfied, as a deep sense of contentment radiated from it.

Even now, it was joyfully moving the dolls, laughing with satisfaction. I heard that the dolls moved a bit more naturally as I returned.

Indeed, everyone yearned for growth. Even the shadows born from me. That creature, against all odds, carved out a new direction.

This was unexpected. But it was a joyful occurrence. The fake tree was no longer a fake. It transformed into something with a new form that could be called its tree. Of course, its limits were certainly clear.

At that moment, it suddenly began to cough. It seemed like it was trying to expel something inside. After a heaving cough, a specter was vomited out of its mouth. It floated around for a moment before returning straight into Unit 0’s mouth.

It gulped it down while making a face. It was a minor side effect resulting from the connection with the fake tree. Mira laughed with amusement while watching it.

Aside from that, there were no other significant issues. After many repairs and experiments, I found this out. I observed the shadow dolls moving under its control. Their selves had evolved from having just one star to two.

It was a result of everyone achieving growth amidst that crisis. They had enriched my shadow tree a little bit more. My methods weren’t in vain. I smiled with satisfaction at that.

In the shadow of Unit 0 were dozens and hundreds of stars. And they interconnected to weave one self. That was the direction I aimed for.

The one who had stacked the most stars so far was the bear doll. It had six stars. Two came from me, and four were directed towards Kashian.

The next was the butler. It had five stars, stemming from the professor’s magic.

It didn’t take much interest in the information of the shadow tree. It just filled its body with that magic alone. That was already a remarkable growth.

Next was the turtle. I lightly patted the turtle hanging around its neck. It gently nipped at my finger. This little guy was born with two stars from the start. Now it had four. It was thanks to the effort put into its creation.

In this way, the selves grew and created their own constellations. Each form was unique. Amidst that, they blossomed their own individuality. Well, most of them only had one star so far, though.

More communication, more interaction, more information was needed. And for that, lectures were necessary. I let out a small sigh. The current lectures had their limits.

The student reviews proved that. The scores had plummeted. After returning, I thought a lot. What exactly had I messed up in the last five years? There were three main issues.

The first was that I had no intention of giving away treasure at all. I wrote the syllabus claiming there would be opportunities to find treasure. Many students signed up for our lecture because of that.

But aside from that first bait given to Jun, no one else obtained treasure. Did the students truly not understand our intentions? That was reflected in the scores.

The second was related to the first. I hadn’t provided them with enough benefits. I recalled Professor Heisen’s tower. The very Unit 0, which had become my reliable support, originated from there.

As I show now, its potential was extremely high. Truly a work of the professor. Other lectures might be similarly affected. Students, or at least those who passed, should have been given some benefit.

But I hadn’t done that. The only one who came away with something from this lecture was Jun, and that could not be helped. If the professor had no intention of giving away treasure, what could I provide?

The third was my problem. Exactly where was I in this class? A student, or a teaching assistant? I found myself in an ambiguous position between the two.

As they left in their reviews, I stirred them up. And I incited conflicts. From that, I managed to pull out the scores. Their antagonism arose from that. That too led to lower evaluations.

These three were the issues.

In reality, I didn’t really understand lectures well. I had experienced only one directly. Thinking back, even Professor Heisen’s lecture only cost five thousand points to register. Despite that valuable shadow she provided.

Of course, the environment was quite unfavorable. Once top students took up space in the shadow world, those below couldn’t improve their skills at all.

Those on the lower tiers simply fed power to shadows and ultimately got eliminated. Thus, the struggles of five years went down the drain. So that evaluation must have been pretty poor too. That was clearly reflected in the prices.

Yet, people flocked to his lectures. Students confident in their skills participated in that lecture to acquire shadows. The rewards when passing were very clear.

All lectures had their unique features. I learned that while gathering information for other lectures. What unique feature did ours possess? It was the treasure. That’s where the issue arose from not distributing it.

I crossed my arms. Truthfully, I was somewhat worried about that part while looking into other lectures. But without a clear solution, I just brushed it aside, and that had now led to such problems.

I recalled when I planned the lectures. It was when I first arrived at the university. The professor had instructed me to create a course. I desperately searched for ways and thought of treasure hunting. That was the only way.

But now, that alone had hit a limit. It was already widely known that we wouldn’t offer treasures. If treasure hunting was to proceed yet again, it would likely gather only the disinterested. My growth would then be stunted.

So a better method was needed. Not just another treasure hunt, but a new lecture that could firmly root my influence throughout the entire tower, something unique and innovative.

Based on the concept of treasure, I began to come up with many plans. I looked at Mira and Kashian. The old me had definite limitations. But what about now? I had enough power to wield.

So, my direction of thought expanded greatly. I managed to seize a little direction at the end. Now, I just had to confirm whether it was possible. Of course, I firmly believed it would be possible.

I sensed a faint presence approaching me. I stole a glance. It was a specter with a blurry body. Its head was half-unearthed, and it waved at me.

It was a specter that had emerged from the professor’s doorbell. As that specter moved toward me, it glanced at Unit 0. Just then, Unit 0 coughed up a specter again. The specter bit and swallowed it back down.

The approaching specter, startled by the sight, began to carefully move aside to avoid it. Unit 0 smiled, baring its teeth at the specter. The specter, watching Unit 0, bowed politely at me, cautious of its demeanor.

It seemed the message I left three days ago finally reached the professor. The professor had been deeply asleep while we were away, for about two months. So I had requested that once the professor awoke, she should contact me, and it seemed she had finally risen.

“I’ll be back after a quick chat with the professor.”

I said this to Mira and Kashian. They nodded and waved their hands. The specter guided the way. Following it, I too headed toward the stairs.

The tenth floor, the territory of the professor after a long while. Last time I visited, it was firmly shut, but now there was a crack open.

I stepped through the crack the specter pointed out. Upon entering, I was met with a powerful surge of magic. It lightly swept around my body, and with it, the surroundings began to fill with slight undulations.

The magic contained a dreamlike flow within it. It undoubtedly came from the professor’s dreams. Watching it, I felt like I’d soon fall asleep.

No, I was already drifting away.

I glanced around. Somehow, I had started standing in a strange palace instead of the tower. I moved my hand gently. Waves like an ocean rolled.

I felt nothing through my hand. But even so, my body clearly recognized it. That sensation, too. A strange feeling flowed through me, as if I were simultaneously present in dreams and reality.

I slowly explored the palace. It appeared to be the professor’s dream. It repeatedly gained clarity and faded away. It felt like a kind of breathing rhythm.

The dream scattered little by little. This indicated that the professor was waking up. So, she had called me here. I made my way toward the inside of the palace.

The palace was extremely still. I checked if I could take another path, but there was only a single forward path. Other places were sealed off like hazy walls.

As I moved down that path, I eventually discovered a massive bed. The professor lay quietly sleeping on it, her golden hair scattered across the bed shimmering radiantly in the surrounding magic.

I cautiously approached her side. Was it because it was a dream? I couldn’t feel the magic that filled her body. She appeared just like an ordinary girl asleep.

“Professor, are you awake?”

I whispered, keeping my voice down. The professor’s eyelids fluttered briefly before she slowly opened her eyes, emerald orbs still slightly hazy with sleep as they turned to me.

She yawned lightly while rubbing her eyes. Rising slightly, she patted beside her. Perhaps still dazed, her movements were exceedingly slow. While she did that, she gave me a faint smile.

That was an invitation to sit beside her. I tensed up a bit. Perhaps because she was still groggy, this didn’t feel like the usual professor. Should I call it mellow or friendly? It felt awfully awkward.

Carefully, I sat beside her. Professor Ilian laid her head on my lap and looked up at me slightly.

“Hmm, this isn’t bad.”

She smiled contentedly and closed her eyes again. All I could do was freeze and stay still.

“So, what’s up?”

She asked slowly. I hadn’t expected to have to utter this. But it had to be done. I swallowed hard and steeled my heart. Then I gently opened my mouth.

“I will take charge of the upcoming lectures.”

At those words, the professor slowly opened her eyes. She blinked in surprise. I could see her sleepy eyes slowly sharpening.

The scenery around us began to collapse in sync. Amidst the crumbling world, the professor quietly gazed at me.

 

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