ã€ŠStop Writing! - [Magical Academy LitRPG]ã€‹


 Chapter 0 | The Downfall of an Author

    The road whizzing past his car, the harsh wind caressing his face, and the blinding dots of car lights that outshone the brightest stars in the night sky... And even with all of these, he didn¡¯t know what to feel. His heart didn¡¯t contract in a suffocating manner, no, it was a very monotone beat. And the next one too, was also like that. He kept waiting, to feel like he was being strangled, to loosen his necktie in relief...

    Then, he realized. None of that would happen, as he had lost the ability to feel that way long ago. Checking the rearview and door mirrors, he realized that the road had mostly emptied. Not many people were around this part of the town at 1 a.m.

    He first tried to force his eyeballs beyond their rotatory capabilities to look right, he then slightly turned his head to take a glance at the trophy that lay bare on his car¡¯s passenger seat. It was gold, probably mixed with some element he didn¡¯t know. However, its impurity was something much deeper, much more resentful than that.

    ¡®All that... For this?¡¯ he thought to himself. Then, as if he was trying to hide his gaze from the trophy, his vision snapped back onto the road.

    Sure, that trophy in itself would be worth a shit ton of money but just thinking about its monetary value caused him to exhale a contemptful snicker.

    Taking a left turn and driving in a straight line for another three minutes, the rumbling engine of his car came to a stop. His ears, tired of contemplating upon the roars of his car, relaxed into a state of stupor, losing their ability to interpret sounds for but a brief moment.

    Feeling his intracranial pressure increase, he grabbed his head with his palms to push back against whatever was trying to come out.

    As the pressure subsided, he sat upright in his seat, enjoying the disappearance of his discomfort. Funnily enough, the joy he felt from things like this felt more genuine, more real than whatever had happened that night.

    Flashing lights, people adorned in luxury clothing congratulating him for his success... No matter how insincere, how surface-level these were, he should¡¯ve felt happier than he did.

    Then, for a moment, he thought that the pain in his head was caused not by a physical disease, but by his soul, trying to feel something. To feel something, it would malfunction, just to fix itself right back up, so he could enjoy the feeling of being healthy again.

    Pushing all these thoughts away, alongside the door of his car, he started walking on the gravel pathway of his mansion to reach the reinforced door. The door opened with a brief fingerprint scan, allowing him into the place where he felt the most comfortable in this world. Which was, not very comfortable. But it was something. Something enough to let him churn out more and more nonsense on the blank pages of his computer.

    Throwing himself on his bed, he realized that he had forgotten to take his newly obtained, ¡°Best Web Novel Author of the Year¡± trophy from his car. Chuckling at this title, he wondered if his books being popular made them good. Or was it vice versa? That was the hard part of being an author for most people. Knowing whether or not one¡¯s writing skills were up to par was, improbable, to say the least. On the other hand, for him, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.

    ¡®After all... I know that I¡¯m bad. Utterly untalented,¡¯ he thought in anguish. His populist writing style was good enough to win him an award but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to enjoy it while stepping over the corpses of thousands of other, more talented authors. The bitterness of the feeling could only be washed away by the safety brought by money.

    Straightening up from his bed, he paced around his room for a good minute before going to his office room. They were placed two rooms ¡ªwhich were respectively a gaming room and a guest room¡ª apart. Initially, he had placed a single computer in his room, doing every kind of activity there. However, he later separated his activities into a few different rooms to get over his habit of procrastinating, which was a huge success.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Settling down in his chair, he decided to press the magical power button of his computer. For a moment, he felt like he could hear the electricity coursing through its circuits, yet, those were not the noises he heard.

    They were screams, pleas for help, for salvation... The pressure in his head was back, this time stronger than ever. Having said that, funnily enough, the pressure wasn¡¯t trying to break out of his skull, but to squeeze it, turn his brain into a mush. He couldn¡¯t push back against the pressure like before. Left without any choice, he clamped his hands to the armrests of his chair and sat upright before closing his eyes.

    Even so, the curtains being pulled over his vision didn¡¯t leave him in darkness. The cacophony of weird lights and shapes one would see when they closed their eyes was there for him. This time, though, they didn¡¯t aimlessly wander around in darkness. They slowly formed into a plethora of different visions, infusing him with strange but familiar memories.

    Then, everything stopped.

    As the relaxation settled in, he wondered if his drink had been spiked at the award ceremony. What were those visions? What was the pressure that threatened to crush his head?

    When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the familiar lights of his monitor. His desktop was covered with documents, each carrying information about his web novels. Right-clicking on an empty part of his desktop, he created a new document. He had to keep going, after all. This was his calling, the only thing he knew how to do.

    Putting his elbows on the desk and holding his head between his hands, he strained his mind to find a title. A little gimmick, to add onto an already set template story. This had been the way he churned out his stories so far, and he wasn¡¯t going to try and change a sure-fire way to success.

    Tapping away at his keyboard, he saw a few titles appear and disappear in quick succession.

    [That time I...-]

    ¡°Not this again...¡± he muttered, so silently that even he could barely hear himself.

    [I Got Transported...-]

    ¡°Not this...¡±

    [Academy¡¯s...-]

    ¡°Can¡¯t do the same story twice in a row, I have to buffer it with another...¡±

    [Genius Regressor...-]

    ¡°Oh? This might be good...¡± He muttered again, this time a bit louder. As his fingers moved on their own, independent from what his mind ordered, more and more words started appearing. And with each word, the corners of his mouth fell and fell.

    [Genius Regressor of the Academy Was An Assassin That Had to Save The World However, He Was Stuck At Level 2]

    ¡°Hah...¡± He chuckled to himself. This was it. His next hit web novel.

    He didn¡¯t actually know what would happen in the story, neither did he think about the world, the characters, or anything.

    The story was nothing more than its title, a clich¨¦, built upon other clich¨¦s, scrambled with a few gimmicks to give it character. He would, once again, build the story with its title as the foundation.

    This was how he had written and completed 7 web novels in 3 years after all.

    ¡°This was supposed to be my passion...¡± He muttered to himself. For the first time in the last few years, he felt his cheeks warm up and his eyes swell. ¡°I wanted to write something original, to inspire people...¡±

    Then, his emotions were snuffed out in an instant, leaving their place to an empty feeling.

    Yet, this state of emptiness didn¡¯t last long, His fingers quickly moved on his keyboard to delete the title he had just written. His right hand tightened so hard that his fingernails stabbed into his palm. Not noticing the pain, he lifted both of his hands to hover over his keyboard.

    His brain was on overdrive, straining, each capillary encroaching his brain pumping as much as they could without bursting, he tried to find something original. Unfortunately, each of his attempts was met with titles that looked like they were pulled straight out of the generic title hell.

    His train of thought got more and more chaotic, losing control of his fingers as they smashed his keyboard with vigor, and later gently deleted whatever came out of them. At one unknown point, he regained control, finding that the document had been titled:

    ¡°StopWritingStopWritingStopWritingStopWritingStopWritingStopWritingStopWriting...¡±

    Short for breath, he laid back on his chair and read the title silently. Each repeat he read, the more concrete a certain idea became in his head.

    ¡°I should stop writing...¡± He muttered. Suddenly, relaxation hit him. An unknown feeling he had been waiting for so long had finally come. He started chuckling, and then those chuckles became waves of laughter.

    ¡°I should...¡± He was about to say before he collapsed onto the ground. Suddenly, he had lost all feeling in his body. His arms, legs, and practically any muscle that he had no problem moving so far in his life had fallen into a stupor. He wanted to open his mouth and curse, to push himself off the ground and walk to his bed. However, none of that happened.

    A short while after, everything around him faded to black as if he had closed his eyes.

 Chapter 1 | Mistakes To Atone For?

    ¡°What is...-¡± he muttered. His ability to make a sound caused him to realize that he had regained control of his body. Turning his head to look around, he realized that his surroundings were completely dark. He tapped the corners of his eyelids to check whether or not his eyes were closed, however, he quickly realized that he could see his hands perfectly fine.

    ¡°But there is no light source...¡± He muttered calmly. The next moment, once his emotions calmed down and his logic kicked back into gear, a revelation hit him square on the jaw.

    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m dead?¡± He said while looking at his hands. They weren¡¯t different from how they normally were. Everything about his body was perfectly normal. ¡±I was finally going to enjoy life! Now I die? I would stop writing for some time and enjoy the money I made!¡±

    As his rant about how he would live his life differently kept going, his heart skipped a beat. A gentle gust of wind brushed past his neck, alerting him to a presence behind him. Turning around, he saw a floating book, suspended perfectly in mid-air. Its cover slowly opened to reveal unintelligible lines of symbols.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± The book shouted, its unisex voice rumbling with hatred. Dumbfounded by the inanimate object¡¯s human voice, he took half a step back. He tried to mumble a few sentences, however, he could only speak out one.

    ¡°Did... Did a book just swear at me..?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. Sorry for that. I had to get it out of my system,¡± the book answered. Whenever it spoke, its pages would quickly get riffled through, changing directions once it started a new sentence.

    ¡°What... Did I die? Am I going to hell?¡±

    ¡°You deserve to. At least in my opinion,¡± the book said in answer to his genuine question. ¡°However, your sins are too much for you to be sent to hell that easily. Whatever you¡¯ve broken, you have to fix on your own.¡±

    ¡°Broken? Fixed? I¡¯m sorry, can you please explain more? I don¡¯t think I understand.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can, bastard author,¡± the book answered. This time, its pages were much slower compared to before. Maybe it was less angry.

    ¡°What you have to know is simple,¡± it continued. Then, for a few brief seconds, it went silent. It opened and closed a few times. Then, another book appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It came closer to the other book, and they got into a position where their pages started getting stacked on top of each other as they riffled through them.

    ¡°You... Am I watching two books having intercourse? What the fuck did they put in my drink?¡± He asked out loud. The books briefly turned to presumably look at him and continued whatever they were doing. Shortly after, the books disconnected from each other. The initial book revealed its middle page and isolated it from the rest of the pages. It then flipped the page left and right in quick succession. The other book did the same and phased out of existence just like how it had appeared.

    ¡°Your new host body is called Alec Greenwood. You¡¯ll go to a magical academy and fix your mistakes from there,¡± the book said. The squiggly symbols on its page combined into English letters, revealing the name Alec Greenwood.

    ¡°My new host... Transmigration?¡± he asked. However, he didn¡¯t need an answer. He was a seasoned webnovel author, after all.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Any... Abilities? A system? Bonuses?¡± he asked. He knew his abilities well. He wasn¡¯t a quick thinker, got flustered when faced with pressure, and wasn¡¯t a genius planner. ¡°I¡¯m not going to survive on my own if you send me to that kind of place.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get what your soul bestows upon you,¡± the book answered, then went silent. The lack of further conversation caused an awkward atmosphere to settle down.

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    ¡®Why is it opening and closing itself? Is it feeling awkward or something?¡¯ He thought before asking, ¡°So? Are you going to send me now?¡±

    ¡°Just waiting for... Yeah, okay. We¡¯re done,¡± the book said. ¡°Whatever happens down there. Deal with it yourself. We don¡¯t really care about what you do. If you fail, we¡¯ll just wipe the plate clean and start over.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡± he muttered. And that was the last thing he said in his old body.

    ***

    The smell of antiseptics, garlic, and rosemary mixed together into a dizzying stench, making him want to puke. Funnily enough, Alec couldn¡¯t even find the energy to retch, let alone empty his stomach. He forced his eyelids to part, letting light pass through his retinae.

    Slowly but surely, the memories of the abrupt end of his life came to him. They were somewhat blurry at first, however, they quickly became more clear.

    ¡®Am I actually..?¡¯ He thought. He couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence before his eyes started paying attention to his surroundings.

    He was inside a room with white-colored walls, gently reaching down to a square-tiled floor. He was lying down in a one-and-a-half-person-sized bed. Besides his, there were two other beds, which were neatly cleaned and non-occupied. The white sheets of the beds and the unclosed curtains around them made Alec think he was inside some kind of hospital or infirmary.

    Finally getting the energy to turn his head, he scoured his surroundings to see some kind of medical equipment, which he failed miserably in doing. There was only a bedside table with a bowl of fruits and incense to his side, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable from the lack of medical care.

    After all, whatever body he was in currently, it hurt like hell. What he found interesting was, however, the fact that the smoke from the incense did not dissipate at all. As soon as it was released, it would form a thin, ethereal line towards his nostrils and constantly infuse into his body. Each breath he took reduced the pain he was feeling.

    ¡®Is this a painkiller or a quick recovery incense? Probably magical, right?¡¯ He tried guessing while using his knowledge as a critically acclaimed fantasy author.

    As Alec contemplated the nature of this incense, the well-oiled door of the room opened slowly, without any creaking. Whoever had come into the room was very light on their foot, as Alec¡¯s ear couldn¡¯t pick up any footsteps. Turning his head once again, Alec felt like he was hit square in the face with a frying pan.

    A woman with a lab coat was walking toward him with a slightly baffled expression on her face. The reason for Alec¡¯s confusion was the woman¡¯s face. It was too perfect. No blemishes, no imperfections, not even a little bit. Her face was so beautiful that Alec was more confused than attracted. The woman with shoulder-length white hair and purple eyes walked up to him and looked deep into his eyes.

    ¡®She looks like she has a beauty filter on... Albeit a bit more realistic. Is this some form of esoteric make-up? Magical maybe?¡¯ Alec questioned the situation.

    He was woken up from his confusion by the woman raising her palm toward him. Instantly, floating and ethereal lines of green energy started forming out of thin air. They first formed a circle with about 20 centimeters of radius and went inward. They coiled and coiled, forming weird, squiggly shapes that from what Alec guessed, were the letters of a language unknown to him.

    As this process repeated for a few more seconds, the woman muttered a word that seemed incomprehensible to Alec¡¯s ears before flicking her finger to hit the green magical circle. The circle shook and started releasing a green light in Alec¡¯s direction.

    Surprised by the lack of pain in his eyes from the glaring green light, Alec felt a soothing energy wash over him.

    ¡®Healing magic?¡¯ he thought as his anxiety and pain gave way to relaxation. ¡®I¡¯ve written about healing magic countless times in my books, but I never thought about how relaxing it would feel to suddenly go back to perfect health.¡¯

    Questioning why they hadn¡¯t healed him while he was asleep, Alec turned his attention back toward the woman. Although there still was a bit of pain, it was mostly manageable. Not wanting to be the one to start the conversation, Alec kept eye contact with the woman.

    The uncomfortable silence was broken by the woman parting her lips.

    As her voice reached Alec¡¯s ears, his heart skipped a beat anxiously. It did not have anything to do with the way the woman sounded. She didn¡¯t have a magical, muse-like voice that entrapped every man that heard her. She sounded like any other woman from Alec¡¯s past life. The problem was that the words that came out of her mouth were completely incomprehensible. They seemed alien, almost non-human. There was no familiarity in the language that Alec could pick up on that it was from Earth.

    The language sounded very bland, in a way that a normal one wouldn¡¯t. There were no highs and ups in her voice. Every movement of her mouth released a relatively similar sound. Even then, there seemed to be something more to it. As if the way those words came together were more than mere grammatical structures.

    Unfortunately, Alec¡¯s detailed analysis of how the language sounded was pushed to the side by an approaching panic attack.

    ¡®It¡¯s... It¡¯s one of those nightmare-mode fictions! I don¡¯t even know the fucking language, God damn it!¡¯

 Chapter 2 | Unnatural Words, To Figure Out

    As the door clicked shut, Alec released a breath that he had been holding in for god knows how long. When he realized the fact that he didn¡¯t know the local language, his dormant social anxiety kicked in, filling his head with countless embarrassing thoughts.

    He had tried to subtly signal to the woman the fact that he didn¡¯t understand her words by furrowing his brows. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t even know if he had been successful. The woman kept talking to him, getting more and more confused and worried with each word. When she saw Alec tilt his head in confusion, she sighed and stormed out of the room, leaving him all alone once again.

    Sighing deeply, Alec sat upright in the bed. A pain in his chest, presumably from his ribs, resonated throughout his body, making him gasp and grip the white sheets tightly.

    ¡®Shit...¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®The healing spell didn¡¯t heal me in one go? That¡¯s disappointing...¡¯ Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t speak out his frustrations, as he had to get used to his role of a person who had forgotten how to talk.

    ¡®It¡¯s not believable at all... Hopefully, these types of severe amnesia are more common in this world.¡¯ Alec wished before leaning against the headboard of the bed and started thinking about his interaction with the perverted book people.

    ¡®First of all, I have no idea why I¡¯m here. They told me to fix my mistake but didn¡¯t tell me what the mistake was...¡¯ Remembering the fact that he had just been cursed at, possibly killed, and got dumped into a world where he didn¡¯t even know the language, Alec didn¡¯t feel angry at all. Putting his hand on his chest and feeling the heart beating furiously inside his chest, he felt his cheeks redden. Short of breath, he came to a realization.

    ¡®I¡¯m... Excited..?¡¯ He thought. It was an alien emotion. It penetrated deep into his brain filled with ways to make money and carved out a place of its own.

    ¡®That book called me a bastard author. Was my mistake... Writing web novels? But...¡¯ He thought to himself. Briefly, an image of him standing atop a hill of struggling, talented authors flashed past his mind. Then, his mouth curled up into a smile as he started doing his best to stop himself from breaking into manic laughter.

    ¡®I knew I would be punished for writing that many shitty web novels to get rich!¡¯ He shouted in his mind. However, as he heard the door click open, the smile on his face quickly disappeared, leaving a clumsy but somewhat convincing poker face behind.

    Three people entered the room with steady steps. One was the unnaturally beautiful, white-haired woman from before. The other two were also similar in attractiveness, which made Alec conclude that the people of this world were more attractive on average.

    One of the people was a teenage boy. From the lack of any facial hair and the presence of a little bit of baby fat on his cheeks, Alec concluded that this person was around 16 years old. What made him stand out was the presence of two blue-colored floating magic circles above his shoulders, looking like shoulder pads. Those shoulder pads contrasted with the boy¡¯s red hair. His face was aghast with worry as he looked Alec up and down, seemingly looking for something.

    The other person was a man with waist-long white hair. There were very, very faint wrinkles on his face, which confused Alec even more in his journey to figure out these people¡¯s ages. Assuming him to be around 40, Alec guessed that he was a professor or a doctor.

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    The book person had told him that he was going to a magical academy, which helped him make these assumptions.

    ¡®I should be inside the infirmary, if I¡¯m still inside the academy grounds, obviously,¡¯ he thought. Although he was curious why his body was as battered as it was, he figured that he wouldn¡¯t be getting answers any time soon.

    As his attention snapped back to the three people, he noticed that they were whispering some words to each other.

    After talking for another thirty seconds, the three turned towards Alec and tried talking to him again. Seeing that he was incapable of answering, all of their faces crumpled in pity. Especially the red-haired boy, who seemed to be on the verge of breaking down in tears.

    As the three started talking amidst each other, this time loud enough for him to hear, Alec noticed that rather English-sounding names were inserted between their incomprehensible words.

    From the way they used those names, he understood that the red-haired boy was called Evan. However, none of the other names seemed to be used to refer to the white-haired man or woman. Which made Alec assume that they were using their titles instead of their names.

    Amidst their gibberish, Alec managed to barely grab hold of another word, slightly skewed, but obviously different from the rest of the language.

    ¡®Shtattus? Hm...¡¯ He repeated to himself in his mind. Scouring his knowledge as a web novel author, he quickly tried the first thing that came to mind. ¡®Status?¡¯

    Instantly, a third of his vision was blocked by a blue, semi-transparent holographic screen. Whenever he moved his eyes, it would remain in his vision. His eyes wouldn¡¯t lose their focus on it wherever he looked, making the texts on the screen readable at all times.

    ¡®Just as I expected! The book person back there was telling me that I would get ¡°whatever my soul gives me.¡± I wonder what that meant? Did my soul give me a system? No no... These people here are talking about the system too. It should be something everyone can use to some degree.¡¯

    Putting aside the thought and seeing the three were too absorbed in their conversation, Alec decided to read through his status screen. Or at least he tried to.

    ¡®Oh come the fuck on! I can¡¯t even read the status screen. What the fuck is this!?¡¯ Alec complained in his head. He wanted to facepalm, however, he had to keep his fa?ade of a clueless amnesiac. ¡®If the people of this world have systems and I can¡¯t even read what is on there, I¡¯m fucked. Let¡¯s hope that these people are special.¡¯

    Alec¡¯s thoughts were disturbed by one of the people calling his name out. Unfortunately, he was distracted and turned his head. Now, the borders of his role were pushed back to: ¡°The amnesiac who at least knows their name.¡±

    After the three talked for fifteen more minutes, the white-haired man and woman left the infirmary, leaving the red-haired boy Evan alone with Alec.

    ¡®This Evan guy looks a bit too... Fiery,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. However, he quickly noticed the bitter smile on Evan¡¯s face. He seemed to be apologetic toward him. ¡®Maybe he has something to do with my current situation?¡¯

    After patting his shoulder, and presumably saying some words of farewell, Evan left the infirmary. After his departure, Alec¡¯s eyes were stuck looking at the door that had just been closed. Twirling his thumbs, he plopped back into the bed while disregarding the pain from his ribs.

    ¡®Do I really have no other abilities?¡¯ he asked himself. There was a reason the authors gave their main characters golden spoons, superpowers that would be considered unusual even in the magical fantasy worlds they went to. Unless one was absurdly outstanding by some measure, they couldn¡¯t survive being randomly inserted into a foreign society, let alone a completely alien world.

    As Alec reveled in his misery, he felt a heaviness settle in his stomach. It was unlike anything he felt before. It was more of a sudden bloating than anything painful as if a new organ had just popped into existence inside his abdominal cavity.

    After closing his eyes, Alec tried to feel what was going on inside his body. When he focused enough, the issue suddenly got resolved. Whatever was inside his body seemingly disappeared.

    ¡®What was that..?¡¯ He thought to himself. As he was about to lift his hand and tap around on his stomach to see if he could find anything, he realized that there was something in his hand.

    Holding the object higher, on his eye level, Alec got even more confused than he was a second ago.

    ¡°A fountain pen..?¡±

 Chapter 3 | The Authors Pen

    Clasped between Alec¡¯s slender fingers was a black fountain pen with gold accents. Its sides curved perfectly, leading into the golden tip of the pen, which seemed to have a blue, ethereal ball of energy attached to it. Although it seemed relatively unassuming, Alec could feel some kind of connection between himself and the pen. When he experimentally tugged at that connection, the pen seemingly disappeared from his hand. Consecutively, the bloating in his stomach came back.

    Once again, Alec thought back to the book person¡¯s words. His soul had brought with him a fountain pen, which didn¡¯t make much sense as he couldn¡¯t remember the last time he actually held a pen. His entire job was typing on a keyboard and he didn¡¯t have a habit of taking physical notes.

    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s more of a symbolic thing,¡¯ he thought as he took the pen back out. ¡®What does it do..?¡¯

    As soon as he contemplated, a needle of information penetrated deep into his consciousness, infusing him with knowledge related to the fountain pen.

    This was a soul artifact, an object that tied itself to its host¡¯s soul. Their connection to the host soul was omnipresent, making it retractable from anywhere in the universe, no matter how far.

    The next wave of information crashed to the shores of Alec¡¯s mind. This time, it was about the abilities of the fountain pen, which was nothing more than three simple sentences.

    [An author¡¯s job is not creating, but telling. This pen is your implement. You¡¯ll need it if you want to do this right.]

    ¡®Huh... Those lines sound awfully familiar for some reason,¡¯ Alec commented mentally. A short while later, his mind shifted to the explanation excitedly. ¡®My job is not creating but telling, does that mean I can outsource the creating job to the pen? Does it help me create things?¡¯

    He looked around to try and spot something he could draw on, unfortunately, the infirmary was devoid of anything that could pass as a piece of paper.

    ¡®If only I could get up to scour the place...¡¯ he muttered to himself. He had tried getting up from his bed. Unfortunately, his legs barely responded. If not for the fact that he could feel some pain and move his toes slightly, he would have thought that he had been permanently disabled.

    As he kept looking around, his eyes fell on the innocent wooden bedside table.

    ¡®Well... Beggars can¡¯t be choosers I guess...¡¯ He thought before raising his pen and bringing it closer to the surface of the table. However, much to his surprise, when he brought down the pen, the tip of it left a blue, glowing line on the table. His plan of carving out lines on the table was pleasantly discarded as he started scribbling on the table without a thought. Whatever line he drew quickly faded into non-existence, making him wonder if he had to train his writing speed.

    ¡®What the fuck am I doing? I¡¯m an author, not an artist,¡¯ he reprimanded himself while looking at his horrid drawings before thinking of a few words to write.

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    Gently moving the pen, he noticed that the lines weren¡¯t disappearing as quickly. They were filled with intent, something more than mere mana. One by one, glowing blue letters appeared on the table.

    [Strength]

    Suddenly, the bedside table was gently pushed, seemingly out of nowhere. The word inscribed into its surface faded away in a short while, disappearing without achieving anything meaningful. As he grinned in excitement with the new toy he had found, Alec noticed his mind getting slightly tired. His author instincts told him that this was more than a mere need for sleep.

    ¡®Does this thing use mana? Maybe using mana tires my mind. What I can create seems to be limited by that,¡¯ he quickly formulated. It made sense that the pen needed at least some sort of energy to function. If it could conjure anything out of nothing; once he got stronger, Alec could just write [Nuke] and [2 seconds delay] on a ball before gifting it to his enemies and using whatever means of fast transportation he had to escape.

    Instantly, his mind kicked into action, starting to quickly create and discard one idea after the other. He had spent the last few years of his life producing different and creative ways to abuse overpowered abilities in his books. If he couldn¡¯t even do that much, he wouldn¡¯t have been chosen the best web novel author of the year.

    As the cogs of his mind came to a stop, he grinned devilishly. He had found his path to greatness.

    ¡®As expected of me, a seasoned web novel author. As long as I¡¯m given a cheat ability, I can abuse it better than anyone else,¡¯ he thought to himself as the fountain pen danced on the surface of the bedside table.

    Glowing lines twisted and bent, connecting to create glowing words.

    [Mana-Growth Potion]

    They read. Alec sensed a horrible feeling creeping up from somewhere deep inside him as little motes of bluish light started escaping his body to charge the words with energy. At first, he felt the expenditure was manageable and reasonable. He didn¡¯t think that a mana-growth potion would be a widespread and easy-to-make formula. If everyone had access to such a thing, everyone would become stronger and stronger, eventually leading to a mage singularity, right?

    Well, he turned out to be right in a certain sense.

    The motes of mana didn¡¯t stop leaving his body, they accelerated even further. This made Alec first frown in confusion, then smile bitterly.

    ¡®Of course. Why would a mana-growth potion be cheap enough for me to be able to afford it?¡¯ he thought. He kept watching mana leave his body, making him more and more uncomfortable. However, he had no choice. He didn¡¯t know how to stop the process of creation. He tried crossing out the words he had just written, which turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt, leaving him completely clueless about what to do.

    At some point, Alec¡¯s consciousness started becoming blurry as every part of his body started hurting in harmony. Swearing at his idiocy, Alec sighed and laid back down. If he was going to run out of mana and get sick(or possibly die), he would at least do it while lying down. Turning his head, Alec kept watching the process of creation. His eyes could pick up very faint, ghostly drops of water. They were most definitely ethereal, without substance. He very well understood that his mana reservoirs weren¡¯t enough to accommodate something like this right now.

    ¡®I¡¯ve at least learned something...¡¯ Alec thought as his blurry gaze lingered on the holographic droplets of a mana potion that wouldn¡¯t be able to manifest into this world. Fortunately for him, the motes of mana leaving his body seemed to be getting more and more sparse, making him grateful that he was at least not getting sucked completely dry.

    Chuckling to himself quietly, Alec passed out into a deep state of slumber. He could formulate a single last thought in his mind, before going dark.

    ¡®The next time I try creating a liquid, I should do it inside a container...¡¯

 Chapter 4 | Weird Emotions, to Be Fought Against

    An unknown amount of time passed, completely lost to Alec. He was embraced by the relaxing reverie of non-existence.

    Suddenly, as if he were a fish pulled right out of the water, everything started coming back. One moment, he was nothing, the next, he was everything. Everything he knew to be, at least. A piercing headache and unrelenting nausea assaulted his consciousness.

    ¡®Maybe,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Sleeping more would have been a good idea.¡¯

    Then, everything came back.

    The familiar scent of the incense came back, ever stronger. This time, instead of synchronizing with his breaths, it entered his body through his pores. He could feel it penetrate deep into his skin. There also seemed to be something else, however, he couldn¡¯t tell what it was from all the grogginess.

    As his eyes cleared, he noticed two people standing next to his bed. One of them was the red-headed Evan. The other was a short, blue-haired girl with brown, dazzling eyes. Alec guessed her to be slightly older than Evan, probably around 19 to 20 years old.

    ¡®The people of this world seem to have really weird hair colors. I wonder what color my hair is...¡¯ Alec thought. Unfortunately, his hair was too short for him to be able to see and there were no mirrors in his sight.

    Disrupting his thoughts, the blue-haired girl got up and walked up to Alec. She put her hands on his forearm, which caused Alec to shift his attention down. Attached to his arm was a catheter, slowly infusing a dark blue liquid into his bloodstream, making him a little bit more energetic.

    As the blue-haired girl''s hands gently touched his arm, Alec turned to look at her. Inside her eyes was a determined gaze, she seemed ready to do whatever to achieve her goal, which remained unknown to Alec for the moment.

    The girl¡¯s touch shifted from his hand to his head. Then she gently gestured for Alec to close his eyes. Going along with her wish, Alec started waiting expectantly. Whatever she was doing to him, he hoped that it was something good.

    The next moment, the darkness he had been plunged into after closing his eyes shifted in hue, turning a light purple. Some magic was being cast right next to his face, and Alec could undoubtedly sense it. Whatever the magic was, it was something related to his cognition. He felt his mind shift in a way he had never felt before, as if someone was doing a very invasive brain surgery on him while he was still awake.

    As the purple behind his eyelids faded, Alec opened his eyes to look back at the people next to him. They seemed more... memorable now.

    Evan got up from his seat, exchanging a few words with the blue-haired girl. Alec managed to latch onto the girl¡¯s name from this conversation, which was Ariel.

    ¡®Suitable for her angelic, beautiful, and mesmerizing self,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. Then, the next moment, he questioned why he had thought that. There was no reason for him to be attracted to this person he had just met, especially when he didn¡¯t even speak her language yet. ¡®Did that magic she cast on me do something? Mind-altering magic?¡¯

    After Evan left the room, the girl named Ariel sat down and turned toward Alec. Taking a book that had gone unnoticed by him from the bedside table, she flipped open the first page. A short while later, she turned the book towards him and pointed at a sketch.

    It was a rough sketch of a person lifting a dumbbell. There was a strangely familiar squiggly shape next to it. As Alec was about to tilt his head to indicate his ignorance, Ariel started making a hard-to-describe noise. Although their language sounded weird by Earth standards, Alec could at least tell where words ended and started sometimes.

    And this was one of the times when he could tell.

    ¡®She is repeating it, the same word?¡¯ Alec thought. Then, an idea started sprouting deep inside his mind, connecting a few dots together with its branches.

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    Immediately, Alec brought up his unreadable stat sheet and started carefully looking at the squiggly shapes on it. Right there, at the top of five lines of writing grouped as one, Alec spotted the word or letter that Ariel had pointed at in the book.

    ¡®Strength... It means strength!¡¯ Alec thought. He quickly snapped his attention back to Ariel and traced her mouth movements. She seemed to be dragging the word out, opening her lips slightly more than normal to let him see how she pronounced things. This made Alec feel a warm tingling in his chest before he pushed it back and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Sh- Shp... Shp¡± He forced his tongue to move. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t replicate the sound just yet, he didn¡¯t know how to utilize the muscles necessary to produce it. However, his attempt at pronouncing the word seemed to draw out a reaction from Ariel. She was crying. Tears rolled out of her eyes, tracing her cheeks before splattering onto the floor.

    Seeing her beautiful face sour up in sadness, Alec felt the urge to rip out the catheter in his arm and pull her into his embrace.

    ¡®STOP!¡¯ He shouted in his head, a strong sense of willpower pushing back against the feelings. ¡®This is too distracting! What are these feelings? I have not felt this way for any woman in my life! There¡¯s no reason for me to feel this way now. Am I being manipulated by magic?¡¯

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have an answer to that question. His knowledge of the magic of this world was non-existent. If he at least knew the basics, he could have extrapolated from there using the flexible mind he had crafted through years of power fantasy authorship. Unfortunately, he had to focus on trying to conjure his first words like a little baby for now.

    As Ariel¡¯s tears subsided, she went back to teaching. Her finger gently slid across the book to point at different things.

    Funnily enough, the first five words Alec had learned were:

    ¡®Strength, Agility, Health, Mind, and Mana. Funny choices for first words,¡¯ Alec commented mentally. He didn¡¯t think too deeply about it, as he had to focus more on the topic of studying. With the constant infusion of the dark blue liquid and the incense, his body and mana reserves were starting to recover.

    With his ability to move coming back, Alec sat upright and spent a few hours studying different words. He noticed that his ability to remember things was much better than before. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know if this was related to the magic that had been cast on him by Ariel or Alec¡¯s brain simply being better than his own.

    ¡®I¡¯d much rather the first one,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®The second idea makes me feel bad...¡¯

    After a few tiring hours of word study, the lights coming from the windows started dimming. Alec¡¯s brain was getting groggy, as learning new stuff prompted the brain to go to sleep mode. Seeing his tired, barely awake state, Ariel got up from her chair and kissed Alec on the forehead before leaving the infirmary.

    Alec¡¯s heart started beating furiously in his chest at the sudden violation of his personal space.

    ¡®W- Wh- What was that?! Why did she kiss me? Is this normal in this world!?¡¯ Alec started firing question after question in his head. He didn¡¯t have much romantic experience back in his first life as he was heavily focused on making money. This fresh emotion made him feel ecstatic, almost making him drop his guard against any mind magic completely.

    ¡®Stop!¡¯ He shouted mentally, once again driving away the emotions sieging his mental defenses. ¡®Something is seriously wrong about me. I need to figure out what it is!¡¯

    Quickly, Alec swallowed and took out the fountain pen from his abdomen with a sharp mental command. Inspecting it from tip to bottom, Alec thought of different ways to solve his conundrum.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know if I have enough mana but I have to risk it! If I¡¯m under a spell and am caught unprepared, I might even lose the will to fight against it. Now that would become a problem,¡¯ he weighed the risks before coming to a decision.

    Slowly but surely, the pen moved to slide on the inside of a cup next to him.

    [Very Low Mental Cleansing Potion]

    As the words left his pen, Alec started waiting anxiously. He didn¡¯t want to go into another coma by exhausting too much mana, so he added some adjectives that could make the potion less expensive.

    ¡®Please work...¡¯ He wished as the motes of mana started leaving his body. Fortunately, their rate of expenditure wasn¡¯t nearly as much as before. About one-third of the way to fainting, the liquid was formed completely.

    It was purple, albeit a lot darker colored than the magic Ariel had cast on him before. It was a thick, heavy mixture. It felt like Alec was holding a bottle of mercury in his hand.

    Taking a deep breath, he downed the potion in one go, as his face soured with his taste buds firing off crazily. The potion took effect immediately. A feeling of cleanliness washed over his brain, as if someone was hosing off mud from his body. His grogginess got slightly better.

    For a brief moment, Alec felt something very very wrong, however, the feeling disappeared immediately before he could make sense of it, alongside the memory of something like this even happening.

    Then, the potion ran out.

    ¡®Either my mind has been cleansed, or the potion was not strong enough,¡¯ he thought before forcing his mind to wander toward Ariel. Feeling his face redden in response to the impulses sent from his central nervous system, Alec sighed in frustration.

    ¡®It mustn¡¯t have been strong enough...¡¯

 Chapter 5 | Crafting Your Training

    The next few days passed relatively peacefully. Alec was provided nutrition, medicine, and most importantly, education. Ariel didn¡¯t stop dropping by every day and spending a few hours teaching him words. Occasionally, she would recast whatever spell she had cast on him before, which he suspected to be a memory-strengthening spell of some sort.

    Although his awkward, love-like feeling for her didn¡¯t disappear, he learned how to better put up with it. Throughout his mostly bedridden days, he noticed certain changes in his behavioral patterns, compared to his past life.

    He spent a lot more time chewing his food, instead of swallowing it quickly. He felt the need to drink water much more occasionally. He couldn¡¯t bear sitting still for a very long time. He would need to get up and walk around occasionally to make the uncomfortable feelings go away.

    ¡®It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve gained new habits out of nowhere...¡¯ he thought. One such day when he was pacing around the room while thinking about things, the door to the infirmary opened.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Ariel appeared with her angelic face before stepping inside.

    ¡°Ghood Morn¡¯¡± Alec did his best to answer. His proficiency in the language was gradually improving. He hoped to reach at least a basic level of conversational ability to learn more about this world.

    ¡°By ??? I ??? you, you might lose memory but same, can¡¯t sit long¡± Ariel chuckled to herself after finishing her sentence. If he were talking to anyone else, Alec wouldn¡¯t be able to carefully fill in the blanks, as his anxiety would be distracting him from doing so. However, trying and talking to Ariel felt relaxing. There wasn¡¯t even a tinge of anxiety in his heart.

    ¡®The first part should be some kind of idiom. Hopefully, it¡¯s nothing important,¡¯ Alec thought before continuing his deduction. ¡®I might lose memory but same? Does she mean that I am the same as before?¡¯

    ¡°I, same as before no uh...¡± Alec tried to think of the word memory, however, he couldn¡¯t find what to say. So instead, he chose to use another, related word. ¡°I, same as before no mind?¡±

    Ariel put her finger on her chin while slightly rolling her eyes upwards, to her right. She then tapped her index finger on her temples to indicate that she had understood what he meant.

    ¡°Yes, same as before no memory,¡± she said while emphasizing the word memory.

    ¡®Right...¡¯ Alec muttered inwardly. He had learned the word memory the last lesson but couldn¡¯t remember it. Now that Ariel repeated it to him in context, he probably wouldn¡¯t forget it again. ¡®So Alec had similar habits as... Wait...¡¯

    A deep sigh escaped his mouth as Alec understood the reason behind his new habits and most importantly, the love-like feeling he had for Ariel.

    ¡®Although my memories and my soul were transferred, the brain of this body is still the same. The previous Alec should have been in love with Ariel,¡¯ Alec presumed. ¡®Certain habits and feelings like love should be dictated more by the brain rather than the soul... Then what do those govern? Which parts of my personality crossed over, I wonder...¡¯

    ¡°You make ??? a lot,¡± Ariel said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You make the,¡± Ariel started once again, then she sighed deeply before continuing. ¡°sound a lot.¡±

    ¡®There. Another grammatical difference. The word sigh isn''t used as a verb.¡¯ Alec commented mentally before sitting down for the day¡¯s study session.

    They exchanged word after word, letting Alec get deeper and deeper into the language. With the speed he was going, he would be good enough to hold a basic conversation in another week or so.

    This speed was already really fast for a normal person, and Alec knew this fact, strengthening the theory that whatever spell Ariel had cast on him enhanced his learning.

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    ***

    As the sun dipped into the horizon, Ariel left the room. Their studying session was done, and it was time for Alec¡¯s alone time. He had been monitoring the movements of the doctors and the nurses. There would be a full-body control every two days and the nurses wouldn¡¯t disturb him as long as he didn¡¯t specifically call them. They would only show up in the mornings to change his mana bag and incense.

    ¡®The doctor¡¯s check-up was yesterday,¡¯ Alec reminisced. ¡®No one should disturb me until tomorrow.¡¯

    During his stay, Alec¡¯s body had gotten better and better, eventually healing to an almost perfect state. His mana reserves had also filled up, making him brim with energy. Whatever the previous host had done with this body, he had treated it much better than its current host treated his past life body.

    ¡®Now that my mana is full again, I can start,¡¯ Alec thought before taking out The Author¡¯s Pen. He had decided to call the soul artifact that, as he felt like he was ¡°The Author¡± in this context, so it was a suitable name.

    Now that he felt his mana was filled up to the brim, Alec thought he could start his experimentations again. Trying and finding ways to utilize their cheat ability was what a main character should do, after all.

    ¡®This time, I have to be more careful with what I¡¯m doing,¡¯ he thought to himself. His last attempt was very careless, and the only reason he thought that wasn¡¯t him going out of mana. ¡®I don¡¯t actually know how magic works in this world. My assumption about more mana being better might be wrong, and it might be impossible to fix any problems that might come up later.¡¯

    Being a seasoned webnovel author required as much reading as it did writing. Even though it wasn¡¯t a trope regularly seen, settings where having more mana could cause complications in its control did exist. ¡®What if this was one of those?¡¯

    Tapping his index finger on the bedside table, Alec decided to switch his development path for now. He would focus on other things for the moment. Bringing up his previously unreadable stat sheet, he started clumsily reading.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: ??

    Agility: ??

    Health: ??

    Mind: ??

    Mana: ??]

    ¡®Hmm... I should ask to learn how to read numbers next,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®For now, however, I don¡¯t need to know what my numbers are to increase them.¡¯

    Alec felt a tightness in his chest. Bringing the pen closer to the inner surface of a cup on the bedside table, he started writing.

    [Very Low Stamina Potion]

    As the bright blue mana ink of his pen separated from the writing, Alec felt relaxed. Mana motes were floating as always, slowly but surely. Their amount signaled his mana to be enough for this potion.

    While waiting for the potion to appear, Alec went down to the floor and started his pre-prepared training regimen.

    Namely; push-ups, planks, and whatever exercise he could remember from his past life. He had a habit of light exercises to at least stay somewhat healthy, however, he mostly kept it to a basic level his entire life.

    His training lasted for about half an hour. Although he felt a little clumsy at first, he quickly got used to physical exercise in this new body and went through the motions properly. Afterward, he felt completely spent, lying on the ground, wheezing.

    Barely getting up, he managed to get a hold of the cup filled with the dark green [Very Low Stamina Potion]. It had been completed a few minutes into his training and was waiting patiently for Alec to drink it.

    Bringing the potion closer to his mouth, Alec felt the smell of freshly cut grass and the scent of petrichor entering through his nostrils. When he brought the potion to his mouth, however, it was tasteless like he was drinking pure water. It was much thinner than the mental cleansing potion too, making it easier to drink.

    As the potion dissolved into his stomach, Alec felt a relieving sensation wash over him. The soreness of his muscles went away, alongside the short breathiness from the exercises. This happened before he could drink half of the cup, which led him to stop drinking.

    ¡®Huh... So I can get two uses out of one creation. I wonder what determines the amount that is created,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. However, he had to push the details of his abilities to the side, as he had another thing to do for the moment.

    Which was to exercise.

    Of course, the first thought that came to his mind after changing his development route was making strength potions and downing them. However, Alec had read too many system novels to know that such a thing was very inefficient. Most of the time, potions like these became more ineffective the more they were used. Yes, it was quick in granting strength. However, it would also stifle his ability to increase his strength through normal exercises, forcing him to go through more and more outrageous training regimens. Instead, he could improve his physique until he couldn¡¯t do so normally and start taking the booster potions to push himself beyond what a normal human was capable of.

    This way, he could get more use out of very low-strength potions before they lost their effectiveness.

    For now, however, he didn¡¯t really have to think more about this topic, as he had a long way to go with his training.

    Lowering his body, he once more started going through his training with newly regained vigor.

 Chapter 6 | When Being Held Captive

    As his training session came to an end, Alec looked out of the window of his room to see the moon hanging about 50 degrees above the horizon. The outside of the infirmary¡¯s window was blocked tightly by a batch of maple trees, stopping him from scouting his surroundings by eye. A gentle wind made its way inside, waving around the curtains like the waves on an ocean.

    He was currently lying down on the ground, trying to gather his breath.

    Using the pen, he created the potion 2 more times to repeat his workout 7 times in total. Technically, this workout would be equivalent to 7 days of progression. However, as he didn¡¯t know how the stamina potion worked, Alec didn¡¯t know the actual effectiveness.

    Lying in his bed with his hands joined together behind his head, Alec watched the ceiling. His mana was running pretty low, a little less than two-fifths of his resources remained.

    ¡®Before my mana runs out, I want to try one more thing,¡¯ he monologued internally. He wasn¡¯t aware of how mana-efficient his ability was, and he didn¡¯t know if he could infinite mana loop himself into godhood. However, he highly doubted that. The usage conditions of The Author¡¯s Pen had been pretty balanced up until now.

    Taking out The Pen, he wrote another potion into existence.

    [Very Low Mana Regeneration Potion]

    According to his expectations, this potion would cost him a small amount of mana, about one-fifth of his mana pool. However, it would help him get back to maximum faster.

    ¡®I just hope that this doesn¡¯t interfere with the mana juice they are giving me,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Mana regeneration shouldn¡¯t be a potion that directly infuses me with mana, that would just be called a mana potion. This should instead help me ramp up my natural regeneration speed.¡¯

    Gulping down the potion, Alec¡¯s throat burned with blueberry flavor. The potion¡¯s thickness was like that of a milkshake, making it quite relaxing to drink.

    ¡®I¡¯ve been trying a lot of new flavors because of these potions lately,¡¯ he thought before trying to feel the changes in his body. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t feel anything. ¡®My mana sense or whatever might be weak.¡¯

    Alec didn¡¯t worry, as the pen hadn¡¯t disappointed him so far. It was truly a good special ability for an author like him.

    ¡®This must be what that book meant by my soul gifting me my golden spoon...¡¯

    Closing his eyes, Alec sunk into a deep sleep.

    ***

    As another morning passed, Alec noticed something strange about his situation.

    ¡®Why am I still being held in this infirmary?¡¯ was his question. He had already healed perfectly yesterday. He felt as healthy as he could get, full of mana and energy... However, he was still being held in the infirmary. Even when the doctor came for a check-up, he didn¡¯t seem to have any comments on his health.

    ¡®Are they keeping me here just in case? I wonder why the doctor didn¡¯t answer when I asked why I was still being held here,¡¯ he thought. During the morning check-up, he utilized his broken Toalqeshi (which he had learned to be the name of the language.), to ask the doctor. However, the doctor didn¡¯t pay him any attention at all, not even looking his way.

    ¡®There¡¯s something very fishy about this. What would be the reason for them to keep a student like me under control? Was Alec a troublemaker? Did he offend someone outside the acad- inside the academy?

    Scratching the back of his head, Alec cursed silently. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t learned any curse words yet, as he wouldn¡¯t be able to let Ariel dirty her divine mouth with curs-

    ¡®Fuck. Is this how it feels to be in love? It¡¯s so unnervingly restrictive!¡¯ Alec thought. He scratched his left arm unknowingly and winced in pain.

    However, the next moment, the door of the infirmary creaked open. It seemed that whoever was oiling it had abandoned their duties.

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    ¡°Hi, Alec,¡± Ariel said with a bright smile on her face. Seeing Alec move around seemed to make her happy.

    ¡°Good morn,¡± Alec said, pronouncing the word ¡°good¡± ever so slightly better than yesterday.

    ¡°You still make short that word,¡± Ariel said with a frown on her face. She had previously gotten angry at him because he was constantly shortening the word for morning.

    Alec¡¯s reasoning for this was, that it was hard to pronounce the second part, so he just dropped it.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Alec said. His previous thoughts weren¡¯t getting him anywhere, and he had to figure out what was going on. ¡°Were we... unity before?¡± He asked. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know how to say ¡°lovers¡±, so he had to switch to another word.

    Hearing his words, Ariel blushed for a second. She facepalmed and opened her lips quickly.

    ¡°??? ??? ??? Don¡¯t say it that way. That mean something else. ¡®lovers¡¯...¡± she explained. Alec noted down the blunder he had made but didn¡¯t fluster over it. He waited for an answer to his question without saying anything. ¡°Yes. We were.¡±

    ¡®Oh shit... It seems like the previous Alec has left some serious baggage over to me...¡¯ Alec thought. He didn¡¯t like having such a connection with someone he barely knew. Although he didn''t feel any wariness toward Ariel because of his condition, he couldn¡¯t just start liking her as if he were the same person. ¡®Not to mention, I¡¯m technically not even Alec. I genuinely find it repulsing to take over a relationship from someone else.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s do learning,¡± Alec said while pointing at the book in Ariel¡¯s hand, changing the topic. Seeing his way of changing the topic, Ariel¡¯s brows seemed to furrow bitterly. However, she quickly regained the composure of an experienced lecturer.

    ¡°I want, learn uh...¡± he started another sentence, however, he couldn¡¯t find a way to describe the word ¡®numbers¡¯. Bringing his hand up, he lifted his fingers one by one. Fortunately, Ariel was a smart girl. She quickly picked up on his intentions and started riffling through the book. As if she was the one who had written them there, she found the page where the numbers were shown and started teaching.

    ¡®Hopefully, by the end of this session, I¡¯ll finally be able to read my basic stats...¡¯

    ***

    Another two weeks passed by quickly. By that point, Alec felt pretty comfortable with the language. He could leave this infirmary right now and start talking to people, learn new things, and most importantly, figure out what mistake he was supposed to fix in this world.

    However, a huge roadblock had hit him. He was not being let out. The only people he could contact were Ariel, the doctor, and the nurses. None of which seemed to answer his questions about anything other than his health or his studies. The only person who seemed somewhat conflicted about keeping him in the dark was Ariel, however, she also didn¡¯t cave in to his questions.

    His attempts at leaving the infirmary to go around wandering were also met with failure, as there were guardsmen watching the exit of the infirmary at all times, keeping him from leaving.

    ¡°This sucks...¡± He muttered to himself before switching to thinking. ¡®There must be something going on for them to be holding me captive like this. I wonder if Ariel is lying about being Alec¡¯s lover, or is she simply incapable of doing anything about the situation...¡¯

    However, even amidst all this, he hadn¡¯t been sitting around like a chicken all this time. After all, he had a reality-altering soul artifact called The Author¡¯s Pen, and he had been abusing it to the best of his ability.

    Initially, he could only do 7 workouts every day, which was good but not enough in Alec¡¯s mind. After some much-needed optimization and a seemingly increasing mana pool, he had managed to increase the amount to 15 workouts every day, which would take him about 7 and a half hours every day.

    By now, his body had already bulked with strength. He didn¡¯t actually know how strong he was compared to a normal human, which made him reluctant to try anything out of pocket. However, after studying with Ariel, he managed to get a hold of the information he wanted.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 21

    Agility: 19

    Health: 22

    Mind: 20

    Mana: 25]

    According to what Ariel had said, the average adult male without any enhancements would be around 10 in all of these stats. The first time he was able to read the status screen, Alec noted his stats to be overall better than the average human male by about fifty to seventy percent. Which made him wonder what the previous Alec had done to become like this. The only outliers were his mind and mana stats. While the former was 12, which was pretty low compared to his other stats, the latter was 22, probably putting him closer to the right end of the bell curve.

    ¡®Huh... My mind stat has also risen a lot... Why is that? Is it because of Ariel¡¯s spell?¡¯ Alec contemplated. Then his thoughts shifted away.

    The increase in his physical stats allowed him to notice the efficiency of the [very low stamina potion].

    Already, he could do some pretty acrobatic moves that he couldn¡¯t even think of doing in his previous life. After the last training session, he had even managed to do a one-handed hand-stand pushup, which he wasn¡¯t sure was possible for any human to do back on Earth. If he were to put it into numbers, he had technically worked out for less than half a year, which was nowhere near enough to become this strong.

    This also made him wonder if the effectiveness of the stats was exponential rather than linear. 21 strength didn¡¯t seem that strong. He was pretty sure that he wasn¡¯t just two times stronger than the average man.

    ¡®I wish I could get more information from Ariel before doing this, but there is no other choice,¡¯ he thought to himself. Getting up from his bed, he walked up to the window and looked outside. The full moon hung above the horizon at a 50-degree angle, again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± he muttered in English before readying himself.

 Chapter 7 | Just Escape!

    His push against the window was met with the gentle resistance of the wind surging through the opening he had created. Immediately, his nose was filled with the fresh smell of the trees. Looking out, the height made him feel nauseous. He was about eight meters above ground level. By looking around, he noticed that he was inside a nondescript building with 25 windows looking towards the forest. If he were to assume that each room had one window on this side of the building, this would indicate 25 other rooms around him.

    ¡®I wonder what those rooms are for? This building seems pretty uniform, maybe they are also sick rooms?¡¯ Alec thought before shaking his head. ¡®No no... Why would they need that many sick beds in an academy? They¡¯re probably something else.¡¯

    Scouring the walls of the building with his eyes, Alec failed to find anything that he could hold onto while climbing down. He didn¡¯t have enough sheets to create a makeshift rope. He also didn¡¯t know how to do so, which was another thorn in that plan.

    The only remaining option he had was to jump and latch onto one of the maple trees 5 meters away from him. The distance was pretty manageable with his current physical capabilities. His only worry was not being able to hold onto the tree in time and missing it.

    He would most likely break a lot of bones if that happened. He could still probably save himself using The Author¡¯s Pen by writing some potions into existence, however, this still relied on him being able to move at all.

    ¡®And I don¡¯t want to suffer through that pain.¡¯

    When he started actually thinking about what to do, an idea quickly came to his mind, making Alec facepalm in shame.

    ¡®I¡¯ve only been using the pen to create potions. So much so that I forgot its actual function.¡¯

    Why would he need to make a makeshift rope when he could just write one into existence?

    His pen weaving words into reality, Alec conjured himself a rope with a clamp on one of its tips. He attached the clamp to the heaviest furniture he could find in the room, which was a medicine closet thrice his width, before checking its stability.

    ¡®Seems good enough, it should be able to hold on until I climb down,¡¯ he thought before throwing the rope out the window. Still not feeling satisfied, he wrote a few iron weights and put them inside the closet one by one.

    When he was done, he walked back to the window and readied himself to climb down.

    ¡®This should be easy... I¡¯m not scared of heights, like, at all. I¡¯m the person that is the least scared of heights actually...¡¯

    As Alec was about to hold onto the rope, the door of the infirmary was kicked open.

    ¡®Fuck! The guards must have heard the noises!¡¯ Alec shouted in his head. His head momentarily snapped to the side to check who had come in, before quickly jumping to the other side of the window while holding onto the rope. His worries were thrown aside, and he started scaling down the wall of the building quickly.

    ¡°He is escaping! Quick!¡± Alec heard shouts pouring out from the infirmary. As he was about two meters away from the ground, the rope was cut off, causing him to fall onto his feet. Feeling a slight tension in his knees, Alec kneeled for a brief moment before dashing off into the woods as fast as he could. According to what he had scouted from his window so far, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone patrolling around the building at this time.

    Alec¡¯s first few steps were rather clumsy from all the anxiety that had built up inside him. However, those steps quickly turned into strides as he started running at an almost inhuman speed. With each step of his carrying him two meters further, he could feel the wind brushing past his face. If the forest was any thicker, it would have been almost impossible for him to run at this pace without colliding face-first with a tree.

    ¡®Fortunately for now, nobody seems to be close enough to catch up to me,¡¯ Alec thought. However, he knew that this was merely a method to calm himself down. After all, he was presumably inside a magic academy. He didn¡¯t know what the guards were capable of, let alone people like the professors.

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    As he kept running, Alec noticed a few light sources further ahead into the woods, seemingly scouring the surroundings. The light rays ripping through the lesser light of the moon seemed to be the messengers telling of divine punishment to his eyes.

    ¡®Shit! Did they already contact the others? It must be some form of magical communication!¡¯ Alec shouted in his head. His body twisted in between his strides as he planted his right foot onto the ground before launching in another direction.

    The relentless cat-and-mouse chase between himself and the guards kept going for another ten minutes, leaving Alec almost completely breathless. Unfortunately, no matter which direction he went to, different guards were waiting to greet him.

    ¡®Have I been encircled? What do I do now? Think! Think!¡¯ Alec urged himself to action. However, he was thoroughly flustered now. His brain could barely muster up a thought before two guards entered his vision with batons in their hands.

    ¡®Fuck me...¡¯ Alec thought before taking out The Author¡¯s Pen.

    [Quarterstaff]

    As his words quickly formed into existence, Alec held the well-polished wooden quarterstaff with both of his hands. Even though he had fumbled his decision-making process by choosing to face the guards head-on, he at least managed to think of a good weapon against the guards with batons.

    What he needed was range, however, he didn¡¯t know how to use a gun. He also had no experience with bladed weapons, making it impractical for him to pick something like a spear or sword.

    He also didn¡¯t want to kill anyone in case he was caught. Being caught after trying to escape and being caught after trying to escape and killing someone would probably be met with two, very different punishments.

    Then what was the choice?

    Obviously, the best choice in this situation was a long, blunt stick to beat his adversaries into a deep coma.

    Sliding his hands into the most comfortable position on the staff, Alec took in the view. He had had a very mundane life back on Earth, even for the modern human. His days passed in front of the computer, typing away at his keyboard or reading web novels. For some reason, he remembered the award ceremony he had gone to on the last day of his previous life. He felt... Relaxed, compared to then.

    ¡°Young man! There¡¯s no need to do this! You are a ??? student of Lation Academy! Calmly come back with us and you won¡¯t be punished!¡± one of the guards shouted. However, even while shouting, they seemed to be ready to pounce on him at any moment.

    When met with these words, Alec couldn¡¯t say that he wasn¡¯t swayed. He had expected something like this to happen. However, expecting something to happen is very different from it actually happening. His resolve seemed to weaken a lot when met with the premise of going unpunished, especially considering that he didn¡¯t know what punishment meant in this context.

    However, the next moment, his grip strengthened. The cause driving him wasn¡¯t some unyielding need for freedom, nor was it some kind of survival instinct. He simply didn¡¯t want to be someone that gave up this easily. He felt like his respect for himself, however low it was, would be reduced if he were to drop his weapon and go back with these guards.

    ¡°No. I won¡¯t,¡± Alec answered. Before he could finish his sentence, the guards had already moved. Their steps were steady, each one kicking up a small amount of dirt from the forest floor. Even Alec could tell that they had spent long years training. Fortunately, however, they seemed to be slower than what Alec was capable of.

    ¡®I have to somehow utilize the edge I have over them,¡¯ Alec thought. Then the next moment, he noticed that he didn¡¯t know how to do so. The last time he had fought was back in middle school.

    Not knowing what to do, with all his might, Alec swung the quarterstaff horizontally. Unfortunately, he had miscalculated the distance between himself and the guards. In an attempt to salvage the situation, he slid his left hand which was supporting the middle of the staff down and thrusted the staff forward to extend his range as much as possible.

    Funnily enough, instead of dodging, the guard tried to block the attack with his weapon, which was a huge mistake. A full-strength blow from Alec was too strong for a relatively normal human to block. In a split second, the baton flew from the guard''s hand and hit the other guard on his temple, making him stumble to his left.

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯ Alec thought as he watched the events transpire. He hadn¡¯t expected his swing to hit at all, not to mention it doing this much damage.

    Seeing his comrade get hit with his baton, the guard tried to regain his balance. Stepping firmly on the ground, he grabbed Alec¡¯s quarterstaff and tried to yank it away. Unfortunately for him, Alec had noticed his action early and grasped the staff firmly with both hands.

    As Alec didn¡¯t seem like he was going to let go of the staff any time soon, the guard stepped to the side and let go. He then picked up the baton again and inspected Alec¡¯s movements, this time much more carefully. He swirled the baton in his hand before taking a careful step forward.

    Seeing the focused and almost angry look on the guard¡¯s face, Alec felt anxious.

    ¡®Shit... I angered him...¡¯ he muttered mentally and gulped. His eyes involuntarily shifted toward the baton in the guard¡¯s hand. Its metallic luster under the moonlight was serene, however, threatening.

    ¡®How bad can it hurt..?¡¯

 Chapter 8 | Maybe Not

    ¡®Huh... That turned out better than I thought,¡¯ Alec thought. Much to his surprise, he didn¡¯t have any broken bones. He only had a few bruises here and there, and that was it.

    After the first attack, the guard stopped underestimating Alec and started fighting seriously. He just dodged a few attacks, did a few simple jabs, and disarmed Alec. The other guard who had gotten hit on the head with a baton gathered his bearing and joined the fray. They then teamed up on Alec, taking him into a head-lock before long. At that point, Alec understood he had been completely bested and gave up fighting.

    He had only tried running away. He was pretty sure there wouldn¡¯t be some harsh punishment.

    The two guards were holding him by his arms, walking him through the corridors of the infirmary building. He didn¡¯t have the intention to fight back as he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape even if he beat them.

    ¡®This is good enough. At least something should happen now,¡¯ he thought. His days were passing in complete obliviousness, and he felt like something weird was going on in the background. The thought of that made Alec try to scratch his arm, which was promptly stopped by the guard.

    ¡°It¡¯s bleeding,¡± the guard said. Alec turned to look at him, his eyebrows raised. However, the guard turned his head without explaining any further. Alec also didn¡¯t question what he had said.

    While walking at a steady pace, he started taking notice of his surroundings. Much to his surprise, his guess about the other rooms of the building seemed to be true. Most of the rooms were unoccupied, and their doors were left open for some reason. Each room had the exact same layout as his; with 3 sickbeds, curtains separating those sickbeds, and bedside tables next to each of them.

    ¡°Why are these rooms unoccupied? Why are there this many sickrooms?¡± Alec asked. His question was left unanswered. One of the guards just shrugged while the other zoned out for a second.

    What really confused Alec was, however, that there were partly or fully eaten plates of food left on those bedside tables. They all seemed to be eaten in different amounts and some were still steaming hot.

    ¡®Hmm...¡¯

    The rest of the way was silent. They passed room after room. The building was empty. It was too empty actually. Alec didn¡¯t see anyone on the way other than a few nurses. They had entered the building through a door facing the woods. It cleanly blended into the walls, which made it rather hard to spot.

    They walked for a few more minutes and reached Alec¡¯s sick room. The guards pushed him inside. However this time, instead of leaving the room, they started waiting inside the room, to the sides of the door. Their expressions were as steady as ever and they kept looking forward without any distractions.

    ¡®Huh... Is that all? Shouldn¡¯t my escape attempt cause something? No one even came along. Two guards caught me and brought me back to my sick room. And that¡¯s all? No interrogation? No questioning?¡¯ Alec thought.

    ¡°Are you guys going to... Keep waiting there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± one of the guards answered. He seemed disinterested. And besides that, he seemed confident in his decision. As if they already had a plan on what to do in case he made an escape attempt.

    Alec plopped down on the bed while disregarding the guards. He didn¡¯t have anything to do, not while there were guards breathing down his neck at least. So instead, he decided to go to sleep.

    After all, what was better than a well-deserved sleep after making some innocent guards overwork in the middle of the night?

    ***

    Alec woke up later in the afternoon. When he opened his eyes and stretched the kinks out of his body, he realized that the guards were already gone.

    ¡®Huh... Isn¡¯t that very... Lax?¡¯ Alec thought. Last night, he had thought that he would be under much stricter scrutiny. However, the room was as empty as ever. The window wasn¡¯t blocked, and the closet was still there, hell, they didn¡¯t even take out the weights Alec had left inside the closet. If he wanted to, he could use the exact same tactic to try and escape.

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    Which made him think that they had a reason to be this confident. They knew he couldn¡¯t escape even if he tried to, which made Alec¡¯s face sour.

    The door to the room opened gently before a familiar face appeared.

    ¡°Hello there, Mr. Greenwood,¡± the woman who had just entered the room said. She was the white-haired purple-eyed woman who had cast a healing spell on him when he first came to this world. The click-clack of her high heels made Alec briefly glance down before raising his head.

    ¡°Hi,¡± Alec answered. His eyes locked onto the woman¡¯s face. Her visage was as calm as the sea on a windless day. With steady steps, she approached Alec who was lying on the bed, and sat in a chair next to him before crossing her legs. She seemed undisturbed by Alec¡¯s confusion.

    ¡°So? Why did you try escaping this night?¡± the woman asked as one of her brows rose. Alec shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and twiddled his thumbs. Gathering his thoughts, he thought of an answer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. Finally, his gaze rose back up to meet the woman¡¯s. ¡°It has almost been two weeks since I healed completely, and I¡¯m still not being let out. And no one is telling me the reason.¡±

    Hearing Alec complain, the white-haired woman¡¯s brows rose to form a frown. She grasped her chin, thinking for a few seconds. Alec was confused at the woman¡¯s act of confusion. Surely, she knew how long he had been here, right?

    ¡°I see...¡± She muttered. For a second, Alec could see the light of an idea shine in her eyes, however, that idea quickly dissipated. Her ever-present frown came back. ¡°Whatever... You can go back to school at the start of the semester, which is next week. Why were you... Nevermind. You can leave now.¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡± Alec exclaimed. His face soured in confusion. ¡°After all that, why are you letting me out now?¡±

    No matter what he asked, unfortunately, the woman didn¡¯t seem to have the intention to answer.

    The door clicked behind her, leaving Alec with a tightness in his chest.

    ¡°Something is wrong...¡± he muttered. He scratched his left arm and winced in pain.

    ***

    No matter how much of an unnerving feeling he had inside his heart, Alec could still appreciate the sense of freedom. He picked up his belongings from one of the luggage lockers on the first floor of the building. When he finally stepped out of the front door, he felt a gentle wind brushing against his face, making him feel comfortable for the first time in a while.

    Two meter-high double doors of the building revealed a beautiful courtyard full of lush green trees and orderly grass. There were small paved paths leading to different academy buildings.

    Seeing these buildings, Alec felt a strange sense of familiarity. He pulled on the necktie of his black-white uniform to loosen it a little bit and look around. There weren¡¯t many students, probably because it was, apparently, still a holiday.

    As Alec passed through the courtyard, he started walking up to different buildings to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He didn¡¯t know how many years he would have to spend inside this courtyard, around these buildings, so it was best to know what was where.

    Passing by a grandiose cafeteria building, he memorized all the buildings and lecture halls in case he would have to go there for classes. Finally, after about half an hour, he reached the dorms. The dorms were made up of two buildings, one for girls and one for boys. There were high, brick walls surrounding those dorms. However, from what Alec could guess, he felt like no one in this school would try jumping the wall to peek at some girls.

    Feeling the sun heating his skin, Alec quickly entered the building. He wasn¡¯t good with heat and would escape it whenever he could.

    The doors opened to a huge hall, with two spiraling, wooden stairs leading to the upper floors. Tall marble columns supported the building while giving it an artistic look. There were tables and chairs scattered throughout this hall, maybe giving the students someplace to spend time with their friends. An occasional plant was placed to take away from the serious aura of the place.

    What surprised Alec was, however, how many of those tables were occupied. At least two hundred fifty students were sitting around, talking to their friends, which caused a cacophony of chatters. None of them seemed to react to Alec¡¯s arrival other than the ones that sat close to the entrance. And even those who did react merely threw him a glance before going back to their endeavors.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t it supposed to be a holiday? Why would there be this many students, wouldn¡¯t they go outsi-¡¯

    Alec appreciated their disinterest and made his way to the stairs. From a student ID he had found inside the chest pocket of his uniform, he figured out that he was in a dorm room on the fourth floor.

    When Alec made it to his destination, he opened the door of the room. Then he was promptly blasted on the face with the smell of sweat and manliness.

    In the middle of the room, the red-haired boy Evan was doing one-handed handstand push-ups with sweat gushing out of all of his pores.

    When he sensed the door open, he quickly plopped down on the ground and looked at Alec.

    ¡°I...¡± he muttered. Then, suddenly, he got up and lunged toward Alec. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Seeing the enthusiastic ball of sweat and tears hurtling toward him, Alec made an astonishingly swift evasive maneuver and let Evan pass by. Missing his target, Evan found himself outside the room, lying down on the corridor.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± Alec asked with contempt in his face. The nauseating smell made him pinch his nose in disgust as he looked at Evan.

    ¡°Make the smell go away, right now.¡±

    Shivering in place under Alec¡¯s scrutinizing glare, Evan got up and ran back inside.

    Watching him squirm around, Alec let a tired sigh escape through his mouth.

    He seemed to have a lot of talking to do.

 Chapter 9 | Remnants of An Unknown Past

    Alec leaned against the frame of the door; watching Evan running around the room, cleaning up the mess to the best of his abilities. There were two bunk beds in the room alongside four tables seemingly crammed into the place. It was a bit of a tight fit, as if either the architects hadn¡¯t thought of a proper room plan, or the place had been transformed from a two-person room.

    Nevertheless, the main problem wasn¡¯t its tightness, but the disgusting mess its habitants had left it in. Alec could swear that he had seen something move amidst all the clothes on the ground, and whatever the thing that moved was, it wasn¡¯t a human.

    Whatever mess there was, Alec seemed to have a mean enough look to force Evan to clean up in less than 15 minutes. Much to Alec¡¯s surprise, he didn¡¯t use any magic while cleaning, utilizing only mundane techniques.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a mage? Why aren¡¯t you using spells?¡± Alec said with his voice as sharp and cold as the edge of a metallic blade. Evan, who was currently trying to pick up some trash from behind a desk, shivered under his questioning.

    Turning his head around, he looked Alec up and down for a moment. With an apologetic smile, he explained.

    ¡°I¡¯m a melee mage. Using my body feels easier than using magic,¡± Evan answered. He then pointed at the ever-present blue magic circles silently rotating above his shoulders and continued. ¡°These are my gauntlet engines. They are a headache to get reinscribed so I keep them on all the time. They don¡¯t spend any mana unless I activate them anyway.¡±

    ¡°Huh...¡± Alec mumbled. He then gestured to Evan to continue cleaning.

    ¡®So there are melee mages too...¡¯ He thought. Evan¡¯s shoulder magic circles seemed to have an almost hypnotic effect. ¡®I wonder what kind of magic the previous Alec used. Wait... Why am I not asking?¡¯

    ¡°So... What kind of mage was I?¡± he asked. Evan momentarily froze.

    ¡°You were...¡± He muttered, seemingly thinking of an answer. ¡°You were more of a generalist. Though, if I had to say, the most troublesome magic you used was your telekinetic one.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I used telekinetic magic. How?¡± Alec asked. He was getting curious.

    ¡°Well, there are three main groups of telekinesis mages,¡± Evan started explaining as he barely fit his arm through the gap between the desk and the wall, seemingly managing to get a hold of something. ¡°Finally! Uh... It¡¯s a cockroach.¡±

    Alec¡¯s face soured at the sight of the struggling insect. After throwing the pitiful being out the window without killing it, Evan turned to him and sat on the desk.

    ¡°The first type of telekinetics are the controllers, they generally use their skills to directly restrict or crush their enemies. Well, it¡¯s more of an imitation of gravity magic. Once the magic was lost to time, many people wanted to replicate it,¡± Evan explained. Much to Alec¡¯s surprise, he seemed knowledgeable about the topic.

    ¡°They are not very popular though, you need smart tricks or a dominant mana pool to utilize it after all,¡± he continued. He then lifted his hand to reveal a purple magic circle in his hand. Once it shone with mana, Alec felt a slight pressure on his arm.

    ¡°Huh... Neat,¡± he said. When he inspected the magic¡¯s contact site, he realized that his skin had slightly caved in.

    ¡°The next type uses telekinesis to strengthen their own bodies, they amplify their movements while distributing the force from the enemy attacks. It¡¯s a really hard skill to specialize in so...¡±

    ¡°Not many people use this too, I guess?¡± Alec asked. As he didn¡¯t know how hard it was to use magic, he didn¡¯t comment any further.

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    ¡°Yup. The last one is the most common, although still rare in the academy. You were the only one in our class grade that uses it as far as I¡¯m aware,¡± Evan said. Alec¡¯s ears perked up in excitement.

    ¡°These types of mages use bladed weapons. They swing them around with their telekinesis to hit the enemy with,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that some use it alongside archery but that¡¯s more of a hunter-class thing.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Alec muttered. ¡®That type of telekinesis sounds really cool. The previous Alec and I must have similar tastes.¡¯

    ¡°But in the end,¡± Evan said. ¡°People are not limited to specializing in one skill, they can try and learn as many as they want from the system anyway.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alec raised his brow. ¡°Skills?¡±

    ¡°You forgot that too?¡± Evan said bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have-¡±

    ¡°Stop. You know, I don¡¯t know why you are this apologetic towards me?¡± Alec asked. Evan had been this way since the time they had met in the infirmary.

    ¡°I¡¯m...¡± Evan babbled for a moment before gathering his bearings. With a resolute glint in his eyes, he walked up to Alec and put his hands on his shoulders. ¡°We had been friends since the start of the second semester of our first year here. We were pretty much best friends, we even chose your specialization together.¡±

    ¡°We did everything together and then... We had a practical exam for our finals. We have always been competitive. We liked fighting each other more than anything else. And while fighting, I...¡± Evan said. However, as his sentence approached its end, his voice became more and more stuffy. However, Alec didn¡¯t attempt to console him. Instead, he waited for him to finish the story. ¡°I hit you too hard. It was a miscalculation on both our parts, and I overperformed. My punch knocked you out into a coma, seemingly also wiping your memories in the process. Even before all of this though, your memories seemed, a bit skittish.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°You would occasionally forget some important stuff but... Anyway. I don¡¯t think it was anything important,¡± Evan glossed over the topic.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Alec said. He didn¡¯t feel really angry as he wasn¡¯t the one who got punched into a coma, after all.

    ¡°What I¡¯m more curious about is something else. You talked about helping me choose my specialization. Does everyone choose their specialization in their second semester?¡± Alec asked. Evan shook his head in answer.

    ¡°Not really. Most people would¡¯ve already chosen something to specialize in in their first semester. You were a bit... Different back in the first semester. Many people were surprised by your sudden change in the winter break, you know?¡±

    ¡°Sudden change? What kind?¡± Alec asked. Even before him, Alec seemed to have experienced some stranger stuff.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain,¡± Evan said. He let go of Alec¡¯s shoulders and crossed his arms. ¡°You never really attracted any positive attention back then. People, including me and Ariel, knew you only from your disability.¡±

    ¡°Disability? What?¡± Alec asked. He checked his body to see if something was missing, however, he couldn¡¯t figure anything out.

    At his question, Evan¡¯s eyes widened first in surprise, then in worry.

    ¡°You... What did you not forget?¡± he asked. ¡°You are unable to utilize the system. That¡¯s a disability. You are a cripple.¡±

    ¡°Woah man, okay! That¡¯s enough,¡± Alec said while signaling him to stop with his hand. ¡°But I can see my sta-¡±

    ¡°Open your skills,¡± Evan said. Alec facepalmed with anger and pointed toward himself.

    ¡®Of course! Of course, there would be a skill tree! How could I not think of this?¡¯ Alec thought to himself before thinking of the skills panel. Immediately, a blue holographic panel, just like the status screen appeared in front of his face.

    [DISABLED]

    A bright red-colored text appeared in front of him, making Alec slightly flinch.

    ¡°You also can¡¯t level up or gain status points, which makes me wonder how you entered the aca-¡± Evan was about to finish his sentence before he suddenly stopped. His eyes momentarily rolled back into his skull before returning to normal.

    Focused on his status screen, Alec didn¡¯t notice the situation.

    ¡®Thank god I have The Author¡¯s Pen, if not...¡¯ Alec thought as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Looking around, he noticed Evan standing still in his place, seemingly zoned out. Snapping his fingers about five centimeters away from his face, Alec woke him from his absent-mindedness.

    ¡°You¡¯ve helped me a great deal,¡± Alec said, getting Evan¡¯s attention. He walked up to him and patted him on his shoulder. ¡°Currently, I have no memories of my past. I barely know anything about the world we live in. Although you are the one who put me in this situation, I feel different. As if I¡¯m a new person entirely. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not holding a grudge against you. I¡¯m sure the old Alec would¡¯ve thought the same way.¡±

    Hearing his words, Evan finally lost his bearing. Tears started rolling down as he went down on his knees. Alec knew how he felt, and he also knew there was no need for words. He crouched down next to him and patted Evan on his back.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the same Alec anymore. We don¡¯t have our previous friendship. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t start anew,¡± he said. Evan wiped his eyes with his arm and looked up at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Evan. I¡¯m Alec Greenwood.¡±

 Chapter 10 | A Library, To Learn

    ¡°So what you are saying is, I used to spend most of my time here?¡± Alec asked while looking up at the grandiose building made with gothic architecture. It reached up towards the clouds, its highest tower probably measuring around 75 meters. It seemed older than most of the other buildings Alec had been to so far.

    ¡°Yup. Not that different from other students. Most people spend a lot of their time in school here to study. Though, I had seen you read some weird books before, rather than more study-related books,¡± Evan answered as he started heading inside.

    ¡°What kind of weird books?¡± Alec asked while watching the back of his new friend. However, he was promptly ignored before Evan opened the door to invite him inside. As soon as Evan cracked the door open, a cold gust of turbid air carrying the smell of bibliosmia hit Alec square in the face.

    ¡°The library is filled with an air conditioning ward array. It¡¯s always cold inside,¡± Evan explained before entering the door. ¡°The professors don¡¯t like it when we leave the door open for too long. They say it makes the array spend more energy than normal,¡± he urged Alec.

    Nodding along, Alec followed him inside. When he did so, the chatters encompassing the campus accompanied by the nauseating songs of the cicadas faded out into the background. Instead, it was the gentle taps of the students walking amidst the bookshelves, the rustling of the book pages being riffled through, and the barely noticeable hum-buzz of the people studying together filling the library. The sudden change in background noise made Alec look around dumbfoundedly for a few seconds before he was alerted by Evan whispering into his ear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll pick out a few books for you to read,¡± he said. Alec shivered in place before making a disgusted face, making Evan back off and start walking.

    After going through maze-like corridors adopting the bookshelves as walls, Evan stopped and picked out a few books.

    [Basics of Magic by Archmage Evelynn]

    [Magic 101 by Commissar Petrovsky]

    [On Telekinesis and Its Usage by Thomas the Awakened]

    ¡°Huh... That¡¯s interesting,¡± Alec commented after reading the titles of the books. After taking out the last one and placing it under his arm, Evan turned around and raised a brow at Alec¡¯s question.

    ¡°What is interesting?¡± he asked with a hushed voice, reminding Alec that they were inside a library.

    ¡°Those authors. They all use certain... Titles instead of surnames. Why is that?¡± Alec asked with a now lowered voice. Evan stopped for a few seconds before he gestured for Alec to follow him. They passed a few tables and turned a few corners before reaching a relatively isolated part of the library. There were only three students visible, and all of them were studying separately.

    After settling down with the books, Evan finally started answering Alec¡¯s question.

    ¡°Strength and capabilities are an important part of our society,¡± he said. Bringing his finger on the book called Basics of Magic, he underlined Archmage Evelynn¡¯s name with a trail of mana. ¡°Although surnames are an important tool to keep the society orderly, these people transcend the idea of familial heritage. They are too strong to share titles with others. That¡¯s why, important people in history are recorded with their titles instead of their surnames. As long as Archmage Evelynn¡¯s name is not lost to the dusty pages of history, there will be no other archmage.¡±

    ¡°Huh... Does anyone in our school have that kind of title?¡± Alec asked. Evan nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. Our headmaster is one such example. He is called Odiel the Unknowable.¡±

    ¡°The unknowable? That¡¯s an ominous name,¡± Alec commented before leaning against the back of his chair. ¡°What¡¯s the reason they call him that?¡±

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    ¡°Haha, yeah? I thought so too,¡± Evan confirmed with a light chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s because of his proficiency in an-¡±

    However, before Evan could finish his sentence, he zoned out for a brief moment.

    ¡°So there¡¯s a person like that, huh?¡± Alec said.

    ¡°Yup, pretty elusive if you ask me,¡± Evan continued. ¡°None of the upperclassmen I asked have seen him. Most people doubt that he is still alive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Do you have any guesses why that might be the case?¡± Alec asked. However, Evan was just as clueless as him. ¡°Is there anyone else that is noteworthy? Or is that all?¡±

    ¡°That should be all,¡± Evan said as he caressed his chin thoughtfully. His mouth opened and closed a few times, seemingly trying to formulate a sentence. However, he wasn¡¯t able to as Alec continued talking.

    ¡°So? Are these the books I should read, and why?¡± Alec asked, pulling Evan¡¯s thoughts in another direction. ¡±The Basics of Magic and Magic 101 seem pretty similar to me. Is there a reason why I¡¯m reading both?¡±

    ¡°Of course. These are the first books they make you read when you enter the academy,¡± Evan said. ¡°The Basics of Magic is for the layman. Pretty much anyone who comes to this place is initially completely clueless about magic. It teaches you the basics of the basics, more like a general case study on what magic is and isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Alec said. Although he could guess what the book Magic 101 entailed, he still gestured for Evan to continue.

    ¡°The Magic 101 is an introductory book for a proper student. If you were to pick up a random citizen from the streets, chances are, they wouldn¡¯t be able to understand much from it,¡± Evan continued. ¡°It deals more about the fundamentals of generalist magic.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. So I have to read that before branching off,¡± Alec said. Evan nodded before explaining further.

    ¡°Well, you still have to read Magic 102, Magic 103, and How to Magic by Tuelicus the King of Spellcasters.¡±

    ¡°Damn, all of that in one week?¡± Alec asked with a frown on his face. Studying a book and reading one for fun were two different matters. He might¡¯ve been an avid reader in his previous life, capable of breezing through chapter after chapter non-stop, however, he wasn¡¯t some prodigy. Before the semester started, he doubted his ability to consume that amount of knowledge. ¡®Well, if I didn¡¯t have anything to aid me at least,¡¯ he thought while checking whether or not the author¡¯s pen was there, inside his abdominal cavity.

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Evan said while tapping the Magic 101¡¯s cover. ¡°The more books you finish, the more sense the lessons will make. If you haven¡¯t finished these three by the start of the semester though, you¡¯ll barely understand anything.¡±

    ¡°The other three?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°They are also important, but it¡¯s still somewhat fine if you can¡¯t finish them,¡± Evan said. ¡°You can still study extra throughout the semester.¡±

    Sighing deeply, Alec nodded. However, a question appeared in his head.

    ¡°Why did we come here by the way? Don¡¯t I already have these books?¡± he asked. Evan tilted his head before chuckling.

    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± he said. ¡°You sold all of them as soon as you finished studying them. Which leaves us here.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Alec muttered. His opinion got better the more he heard about this previous Alec. ¡°Was I tight on money or something?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Evan said. ¡°You have always been a bit...¡±

    ¡°Thrifty?¡± Alec finished his sentence for him.

    ¡°Stingy,¡± Evan said his piece before registering Alec¡¯s intrusion.

    The word thrifty seemed to make Evan frown in disgust.

    ¡°Even with no memories you are like this...¡± he sighed. ¡°Nevermind. You start studying, I will go and copy the necessary materials. I just brought you here so you could get started.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks!¡± Alec said. He scrambled his pockets for money but didn¡¯t find any. Seeing his actions, Evan grabbed his arm and stopped him.

    ¡°There is no need. I can pay for it,¡± he said. ¡°Let me do that much at least. I¡¯ll go back to the dorm directly after that, so you can come back any time you want.¡±

    Understanding Evan¡¯s sentiment, Alec raised his head and nodded. As Evan was leaving, he stopped for a second and turned his head sideways.

    ¡°And by the way, you can use your student ID card to buy stuff anywhere in this academy,¡± he said. He had probably seen Alec searching his pockets for money.

    Under the angry gazes of the other three students, Evan left Alec alone to study.

    The sudden silence made Alec sigh and open the book called Basics of Magic.

    The first few pages of the book were about a brief history of magic. Alec glanced over a few sentences and decided to skip those pages. He then found some essential theories about what magic was and how it came to be.

    Which were mostly a few unconfirmed theories that all made sense when he first read them.

    Then, finally, the book started telling about some more in-detail stuff.

    For a moment, Alec sighed and stopped. No matter how much he wanted to directly skip to magic-casting, he still had to learn the general knowledge if he didn¡¯t want to become a topic of ridicule.

    Closing the book, gathering all three into a pile, and putting them under his arm, Alec got up and started searching for a cup.

 Chapter 11 | Overstudy and Cards

    ¡°This place should be good enough,¡± Alec muttered in a low voice. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone in this corner of the library that was encased with two walls from behind and two bookshelves from the front. One could only enter this small rectangular place through a gap between the two bookshelves, which Alec found pretty easily.

    Bringing out the cup he had just found, he started writing with The Author¡¯s Pen.

    [Low Focus Potion]

    He wrote. By now, his mana stat had improved quite a bit. He also had his entire pool stored, which made him confident in being able to create a ¡°Low¡± potion instead of a ¡°Very Low¡± one.

    Quickly, his mana pool was drained down to one-third, making him feel dizzy at the sudden depletion of mana.

    A turquoise-colored potion formed inside the cup. After sitting down, Alec brought the cup to his mouth and downed the potion in one go. It tasted disgustingly chemical as if he was downing concrete. Fortunately, he managed to drink the entire cup without his brain registering the taste.

    ¡®Hmm... Does this count as me taking Ritalin or something?¡¯ a thought popped up inside Alec¡¯s mind. However, at his command, the thought immediately disappeared from his mind. ¡®Huh. That was very quick!¡¯

    When he got up from his seating position, Alec felt clean. He had a single thing to do, and that was to go and study. His brain riffled through the library of memories in his head and showed him the path back to his previous seat.

    Almost skipping in excitement, he backtracked his steps and sat down to study.

    ***

    ¡°Huff... Huff...¡± Alec did his best to catch his breath. He could feel blood slowly leaving his brain to rejoin his normal circulation. Every breath he took burned his nasal cavity, which in turn made his eyes swell with tears. If he had a mirror now, he could see capillaries dying his sclera red.

    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have drunk it in one go!¡¯ he thought to himself. Now that the effects of the potion were fading, he felt his mind getting sluggish, clouded even. ¡®If the low version of the potion is this potent, what would the very high version do!?¡¯

    Momentarily resting his head on the book called Magic 101¡¯s last page, Alec yawned. A small clock, embedded into the table showed the time to be 10 p.m., which made him frown. Hopefully, there wasn¡¯t a curfew.

    ¡®Fortunately, I¡¯ve managed to finish reading and understanding both of these books,¡¯ Alec thought. Both the Low Focus Potion and his now enhanced Mind stat seemed to work in tandem to help him in his learning.

    ¡®Twenty mind stat sure is something. Although I can¡¯t feel it very distinctly, there is no way I could¡¯ve understood all these in less than a day,¡¯ Alec thought before standing up. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a small pedestal next to the table he was sitting at. When he walked up to it, he noticed a small, neatly written line of words.

    [Please leave the books you have read here.]

    Complying with the instructions, Alec squared the books by tapping them on the corner of the pedestal and placed them down. Shortly after, a transparent, barely visible magic circle appeared to lift the books four to five meters high. They then started gently flying in different directions. Although Alec hadn¡¯t paid it any attention, there were also other books searching for their own places on the bookshelves.

    ¡°Huh... Neat,¡± Alec muttered. Then, he turned around and left the library.

    The journey back to his dorm was pretty calm. The academy grounds were mostly empty, with a few students heading in the same direction as him.

    When he opened the door to the room, he noticed the mana crystal lamps to be on. There were three students, one being Evan, sitting on the floor and seemingly playing a card game.

    ¡°Huh, is that fun?¡± Alec asked while walking up. As soon as his eyes fell on the cards with animated creatures, effects that jumped out of those cards, and self-moving pieces, Alec felt like he had found his calling. ¡°That¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Yo! Huh? What happened to your eyes?¡± Evan asked. ¡°Did you study too much again? Man, they should really do a study on you, you know. You would also do this to yourself before losing your memories. And you are still doing it!¡±

    ¡°I finished the first two books though,¡± Alec said with a smug smile on his face. Now that he was slowly adapting to the school, he felt a bit more relaxed around Evan.

    ¡°You did what!?¡± Evan said surprisedly. He then facepalmed and raised his hand toward a nearby desk, which promptly caused a copy of the book Magic 101 to fly to his hand. Quickly flipping the pages, he started firing one question after the other.

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    ¡°Discovery of Diag-¡±

    ¡°13th year of God Emperor.¡±

    ¡°Tsk. How to create a fractal-¡±

    ¡°Execute Deblic¡¯s Formula on the rationalization stage.¡±

    ¡°The Tele-attractive force of iron?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s,¡± Alec was about to answer before he frowned. No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn¡¯t think of an answer. ¡°That¡¯s... That wasn¡¯t in any of those two books.¡±

    ¡°Fuck me...¡± Evan absent-mindedly said. Then suddenly, a cute little roar, similar to that of a baby kitten resounded in the room. One of the other student¡¯s cards rose to the air and came crashing down on Evan¡¯s cards, obliterating them and causing them to fall to the ground lifeless. ¡°Noo!¡± Evan shouted. However, when the other occupants of the dormitory started knocking on the walls, he shut up.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t actually lose your memories, right?¡± Evan asked. ¡°You bastard, you are acting so you can make fun of us!¡±

    Sighing at Evan, Alec walked up to the other two roommates of his.

    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Alec Greenwood. I¡¯m currently suffering from amnesia and am hoping to get along well,¡± he said while reaching his hand out. The one to return his handshake was a young adult with green hair and green eyes, which made Alec immediately assume that he specialized in nature magic.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Alec,¡± The green-haired guy said. His smile had an almost divine undertone to it. Although Alec was still getting used to the overall higher average of attractiveness in this world, he was still surprised when met with a face like this. ¡°I¡¯m Alexei. Alexei Lemke.¡±

    Alec nodded and turned his head towards the other person. This person had black hair coupled with brown eyes, relatively unsurprising if not for his pristine clear face.

    ¡°I¡¯m Thomas Hutchins... It¡¯s nice to meet you... Again,¡± he said with a low voice. There was a gentle smile on his face, almost blinding Alec with its purity.

    ¡°We knew each other before?¡± Alec asked. He then thought briefly before continuing. ¡°Of course we did. We are roommates.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t use to be actually,¡± Alexei noted. Alec¡¯s ears perked up with curiosity. ¡°You requested for a room swap with our previous roommate towards the end of the previous semester.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why did I do that?¡± Alec asked. Thomas interrupted their conversation to explain.

    ¡°You muttered something about not wanting to be under scrutiny. Maybe your other roommates were a bit too... Restrictive?¡± he said. Alec nodded along, but couldn¡¯t make much sense of the old Alec¡¯s words.

    ¡®Maybe he just got bored? Or did he have something to hide?¡¯

    Alec¡¯s train of thought was cut in half by Alexei pulling him down to sit beside them.

    ¡°If we were to look for something positive in your loss of memory, it¡¯s that you can appreciate the joys of learning Magikards, once again,¡± he said with an almost devilish smile on his face. Which made Alec have goosebumps. Looking at Evan for help, he noticed him to be deliberately ignoring him.

    ¡°I- Is that so?¡± Alec asked. In the end, he also wanted to give the game a try, as it seemed incredibly interesting.

    ¡°Yes! In fact, Magikards is the epitome of a mage¡¯s fun. Especially if you are an apprentice mage!¡± Alexei explained. ¡°You see, the Magikards is more than just a game, it¡¯s a practice tool for all kinds of mages!¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± Alec asked while glancing over the cards strewn across the table. Compared to before, they were now lifeless. There were no signs of magical flashes or roars. They weren¡¯t any different than normal, mundane cards.

    ¡°Yes, my friend!¡± Alexei said excitedly. He picked up a card from the bundle and showed it to Alec. It was called The Artillerist and was adorned with a drawing of a middle-aged, white-haired mage with red robes. However, the drawing was gray, and mono-chrome in its design, which made Alec confused. As Alec kept inspecting the card, Alexei¡¯s hand flashed with a brief surge of mana. The card came to life as the drawing lit up with a plethora of colors. The red-robed mage was previously inside a non-descript darkness. Now, however, there were floating and actively rotating red magic circles behind him.

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± Alec muttered in awe. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡±

    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alexei asked with pride. When he let go of the card, it started floating in mid-air. Meanwhile, Alexei picked up another card and gave it to Alec. ¡°Activate the card.¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡± Alec grumbled while taking the card. It was a ball of energy, simply called, Magic Missile. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Inject mana into it,¡± Alexei said with a smirk on his face. Which made Alec ever so slightly frown. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember how it felt to use The Author¡¯s Pen. He then scoured through the knowledge he had gotten from the book Magic 101. Inside his body, under his skin, he felt a tingling sensation. A feeling ever-present, but never noticed. When he did notice the feeling to be there, however, he felt it to be a familiar one. Similar to how it felt when blood rushed into a part of the body that had been starved of it.

    Grasping that feeling, Alec nudged the flowing mana in his body to flow towards the card. It took him a good minute to do so. When, however, his mana finally reached the card by leaving his hand, he noticed that the mana tried to flow in a certain pattern.

    At that point, Alec realized.

    ¡®These cards help in shaping mana,¡¯ Alec thought. If he wanted the card to activate, he had to energize it into life by distributing his mana in a certain pattern. It was a very, very simple pattern, but a hurdle for a first-day mage like him. At least, it should have been one. By sheer muscle memory, Alec¡¯s mind perfectly nudged the mana into the shape necessary for the card.

    In an instant, the drawing of the spell lit up, coloring the energy ball purple. The now blazing energy ball seemed ready to go at any moment, which made Alec smile with pride. However, after a few seconds of silence, the mana inside the card dissipated.

    ¡°Huh..?¡± Alec exclaimed dumbfoundedly. The other three of his roommates started chuckling, barely holding their laughter in fear of getting more complaints from their neighbors.

    ¡°You have to put intent into it, man,¡± Evan said while holding his belly. ¡°The spell is used to attack, not to show off!¡±

    His hand tightening into a fist, a murderous smile blossomed on Alec¡¯s face.

    ¡°Is making fun of an amnesiac fun? Huh?¡± he asked. Slowly but surely, his roommates noticed his expression, which made them shut up one by one.

    Grabbing and squeezing his left fist with his right palm, Alec¡¯s hand made gentle popping sounds.

    ¡°So? Who wants to die first?¡±

 Chapter 12 | Of Duels and Magic Practices

    ¡°Stop! Enough! IT¡¯S ENOUGH! Are you trying to annoy me to death!?¡± Alexei begged Alec to stop. Unfortunately for him, they had already started the game. Once a Magikard duel had begun, stopping it in the middle was considered dishonorable. He could just surrender, however, going down without a fight was not his cup of tea.

    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Alec asked with a devilish smile on his face. Putting his hand on his chin and looking at his cards, he raised his hand again. ¡°I think...¡± he muttered. His hand was about to hold a card from his deck, which made Alexei¡¯s face shine with hope but for a brief moment. Then, his hand passed by the cards and touched a floating card.

    The card was named Arcane Storm. Its name aside, it was actually just a lot of magic missiles bundled into one spell card. It was reusable but had no health, which meant that it would be destroyed once its magic core was hit. Of course, Alec made sure Alexei couldn¡¯t do that by placing some tanky cards and deflection arrays, which left them in their current conundrum.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to reactivate the Arcane Storm,¡± Alec said with a benign smile. Life drained from Alexei¡¯s face, as little balls of mana started battering his cards, depleting their energy.

    ¡°You...¡± Alexei muttered. ¡°You do know that you have to hit me with your cards to win, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Alec answered nonchalantly. The card Arcane Storm only hit the enemy cards, not the player. Which made it a strategic, high mana-cost card that was only used once or twice per game against Swarmer-type decks. Alec, instead, was just using it to wipe the board again and again. What Alexei didn¡¯t know was that Alec had a mana regeneration potion going, which refilled his mana reserves as he cast the spell time after time. ¡°That was my turn.¡±

    Sighing, Alexei looked through his cards before speaking.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this to you, as you are technically a newbie player,¡± he said. However, a moment later, a resolute expression appeared on his face. ¡°I play Suspension Field.¡±

    He said as the card left his hand and formed a blue, transparent ball of energy in the air. Then, he hesitantly pulled out two other cards.

    ¡°Then, I use Octa-casting on this arcane lance,¡± he said as two cards left his hand and flew forward, creating 8 purple-colored lances blazing with pure mana. ¡°I place the lances inside the suspension field and encase the field with teleportation wards before teleporting it.¡±

    In an instant, Alexei¡¯s ball of lances teleported right next to Alec¡¯s Arcane Storm card. The suspension shield faded away as the lances launched at breakneck speed, dissipating the Arcane Storm, hitting Alec¡¯s tanks from behind with amplified damage, and damaging Alec¡¯s HP in the meantime.

    ¡°Huh...¡± Alec muttered dumbfoundedly. ¡°Damn man, you really know how to play this thing, huh?¡±

    Of course, this move had exhausted Alexei quite a bit. His mana reserves and mental energy were nearing depletion. Alec, on the other side, still had some mana to go. But he didn¡¯t know how to win at all. His deck had been built entirely around wiping enemy units with the arcane storm and chipping away at Alexei¡¯s health with his tank units, which was taking a long time.

    ¡°I surrender,¡± Alec said. Immediately, his remaining few tank cards became lifeless and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Huh, he pulled that strat¡¯ on you too?¡± Evan asked before getting up from his chair and walking to their side. ¡°Honestly, you kinda deserved it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Alec muttered before gathering his cards into a deck and putting them back into their pouch.

    It had been six days since his arrival at the dormitory. His days went by without any further problems. He would wake up, eat, shower, and go to the library to continue his studies. Of course, he would do it with the help of potions. Unlike the first time. He lowered the grade of the focus potions to very low quality. The low grade of the potion was too potent, unnecessarily so. Which was a waste of Alec¡¯s precious mana.

    After all, he could use that mana to play Magikards, which he had promptly become addicted to in a short amount of time. It was a very good method of training his mana control, especially for beginner mages like him.

    What he realized while playing the game was, however, that some form of muscle memory had remained inside his body, making it much easier for him to learn the patterns of certain cards, presumably the ones the previous Alec had utilized a lot.

    ¡°Are you not going to the library today?¡± Evan asked. Placing the card pouch inside the drawer of his desk, Alec sat down on his chair in reverse, facing the center of the room.

    ¡°Nope. I just finished How to Magic yesterday,¡± Alec answered. His answer made all his friends in the room stop what they were doing and look at him.

    ¡°Seriously? You actually caught up in less than a week?¡± Evan tried to confirm. Alec thought briefly and shook his head.

    ¡°Theoretically. I still haven¡¯t cast a spell yet,¡± he answered. Although he had finished reading and understanding the books, that didn¡¯t translate into practical experience.

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    ¡°You should do pretty well. You¡¯ve been playing the magikards for the whole day without any problems,¡± Alexei said after loudly closing his desk drawer. ¡°Your mana control should be good enough for at least basic-level spells. You seem to have retained the necessary muscle memory to do so.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Alec asked while caressing his chin. Although he also felt confident, there was something that he was worried about. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but, will me not being able to use skills with the system be a problem?¡±

    At his question, Alexei, Evan, and Thomas who had kept their silence up until now looked at each other. Then as if they were using telepathy, they nodded to each other as Evan started speaking.

    ¡°Not necessarily. You were capable of using spells before. Even in practical fights,¡± he said. Seeing Alec nod along, he continued explaining. ¡°That is a great feat actually. Most people rely on the system¡¯s semi-auto magic assist. You, on the other hand, were just raw-dogging the spell formulization process.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wait, isn¡¯t that pretty hard? How did I even do that?¡± Alec asked. He had gained detailed knowledge about the spell-casting process and knew that it was hard for a mage to use spells without the system¡¯s assistance. Evan shrugged in response.

    ¡°I have no idea. I think you pretty much sidestepped the issue with your telekinetic magic. But you never actually told me how you did so.¡±

    ¡°Oh, because talking about a mage¡¯s specialization is taboo?¡± Alec asked, to which Evan nodded in answer. ¡°Well, it is what it is. I¡¯ll keep looking into telekinetic magic to figure out a way.¡±

    ¡°If you are going to do that, you might want to go to the training grounds,¡± Evan said. He had shown Alec around the academy before.

    ¡°Uhh...¡± Alec thought for a moment. With a small frown on his face, he nodded and left the room.

    There was obviously a reason for him to be this reluctant to go to the training grounds.

    ¡®That place should be a breeding ground for clich¨¦ antagonists to appear,¡¯ he thought. He currently lacked the ability to cast spells, which made him wary of potential 3rd rate villain characters. ¡®They might even be waiting somewhere to watch students struggling with casting basic-level magic spells to bully them.¡¯

    However, unfortunately, practicing magic anywhere else in the academy without the necessary authorization was strictly forbidden. Other than certain utility spells, all magic would be caught by the academy¡¯s ward array and promptly returned to the user.

    The training grounds were about 200 meters from the dorms. It had a floor made of paved dirt, just hard enough to make it durable while just soft enough so that students didn¡¯t die by falling over and hitting their heads.

    There were different magically enhanced dummies placed in an orderly manner, each having different functionalities. Some were more resistant against certain magic types while the others deflected the spells back to the sender.

    It was covered with eight-meter-tall stone walls from each side, protecting the outside from the spells being flung around inside.

    Looking around, Alec approached the entrance. However, when he got closer, Alec noticed an almost invisible, blueish barrier blocking the way. Turning his head slightly to his right, he noticed a booth.

    ¡°Umm...¡±

    ¡°Free practice? Special practice? Private practice? The fees are lower because the semester hasn¡¯t started yet,¡± a gray-haired man manning the booth said. Without thinking much, Alec asked for free practice, which promptly got a long sigh from the man. ¡°Cheapstakes... Here. Don¡¯t forget to give it back while leaving.¡±

    Looking at the talisman the man gave him, Alec nodded and passed by the barrier. The training grounds at this hour were somewhat crowded. Out of every 3 training dummies, one was occupied by a student trying out all kinds of different spells. Between each dummy, there seemed to be an invisible, corridor-like barrier that stopped stray spells from hitting other people¡¯s dummies, or worse, other people.

    Approaching one of the dummies, Alec took a deep breath and started thinking about the books he had read so far.

    For a ranged mage, the best spell to learn first was the magic missile. It was described as being ¡°cheap, simple, and effective¡± in the book Magic 101. It was also a very versatile spell, causing more than a hundred variant spells to branch off.

    Picking his first spell to attempt, Alec flipped through a mental image of the book in his mind and found the page where the magic missile was described.

    Most spells were made up of 4 different stages.

    The first stage was the spell formulization stage, where the mental image of a spell¡¯s magic circle is formed inside the mind and pulled to the real world. This image is turned into something called intent, which is actually an extension of the caster¡¯s mind. The stage where the system¡¯s magic assistance would¡¯ve helped him was this one. If he wasn¡¯t a cripple of course.

    Remembering the necessary information, Alec forced his mind to the best of his capabilities, trying to remember the magic circle for the magic missile. Even for a simple spell, it was relatively complicated and hard to imagine. Even with Alec¡¯s increased mind stat, it was troubling to maintain the image.

    Fortunately, he barely managed to complete the formulization stage.

    The second stage was spell initialization, where the caster would reinforce the framework made from the intent with mana. This was the stage where the magic circle would become visible to the naked eye.

    Reaching out to his reserves, Alec pulled out some mana and fused the mental image with mana while raising his palm to face forward, toward the dummy. This caused a magic circle to slowly form slightly further away from his palm. However, this circle was jagged and crooked, barely able to maintain its shape.

    For now, though, it held on.

    Going on to the third stage, Alec had to complete the spell actualization stage. He would spin the mana inside the framework in a circular motion without breaking the intent, which in turn, would manifest the spell from inside the magic circle.

    Alec¡¯s magic circle, in accordance with his mana, started slowly spinning. Small trails of mana started seeping from the circle, forming into a small, pitiful magic missile. By this point, Alec had exhausted himself a lot. He didn¡¯t even have the focus to spare to wipe off the beads of sweat on his forehead.

    Finally, he had reached the fourth and last stage of casting a spell. Spell realization was the stage where the function of the spell would be realized. Which in this case was the magic missile launching forward in a straight line and battering the target.

    Trying to push the spell away with his intent while cutting off the mana stream from his hand, Alec felt the spell finally separating from him, becoming a real, physical thing. Which made him overjoyed. Which in turn, caused the spell realization stage to fail and the magic missile to dissipate before leaving his hand.

    ¡°Oh come on... I put so much work into that...¡± Alec muttered with a frown on his face. Sitting down on the paved dirt of the training grounds, he started catching his breath.

    ¡®It seems that I still have a long way to go...¡¯

 Chapter 13 | Incoming Tomfoolery

    ¡°Magic missile... Initialize, actualize, realize!¡± Alec muttered under his breath. The compact ball of mana separated from his hand and hit the dummy square in its chest, scraping off a layer of dust.

    ¡°This is so fucking hard...¡± he muttered. ¡°How did the past Alec manage to catch up to his classmates?¡±

    From his repeated trials throughout the past two hours, Alec had managed to properly cast three magic missiles in total. Apparently, his first attempt being that close to success was simply a coincidence, as he would very frequently fail to get past the formulization stage for the spell.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Alec heard a voice approaching him, alongside relaxed footsteps. When he turned around, he noticed it to be a blonde young man with sharp facial features.

    ¡®Oh no... Is he coming here to make fun of me or something? Is this that famous trope where the genius prince doesn¡¯t want to breathe the same air as a commoner like me?¡¯ Alec thought when he saw the person¡¯s hair color. The way he carried himself was also very confident, which added to Alec¡¯s worries.

    ¡°I saw you struggling with that magic missile earlier,¡± the blonde guy said. He reached out his hand with a smile. Alec indecisively grasped his hand and shook it. ¡°I¡¯m Edward Spellson. Are you Alec Greenwood by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s me,¡± Alec answered. Much to his surprise, this Edward wasn¡¯t condescending at all. As Alec didn¡¯t know if his polite demeanor was just a farce or not, he kept his guard up.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Alec, I¡¯ve heard what happened last semester. I hope you get your memories back soon,¡± Edward said. ¡°It must¡¯ve been really hard to readapt. What you have managed in such a short time is impressive!¡±

    ¡®This guy is... Not annoying..? Am I missing something here?¡¯ Alec thought to himself.

    ¡°Thank you, Edward. And it¡¯s nice meeting you too,¡± he answered. There was no reason to be rude to someone who was trying to encourage him. ¡°Is there something I can help with?¡±

    ¡°What? Oh, no. I¡¯m not here to ask for something. I just came to check up on you,¡± Edward said. ¡°I know how hard it is to get started with spellcasting. If there is something you need help with, I can teach you.¡±

    ¡°Wait... Really? You would do that?¡± Alec asked. Although he still felt somewhat suspicious about Edward¡¯s motives, getting help from someone who actually knew how to cast the spell was too good to refuse. Of course, he could¡¯ve asked his friends in the dormitory, but he didn¡¯t want to waste their time. ¡®It¡¯s okay if he himself offers the help, though.¡¯

    ¡°Definitely. Your fight against Evan last semester was really inspiring,¡± Edward said with enthusiasm. Alec was almost blinded by his excitement. ¡°I think a brilliant mage like you who can overcome their defects is an important asset to our country!¡±

    ¡®Damn... A true patriot aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Alec mentally commented. Seeing Alec keep his silence, Edward walked up and raised his hand toward the dummy. In his hand appeared the circle for a magic missile.

    ¡°Wait, hold it there,¡± Alec stopped him. What he needed was to see the fully formed magic circle.

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not yet at the, oh...¡± Edward muttered. He then stopped himself from talking further and kept the magic circle on standby.

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Alec hummed as he inspected the magic circle closely. ¡®Welp, this doesn¡¯t help at all. My main problem is the formulization stage, and the only way to resolve that problem might be increasing my mind stat,¡¯ he thought.

    ¡°So? Are you learning?¡± Edward asked as Alec¡¯s close inspection continued. Alec answered by shaking his head and gesturing him to continue.

    At Alec¡¯s gesture, Edward nodded and went on to continue his demonstration. By the time he was done casting the spell, Alec had understood something.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s about enough. I appreciate your help,¡± Alec answered.

    ¡°That was enough?¡± Edward asked as his brows rose. He knew how hard it was to cast spells without the system¡¯s aid, which made him question Alec¡¯s giving up so easily.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Yup. That made me understand a lot,¡± Alec answered. And in fact, he wasn¡¯t lying at all. It was just that, the fact that he understood was too harsh a truth.

    ¡®I can¡¯t become a traditional mage,¡¯ he thought. His shoulders visibly lowered as a frown settled on his face. ¡®The system¡¯s help is too great. It would barely be possible for me to replicate it with years of practice. Obviously, that¡¯s while I¡¯m standing still. Replicating it while in a real fight will most likely be impossible for the foreseeable future.¡¯

    Then, however, another thought popped into his head.

    ¡®If I were to go at it blindly and unaided, of course,¡¯ he thought as he scoured his abdomen to feel The Author¡¯s Pen.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Edward asked. He seemed a little worried about Alec as his body leaned slightly forward.

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯m okay,¡± Alec said. His posture straightened as he smiled. Whatever he had to do from now on, he didn¡¯t need further help from Edward. ¡°Thank you for everything, Edward. You¡¯ve been of great help. I should leave now.¡±

    As Alec turned around with a smile, Edward put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

    ¡°Are you sure? Will you be able to get past the opening ceremony like this?¡± he asked. Which made Alec raise his brow questioningly.

    ¡°The opening ceremony?¡± Alec asked. He hadn¡¯t heard of such an event so far.

    ¡°Your roommates didn¡¯t tell you? That¡¯s interesting...¡± Edward muttered to himself. ¡°Well, that tells a bit about your relaxed demeanor. You see, every year, Lation Magic Academy organizes a welcoming ceremony for its students.¡±

    ¡®Oh no... I know where this is going,¡¯ Alec thought as his hands tightened nervously. Page after page of clich¨¦ magic academy web novels flashed past his mind. This was a trope he was not unfamiliar with.

    ¡°There are a lot of different events prepared for the young magelings. Though, the one that interests us, and the most important one is the duel requests.¡±

    ¡®Welp... Here it comes...¡¯ Alec mentally commented before Edward continued.

    ¡°Each year, the three students who get the highest score in the entrance exams will get the chance to prove themselves by requesting duels from their upper-classmen. Although most new students don¡¯t know how to use magic, at least a few will be from famous families. They will have good magic education from childhood,¡± he said. He then shifted his weight from one foot to another. ¡°Now, the chance you are going to be chosen is really low but-¡±

    ¡°No! No don¡¯t say that man! Come on...¡± Alec stopped Edward. Even before he had said anything, there was a very good chance he would get chosen by some stupid web novel logic. ¡°You had to go and jinx it...¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Edward said apologetically as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s that thing called... Raising flags, right? Sorry. I don¡¯t read a lot outside the school textbooks.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay... I doubt it changed anything after all,¡± Alec said. His hand rose and grabbed his chin to think. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, I have to figure something out before tomorrow...¡±

    ¡°Thank you again, Edward. I have to leave now,¡± Alec bade his farewells before departing from the training grounds.

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that just doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Evan said while sipping on his drink. Alec had gone back to the dorms after his talk with Edward. However, he couldn¡¯t find Evan there. After asking his other roommates, he managed to find him inside the cafeteria, stuffing himself with whatever his student card¡¯s free daily meal pass could get him. ¡±Why would someone pick you in the duel requests? Sure, you were pretty strong back when you still had your memories. But now...¡±

    Sighing, Alec contemplated Edward¡¯s words. They made the most practical sense. That was the reason why they hadn¡¯t told him about the duel requests after all. However, the main character getting picked for no reason was a very common trope, and Alec couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that he would be met with the same fate.

    ¡°And you know,¡± Evan continued. ¡°Even if they did choose you, you can just refuse you know?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Alec hummed. However, he had already made up his mind. ¡®I can¡¯t refuse. That¡¯ll just make me look weak and easy to bully.¡¯

    ¡°Anyway. What I want is, I want you to teach me a skill that goes together with close-quarters combat,¡± Alec repeated his request. After a good amount of contemplation, Alec had arrived to the conclusion that for the foreseeable future, he would have to place his bets on his physique. Fortunately, thanks to the rigorous training he did with the Author¡¯s Pen, Alec had a pretty strong body.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 22

    Agility: 20

    Health: 23

    Mind: 22

    Mana: 26]

    He had done some research with all the information he could get his hands on in the past few days. People were weirdly cryptic about how the system worked, however, he still managed to find out what he was searching for.

    Apparently, his stats individually were not that impressive for people his age. His mana was slightly above average and that was it. Any of his friends would have similar numbers on their mind and mana stats. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t do so in strength, agility, and health. Unless it was a close-quarters mage like Evan, they would ignore their physical stats. Alec, on the other hand, had the stats of a specialist in every aspect, which made him a great jack of all trades. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know if this was a good trade-off with how hard spellcasting was without the system¡¯s aid.

    At Alec¡¯s insistent requests, Evan sighed and finally buckled.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll teach you something. But the ceremony is the day after tomorrow you know. Will you be able to make it in time?¡± he asked.

    Alec smiled confidently before answering.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With the right preparations, I¡¯ll have learned it before you even realize it.¡±

 Chapter 14 | Some Flags, To Be Raised

    ¡°Greetings, young magelings! Today is the day you will achieve the greatest honor possible for a young mage like you, which is to attend the Lation Magic Academy¡¯s opening ceremony!¡± The white-haired professor shouted.

    The school¡¯s amphitheater was bustling with energy. The closest seats to the stage were occupied by several high-ranking personnel of the academy, none of whose name Alec knew. Behind those first few rows of personnel were the third-grade students, who were now in their final year of the school. From there, the students were seated according to their grades, where the first-grade newbies were the furthest away from the stage.

    It was very easy to differentiate them from the other students, as the second and third-graders all had a certain confidence in them. First-graders, on the other hand, all looked around with a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and most importantly, fear of the unknown. It was never easy to adapt to a new place, after all.

    Amidst all this, in the middle cluster of seats, Alec and Evan were sitting side to side. Evan was very excited, as he was in the place of the first-graders just a year ago. Now, he could act as tough as he wanted in front of these younger students.

    Alec, on the other hand, was mostly expressionless. He threw around a few calculated, inquisitive glances every now and then. His leg would also start jumping for a few short moments before he stopped himself from doing so.

    ¡®There doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem for now,¡¯ Alec thought. As per habit, he was trying to see if there were any signs of a dark magic terrorist organization attack, or a student going berserk, or maybe even some professors suddenly turning on each other and starting infighting.

    ¡°You see, that white-haired professor giving the speech is called Hunter Howard. He is a fire artillerist,¡± Evan continued explaining excitedly. Ever since they had sat down, he hadn¡¯t stopped talking about who the professors were. Obviously, Alec had no intention of refusing free information from his dear friend. ¡°All the students who specialize in fire magic or one of its branches worship him like a god. It would be hard to explain all the legendary feats he has achieved so far, but since fire magic is the most developed magic branch out of all the others, he has a different level of authority than the other professors.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense...¡± Alec briefly commented. Shortly after Professor Hunter finished his speech, three students walked up to the rostrum. While one positioned himself in front of the voice-amplifying magic circle, the others stood to his sides. ¡°Oh?¡±

    Surprisingly, this student was Edward. The blonde mage placed his hands on the sides of the rostrum confidently before speaking with an elegant voice.

    ¡°It makes me incredibly proud to announce that I¡¯ve been appointed as the leader of this year¡¯s student council by the unanimous vote of our professors. During my term...¡±

    ¡®Ah alright... Is he a nepo baby by any chance?¡¯ Alec thought for a moment. However, remembering the way Edward treated him, he shook off the idea. ¡®He has a knack for these types of things I think. If I were given the chance to vote, I would¡¯ve probably voted for him.¡¯

    As speech after speech was delivered to his uncaring ears, Alec kept looking around to spot something interesting. And the thing that did interest him was a girl with blue hair, sitting approximately 10 meters away from him. When he spotted her, he noticed her to be staring at himself. For a brief moment, their gazes met, only for the girl to avert her eyes quickly.

    ¡°Ariel...¡± Alec muttered. Trailing his gaze, Evan spotted her too.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve continued the relationship, you know?¡± Evan said with a frown on his face. He continued after placing his hand on Alec¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She was waiting by your side the entire time you were in a coma. She wouldn¡¯t mind helping you create new memories with her, I think.¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    During his days in the dorms, Alec had encountered Ariel once in the cafeteria. There was obviously a need to talk things out between the two, which they did over lunch.

    ¡®That would make sense if I was the past Alec. But I¡¯m a different person. I can¡¯t just take over a relationship like that,¡¯ Alec thought to himself as he sighed. They had eventually agreed to go back to being friends, however, they never really talked after that accidental meeting in the cafeteria.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best,¡± he told his genuine thought. ¡°We don¡¯t have that kind of relationship anymore. Her emotions will fade away with time. We can go back to being friends that way. She just needs time, I think.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Evan said. He was about to change the topic by talking about one of the other legendary personnel of the school but was cut short by the announcement made by Professor Hunter.

    ¡°And thus!¡± the professor''s voice boomed across the amphitheater. ¡°I¡¯m inviting the three top-scoring students of our new batch to the stage!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Zac Fraser!¡± he said. At his beckon, a young adult with a tall and thin stature approached the stage. He had chestnut hair with dark eyes. Each of his steps was filled with overbearing confidence.

    ¡°Mr. Phoenix Chambers!¡± As the professor¡¯s voice resounded once more, a flash of flames appeared on the stage. Shortly after, from amidst those flames, a student with bright red hair and red eyes appeared.

    ¡®Woah... That¡¯s a flashy entrance if I¡¯ve ever seen one,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. Edward had told him that some of the new students would be given magic education from childhood, however, Alec didn¡¯t expect that they would be able to do flashy magic like this. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s easier than it looks,¡¯ he thought as he turned to look at Evan, who was dumbfoundedly staring at Phoenix. ¡®Apparently not...¡¯

    ¡°T- That¡¯s a 3rd circle magic. Phoenix¡¯s descent,¡± Evan mumbled. The deciding factor in the difficulty of casting a spell was generally the amount of concentric circles it contained. The magic missile was one of the easier first-circle spells. By the end of the year, a mage should have become capable of casting beginner-level 2nd circle spells, which denoted how good Phoenix was at his specialty.

    ¡°The guy is named Phoenix for fucks sake. Do you really think he would be average at fire magic?¡± Alec snickered with his arms crossed.

    ¡°That... That actually makes sense,¡± Evan answered before leaning against the back of his chair.

    Finally, a third student was called to the stage.

    ¡°Iris Duncan!¡±

    Suddenly, on the stage, a petite girl with long white hair appeared. It was unprompted, too sudden to be noticed by Alec. When he realized she was there, she had already been standing on the stage for more than half a minute.

    Her most distinctive feature was a small magic circle embedded into her forehead, slightly above her glabella. It wasn¡¯t floating outside her body like Evan¡¯s was. Instead, it seemed to be under her skin, constantly rotating in there.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Alec asked. When he turned to look at Evan, he noticed him to be zoned out. ¡°Hey?¡±

    ¡°Oh... What? What is what?¡± Evan reflected the question back to Alec.

    ¡°That magic circle on her forehead. What is it?¡±

    ¡°What gir- Oh... Since when has she been there?¡±

    ¡°Just answer the question,¡± Alec further urged him.

    ¡°Umm... I have no idea. Maybe some form of perception aid?¡± Evan guessed after grabbing his chin with his right hand.

    ¡°Like a third eye?¡±

    ¡°Like a third eye.¡±

    Shortly after, the highest-scoring student Zac approached the rostrum and gave a speech. Which Alec didn¡¯t bother listening to. For whatever reason, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from looking at the magic circle on Iris¡¯ forehead.

    He could only snap out of it when the viewers started becoming more and more restless. He could hear the amount of chatters constantly rising around him.

    ¡°And now,¡± the professor said. ¡°I shall announce the official start of the opening ceremony!¡±

    Cheers rose from the amphitheater, filling the skies with loud claps and whistles. The first-year students were a bit hesitant at the start, but they eventually joined in with the crowd.

    Even Alec felt a bit of excitement, momentarily forgetting about his worries. What was the problem with wanting to join the fray, after all?

    ¡°And what¡¯s the best way to start the opening ceremony other than some flashy magic battles, huh!?¡± The professor suddenly shouted. Which made Alec frown in confusion. Why had this aloof professor suddenly changed the way he spoke?

    ¡°Nothing!¡± all the second and third-grade students shouted back at him.

    ¡°Then let the students choose!¡± Professor shouted before he gestured to the three to approach the rostrum.

    ¡°Zac!?¡±

    ¡°I choose Edward Spellson!¡±

    ¡°Phoenix!?¡±

    ¡°Douglas Burton!¡±

    ¡°Iris!?¡±

    ¡°I shall fight against Alec Greenwood.¡±

    Alec, dumbfounded, turned to look at Evan. Although the cheers were undisturbed, people who knew him turned their heads to look at him.

    ¡°I- How?¡± Evan muttered. Alec¡¯s answer was simple.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

 Chapter 15 | Kindly Doping My Way Through

    ¡°You should refuse the duel,¡± Evan said. He quickened his steps to catch up to Alec before falling behind again.

    They were currently passing the corridor leading to the preparation room. The lack of soft surfaces made their footsteps echo, giving the space a liminal feel.

    ¡°I can fight,¡± Alec said. He had a reason to believe that he could at least put up a fight, after all.

    ¡°How? I just taught you a single spell, and you are going to use that to win?¡± Evan asked with confusion.

    ¡°One? I should remind you that, I can actually also use magic missiles. Somewhat...¡± Alec said. His voice trailed off toward the end of the sentence, making Evan even more suspicious of his capabilities.

    Finally, Alec stopped and reached his hand out to the preparation room¡¯s door. However, he turned around and patted Evan¡¯s shoulder before entering.

    ¡°Look. Trust me. Just go back to your seat and enjoy the show. I¡¯m not some battle junkie that enjoys getting beaten up,¡± he said. When Alec slapped Evan¡¯s back, he stumbled forward and barely managed to stay up. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have a chance of winning, I wouldn¡¯t go out there.¡±

    Evan sighed and turned around without talking further. Once Alec had decided on something, he would get it. He knew this fact, so there was no need to try further.

    ¡°Hey... Please don¡¯t... Please don¡¯t lose your memories again,¡± Evan said. Alec nodded with a gentle smile and entered the room before closing the door behind him.

    ¡°Okay...¡± he muttered to himself before putting his hand inside the inner pocket of his jacket. From there, he took out three vials, each filled with different colored liquids. ¡®Hopefully, my preparations from yesterday will be enough.¡¯

    Uncorking the vials, Alec put them all in his mouth and gulped them down.

    The effects were immediate. His mind cleared up, and his nostrils flared briefly before returning to their normal shape. He felt his heart quicken for a second before going back to normal. It pumped his muscles with energy. His joints popped loudly and became more relaxed, easier to move.

    ¡®One dose of focus potion, one dose of body enhancement potion, and one dose of stamina regeneration potion. Each one is of very low quality, so they should go unnoticed. The mana regeneration potion from this morning is still going, and my pool is almost full,¡¯ Alec analyzed his situation. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t just beat Iris with orthodox ways. He had to utilize some... Questionable methods to do so. And that questionable method was to dope himself out of his mind with potions.

    He had researched the academy library for alchemy, and found out that his potions were completely unknown. There were some potions with similar effects, but they all had weird side-effects. It was also impossible to know that he was using them as long as he didn¡¯t do something too out of the norm.

    Wearing the combat suit distributed by the academy, which was a skin-tight suit that allowed for comfortable movement, Alec left the room and started heading toward one of the amphitheater¡¯s stage gates.

    As he approached the gate, the cheers, shouts, and noises of explosions from the ongoing duel entered his ears.

    The first duel, where Zac fought against Edward, resulted in the overwhelming victory of Edward Spellson. This was to be expected, As Edward himself was a really strong mage. Still, Zac¡¯s efforts were congratulated by most of the student body as he left the stage.

    The second duel was between Phoenix and a guy named Douglas Burton, who seemed to be obsessed with magic missiles. He knew at least thirty different variants of the spell and could use them at a moment¡¯s notice.

    However, before seeing the end of the duel, Alec had left to get ready. Which had brought him here.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡®They still seem to be going,¡¯ he thought to himself. There were a few seats to sit while waiting, right behind the gate, attached to the walls.

    After another ten minutes, The explosions stopped and the winner was announced as Douglas. However, once Douglas appeared on the side Alec was waiting, he was far from untouched. Some parts of his battle suit had been burnt. His face was covered in soot. Making it hard to see his expression.

    ¡°Damn... These newbies are really something,¡± he said. ¡°If it was me at the start of the previous year, I would¡¯ve definitely lost.¡±

    Seeing the guy mumbling to himself, Alec didn¡¯t know how to answer, so instead, he chose to keep his mouth shut and let the other person carry the conversation.

    ¡°Are you sure you wanna go out there? That girl is probably a handful too. And I¡¯ve heard that you have lost your memory,¡± Douglas said while approaching him. ¡°Nobody is going to make fun of you if you surrender.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice,¡± Alec said with a smile. Somehow, so many people, related or unrelated to him, caring about him made Alec feel fuzzy inside. Contrary to his expectations, these students in the academy somehow seemed like, normal, gentle humans. ¡°I still want to try my chances though.¡±

    Nodding, Douglas placed his hand on the wall and slowly left through the corridor, leaving Alec all alone.

    ¡°And for the last duel!¡± An announcement was made. Hearing the voice, Alec knew it was his time to come out to the stage. Although his heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name, he quickly gathered himself.

    ¡®Fortunately, I beat my stage fright after going to that many award ceremonies,¡¯ he thought to himself before pushing open the door.

    Immediately, a gust of hot air hit him square in the face, carrying with it a small amount of dust. Squinting his eyes and blocking them with his arm, Alec waited for the gust to calm down. When he lowered his arms, he saw the amphitheater in its entirety. It felt very different to be on the stage, rather than in the viewer seats.

    Walking up to the duel stage erected by one of the professors, Alec took in the view as well as he could. Thousands of people, ranging from students to professors were sizing him up and down. He couldn¡¯t catch a hint of contempt in their gazes. What he felt was mostly curiosity, which caused him to relax a little bit more.

    Across the arena, approximately twenty-five meters away from him stood Iris. She was as aloof as before. Although the magic circle seemed to be rotating slightly faster than before, Alec didn¡¯t know if this was because he was seeing her from a closer distance.

    As the announcement describing the duelists continued, Iris opened her mouth to speak, seemingly utilizing voice-enhancing magic to send her voice to Alec.

    ¡°Why did you accept the duel? I didn¡¯t know you had lost your memories. If I did, I wouldn¡¯t have asked for this,¡± she said. Her voice was soft like a pile of leaves, almost enchantingly so. Her mystical aura seemed to be enhanced by that voice of her.

    Not knowing how to send back a message with magic, Alec decided to talk about a random topic to get her attention. He hoped that Iris would understand. And he wasn¡¯t disappointed. She frowned briefly for a moment before casting a magic circle and sending it over to Alec.

    ¡°-And the most important thing about an Astar- Oh,¡± Alec noticed the magic circle and stopped himself before transitioning back to their main topic. ¡°I wanted to try it. And I think I have the ability to fight,¡± Alec answered while joining his hands behind his back. ¡°What I wonder is, why did you ask me for a duel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Iris answered. ¡°I watched your final exam from a distance. We were brought here on a school tour then, where I saw your fight against that guy with red hair. I was mesmerized by your ability to overcome your...¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I see where you are coming from,¡± Alec stopped her from speaking further, as she didn¡¯t even seem to know how to word her thoughts without being offensive. ¡°It¡¯s starting, good luck.¡±

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Iris answered before terminating both spells.

    Just as their conversation ended, the referee was also finishing his speech.

    ¡°As always, pull your punches so you don¡¯t kill your opponent in one shot, but everything else is allowed! We can heal you even if you injure each other. The winning condition is to either knock your opponent out or to kick them off the arena,¡± he said. Then, he started counting down from three.

    His heart syncing its beat to the countdown, Alec¡¯s body lowered as his left foot was pulled back like an arrow being nocked into a bow.

    His posture confused most people, including Iris, as their brows furrowed.

    Wasn¡¯t Alec supposed to be an artillery telekinetic mage? Why was he taking a position like he was readying himself to dash?

    Just as the countdown was about to end, Alec took out a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was written a magic circle of the 1st grade. It was slightly more complicated than a magic missile, but not so much that it was a hurdle to memorize.

    Utilizing the boost given by the focus potion, Alec committed the magic circle to his memory before putting the paper back into his pocket.

    As soon as he did so, the countdown finally reached zero and the duel started.

    Pouring intent and mana into his back, Alec quickly rotated a golden-colored magic circle behind his back.

    On the other side, the magic circle embedded into Iris¡¯ forehead started spinning rapidly, ramping up in brightness with every moment that passed.

    At the exact same moment, both Alec¡¯s and Iris¡¯ spells exited the realization stage.

    ¡°Here I come!¡±

 Chapter 16 | Dashing Dodges

    The duel began with the referee snapping his finger. That snap, accompanied by a flash of sparkles, caused a shrill bang to reverberate throughout the amphitheater, making the viewers stop talking. As if the entire audience was holding their breaths, a silence encompassed the scene.

    Amidst the silence, Alec and Iris¡¯ magics were executed at the exact same moment.

    On Iris¡¯ side, the magic circle embedded in her forehead started spinning so fast that its spin seemed to disappear, like the tires of a fast car. From her skin came out a beam of blueish mana, traveling toward Alec at breakneck speed.

    ¡°It¡¯s a blunt variant mana ray! Iris sure is starting with a banger!¡± The referee shouted into the voice enhancer. The crowd was still holding their breath, waiting for the first collision to happen.

    Alec, on the other hand, was calm. He had already readied himself for some overpowered magic to be thrown at him. With his shallow level of spellcasting, there was no way for him to understand the enemy¡¯s spell and respond to it. Not without the system¡¯s spellcasting aid.

    As soon as Alec¡¯s magic circle disappeared, a greenish hue covered his body, making him launch forward in a slightly right-tilted line. The sound of his feet tapping on the ground was similar to the shots from an assault rifle, loud and rapid. With each of his steps, the audience¡¯s heart jumped in excitement.

    Fortunately, Alec had pre-prepared his spell, or he would have no way of dodging Iris¡¯ mana ray, which would¡¯ve promptly launched him off the stage and would¡¯ve broken at least a few bones in his ribcage.

    As the mana ray brushed past him, Alec felt his heart start beating with more and more vigor. His adrenal glands pumped adrenaline into his body, enhancing his already inhuman physique. He could feel the difference between himself before his training and after his training. His senses were sharp, and every step he took was filled with force.

    ¡°Incredible dodge from Alec, utilizing a first circle magic called dash! His ability to control his direction while dashing indicates great physical prowess!¡± The announcer shouted. At the sight of Alec¡¯s dodge, the silence of the audience was broken. Cheers, boos, and whistles emanated from the amphitheater, spreading in every direction.

    Seeing Alec dodge her mana ray, Iris didn¡¯t panic at all. She cut off the mana supply to the spell. No matter how fast Alec was, her pupils were completely stuck to his location, tracing him at all times. This made Alec almost shiver, as her gaze was more than creepy, somewhat similar to that of a wall painting with moving eyes.

    Raising her hand, Iris started insta-casting magic missile after magic missile. These were blunt missiles with a flat surface variant, very potent at disabling an enemy without mortally wounding them. However, what surprised Alec was her speed of casting. Normally, when Alec cast spells, there would be clear traces of the four stages. One would be able to see the mage go through these stages physically. Iris, however, cast so fast that her magic circles constantly appeared and disappeared, all rotating rapidly.

    Frowning, Alec planted his right foot on the ground sideways and rotated his body before launching off in another direction. If he were to keep going in the same direction, he would have been hit by Iris¡¯ magic missiles with well-calculated trajectories.

    ¡®That magic circle on her forehead,¡¯ Alec contemplated. Squinting, he tried to read the writings on the circle, however, failed to do so. ¡®It¡¯s not just a mana ray circle. I feel like it¡¯s helping her calculate my movements.¡¯

    For a few brief moments, Alec kept dodging around as Iris rained down magic missiles. He couldn¡¯t see any signs of mana exhaustion from her which made him frown. He was walking a thin line here. He was making a lot of mistakes while dodging, and if he performed any worse, he would definitely get hit.

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    As another magic missile approached him, Alec¡¯s dash finally ran out. Funnily enough, his speed decreasing actually helped him dodge another barrage of magic missiles. Quickly, as he started running in zigzags orbiting Iris, Alec started recasting the dash spell. He had memorized its magic circle and relied heavily on the focus potion¡¯s help for the casting process.

    Seeing what Alec was trying to do, Iris clicked her tongue and brought forth both of her hands. Shortly after, a second circle magic circle, about the same size as her, started spinning in front of her. Once the realization stage was done, it released a paper-thin, blue, and transparent mana wall toward Alec''s direction.

    The wall¡¯s range was too wide, and even with the dash, Alec wouldn¡¯t have the chance of dodging. The only thing he could do was fully focus on the casting process and hope for the best.

    Just as he was entering the realization stage of the dash spell, the mana wall collided with him. It was a gentle, almost unnoticeable collision, if Alec hadn¡¯t been looking at the spell, he wouldn¡¯t even have noticed its existence.

    Except for the fact that it had knocked out Alec¡¯s intent frame, completely resetting his progress on casting the dash spell.

    ¡°An imaginative move from Iris! The thinned mana wall she sent out shocked Alec¡¯s mana frame and caused it to break!¡± The announcer shouted. Hearing the confusion arising from the first-year students, he explained. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t normally work, however, because Alec doesn¡¯t have access to the system¡¯s spellcasting helper, he has to construct it from memory!¡±

    ¡®Great job, announcer. Keep exposing my weak points like that,¡¯ Alec grumbled mentally before restarting the spell from scratch. Although Iris¡¯ spell was annoying, it wasn¡¯t destructive. He was still untouched and could keep going for a long time. ¡®What I should do is... Where is she?¡¯

    Looking around the arena, Alec noticed that Iris had completely disappeared from his sight. No matter where he looked, he couldn¡¯t see her.

    ¡°Oh!? What is this? Alec is looking around dumbfoundedly! He seems to be incapable of noticing Iris!¡± The announcer shouted.

    ¡®What? I can¡¯t notice her. Not see, but notice?¡¯ Alec thought. If not for the announcer¡¯s words, he wouldn¡¯t have known the predicament he was in. ¡®She might be using anti-memetic magic. But that¡¯s a really hard one to use, isn¡¯t it?¡¯

    Riffling through the options in his head, Alec cursed at the fact that he couldn¡¯t use The Author¡¯s Pen. Instead, he started running around the arena once again while looking around.

    ¡®By this logic, I must be unintentionally not looking at the place Iris is,¡¯ he thought. ¡®That should be the only... 5 o¡¯clock!¡¯ he shouted in his head as he suddenly turned around. This movement he made felt like holding his breath to try and drown himself. It was unintuitive, and every part of his body screamed at him to not do it. However, he shook off those mental blockers and looked in the direction he was not supposed to look at. His eyes first caught a silhouette, then, that silhouette slowly transformed into Iris. And also a few blunt magic missiles on a collision course with his belly.

    *Bang!

    *Bang!

    ¡°Urgh!¡± Alec spat out a mouthful of bile as the force from the missiles caused him to stumble back. There were still more magic missiles coming, and he didn¡¯t have the concentration to dodge them. So instead, he just let himself fall down according to his instincts. As his back met the ground, he saw five balls of pure mana pass by.

    ¡°Alec dodges by a hair''s breadth! He also doesn¡¯t seem to care about how he looks, as he toppled over like a sac of potatoes!¡± The announcer joked, extracting a good few laughs from the audience. ¡°Nevertheless, he is back on his feet!¡±

    Rolling and jumping up, Alec landed on the ground and started running again without stopping. Iris, momentarily stunned by Alec¡¯s forceful dispel of her anti-memetic magic, grumbled in anger. The dormant magic circle on her forehead started spinning with renewed vigor as she lowered her stance.

    ¡°You think running around and trying to get closer to me is going to work!?¡± She shouted. Seeing that she was being ignored, Iris didn¡¯t hold herself back and launched toward Alec in a collision course. ¡°Try dodging this!¡±

    As she started tapping away at the ground with her feet, Iris cast a second circle spell. As the magic circle disappeared, more than ten balls of mana started orbiting her in seemingly random directions. It was a magnificent sight, as if those balls of lights were ten, angry stars accompanying her.

    Obviously, Alec didn¡¯t have the time to appreciate the beauty of the situation, as the stars¡¯ anger was pointed towards him.

    Fortunately, he had managed to construct a dash spell in time, increasing his speed to avoid Iris¡¯ attack. After passing by Alec who had managed to run away, Iris turned around and slid on the ground for a good few meters before launching forward again.

    ¡®I don¡¯t have time, and I didn¡¯t want to do this but...¡¯ Alec thought to himself before putting his hand inside his jacket¡¯s inner pocket.

 Chapter 17 | I Am the Missile

    In one swift motion, Alec took out a piece of paper from his pocket. Just like the one at the start of the duel, it was the drawing of a magic circle.

    ¡®Currently, I am not capable of remembering more than one magic circle and constructing it,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®If I want to start remembering a new one, I have to let go of the other. Fortunately, I have just recast the dash spell. I should be able to finish this in time.¡¯

    Unfolding the piece of paper, Alec started dodging around the arena all the while while committing the drawing to his mind.

    ¡°Stop dodging!¡± Iris shouted. Her speed was nowhere near enough, even with whatever spell she was using to enhance her agility. Alec¡¯s physical stats were too high for a mage his age, making him a hard target to catch up to.

    ¡®This should be enough...¡¯ Alec mentally muttered before crushing the paper and putting it back into his pocket. With one more motion, Alec placed himself as far as possible from Iris, who was on the other end of the arena.

    When she turned around, she noticed that Alec had stopped moving, which made her wary. Still, the star-like mana balls circling around her were very fast, and they were also hard to get through. Whatever Alec threw at her, she believed that it would be enough to receive it. Once more, she lowered her body and started running toward Alec as fast as she could.

    Funnily enough, both were incapable of hurting each other without getting close. Alec was too fast for Iris to snipe from a distance, while Alec lacked the necessary magic to try and hit Iris.

    As Alec¡¯s eyes locked onto Iris, he started jogging toward her at a rather slow pace. Behind him appeared a magic circle, which was mostly ignored by Iris. After all, it was probably another cast of the dash spell.

    As his speed started ramping up, a wide grin appeared on Alec¡¯s face.

    ¡®I can¡¯t get past those balls of mana orbiting around her. Without getting hit, at least,¡¯ he calculated. All his efforts so far had accumulated into this one move, where he would bet everything he had. ¡®If this fails, I¡¯ll lose...¡¯

    Finally, about around the time the distance between the two had decreased to three-fourths of its initial size, Alec increased his pace further, hitting the highest speed he could. About 15 meters a second. With both of them heading toward each other, they would collide in less than a second.

    Iris was prepared for it. She ordered her mana balls to orbit around her to hit Alec. As soon as she did so, those mana balls started converging toward a single point, looking like comets in the dark night.

    However, something interesting happened. From the magic circle Alec had previously created, an unexpected spell came out. It was a magic missile. The only other spell Alec was somewhat capable of casting. Iris frowned at the sight of the magic missile, not knowing what it was meant to do. And when she did understand, it was too late to do anything about it.

    Right as they were about to collide, The magic missile hit Alec square in his back, accelerating him further past his terminal velocity. This, in turn, caused Iris¡¯ calculations to fail and most of the mana balls to miss their target. The only one who managed to connect with him hit Alec on the shoulder, shattering his bone in one go. Gritting his teeth, Alec turned his other shoulder to Iris and hit her on the chest like a cannonball.

    Instantly, the entire audience went silent. Most people were able to understand what had happened, which made them even more surprised.

    ¡°The winner is...¡± the announcer increased the tension. ¡°Iris Duncan!¡±

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    The silence broke once again, and Amphitheater shook with applause and cheers. While Iris had miraculously managed to twist her body in time to get away with a broken ribcage, Alec had launched himself off of the arena, causing him to automatically lose the duel.

    ¡°Fuck...¡± Alec muttered as he held his arm from moving. His face crumpled into a painful frown as he got up and walked back up to the arena. Iris was lying on her back, trying to keep the broken ribs in her chest cavity from moving around and hitting any vital organs. Her face was reddened from the pain as her nostrils kept flaring in order to pull some oxygen. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, she looked at Alec.

    ¡°Your arm... There is something...¡± she said with a coarse breath. Alec was having a hard time understanding her words, and healers were already approaching them with stretchers. ¡°There is something written... It says... ¡®Wa-¡¯¡±

    However, before she could finish her sentence, Iris lost consciousness, going completely limp.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry champ, we¡¯ll heal her back in no time. This much injury is nothing for our healers, aight?¡± One of the healers who was there tried to comfort Alec as they carried Iris away.

    Unfortunately, their words went unheard.

    Alec had something much more important occupying his mind.

    ¡®What was she about to say there? Something is written on my arm?¡¯ Alec thought. However, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn¡¯t spot anything out of the norm.

    As he was laid down on another stretcher, he closed his eyes to rest.

    ¡®I can think about this later...¡¯

    ***

    ¡°This is unbelievable,¡± one of the healers said as he flipped the page on the wooden clipboard. Taking out a pen from his lab coat¡¯s chest pocket and scratched his head with it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but this just doesn¡¯t make sense. This student¡¯s shoulder bone had been completely pulverized yesterday. Even with the best healers we have here, it should have taken about a month for him to heal.¡±

    ¡°No matter what you say, he is almost completely fine,¡± another one said after shrugging. ¡°I think we should call the master healer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    As the two healers left the infirmary room, Alec sighed at the fact that he was back here so soon.

    ¡®If I didn¡¯t have to hide the existence of The Author¡¯s Pen, I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this bullshit...¡¯ he thought. Taking out the artifact, he started spinning it in between his fingers. After zoning out for a few minutes, he sighed and gathered his thoughts.

    ¡®Something happened at the end of our fight with Iris, but I don¡¯t remember what it is,¡¯ Alec contemplated. Scratching his left arm, he got up from the bed and walked toward the door. However, before he could leave, the door was opened from the other side, revealing the two healers from before accompanied by the white-haired healer that had healed Alec back when he first woke up in this world. ¡®Huh... I still don¡¯t know her name.¡¯

    ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± the woman asked before signaling him to sit down on the bed. She then turned her head and shooed away the two healers. As the two complied with her order and left, Alec and the head healer were left alone in the room. ¡°I¡¯m Rebecca Bailey, by the way. I figured I hadn¡¯t introduced myself the last time.¡±

    ¡°Uh... It¡¯s nice to meet you, Ms. R-¡±

    ¡°Call me Ms. Healer.¡± Rebecca cut Alec off before he could say her name. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his recently healed shoulder. She started pinching, flicking, and moving the shoulder, none of which extracted a reaction from Alec. ¡°You either have an extreme amount of pain tolerance, or you have completely healed.¡±

    Looking deep into her purple eyes, Alec didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t feel much discomfort from his shoulder, nothing that would make him react, at least.

    ¡°Not to mention, I was there during your fight. It was a really surprising one,¡± she continued as she inspected his other shoulder. During her inspection, Alec stood still to avoid annoying her. ¡°Even after losing your memories, you don¡¯t stop surprising us.¡±

    After making sure Alec wasn¡¯t feeling uncomfortable on both shoulders, She ordered him to take off his shirt.

    ¡°Especially the part where you hit yourself with that magic missile for acceleration, now that was something,¡± she said before asking Alec to lie face-first. Inspecting his back, she noticed that it was also, completely fine.

    ¡°You also seemed to have become a lot more ripped than the last time I did a check-up on you. When was that? A month ago?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Alec affirmed. As Ms. Rebecca¡¯s hands kept applying pressure on his back, Alec frowned.

    ¡°Hmm... Miraculous. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem with your body at all,¡± she said. Slapping his back, she ordered him to put on his shirt and sit down. ¡°We here at the Lation Academy always appreciate our students becoming stronger. Even though Iris is not necessarily a combat specialist, she is still a top scorer. Good job putting up a fight.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Alec nodded. However, when Ms. Rebecca went silent for some time, he felt the tension in the room rise.

    ¡°Now, tell me how you did it, and what you are hiding...¡±

 Chapter 18 | Mana Brain?

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alec exclaimed and tilted his head. That was the best act he could muster up at a moment¡¯s notice. Seeing his reaction, Ms. Rebecca sighed and took off her glasses before leaning forward, closing the distance between their faces to mere centimeters.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to answer?¡± she asked, her breath rough and shaky. A deep frown settled into Alec¡¯s face as he pushed himself as far away as he could from her, which was not much. He hit the headboard of the bed not long after.

    ¡°Is this... Is this sexual harassment? I¡¯m sorry but this is too much for a student and te-¡± Alec was about to reprimand before Ms. Rebecca put her finger over his lips.

    ¡°Shushh...¡± she said. Alec was getting more and more uncomfortable and an involuntary reaction escaped his lips.

    ¡°Eurgh...¡±

    No matter how attractive his professor was, her coming on to him like this was, in many ways, disgusting. Alec¡¯s body was barely 19, and god knows how old this mage professor was. As far as he knew, she could be hundreds of years old and using some kind of disguise magic to look young.

    ¡°Did you just...¡± she muttered as she quickly pulled back. Noticing her absent-mindedness, Alec jumped off of the bed artistically and escaped as fast as he could, leaving the master healer dumbfounded and alone. ¡°You just ¡®eurgh¡¯ed me! You fucking bastard! Don¡¯t ever let me see your face again!¡±

    Listening to her shouts slowly fading away in the distance, Alec increased his pace and clicked his tongue.

    ¡®That didn¡¯t make any sense. She wasn¡¯t this kind of person before. It¡¯s as if her personality has completely changed for some reason,¡¯ Alec reminisced. Ms. Rebecca had always been a cold person, there was no reason for her to do a 180 like this. ¡®The fact that she has let me go means that she doesn¡¯t necessarily know about The Author¡¯s Pen. If she did, she would¡¯ve done everything in her power to either kill me or take the artifact away from me.¡¯

    Once he was outside the infirmary building, Alec relaxed and slowed down.

    ¡®I should go back to the dorms for now...¡¯

    ***

    ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Evan held his belly as his laughter reverberated throughout the room. Tears trickling down his face, he continued. ¡°She actually did that, and you said... You just eurgh¡¯ed to her face!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, man. Didn¡¯t you laugh enough?¡± Alec asked. It took Evan quite a bit of time to calm down. Wiping away the last drop of tear from his eye, Evan coughed away the tightness in his throat.

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Evan said. His facial muscles relaxed briefly, forming an ugly expression before returning to his normal, resting face. ¡°Why did she go that far anyway? What was she asking?¡±

    ¡°It was some weird question I don¡¯t really want to talk about,¡± Alec answered. ¡°Anyway, do you have any idea why she might¡¯ve acted like that?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, if this isn¡¯t some sick fetish imagination of yours, I don¡¯t really know,¡± Evan answered, which caused Alec to cross his arms. However, Evan¡¯s face suddenly lit up, as he joined his hands together under his chin. ¡°Now that I think about it... She seems to have a dubious past. Although none of the students have seen the master healer from back then...¡±

    ¡°Stop being cryptic,¡± Alec urged him. Patting his shoulder, he continued by saying, ¡°Just explain.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really from a reputable source but...¡± Evan muttered. His shoulders lowered. Looking around as if there could be someone listening to them, he continued. ¡°There were some people that said she was a... different person before starting her work here as a professor. She was working in a different kind of industry.¡±

    ¡°Huh... But that isn¡¯t confirmed?¡± Alec asked. However, before Evan could answer, he raised his hand to stop and said, ¡°That¡¯s just a rumor... This wasn¡¯t useful at all.¡± When he said so, Evan slapped him on the back of his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask if you are not going to listen,¡± he said. ¡°Whatever, you took the classes I told you to, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Right now should be...¡±

    ¡°Arcana 201?¡± Evan asked, which Alec promptly confirmed by nodding.

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    Leaving the dorms and heading toward the lecture building, the two managed to arrive at their destination in less than fifteen minutes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a miracle you can navigate this place so easily,¡± Alec commented. The Academy grounds were very spacious. So much so that in its entirety, it was probably as big as a small city in the modern world. ¡®What¡¯s more is,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®This entire place is surrounded by walls. Magic must have made the building process much easier.¡¯

    ¡°Although the academy might be pretty big, you get used to it quickly. Most lecture halls are pretty close to each other after all.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Opening the sliding door, the duo entered the lecture hall. It was a classic, amphitheater-style lecture hall with wooden seats and desks. The place had been equipped with soundproofing magic arrays, manifesting as geometrical shapes made of faint, blue lines on the walls.

    Because of the soundproofing, the transition from the silence of the corridor to the chatters in the lecture hall was dizzying. Even though spacious, almost every seat was taken. Alec could count more than two hundred students taking the class, which made him wonder if this was because it was one of the mandatory courses that a second-year student had to take.

    The students in the front rows saw Alec coming in, and most looked at him with awe and surprise.

    ¡°He¡¯s back already?¡± One of them whispered to the other. The one who was asked the question wasn¡¯t more knowledgeable than the one asking.

    ¡°Wow. Mr. Celebrity is back at it again, I guess,¡± Evan said with a shit-eating grin on his face. He also didn¡¯t forget to poke Alec¡¯s side with his elbow, which made Alec shove him away.

    ¡°Shut up. I just want to get through the classes,¡± he said. Picking themselves two seats from the middle rows, the duo started waiting for the professor.

    While waiting, Alec started thinking about his further pursuit of magic.

    ¡®As I have seen from my duel with Iris, I have to change my method of approaching magic,¡¯ he thought. Even with all the training he had done during the past month, all the doping he did with his potions, and his little trick of carrying magic circles on paper with him, he had barely managed to draw close to a tie. Iris had higher firepower, a wider range of utility, and an overall better knowledge of magic. ¡®I wanted to wait a little bit more and train before starting on the upgrade potions but... It seems that I have to accelerate my progress.¡¯

    As he contemplated, the professor, a man of middle age with bright blue eyes and jet-black hair entered the room. He wore a black jacket on top of a white shirt, making him look more like a student than a professor. If not for the stubble on his chin and the crow¡¯s feet forming around his eyes, Alec wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell he was older than him at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m Andrew Walker. I doubt any of you know me, as I don¡¯t teach first-year courses. During my class, call me Mr. Walker and don¡¯t disturb others. As long as you do that, I don¡¯t care what you do with your time,¡± the professor said. His voice was being amplified by a voice-enhancement magic, suppressing all the other voices in the lecture hall.

    As the professor¡¯s introduction faded back into his mind, Alec went back to his line of thought.

    ¡®I should be capable of writing upgrade potions for all the different stats on the system,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®I have to start with very low upgrade potions and make my way up there. Assuming their costs are the same, I should be capable of creating one of each every day, and maybe a few extra. I don¡¯t know how long they will keep their effectiveness, so I¡¯ll have to experiment with that.¡¯

    ¡°Hey,¡± Evan whispered, distracting Alec. ¡°The class is starting, listen.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Alec exclaimed before nodding along. After Evan¡¯s attention was back on the professor, Alec looked around the lecture hall and saw that every single student was listening intently.

    ¡®Huh. This place sure is filled with nerds,¡¯ Alec thought before putting his hand inside his jacket¡¯s inner pocket. From there, he pulled out a vial filled with very low grade focus potion. ¡®Heh...¡¯

    Downing the potion in one go, Alec shifted his attention back to the professor.

    ¡°As you can see,¡± the professor said. Folding one of his sleeves, he revealed a tattoo of incredibly complicated geometric shapes, all forming into a triangular, magic circle-like shape. If Alec had to count all the individual pieces of the tattoo without the aid of a focus potion, he would probably graduate before doing so. ¡°This is a mana brain. It helps mages with their calculations. Spellcasting in the middle of a battle is never easy, and people with less magic-focused specializations can divert their attention more into reading the enemy¡¯s movements.¡±

    Alec¡¯s ears perked up at the mention of the term mana brain. Opening a notebook, he started noting down every word of the professor with vigor.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have experienced this before. You are trying to cast a spell, and the opponent is on your tail. What do you do? Do you focus on actually casting the spell, or do you divert your attention to respond to your opponent, jeopardizing your spellcasting process?¡± Professor Andrew asked. Students kept their mouths shut as if they were listening to an important advertisement.

    ¡°Neither. You become a better mage and use a mana brain,¡± the professor made his point before glancing over the excited students. ¡°Of course. Using the mana brain comes with some difficulties,¡± the professor continued before raising his arm to show the students the dormant mana brain tattoo on his arm. After that, the mana brain lit up with mana, glowing in blue.

    ¡°When active, a mana brain will partake in your mana pool. It doesn¡¯t have an active cost, but it does lower your maximum capacity,¡± he continued. ¡°You might think, ¡®Oh, I¡¯ll just put more points in mana when I level up!¡¯ but it doesn¡¯t work like that. You see, these mana brains are literally copies of your own. So the thing is, the higher your mind stat is, the higher their effectiveness. As a mage, what you have to do is figure out the most effective distribution for yourselves.¡±

    When the professor finished his sentence, Alec¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The surrounding noises faded into the back of his mind, a mental chuckle made Alec clasp his hand over his mouth.

    ¡®Oh no... If only there was a way for me to increase both the mana stat and the mind stat at the same time...¡¯

 Chapter 19 | Of Demons and Grocery Shopping

    ¡°So, what if we mix in some manaflower extract?¡± One of the students asked. Which managed to prompt the old professor to sigh in frustration. She took off her glasses, pinched and pulled on her glabella before putting them on.

    ¡°This is the third time I¡¯m answering this question in the span of three minutes young man. Maybe pay some attention to the class instead of thinking up interesting questions,¡± she said in her rough voice. Alec appreciated this alchemy professor¡¯s wise and old looks, as none of the professors in this academy seemed to age normally.

    ¡°But I was-¡±

    ¡°Silence. You are disturbing the class, Mr. Alisson,¡± the professor shut the student up before ordering one of her floating chalks to start writing on the blackboard.

    [Status Enhancement With Potions]

    ¡°You know what, let¡¯s change the topic for now. As some of you might know, there are a plethora of potions that improve one¡¯s stats, such as strength enhancement potions or agility enhancement potions,¡± the elderly professor explained.

    ¡°However, unfortunately, none of them are permanent. Unlike magical artifacts that can be used to achieve sustainable but rudimentary increases to one¡¯s stats, all the potions known to us give temporary enhancements,¡± she further explained. This was answering one of Alec¡¯s long-lasting questions. Was permanent enhancement potions a thing? He had yet to try it out with The Author¡¯s Pen, which made him wary of such a decision. He didn¡¯t want to empty his entire mana pool again after all.

    ¡°But, as you guys seem so keen on disturbing me with your idiotic questions, our main topic will be about regeneration potions,¡± she went on to say. Whatever annoyed reaction she expected the students to give, it didn¡¯t come. No one really cared about which potion they were learning at the moment, as very few of them would even have the money to try them out. Not to mention the fact that they would eventually learn about other types of potions too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the simplest one, the epitome of potion crafting. The kindle of civilization, the invention of the health potion,¡± she started explaining. Then she went on to explain what the invention process looked like and how the potion developed over time.

    ¡®Huh... Funnily enough, this health potion seems to be very similar to the discovery of farming and writing in its essence,¡¯ Alec commented in his head. ¡®As its properties were very mixed, it could also be used to grow crops faster, which eventually caused them to start living in bigger groups to keep a steady supply of potions all the while increasing the chances of passing down the knowledge about it. However, when did writing in the history of this world first appear? I should look into that.¡¯

    ¡°So,¡± one of the students raised their hand to ask. ¡°What if we added some manaflower extract into that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... It would probably explode...¡± the professor muttered under her breath. However, by that point, Alec had already zoned out from the lecture. Throughout the lectures he had attended during his first week, he had realized a weird side effect of the focus potions he took. They would make it harder for him to listen to the lecture when people asked questions or the professor jumped from topic to topic. Instead, it was much easier to read through the books he had bought for the lectures.

    ¡®Fortunately enough, the previous Alec seems to have left me a good bit of money to operate with,¡¯ Alec thought. Although he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how much his expenses would be in the future, he could extrapolate from how much his meals cost. The money inside the academy was counted in credits, and the students would spend it strictly on the academy grounds.

    Even though each student would be provided with a meal card that could get them three free meals a day, an extra, same-sized meal would cost two credits. Alec had around 5000 credits in his account which could buy him a good two and a half years'' worth of meals if he wanted.

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    ¡®That should be pretty good, right? I wonder how much that would make in USD?¡¯ Alec contemplated. Shortly after, the professor dismissed the class. In a short few moments, the only person left in it was Alec. Noticing that he also left for his direction, which was the alchemical market of the academy. He had been feeling the need to browse through the market and see what the prices were for a long time. Now that they had learned about the health potion, he had an excuse to go and see the ingredients.

    Making his way through the paved pathway twisting and turning throughout the academy grounds, Alec managed to reach his destination in twenty minutes. Swearing at the designer who decided on the planning of the academy, he walked up to the building.

    It was very small compared to the other, more grandiose buildings in the academy. It was as big as an average house for a family of five. Its looks were more biophilic, in tune with nature if one might say, conflicting with the general gothic architectural style of the academy. With its wooden walls and the green-painted clay tiles covering its roof, it looked almost cute in Alec¡¯s eyes.

    Pushing open the wooden framed door with icy glass panels covering its inner parts, Alec felt herbal scents, mixed in with the spicy waves of incense wash over him. A small bell attached to the upper left corner of the door frame rang with the sudden airflow, signaling the entrance of a new customer.

    When Alec stepped inside, he noticed that the inside of the building was mainly separated into two parts. The part he was currently in was the one that occupied the biggest part of it. This spacious hall was decorated with tens of stalls, all occupied by different colored and shaped herbs of all types.

    Further beyond those stalls was a bar-style counter that stretched the entirety of the building¡¯s length. There were a few doors and a stairwell that led to the upper part of the building, however, none of them gave any hints on where they might be leading.

    Assuming that behind those doors were the living spaces for the employees, Alec stepped inside. Throwing a couple of curious glances around, he walked up to the counter with steady steps.

    Manning the counter was a lady with auburn hair and hazel eyes. Alec had adjusted to the whole ordeal of the average person looking like a supermodel from his previous world, which made people look mostly normal in his eyes. This woman was no different in this aspect.

    ¡®I wonder if I would have a hard time being attracted to the people back on Earth if I went back there...¡¯ Alec mentally muttered before snapping out of it.

    The woman had a gentle smile on her face, which Alec returned as a courtesy before nodding. Taking a final look at the nearby stashes of herbs, he asked, ¡°Hello ma''am, I was looking for the necessary herbs for a beginner-level health potion but...¡±

    However, before Alec could finish his sentence, the woman giggled to herself while bringing her hand to her mouth. The smile on her face seemed to have gotten even wider before she started speaking.

    ¡°No need to call me that. I¡¯m a student too. I¡¯m just working part-time,¡± she said. Alec barely held himself back from facepalming on the spot.

    ¡®How the fuck would I know? You could be twenty years older and I would be none the wiser,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. Lowering his head to look at the tag attached to the girl¡¯s green apron, Alec read her name.

    ¡°Alright... Alyssa. Can you show me the herbs?¡± Alec said with a gentle smile on his face, glossing over the blunder he had just made. The girl named Alyssa played along.

    ¡°Sure! You said... Beginner-level health potion... Follow me,¡± she said before suddenly jumping over the counter, surprising Alec in the meantime.

    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting way of...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s faster this way,¡± Alyssa cut Alec off before walking away. Alec followed her with clumsy steps before they stopped in front of some herbs. ¡°These were hand-raised by our staff, the best quality! Even if you made a beginner-level potion with these, it would turn out to be as effective as the intermediate-level ones!¡±

    ¡°Huh... Really..?¡± Alec asked with one of his hands on his chin. His gaze slowly slid past the herbs and settled down on the price tag. His eyes widened as his hands dropped to his sides.

    ¡°500...¡±

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s just 500 credits!¡± Alyssa affirmed innocently. Alec turned his head to look at her innocent smile, which now seemed slightly eerie.

    ¡®She... She must be a witch! She isn¡¯t a student! She is just LARPing as one!¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®This herb is fucking worth one-tenth of my entire savings!¡¯

    ¡°Is that price for a kilogram, by any chance?¡± Alec asked with a shaky voice. A brief coldness, like the edge of a cold steel knife, flashed in Alyssa¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Haha... You are so funny, sir. That¡¯s obviously for one stalk!¡±

    ¡®Did I say witch? This woman is a demon!¡¯

 Chapter 20 | Call Me an Alchemist

    ¡°My money...¡± Alec muttered as he rested his head on his desk inside the dorm room. His face white from the pain of loss, he was gently stroking the bag of potion supplies he had bought.

    ¡°How long has he been like this?¡± Alexei asked with a frown on his face. Walking up to Evan, who was currently lying down on the upper bed of Alec¡¯s bunker and reading a book, he asked him the question again, this time much quieter. The only answer he got from Evan was a shrug and a sigh.

    Thomas, on the other hand, walked closer to them and leaned closer to Alexei¡¯s ear.

    ¡°He has been like this since he got back from Alchemy 102,¡± he said. Alexei¡¯s face lit up with understanding as his mouth formed into an o-shape.

    ¡°Alchemy 102? He definitely went to the alchemy store,¡± he guessed.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Evan affirmed without averting his eyes from the book he was reading. ¡°He did the exact same thing when he first went to buy stuff there. Now that it¡¯s his amnesiac arc, he is doing it again.¡±

    Not being able to bear the somber atmosphere of the dorm room, Alexei walked up to Alec and patted his back.

    ¡°Hey, money can be made again, you know? And knowing you, it will take you no time to make it back,¡± he said, trying to console Alec. As a deep sigh escaped Alec¡¯s mouth, he got up from his seat and looked around.

    ¡°You are right. I¡¯m going to go crazy if I keep doing this,¡± Alec said. ¡°Where were the alchemy labs again?¡±

    ¡°You have to...-¡±

    ¡°Past the cafeteria. Right,¡± Alec cut Evan off and stormed out of the room with his newly gained supplies in hand.

    ¡°Huh...¡±

    ¡°Why did he ask you if he already knew the answer?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too hard on him. He is still adapting,¡± Evan said before flipping a page. Although the somber atmosphere was now gone, an awkward silence had taken its place.

    ***

    ¡°Fucking swindlers. I have to make money in the academy, spend that money, again, in the academy to buy alchemical ingredients, pay a fee to enter the academy¡¯s alchemy lab, and whatever potion I manage to make, I have to either use it myself or sell it back to the academy,¡± Alec grumbled to himself as he kept beating the Fluxroses in the mortar.

    After his short but grueling trip to the alchemy shop under the guidance of the demonic shopkeeper and paying the fee for the alchemy lab, Alec¡¯s initial 5000 credits were down to 2500. He would have to spend his entire remaining budget if he wanted to make another potion.

    ¡®I should calm down. Strangely, I can¡¯t find any ready-made potions for a lower price, but still, I only need one potion to compare it to the effectiveness of the potions made by The Author¡¯s Pen,¡¯ Alec calmed himself mentally before returning to the potion creation process.

    Fluxrose was a rose native to this world, with a mixture of both blue and red petals. It was frequently used as a low-level inhibitor to stabilize low-level potions. It was supposedly easy to find and much cheaper than its alternatives, which made Alec shiver at the thought of how expensive the actual rare ones would be.

    Looking at the pulverized remains of the fluxrose inside the pestle, Alec took a deep breath and added it to the boiling water inside the cauldron. With a sizzle, the fluxrose immediately mixed into the water, releasing a tantalizing smell similar to that of freshly cut grass.

    The next stage was simple. He had already prepared the red crystal chrysanthemums and the bugflower extract. He first gave the mixture inside the cauldron a gentle spin with a metal ladle to form a little vortex inside. He then injected a bit of mana into the mixture and started pouring the two ingredients steadily.

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    The color of the liquid inside the cauldron started turning into bright red. After stirring the concoction for 15 more minutes, Alec lowered the fire¡¯s intensity. Compared to everything else, the fire magic in this world was much more developed. Spells were cheap and effective, fire magic tools were easy to utilize and could keep burning for a long time without any mana supply.

    After repeating the stirring routine three more times, Alec finished the production process. Although none of the major failure indicators were there, such as black smog, wrong color, or weird odors, he couldn¡¯t be sure before testing it with an ancient artifact called an Alchemist Crystal. Compared to the other pieces of magi-tech in this academy, this Alchemist Crystal was somewhat futuristic. The professors barely understood how it worked, as it was presumably left from an ancient time when magic was much more developed.

    There were three such stones in the academy. Fortunately, it was free to use as the testing process was very simple. Leaving the private lab, Alec crossed the long and sterile corridor that had numerous alchemy labs that lay on its two sides. The number of alchemy labs in the school was intriguing, as it seemed to be way over the number actually needed. Alec was pretty sure at least fifty percent of these labs went unused for years.

    As he arrived at the lounge where people ate and chatted amidst each other, he approached one of the Alchemist Crystals. There was a singular guard who stood next to them to make sure that nobody tried something out of pocket. Other than that, there didn¡¯t seem to be any other security measures.

    Obviously, this was only to Alec¡¯s untrained eyes. There were probably countless defensive arrays protecting the devices from every kind of thief and miscreant.

    There were three separate lines in front of those crystals. Occasionally, people would see the person ahead of them in their own line had a lot of things to get assessed and decide to abandon their rightful place in that particular line to switch to another in hopes of shortening their wait time.

    Not particularly interested in the waiting line politics, Alec picked one and started waiting. He had managed to get three vials worth of health potions from his batch of ingredients, which was pretty good for his first try.

    After waiting for approximately 5 minutes, the last person ahead of him finished his tests and departed.

    Walking up to the crystal, Alec took out the vials from his bag and flipped its cap open. Then, he carefully lowered the vial¡¯s mouth to pour a single drop of the concoction onto the Alchemy Crystal. When he did so, the Alchemy Crystal shone brightly before projecting a holographic screen on thin air. The screen showed a long list of different potions. Most of which Alec didn¡¯t recognize. It was a touch-screen. Alec used his finger to navigate through the list¡ªWhich was weirdly solid¡ª, occasionally long-pressing some potions to learn more about them. Although this action would bring up a brief description, it wasn¡¯t much. Not to mention, there was still a growing line behind him, urging Alec to be faster.

    Using the search bar of the crystal, he managed to find the health potion. After choosing it as the option, a loading screen appeared. Following the loading screen was a short analysis of the potion.

    [Beginner-level Health potion]

    [Quality: 95%]

    [Toxicity: None]

    ¡®Good,¡¯ Alec mentally muttered. There was no need to test the rest of the vials, as they all came from the same cauldron. After he pressed the exit button on the upper right corner of the holographic screen, the Alchemy Crystal lost its luster and went dormant once again. ¡®I should go somewhere I can test these vials comfortably.¡¯

    Just as Alec was about to leave the Alchemy building, he saw a familiar face from far away.

    ¡®Ms. Rebecca... Oh shit!¡¯ Alec panicked mentally before hiding behind a nearby column. He didn¡¯t know what this crazy woman would try if she saw him, especially after the last fiasco of a seduction she had attempted. ¡®Wait... Why am I the one hiding? She is the one who tried assaulting me in the infirma¡ª¡¯

    ¡®Of course! The infirmary!¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®The infirmary is pretty much abandoned with very few personnel and almost no patients! I could choose a random room and hide in there!¡¯

    As Alec was caught in his thinking, he had lost his awareness of the outside world. He was shaken back to real life, as a firm hand grabbed his shoulder.

    ¡°Mr. Greenwood,¡± Ms. Rebecca said. Alec shivered in place and tried to free himself from her grasp, which he failed to do.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry fo¡ª¡±

    ¡°There is no need to talk Mr. Greenwood,¡± the woman said. She seemed to be much more calm and collected now than before. As if she was back to the way she had been when they first met each other back in the infirmary.

    ¡®Multiple personalities..?¡¯ Alec wondered.

    ¡°You need to take this. I think the headmaster would want the same,¡± Ms. Rebecca said as she grabbed his wrist and lifted his hand forcefully before placing a small, eye-shaped crystal inside his palm. ¡°You have to reach the end, Alec. The final exams of this semest¡ª¡±

    However, before Ms. Rebecca could finish her sentence, the light in her eyes faded briefly. With an empty gaze, she looked around for a few seconds before departing the alchemy building.

    Now left completely dumbfounded, Alec inspected the eye-shaped crystal in his hand before gripping it tightly.

    ¡°What the fuck..?¡±

 Chapter 21 | About Trials and Tribulations

    ¡®In the end, I have to do this.¡¯ Alec thought. His weird interaction with Ms. Rebecca had left him confused and, most importantly, nervous. ¡®She told me something about the final exams of this semester. And that crystal... I have to get stronger. And I also need more information.¡¯

    Alec took out one of his potions made by The Author¡¯s Pen and downed it in one go.

    As the citrus-flavored potion made its way through his esophagus, Alec savored the taste to the best of his abilities. He was lying on the ground, beneath a tree and amidst some waist-high bushes like a snake waiting for its prey.

    He could feel the potion taking effect, slowly spreading through his joints and relaxing his body. Although the system didn¡¯t show how much this temporary agility enhancement potion increased his stat, Alec guessed it to be at least 3, which was a substantial amount considering his agility was already at 20.

    When his heartbeat calmed down, he started throwing educated glances at his surroundings, trying to see if there were any patrolling guards.

    The forest behind the infirmary building was a go-to place for lovebirds in the academy. At least, it used to be. As the foliage was just thick enough to hinder visibility while it was spacious enough to not worry about bugs and cuts from the tree branches, students who wanted some private time with their partners would come here. Obviously, the academy authorities wanted nothing to do with that, which led to this place becoming a forbidden zone for the students.

    This forest was the one Alec had tried getting past when he made his first escape attempt. Looking at it in hindsight, it was a stupid move from him. The forest extended from the infirmary building to the edge of the academy grounds, which was about a five-kilometer distance. It would have taken him quite a long time and plenty of stamina to cross that distance. And even after that, he would have to try and find his way through the walls surrounding the academy.

    Now, however, this forest had become his ally, instead of a foe.

    There were no guards in his vision, and by sheer luck, one of the first-floor sickrooms had an open window.

    ¡®There might be someone inside,¡¯ Alec thought. Readying himself, he took out The Author¡¯s Pen and dashed out of the bushes. There was a small opening between the forest and the building, which would render him visible for at least a few seconds.

    Utilizing his newly gained speed, Alec arrived next to the wall of the building and started writing without a stop.

    [Wooden Crate]

    After his writing turned real, using a little bit of his mana in the process, Alec climbed on the one-and-a-half meter crate. As the building had a high entrance, and was built on somewhat uneven ground, the first-floor windows were about four and a half meters above floor level.

    ¡®Bastards... If the nurses didn¡¯t stop me from entering, I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this bullshit,¡¯ Alec grumbled mentally as he readied himself for a jump. After leaving the Alchemy building, he had tried going directly to the infirmary building to test his potions. However, apparently, only authorized personnel and patients could enter the building.

    Flexing his leg muscles, Alec jumped as high as he could. Surprisingly, not only did he reach the first-floor window, but he also went past it by some measure, which caused him to scramble for a protrusion on the wall to hold onto.

    When his hands grasped the lower windowsill, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief and looked into the room.

    Just like he had guessed, it was occupied. There was someone lying on the sickbed, covered in white sheets. He couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face in detail because of the lack of light. Their only discernable quality was the white hair, that somewhat blended in with the bedsheets.

    ¡®Lucky... They seem to be fast asleep,¡¯ Alec analyzed before climbing in without any hardship. When his feet hit the floor, Alec took another look at the patient to make sure they were asleep and started walking close to the wall. Circling around the room with practiced ease, he approached the door and reached out to its handle.

    Just as he was about to grasp it, he heard a gentle cough from right outside the room, which made him freeze.

    ¡®T- There are guards? Again?¡¯ Alec questioned in his head. His heart quickened and cold sweat poured from his back. No matter how much he felt like he wouldn¡¯t be punished even if he was caught, he didn¡¯t want to get mixed up in anything that might expose the existence of The Author¡¯s Pen.

    Slowly tracing back his steps, Alec found himself in a bit of a predicament. On one hand, he didn¡¯t want to leave without accomplishing his goal. On the other hand, however, the patient could wake up at any moment and alert the guards, which was less than ideal.

    ¡®I should leave,¡¯ he decided. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry, and he could come back any time as long as he wasn¡¯t caught.

    Turning around, he was about to leave as his eyes caught something interesting.

    ¡®Huh..? Isn¡¯t that..?¡¯ Alec thought as he walked up to the occupied sickbed. ¡®Iris?¡¯

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Looking at the white-haired girl¡¯s sleeping visage, Alec felt a bit conflicted. Ms. Rebecca had told him that Iris was still comatose. Although he had no other choice in that fight, he was still the one at fault. There she was lying, completely unresponsive.

    ¡®Well, considering that she is comatose, I don¡¯t think she is getting up any time soon,¡¯ Alec thought. This was the perfect chance for him to deal with his own endeavors, as Iris wouldn¡¯t be waking up any time soon.

    Crouching behind the bed furthest away from the door, Alec silently pulled the curtain to further strengthen his stealth game. Taking out his tools, which were respectively three vials of hand-made health potions, one vial of health potion made with The Author¡¯s Pen, another vial filled with a purple liquid, and the Author¡¯s Pen itself.

    Holding the artifact in his hand, Alec started writing the necessary tools.

    [Sturdy Steel Knife]

    [Wooden Bowl]

    Making sure the steel knife didn¡¯t touch any other surfaces to keep it somewhat sterile, Alec took the purple potion.

    ¡®Hopefully, this painkiller will be enough to deal with it,¡¯ he downed the potion, which caused a tingling sensation to spread throughout his body. This test was going to be very crude, as he couldn¡¯t use the potions created by the pen on the Alchemy Crystals. He didn¡¯t know how those artifacts would react if he did after all. They could start blaring alarms in every direction, indicating that a heavenly low-level potion was born.

    ¡®These problems will be solved once I become strong enough. It¡¯s just temporary,¡¯ Alec gave himself a bit of a motivational speech. What he was about to do was something crazy, after all. To get ready, he took off his jacket and shirt before putting them aside.

    Holding up his arm above the wooden bowl, Alec took a deep breath and put a piece of cloth in his mouth. Raising the steel knife, he stabbed it, perforating his arm down to his bone, breaking it in the process and coming out the other side.

    Alec¡¯s breathing became rough as he started biting down on the cloth. The painkiller was doing its work, numbing the pain down to that of being stabbed by a particularly large needle, rather than a full-on knife.

    When he took out the knife, Alec¡¯s arm was already pouring blood. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t hit an artery, which kept the blood spilled to a manageable amount. He didn¡¯t want to dirty the surroundings with his blood after all.

    After taking the knife out of his arm and placing it inside the bowl, Alec brought one of the health potions he had made and downed it in one go.

    The effects were immediate. The potion¡¯s essence first spread throughout his body, then, as if it had a mind of its own, it rushed to the wound and started infusing it with vitality. The broken part of the bone started making tiny connections between the two ends. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. The recovery was too slow. Alec would bleed out long before the wound closed.

    Thus, he downed another potion. And then, another. Even with all three potions, Alec¡¯s wound didn¡¯t completely close. Blood was still trickling down his arm, albeit at a much slower rate. His face had gone pale from all the blood loss. Although it was a bit worrying, health potions had a blood-replenishing feature, which was nice to have.

    ¡®It seems that I will have to write another health potion,¡¯ Alec thought before drinking the pen-produced potion. He had to be in top shape to continue his testing.

    As color came back to his face and his nausea passed, he felt the effects of the potion dissipate, putting him back to his initial state.

    Alec took The Author¡¯s Pen and started writing.

    [Very Low Health Potion]

    As the potion was being manifested into real life, Alec noticed something weird about it.

    ¡®My mana consumption is down..?¡¯ he thought. Normally, he was capable of creating 10 Very Low Health Potions with a full mana pool. Now, however, the consumption was about down to half, which surprised him. ¡®But why now? What changed?¡¯ he thought. The last time he produced a health potion was right before going to the alchemy lesson, and the mana consumption wasn¡¯t halved then.

    After contemplating the implications of such a change, Alec understood what the reason was.

    ¡®Is it because I understand how a health potion is made? Maybe because I made one myself, my understanding of it has increased?¡¯

    To test this, he wrote a new very low focus potion on the spot, which cost the same amount of mana as before.

    ¡®This needs further testing, but it seems like my hypothesis is true for now. I will return to doing what I came here for,¡¯ Alec thought before picking up the knife.

    He wiped away the blood on the knife with his index finger and thumb and stabbed his arm once again. Fortunately, the painkiller potion was still going strong.

    When a similar wound was opened in his arm, Alec drank the potion with hardship. With such a gaping wound in his body, Alec was able to notice the difference much more easily. As the potion infused his wound with regenerative energy, the muscle tissue, and the bones quickly connected.

    When the effects of the potion ran out, the wound had nearly been completely healed. The small slit left in his arm was easily handled by creating another potion.

    ¡®The potion I made had 95% quality. So a Very Low Health Potion created by the pen is as effective as three beginner-level health potions made by hand,¡¯ Alec calculated. Scratching his cheek, he sighed deeply. ¡®Which means, I can¡¯t start creating and selling potions willy-nilly. It must be a completely different formula. There would be no way for me to avoid suspicion.¡¯

    Leaning against the bed while sitting on the ground, Alec took a deep breath and started cleaning up his mess. He filled the blood in the bowl into containers to be disposed of later. After putting the empty vials on the ground back into his pockets, he walked up to the window. However, he stopped himself right before jumping out.

    ¡®Sigh... I¡¯m going to regret this, aren¡¯t I?¡¯

    Turning around, he walked up to Iris¡¯s side and lifted the sheet covering her. Seeing her chest tightly wrapped with bandages, he felt a tinge of guilt before reaching into his pocket.

    ¡®This should be enough to make up for my mistake,¡¯ he thought before pulling out a Low Health Potion. These potions were much more effective, and cost about five times as much as the Very Low versions.

    Opening Iris¡¯ mouth with his hand, Alec gently poured the potion while paying attention to not choking her.

    Right as the potion was about to deplete, Alec felt Iris¡¯ chin tighten under his touch.

    ¡®Huh? There is no way she is waking up this quickly!¡¯ Alec shouted in his head. Not wanting to deal with the consequences of getting caught, he turned around to escape, which was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist.

    ¡®Oh, my fucking..!¡¯ Alec was cursing mentally as he turned around, however, seeing Iris¡¯ face made him calm down.

    ¡°W- Where are you g- going? D- Don¡¯t leave me alone in the dark!¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alec exclaimed with confusion. By now, he could only hope that the guards wouldn¡¯t hear them. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m sorry Iris, but I have to go.¡±

    After hearing his words, Iris¡¯ brows rose into a cute frown.

    ¡°Who is Iris?¡± she asked. For a moment, her eyelids closed tightly before reopening. ¡°No... Who am I?¡±

    ¡°Oh just fucking great...¡±

 Chapter 22 | What Is He Doing?

    ¡°I need you to stay calm,¡± Alec whispered as his eyes darted between the door and Iris. If the guards heard their voices and came in, he wouldn¡¯t have the time to escape without being noticed, he could only hope that Iris would be silent enough. ¡°For now, don¡¯t make any noise and listen to me.¡±

    Luckily, Iris listened to him like a little girl and anxiously nodded her head in quick succession. The cold gaze in her eyes from the time of their duel had completely disappeared, leaving its place to a pure innocent glint.

    ¡®Is this an act?¡¯ Alec questioned.

    Two possibilities occupied his mind.

    The first was that, the exact same thing that happened to Alec had happened to Iris. She was knocked out during the duel, and another soul came to occupy her body. Currently, whoever was hiding behind her innocent visage was acting like they had lost their memories. However, what didn¡¯t match up with this train of thought was the fact that she seemed to know the local language. Alec, on the other hand, was thrust into this new world and new body without any knowledge. Wouldn¡¯t another transmigrator be in a similar situation?

    The other possibility was that Iris had actually lost her memories, and had no idea what was going on.

    ¡®But I didn¡¯t even hit her on the head! Why would she lose her memories?¡¯ Alec contemplated. ¡®Did she have brain damage from lack of oxygen?¡¯ Shaking off these thoughts, he decided to solve his current predicament.

    ¡°Soon, I will turn around and leave the room through that window,¡± Alec whispered. Without letting Iris open her mouth, he continued by saying, ¡°As soon as I leave, call for help from the guards standing outside the room. They will take care of you. Whatever they ask, say that you don¡¯t know. Especially about me. I was never here, okay?¡±

    Alec rained order after order at the confused, and possibly amnesiac, girl. Iris kept nodding along like a little duckling and kept her silence throughout.

    ¡®Does she think that I¡¯m her parent because I¡¯m the first person that she saw after waking up?¡¯ he thought, chuckling at the imagery. Then he scoured the room one last time for any clues that might lead up to him. Deciding that he was in the safe, he walked up to the window and jumped out.

    After landing on the wooden crate, he took another step and planted his feet stably on the ground. He then checked his surroundings for any guards before pushing the crate back into the woods.

    He could hear Iris calling out to the guards, which made him hasten his actions. Once he was sure he had gone deep enough into the forest, he swirled The Author¡¯s Pen in his hand and started writing on the dirt.

    [Dig]

    As his mana drained by a surprisingly high amount, the earth split open to reveal a hole just enough for the crate to fit into.

    Pushing the crate in, Alec buried the last piece of evidence that would lead to his intrusion.

    ¡®This should be good enough. As long as Iris doesn¡¯t blow my cover, I should be okay...¡¯ Alec thought. It was 9 p.m., and the sun had already set, plunging the academy into darkness. The more he hurried, the easier it would be for him to blend in with the students.

    Rotating the pen in his hand and facing it toward his arm, Alec tried something that had been on his mind for a long time.

    [Dash magic]

    The words took effect instantly. The letters dissipated into thin mana particles before forming a pristine magic circle, which started rotating on its own before being cast on Alec.

    ¡®That¡¯s...¡¯ Alec thought to himself. His heart started beating with vigor as he took off towards his destination in an arc, keeping himself inside the forest and away from eyes. ¡®This is so fucking op! It cost barely any mana, took a fifth of its normal cast time, and is much more effective!¡¯

    Even if he kept his speed to a minimum to avoid making noise, he was still running at a mind-blowing speed.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    As Alec neared his exit point from the forest, he gradually slowed down. The dash spell ran out, and he quickly recovered his energy as he still had an active stamina regeneration potion.

    When he finally exited the forest, he was behind the grand library of the academy. He had entered the building and left through an isolated window to keep an alibi. Jumping up to the window¡¯s sill, Alec first reached his head inside. He then pulled himself in, patted his pants to shake off any dust that might¡¯ve stuck to him, and left the library from the main entrance like nothing had happened.

    Theoretically, this was a perfect crime. Although there were a few mishaps, he had pretty much executed his plan to a tee. No witnesses other than Iris, and no evidence left...

    After another short walk, Alec reached the dorms and went to his room.

    Thomas and Alexei were playing magikards while Evan was seemingly fine-tuning his power-arm motor magic circles.

    However, they stopped what they were doing as soon as he entered and looked at him intently.

    ¡°What?¡± Alec asked nonchalantly. His roommates looked at each other before returning the question to him.

    ¡°Did you make the potions?¡± Evan asked. Alec thought about the question. He had succeeded in creating the potions, however, had already used them. He needed to make up an excuse.

    ¡°I did, but they turned out to be... of abysmal quality, so I just dumped them,¡± Alec answered as he walked up to his bed. He picked some pajamas from his closet and left the room for a shower.

    As the door closed behind him, silence encompassed the room. All his roommates were deep in thought.

    The one to break the silence was Evan.

    ¡°He is lying,¡± he said as he got back to tuning the magic circles on his shoulders. Throwing out another spell card, Alexei nodded.

    ¡°I felt so too. Alec doesn¡¯t waste anything. Even if it were low quality, he wouldn¡¯t have dumped the potion. Especially after spending so much on it,¡± he said. The spell card he threw out was promptly blocked by a mana wall Thomas had set up.

    ¡°So? What do we do?¡± Thomas asked while thinking about his moves. His teleportation blocker card was running out of mana. He had to do something quickly if he didn¡¯t want to spend mana on reactivating it.

    ¡°We don¡¯t do anything. If Alec doesn¡¯t want to tell us, there is no need to force him to,¡± Alexei answered while inspecting Thomas¡¯ facial expressions.

    ¡°No,¡± Evan opposed. Alexei and Thomas stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He pushed the magic circle motor away to float over the table before turning toward them. ¡°Did you guys notice the ingredients he had bought?¡±

    ¡°Uh-uh.¡±

    ¡°Fluxrose?¡±

    ¡°Fluxrose doesn¡¯t mean anything. There are hundreds of recipes done with that,¡± Evan sighed and said. He pushed out mana from his index finger and drew a vertical line on air.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know, Evan. Neither of us took Alchemy classes,¡± Alexei said with a frown on his face.

    ¡°Yeah. I know,¡± Evan answered. He then started writing a few ingredients on the left side of the vertical line. ¡°Red crystal chrysanthemums and bugflowers. Do any of you know what these are used for?¡±

    Alexei and Evan shook their heads in unison, which prompted Evan to continue his explanation.

    ¡°There are about ten recipes that use these three herbs together,¡± Evan said. ¡°Seven of which are too high-level for me to know. Alec should be in the same situation as he has lost his memories. Which leaves us with three possible potions.¡±

    ¡°Stop cliffhanging us, man. Tell us what¡¯s going on,¡± Alexei urged him to continue.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± Evan said before writing the possible potion on the right side of the vertical line.

    ¡°Health potion, health regeneration potion, or the pain-numbing potion,¡± he read them out loud. ¡°Guesses, everyone?¡±

    ¡°Maybe he got injured during training or something? Or there might be lingering wounds from his fight with Iris?¡± Thomas theorized.

    ¡°It¡¯s not likely. One of us would¡¯ve noticed it if he was in pain. He wouldn¡¯t have been let out of the infirmary if he was still injured,¡± Alexei refuted.

    ¡°Health regeneration potion is not one of the options,¡± Evan said as he crossed it out. ¡°The wounds would have taken some time to heal, and we would notice it.¡±

    ¡°That leaves us with two,¡± Alexei mumbled thoughtfully.

    ¡°Which leaves us with not very pleasant scenarios,¡± Evan continued. ¡°One is that, Alec is doing something dangerous and getting injured. Which necessitates the usage of health potions.¡±

    ¡°No blood on his clothes.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he took off his clothes beforehand,¡± Alexei said.

    ¡°That is possible. Could also be something internal. What about the other potion?¡± Evan asked while pacing throughout the room. Which caused his other two friends to sigh deeply.

    ¡°Lingering pain, maybe?¡± Alexei tried to make sense. Evan rolled his eyes and grunted.

    ¡°We had eliminated that possibility earlier. I think both of you know what I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Thomas muttered as the room was plunged into an uncomfortable silence once again.

    ¡°He is... He is doing drugs? Like... Like an addiction?¡± Alexei muttered.

    ¡°All of us have seen how he sometimes comes back with bloodshot eyes. He even zones out for no apparent reason.¡± Evan said. Which made everyone sigh deeply.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± All of them said in unison. Right as they were thinking about what to do, the door of the room opened.

    Alec had come back.

    ¡°Hey...¡ª What¡¯s going on?¡± Alec asked after seeing the somber atmosphere. His eyes were slowly becoming bloodshot because of the focus potions he had drunk throughout the day. It was a simple side-effect as far as he knew.

    All his roommates looked at each other knowingly.

    ¡°Just... Go to sleep,¡± Evan answered. Before sitting back down to deal with his magic circles.

    ¡°O- Okay..?¡±

    And just like that, Alec laid down in his bed and drifted off into deep sleep.

 Chapter 23 | About Systems

    Two days after his tests inside the infirmary, Alec decided that it was time for him to start his plans. The more time he spent min-maxing his growth by manual training, the more he felt uncomfortable.

    Something was brewing under the academy¡¯s calm surface, and Alec could almost smell it. His instincts as a web novel author told him that he wouldn¡¯t spend his years dilly-dallying around with superpowered college students.

    ¡®The unfortunate thing is, I still can¡¯t figure out what¡¯s happening,¡¯ he thought. Although the uncomfortable feeling was there, any clues that might point towards the sinister reality of this academy seemed to be completely absent from his mind. Almost like that feeling of confusion when you knew you forgot something, but couldn¡¯t remember it no matter how hard you tried.

    ¡°Hey, these days...¡± Alec muttered as he scratched his cheek with The Author¡¯s Pen. Since he had transmigrated into this world, he had started feeling a strong sense of disdain toward any other pen than The Author¡¯s Pen, which fortunately had the ability to write just like any other pen. ¡°Have you noticed something weird these days?¡±

    Hearing his question, Evan stopped doodling on the surface of his desk out of boredom and turned to look at him. There was a bitter expression on his face, which caused Alec to raise his brow.

    ¡°What..?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nothing! Nothing...¡± Evan muttered in response. He slowly turned back to his doodle before continuing. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing weird at all! Everything is perfectly fine and dandy,¡± he mumbled before stealing some glances in Alec¡¯s direction. ¡°You... You want some coffee? You know... To take the edge off? Get the day going. Something like that...¡°

    ¡°Uh-huh...¡± Alec reluctantly nodded. Seeing Evan¡¯s confused and weird state, Alec decided not to push his chances any further. ¡±Sure! Coffee is great, you know. Makes you energetic... Or something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°On second thought,¡± Alec said. He couldn¡¯t bear the awkward atmosphere inside the room anymore. ¡°I would rather go do some training. See you guys later.¡±

    After Alec dashed out of the room, everyone sighed deeply and dropped their endeavors one by one.

    ¡°You guys think he is going to..?¡± Thomas muttered.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Alexei answered quietly. However, suddenly, Evan slammed his desk and got up, toppling the chair he was sitting on in the meantime.

    ¡°I am going to follow him. Who is coming with me?¡± he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and left the room. Thomas also seemed interested, as he pushed aside his notebooks and got up before following Evan out.

    ¡°Guys! We have to do this assignm¡ª Never mind...¡± he sighed, unenthusiastically following along. In an instant, the dorm room was left completely empty...

    ***

    ¡°A private room, please,¡± Alec requested before handing over his student ID card. No matter how much his heart hurt for it, money was made to be spent, and he had no intentions of sneaking into the infirmary anymore.

    ¡°There you go,¡± the clerk said before placing Alec¡¯s ID card on a rectangular glass surface. The surface shone with a green light before the man gave him the card back. ¡°You can use your card to enter one of the unoccupied rooms.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    After walking through the corridor that facilitated the private rooms, most of which had red lights blaring on top of their doors, indicating that they were occupied, Alec found an empty one and entered.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    The insides were simple. There were a couple of different training dummies on one side of the room, piled up like a bunch of logs. In the middle of the room was a separating, reinforced glass. There was a metal door embedded into that glass, which faced a neutral training dummy standing right in the middle of the training chamber.

    ¡®Huh. I guess if you want to change the dummy, you have to change it by hand,¡¯ he thought before walking up to a bunch of crystals.

    These crystals were used to switch between and adjust training modes, most of which Alec had no intention of using for now.

    Settling on a chair, Alec took out The Author¡¯s Pen and started readying his potions. His mana was back to full, and he had a very low mana regeneration potion going, which would help him create these new potions.

    [Very Low Strength Upgrade Potion]

    [Very Low Agility Upgrade Potion]

    [Very Low Health Upgrade Potion]

    [Very Low Mind Upgrade Potion]

    [Very Low Mana Upgrade Potion]

    Immediately, Alec¡¯s mana dipped down to a fifth of his mana pool, making him stumble in place. Funnily enough, this was a kind of training too. The mage would suddenly unleash their mana into the atmosphere to get used to the effects of quick expenditure. Although it was an unpleasant feeling, there was no way to guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t need to do the same in a real fight.

    Seeing the respectively purple, green, red, turquoise, and blue potions side by side, Alec felt emotional. He had been waiting for this moment since the time he had arrived in this world. That sweet moment of finally grabbing the low-hanging fruits of his training had finally come.

    First, Alec brought up his system¡¯s only working panel.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 22

    Agility: 20

    Health: 23

    Mind: 23

    Mana: 27]

    After doing more extensive research, Alec finally managed to get his hands on some information about the system.

    Apparently, almost everyone other than himself had access to levels and skills in this world.

    There were different ways of gaining experience. These ways included: training, studying, killing other beings, overcoming emotional trauma, and pretty much anything that would help a human develop in certain ways. Obviously, after accumulating a certain amount of EXP, the person would level up, granting them 2 stat points for every level.

    The average adult male would have 10 in each of their stats without any outside enhancements. However, this was without those level-ups. Usually, the average citizen would be around levels 5 to 10, granting them some amount of enhancement in their chosen ability.

    Each country had its own regulations about the distribution of points. This was particularly interesting, as no one could see another person¡¯s system panels. Even then, some countries with strict rules would test their citizen¡¯s capabilities to get a picture of their stat distributions.

    A farmer, for example, would be forced to split their points between their strength and health stats to make them better at what they were doing. And if they fell below a certain measure in these categories, they would be executed to be made an example of.

    Still, things were different for middle and upper-class citizens. People could spend their attributes on whatever they wanted. This freedom brought with it the concept of classes to the societies of this world. People who focused their points mainly on strength and health were called warriors, for example, while people who mainly spent points on mind and mana were called mages. Obviously, as these classifications were arbitrary, there would be tons of variations in them.

    When it came to the mages, or any other classes with methodical education systems, people would be readied to specialize in those classes from childhood. Even if they weren¡¯t taught magic, they would be forced to hold off their stat points until they peaked in their natural growth, and would only be allowed to allocate after the age of 18. Alec¡¯s friends were this way too. Most people would reach somewhere around 15 on each of their stats through practice before they allocated their points.

    According to some surveys done in the past, the average academy student would be around level 15. Still, these surveys were mostly flawed, as nobody could exactly confirm the data given by the students.

    Apparently, level 100 was sort of a boundary in this world. Any person who reached level 100 would be regarded as a legend and would be awarded a title, abandoning their surnames in the process.

    Alec could genuinely see it. As far as he understood, the stats didn¡¯t work linearly. Rather, they were exponential. Having a hundred points in a certain stat would probably be a few times better than having 99.

    The leveling system would give people the ability heavily to specialize in their own areas, making them incredibly strong. Thus, jack-of-all-trades types of builds weren¡¯t really a thing. Most of the time, someone who had 40 in all of their stats would get the shit beaten out of them by a person who had 160 in one stat and 10 in all the others.

    ¡°Then still,¡± Alec muttered to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t have this particular problem. Which means I¡¯ll have to construct my development plan from zero. A path that is different from everyone else''s.¡±

    ¡°But for now, I should focus on what¡¯s in front of me.¡±

    Placing the newly formed potions down, Alec walked up to the training chamber.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, why don¡¯t I try these for a little bit? They should help me measure my capabilities...¡±

 Chapter 24 | Behold! Stat Upgrade Potions!

    ¡°Huff~¡±

    ¡®Step to the right, jump up. Tilt your body slightly to the left,¡¯ Alec thought. Three fireballs in order, one passing by his left side, the other under him, and the final one grazing his chest by an inch. Finally, the training room cooled down as the fireball magic circles stopped appearing.

    ¡°Phew¡­ That was¡­ Something,¡± Alec muttered before wiping his sweat off with a towel. The training room had a few modes, but the one that attracted Alec the most was the volley training.

    The walls of the training room would shoot fireballs at the student and the student would try to not get hit.

    ¡®If I had to guess, this training should be more about using effective and fast magic to counteract the fireballs. Not dodge them. A mage wouldn¡¯t be able to make movements like me,¡¯ Alec contemplated. He had managed to overcome the second level of the training without getting hit. ¡®Maybe, if I cast dash magic on myself¡­ Never mind. I¡¯m not here for this.¡¯

    After leaving the training chamber, Alec walked up to the potions he had left on the table and picked up the purple strength upgrade potion.

    ¡®My current strength is 22. I wonder how much it will increase,¡¯ Alec thought. Without further ado, he downed the potion in one go and started waiting for the changes.

    At first, nothing strange happened. His breathing and heartbeat were steady. For a moment, he worried that his assumptions were wrong and that training manually before drinking the potions was completely useless.

    However, the next moment, a strong seizure hit Alec. He toppled over and started shaking on the ground, his back arching upwards while his muscles started shifting under his skin. He tried to scream but as soon as he opened his mouth, white bubbles poured out.

    This miserable state continued for another minute before Alec could gather his bearings. His back had been covered in dust and the white foam pouring out of his mouth had clumped together to form a tiny mound, looking like a small cloud descended to the ground.

    Wiping away his mouth with the hem of his shirt, and getting up, Alec cursed at the potion internally. On one hand, the severe reaction gave him a clue that the potion had worked. On the other hand, there wasn¡¯t a need to be this harsh, was there?

    Bringing up his status panel, Alec checked his strength stat once again. This time, it had ticked up to 24.

    ¡®Two points straight out the start? That¡¯s pretty effective,¡¯ Alec thought. He had readied himself to take the potion a few times to increase his stats by one. Especially on a higher stat like strength. ¡®There is no way my mana also goes up by 2 with just one potion.¡¯

    Still, Alec felt a jolt of electricity pulse through his veins. It felt good to dream, and Alec was one hell of a dreamer.

    Stashing away the now empty potion bottle, he picked up the mana potion and started drinking it. This time more carefully and slowly. Now that he had tried it, he felt the importance of the potions more. He didn¡¯t want to risk choking on the thing and spitting it out all over the place.

    This time, the reactions in his body weren¡¯t as strong as the last potion. Some mild pain, some cramps, and a nasty bloating-like feeling in his abdominal cavity. However, that went away pretty quickly, the next moment, he gained another point in mana.

    ¡®It¡¯s just that easy, huh?¡¯ Alec thought. Presumably, people spent years increasing their levels. A single level up was significant for any young mage. And Alec had gotten one and a half level-ups worth of stat points from these potions. ¡®And if I keep taking them, I should be able to gather a few more points.¡¯

    Taking one last look at his stat screen, Alec drank the rest of the potions and waited for the aftermath to pass. No matter how agonizing, the psychological feeling of safety was better to have.

    When he was done, Alec brought up his status screen once again.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 24

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Agility: 22

    Health: 25

    Mind: 23

    Mana: 28]

    ¡®That¡¯s grea¡ª huh?¡¯ Alec¡¯s rejoice was stopped before he could formulate it. His stats had gone up by a great deal. 7 stat points, equaling three and a half levels worth of stats. If he were to put it into perspective, he had 72 extra stats in total, making him about as stat-rich as the average 30-level man.

    ¡®But why didn¡¯t my mind stat go up?¡¯ he thought. ¡®If it was something about it being high, my mana stat is higher. If one of my stats wasn¡¯t going to increase, it should have been mana¡­¡¯

    ¡®Well, maybe the mind stat is harder to increase than the other ones. The best solution to problems like these is to brute force. I should stack up on mana and create two Low-grade mind upgrade potions,¡¯ Alec formulated a plan in his head. If he were to try it right now, he might be able to pass the third level of the training using dash magic to aid himself.

    ¡®It would probably be good practice, both to get used to the increased stats and to train my dash magic. I have the mana for it anyway.¡¯

    As the training chamber¡¯s metal door creaked open, the magical circuits energizing its mechanisms buzzed to life. Alec had already increased the difficulty to level 3. This was the first time he had seen these training rooms, so naturally, he had no idea how the average student would fare against level 3 volley training. However, according to his assumptions, someone like Iris or Zac would be able to deal with this level. Someone like Edward, on the other hand, might even be able to surpass level 3 and go on to the higher ones.

    When the magical circuits of the training chamber had heated up enough, Alec was given an auditory signal to prepare himself.

    The next three minutes went by in an almost trance-like state. Alec¡¯s body was slowly getting accustomed to the non-lethal fireballs that were almost always one centimeter off from hitting him.

    As the training chamber calmed down, Alec found himself out of breath and nauseous. From his condition, it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with level 4, which indicated that he had hit the ceiling for his current skill level.

    ¡®Even still, I wonder if this is worth trading with the ability to gain skills,¡¯ Alec thought. He had experienced firsthand how hard it was to cast spells without skills, and skills weren¡¯t just limited to spells. There was a plethora of skills that aided humans in their daily lives. Each class would train in their respective fields, and they would be rewarded with skills for their training.

    A swordsman, for example, could do mana-enhanced downward swings and would get the strong strike skill after some time.

    In its essence, none of these skills were what you would call ¡®active¡¯ skills. They all enhanced people¡¯s actions in some way. A person couldn¡¯t get the flying skill by throwing themselves off of a cliff repeatedly. However, whenever someone constantly repeated a certain action, they would gain a skill for that, which immediately enhanced their proficiency. After that, every level up in that skill would grant the wielder another proficiency boost. The system-automated spellcasting was actually this. An aide in remembering and manifesting the necessary magic circles. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Finally done with his tests and the first day of his power-up, Alec gathered his equipment, cleaned the training room as best as he could, and left.

    However, as he walked out and away, he didn¡¯t notice the gazes stuck to his back.

    As Alec slowly disappeared from vision, his friends came out of their hiding place.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but this is the biggest waste of time I have ever seen,¡± Alexei said after crossing his arms. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting here for about an hour. We could have already finished our assignments and started playing Magikards.¡±

    Thomas and Evan looked at him with furrowed brows.

    ¡°If we can, we have to save Alec from this addiction,¡± Evan said. Thomas nodded in agreement. Clicking his tongue, Alexei walked up to the door of the training room Alec had just left.

    ¡°You guys will have to buy me extra meals for this,¡± he said before taking out a white card from his pocket. This card was completely non-descript. There was nothing visible on both of its surfaces, which made it look more like a piece of paper rather than a card.

    When he brought it up to the token detector, the door opened with an angry creak.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you are spending money,¡± Evan retorted.

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to use this device. If we are caught, they will take it away and make me pay double the room¡¯s fee.¡±

    ¡°Whatever¡­¡± Evan muttered before walking past him and entering the room.

    ¡°Everything seems¡­¡±

    ¡°Normal? Alec has always been clean,¡± Evan said. Then for a brief moment, his nostrils flared. ¡°But not clean enough¡­ Come here.¡±

    ¡°What..?¡± Alexei asked. However, before Evan could answer, he saw white stains on the ground. ¡°Is that..?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Vomit,¡± Evan said before he crouched and brought his nose closer to the ground. ¡°And a huge amount of vomit. Mixed with¡­ I don¡¯t know. But something. He must have emptied everything he ate. The fact that it smells this much after he cleaned it¡­¡±

    ¡°This is really bad¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we talk to the teacher?¡± Thomas asked with a low voice. Evan shook his head.

    ¡°No. We can¡¯t let the authorities learn about this. Drug abuse will become a terrible stain on Alec¡¯s record,¡± Evan answered. The three all sighed at the same time and looked at the ground for a few seconds. However, Thomas¡¯ eyes caught onto something interesting.

    ¡°Hey¡­ Look at that,¡± he said as he pointed toward the training adjustment crystals.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ Level 3 volley training?¡± Alexei asked in confusion. When Evan turned around to look, he also noticed the absurdity of the situation.

    ¡°He was training with that?¡± He muttered to himself. Knowing that the question was him thinking out loud, the other two didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Alec¡¯s drug addiction might have more to it than it meets the eye,¡± Alexei said.

    ¡°Yes. We have to learn more.¡±

 Chapter 25 | Asking For Help

    ¡°Please, please, please!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry young man, but no matter how many times you ask, I¡¯m not going to help you,¡± the professor said as he kept walking without turning his head. This was Andrew Walker. He was known to be a calm and collected man who didn¡¯t interact much with his students beyond some pleasantries and questions about the lessons.

    He was also Alec¡¯s Arcana 201 professor.

    ¡°I can help you with some¡­ lab work?¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± the professor finally stopped and turned to Alec. ¡°The materials and mana to create a mana brain are not cheap. And I doubt you can provide me with enough value. Especially with your lack of memories.¡±

    Alec sighed and looked around. Just as Professor Andrew was about to walk away, he stepped forward one last time.

    ¡°Give me a way...¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The Professor asked. He uncomfortably shifted in his place and grabbed the books under his right arm with his left hand.

    ¡°Give me a way to prove myself,¡± Alec explained. The Professor sighed deeply and thought for a moment. He then rifled through the stack of books under his arm briefly and took out a clump of papers held together by a paperclip.

    ¡°You want a way to prove yourself? Go for it. Take these and study. Tomorrow, you will do a presentation,¡± Professor Andrew said before quickening his steps and disappearing.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to teleport¡­¡± Alec muttered to himself before pinching the corner of the stack. There were a total of five papers, all filled with jumbled-up formulas and half-complete magic circles. ¡°What¡¯s this..?¡±

    ¡°Magic axis¡­ Circle disposition¡­ 1<sup>st</sup> circle?¡± Alec kept reading while scratching his head. ¡°Is this a new spell?¡±

    The spell circle trying to be created was completely dysfunctional. None of the parts of the spell worked in combination and some were even internally inconsistent. If Alec tried constructing a spell with this circle, the best result would be nothing happening. The worst, on the other hand, could cause him to kill himself.

    ¡®Irresponsible bastard. What if I accidentally killed myself while trying this out?¡¯ Alec thought to himself. For now, he couldn¡¯t understand what the magic circle was supposed to entail. There were some parts similar to telekinetic magic, some similar to arcane¡­ There was even a part where Alec found similar to thunder magic, which was a rather newly recovered branch from the records of the ancient civilizations. ¡®In the end, I am not going to be able to solve this by myself. Using The Author¡¯s Pen is also out of the question, as I don¡¯t even know what this circle is supposed to be.¡¯

    Going through a list of names in his head, Alec¡¯s mind settled on a person who could possibly help him.

    ¡®Edward¡­¡¯

    Edward Spellson was a very famous student, and this wasn¡¯t only because he was the leader of the student body. His magical feats were pretty much unrivaled throughout the third year. Many people looked up to him as a role model.

    ¡®The question is, will he actually help me with this? Never mind, I¡¯ll never know if I don¡¯t try it,¡¯ Alec thought. Turning around, he started heading back to the dorms.

    ***

    ¡°So you want me to help you figure out what these papers are about,¡± Edward repeated Alec¡¯s question to him. He crossed his arms and thought with his eyes closed for a brief moment. ¡°Dealing with unknown and new magic is very dangerous, Alec. I would like something in return if you want me to help you.¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­ That will depend on what you want from me,¡± Alec answered as he looked around while pulling on his necktie. He was currently inside the student council room, which was roughly 50m<sup>2</sup>. It had a mixture of vibrant earthy colors with dark-greenish touches here and there.

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    There were two long tables to the sides, each manned by three student council members who looked intently at Alec all the while dealing with documents non-stop. On the opposite side of the entrance, in front of two huge windows, a more robust office table made of dark wood was placed. Behind it sat Edward, who was looking at Alec with his hands joined under his chin.

    ¡°Very well,¡± he said. Suddenly slamming the table with both his hands and getting up, he caused Alec to jump in place. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ¡®Huh, he was very polite when we first talked. But now that I want something from him, he has suddenly become more aggressive,¡¯ Alec mentally commented as he followed Edward through a door further into the room. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like I can do anything about it.¡¯

    The room they entered was cozier than the student council¡¯s main office. There were two couches placed next to a low table, some lights, some plants to lighten up the mood, and a pile of¡­

    ¡°Board games..?¡± Alec muttered with a tinge of confusion in his voice. Why did the student council have such a room?

    ¡°What? We can¡¯t have fun because we are supposed to be working all day. I¡¯m sorry to break it to you but we are also students,¡± Edward said jokingly, which greatly lowered Alec¡¯s tension. ¡°What I want from you is simple.¡±

    ¡®There we go¡­¡¯ Alec thought nervously as Edward sat down on one of the couches and gestured for Alec to sit on the opposite.

    ¡°We are going to have a Magikards duel,¡± Edward said as he reached out to a secret compartment under the table and brought out a Magikards bag.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡°What?¡± Alec¡¯s internal monologue suddenly got jumbled up with his speech.

    ¡°No need to be surprised. This is common practice among the mages of this school, especially for the students. Remember, we are not enemies. When we can, it is good to help each other,¡± Edward explained as he started quickly searching through the deck. Occasionally, he would pick one card from the deck and place it either to his right or to his left. ¡°The important thing is to decide whether or not you deserve the help.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alec exclaimed. No matter how confused he was, he still found the trade-off pleasant. Even if he lost, he wouldn¡¯t lose anything other than an opportunity. ¡®Opportunities can be found, I just need to not-¡¯

    ¡°By the way, to make this a fair trade, you¡¯ll have to give me a stake too,¡± Edward said as he kept building the decks.

    ¡®At least let me finish thinking,¡¯ Alec mentally muttered.

    He was about to take out his own deck from his pocket, but Edward cast a spell and tried yanking it away from his hand. Although he failed at first because of Alec¡¯s unexpected strength, he just increased the amount of mana he fed to the spell and took the cards away anyway. ¡°No need, I am going to be giving you the deck you are going to be playing.¡±

    ¡°What? But how can I use cards for the first time and win against you?¡± Alec asked with furrowed brows.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve accounted for your capabilities. This is definitely a fight that you can win,¡± Edward answered calmly. Alec had no choice, as Edward had every bit of advantage in this trade.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t think I have anything I can put as a stake,¡± Alec said helplessly. He couldn¡¯t write some potions and give it to Edward as that would raise suspicion.

    ¡°No you do,¡± Edward answered. He stopped separating cards for a moment to think before continuing. ¡°You can do free labor for the student council. I¡¯ve heard you are pretty studious and strict about the way you go about things. That¡¯s exactly what we need over here.¡±

    ¡°You want me to..?¡± Alec tried to confirm. Edward nodded and smiled. He had reached the bottom of the deck and was done separating the cards.

    ¡°I want you to join the student council if you lose,¡± Edward said with a smile on his face. Alec sighed deeply and nodded along.

    ¡°Okay. If I lose, I will join the student council. If you lose, you help me with the magic circle,¡± Alec reached out his hand. However, under his unwilling demeanor, he was already rejoicing.

    ¡®Joining the student council means power! Both political and literal. This is a win-win situation for me! As long as this isn¡¯t some shady place where they work people to death, I should be able to deal with it.¡¯

    Obviously, Alec wasn¡¯t betting his chances on such a dangerous assumption. He had seen the faces of the students back in the main office of the student council. Not only were they physically healthy, but they were also faces that Alec recognized.

    ¡®The only people I know in this school are either my friends or people who are both influential and powerful. These people belong to the second category. If they were being bogged down by student council work, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with their training and fall behind in their studies.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s a deal then,¡± Edward answered before shaking Alec¡¯s hand. He then took one of the decks he had prepared and handed it to Alec before picking up his.

    ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s¡­ See..?¡¯ Alec thought before he realized something strange about his cards.

    ¡®Dash magic¡­ Magic missile..? The Avatar card¡­ These are¡­¡¯ Alec read through the cards handed to him and looked up at Edward.

    ¡°These are..?¡±

 Chapter 26 | A Replica of A Duel

    ¡°These are..?¡± Alec asked with a confused expression. Edward smiled knowingly.

    ¡°We have some homebrew rules in the student council for Magikards. The duelists start the first round by placing their cards at the same time,¡± he said instead of answering Alec¡¯s question.

    ¡°You just made that rule up,¡± Alec retorted. However, his words were like flies hitting the windshield of a car. None of them seemed to affect Edward.

    ¡°When it says go,¡± Edward said before raising his hand and releasing a bit of mana into the air. The mana formed into the number 3 and started counting down from there.

    Alec nervously grabbed two cards from his hand and poured mana into them. When he completed the mana exercises inside, the countdown was over, displaying two big letters.

    [GO]

    At the exact same time, Alec and Edward activated their cards.

    The card that floated up from Edward¡¯s hand was the Mana Ray. The card with the image of a long blue ray on it started glowing. The next moment, it released a miniature version of the actual mana ray spell.

    Alec¡¯s cards, on the other hand, were different.

    One was a simple Dash Magic. The same magic Alec used in his fight with Iris. It could be used on any card, giving it the ability to dodge enemy spells or help it dodge if it already has the ability to do so.

    The other card was called The Avatar. It was a unit card that got stronger the more mana it was inserted with. When played, it would take over as the nexus of the player. If it was destroyed, the game would be over, which made it a highly strategic card. On the other hand, it could use spell cards on itself, which gave it the ability to utilize things like the dash magic.

    As The Avatar flew up and started floating, a small miniature made up of blue energy manifested from inside it. It had copied Alec¡¯s appearance, which was funny to see.

    As soon as The Avatar showed up, it was infused with the energy from the Dash Magic and started running around mid-air. The Mana Ray card activated by Edward beamed at Alec¡¯s avatar. Fortunately, Alec had given the avatar enough mana to be capable of dodging something like this.

    Combined with the speed from the Dash Magic, Alec¡¯s avatar sidestepped the mana ray and started running toward Edward. As there were no unit cards on the ground, it could directly attack Edward at any time.

    However, Edward wasn¡¯t going to sit and watch. He took out a magic missile from his deck and started rapidly charging and activating it again and again, launching bursts of magic missiles from the card. In the meantime, he also activated an Avatar card, manifesting his own copy on the card field.

    ¡®What is he trying to prove..?¡¯ Alec thought. So far, Edward was replicating Alec¡¯s fight with Iris for some reason. What Alec couldn¡¯t understand was his motive. For now, though, the only thing he could do was to bear with it.

    Fortunately, this time, Alec could use the cards in his hands more than he could use his spells in the actual duel with Iris. Edward had given him three cards in total. One was the Magic Missile, the other was the Dash Magic and the last one was The Avatar card. He could activate the first two as much as he wanted.

    ¡®If I can only use the spells I used back in the duel, he should be doing the same,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®Which means¡­ Shit!¡¯

    Unfortunately, Alec was too slow to notice the anti-memetic shroud spell. He had lost sight of the enemy cards. It took him a good second to notice where the cards had gone, not to mention his Avatar card.

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    The cards themselves had a certain amount of consciousness in Magikards. Although it was rudimentary, they performed their attacks and moves according to a certain preset logic.

    Because of this, the fact that Alec had noticed the card didn¡¯t mean anything to his Avatar. It was looking around in confusion, not capable of noticing the approaching magic missiles.

    In such a situation, Alec had no choice but to utilize a different approach. He couldn¡¯t brute force the anti-memetic spell away.

    Activating his magic missile card, Alec battered his own Avatar. He had purposefully launched the missile from another direction to get his Avatar away from the enemy missiles.

    ¡®This is becoming repetitive,¡¯ Alec thought as he started biting his nails. ¡®The reason my strategy almost worked in the duel was because of my high physical stats. My mana stat is almost equal to the other stats. I would have to spend almost all my mana pool to make The Avatar as strong as my real body.¡¯

    The way The Avatar scaled in power was simple. If it was played with 20 mana, it would simulate having 20 in all of its stats. In this situation, the amount of mana left in it would also represent how much health it had.

    ¡®The problem is, I wasn¡¯t even sitting on full mana when I came here. I could only spend about 15 points worth of mana on the card,¡¯ he thought. As his avatar managed to break out of the anti-memetic shroud, it started running around once again. The relentless chase went on and on. Unfortunately for Alec, the mana of The Avatar card eventually ran out, directly eliminating Alec in the process.

    With a deep sigh, Alec took the three cards and threw them back to Edward. In the end, he couldn¡¯t beat Edward in a card duel.

    ¡®Still, it should be good to be in the student council,¡¯ Alec thought as he reached his hand out toward Edward for a handshake.

    However, his hand was left hanging in mid-air. Edward was thoughtful, caressing his chin.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± he muttered as his gaze passed over Alec. ¡°You managed to win against Iris in a real duel, but not against me in a Magikards duel. I was even holding back to make myself about as strong as Iris.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Alec didn¡¯t know where Edward was going with his words.

    ¡°Do you know why The Avatar is a viable card, Alec?¡± Edward asked as he joined his hands under his chin and looked up at Alec. Seeing his questioning glare, Alec sat back down.

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You see, Alec, a dangerous card like The Avatar is only viable if it brings great power to its user,¡± Edward continued. ¡°If you insert 20 points worth of mana into the card, it will become a strong warrior card. It will keep changing in strength constantly.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°So, I wonder, why were your movements on the stage better than your avatar?¡± he asked. ¡°Why is your real body stronger than your warrior avatar, Alec?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Alec blanked out at the question. He was actually surprised at himself. How did he manage to keep a calm surface in such a situation? Even though his heart was beating furiously under his chest, he managed to act nonchalantly.

    ¡°I was¡­ I didn¡¯t have all my mana. So, I could only use this much,¡± Alec made up an excuse. However, Edward was not convinced.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t all your mana? How much do you have?¡± He pressured Alec further.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of my disability,¡± Alec explained. ¡°I¡¯ve been training really hard since my childhood. At least that¡¯s what I was told. Because I can¡¯t level up, my mana and mind stats are not that different from my physical stats. This might be as far as I go as a conventional mage, but I have at least achieved a certain level of com-¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Edward cut Alec off. ¡°I see your point. Even then, I don¡¯t believe you. Which is fine.¡±

    ¡°O- Okay?¡±

    ¡°As per our agreement, you will join the student council,¡± Edward continued without giving Alec the time to answer. ¡°And those papers, give them to me. Let¡¯s talk about them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Alec asked in confusion. As soon as he had lost the Magikards duel, he resigned to his fate. He was thinking about who to ask about the magic circle, but that didn¡¯t seem necessary.

    ¡°You are now a part of our student council,¡± Edward said with a smile on his face. ¡°Know that the full power of our committee is backing you. Of course, I am going to help you out.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Alec stopped Edward as he facepalmed. ¡°So, what you are saying is: you had decided on helping me from the start?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Edward answered gently. ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, Alec. We are not enemies. We are the students of the Lation Magic Academy. I would be glad to help you when you are in need.¡±

    Tired from the interaction, Alec didn¡¯t speak further and handed over the papers to Edward. At first, Edward was nonchalant about the papers, however, after a short amount of time, Edward frowned and leaned forward.

    He read through the papers a few times and scratched his head before throwing them on the table.

    ¡°So? What is it?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Edward muttered as he tried to think of an answer.

    ¡°This is an attempt to recreate gravity magic.¡±

 Chapter 27 | An Artifact, To Be Understood

    ¡°Gravity magic? I¡¯m sorry, but isn¡¯t that..?¡±

    ¡°Ancient magic? Lost to time? Incredibly cryptic and hard to understand?¡± Edward listed a couple of options for Alec to pick from. ¡°It¡¯s all of that. Which means that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Which means that Professor Andrew never intended to help me. He set me up to fail, didn¡¯t he?¡± Alec grumbled. It was frustrating.

    ¡°Yes. He did. Which brings me to the question of, why Professor Andrew? He doesn¡¯t have the best reputation does he?¡± Edward asked. His eyes didn¡¯t leave the paper, constantly trying to make sense of the writings on it.

    ¡°No he doesn¡¯t,¡± Alec answered. ¡°He wasn¡¯t my first choice though. I tried the others.¡±

    ¡°By ¡®the others¡¯, who do you mean?¡± Edward asked as he raised his gaze to look at Alec.

    ¡°¡¯The others¡¯, is every teacher that I¡¯ve taken a course from,¡± Alec said.

    ¡°And they..?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t accept. Most of them outright refused me because, apparently, it was too early for me to get a mana brain,¡± Alec explained. ¡°Mr. Andrew at least gave me a chance. Well¡­ I thought he did.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He was probably just trying to push you away,¡± Edward answered after quickly turning the pages one last time before handing them back to Alec.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he worried that his research is going to be stolen? Why would he give this to me so willy-nilly?¡± Alec asked as he picked up the papers and placed them on his lap.

    ¡°I think those are just rudimentary notes. He might be keeping the important parts to himself,¡± Edward answered. ¡°Or he isn¡¯t even seriously studying the topic and he was carrying it at that moment by pure luck. He gave you whatever he could think of and shooed you away.¡±

    After sighing, Alec got up and turned to leave. As he opened the door, he heard Edward speak.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to come tomorrow! After your classes are over.¡±

    ***

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s how the collective consciousness can cause such spikes in reality. Well, these were recovered from ancient texts, as we lack the necessary equipment to calculate such spikes...¡± The teacher babbled on.

    After separating from Edward, Alec came to the History of Magic 201 class, which was an afternoon class. It was currently 3 p.m. If he wanted to think of something about his deal with the teacher, he had to think fast.

    ¡®What¡¯s important is, even if I managed to figure out the magic circle, I couldn¡¯t show it to anyone. Unless I want to get every secret beaten out of me,¡¯ Alec thought while playing with the corner of his notepad. ¡®Figuring out a small part of the circle would probably attract Mr. Andrew¡¯s attention. But even still, can I trust him to keep his part of the deal?¡¯

    As the lecture came to an end, Alec picked his stuff up and headed for the training grounds.

    ¡®I was planning on holding off a little bit more, but I guess I¡¯ll have to speed things up a little bit. I can¡¯t solve the gravity magic unless I understand The Author¡¯s Pen better,¡¯ he thought to himself as he entered a private training room.

    From his backpack, he took out a bundle of very low grade mana potions, six in total. These were the mana potions he had managed to pump out with his leftover mana from his endeavors throughout the last two weeks.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Alec muttered to himself as he took out The Author¡¯s Pen and placed it down on the table.

    So far, Alec had utilized The Author¡¯s Pen in a very cautious manner. The first time he had used the artifact, it had resulted in him going into a mana coma for a few days, and he had felt wary of experiencing another such outcome. After all, even if he ignored the wasted time, he would still have to explain why he went into a coma out of nowhere.

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    Even if a mage wanted to go into a mana coma, they couldn¡¯t just expel every bit of mana they had and do so. It was somewhat like holding one¡¯s breath to commit suicide. The brain would stop the person from doing so.

    ¡®The main problem is, I still don¡¯t know how the mana cost of my writings is decided,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. Throughout his time in the academy, he had done his best to keep his creations to a somewhat consistent style. His instincts as an author had made him want to try new things with the pen, but the possibility of stumbling onto something that cost too much mana and knocking himself out was always there, hanging above his neck like the Sword of Damocles.

    To try out the capabilities of the pen safely, Alec had been saving up on mana potions whenever he could.

    ¡®Let¡¯s start with my first theory,¡¯ Alec thought to himself before picking up The Author¡¯s Pen. ¡®So far, the pen has had no trouble understanding what my writing means. When I write dig, it digs on the ground. The perfect amount at that.¡¯

    Alec brought down the pen, into a bowl he had prepared, and started writing.

    [Water]

    When he did so, the bowl was filled with water. Emptying it away on the ground, Alec started writing again, however, this time, he consciously imagined filling the bowl half-way.

    [Water]

    As he had expected, the bowl only filled up halfway.

    ¡®So the normal magic rules still apply to The Author¡¯s Pen,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. There was one universal and very simple rule that applied to all magic and magical artifacts. And it was that they had to have intent behind it.

    The only difference between a normal magic spell and The Author¡¯s Pen was that, Alec would have to consciously put intent into the magic spell while the soul artifact could infer his intent automatically.

    ¡®This is why the potions I created never spilled over other than the first time I tried the pen,¡¯ he thought. ¡®I was too distracted the first time to have proper intent. This also explains how my dig order could be understood by the pen.¡¯

    Next, Alec wrote down [Water] once more, however, this time, he put the intent of creating a pebble into the writing. The lines, instead of forming into what Alec had written, faded away without spending any of his mana.

    ¡®From this, I can derive two rules for the usage of The Author¡¯s Pen,¡¯ Alec thought with his hand on his chin. ¡®One, I have to have intent while writing. Two, my writing has to somewhat match up with my intent.¡¯

    To further confirm his theory, Alec wrote [Liquid] while imagining water, which still came out with the correct result.

    ¡®This¡¯ll help me understand the pen better,¡¯ he mentally mumbled before going on to his second question.

    ¡®How is the cost of my creations decided?¡¯ Alec thought to himself. This was the prime question he had been thinking about but had no way of confirming his theories. As long as he solved it, he could leave the confines of his safe space of creation. The only clue he had so far was that if his understanding of the creation was better, it would lower the cost.

    ¡®Neither volume nor weight makes sense for this kind of thing,¡¯ he thought. Those were the options that he had ruled out by very simple trial and error methods.

    ¡®I had thought of complexity being the deciding factor after those, however, that theory was debunked by itself,¡¯ he reminisced. The reason was simple, he had used the pen to dig a hole in the ground before. Even at the time, he had felt the mana expenditure to be too much for such a simple action. It was almost as expensive as a Very Low stat upgrade potion, which was a lot.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Alec hummed as he scratched his head. Browsing through a library of ideas in his head, Alec picked one and decided to go with it. ¡®What if the cost is decided by how useful it is to me?¡¯

    However, before he could go on with his idea, he realized how it didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡®No¡­ That doesn¡¯t make sense. If that was the case, the stat upgrade potions would have become cheaper the more I used them, as they would lose their effectiveness.¡¯

    ¡°This is hard¡­¡± Alec mumbled to himself. ¡®Still, maybe I should try it to see.¡¯

    Quickly, Alec¡¯s mind kicked into gear. There were a billion ways to test his theory, but he had to pick one. Preferably one that was safe to do.

    ¡®What do I not need right now?¡¯ Alec asked himself. If he managed to find something that he didn¡¯t need at all, he would be able to try it out. ¡®Why don¡¯t I use a potion as the test group? I¡¯m not sick, so an anti-infection potion has no use to me.¡¯

    ¡®So what happens if I try to create an anti-infection potion and an antibiotic from my world? They both have the same usage and are both useless at the current moment.¡¯ Alec thought. There was no need to think further. Bringing down the pen, he started writing at lightning speed.

    When he wrote the very low anti-infection potion, he noticed its cost to be similar to that of an upgrade potion, which was already not a good sign for his theory.

    ¡®The antibiotic should cost about 1.5 times more than the potion, considering my understanding of potion-making,¡¯ Alec thought to himself.

    However, when he wrote down the antibiotic, he noticed a strange sensation rising up from inside him.

    ¡°Oh shit¡­¡±

 Chapter 28 | What Is Your Cost?

    As he drew the last line of the last letter, Alec felt his stomach tighten. Although he had understood that this was going to be bad, there was no way for him to reverse the process of creation as far as he knew.

    As mana started draining from his body, Alec got more and more uncomfortable. The drain rate was too fast. He barely managed to pop open a bottle of mana potion and started downing it before he almost ran out.

    Fortunately, the rate at which he could drink it seemed to be enough. The more he drank, the more his mana depleted. While drinking with one hand, he had to open another potion. The drain only stopped when he had gone through one and a half bottles of mana potion.

    ¡°What was that..?¡± Alec muttered as he looked at the singular white, small, oval-shaped antibiotic pill. ¡®This little piece of shit cost me that much mana? That definitely disproves my theory of ¡®need equals cost¡¯.¡¯

    ¡®But it brings forth another question. Why?¡¯ Alec kept thinking. ¡®What is the difference between an antibiotic and an anti-infection potion?¡¯

    When Alec saw the two next to each other, he managed to produce an idea.

    ¡®The antibiotic is from Earth, therefore it¡¯s more expensive? No, that¡¯s too vague and sounds stupid. It should be caused by a more general rule.¡¯

    Left without a choice, Alec started thinking of a plethora of different web novels in his head. There had to be something that could help his imagination.

    Unfortunately, he came out empty-handed from that too.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ This doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± Alec shouted in anger, tousling his hair with both of his hands. However, his sentence caused his heart to jump.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± he mumbled once more. Immediately, he took out The Author¡¯s Pen and wrote a very low health potion. He then got up and left the training room, rushing to the alchemy labs as fast as possible.

    By now, his credit budget was running very low, however, the fee for an alchemy room was a price he was willing to pay for.

    When he reached his destination and entered an unoccupied lab room, Alec was left gasping for breath. Disregarding his situation, he focused on his mana and wrote down another very low health potion. Just like he had guessed, the price of the potion had dropped by about thirty percent.

    ¡®This is it! The answer!¡¯ Alec shouted in his head. He felt his heart start beating faster and faster in his chest. ¡®The pen doesn¡¯t arbitrarily make up mana-costs. It has a self-consistent rule for it!¡¯

    As Alec¡¯s heart rate started becoming more stable, he sat down on the ground.

    ¡®The rule is simple! The more sense it makes for something to be there, the cheaper it will cost!¡¯ he thought. It¡¯s related to its possibility. There are a lot of elements that affect how possible something is, but still, I should be able to get a vague feeling.¡¯

    ¡®The reason the antibiotic was more expensive than the potion is that it doesn¡¯t make sense for me to have an antibiotic. No one in this world knows about antibiotics, the methods to create one are unknown. I don¡¯t even know how this antibiotic is made so I wouldn¡¯t be able to make it even if I had the ingredients, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to outsource the task to someone else.¡¯

    ¡®On the other hand, the possibility of me getting my hands on a potion is much higher. There are a lot of people who can make them, they are sold in stores, and the ingredients are both known and accessible. Even if the ones The Author¡¯s Pen creates are different, it¡¯s normal for them to be cheaper than the antibiotic.¡¯

    ¡®Furthermore, as soon as I learned the recipe for the potion, I became capable of making them myself, which increased the possibility of me having it. That was why the cost decreased after I took the alchemy class!¡¯

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    ¡®And my last experiment confirmed this further!¡¯ He thought. ¡®When I went to the alchemy lab and paid the entrance fee, I made a possibility into reality. I eliminated some of the possibilities that the pen has to actualize by having alchemical tools nearby. Which reduced the mana consumption!¡¯

    As Alec¡¯s internal monologue came to an end, he noticed himself to be out of breath again. Even though he hadn¡¯t talked, finally figuring out the workings of the pen was too good to not be excited.

    ¡®It¡¯s good that I didn¡¯t try making a gun or something. That would have been a great recipe for a three-day-long coma,¡¯ he thought. Now that he had completed his grand theory of mana consumption, it was time for Alec to focus on his real problem.

    ¡®That bastard of a teacher gave me an impossible task, one where it doesn¡¯t matter even if I complete it,¡¯ he thought. ¡®If I want to come out of this victorious, I have to display the abilities of a genius, but not the abilities of a cheater.¡¯

    ¡®What if I wanted to recreate the entire magic circle using the pen?¡¯ Alec thought. Although it was probably going to need some serious amount of mana, he would be able to take out what he wanted from the circle and display as much information as he wanted.

    ¡®The problem is, I don¡¯t know how much mana I actually need. If I dump all my mana on this and then fail, I¡¯ll have no choice but to accept my fate,¡¯ he contemplated. Weighing the risks, Alec decided to go to the library. He didn¡¯t have the necessary knowledge to decide on such a matter. It would be better to get more knowledge to reduce the production cost of the magic circle if he were to decide to create it.

    The short jog from the alchemy lab to the library was exhilarating. The student body was mostly busy with club activities at this time, which left the regular pathways empty.

    The library was not very similar in that sense, as it always had a certain amount of people. The visitor amount would go on overdrive before every exam and immediately dip right after the said exam happened. But it would never go below a certain threshold. As the mid-term exams were getting closer, the library was a bit more crowded than normal.

    Alec had come to learn more about gravity magic but didn¡¯t know where to search for it. So he approached the librarian. The librarian was a stylish young man with light brown hair, green eyes, and a black suit. He had a weird accent of Toalqeshi, which was a bit hard to understand. Especially because Alec was somewhat new to the language.

    Although he had spent a lot of time in the library, that time was mostly him reading textbooks that Evan had recommended to him. This was going to be his first time doing extra-curricular reading, which left him with the need for guidance.

    ¡°Hello sir,¡± Alec greeted. The librarian didn¡¯t respond, which made Alec look closer at what he was reading. It was a book called, ¡®My Beloved Princess and I¡¯, which Alec presumed to be some sort of romance novel. He didn¡¯t react in any particular way. As an author, he knew not to judge other¡¯s tastes in books. He was about to speak out again, however, the librarian suddenly shut closed the book, making a loud noise that startled the nearby students.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to overreach here, but you know this is a library, right?¡± Alec asked as he threw a few glances at the students looking at them.

    ¡°You are saying that to the librarian? Gutsy, aren¡¯t you?¡± the man asked. ¡°I saw that face you made. Can¡¯t appreciate real literature?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Alec answered. ¡°Even though I still read, writing is more of my thing.¡±

    ¡°Writing? Now that¡¯s interesting,¡± the librarian said as he placed the book down. ¡°What genre?¡±

    ¡°I write fan-¡± Alec was about to say before he stopped himself. ¡®Well, I was writing magical academy stories before so¡­¡¯ he thought.

    ¡°I write realistic fiction,¡± Alec changed his answer. Which made the librarian snicker in contempt.

    ¡°Boring. Fantastic fiction is better. Nothing beats ¡®The Legendary Swordsman Marries the Mage Queen and Has to Live as A-¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Alec said as he facepalmed. The disgustingly long title made him remember his own books and caused him to cringe in retrospect. ¡®On the other hand, do books with those kinds of titles exist even in this world? It¡¯s not going to be some, ¡®Erm¡­ This was actually the Earth all along!¡¯ type of thing, right?¡¯ he thought to himself.

    ¡°I just want books about gravity magic,¡± Alec urged the librarian. He didn¡¯t want to waste any more time chit-chatting.

    ¡°Killjoy,¡± the librarian said as he closed his eyes. The next moment, a blue magic circle started rotating behind his head, releasing a gentle light. When the circle disappeared, the man opened his eyes and started talking.

    ¡°Most books about gravity magic are on the second level of the library, as the discipline is highly specialized and almost entirely lost to time. You won¡¯t find much other than some rudimentary knowledge on the first level,¡± the man said. ¡°Still, if you want to read them, here is a list,¡± he continued before handing over a paper.

    Reading through the small list of books the man had handed him, Alec sighed deeply.

    ¡°How do I get to the second level?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t. You either contribute greatly to the school and become acknowledged by one of the teachers, or¡­ do some other thing I can¡¯t imagine right now. Don¡¯t try to break in though, you won¡¯t be able to do so. There are a lot of defensive wards. Don¡¯t want you getting yourself killed,¡± the librarian explained, which made Alec turn around in defeat.

    ¡®It is what it is. I¡¯ll have to do with whatever I find in the first level.¡¯

 Chapter 29 | Studying Magic

    ¡®This part should be related to telekinetic magic¡­¡¯ Alec thought. There were fifteen books strewn across the table in front of him, all opened fully, displaying different paragraphs and magic circles. He filled so much space on the table that the four-person table was completely occupied by him only.

    There had actually been a student who had tried to push away some of the books to create space for himself, which was probably a confrontational move as the next table was completely empty. However, after meeting Alec¡¯s angry glare, the student decided that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to cause trouble in the library and went his own way.

    Shifting his gaze from one book to the other, Alec drew another line on the paper he was writing on.

    ¡®So far, the most I could achieve is figure out what the mangled and dysfunctional magic circle parts in the notes given to me by Mr. Andrew meant,¡¯ Alec assessed his situation. The sun was already approaching the horizon, signaling the approaching end of his time.

    ¡®He tried using wind magic, failed miserably as that probably has nothing to do with gravity,¡¯ Alec thought. He wasn¡¯t a scientist in his previous life. His relationship with science had partially ended when he graduated high school. However, as an author, he had a duty to study popular science to create some far-fetched pseudo-scientific rationalizations of his magic systems to make his books more enjoyable.

    ¡®So far, I have found traces of fire magic, telekinesis magic, and arcane magic in the ancient texts. Though, I feel like these classifications are wrong,¡¯ he thought. Telekinesis was apparently a downgraded imitation of gravity magic, which made it a very crude magical branch.

    ¡®I should first go looking into fire magic that might be related to gravity magic.¡¯

    Reaching out to one of the books on the table, Alec flipped the pages until he saw a title that attracted his attention.

    [Inexplicable Feats of Fire Magic]

    Was the title.

    As Alec read through feat after feat, one managed to pick his attention.

    [What is the-]

    He read, skipping the names of a few locations that were mentioned and going to the important bits.

    [The crater was obviously man-made, having some bits of leftover buildings on its outer edges. What can¡¯t be understood is the size of the crater. Some say it was done by an ancient council of mages working in tandem, using gravity magic to change the path of a meteor passing by. But there are clear signs of fire magic on the spot. However, none of our theories explain how someone, or a group of people, could muster such an amount of mana. Even using the strongest methods of explosive magic, there would be a need for thousands of over hundred-level mages. Were the mages of that era really that accomplished?]

    ¡®Huh¡­ A spell that can generate an incredible amount of force with a relatively small amount of mana?¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®Nuclear fission spells? That¡¯s a good method to kick your civilization back to the Middle Ages. Nuclear bombs were at least controlled by a group of people. If you hand over that much power to individuals, it would be impossible to exercise control over anyone.¡¯

    As far as Alec understood, the world had gone through a baptism a few hundred years ago. It had kicked civilization back by a huge amount and had destroyed a big chunk of the magical systems that had been studied so far. The leftover mages were mostly initiates or somewhat well-accomplished assistants who had to reconstruct the magic systems from the get-go.

    Flipping the page again, Alec kept reading. He had taken a Low Focus Potion beforehand, so his reading speed was on overdrive. Consuming too much knowledge, he would probably get a headache afterward.

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    ¡®Most of what I see here points toward one thing,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Before the presumed nuclear war, fire magic was actually magic that dealt with particle physics.¡¯

    Turning his head, Alec picked up another book. This one was about thunder magic, which Alec thought to be mainly about electricity.

    ¡®If I knew more about the fundamental forces, I would probably be able to classify what each magic branch corresponds to. Is thunder magic electromagnetic force? Or maybe, I¡¯m just overcomplicating things and they are completely unrelated to the physical sciences.¡¯

    ¡®Anyway, my thoughts are straying away from the main focus,¡¯ Alec thought as he kept reading.

    By the time the sun had completely set and midnight had come, he was done doing his readings. It was time for the actualization part.

    ¡®What was it again..? Gravitons? Were those an unconfirmed hypothesis or just a fact? Fire magic might be about gravity particles. Thunder magic is the¡­ I don¡¯t know. Arcane magic is used to connect everything in some unknown method,¡¯ Alec listed his findings. Which was not much. ¡®The fire magic part should be the easiest way to go. It is the most developed magic branch after all. If I managed to achieve some findings in that sense, I should be able to do the presentation.¡¯

    Lifting his hand, Alec used some intent and mana to create the fragmented fire segment of the gravity magic circle. As long as he didn¡¯t go to the realization stage of the spellcasting, the wards wouldn¡¯t activate and the spell circle wouldn¡¯t explode.

    ¡®This fragment is made up of three parts. One seems to be used to focus on a certain group of atoms,¡¯ Alec thought as he scratched his cheek. The library had become more and more desolate, leaving Alec alone. ¡®The concept of atoms is currently known, but not expanded upon. Even still, this part is well-understood by the experts. It should be the part that chooses the target of the spell. Still, I don¡¯t know what this gravity spell actually does.¡¯

    Neither the research notes handed to him nor the books in the library explained what this magic circle might do. The only thing publicly known about it was that it was a fundamental spell of the first circle for the gravity branch.

    ¡®The second part is more esoteric. Its functions are very similar to the first part, however, the particles that it focuses on are unknown. Is this the part that captures the gravitons?¡¯ Alec glanced over the second part.

    ¡®The third part¡­¡¯ he mentally muttered before squinting his eyes. He searched his mind for an answer, but couldn¡¯t do so. Not a coherent one at least. ¡®It does something. There are two pointers that import the two target particle groups from the first two parts of the fire segment. Then it does something with those. But I can¡¯t understand what. And from the notes that Mr. Andrew gave me, he can¡¯t understand them too.¡¯

    Alec tousled his hair in deep contemplation and lowered his head for a minute. Then, he sat up straight with renewed vigor in his eyes. He had made his decision.

    ¡®Today, I will solve the second part of the fire fragment,¡¯ Alec thought. When he looked around, he noticed the library to be completely empty. Although he was tempted to take out The Author¡¯s Pen right then and there, it was better to find a more isolated place. For this, Alec decided on his previous hiding spot in the corner of the library. It was a great place to do his thing with the pen.

    Taking out the pen, Alec thought about what to write, readied his intent, and brought down the pen on the ground.

    [First Circle Gravity Spell, Fire Fragment, Second Part Research Paper]

    He wrote. Although it was a bit verbose, there wasn¡¯t a correlation between how many words he wrote and the creation¡¯s mana cost according to some of his past experiments. As long as it somewhat accurately described the creation, anything was fine.

    As mana started draining from his body, Alec started drinking his stock potions. This time, he had readied himself for the sudden expenditure. He didn¡¯t know if the gravity spell would cost more than the antibiotic. On one hand, the antibiotic was much simpler in its essence, making it much easier to create from zero. On the other, the gravity spell was somewhat known in this world and had work done on it already.

    ¡®I¡¯ll shortly learn the answer,¡¯ Alec thought.

    One potion, two potions, three potions¡­

    Just as the fourth bottle was about to run out, a paper with a small magic circle piece similar to a pie drawn on it appeared on the ground.

    Alec picked up the piece of paper with shaky hands. This piece of paper was probably enough to make a lot of failed mages want to strap him to their basement and enslave him for free research. Obviously, Alec wasn¡¯t going to go over and hand the Professor the paper.

    ¡®I should water down the amount of knowledge until it becomes believable,¡¯ he thought. ¡®And I also have to prepare the presentation¡­¡¯

    He left his small, hidden corner to look through a nearby window. It was already past midnight, which meant that he would have to sacrifice some of his sleep time to complete this task.

    ¡®It¡¯s going to be a long night¡­¡¯

 Chapter 30 | A Deal to Be Made

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said, I did the assignment,¡± Alec answered tiredly. He held about ten papers full of writings under his arm. If not for the ongoing stamina and mental regeneration potions, he would have toppled over and gone to sleep a long time ago.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I might be misunderstanding. You took the papers I gave you, and prepared more papers on them? Did you even understand what they were talking about?¡± Professor Andrew asked. To which Alec grumbled under his breath.

    ¡°Yes. It was a study to figure out more about a first circle gravity spell.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Professor Andrew muttered under his breath. Thinking while looking at the ground for a second, he turned his head back up. ¡°Who helped you?¡±

    ¡°Edward Spellson told me what the paper was about, but refused to help any further,¡± Alec answered honestly. In fact, it wasn¡¯t that Edward didn¡¯t help, but that he couldn¡¯t help.

    ¡°Yes. He can¡¯t. He is more focused on wind magic...¡± Professor said. He looked around the office speechless for a few seconds, then reached his hand toward Alec. ¡°Let me read.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Alec hummed under his breath. He had a thoughtful expression on his face while looking at the hand Professor Andrew had reached out toward him. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know. I feel like you won¡¯t keep your end of the deal even if I did. And you will probably steal what I¡¯ve found.¡±

    ¡°You found something?¡± Professor Andrew asked, chuckling in the process. This was the first time Alec had seen this man show a positive emotion. ¡±Then why did you come here? Why didn¡¯t you just share your findings with the academy authorities?¡± Professor Andrew asked, pulling his hand back and joining them together in front of his belly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate,¡± Alec said. Throughout the night, he had deduced what he could from the system-prepared magic circle piece and watered down the contents to an acceptable degree. Although he was worried that his findings weren¡¯t news to the experts, he still had to try his chances.

    ¡®If I could go to the second level of the library, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about such a thing,¡¯ he thought. ¡®If I knew how much was actually known about the spell, I would be able to act according to that but¡­¡¯

    He could just go through the legitimate way of giving the papers to the authorities for a review, get them published, and receive a butt-load of rewards.

    On the other hand, he would become a target. He still barely understood the power hierarchy of the world he was in. Most importantly, he needed the mana brain as soon as possible. He also wanted someone who he could use as a cover in his further endeavors.

    He had asked around about Professor Andrew. The man was emotionally disconnected and very much profit-oriented. That was what Alec needed. Someone who would do whatever for money, and someone predictable.

    ¡°I won¡¯t negotiate unless you show me the papers. I don¡¯t even know what is written on there,¡± an answer quickly found its way to Alec¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this,¡± Alec answered. He lifted his hand and released a bit of intent alongside some mana. This caused a small magical circle fragment to appear floating above his hand.

    The smirk on Professor Andrew¡¯s face got ever so slightly smaller as he straightened up in his chair. However, before he could get a better look, Alec dismissed the circle, took out a single paper from his presentation, and threw it over.

    ¡°Here, this is the front payment,¡± Alec said. Professor Andrew took quite a bit of time to read through before he raised his gaze. He had the deepest frown Alec had ever seen so far. So much so that it made the Professor look about fifty years older than what he normally looked like.

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    While waiting for Professor Andrew to finish reading, Alec sat down and crossed his legs with a small smile on his face.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± The Professor muttered. He switched his gaze between the paper and the stack under Alec¡¯s arm. He closed his eyes and stood still for a few moments before opening them back. ¡°You are lucky. And very reckless.¡±

    ¡°What reckless? Everyone knows the magic-prevention wards also work for the professors,¡± Alec said. Evan had a big mouth and liked talking. He had previously told Alec this fact amidst some other facts. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare steal. Especially on academy grounds.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very insulting, Alec,¡± The Professor said while sliding the paper back to him. ¡°I know that you have been asking around about me. Just because I am a greedy person, it doesn¡¯t mean that I would hurt you.¡±

    ¡°But you would steal?¡± Alec asked. The funny thing was, he would probably beat The Professor in a no magic allowed duel if it came down to it. No class liked spending their points on status unrelated to their own. This Professor wouldn¡¯t be any different as far as Alec knew.

    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Professor Andrew coughed in response. ¡°Let¡¯s say I would¡­ borrow. But that¡¯s not our point, is it? I¡¯m sure that you have already decided on your requests if you came here to negotiate.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Alec answered. Taking a deep breath, he started listing his requirements. ¡°I require you to do two things as a down payment, and one thing after I give you the papers.¡±

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, I want you to inscribe the mana mind as soon as possible. I won¡¯t hand over the papers if you don¡¯t,¡± Alec explained.

    ¡°No problem. I will get it done. It should take me about half a day to buy all the ingredients,¡± The Professor answered. Once inscribed, a mana brain couldn¡¯t be taken away unless that limb was cut off. This indicated that the Professor had been convinced by what Alec had shown so far.

    ¡°Good. Second is, I want you to take me in as your formal assistant,¡± Alec said. This time, The Professor took longer to decide. From what Alec had heard, Professor Andrew rarely, if ever, took in assistants. Because an assistant meant human interaction, which he didn¡¯t really seem to like.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Doable too,¡± he said. In the end, this request was both useful to Alec, who wanted someone who he could use as cover for himself, and to Professor Andrew. After all, if Alec could achieve such findings at this age, what would he achieve once he was more experienced? If he went on to become a legend, Professor Andrew would become a legend¡¯s boss.

    ¡°Great. Then for the last one,¡± Alec said. ¡°I want you to give me half of whatever rewards you are going to get from the papers.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± The Professor answered immediately. This was the first answer he gave Alec that was confident.

    ¡°Then forty percent,¡± Alec lowered the amount a little bit. These were obviously probe offers. From what he heard, this Professor didn¡¯t actually care about the scientific aspects of anything. He wanted money, and that was it.

    ¡°Ten percent. No higher than that,¡± he retorted. Alec smiled in answer.

    ¡°Twenty percent.¡±

    ¡°Fifteen.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Alec said as he reached his hand out. Professor Andrew sighed and pinched his glabella before getting up and accepting Alec¡¯s handshake.

    ¡°You can leave now. I still have to gather the ingredients for the mana brain,¡± he said. Alec nodded.

    ¡°If you want to find me, I¡¯ll be at the student council after classes,¡± Alec said. He had to keep his side of the deal with Edward, after all.

    ¡°Student council? You joined the student council?¡± Professor Andrew asked in confusion. It was usually not easy to get into the student council. ¡°Huh¡­ This deal might be more profitable than I first thought.¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Alec answered tiredly. The potions he had going on were about to run off. If he wanted to stay awake until the end of the day, he would need to take another set.

    Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something. He turned his head around and looked at Professor Andrew.

    ¡°By the way, who was I supposed to deliver this presentation to?¡± He asked.

    ¡°What presentation?¡± Professor reflected the question back to Alec.

    ¡°What..? These papers, didn¡¯t you tell me to prepare a presentation?¡± Alec asked while taking a step back into the room.

    ¡°Did I? I was just trying to shoo you off. I don¡¯t even remember what I asked,¡± the Professor answered as he kept searching for something under his table.

    ¡°But I¡­ I even thought of a speech and all,¡± Alec muttered tiredly. He then sighed before turning around again and leaving the room.

    Inside, only the rustling noises of papers being shuffled remained. The Professor only stopped after ten minutes. He had managed to create a list of the people he needed to contact for the ingredients.

    On the table, in the right corner further away from him, was a framed photograph. Picking up the frame, a gentle smile appeared on Professor Andrew¡¯s face.

    ¡°My beloved¡­ Everything is going well. It seems like we are going to make some progress in gravity magic,¡± he said. His default monotone voice was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was filled with affection.

    ¡°It should be of great use in the war against the¡­¡± he muttered. However, he couldn¡¯t finish the sentence no matter how hard he tried. ¡°Against the¡­¡± He tried again. Shortly after, small sparkles of electricity appeared deep inside his pupils.

    The next moment, he had already forgotten about the picture¡­

 Chapter 31 | The Disciplinary Committee

    ¡®Ugh¡­ It feels like the potions are losing their effectiveness,¡¯ Alec thought. He felt like his face was burning from the inside. His breathing was getting rougher by the minute as he tried to listen to the professor.

    Putting his arms on the desk and placing his head between them, Alec decided to close his eyes to rest a little bit.

    ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve skipped class,¡¯ he thought. Fortunately, his classes were about to end for the day. After a little bit of student council work and hopefully getting his mana brain engraved in the evening, he would be able to rest well. It was Friday, so he would have plenty of time to recover from this week¡¯s work.

    Counting the minutes, Alec managed to get through the rest of the class without fainting and took off for the student council. Most of the members were third-graders and had a much more flexible timetable than the second-graders. So, by the time Alec arrived, everyone had gotten to work.

    ¡°Welcome Alec. Today¡ª¡± Edward was about to say before he frowned. ¡°What happened to you? Are you okay? You look abnormally pale. And your eyes are reddened.¡±

    ¡°I do?¡± Alec asked as he closed his eyes and pinched his glabella. He found it a bit hard to open his eyes back up again, as they felt very heavy. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m tired¡­ I was up all night yesterday.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Edward said. He joined his hands under his chin and thought for a second. ¡°I can¡¯t have you working on low performance and risk making mistakes. I need you on full energy.¡±

    ¡°I can¡­¡± Alec muttered. His throat felt tight as he kept speaking. ¡°I can hang around for at least a little bit. At least start learning what you do around here.¡±

    ¡°Sigh¡­ Alright then,¡± Edward answered. He took out a black armband that contrasted with the black and white student uniform. It had an upside-down spider-like arachnid symbol on it. The spider¡¯s legs, however, were curled up together to create a pedestal-like shape with a flame floating slightly above. ¡°Put that on. When you do, you¡¯ll have more authority than any other student around you. You will get a better explanation of your full privileges in the student council member handbook. For now, I will explain your new duty to you.¡±

    Alec nodded along and looked around the room. There didn¡¯t seem to be a seat for him on the tables to his sides.

    ¡®I wonder what they are going to make me do¡­¡¯ he thought.

    ¡°Recently, we have had a sharp dip in students who focus on physical capabilities. You might be surprised, but close combat mages are a very important asset. Especially on school grounds,¡± Edward explained. ¡°Because of the lack of CQC mages, the council had to disband one of its most important branches.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve heard of that before¡­¡± Alec muttered. He thought briefly before continuing. ¡°The Disciplinary Committee, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. As you know, the entire school grounds are covered in a super powerful array that deflects whatever magic is cast inside. Although this keeps the order in place most of the time, it also inhibits the ability to use magic to resolve conflicts. The academy authorities refuse to give the student council bypass tokens for the ward array. Which leaves us with no other option but to recruit strong CQC mages.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± Alec stopped Edward. ¡°You want to make me into a bouncer?¡±

    ¡°What? No! You are not going to be going around beating people up. I¡¯m making you recreate the CQC department,¡± Edward refuted, holding his hands up. ¡°The Disciplinary Committee intervenes in fights between students, keeps the order around the academy, and most importantly, resolves conflicts in the most peaceful way possible.¡±

    ¡°If not..?¡± Alec asked skeptically.

    ¡°Yes, then you beat them up and hand them over to the teachers,¡± Edward answered in surrender. ¡°And don¡¯t try to refuse. I have seen your physical capabilities, Alec. You are what we need right now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the intention to refuse. I just don¡¯t know enough people to create such a group,¡± Alec answered. The only student he knew to be a CQC mage was Evan. But he was pretty sure that it wouldn¡¯t exactly be a ¡°committee¡± if there were only two people in it.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Edward said. Taking out a bundle of papers, he threw it over to Alec and continued talking. ¡°Take a look at that. It has a list of possible candidates for you to pick from. If you want, you can interview them yourself too. I want you to create a team of four by the end of the week, excluding you.¡±

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    As Alec took a quick look at the names on the list, he spotted Evan in there too. Noticing that he had stopped to look at a certain candidate, Edward smiled.

    ¡°I advise you to pick Evan. Most of the time, loyalty and trust are the best qualities to have in your team members,¡± he said.

    ¡°So you are asking me to practice nepotism?¡± Alec asked, his brow rising into a crescent.

    ¡°I¡¯m suggesting you practice nepotism. It¡¯s still up to you in the end,¡± Edward answered with a small smile. ¡°And it¡¯s not like Evan is incompetent. He is a pretty well-accomplished student.¡±

    ¡°I will¡­ Take that into consideration,¡± Alec answered before stuffing the paper into his bag.

    ¡°For now, I suggest you go and rest,¡± Edward said. Alec nodded and turned around to leave, however, he turned back around and spoke.

    ¡°If anyone comes looking for me, I¡¯ll be back in the dorms.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll let them know,¡± Edward said as he returned to his endeavors. Alec left the room and headed back to the student dorms.

    The academy grounds seemed emptier these days. Somewhat similar to how it had been when the school hadn¡¯t started yet. There was less than a month left for the mid-term exams. Unlike the final exams of each semester, the mid-terms were mostly theoretical. This caused the students to flock to the library building. Alec, on the other hand, felt more relaxed. His understanding of most subjects was pretty good, as he was both very studious and backed by an unholy amount of mental enhancers.

    ¡®Nothing some potions wouldn¡¯t resolve,¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡®And now that I have resolved the problem of mana consumption, I can go looking into magical artifacts that might help me out. Even then, I¡¯ll have to stock up on some mana potions before doing so¡­¡¯

    As Alec opened the door to his dorm room, he felt three distinct presences approaching him rapidly from every direction.

    With a bang and a thud, he found himself on the ground, restricted from both his hands by the entire body weight of two people, with another person sitting on his chest, albeit trying not to block his breathing by supporting themselves by the knees.

    These three were his roommates, Evan, Alexei, and Thomas. After seeing their faces, Alec kept his cool and looked at them with a confused expression. Normally, he might have been able to force his way out of the situation utilizing his high agility and strength stats. Now, however, he couldn¡¯t move because of how tired he was.

    ¡°So? What is this supposed to be? Some sort of elaborate prank?¡± Alec asked. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it were only Evan and Alexei who did this. But the fact that even the timid Thomas had joined the fray confused him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alec, but this is the only way we could think of stopping you without alerting the authorities,¡± Evan said with a grim frown on his face. His words caused Alec to get confused.

    ¡®What is he talking about? Authorities?¡¯ he thought to himself. Before he could ask anything, Evan continued his words.

    ¡°Look at your face, at what you are doing to yourself,¡± Evan said. His gaze washed over Alec¡¯s facial features for a brief moment. ¡°I might never know how hard it is to lose your memories, but drug abuse is not the way to resolve your problems.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Alec exclaimed. Hearing the words ¡°drug abuse¡± made him completely lose his train of thought. ¡°What drug abuse?¡±

    ¡°There is no need to act clueless Alec,¡± Alexei chimed into the conversation. Alec managed to barely turn his head to look in his direction. ¡°Reddening in your sclera, getting constantly distracted, pale face, white liquid from the mouth, and most importantly, shady endeavors none of your roommates know about.¡±

    With each symptom Alexei listed, Alec¡¯s confusion lessened.

    ¡®All the potions I used¡­ Those focus potions can cause reddening in the eye. Distraction can also be caused by how tired my mind is after the study sessions. A pale face is a symptom that started today, because of how tired I am. The white liquid is¡­¡¯

    ¡°You guys have been following me around?¡± Alec asked. Then he felt regretful for a moment, as that was the most suspicious group of words he could have used at the moment.

    ¡°Yes. As your friends, it is our duty to stop you from killing yourself by potion overdose,¡± Thomas answered Alec¡¯s question.

    ¡°What is¡­¡± Alec shifted uncomfortably under their weight. ¡°What is potion overdose?¡±

    ¡°We have been searching the library for something that fits your symptoms,¡± Evan answered. When Alec paid more attention to it, he noticed dark bags under his friends¡¯ eyes. ¡°Potion overdose. It happens when someone drinks too many potions for their metabolism to be able to handle.¡±

    ¡°It rarely happens because almost no one in the academy has access to that many potions. Especially students. That must be why you haven¡¯t heard of it,¡± Alexei explained. ¡°We don¡¯t know how you got your hands on so many, but it fits your symptoms perfectly.¡±

    ¡®Huh¡­ Now that I think about it, are they right?¡¯ Alec questioned himself. Although the potions he had been drinking so far didn¡¯t show any distinct side effects, he had a hunch that his exhaustion wasn¡¯t natural. He had pulled all-nighters before, but he had never been this tired and weak then. There was a chance that even the potions created by The Author¡¯s Pen could cause him to overdose. Especially with the amount he had taken in the last 24 hours.

    ¡°There might have been a mis-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk Alec,¡± Evan said. ¡°From now on, we will be strictly monitoring your purchases. Although we doubt you have any money left, we¡¯ll stop you from destroying yourself.¡±

    A deep sigh escaped Alec¡¯s mouth. Although he wanted to explain himself, that would necessitate him talking about The Author¡¯s Pen. So for now, he had to play along with his friends¡¯ whims.

    ¡°Say, how many potions does one need to drink to get sick?¡± Alec asked. The trio exchanged worried glances with each other before Evan answered his question.

    ¡°For most potions, five or six vials in twenty-four hours can be lethal.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    Alec gulped loudly and closed his eyes. Whatever the pen-made potions contained, they were less toxic on the body than the normal ones. As he had surpassed that amount quite a bit.

    Trying to free his arm one last time, Alec realized that he had no way out. It was time to surrender.

    ¡®At least they are not outright harming me¡­¡¯

 Chapter 32 | Wake Me Up, So I Can Leave

    Alec kept fading in and out of consciousness as he lay down on his bed. He saw images of his past, strange writings on the walls, a sharp pain in his arm, and people talking next to him. Still, strangely, all of these were comforting to him. He felt like he hadn¡¯t rested well in a long while. The murmurs a lullaby, his sweat a cool blanket, Alec woke up hours later screaming.

    ¡°Wake up!¡± He shouted as he jumped in his bed and sat straight. He was in his dorm room. All his roommates were doing their own thing. Or at least they used to, as their gazes had all shifted toward Alec.

    ¡°Bad dream?¡± Evan asked. Alec noticed his breathing to be rough. His heart kept beating as if it was trying to jump out of his chest. He tried remembering what he saw in his dream, but couldn¡¯t do so no matter how hard he tried. Shifting his gaze, he looked at the clock hung slightly above the room¡¯s entrance. It showed 10 p.m. He had either slept a long afternoon nap or had been in a few days-long coma. He would much rather have the first choice, as he still had a mana brain to get engraved.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think,¡± Alec muttered as he grasped his chest. He had changed into his pajamas at one point. He didn¡¯t know how it happened or who did it, but still appreciated it nonetheless.

    Then, his heart skipped an anxious beat. What had happened to his potion stocks? His friends wouldn¡¯t have seen them, right? Still, he calmed down quickly after remembering that he had already gone through his entire stock, leaving him with nothing but a mana potion. And that didn¡¯t mean much.

    Turning by placing both his hands on the bed, Alec let his feet land on the ground. Whatever uncomfortable symptom he had, possibly from the potion overdose he had gone through, was gone. The fog in his brain, the tiredness in his body, all was replaced with vigor.

    And hunger. He needed to eat.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Evan asked as he walked up to Alec and went down on his knee. He looked into Alec¡¯s eyes and noticed the red, pulsating veins in his sclera to be gone. His pale face had also regained its luster. ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s strange.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± Alec asked with a frown on his face. It was obvious Evan was trying to diagnose him.

    ¡°Everything¡­ Is gone. You seem perfectly healthy,¡± Evan muttered. He reached out and forced Alec¡¯s eyelids open with his hand.

    ¡°Where did you even learn all of this?¡± Alec asked. From the fact that Evan was a CQC mage, Alec had presumed him to be more brawn than brains. But surprisingly, Evan was one of the most knowledgeable magelings around.

    ¡°CQC mages need to have quick thinking and a lot of knowledge,¡± Evan said as he kept searching for signs of discomfort on Alec¡¯s face, but couldn¡¯t do so no matter how hard he tried. ¡°A long-range artillery mage can take out a book to search for information. I can¡¯t. I¡¯m always face-to-face with the enemy. I have to memorize many things.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense¡­¡± Alec muttered. Evan¡¯s explanation was perfect and made him question the trope of braindead close combat mages from the web novels in his previous life. Although his knowledge of web novels sometimes came in handy, so far, they had more than occasionally made him have wrong assumptions or stereotypes about other people.

    The hard part was the fact that he got mixed results from his approach to this new world. If he was wrong all the time, he would forget about web novel tropes altogether and would start treating this new world like his previous one. However, like the time he had to duel with Iris, it still came in handy from time to time.

    Sighing, Alec watched Evan get up and go back to his seat in defeat.

    ¡°So? Am I okay?¡± he asked.

    ¡°More than okay, you seem almost perfect,¡± Evan answered. ¡°It¡¯s as if you are a full-on warrior student who has a high health stat.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Alec exclaimed. He shifted in his place uncomfortably. ¡®That¡¯s somewhat true,¡¯ he thought to himself. His bodily health was beyond what a mage could achieve with simple training. Not to mention, the health stat was the hardest stat to improve naturally. It was more of an intrinsic quality, and could only be trained to a trivial level by repeatedly wounding oneself.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡®Wait...?¡¯ Alec noticed something strange in his thought pattern. ¡®So, why was my health stat that high when I first arrived in this world?¡¯

    Alec squeezed his eyes shut to remember the exact amount of health stat he had back then.

    ¡¯22¡­ That¡¯s not a natural amount at all,¡¯ he thought to himself. Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. ¡®I wish I had a more concrete way of learning more about the actions of the past Alec. Unfortunately, he seems to have been acting really secretive, both after and before the sudden change in his personality in the middle of the previous school year.¡¯

    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Alec changed his line of thought. He had more imminent problems to deal with. ¡°Has anyone come to look for me while I was asleep?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Alexei answered. He pushed aside the textbook in front of him and turned his head. ¡°We were waiting as you have said. No one has come yet.¡±

    Before going to sleep, Alec had strictly explained the situation about Professor Andrew. At least as much as his friends needed to know. Learning that he would get a mana brain engraved, they agreed to wake him up in case The Professor sent someone over to call Alec.

    Just as Alec was about to nod in confirmation, a knock was heard on the room¡¯s door. Thomas got up from his seat and opened the door.

    Outside was a relatively familiar face.

    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Douglas Burton,¡± the student said. Douglas was the student who had been one of the upper-classmen who was challenged during the opening ceremony duels. He had fought against Phoenix Chambers and had won by a hair¡¯s breadth. He had also had a small chat with Alec in the waiting lobby, which made him leave a lasting impression on him. ¡°I¡¯m Professor Andrew¡¯s assistant. I was sent here to take Alec Greenwood with me.¡±

    As Thomas stepped aside, Alec got up and greeted Douglas.

    ¡°Hi Douglas, give me time to change, I¡¯ll be out quickly,¡± Alec said. Although he wanted a shower because of all the sweat, it was better to get done with the mana brain first.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you! Great duel out there,¡± Douglas said. He then waved without waiting for Alec to answer and closed the door.

    After changing, Alec bid his friends farewell and walked to the door. However, before he could leave, he was stopped by Evan.

    ¡°Now that you are better, we are awaiting an explanation once you get back,¡± he said. Alec nodded. Although he didn¡¯t know what he would say, he would figure it out when the time came.

    Douglas was waiting for him, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. When he heard the room¡¯s door close, he opened his eyes and walked up to Alec.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Professor Andrew took in assistants,¡± Alec said. Douglas gestured for Alec to follow him and turned around. He answered only after walking for a short ten seconds.

    ¡°We were too similar in personality, some stuff happened, and he took me in. Surprising? Indeed. But not unreasonable,¡± Douglas answered confidently. Alec thought as his gaze passed over Douglas for a second.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®similar¡¯?¡± he asked. Douglas turned to look at him with his brow raised. Alec went on to explain his question further. ¡°By similar, do you mean¡­ Thrifty?¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Douglas laughed loudly, making Alec uncomfortably look around. It was already late, and plenty of people had gone to sleep. ¡°You are one funny fellow. No. We are both obsessed.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That makes sense,¡± Alec answered. He had previously watched a little bit of Douglas¡¯ duel with Phoenix. The guy was obsessed with magic missiles, learning tens of different variations of the same spell. Not only that, but he had a very good grasp on what to use and when. He could probably fight every type of mage and never run out of options regarding magic missiles.

    Need to penetrate an earthen wall? Needle variant missiles!

    Need to block a fireball? Blast variant missiles!

    ¡°The thing I¡¯m curious about is,¡± Douglas suddenly said. Alec turned his head to look at him as they started descending the stairs. ¡°How did you manage to convince The Professor to take you in? I have heard that he has officially applied for you to become his assistant. I was pretty sure I would be spending the rest of my school years as a loner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Alec tried thinking of a cover-up story. Then he realized that he didn¡¯t really need to answer. ¡°I would rather not talk about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I understand,¡± Douglas answered as he threw a glance at Alec¡¯s direction. The rest of their journey went by quickly and without any chit-chat. They walked through a small path through the forest and arrived at a group of buildings Alec hadn¡¯t visited before.

    ¡°You might be surprised,¡± Douglas said. ¡°These are the buildings where the teaching personnel live. Normally, a student wouldn¡¯t need to come here. You are a bit of a special case, I guess.¡°

    They walked for another minute and a half before they stopped at a grandiose building.

    ¡°This is one of the buildings that house the Professors'' special labs. I won¡¯t be coming with you further, as I have some stuff to do. You can ask the receptionist where Professor Andrew¡¯s lab is. They¡¯ll show you the way,¡± Douglas explained before turning around and leaving.

    Looking at Douglas¡¯ back slowly getting further and further, Alec turned his head and studied the building closely. It felt somewhat threatening as if it was emanating an invisible aura.

    Taking a deep breath, Alec stepped in.

    ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯

 Chapter 33 | The Mana Brain (1)

    The corridors were eerily empty. Every now and then, Alec could hear a faraway cough, or a muffled explosion resound throughout. Each of his steps echoed throughout the hallways.

    This was a building for the professors. It would be weird for him to encounter too many students. He himself was a very special case, and he doubted that there would be others like him.

    When he entered the building, he was welcomed by a female receptionist. The woman was very friendly. Although she was surprised to see a student in the professor''s labs, especially because of the late hour, she didn¡¯t judge and properly asked him questions. Afterward, she pointed him in the correct direction and told him Professor Andrew¡¯s lab number.

    ¡°173¡­¡± Alec muttered to himself. Each syllable of his own caused him to shiver in place. As if something was following him, he started hearing his own footsteps double.

    ¡®Am I hallucinating?¡¯ Alec asked himself as he suddenly turned around to surprise the ghosts. As expected, he was met with an empty hallway. ¡®Huh¡­ Obviously, the ghost will be in front of me when I turn back around.¡¯

    Turning around once more, this time even faster, Alec readied himself to see something gruesome. However, the hallway was, again, empty.

    ¡®What the fuck? Why am I hearing footsteps trailing me then?¡¯ he asked himself. ¡®Never mind, it¡¯s better to hurry.¡¯

    Quickening his steps, Alec traversed the long hallways and ascended some stairs to Professor Andrew¡¯s lab.

    There was a golden plate showcasing the number ¡°173¡± on it.

    Before entering, Alec took out two small vials of potion from his jacket and drank them. After entering the building, he had written a focus potion and a mana regeneration potion.

    ¡®I seem to have detoxed already. Drinking these two should pose no problem. I will need them during the mana brain engravement,¡¯ Alec thought. He felt the two potions energize him.

    Raising his hand, he knocked on the door exactly three times and started waiting.

    With a click, the door was opened immediately. Alec stepped inside with a raised guard.

    ¡°Hello, Professor,¡± he said as he entered. The insides were as expected. There were countless wards etched on the walls. Silencing arrays, explosion blocker arrays, defensive arrays¡­

    If it was before Professor Andrew had him appointed as an official assistant, Alec would have been hesitant to remain in such an enclosed place with someone aware of his magical possession.

    ¡°Welcome Alec. You can call me Mr. Andrew now. I have registered you as my assistant. You should contact student affairs to confirm the registration,¡± Professor said. He was hunched over his table, writing something as fast as he could. The room was partially illuminated by an oil lamp on the table. It was probably somewhere around 60 m<sup>2</sup>, which was plenty of space for an individual laboratory. The fact that it wasn¡¯t more sterile though, surprised Alec.

    ¡®Maybe they don¡¯t know enough about bacteria and stuff,¡¯ he thought before closing the door behind him and walking further inside.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working together Mr. Andrew,¡± Alec said. The Professor took out his glasses and wiped them with a beige cloth before putting them back on.

    ¡°Me too Alec. Me too. But first, I should keep my end of the deal,¡± he said. He seemed strangely enthusiastic, which surprised Alec.

    Getting up, Mr. Andrew picked up a chair with telekinesis and let it float in mid-air. Then five purple-colored magic circles appeared behind him ¡ªall targeting different furniture¡ª and raised them into the air before pushing them to the corners of the lab. Although some of those furniture were cabinets full of delicate objects, tables with writings on them, or outright glass tables, nothing was broken or spilled.

    This small magic show excited Alec. Although he had seen plenty of magic throughout his days in the academy, telekinesis was always a branch that he was more excited about.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Finally, Mr. Andrew physically bent over and pulled a rug that had been hidden under all the furniture toward himself and revealed a big magic circle drawn on the ground before placing the chair he had previously lifted right in the middle.

    This was a magic circle Alec had previously seen. It was the circle for a mana brain. Now enlarged, Alec could pick up on a lot more details compared to before. Even still, it didn¡¯t at all look like it had been upscaled. It was as dense with writings and symbols as before.

    ¡°While waiting for you, I prepared the skeleton of the brain,¡± Mr. Andrew explained. ¡°I would like to get done with it as quickly as possible. Please sit on the chair.¡±

    Alec nodded and walked to the chair that was placed right in the middle of the mana brain circle on the ground.

    ¡°First, I will decorate the circle with the necessary materials before starting the engravement procedure,¡± the Professor explained. Alec nodded and started scrutinizing the Professor¡¯s every move. Although he knew that Mr. Andrew couldn¡¯t try anything at this point, it was still good to be careful. Fortunately, all of the materials placed fit the recipe for the mana brain.

    ¡°Mana brains are very complicated ritual magics. Many mages engrave themselves with different rituals. It doesn¡¯t only have to be a mana brain, as there are many others. However, the one that is the most useful for a mage is this,¡± he explained. Which piqued Alec¡¯s interest. He had thought the mana brain to be more unique.

    ¡°Like what?¡± Alec asked. Mr. Andrew thought for a second before answering.

    ¡°There are beast rituals, for example,¡± he said. Even while speaking, his hand didn¡¯t stop placing small crystals and animal parts around the circle while floating chalks made from exotic materials kept adding details. ¡±You pick a certain type of beast to act as the ritual¡¯s catalyst. Depending on what beast, you get permanent stat boosts. But one¡¯s body can only handle a certain amount of rituals before it collapses.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­¡± Alec muttered. He could imagine different classes such as warriors or hunters begging mages to engrave them with rituals. Permanent stat boosts were incredibly important after all.

    ¡°Yes. This part is done,¡± Mr. Andrew said as he cleaned his hands. When his hands stopped working, the magic circle had become much more animated. Alec was mesmerized as the circle started glowing a gentle blue even without the Professor injecting any mana.

    ¡°Onto the next stage,¡± he said before settling his gaze on Alec. ¡°Take off your top.¡±

    Alec nodded along. He got up and took off his shirt and jacket before sitting back down. He had a strong body, that was undeniable. His muscles were showcased with all their grandeur, which surprised Mr. Andrew.

    ¡°Huh. I have seen warrior students your age before. Maybe the strongest ones have a body that looks like yours,¡± he muttered to himself.

    ¡°Is that a compliment?¡± Alec asked with a frown on his face. There wasn¡¯t a suggestive or questioning tone behind Mr. Andrew¡¯s question. He had merely stated a fact and didn¡¯t seem to care about Alec¡¯s secrets.

    ¡°To a mage, the only thing that matters is their mind and mana. I can compliment you on those, but I doubt you care,¡± Mr. Andrew said. He walked up to Alec and raised his index finger, pointing it toward him. Confused, Alec suddenly felt a piercing pain coming from the middle of his chest.

    From Professor Andrew¡¯s finger came out a thin beam of light similar to that of a blue laser. The light penetrated into Alec¡¯s skin but didn¡¯t go deeper than that. As the Professor¡¯s finger started picking up speed, Alec noticed a small magic circle appear on his chest.

    Funnily enough, the magic circle was completely empty. The frame was there, but it was left empty as if it would soon be filled up with something else.

    ¡°The mana brain is an incredibly complicated magic circle. If I tried engraving it onto you directly, I would make countless mistakes while trying to do so. Not to mention, the circle would still be huge compared to this one, covering almost all your skin,¡± Professor Andrew explained. ¡°That¡¯s why, the mana brain is drawn elsewhere, preferably on the ground, before the frame for it is engraved on you. The magic circle is then transferred onto the frame, and voil¨¤!¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Alec exclaimed. The pain coming from his chest was negligible. He felt like he had experienced much worse somewhere else, but couldn¡¯t remember where.

    ¡°Now, you should stay as still as possible. This will hurt, a lot,¡± Professor explained. Alec gulped loudly and closed his eyes. Then, he took a deep breath and opened them back again. He wanted to see the entire process with his own eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting,¡± Mr. Andrew said before raising both of his hands and pointing their palms toward Alec. From his hand, silk-thin threads of mana started pouring out in every direction, squiggling and wriggling, and eventually reaching the mana brain drawn on the ground. Those strands of mana caused the circle to become aggravated, and livelier. As if it had woken up from its slumber, the mana brain circle started glowing with blinding blue lights.

    The circle kept glowing like this for a few more seconds before something changed in the atmosphere around Alec.

    The mana was becoming denser and denser around him.

    After the mana density reached a certain amount, something surprising happened. The mana brain circle dislodged itself from the ground and started rising into the air. All the materials placed around it had melted into the circle frame, making it even more potent.

    ¡°Brace yourself, Alec! The next part is going to be hard!¡±

    ¡°I know..!¡±

 Chapter 34 | The Mana Brain (2)

    ¡°Do you know what you have to do during the next stage!?¡± Mr. Andrew shouted. The mana brain circle had started making a loud whizzing noise at one point, which muffled his voice, making it hard for Alec to hear.

    ¡°Yes! Go on!¡± Alec shouted in answer. Hearing him, Professor Andrew nodded and clasped his hands together in front of him. When he did so, the thin mana threads coming from his hands disappeared. The mana brain magic circle started becoming smaller and smaller, eventually reaching the size of a particularly big watermelon.

    As the process ended, the mana brain circle stopped mid-air and started spinning like crazy. Its glow became ever brighter, and the noise it made sounded like the rumbling of a gargantuan earth titan, or that of a black hole devouring stars. Alec¡¯s mind started unraveling for the mana brain to connect.

    This was the main, and the hardest stage of the mana brain engravement ritual. For a person to sync their biological brain with the inert mana construct, they needed to share their mana and mind with it. He needed to let the threads coming from the mana brain connect with his central nervous system. While doing so, he would be receiving an incredible amount of shock and pain from the mana brain.

    This stage of the ritual was also the one that would decide the quality of his mana brain. The longer the person receiving the circle endured, the higher the synchronicity of the mana brain would be with the biological one. If the receiver was to endure the entire process, the mana brain would have the same mind stat as the actual brain. It would also grow alongside it, not falling behind in calculation power.

    When Alec finally felt ready, he nudged the mana brain circle with his intent. Immediately, countless needle-like beams of light left the circle and etched themselves deep into Alec¡¯s chest. From there, they followed the electrochemical signals sent from his pain receptors and started connecting with his brain.

    ¡°Agh!¡± Alec shouted. Right now, Professor Andrew had no further control over the ritual. Everything was left to Alec and the inert mana brain¡¯s own semi-consciousness.

    Each neuron inside Alec¡¯s brain started firing like crazy, causing his body to constantly convulse and shake. Each gland secreted abnormal amounts of every hormone, and Alec started seeing hallucinations. He had completely lost his touch with reality, and his entire being had turned inward. If not for the focus potion, and some weird sense of being used to such pain allowing him to keep himself conscious, the ritual would have already prematurely ended.

    But Alec held on.

    Even though he wanted to give up, to go to sleep, as long as he felt like it was worth it, he would see it through to the end.

    As the mana brain finished its assault, Alec¡¯s back arched in pain. The magic circle floating mid-air was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Alec was left on the ground, frothing from his mouth and his lips cracked from lack of moisture. In what felt like hours, but were probably minutes, he was left exhausted and powerless. The fact that he would have to get other mana brains as he further progressed in his career as a mage worried him.

    ¡°Good job enduring Alec. That was spectacular willpower,¡± Mr. Andrew said as he patted Alec on the back. He wiped his mouth with a cloth and helped him sit down properly. ¡°The other teachers were probably worried you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the pain and would get a semi-functional mana brain. I guess they were wrong.¡±

    As Alec wiped his eyes to recover his blurry vision, a faint smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Yes, they were. Thank you for believing in me,¡± he said. Professor Andrew chuckled at his gratitude.

    ¡°What are you thanking me for? I was sure that you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it,¡± he said before patting Alec on his back.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Alec, on the other hand, didn¡¯t find the Professor¡¯s words to be unpleasing. They felt more like a light-hearted joke, no matter his intentions.

    As he stabilized, Alec sighed a deep breath of relaxation and sprawled in his chair. When he searched the room with his eyes, he found Professor Andrew to have gone back to his own endeavors.

    ¡°How long until I can start using the mana brain?¡± Alec asked. He scratched his chest, then looked down to take note of the magic circle. The previously empty magic circle frame had been filled. It seemed to be the same as Professor Andrew¡¯s. And if he had to be honest, Alec found it slightly cool.

    The circle was ever so slightly rotating on his skin, which Alec hadn¡¯t noticed before when he saw Professor Andrew¡¯s circle.

    ¡°You can use it right now, check your mind,¡± Professor Andrew said without lifting his head from his work.

    Hearing his words, Alec closed his eyes. When he did, he indeed noticed there to be something strange with his body. He felt like a new pair of muscles waiting to be tugged on had appeared right in the middle of his chest. At his behest, this new organ would activate and do its job.

    Taking a deep breath, Alec reached out. It was a bit hard to get used to the exact mental motion he had to make. It felt like unfocusing his eyes voluntarily. However, when he did complete the motion, it felt like a whole new world had appeared in front of him. His mana had immediately dipped by 40%, which was a staggering amount.

    But the feeling was definitely worth it.

    All his worries had halved immediately. His stress, thinking load, and the continuation of bodily processes had been equally split between the two brains. His head was clearer than ever, and he actually felt smarter for once.

    In his experience, neither the mind stat, nor the focus potions did that much in making him smarter. It was true that they quickened his thought processes, but experience and way of thought were essential parts of one¡¯s wisdom. He could still create solutions to problems much faster than before, but those solutions were dependent on him, not his stats.

    The mana brain, however, had changed his thought process entirely. When he wanted to think of a problem, both brains started exchanging ideas and evolving solutions at an impossible speed. This feedback loop was incredibly effective, but it was also very tiring on Alec¡¯s mind. The ungodly amount of information created and discarded was hard to handle, so he could only keep up this kind of high-focus problem-solving state for a few seconds before he lost focus, even with the focus potion.

    ¡°You have to spend a lot of time getting used to the new brain. It can do any job your actual brain can. There are a lot of different ways to utilize it, and you should find out the best one for yourself,¡± Professor Andrew suddenly chimed in when he saw Alec sitting silently, seemingly in introspection.

    ¡°Yes. After confirming the assistant application tomorrow, I will give you the papers. Where can I find you?¡± Alec asked. Now that the Professor had kept his side of the deal, it would be his turn to honor the agreement.

    ¡°This is my timetable,¡± Mr. Andrew handed him a paper. It was filled with his classes for the rest of the month, until the mid-term exams. ¡°You can bring them whenever you want. Don¡¯t hesitate to disturb the class if you need to.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Alec hesitated as he glanced over the paper. ¡°Sure. I will leave now.¡±

    ¡°Great. I have great expectations from you, Alec,¡± Professor Andrew said, which caused Alec to raise his brow. ¡°You have great potential, actualize it. It might be attractive to linger in that state where you can become anything, but you won¡¯t amount to anything unless you actually do something.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alec said. He understood what Professor Andrew meant. Currently, he still lacked a specialization. Although he had wanted to focus on telekinesis, he needed the mana brain for that. ¡°Now that I have gotten my mana brain, I plan on specializing in telekinesis. Do you have any suggestions?¡±

    ¡°Keep working on gravity,¡± Professor Andrew immediately responded. ¡°It is the holy grail of our magic branch. As long as gravity magic is not recreated, telekinesis will remain a dead end. Moving things around without touching them doesn¡¯t mean anything once you are facing demigods that can call upon pillars of fire or thunderstorms.¡±

    Alec nodded without answering. For now, he was done asking questions. He excused himself and left the labs, heading back to the dorms. It was time for him to be the one answering questions.

    While walking there, he kept his mana brain active to get accustomed to it. He also kept the internal discussions about what to say to his friends as an excuse.

    He finally reached the dorm room and looked at the door. It seemed to emanate a suffocating aura.

    Disregarding the constant bombardment of ¡®You are a drug addict. Albeit a slightly different kind of drug. No need for excuses,¡¯ notifications from his mana brain, Alec opened the door and went in¡­

 Chapter 35 | Just a Normal Interaction, Nothing Too Weird

    Alexei and Thomas had placed two chairs to his sides, while Evan sat slightly further away, on the lower bed of the bunkbed to the right of the room.

    Alec, on the other hand, sat on the ground, on his knees. There was an apologetic smile on his face, contrasting with the angry frowns on his friends¡¯ faces.

    ¡°Do you know how worried we were?¡± Evan asked coldly. After crossing over, Alec hadn¡¯t paid much attention to his friends¡¯ emotions. Although he had kept his conduct to an acceptable level, ¡®an acceptable level¡¯ wasn¡¯t exactly the type of treatment he should have given to the people who saw him as their friend.

    ¡®I might not be the previous Alec, but these people have treated me well so far,¡¯ he thought. They had gone as far as worrying about him, following him around, and specifically not alerting the authorities about their presumed worries to try and keep his record clean.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he answered honestly. ¡°I had been too¡­ Engrossed in my own endeavors. I forgot my duties as a friend,¡± Alec continued. In his opinion, friendships were two-way deals. If people treated him well, he would treat them the same to keep the deal going. He found it unfair to always be on the receiving side of his relationships.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alec,¡± Alexei said. ¡°We will forgive you, as long as you give us an explanation.¡±

    Hearing Alexei¡¯s words, Alec felt slightly suffocated. He tugged on his necktie and took a deep breath.

    ¡°It all started some time ago,¡± Alec said. The trio all focused up and started listening intently. ¡°I started reaching out to different Professors to get a mana brain engraved.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you start doing that, like¡­ last week?¡± Evan asked. Alec nodded, which made Evan continue. ¡°It was prior to that when we noticed your situation, Alec,¡± he said.

    ¡°That was because I was drinking the potions I made. You remember how I told you that the potions I made were of abysmal quality and that I had dumped them?¡± Alec asked. Evan nodded uncomfortably and gestured for Alec to continue. ¡°Well, I technically dumped them. But the garbage bin was my mouth. Because I didn¡¯t want to waste them. Then I got really sick but barely managed to hide it.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Evan hummed to himself. The trio seemed to be deep in thought. An awkward silence encompassed the room, which lasted for about a minute before Evan spoke. ¡°I have some questions about that part, but continue.¡±

    ¡°So, after talking to almost all the teachers I could manage to, I had to go and talk to Mr. Andrew as a last choice,¡± Alec continued. However, Thomas chipped in with a question of his own.

    ¡°Andrew as in, Professor Andrew Walker? That¡¯s an¡­ Interesting choice,¡± he said.

    ¡°As I have said, he was my last choice,¡± Alec said. Seeing that no one spoke further, he continued. ¡°Anyway, he started asking me to participate in some¡­ Potion trials. He was apparently making some sort of experimental potions, and needed someone to be his lab rat.¡±

    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s not unexpected,¡± Evan commented.

    ¡°Yeah. In exchange, he would help me with the mana brain,¡± Alec continued. ¡°During the trials, I got¡­ Sick and a bit addicted let¡¯s say. In the end, he didn¡¯t manage to finish the formula. But I managed to help him with something else.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Evan asked.

    ¡°It was about a paper he had been working on. When I helped him, he found my thinking process interesting and decided to take me as a personal assistant,¡± Alec said. The sudden dropping of this information caused all of his friends to frown in confusion.

    ¡°You..?¡±

    ¡°He..?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    They muttered to themselves.

    ¡°You became his assistant? Of Professor Andrew at that?¡± Evan asked. However, without waiting for Alec¡¯s answer, Alexei continued.

    ¡°He does work on telekinesis¡­¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    An awkward silence descended upon the room. No one said anything for a good minute before Evan spoke up.

    ¡°I will believe what you said Alec. Not because it was very believable, but because I trust that you would have a good reason to lie to us. But please don¡¯t make us worry like that again.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Alec nodded before sighing a deep sigh of relief. It was good that he had such understanding friends.

    ¡°And now that we are done with that,¡± Alexei muttered as the trio all got up and walked toward Alec. They formed a circle around him with devious smiles on their faces. ¡°You got the mana brain?¡±

    ¡°W- What?¡± Alec asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    He got up and tried to break out of the circle, but Evan held him in place. Alec¡¯s legs had gone numb from sitting on his knees.

    ¡°Take off your shirt.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ***

    ¡°We are sorry!¡±

    ¡°Yes! We won¡¯t fight anymore! Please don¡¯t hand us over to the Professor. Please, please, please!¡±

    ¡°The next time I catch you two fighting, you¡¯ll be begging me to hand you over,¡± Alec said with a demonic smile on his face. The two underclassmen scrambled to leave as fast as they could. Alec sighed while watching them depart and pushed himself off of his crouching pose.

    ¡®Am I not the leader of this branch? Why am I even going on patrols anyway?¡¯ he asked himself before stretching. ¡®Oh right. We only have two people. Including me.¡¯

    It had been three days since he had gotten his mana brain. He had spent the last few days interviewing some people and relaxing. He had directly taken Evan into the committee but still had to fill three more positions. He also kept the mana brain active to get more used to it. He would have to start doing some practical exercises with the thing soon.

    While thinking, Alec heard a shriek from behind him, which made him turn around quickly. His nerves relaxed when he realized who the person was.

    ¡°Iris?¡± he said. The white-haired girl was finally out of the infirmary. Although Alec had heard of this fact, he hadn¡¯t gotten around to seeing her in person.

    ¡°You are that person¡­ Alec,¡± Iris muttered timidly. Compared to her cold demeanor from before, she was much more sheepish now. Although Alec still felt suspicious of her true motives, the fact that she hadn¡¯t ratted him out was enough for him.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Alec muttered. They waited silently for a few seconds before Iris continued.

    ¡°T- Thank you!¡± She suddenly said. Alec tilted his head in confusion. ¡°You were the one who healed me, right? I felt your presence back then.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°Yes. Even while comatose, my mana eye kept my senses awake,¡± she said. Hearing her words, Alec¡¯s gaze wandered toward her forehead, where the small, slowly rotating magic circle was engraved.

    Taking a step forward, he inspected it a bit closer. It had a lot of features similar to the mana brain but was much simpler.

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting, right?¡± Iris said after noticing what Alec was looking at. ¡°It feels like the last thing connecting me and my past self¡­¡± she said, her voice trailing off as she finished her sentence.

    ¡®Huh¡­ I guess that would be true. She didn¡¯t have friends like me who might tell her about her past, as she is still a freshman,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. Then, his mana brain jolted him with an idea. ¡®Hm¡­¡¯

    ¡°Hey, you said that your mana eye kept your senses awake, right?¡± Alec asked. ¡°Did you¡­ Did you feel it when you lost your memories? I mean the exact moment.¡±

    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± Iris muttered with a frown on her face. She looked around and noted no one to be around other than them. ¡°I¡¯m telling this because I have heard that you too have lost your memories.¡±

    ¡°It is true. We are sort of like comrades when it comes to that,¡± Alec said.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Iris nodded. Then she took a deep breath and started telling her story. ¡°I was lying there, inside a haze-like darkness in the bed. That, I somewhat remember. Then, someone came¡­ Or more like¡­ Something. It penetrated deep into my mind and started browsing through my memories like they were made for it to read.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you resist?¡± Alec asked. Memory magic was a very complicated and esoteric area of magic. The human mind was incredibly hard to crack. If Iris had tried putting up resistance, she could have stopped most people from doing so.

    ¡°I¡­¡± she thought with her hand on her chin. However, no matter how deep the frown on her face got, she couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What I know is, it didn¡¯t try outright deleting memories.¡±

    ¡°What did it do then?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°I remember¡­ Some magic spikes. I don¡¯t know what they were, but it cast some magic. Then some memories kind of¡­ Faded away.¡±

    ¡°They went away on their own?¡± Alec asked. ¡°Not deleted?¡±

    ¡°Not deleted. The deletion part came later,¡± Iris explained. ¡°I remember struggling¡­ Trying to keep some memories¡­ But I failed.¡±

    ¡®The going away on their own¡­¡¯ Alec thought. His mana brain had started pinging his main brain like crazy a short while ago. It was as if it was trying to confuse Alec. ¡®Stop..! Not memory magic, but Anti-memetic?¡¯

    ¡°You didn¡¯t fail,¡± Alec said as he crossed his arms in deep contemplation.

    ¡°Huh? But I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Whatever happened,¡± Alec cut her off. ¡°The things you do remember. Your struggle, and that thing¡­¡± Alec explained. He looked around with anxiety. ¡°It failed to delete the memories of your struggle. You managed to keep the important stuff. That¡¯s a first.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a first?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± Alec said with a deadpan expression. He hurriedly sent some orders to his mana brain. Then, they both zoned out and stopped talking for half a minute.

    ¡°It was great talking to you, Iris,¡± Alec said with a wide smile on his face. He was genuinely happy to see the girl back on her feet.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Iris answered sheepishly. She turned around and took off, her gait hovering between a jog and a skip.

    Watching her get further away, Alec felt a weird jolt. His mana brain was still pinging him repeatedly, but those pings too, slowly faded away.

    "Huh... Why was my mana brain pinging me..?"

    It was time for him to leave¡­

 Chapter 36 | Lecture Shenanigans

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why anti-memetic magic is different from memory magic by such a wide margin,¡± the professor read from the book in her hand. It was a platinum-blonde woman called Isabel. Her lectures were mostly easy to follow but spectacularly boring.

    Especially the anti-memetics class, which Alec had no memory of ever choosing. But it showed up on his timetable, and he had a yearly course credit to fulfill. Fortunately, he had just the right tools to deal with this problem.

    Alec¡¯s hands moved completely independently from one another. While his left was slightly clumsily noting down the lecture, his right hand and eyes were focused on a textbook, occasionally taking notes. Every now and then, the mana brain would ask him to check the blackboard, and Alec¡¯s eyes would oblige.

    With practically two brains, he could focus on two things at the same time. The mid-term exams were nearing. The week after the next, around this time, he would be taking his first exams in this world.

    With his relatively high mind stat and the mana brain, he had already gone through the necessary topics for the exam once without using any focus potions ¡ªWhich had become much less effective after he got the mana brain¡ª. A few more times, and he would be on his way to get great grades. He could imagine the faces people would make once they saw his scores.

    ¡®Getting surpassed by an amnesiac. Truly soul-breaking,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. However, as both his brains were focused on studying, he couldn¡¯t pick up on the cues the professor had been sending him, which led her to suddenly stop speaking. When she did, Alec¡¯s mana brain warned him about the situation. Unfortunately, it was too late.

    ¡°Mr. Greenwood?¡± Professor Isabel called out. There seemed to be an underlying hostility under her voice, which made Alec wary. He tried to remember if he had ever offended her but realized he hadn¡¯t even seen her outside the lectures. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have something exciting you are dealing with there. But would you mind coming here and solving this question if you are good enough to not care about this lecture?¡±

    ¡®Oh god¡­¡¯ Alec thought to himself. Both he and the mana brain were completely dumbstruck. They eventually realized the situation and poked each other to wake themselves up. ¡®This is a clich¨¦ among clich¨¦s! Every single book I wrote had this exact scene in it. And it never gets old!¡¯ He reminisced. Alec felt touched, enough to make him smile gently. There was no way he was letting the chance of enacting such a scene go.

    ¡°Of course ma''am,¡± he said with a bright voice, which seemed to surprise the Professor positively, as she released her folded arms and stepped away from the blackboard. Alec got up and walked up confidently. Feeling the gazes on his back, Alec picked up a chalk and took a look at the question.

    ¡®Huh¡­ It¡¯s this thing,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. There were two incomplete magic circles on the blackboard. Fortunately, he had enough knowledge about both.

    ¡°The left one is a first circle spell called Anti-Memetic Shroud,¡± Alec started explaining. His voice was clear, and there wasn¡¯t a hint of hesitation in it. The speeches he gave in his previous life helped him out. He knew how to make his voice heard, even in the most stressful situations. ¡°It is a simple, brute force form of anti-memetic spell that disconnects the information flow one-sidedly between two objects or beings. The catch is that the caster has to be of much higher level than the target.¡±

    Previously, Professor Andrew had used this spell on Alec to disappear on him. At the time, Alec had thought it to be teleportation magic. But there was no such thing as teleportation magic in the records.

    ¡°And the right one is¡­¡± Alec muttered. ¡°This one is also a first-grade spell, and it¡¯s called Confuse. It has the ability to inflict some amount of confusion on the opponent, assuming that it gets through their mental defenses.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Great. Now fill in the blank parts of the circles and tell us how these two are different,¡± Professor Isabel demanded. She was about to bite her fingernail before she barely stopped herself.

    As per her order, Alec filled in the incomplete parts of the magic circles with the help of his mana brain. He then dusted off his hands before placing the chalk aside and turned toward The Professor.

    ¡°The difference between anti-memetic magic and memory magic is the side they have effects on,¡± Alec started explaining in his own words. Although Professor Isabel had just explained the topic and he remembered the explanation word by word, he still chose to go with his own description. ¡°There are two participants in knowledge. One is the one that knows ¡ªand memory magic deals with that¡ªand the other is the one that is known. When a mage casts memory magic, they are meddling with other people¡¯s minds. However, when someone casts anti-memetic magic, they are dealing with the knowledge itself.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Professor Isabel exclaimed. She touched her chin for a moment and nodded along. ¡°That¡¯s a good explanation, Mr. Greenwood,¡± she unwillingly said. Her angry frown had been replaced by a neutral expression. ¡°What do you think about their strong and weak sides?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Alec hummed for a second. He hadn¡¯t particularly paid attention to anti-memetic magic before, so his takes on the topic were undeveloped. ¡°Anti-memetic magic is harder to notice, has a wider range of use, but is more indirect. Memory magic is the exact opposite. It is easy to notice, can only be used against a couple of people at the same time at most, and has a very forceful style.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. You can go back to your¡­ thing,¡± Professor Isabel muttered defeatedly. She didn¡¯t seem like she would hold much of a grudge, which made Alec breathe a sigh of relief. He would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t scared of angering The Professor to the point of getting marked by her. Who knows? There were a lot of teachers who fell to the dark side because of an embarrassing situation in the web novels he read before.

    When Alec sat back down, he noticed the reaction of the class to be mostly indifferent. Although there were some who were impressed by his knowledge, that was it. No one was whispering how shameful it was for The Professor to do something like that, nor were they talking about how Alec had shown her what he was made of.

    As he settled onto his seat once more, the small smile on Alec¡¯s face disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with a grim expression.

    ¡®On the other hand,¡¯ he thought. ¡®She didn¡¯t get angry at me because of the questions, but was already angry at me because of something else.¡¯

    So far, Alec hadn¡¯t heard of Professor Isabel being a hard-ass. The woman was famously a relaxed person, giving a lot of leeway to students most of the time. There was no reason for her to get angry at Alec for such a simple thing. Unless obviously, there was another underlying problem.

    As the lecture ended, Alec gathered his stuff and went to the cafeteria to meet up with Evan and the others. They had previously agreed to meet up for lunch at the cafeteria every day. Which Alec thought of as a good chance to learn more about Professor Isabel.

    Alec greeted the trio who had already started eating and plopped himself down into a chair next to them.

    ¡°Something interesting happened today,¡± Alec said. He chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth before explaining the situation.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Thomas said. ¡°I took that class last year. She doesn¡¯t do stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that was also what I heard,¡± Alec answered. ¡°But here we are¡­ Any news about her lately?¡± he asked Evan.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I think she has gotten a new assistant. But that is hardly something rare. I think this is the fifth one,¡± Evan answered calmly. ¡°Maybe she had a problem with one of them and tried taking it out on you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Alexei chimed in. ¡°Thomas says that he hasn¡¯t even seen her get angry before. It¡¯s not like she hasn¡¯t had personal problems before, right? I think she has a special grudge against Alec.¡±

    All three turned their heads to look at Alec at the same time.

    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Alec said. He then sighed and finished his meal quickly. ¡°Who wants to hang out?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Evan said. ¡°The exams are close, and I¡¯m interested in the second-place reward.¡±

    ¡°Reward?¡± Alec asked with a raised brow. He hadn¡¯t heard of a reward for the exams before.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Evan asked. ¡°The first three places for each grade get rewarded. They give the second place a mana eye circle.¡±

    ¡°Like the one Iris has?¡± Alec asked. Evan nodded in answer. ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­ What do they give to the first place?¡±

    ¡°That has a funny answer,¡± Evan said. ¡°Most of the time, students do their best to avoid becoming the first. Because the only thing they give is access to the library¡¯s second floor. Apparently, most students can¡¯t even begin to understand what is written in the books there. So most find it useless.¡±

    ¡°Access to the library¡¯s second floor¡­¡± Alec muttered. He then smiled and asked.

    ¡°Who wants to hang out? At the library of course¡­¡±

 Chapter 37 | Studying, So I Get The First Place

    As Alec¡¯s punch connected with the dummy, a bone-chilling crunch noise resounded throughout the training chamber. This noise, however, didn¡¯t come from Alec¡¯s hand. Instead, a long, thin crack appeared on the dummy¡¯s chest, spanning its entire body.

    However, his punch didn¡¯t stop at that. He rained some orders to the mana brain, and in response received a detailed image of the magic circle he wanted. A purple magic circle appeared, having his right arm at its center. Alec straightened his arm right before the magic circle activated. When it did, the spell caused an enormous force to appear behind Alec¡¯s fist, which promptly pushed into the dummy, leaving a deep, fist-shaped dent on it.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Alec shouted in his head. This was a technique Evan had shown him. It used a very simple telekinetic spell alongside the caster¡¯s body, creating a strong synergy. After the first strike softened the enemy, the spell would push in a second time, doubling the damage done.

    There were four days left for his first exam. During the last one and a half weeks, he had done his best studying, using stat upgrade potions, and most importantly, learning some spells that he could use while fighting. Fortunately, he had gotten used to utilizing his mana brain fast and effectively.

    Jumping away from the dummy, Alec straightened his body. His mana brain sent him another image, then another. Alec took those images and raised both his hands, revealing two purple magic circles. From behind him, two daggers appeared and floated. Those daggers were then launched forward at breakneck speed, covered in a purplish aura.

    Alec had also been working on his telekinetic magic with Professor Andrew. He would go to his office or lab every day and do some menial tasks alongside Douglas, and in return, the man would help him with telekinesis magic. Unfortunately, Alec didn¡¯t have enough mana potion stocks from all the stat upgrade potions he had been writing.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 26

    Agility: 26

    Health: 27

    Mind: 23

    Mana: 28]

    As the daggers he had thrown cleanly sliced through the dummy, Alec flicked both his hands and did his best to cast two more spells. Unfortunately, before he did, the daggers collided with the further away wall and bent in a way that rendered them unusable.

    With a sigh, Alec plopped down on the ground.

    ¡®I really need my mind stat to increase. I can cast spells in a fighting situation, but can¡¯t even recall my daggers after an attack because I can¡¯t cast the return spells fast enough,¡¯ he thought. Unfortunately, very low level potions didn¡¯t seem to be working on his mind stat anymore. The other stats had also somewhat evened out, stabilizing somewhere between 26 and 28. ¡®It seems like I have to start changing to low level upgrade potions. Hopefully, those will last longer¡­¡¯

    He wiped his sweat, took the training dummy which had somehow returned back to its pristine state, and placed it aside. He then took the daggers to be repaired by The Author¡¯s Pen later and went back to the dorms.

    ¡®How much could it really cost?¡¯ Alec contemplated another one of his questions after standing in front of the dorms, watching the plethora of students either leaving or waiting for their friends. Although the time the lectures ended varied greatly, the day''s first classes started at the same time for everyone. This arrangement by the academic authorities caused a huge amount of student traffic to form in the morning. Fortunately, the rest of the day would be very calm. ¡®How well could the questions really be protected?¡¯

    Throughout the days he had been studying for the upcoming mid-term exams, a question had been eating away at Alec. The Author¡¯s Pen was a godly artifact, with the ability to create things he didn¡¯t have exact knowledge of. So, what was stopping him from writing ¡®exam questions¡¯ and getting his hands on those sweet sweet cheat sheets?

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Well, one thing that stopped him from doing so was the fact that he didn¡¯t know how well-protected the exam questions were, or if they had been prepared at all. The Author¡¯s Pen was an artifact that worked on possibilities. If the questions were heavily protected or weren¡¯t written yet, he would be looking at a good old mana coma.

    ¡®Never mind¡­¡¯ he thought to himself, deciding that it was both morally, and practically better to not attempt stealing.

    He only had a morning class and would go to the library at noon. After quickly showering, he got done with his morning class and went to the library to meet up with his study partner.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± She greeted him.

    ¡°Hi, Iris,¡± Alec answered with a small smile. They looked at each other briefly before picking a table and starting their individual study sessions. They had come across each other many times in the library and had decided to become study partners. While Alec got to practice the previous year¡¯s curriculum while helping out Iris, Iris got help from a sophomore who had a mana brain. Although Alec didn¡¯t see himself to be as smart as Iris, he knew he had an advantage because of both his experience and the mana brain.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Alec muttered as he started getting tired of studying. ¡°That mana eye¡­ How does it feel?¡±

    Iris kept looking at a book in front of her for a few more seconds before raising her gaze to meet up with Alec¡¯s. She then swept aside her bangs to give Alec a better look at the mana eye.

    ¡°It has been there for a long time. I would have a hard time remembering how it feels to not have it,¡± she said. ¡°But from what I can tell, it is a better eye that works separately from my two real ones. It can focus somewhere else, giving me a higher field of view. It can help my depth perception, movement detection, heat detection, and a bunch of other stuff.¡±

    ¡°Huh, so it¡¯s like a bunch of perception magic pieced together and permanently engraved into your head?¡± Alec asked to confirm. When he saw Iris nod, he continued. ¡°Does it consume mana?¡±

    ¡°It works similarly to a mana brain, so no. But it does occupy mana when it¡¯s active. Currently somewhere around 15%. But it¡¯s worth it most of the time,¡± she said. Alec nodded. He was still having a hard time seeing the circle.

    ¡°Can I take a closer look?¡± he asked. When Iris nodded, he got up from his chair and kneeled in front of her. It took him about five minutes to be satisfied. He told the mana brain to keep the magic circle memorized, however, got back a signal that it couldn¡¯t remember the entire thing. Then, Alec decided to help and memorized a smaller part. It would be hard to hold on until he went back home, but it would still be worth it.

    ¡°How do you get it engraved?¡± Alec asked. Iris thought to herself for a second, then replied while pushing away her textbooks and placing her arms on the table.

    ¡°You have to do a ritual, similar to every other ritual magic. You would need someone who can help you, and some simple ingredients,¡± she said. ¡°The ingredients are really simple. I can give you a list if you want.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Alec said sincerely. With the list of the ingredients, he wouldn¡¯t even need to ask Professor Andrew. Although he was the man¡¯s assistant, he still didn¡¯t want to end up owing him a debt. ¡°It¡¯s about time we left anyway,¡± he decided. Now that the mana brain had memorized the mana eye¡¯s pattern, he couldn¡¯t do anything else with it. Or else, the thing would forget as soon as it focused on something else.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Iris nodded her head sheepishly. Whenever he saw the girl like this, he felt a pang of guilt inside him. The more he interacted with her, the more he started becoming sure she wasn¡¯t another transmigrator. Of course, there was the chance she was just acting, but he couldn¡¯t think of a motive for that. And that left only one possibility.

    ¡®She has actually lost her memories,¡¯ he thought with a bitter smile on his face. Iris used to be a strong girl as far as he knew. Her image he remembered back from their duel was a strong and determined one, ready to fight whatever she was facing. Now, however, she was like a weak little rabbit. She was easily scared, and constantly wanted to rely on someone. ¡®Well, at least this version of her is easy to manipulate. No matter how much I don¡¯t like using that word, I just stole the mana eye recipe from her, so¡­¡¯

    After parting with the white-haired girl, Alec went back to his dorm. Evan, Alexei, and Thomas were all whispering to each other when he entered. As soon as they heard the door open, however, they stopped talking and looked at him.

    ¡°Hey..?¡±

    ¡°Welcome, Mr. Alec,¡± Evan said with a playful voice.

    ¡°Hi..?¡± Alec paused and thought for a moment. However, he couldn¡¯t understand and still had a mana eye circle to note down. So, he sat in front of his desk, quickly took out some papers, and started drawing.

    ¡°Wow, so busy writing letters he can¡¯t even answer,¡± Alexei continued. Evan and Alexei had gotten up and were walking toward Alec, however, Thomas held them by their arms to stop them.

    ¡°Come on guys¡­ Don¡¯t do him dirty like that,¡± he said. However, both Evan and Alexei disregarded his words.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what¡¯s going on?¡± Alec said angrily. He got up, pushed away the papers, and looked at his friends. He felt like the mana eye was about to slip off his mind, so he had to overload the mana brain slightly to help it remember his part too.

    ¡°Calm down, lover boy!¡± Alexei said with a shit-eating grin on his face. ¡°What? Fought with your cute freshman girlfriend?¡±

    For a moment, Alec looked at Alexei with knitted brows.

    ¡°Huh..?¡±

 Chapter 38 | T Minus 1

    ¡°Never approach her ever again! You understand me?¡± Professor Isabel shouted. Alec was just walking down the hallway of the lecture hall building and was pushed against a wall. When the Professor¡¯s hand slapped the wall half an inch away from his face, a shockwave spread throughout, caressing Alec¡¯s neck in the meantime. This wasn¡¯t a spell, as even the teachers couldn¡¯t surpass the defensive ward array inside the school. The woman had just expelled mana, and it was enough to create wind without any force behind it.

    Alec felt his hair stand up on their end as he looked down at the woman who was a head shorter than himself but could wipe the floor with him if she wanted. He had gotten used to the whispers, curious looks, and annoyed grunts from jealous men, but this was a new level of unhinged the people of this school could apparently reach.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am. But-¡± Alec tried speaking, however, he had to shut his mouth after feeling the murderous intent being emitted by Professor Isabel.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say this again, you little bastard,¡± she grumbled. Her eyes wandered on Alec¡¯s face for a second before she brought her finger up and tapped his forehead with great difficulty because of her short stature. ¡°Stay, away, from, Iris. Understood?¡±

    ¡°But we are not-!¡±

    ¡°Understood?¡± her voice rumbled once again. Alec flinched as he tried to fuse with the wall. Getting scolded by a Professor was one thing, but he definitely didn¡¯t want to get scolded by a walking-talking human superweapon. The Professors in this school were not over level 100 but were definitely strong enough to take on a small army on their own.

    ¡°Y- Yes,¡± Alec answered timidly. When he did, Professor Isabel looked at him for a few more seconds and backed away. Alec loosened his tie as he watched the woman leave, but stopped when she turned back around.

    ¡°You fucking idiot!¡± She shouted. Alec looked around to make sure no one was around, as even he felt weirded out by the Professor¡¯s uncaring attitude toward her reputation. ¡°If you had just become my assistant instead of that bastard¡¯s, you could have done anything with Iris! I would probably cheer you on even!¡±

    Throughout this whole ordeal, Alec had felt mostly weirded out. Now, however, he could only feel anger.

    ¡°I clearly asked for help!¡± he said. ¡°And you were even one of the first people I reached out to!¡±

    ¡°You are a nutjob!¡± she said. ¡°Who would even agree on giving you¡­ A mana brain...¡± her voice trailed off. She thought for a second, then came back on with even more vigor. ¡°Andrew actually agreed! You can¡¯t do it, Alec! You don¡¯t know how much it hurts to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I already did,¡± Alec answered. He crossed his arms and looked at Professor Isabel with a disappointed look. Although they hadn¡¯t interacted with each other much before, he had expected better conduct from a professor with a good reputation like Isabel. He even felt like Professor Andrew was much better, even with his distrustful and cynical nature.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Professor Isabel¡¯s eyes widened with worry. However, without giving her time to spiral, Alec undid the middle button of his shirt and showed her his pristine mana brain. Professor Isabel¡¯s expression became even more ugly, as she kept looking up and down on his mana brain. ¡°There is no problem¡­ You¡­ You endured it all? But that¡¯s¡­¡± She muttered. Without waiting for her to finish, Alec did his button.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything going on with Iris,¡± Alec said. It was true. The only feeling he had toward Iris was guilt, nothing less, nothing more. ¡°Why do you even care about this?¡±

    ¡°Iris is my assistant,¡± Professor Isabel said with a half-guilty, half-angry expression. ¡°I don¡¯t want my assistant dating someone that isn¡¯t¡­ Especially not Andrew¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°You seem to have a past with h-¡± Alec was about to comment before a cold glint flashed in The Professor¡¯s eye. This was a good enough sign for him to let go of the topic.

    ¡°I will take your word for this, Alec,¡± she said.

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    Alec nodded and turned around.

    ¡®Like I didn¡¯t have enough on my hands¡­ Now I have to deal with this bullshit,¡¯ he mentally commented.

    He had a lot of stuff to deal with. He had started stacking up on mana and focus potions since yesterday, just in case it would be needed. He also kept to his training at full speed, trying to improve with each passing day. The school life in the academy was mostly peaceful. Even with the gossip here and there, some disciplinary committee tasks, and the slightly psychopathic Professors, this place was supposed to be the perfect place for a mage to grow up and learn.

    ¡®Then why¡­¡¯ Alec thought as he looked around him. Everything seemed relatively normal except for one thing. ¡®Why does it feel like there are fewer students as the days go by?¡¯

    ¡°Alec!¡±

    Suddenly, he heard someone shouting his name. He was currently walking toward his dorm and was passing by the alchemy supply shop. So, this voice could only belong to one person¡­

    ¡°Alyssa?¡± Alec said as he turned around. The girl with auburn hair ran toward Alec. This was the girl whom Alec had met the first and last time he went to buy alchemy supplies. Although he didn¡¯t feel like talking to her, it was not like he could ignore her, could he?

    ¡°Hey. Are the rumors¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not true,¡± Alec said with a bitter expression. ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Then you might want to hear what I am about to say,¡± Alyssa continued. She looked around before getting closer and whispering, ¡°There is a guy who seems to want to challenge you for Iris.¡±

    ¡°What..?¡± Alec muttered. He found it unbelievable that the situation could escalate this much. At first, he had seen the rumors to be funny campus banter that people would eventually forget about. Now, however, things seemed to be getting derailed slowly but surely. ¡°I am not going to¡ª¡± he was about to answer before his mana brain forcefully took over his mouth and stopped him from talking further.

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯ Alec thought. A brief exchange of ideas later, he started feeling more and more uncomfortable. ¡®What did we just think with the mana brain? I can¡¯t¡­¡¯

    ¡°I will fight if things come down to it,¡± Alec said with a decisive glint in his eyes. Forgetting that his decision had been affected by the mana brain, he thanked her and turned around, leaving behind a confused Alyssa.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ There is definitely nothing going on between you two¡­¡± she muttered to herself before crouching next to the entrance of the alchemy supply shop to rest for the remainder of her break.

    ***

    The smell of sweat, blood, and rot filled Alec¡¯s nostrils. They penetrated deep into his mind. However, it felt more familiar than ever. Nothing was wrong with it in his opinion. Then more death, stars, explosions. And sulfur. An ungodly amount of sulfur. Everywhere, like ants crawling all over his skin, sulfur assaulted him from every direction.

    He reached out for The Author¡¯s Pen and wrote. The sulfur ceased. It wasn¡¯t there anymore. However, Alec felt weary. This weariness was much more different than any he had ever experienced.

    Then, he was nowhere. Walls were filled with strange writings. Stories untold¡­

    So, he woke up.

    He was completely covered in sweat as if he had been working out for hours. However, Alec was pretty sure that he had been in his bed all the time.

    ¡®Sulfur? Brimstone¡­ Either God¡¯s wrath, or Satan¡­¡¯

    As the memories of the dream started waning, he noticed the time to be 3 a.m. All his friends were asleep, but he felt rejuvenated. So instead, he decided to go and take a cold shower. Fortunately, the dorms were pretty lax with their rules. Students could pretty much do anything as long as they didn¡¯t disrupt the order.

    However, as Alec took out a fresh change of clothes from his closet, he noticed a piece of paper on his desk.

    When he picked it up and tried reading it, he noticed that he was unable to do so. The writing was pristine, each word made sense and was written in common Toalqeshi.

    ¡®Each word I read¡­ Every time I glance over a word, I forget the previous one,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. The mana brain was silent as if it was asleep. However, there was no such thing as the mana brain going to sleep. As long as he kept it active, it would keep working.

    ¡®Even when I sleep¡­¡¯ Alec muttered internally. Then, his eyes widened in worry. He made an attempt to deactivate the mana brain but wasn¡¯t fast enough.

    The next moment, he had already forgotten about the paper. And it didn¡¯t seem to be on the table anyway.

    As Alec showered, he remembered that the exams were starting tomorrow.

    ¡®I really have to get that first place¡­¡¯ he thought.

    Just like Professor Andrew had said, telekinesis magic was very limiting. Essentially, it utilized either brief bursts or maintained flows of force on objects to control them remotely. So, throwing a dagger with telekinesis magic was essentially the same as slapping it with a pan in a certain direction. For that reason, every single maneuver required the caster to use another spell. Not to mention the second spell would have to use more mana as it would have to cancel out the existing force behind the object.

    Gravity magic would be different as far as Alec could guess. Perhaps he could amplify the attraction between two objects and cause his daggers to have an innate guidance system.

    Or he could just crush the enemy with gravity.

    Putting aside these thoughts, Alec took a deep breath. In the morning, he would probably have to deal with whatever that guy was about to challenge him to.

    ¡®I can¡¯t hand over Iris,¡¯ he thought with knitted brows¡­

 Chapter 39 | A Contingency

    ¡°Whoever gets the highest average scores in the upcoming middle terms gets Iris!¡± the guy shouted. He was a sophomore called Mathews. Alec could swear that he had seen him somewhere else before, but couldn¡¯t pinpoint where.

    They were standing face to face with approximately three meters of distance between each other. They were on one of the paths connecting the training hall and the lecture hall building. There were a few passersby, most of which didn¡¯t even bat an eye at the guy¡¯s shenanigans. Fortunately, the pathway was decorated with four to five-meter-long trees that blocked vision from both sides, giving them a slightly isolated experience.

    Alec¡¯s hand tightened into a fist as he tried to read the blue-haired sophomore. The guy was obviously furious. From that, Alec deduced that he had been in love with Iris for a long time.

    ¡°There is no need to blow this thing out of proportion,¡± Alec said calmly. He had crossed his arms defensively, also showcasing the disciplinary committee armband in the process. This gesture of his caused Mathews to flinch, but make a noise similar to that of a growl afterward.

    Alec felt baffled.

    ¡®Why is this person growling like a rabid dog?¡¯ he thought. One thing Alec had been surprised about after transmigrating was the fact that most of the student body was really easy to get along with. He had initially prepared himself to fight back against cocky geniuses, hateful commoners, and elitist nobles. However, no one turned out to be like that. So far, at least. ¡®Lately, those types of people have started becoming more and more frequent. It¡¯s either that I¡¯m noticing them more because I have started the disciplinary committee work, or their numbers have actually increased.¡¯

    ¡°Look¡­¡± Alec said. He sighed and pinched his glabella before continuing. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it like that. Are you satisfied?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mathews answered. He turned around with a humph and left quickly.

    ¡®On one hand, I could have gone on a long rant about how Iris isn¡¯t an object,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®On the other hand, I doubt he would have cared¡­¡¯

    ***

    Alec and his mana brain hacked away at question after question. When he glanced at a certain part of the paper, his eyes could see at least two questions at the same time. As they shared the same vision, they would pick and distribute questions between each other, solving at twice the speed. The topics he had forgotten would be aided by the mana brain and vice versa. Although they were a bit tired as this was the last exam, they could definitely pull through.

    ¡®Another magical matrix question. Weren¡¯t there three other such questions in the same exam?¡¯ Alec asked himself. The mana brain jolted in confirmation, which made Alec even more confused. ¡®It¡¯s as if they forgot the questions they had prepared and placed similar ones. There is no way these questions are this easy¡­¡¯

    Putting aside the problem with the exam, Alec hacked away at another question with lightning speed, both his hands writing nonstop. Although he could feel the envious gazes from the other students, the mana brain was a rightfully gained booster.

    He flipped another page. Took a fast look at the two questions on the page and chose the one on the left. However, when he read it, he noticed that he didn¡¯t know anything about the topic. His heart jumped nervously. He thought about losing the first place for a second, then calmed down.

    ¡®One question is not a problem,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Hey, mana brain, any thoughts on this?¡¯ he asked mentally. When the mana brain returned a negative signal, he nodded to himself and skipped the question.

    The rest of the exam was very simple. With the help of the low focus potion he had taken, and the mana brain, he managed to complete it in one go. After redoing the questions a couple of times, Alec focused once more on the one that he couldn¡¯t solve no matter how hard he tried.

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    ¡®But¡­ Didn¡¯t I study this topic last week? Or a bit earlier than that?¡¯ Alec asked himself. ¡®There was the library¡­ The dorms¡­ And before that, I was at the¡­ Wait. When I crossed over¡­ Where did I crossover? Why is there a fucking hole in my memories?¡¯

    As Alec kept scouring his head for answers, his throat tightened. His nostrils flared in anxiety as his face lit up. Getting up from his seat, he placed the exam papers on the overseeing Professor¡¯s desk and left the classroom.

    He ran. He ran where his body took him. He had a clear map of the academy. At least the parts where he frequented before. But for some reason, there was a gargantuan hole in that map. Finally, he found himself in front of the infirmary building. Inspecting its walls, its d¨¦cor, and the empty rooms he could see from the windows, he felt confused.

    ¡®What is this building..?¡¯ he asked. The mana brain returned a confused signal as a response, which Alec ignored. He took out the pen after looking around to confirm that nobody could see him.

    ¡®Let¡¯s be a bit frugal. I can start conservatively.¡¯

    [Very Low Mental Cleansing Potion]

    As the vial appeared in his hand, Alec didn¡¯t waste any time and downed it. The cool liquid washed his mouth and throat. It was refreshing for a moment, then agonizing the next. Alec¡¯s eyes started straining, his head ringing. He could hear murmurs in the distance, but they sounded like they were coming from deep inside a well, echoey and muffled.

    Then, he felt an itch on his arm. When he looked down to see, his eyes started tearing. His blurry vision could barely catch some weird marks on his arm. Then he turned to his side as he felt something touch him. A silhouette brushed past him.

    ¡®I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Alec mentally muttered. He could barely breathe. Through his blurred sight, he managed to notice blue electricity sparkling around his head. As if something was fighting off a wave of energy. Then, his mana brain sent over a message bundle. This was weird, as Alec had thought that he had a pretty good grasp of the mana brain¡¯s knowledge.

    When the message bundle unfurled, Alec¡¯s brows rose.

    It was a memory, something that he was sure he hadn¡¯t experienced before.

    It was him and Iris, standing somewhere, talking to each other.

    Iris told him something interesting in the memory.

    ¡°Some memories kind of¡­ faded away,¡± she said. Alec¡¯s mind churned to understand what the mana brain was trying to say but failed. He felt like his mind was being zapped from every direction, a relentless assault crashing against his cranium. However, he could feel the mental cleansing potion fighting back alongside his not-insignificant mana pool, acting as a moat for whatever was attacking him.

    ¡°It failed to delete the memories of your struggle,¡± the Alec in the memory answered. He seemed to have noticed something, which made the current Alec annoyed.

    ¡®What did you understand! Tell me¡ª¡¯ He was about to shout in his head. However, the next moment, he noticed something. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have much time left. The cleansing potion flowing in his veins was about to be depleted. Next, his mental defenses would crumble, and he would be taken over.

    ¡°Mana brain! How do you have those memories!?¡± Alec shouted. No answer came. Alec¡¯s legs had already given up, and the memory package had already ended. The mana brain seemed to be disconnecting from him as fast as it could. ¡®Where are you runn¡ª I see¡­¡¯

    Finally, Alec realized what was going on.

    ¡®This is going to be really bad. Bastard, take this!¡¯ he sent a message as he formulated a bundle of memories in his head and passed it over to the mana brain. From the narrowing door of the last few neurons connected to the mana brain, it received the memories and deactivated itself on its own.

    The cleansing potion ran out shortly after. Alec toppled over like a lifeless body. He instinctively noticed that it wouldn¡¯t help him in any way, so he retracted his mana reserves from around his head. Whatever the thing was, it made its way into Alec¡¯s mind.

    At this point, Alec found his mind to be completely lifeless. As if he didn¡¯t care what the being did in his head. The thing first started by reading his memories one by one, at an incredible speed. As far as Alec knew, this wasn¡¯t the speed a human mage could read memories.

    When it finally breezed through Alec¡¯s memories, the thing started wreaking havoc in his head. Bombing memory after memory. First, Alec forgot about some people he barely knew, such as Professor Isabel, Alyssa, or a few student council members. Then, his memories of magic alongside his close friends started getting wiped.

    ¡®You won¡¯t get to my past self you fucking bastard,¡¯ Alec thought. ¡®This is as far as you go.¡¯

    He instinctively knew that the memories of his past life weren¡¯t contained in his head, but somewhere else.

    However, suddenly, Alec¡¯s blurry vision cleared up as blue sparkles started flashing around his head once more. It was a brief moment of respite, but it was enough for him to gather himself. Taking a few labored breaths, Alec managed to squeeze a memory package into the smallest bundle of neurons he could. He then pulled on his entire mana pool at once and wrapped those neurons in an unimaginably thick shell.

    When the thing finally came back in, Alec lost control for good.

    As the memories of his transmigration started disappearing, his consciousness faded away.

 Chapter 40 | Sacrifices, To Be Made

    The nauseating herbal smell infiltrated his nostrils, making him want to gag. But he had to be strong, as his friend was lying unconscious, once again.

    ¡°You think he never stopped taking drugs?¡± Alexei asked with his arms crossed. His eyes were closed, probably because they were tearing from the incense. Evan could swear that they were doing this just to shoo away visitors. The only people who could bear this smell were the ones who were comatose.

    ¡°Probably so,¡± he said with a choked voice. He looked at Alec¡¯s unconscious visage and sighed deeply. He was currently sitting on a chair, hunched over and supporting his head with his hands. His shoulder-length red hair curtained his face, blocking his friends from seeing his miserable expression.

    ¡°We should have noticed. I swear we did everything to monitor him,¡± Thomas muttered. There was no need to, as the three had gone through this together. They all knew that Alec should have had no way of getting his hands on more dangerous stuff. At least nothing that would knock him into a coma.

    ¡°I know,¡± Evan said. He was the person who had spent the most time with Alec out of the three. Therefore, he was the one who had been affected the most. ¡°I know but still¡­¡±

    ¡°He suddenly left the exam, ran to the infirmary, and collapsed in front of it,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Is that the actions of a normal, healthy person?¡±

    ¡°Will he ever wake up again?¡± Alexei changed the topic. He knew that the others didn¡¯t have an answer, but still asked anyway.

    ¡°He will,¡± Evan said. He didn¡¯t know why he trusted Alec that much, but he knew he would make it through somehow.

    ¡°What if he loses his memory again?¡± Thomas asked while fiddling his thumbs. Both Alexei and Evan turned their heads to look at him but didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Can you guys leave me alone for a little bit?¡± Evan asked. There wasn¡¯t anger in his voice. His face was an ugly frown, Alexei and Thomas assumed he was about to cry, so they left to give him some space.

    When the duo left the room, Evan¡¯s bitter expression disappeared. An angry and resolute glare of his washed over Alec as he straightened his posture.

    ¡®Alec didn¡¯t do this to himself,¡¯ he thought. Right from the beginning, his own drug theory hadn¡¯t made much sense to Evan. As far as he knew, Alec had been a rather animated person. Although he had a certain coldness in his actions, he wouldn¡¯t really hide his emotions that much. It would either show in his cynicism or his actual daily life.

    ¡®No, Alec wasn¡¯t one to wallow in misery, he has always strived for the better. There is nothing he hates more than taking a step back,¡¯ Evan reminisced. ¡®We were doing disciplinary committee work. He studied well, made a new friend, regained his magic, and got even better at it. He even got a mana brain. He was coping better than anyone else could. So, what triggered this?¡¯

    Then, Evan felt something strange in his mind. It was as if he couldn¡¯t think as he wanted. He had experienced this feeling many times before, but for some reason, he remembered the feeling only now.

    ¡®This feeling¡­ It will disappear again. I will forget and become oblivious once more,¡¯ he thought to himself. He knew there was only one option to hold onto it. A desperate measure, something that would change him for the rest of his life.

    Without further ado, Evan willed up his system panel.

    [Name: Evan Coates

    Level: 26

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Strength: 15

    Agility: 16

    Health: 15

    Mind: 20

    Mana: 25

    Points: 36]

    Evan¡¯s eyes wandered over his stats. Pristinely well-adjusted, ready for explosive growth, and an exemplary distribution for a close combat mage. He was well over the average level of an academy student. If he were to keep his stats this way for longer and train for a few more years, he would be on his way to becoming a legend well into his eighties.

    However, a crazed determination flashed past his eyes.

    ¡®If it¡¯s for Alec, if it¡¯s for him, it is worth it,¡¯ he thought. There was no hesitation in his mind. Only a blazing fury against something he didn¡¯t even know existed. ¡®If someone can do it, it is Alec.¡¯

    Taking a deep breath, Evan slammed his system panel with vigor. A few seconds later, years of his hard work had slipped away. His entire life¡¯s worth of accumulation, all poured into a single stat.

    [Mind: 56]

    As soon as he confirmed the stat distribution, Evan¡¯s eyes started shaking. He started seizing in his chair and toppled over shortly after. The sudden increase in his mind stat was too sudden for him to be able to handle.

    ¡®I can endure! This is¡­ This is nothing compared to¡­¡¯ he thought as he looked at Alec, who was silently lying in his bed.

    Frothing from his mouth, Evan pushed himself off of the ground. Wiping his mouth with his arm, he started thinking. Right now, his mind stat would probably be higher than the average Professor, as the mages usually spent more points on their mana, rather than mind. Only a few mages who focused more on academics and research would distribute evenly between their mana and mind stats.

    As Evan¡¯s mind churned, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

    ¡®Something has been going on in the academy for a long time,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Why did I notice it now?¡¯

    Then, he looked around. Everything seemed to be the same, but there was an unnerving stillness to his surroundings. He closed his eyes and punched through a mental threshold. The increase in his mind stat had caused a fundamental change in his thought patterns. Although they were taught that the mind stat wasn¡¯t directly effective in making a person smarter, that was true for the average student. Once someone had enough points in a certain stat, they would start having qualitative changes.

    ¡®Anti-memetic magic,¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡®There is something in this room and I can¡¯t perceive it. But that is not important.¡¯

    ¡®The reason I managed to realize, to react, wasn¡¯t because I changed,¡¯ he thought to himself. Everything was starting to make more and more sense. ¡®Whatever is doing this to us, it is getting slowly weaker. It is making more mistakes. And the more mistakes it makes, the more we remember.¡¯

    ¡®Alec has become more erratic lately. He leaves the dorm at night without saying anything, he stares in a random direction for a long time without talking. If someone were to watch his life from a third-person perspective, they would be confused as to what was going on. It¡¯s as if his life is fragmented, and he is living a few separate lives at the same time,¡¯ Evan thought. He started pacing around the room. ¡®But what I know is, he has been fighting against this thing without us knowing. Hell, he might have not known it himself. How can something be strong enough to control the minds of an entire academy like this? An academy of mages at that! I doubt Alec has the ability to constantly put up a fight against this accursed being. It is too strong.¡¯

    ¡®So, he must have made some preparations. Something that would lead him to the truth. Where did it go all haywire?¡¯ Evan kept following those thoughts. ¡®Or did it go haywire at all? Is this a part of his plans? Is there no one I can ask for help? Someone similar to¡­ Alec..?¡¯

    Finally, Evan understood what he had to do. He stormed out of the room without looking back. Alexei and Thomas were standing next to the door, waiting for him to come out. Both were surprised by his sudden departure, as they couldn¡¯t even call out to him.

    ¡°Hey! Where are you¡ª?¡± Alexei was about to shout before Thomas stopped him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. This is probably something we shouldn¡¯t meddle in,¡± he said with a grim frown.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Evan has always come to us willingly in these matters. If he is not asking for help, it is either that we can¡¯t help, or we shouldn¡¯t help,¡± Thomas explained. Alexei nodded with a bitter expression, stood still for a few moments, and sighed.

    ¡°But should we really do nothing at all?¡±

    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Thomas asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°Why not do what we can, when we can? If we can¡¯t help, we can ask for it from someone else,¡± Alexei suggested. After the duo looked at each other silently for a few seconds, they nodded at the same time and turned around to head for their destination.

    As the infirmary building calmed down, Alec was left alone in the room.

    For a moment, everything seemed to stand still. Then, a piece of wet cloth that had been on the bedside table seemingly started floating. The cloth caressed Alec¡¯s face gently, then went back down to its previous place.

    An ethereal sob echoed throughout the room before disappearing into the uncaring wind¡­

 Chapter 41 | Assembling the Pieces

    ¡°Ugh¡­ What just happened?¡± Alec muttered as his consciousness started coming back ever so slowly. As far as he knew, he had just been in his room, thinking of a topic for his new novel. Now, however, he felt weird. ¡®Did I die?¡¯ he thought as he barely managed to crack open his eyes. All the light gushing in made him flinch.

    Then, he remembered his conversation with the book person.

    Taking in his surroundings, Alec¡¯s first thought was simple.

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯ he cursed in his head as he looked at the white walls and the square-tiled floors. He found the bed he was lying to be a bit too soft for his liking. Then he looked around once more to notice the lack of medical equipment. ¡®Well, I¡¯m clearly not inside a hospital. Not a modern one at least,¡¯ he joked to himself. However, before he could laugh at his own joke, he thought about it again.

    His eyes then widened as he lifted the white sheets covering him.

    ¡®This¡­ This isn¡¯t my body! I have been transmigrated? I thought that was some kind of weird dream!¡¯ he thought. The lean but full muscles under his skin made Alec shiver. They seemed incredibly well-trained. He admired whoever the previous owner of this body was. ¡®The guy¡­ What was he called again? Alec? He sculpted himself like a statue. Am I in some sort of fantasy world? This is unbelievable¡­¡¯

    ¡®System,¡¯ he mentally commented. He was a seasoned web novel author after all. He knew that he would have a golden finger one way or another. At his command, a status window appeared in front of him.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 26

    Agility: 26

    Health: 27

    Mind: 23

    Mana: 28]

    ¡®Huh¡­ The language is a bit weird, but I can read it for some reason¡­¡¯ he mentally muttered. The language was blatantly alien but felt familiar. ¡®I wonder how those stats compare to the average person?¡¯

    Then, something else attracted his attention.

    ¡®What is this thing?¡¯

    In between his chest muscles was a magic-circle-like shape. What he found the most interesting was its intricacy. The details on it were incredibly fine. So much so that it would be impossible even for cutting-edge technology from his previous life to replicate.

    ¡®Magic sure is interesting,¡¯ he thought. The magic circle was hypnotizing. Alec could almost feel it calling out to him. That feeling lasted until he noticed that he actually knew something about this magic circle.

    ¡±Mana brain¡­¡± he muttered. ¡®What? Why do I know all this stuff? It¡¯s¡­ Are my memories merging with the previous owner of the body? But why would I only receive this piece of memory? What does it signify?¡¯

    Without further ado, Alec closed his eyes to feel his mana. It was almost instinctual. As if he had done it many times before, the mana brain activated, dizzying him in the process. Before Alec could mentally express how confused he was, the sudden addition to his neural network started bombarding him with memories.

    At first, Alec¡¯s brows rose with curiosity. However, as memory after memory came back, that curious expression became a grimace.

    ¡®I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m back¡­¡¯ he thought. The memories were very fragmented, maybe a total of three or four days at best. However, they were enough to give him the necessary knowledge of what he had to do. His previous self seemed to have been in a hurry when he prepared the memory package.

    ¡®The previous Alec¡ª no. The previous me told me a simple thing,¡¯ he thought as he revised the memories. ¡®I should go to the library¡¯s second level. I don¡¯t know why, but he seems to have thought that I would find the answers I¡¯m looking for there.¡¯

    As he sat there in deep contemplation, Alec felt a jolt coming from the mana brain.

    Turning his head, he noticed that the room¡¯s door had been opened, and two people had come in.

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    ¡°You are¡­ Iris and Evan?¡± Alec muttered. Hearing him talk, the red-haired guy and the timid white-haired girl both flinched in joy.

    ¡°You remember!¡±

    ¡°Welcome back!¡±

    The duo jumped at him and took him into a tight hug. Alec smiled wryly at their enthusiasm.

    ¡°Only bits and parts. The past me has left some messages.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Iris asked. Now that the excitement had passed, she seemed to be baffled by the fact that Alec had managed to retain this much.

    ¡°Mana brain,¡± Alec said. He didn¡¯t explain further, as he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do so even if he wanted to. He closed his eyes for a brief second. Evan and Iris stepped back to give him space. ¡°I have to reach the second level of the library. What are the results of the exam? And how many days has it been?¡±

    ¡°You did it,¡± Evan said. He looked at Alec¡¯s chest for a brief moment and then continued. ¡°First place. You will be able to go there right before the mid-term holiday. Only a day has passed. You woke up pretty quickly.¡±

    ¡°Mid-term holiday?¡± Alec asked. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything about it in the memory package left to him.

    ¡°Mm. The week after the exams is a holiday,¡± Evan explained.

    ¡°Which means?¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow, there will be an award ceremony. You will be taken there after that I think,¡± Evan explained. ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen afterward.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Alec muttered. As he contemplated the memories in his head, something weird caught his eye. ¡°You two¡­ Why did you come here together? My memories don¡¯t tell me that you have interacted much in the past. Or did the past me just not bother mentioning it to me?¡±

    Evan and Iris looked at each other for a second before Evan answered.

    ¡°No, we barely know each other,¡± he said. ¡°After you collapsed, I reached out to her.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡± Alec asked. Although the answer was inside the memory package left to him, nowhere was he told that Evan knew anything.

    ¡°She is the only one who has lost her memories like you. Also, you have been hanging out with her lately way too much. Not to mention the fact that you agreed to a completely meaningless challenge to keep her by your side.¡± Evan continued his explanation. ¡°I thought that she might be the only person that could help us in this ordeal.¡±

    ¡°Ordeal?¡± Alec asked. ¡°You are¡­ Aware?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have increased my mind stat a little bit,¡± Evan said expressionlessly. Alec then turned toward Iris.

    ¡°You¡­ The past me told me that you have some sort of innate resistance,¡± he mumbled. No matter how much they wanted to talk further about the topic, that being would come and wipe them once more if they spoke too much. The fact that they were able to know that there was something wrong with the academy was a testament to the weakening of the being.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Iris said. ¡°I have recently remembered some¡­ Requests from you. That¡¯s why I went searching. But I forgot what I was searching for in the middle of it and went into a loop.¡±

    ¡°A loop?¡± Alec asked. His gaze shifted toward Evan.

    ¡°She was constantly switching between following two different people,¡± Evan explained briefly.

    ¡°If Evan didn¡¯t find me, I might have eventually starved to death because I had practically forgotten all about myself,¡± she said. ¡°I think that being came for me after attacking you.¡±

    ¡°Probably. It went through most of my memories. There was no way for it not to notice you.¡± Alec said. He thoughtfully hunched in the bed and placed his head on the back of his hands before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for endangering you,¡± he said. Even still, he knew that what had to be done, had to be done. Some part of Alec told him that sacrifices were inevitable in the path to salvation.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± Iris answered. Ever so slowly, her decisive nature seemed to be coming back.

    ¡°Did you at least manage to get the necessary information?¡± Alec asked. Which Iris promptly nodded in answer to.

    ¡°As you have said, completely normal students have started acting erratically. Their actions are becoming more and more unhinged,¡± Iris said. All three knew what that meant. Not everybody was like them. Alec had high amounts of points in his mind and mana stats, had a cluster of memories that were immune to erasure because they didn¡¯t reside in his brain, and was a person with good control over his own mind. Evan had a mind stat that was unimaginably high for an academy student, and Iris seemed to have an innate resistance to anti-memetic magic.

    If even their memories were being erased, and that caused their personalities to change, how could the normal students stand on their own?

    ¡°Good job Iris,¡± Alec muttered. Just as he was about to continue with another question, the door of the room was opened, revealing familiar faces.

    ¡°You are awake?¡± Alexei asked as he went in. Behind him were six other people. One was expectedly Thomas. However, the other five were not people Alec had expected to see so soon.

    The first two who followed them inside were Edward and Douglas. These two were Senior students who would be graduating soon. While Edward would return to whichever prestigious family he came from, Douglas would probably go searching for jobs. Alec personally felt like he would do a great job as a bodyguard, but that was something Douglas had to decide on his own.

    The other three who followed them were the three disciplinary committee members Alec had painstakingly recruited after a bunch of interviews, which he, unfortunately, lost the memories of.

    ¡°Yes. Thanks for visiting. But I can¡¯t help but be curious about why this many people came over,¡± Alec answered.

    ¡°We want to know what is happening,¡± Thomas said loudly. ¡°And we want to help if we can help with it.¡±

    This was the first time Alec heard the guy talk that assertively, which made him involuntarily smile.

    Although he was about to tell them that everything was okay and they didn¡¯t need help, the mana brain which had been thinking about the information given by the Iris alerted him to an approaching danger.

    ¡°Actually, we might need your help¡­¡±

 Chapter 42 | Read Them Like A Book

    Alec had always been an author at heart. Maybe because of his nature, maybe because of the amount of books he had read in his formative years, he had the habit of treating people as if they were characters in a book. At least that was how he treated people he didn¡¯t know.

    Most authors had a habit of writing expandable, one-dimensional characters. And Alec was no different. But, writing a one-dimensional character was an art on its own. Because such a character was more of a natural force rather than a human, they had to be written differently from one.

    Alec had devised a simple strategy to write the most effective fodder characters, and that was to give them a singular emotion. If he needed a petty antagonist, he would fuel them with hate and watch them try to destroy everything that came their way. If he wanted a character that stood by the protagonist, he would give them an unending sense of loyalty.

    Obviously, real humans had more than one emotion. Although they could act like mob characters in certain situations, that would be merely situational. But what if that wasn¡¯t the case? What if there were people who were made up of a singular emotion?

    This was what made Alec realize the dire situation they were in.

    Memories are the essential building block of a human¡¯s personality. What if people lost a huge amount of their memories, and only a handful amount of them remained? They would start losing their emotions and become hyper-focused, one-dimensional people.

    ¡®And that¡¯s how a mob character is born,¡¯ Alec thought. As the people in the room kept staring at him for further explanation, he sighed deeply. ¡®The more that thing devours memories and destroys personalities, the more people will become mob characters. Mere extras. So, this academy will start lining up with my assumptions of a generic magic academy.¡¯

    ¡®And what happens in a generic magical academy?¡¯ he contemplated. There was going to be an award ceremony the day after, and if Alec managed to go through the award ceremony, he would be able to go to the second level of the library. Where he would presumably solve the mystery behind the academy. ¡®There is no way the award ceremony is held without any problems. Even if my theory is wrong, that thing won¡¯t let me go to the library without a fight.¡¯

    ¡°Iris, do you have a list of the people I asked you to follow?¡± Alec asked. Iris nodded and searched through her bag for a few short moments before handing him a couple of papers.

    ¡°All are written there.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Alec answered as he browsed through. He then shifted his gaze toward the new disciplinary committee members.

    These three hand-picked members were all CQC mages. To the left, trying to hide behind Evan timidly was a girl with short black hair. The funny thing was, she was taller than Evan by at least a head, placing her somewhere between 195 and 200 centimeters (6¡¯ 4¡± ¨C 6¡¯ 5¡±). The girl was called Lea and had a rather muscular body, somewhat similar to that of Alec, albeit taller. Unlike Evan who focused mainly on magical gauntlets, she was a close-range spellcaster relying on her agility to quickly cast low-cost spells at point-blank range. However, she could still hold her own when it came to fistfighting because of her size.

    The other guy was called Mark. He had brown hair and hazel eyes and was relatively short for a close combat mage. He was more of an assassin specialization with unarmed enhancement and anti-memetic spells.

    The last one was named Archer and was the only one who used a weapon. He had a magical staff spear, both usable as a spear for close combat and as a spellcasting aid. Alec would be lying if he didn¡¯t feel slightly jealous. Fortunately enough, he would be taking his revenge later by replicating the thing with The Author¡¯s Pen.

    ¡°Thank you all for coming,¡± Alec thanked sincerely. Although these committee members didn¡¯t trust him deeply or anything, he didn¡¯t need such a thing from them. He was their boss after all. ¡°Although this is a bit of a personal ordeal, I have some tasks for each of you.¡±

    Seeing the three nod along, Alec started explaining.

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    ¡°I have recently noticed some strange behavior from a group of students,¡± he said. ¡°I suspect that they might be involved in some heinous plan. Although this is just an observation, it¡¯s better to be prepared for what is to come.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you report this to the Professors?¡± Archer asked with crossed arms. He was a bona-fide skepticist, who questioned pretty much anything.

    Alec shook his head in answer and explained.

    ¡°No. Depending on the professor we go and talk to, we might alert the other side to our actions. They might be colliding with some of the teachers,¡± Alec said. After all, some of the professors could have also lost their memories and become mob characters. He didn¡¯t know who the entity would mix into the situation. It was better to not alert the authorities. ¡°I want all of you to be safe.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Archer muttered. Although he didn¡¯t seem too convinced, he still accepted the explanation.

    Asking for a few pages and a pen, Alec grouped some names and wrote them onto different papers before handing over the lists to the trio.

    ¡°I want you all to look into these students discreetly,¡± he said. ¡°However, while looking into them, I want you to check into each other¡¯s search every hour. No matter what happens. Even if you are about to learn something about your target, stop your operation and go look for each other.¡±

    Seeing the trio¡¯s confused expressions, Alec didn¡¯t explain further but turned to Evan.

    ¡°Can you check on them, let¡¯s say¡­ Every three hours?¡± he asked. Evan nodded along. Seeing him agree, the trio seemed to relax a little bit.

    ¡°I am feeling a little bit ignored,¡± Edward suddenly said. He had a bitter smile on his face. He had been ripped away from his student council work after all. Switching his gaze toward the disciplinary committee for a short few seconds, Alec kindly asked them to leave the room and start the operations.

    As they closed the door behind them, Alec¡¯s expression became grim. This sudden change alerted both Edward and Douglas.

    ¡°I assume this isn¡¯t as simple as you made it seem to them,¡± Douglas guessed. ¡°How probable is a skirmish?¡±

    ¡°It seems so to me too. If needed, I¡¯m ready to fight for this academy,¡± Edward chimed in. Alec¡¯s brows rose in surprise. He was readying himself to convince the two by using some deception.

    ¡°You trust me?¡± Alec asked. The question was directed toward the two at the same time.

    ¡°Of course. If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have made you the head of the disciplinary committee. It was created for exactly this type of situation after all,¡± Edward said. Alec used to think of him as a sly person, someone who controlled things from behind the scenes. Now, however, Edward had a blazing glint similar to that of a lion ready to fight for its life in his eyes. ¡°When the authorities are occupied, distracted, or simply dysfunctional, it is the duty of the youth to take over. We might lack the power, but we compensate for it in fervor and chauvinism. Not to mention, I have also started feeling like something is going on in the academy.¡±

    If Alec was actually as young as these people and was actually born in this world, he might have been impressed, or even motivated by these words.

    ¡®This guy is the perfect leader,¡¯ he thought. He then turned his head toward Douglas.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m simply here for the fun. It seemed like I could find some new uses for some magic missiles,¡± Douglas simply commented, which destroyed the emotional atmosphere in the room.

    ¡°Great,¡± Alec said honestly. ¡°Be ready to fight to the bitter end on the day of the award ceremony. Things might go haywire very quickly. Because of our lack of power, we will have to stick together and blitz through the battle if needed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡± Edward asked. His brows furrowed. ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t tell us more about it?¡±

    Alec shook his head. Which Edward didn¡¯t question further.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay then,¡± he said. ¡°I will mobilize some people who I find trustworthy. For now, I will go back to my student council work.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alec said. Edward and Douglas exited the room, leaving Alec, his dorm mates, and Iris together. ¡°I assume we too are exempt from this knowledge,¡± Alexei asked emotionlessly. Alec nodded hesitantly in answer. He couldn¡¯t explain anything even if he wanted to.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll leave now,¡± Alexei continued. ¡°This place makes my head feel weird.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Alec nodded. After Alexei and Thomas left too, the tension in the room finally went down.

    ¡°Why do you think the professors haven¡¯t noticed the situation yet?¡± Evan suddenly asked. Alec didn¡¯t know if he was trying to change the topic or if he was genuinely curious. ¡°You think they are actually working in tandem with the being?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Alec answered. He had seen plenty of signs from a lot of professors that they were being influenced too. He specifically had doubts about Professor Isabel, who had become unreasonably aggressive lately. ¡°My theory is, the being is exerting more energy to suppress the professors. That¡¯s one of the reasons why we are currently capable of having this conversation.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Evan muttered. Then, a bitter smile appeared on his face. ¡°It¡¯s great that we three are together like the old times.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Alec instinctively asked. He looked at Iris and noticed that she was also smiling similarly. ¡°What ¡®old times¡¯? Didn¡¯t you meet just today?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Evan muttered. Then, he realized that something had happened to his memories once again. ¡°You are right, it has always been us two,¡± he said to Alec with a chuckle.

    ¡°Yep¡­¡± Alec muttered. However, somewhere in his heart, he felt a deep sadness in that statement. ¡°Just the two of us¡­¡±

 Chapter 43 | Emotion Overflow

    The next day went by in a flash as Alec readied himself for whatever was to come. Fortunately, he had previously stacked up on mana potions. So, he could dope himself before the award ceremony in case things went haywire. Furthermore, he made some other preparations that could come in handy, such as readying some daggers and hidden weapons.

    He also contemplated whether or not he should have made a handgun of sorts, but decided against it. If he knew the inner workings of a gun, he would¡¯ve definitely taken the chance. Unfortunately, he was as clueless as any other average citizen to gun manufacturing. There was a very good chance he would fall into a mana coma if he tried it.

    ¡®Maybe one day, I can progress the technological level of this world subtly,¡¯ he thought to himself as he adjusted his necktie. He was about to receive an award, after all, he had to look as well as he could.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ This is hard man,¡± Douglas muttered next to him. They were currently inside a dressing room behind the amphitheater. Turning his head, Alec noticed that Douglas was still fiddling with his necktie.

    ¡°How can you get the third place in your grade level but can¡¯t tie your own necktie?¡± Alec asked, baffled. Douglas was pretty much a well-adjusted nutcase in his eyes. ¡®The guy has to keep himself occupied with magic missiles, or else, god knows what he would do,¡¯ he thought. Then he turned his head to look at the other four students around him.

    There were three award winners from every grade level, which totaled up to nine people receiving awards at the end of every exam week. Three of those award-winners were female students, so they were in another changing room.

    ¡°Excited?¡± Alec asked Edward who was getting ready by his side. Edward first turned to look at him, then went back to obsessively straightening the sleeves of his shirt under the jacket.

    ¡°More worried than excited actually,¡± he answered. ¡°With all the stuff we have to deal with after all¡­ And the reward for the first-term third-year students isn¡¯t even that good.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ They are different for each term?¡± Alec asked. Edward coughed and finally released his arms in satisfaction before plopping down on a nearby chair.

    ¡°Yeah. There are some things you can¡¯t give younger students after all,¡± he said while massaging his temples with his fingers.

    ¡°Such as?¡± Alec asked before sitting down next to him. He could feel his stomach churning in anxiety. After all, there was a chance that he would be having his first real fight in this world slightly later.

    ¡°For example, the first-place reward for the second term exams of the third grade is a mana brain,¡± he said. ¡°You can¡¯t try giving that to first graders who are barely eighteen, can you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Alec said, scratching his chest uncomfortably.

    ¡°Speaking of mediocre rewards, what about you?¡± Edward asked. ¡°I remember doing a lot of research into my opponents to get the second place back then. A mana eye is much better than some cryptic books you can barely understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± Alec said. ¡°And I want to see if I can find some stuff about gravity magic. That aside, you got a mana eye? Where?¡±

    ¡°Still hung up on gravity magic? I hope you manage to figure out something then,¡± Edward answered. He lifted his sleeve and pulled on it slightly to reveal a magic circle etched into his wrist. ¡°Comes in handy. You can hide it with clothes and with a flick of your hand, you can get a better understanding of your surroundings.¡±

    Hearing his answer, Alec contemplated why Iris would have had the mana eye etched onto her forehead.

    As their conversation seemed to come to an end, Edward put his hand over his ear for a second and looked in a random direction for a few seconds. ¡°Stay alert.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡± Alec asked.

    ¡°Short distance communication device. An ancient artifact,¡± Edward responded. ¡°The people I called in have noticed something weird with the students. It seems that you were right after all.¡±

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    ¡°I was hoping that I wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Alec muttered. As everyone seemed to have gotten ready, both he and Edward got up. Douglas, too, came to their side. ¡°Your necktie is crooked,¡± Alec said defeatedly. After adjusting it for him, they went out and started walking through the corridors that led to the stage.

    ¡°Keep your eyes open out there,¡± Edward said with a coarse voice. He raised his arm and undid a button on his sleeve, creating a very small opening where the mana eye could see through. Then, a flash of light passed through his eyes as his body was covered with a golden hue. Then that golden hue disappeared. His movements seemed to have become more relaxed.

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Douglas confirmed with a blank expression. He flicked his wrist and about fifteen magic circles flickered into existence around him instantly. Then they disappeared like they had never been there.

    Seeing their movements, the other three award winners also noticed something was going on. With practiced ease, they seemed to switch to a combat-ready mode.

    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯ Alec mentally exclaimed. ¡®Douglas and Edward aside, why do these students seem so¡­ Ready?¡¯

    Putting aside the thought for now, Alec woke the mana brain up. He then took out a bunch of potions he had hidden in his pocket and started downing them one by one while walking. His friends threw him a few curious glances before going back to minding their own business.

    As the last drops of the potion entered his mouth, Alec felt a shock run through his spinal cord, making him shake his head rapidly. Then the next second, he felt his entire body fill with incredible amounts of energy.

    When the low-grade regeneration, body, and mind enhancement potions kicked in, Alec received at least several points of temporary increase in all of his stats. He then tightened both his fists and gauged his power.

    ¡®I feel like I can punch a hole through the wall,¡¯ Alec mentally commented. He then shifted his attention toward the huge double gate in front of him. This was the only thing between them and the crowd outside.

    Checking the weapons he had hidden in his pockets, belt, and a plethora of other places, Alec took a deep breath and looked at his friends.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Edward asked with a sharp glint in his eyes. Alec nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°Ready.¡±

    As Douglas relaxed his shoulders by rolling them, they heard their names being called one by one from the stage, which indicated that the time for their entrance had come.

    Walking further, Alec raised his hands and pushed open the gate with ease. This move of his attracted attention from both Edward and Douglas, as the gate was pretty heavy. Each one of them would have been able to push one side of the gate open using both their hands and would have a hard time doing so. Edward seemed to be particularly satisfied with the fact that Alec was so strong, as one side of his mouth rose into a small smirk for a few seconds before it went back down.

    As their curiosity dissipated with time, they took in the bubbly atmosphere of the amphitheater. If they weren¡¯t facing a dangerous situation, they, too, would have been capable of enjoying it.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Douglas muttered. He grabbed his chin and squinted his eyes slightly. ¡°This is not normal. Pay attention, when has the amphitheater been this rowdy? I say, never. This academy is filled with a bunch of hardasses normally. They are not this animated.¡±

    ¡°Although your perception of the student body bugs me a little bit, I can¡¯t disagree,¡± Edward commented further, which made Alec raise his brow. He scoured the viewers in the further away side of the amphitheater with the help of the mana brain and noticed that they were right. By now, not only were the students chatting more, but their body language was also more erratic and aggressive.

    ¡°This makes me even more worried now,¡± one of the other award winners suddenly said. They kept their cool while walking to the rostrum. The one who spoke was Zac Fraser, the freshman who had challenged Edward to a duel at the opening ceremony. ¡°This might indicate¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Edward and Douglas muttered at the same time. Alec wanted to ask them what they were talking about, but unfortunately, they had already arrived at the middle of the stage, where Professor Hunter was giving his speech.

    ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m happy to announce the¡­¡± he kept talking in his monotone voice. The man might have been a legendary, almost level 100 fire mage, but his speeches definitely weren¡¯t at a similar level to his magical accomplishments.

    As the man kept speaking, Alec turned his head to look at the female students who had won awards and was surprised to see a familiar face.

    ¡°Iris?¡± he asked confusedly. Although they had kept contact the last two days, she hadn¡¯t told him anything about her being a ranker. ¡°How did you even manage to score that high? Didn¡¯t you lose your memories?¡±

    ¡°Like you are the one to talk,¡± Iris snorted. Slowly but surely, her cool demeanor was coming back.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Alec chuckled. However, before he could speak further, Iris pointed toward a certain direction with furrowed brows.

    When Alec shifted his gaze, he noticed that a certain spot amidst the audience was becoming rowdier and rowdier.

    In the crowd, a particular student was convulsing with his back arched, a mix of reddish light pouring out of his eyes and mouth. The students around him started distancing themselves as fast as possible, right before the student suddenly unleashed a black-colored wave of mana around him.

    For a second, the stadium went silent. Then, Professor Hunter noticed what was going on. Immediately, red bursts of flames erupted around him, rushing toward the student who had lost his mind.

    As everyone in the stadium started noticing what was happening, Edward shouted with anger.

    ¡°Demonic incursion! Brace yourselves!¡±

 Chapter 44 | Let Them Be Cleansed

    ¡°Demonic Incursion!¡± Edward shouted with anger. When Alec turned his head to gaze at him, he noticed that Edward had raised his hand toward the air, his palm facing outward. In an instant, a golden light showered out from his hand. This golden light rained down on the students and the teachers like the autumn rain. When he, too, was affected by it, Alec noticed his mind to relax. He was definitely still anxious, but he could think more clearly.

    The first question he had was why Professor Hunter could use an attack spell inside the array. Of course, he could have had a special privilege, but the man announced calmly before Alec could consider that option.

    ¡°To all the student body and teachers, the spell reflective supreme ward array has been punctured! Take formation!¡± he said. As the students kept trying to distance themselves from the black mana, another one toppled over to the ground, laying there for a short second before he also started showing signs of demonization.

    Alec was really far away from the black-colored mana, however, even he could feel its malevolent aura from that distance.

    ¡®What the fuck is a demon incursion? Did they infiltrate the school beforehand?¡¯ Alec thought to himself. For some reason, this was the first time he had ever heard of demons in this world.

    One by one, students started bursting into black mana flames and started being consumed by it. Their flesh bloated and their eyeballs fell out. However, the fallen eyeballs were quickly replaced by more eyes growing on their newly gained flesh. Although Professor Howard and a few other quick-reacting professors were suppressing them with sheer firepower, the things seemed to have some resistance against most magic. They either regenerated too quickly or weren¡¯t damaged at all by attacks.

    However, none of this surprised Alec. What surprised him was the way that the student body had been reacting to the situation. Unexpectedly, instead of scattering around like a bunch of bugs who had just had a rock lifted off of them, they were starting to form artillery formations with their untainted peers. Whenever a student amongst the formations was to show signs of demonization, either the nearby students would start blasting them apart with magic, or the students themselves would cast destructive magic on themselves and commit suicide on the spot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pity the fallen!¡± One student shouted while slinging a fireball toward one of his fallen peers, which caused the students who had been silently fighting so far to start shouting too.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pity the fallen!¡±

    ¡°Cast the demons away!¡±

    ¡°Let them rest for eternity!¡±

    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± Alec muttered to himself. He seemed to be the only one who found the situation incredibly weird. ¡®Weren¡¯t these supposed to be under 20 years old barely adult magelings? Why the fuck are they this ruthless? Is it an effect of the anti-memetic magic?¡¯

    ¡°Alec!¡± Suddenly someone shouted next to his ear. This was Edward, who had been looking around intently to assess the situation. He nodded his head in a certain direction. When Alec looked, an ugly frown appeared on his face.

    ¡°That is bad¡­¡± he muttered. Unfortunately, Professor Isabel seemed to have burst into black mana flames too. However, unlike the weaker students, she wasn¡¯t convulsing or losing control. She simply overflowed with the miasma and started bloating with flesh. The next moment, the demonization process was completed.

    ¡®Fuck¡­ Even her demonization process was faster¡­¡¯ Alec muttered mentally. She was the first mage who had managed to transform completely. While the professors had managed to keep the other ones under control, Professor Isabel seemed to be on a different level compared to them. Whatever the professors cast on her was dispelled by the black miasma.

    Isabel¡¯s transformed visage was horrible. There were blisters, overgrown veins, hairy tumors, and bloating flesh covering her entire body. Her proportions had been completely thrown out the window. So much so that Alec wondered how she could even stand upright.

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    The next moment, tens of warped, black-colored magic circles appeared around her. From inside, fleshy balls with a green hue covering them launched in every direction. Whenever they hit a student, the student who had gotten hit would topple over and start convulsing before dying in mere moments. Then, those students would be ripped apart from the inside by greenish spiders who would attack anyone on sight. Whenever they killed someone, they would lay their eggs in their corpses.

    If he had to be honest, when he heard the words ¡®demonic incursion,¡¯ Alec was slightly hoping to see some women with horns and sexy clothes, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. These were through and through abominations. Whatever they touched was affected by blight, death, and rot.

    As Professor Isabel transformed, the untainted professors had to change their focus toward both her and the destruction caused by her. The students, too, noticed this and did their best to distance themselves.

    ¡°We can¡¯t let it go on like this,¡± Edward said. ¡°I was hoping that things would be resolved, but with Professor Isabel getting tainted, we can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Douglas simply answered. Afterward, Edward tapped his ear. A second later, ten other students Alec didn¡¯t recognize moved to their side. Just as Edward opened his mouth to ask for them, Alec¡¯s friends approached them too.

    ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Evan said with a short breath. Alec nodded.

    ¡°Think of ourselves as a 23-person task force. We will stick together and cleanse the demons one by one,¡± Edward rained orders at the students he had called.

    ¡°And we will follow them along,¡± Alec tagged along.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not keep wasting any more time. Our peers are being tainted by the moment,¡± Edward said. ¡°Unless we cleanse the transformations at once, the chain reactions will cause everyone with shaky mental states to become tainted. We can¡¯t afford that.¡±

    Then, he looked around at everyone and raised his fist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pity the fallen!¡± he shouted. The rest of the team repeated it back to him before they all launched toward the right side of the stadium, the furthest away location from the tainted Isabel.

    ¡°We have to start from this side as once we engage with her minions, we are not going to disengage,¡± Edward said. It made sense. Even the spawns of the woman were too strong. It was no wonder that she could keep so many professors occupied by herself.

    With decisive steps, Alec followed Edward closely. He could go faster, but it would go against their goal of acting as a blitz team.

    Their first engagement was against three students who had been demonized. The demonized students had done so in close proximity to each other, and their bodies had fused into one during the process. Eight students were bombarding the demonic abomination with artillery spells from as far away as they could. They would rotate their volleys in sync, so the abomination would constantly be under bombardment.

    As they stepped near, Alec approached the students while the rest of his team members started casting.

    ¡°We will take over here friends. Go and help other groups,¡± he said. The eight students nodded and all started running ahead.

    Taking a deep breath, Alec noticed that the abomination had unleashed a ball toward him. Once he squinted his eyes, he noticed the ball to be countless mosquitos holding onto each other. Raising his hand, Alec received a fireball magic circle from the mana brain and launched it toward the thing. Fortunately, the mosquitos weren¡¯t covered by the miasma.

    When the fireball collided, the mosquitos were incinerated immediately.

    ¡°Unleashing barrage! Fire!¡± Edward shouted.

    More than fifteen fireballs and a couple of burst-type magic missiles were launched at once, smashing against the black mana radiating from the abomination. This move was very effective, as the miasma around the monster had dissipated, even if momentarily.

    ¡°Melees!¡± Edward shouted. All the CQC mages rushed toward the abomination from different directions, except Alec.

    ¡®Something¡­ That!¡¯

    Alec looked around in a hurry and grabbed hold of one of the nearby chairs that were attached to the ground with a stone column as thick as his wrist. Flexing his muscles, Alec ripped the seat from the ground and threw it toward the abomination accurately.

    However, that obviously wasn¡¯t all. After throwing the chair, he enhanced its momentum with two quickly cast telekinetic spells.

    First, the chair hit the abomination square in one of the heads protruding from its amalgam body, causing it to explode into smithereens.

    Then, Evan arrived next to it. His fists burst into flames as the motor circles supporting him from his shoulders started rotating like crazy. With a right hook enhanced in strength by the mana motors, he blew off a chunk from the monster. Then, with rapid punches, he started tearing the thing apart.

    Lea threw a small purple bolt into the monster, which then exploded into a small electric shock after entering its body that paralyzed it for a moment.

    At last, Archer stepped forward. The spear in his hands bursting into flames, he swung it in an arc, severing the monster¡¯s remaining two heads at once.

    The abomination started dissipating into small, black mana particles before mixing into the atmosphere.

    ¡°Good fight everyone!¡± Edward shouted. Everyone cheered along and started rushing toward their new target without hesitation.

 Chapter 45 | Blight Ablaze

    ¡°Blasting!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    Another explosion resounded throughout the amphitheater. This was the fifth abomination Alec and his friends had been fighting against, and probably the strongest one.

    ¡°Tentacle from the right!¡± Evan shouted. As the half-a-meter-thick column of flesh whipped through the air, all the CQC mages dodged to the best of their capabilities. While Alec depended on his high agility to do so, the others had to improvise.

    The one having the most trouble so far seemed to be Evan. His breath was becoming rough, and he was starting to lose his edge. As another volley of artillery magic hit the monster, Alec released two knives from his belt and threw them toward it.

    The knives whizzed and split the air before they lodged themselves into the stems of the tentacles protruding from the monster¡¯s body.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Alec cursed. He was hoping the knives would have cut off the tentacles.

    ¡°These- Tentacles-¡± Evan did his best to speak. However, each of his words was cut short by his rapid breathing. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he took another deep breath and continued. ¡°We can¡¯t get near unless we do something about it.¡±

    ¡°If I could use second circle telekinetic magic¡­¡± Alec muttered defeatedly. There was a second circle telekinetic spell called force wave which acted as a ranged cutting attack. If he were to use that, he could have probably cut off the tentacles at once.

    ¡°Then leave it to me!¡± Douglas bellowed with a wide grin on his face. He left his spot in the artillery formation and dashed forward. He jumped up after releasing two magic missiles and hitting his feet with them. His calculations were precise, and the force from the missiles was beautifully distributed. ¡°I learned that from you, Alec!¡±

    As he found himself about two meters above the abomination, he suddenly unleashed four variant magic missiles.

    These were crescent-shaped, cutter magic missiles. In an instant, they hit the monster¡¯s tentacles and severed them in one go.

    ¡°Beautifully executed!¡± Alec shouted as he rushed forward. Disregarding the rot smell infiltrating his nose, He slammed the monster with a punch. The punch itself was so strong that it was followed by a banging noise, similar to that of a gunshot.

    That, however, wasn¡¯t all.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    A purple magic circle appeared around his arm and caused another shockwave to spread throughout the monster¡¯s body.

    ¡°Alec! Get out of there!¡± Edward shouted. Then, knowing that Alec was fast enough, he gave the orders. ¡°Volley! Fire!¡±

    The fireballs rained from the skies like heavenly punishment, and the monster was incinerated into ashes.

    ¡°We should rest for a while,¡± Edward shouted. He knew that Evan wasn¡¯t the only person getting tired on the team. With a quick calculation, he counted about a hundred more abominations other than Professor Isabel. Fortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be more students who were being tainted. And those that had been tainted were already being dealt with by swathes of students.

    As they formed a circle to be aware of their surroundings, Alec sat next to Evan. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a stamina and mana recovery potion.

    ¡°Take these. Tell no one,¡± Alec said. Evan looked at the vials with a bitter expression before grabbing and downing them in one go.

    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± Evan muttered. He looked at the empty vials in his hand momentarily as energy started flowing through his veins. ¡°These are¡­ These are incredibly effective. What grade are these?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s beginner level,¡° Alec said. That was the orthodox equivalent of a very low grade potion.

    ¡°How did¡­¡± Evan muttered. Then, he handed the empty vials back to Alec and hugged his knees. ¡°You know what? Never mind. Thanks for the help.¡±

    Alec smiled at Evan''s resignation. He found Evan to be a really good friend and trusted him enough to at least reveal the potions made by The Author¡¯s Pen.

    ¡®Eventually, you too will come to understand the potion supremacy,¡¯ Alec mentally muttered. His thoughts were disturbed by Edward getting up to speak.

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    ¡°Let¡¯s continue friends. There is much to do,¡± he said. After their short break, the so-called task force of theirs cleansed demon after demon.

    The worst part about these monsters was the fact that they carried countless potent diseases in their bodies. Whenever someone was wounded, the wound would immediately start festering and the disease spreading. For that reason, everyone had to cauterize their wounds with fireballs as soon as they got them.

    Fortunately, no one was mortally wounded. Their team coordination was solid. Although Alec occasionally made mistakes, he was covered by them from every corner. With such backup, he was able to abuse his incredibly high body stats as much as he wanted.

    The demons had a hard time wounding him. And even if they did, because of his high health stat, his body would fight off the diseases very effectively.

    As fight after fight passed, Alec got used to fighting up close with the demons. At the start, he was disgusted by the thought. Now, however, he got a perverse satisfaction from ripping through the demons barehanded.

    Raising his foot, Alec grabbed the disgusting tentacle in front of him with both his hands and brought his foot down. He ripped the tentacle out and threw it away before distancing himself. The monster was hit with another volley of fireballs before it disappeared.

    ¡°That was the last one!¡± Edward shouted. He flicked his hand around to utilize his mana eye. After confirming the last one remaining was Professor Isabel, they finally changed their focus toward her minions.

    Fortunately, they had thousands of students by their side. No matter how low level, they were all mages.

    At this point, there was no need to try and coordinate their attacks. Everyone started launching whatever artillery magic they had toward the tainted Isabel. The hardest job belonged to the CQC mages. Although the professors were doing their best to snipe the minions with their magic, they weren¡¯t doing a very good job multi-tasking between the two.

    As his hair stood on its end, Alec twisted his body at an inhuman speed. A meter-tall blight spider brushed past his face. Unfortunately for the wretched critter, it was facing Alec. Bringing his fist up with all the force he could muster up in that position, he punched the thing square in its abdomen.

    *CRACK

    With a sickening crunch, the thing released a gooey, green substance while getting launched ten meters into the air.

    On the other side, Alec lost his balance and stumbled down to the ground. Noticing another spider on the edge of his vision, he took out a small dagger from the inside of his sleeve and threw it toward it. Unfortunately, this was a hasty action, and his throw missed the target. He had to adjust the knife¡¯s route mid-air with telekinetic magic to hit the monster.

    With a few quick motions, Alec got up and kept weaving through the swathes of spiders around him. The other CQC mages were closer to each other and working in tandem.

    Evan had recovered with the help of Alec¡¯s potions. And he also seemed to be adjusting to the fight. Although he wasn¡¯t faster or stronger than before, his movements were much more calculated. Every dodge he made was purposeful and used the smallest amount of movement he could. His attacks were the same. They always hit the spiders¡¯ weak spots and comboed into another attack.

    ¡®Just how much did he increase his mind stat?¡¯ Alec thought absentmindedly as he dodged another attack.

    However, the next moment, he felt his heart stop in horror. Cold sweat poured from his back. Every cell in his body urged him to dodge, and his mana churned in anxiety. The mana brain started pinging him like crazy, to move, to wake him up from his daze. However, the only thing Alec could manage in time was to turn his head slightly to see the demonized Isabel rushing toward him at breakneck speed.

    ¡°Come here filthy bastard!¡± she shouted. Her strangled and coarse voice aside, every time she opened and closed her mouth, blood, pus, and goo would spurt out.

    However, Alec suddenly felt an incredible amount of force throw him off his feet. He had been launched off of the tainted Isabel¡¯s path.

    ¡°Stupid bastard! Focus on the fight instead of worrying about others!¡± A voice shouted next to his head. This was Professor Andrew. He had utilized a high-level telekinetic spell to launch Alec toward himself.

    Placing Alec aside, he slapped the ground. A huge magic circle appeared, and both of them flew up into the air. Although Alec was disoriented at first, he quickly adjusted to the sensation of flying.

    Just as Alec opened his mouth to speak, Professor Andrew cast another spell to launch them in another direction.

    The crazed Isabel was disregarding everything and chasing after Alec as fast as she could.

    While escaping, Alec noticed blue sparks around Professor Andrew¡¯s head. Then, when he looked around, he noticed that the blue sparks had appeared for everyone. As far as he knew, this was a sign of their memories being edited.

    ¡°Alec! You came here for the library, right?¡± Professor Andrew shouted. ¡°I can feel my memories dissipating! Something is utilizing both memory magic and anti-memetic magic to play with us. You have to get to the library!¡±

    Alec was baffled at the Professor¡¯s words. He had never seen a professor be so aware of the situation.

    ¡°The second level of the library contains an incredible amount of written knowledge. It will mess with anti-memetic magic,¡± he continued. Every now and then, he would have to change his direction mid-air to dodge the tainted Isabel¡¯s attacks. The situation had escalated into an outright aerial dogfight. ¡°This thing, it has too much effect over the professors! And its energy seems to be coming back. In a short while, no one here will remember a thing about the fact that we are being manipulated.¡±

    Slapping the back of Alec¡¯s head, the man released some mana.

    ¡°I gave you the entrance privilege. You will be safe once inside the second level! Go! Figure out what you have to!¡±

    Casting another spell, he launched Alec off toward the grand library. The landing was going to really hurt, but Alec at least had the telekinetic accomplishment necessary to soften it down.

    While getting thrown, Alec turned around to see Professor Andrew engaging in close combat with the tainted Isabel to tie her down. Or else, she would have come after him without stopping.

    Gritting his teeth, Alec shifted his gaze back to the library.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 46 | Grotesque

    As he flew through the air, Alec got a bird¡¯s eye view of the academy grounds. Although he wanted to take in the scenery, he had to cast a spell before landing. Or else, he would turn into a flesh mound with broken pieces of bones scattered throughout on impact.

    With the help of the mana brain, Alec lowered his velocity to the best of his abilities. The further he got from the amphitheater, the fainter the explosions became. Fortunately, most of the student body was gathered there. Although it would have reduced the spreading effect of the demonic taint if they weren¡¯t, it would have also made it harder to find the demonized students one by one and take care of them.

    Trying to land on the ground heroically, Alec stumbled and rolled for a few meters, scattering dirt in every direction. Gathering himself, he jumped up and started running toward the library. The building was grandiose and could be spotted from almost every part of the academy grounds.

    On his way, Alec noticed that his shoes had started heating up from all the friction. It would hold on for now but if his stats were any higher, they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the load.

    ¡®I will have to deal with this once things are over,¡¯ Alec thought as he made his way.

    Arriving at the front of the library, he pushed open the gate and dashed inside. The place was eerily silent compared to how it normally was. Although there wouldn¡¯t be any chatters, it was always possible to hear page shuffles, pen scratches, coughs, and footsteps. Now, however, none of those were there.

    Still, Alec kept his guard up. He knew that this silence could be deceiving.

    ¡®There could have been some students uninterested in the award ceremony who had come here to study, and then became demonized,¡¯ he thought as he looked around with rapid eye movements. ¡®I have to go to the second level, but don¡¯t know where the stairs are. Maybe I can find a map of sorts around the librarian¡¯s desk.¡¯

    Unfortunately, the librarian¡¯s desk was further into the library. Alec had complained several times about this inconvenient placement. Now, however, this placement issue has become more than a simple inconvenience. To get there, Alec would have to pass through some narrow corridors formed by the bookshelves and would be open to getting ambushed from any direction.

    ¡®Hm¡­ This just won¡¯t work,¡¯ he thought. Alec was, by no means, a good fighter. He was good at planning beforehand, but whenever things escalated, he would get flustered very quickly. He had previously made many mistakes in the middle of fights, which could only be compensated by his absurdly high stats and a lot of potion abuse. ¡®If I get ambushed, I will just fumble around. If the things here are more dangerous than I thought, I might just drop dead without ever reaching the second level.¡¯

    Looking around, Alec took a deep breath and approached a nearby bookshelf. He first placed one of his feet on one of the shelves and pressed down. The wood creaked but didn¡¯t break.

    ¡®Seems stable enough,¡¯ Alec thought. He then pushed on the entire bookshelf and gauged how well it stood its ground. ¡®It feels like these things are fixed to the ground.¡¯

    Confirming that it was stable enough, Alec climbed to the top of the four-meter-tall bookshelf in a few quick motions.

    Once he arrived at the top, Alec took in the scenery. The library¡¯s insides were very big. He had never paid attention to it, but the first floor was probably as big as a football stadium. The tops of the bookshelves were weirdly clean. Alec would have expected such hard-to-reach spots to be full of dust.

    ¡®I suppose they use magic for this,¡¯ he thought. Then, he looked around and located the section where the librarian¡¯s desk would be. He straightened up and took a three-meter leap to the next bookshelf. Planting his feet on the thing, Alec noticed that it was much easier than he had previously thought. ¡®Huh¡­ I must be underestimating the increase in my stats. I barely have any memories with this body right now after all¡­¡¯

    Increasing his pace, Alec ran through the upper side of the library. It took him a few seconds to reach his desired destination. When he did so, however, he didn¡¯t jump down from the top of the bookshelves and crouched to decrease his visibility. If he wasn¡¯t jolted by the mana brain he might have even cursed silently.

    ¡®What the fuck is going on there?¡¯ he thought. Behind the desk, Alec could see a convulsing, pulsating pile of flesh sticking out. Unlike the demons from before, this thing had a more purplish color scheme to it. It had small, spike-like structures poking out from its skin, probably made up of bones. The miasma it was spreading was different from the ones Alec had seen previously. It was a gentle magenta. Fortunately, though, it wasn¡¯t very thick, which seemed like a good way to measure the strength of these demons.

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    Placing his hand on his mouth, Alec looked around and noticed there to be no other demons in the proximity, which was either a very good thing or a very bad thing.

    ¡®It¡¯s either that this thing is completely alone, or it has absorbed the other demons around here,¡¯ Alec thought. They exchanged some ideas with the mana brain, and Alec finally decided to bring out the good old deus ex machina.

    When The Author¡¯s Pen appeared in his hand, Alec felt relieved, and strangely excited. This was going to be the first time he could go all out without any restrictions.

    Holding the pen in his right hand and bringing down its tip onto his left palm, Alec thought for a second. Then, he wrote down the magic he had wanted to try for a long time.

    [Mana Ray]

    As his mana drained, a pristine magic circle appeared in Alec¡¯s hand. He had seen this magic executed by others before, but this was the first time he saw it from up close. As the magic circle formed, Alec unsummoned The Author¡¯s Pen and pointed his palm toward the mound of flesh. The thing must have sensed the shift in mana in the atmosphere, as it jumped up from behind the desk and onto it.

    When he saw the monster in its entirety, Alec felt suffocated. The mound of flesh had fused into a person. This person was the librarian Alec had previously interacted with before. The man was reading some weird stuff but seemed like an amicable person. At least, Alec could say that he didn¡¯t deserve whatever this fate was supposed to be.

    The man¡¯s body was completely limp. On the face attached to his dangling head, his eyes looked dead. The pupils inside were colored an empty purple like the man¡¯s soul had long departed. The mound of flesh had fused into the man¡¯s crotch and spread from there like a tumor. There were visible veins supplying the mound with blood and nutrients. Probably because the blood supply had cut off, the man¡¯s legs had atrophied, turning into twig-like appendages that retained none of their previous utility.

    However, the most disturbing fact was that the man¡¯s actual body was in a prone position, dangling in mid-air. The tumor had grown six insectoid, fleshy legs at some point, and carried the man¡¯s body like he was its thorax. And if looked closely, one could see a pulsating, wriggly organ inside the lump of flesh, similar to a brain.

    Gulping loudly, Alec involved the mana brain to help his aim. Before the monster could react, a blue ray of mana was released from his hand, launching toward it at breakneck speed.

    Although the monster managed to twist its fleshy body in time, it still couldn¡¯t get out of the mana ray¡¯s path completely. The spell hit one of its disgusting legs, ripping it apart and blasting away the monster¡¯s miasma in the process.

    ¡®Shit!¡¯ Alec shouted in his head. Now that the element of surprise was gone, he would have to fight fair and square. ¡®I managed to get one of its legs. Hopefully, that will be enough.¡¯

    As he contemplated his advantages, the abomination skittered across the small opening and started climbing one of the nearby bookshelves. Its fleshy legs hitting the ground made disgusting noises. If he had to be honest, Alec would have much rather heard the normal pitter-patter of a giant spider¡¯s exoskeleton than whatever this was.

    Keeping his body low, Alec wrote with The Author¡¯s Pen and jumped away.

    [Seeker Fireballs]

    Immediately, 5 fireballs appeared from the ground and launched toward the monster, smashing against its miasma. Before the miasma regenerated, Alec would have a short while to do another bout of attack.

    Writing on his arm, Alec cursed at the fact that he couldn¡¯t write on air yet. He had tried to use The Author¡¯s Pen on air before but failed miserably. He had to be incredibly precise while writing, and there was still a very good chance he would mess up the depth of the letters he would write.

    [Grease]

    Grease was a first circle water-type spell that Alec had previously seen in one of his books. Although he barely remembered the magic circle, The Author¡¯s Pen could fill in the blanks with a bit of extra mana.

    As the friction between the monster¡¯s legs and the bookshelves got reduced, it slipped and fell down on its tumor. Alec changed his direction and jumped down, writing another spell onto his palm.

    [Telekinetic Bind]

    The magic circle appeared, rotated, and disappeared in quick succession. Five small purple tendrils extended from the tips of his fingers and attached to the bookshelf the abomination had fallen off from. Grabbing his left wrist with his right hand, Alec utilized all of his strength and body weight to pull on the bookshelf.

    With a creak and a couple of snaps, the bookshelf toppled over and fell on the spider monster, crushing it in the process. Alec didn¡¯t stop there and cast another telekinetic magic to press the bookshelf down, not stopping until the thing¡¯s legs stopped moving. Still not satisfied, he threw a couple of fireballs into the mix and incinerated the remains to make sure that it was over.

    Plopping down on his ass, Alec wiped the sweat from his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. He was left gasping for air, not because of the physical exhaustion but the mental load he had been put under.

    After getting up, he walked up to the monster¡¯s ashes and looked at them in deep contemplation. He closed his eyes in respect for the librarian for a few short seconds before turning around and walking to the desk.

    On it, Alec spotted a couple of books, seemingly fantasy fiction novels. One of them particularly attracted his attention because of its absurd name.

    [Academy¡¯s Genius Spellbinder]

    ¡®Is this some kind of elaborate joke? What? Any developed enough civilization will write shitty magical academy stories?¡¯

    Pushing away the novels and looking around, Alec managed to spot what he was looking for.

    ¡®Finally, a map¡­¡¯

 Chapter 47 | The Chase to The Library

    ¡®If I pass that corner, I should make it to the concealed passage,¡¯ Alec thought as he looked around carefully. After taking a look at the librarian¡¯s map, he realized that the second level of the library wasn¡¯t a place that one could reach by randomly walking. The reason he had never seen the stairs leading there was because those stairs were literally unperceivable unless one had the necessary authorization.

    ¡®This academy and its stupid obsession with anti-memes¡­¡¯ Alec mentally reprimanded the authorities. He didn¡¯t have any other encounters on the way to the stairs, which made him more worried than relaxed.

    ¡®My theory still stands. There could be a demon that has absorbed the others in its proximity, and the demonized librarian might have just been an outlier,¡¯ he thought. Then, he walked up to the spot shown on the map. He still couldn¡¯t see the stairs, which made him look around while scratching his head. ¡®Did I misread the map?¡¯

    However, as Alec contemplated his map-reading skills, he felt a pulsating sensation on the back of his head, somewhere slightly above his nape. Then, he remembered the fact that Professor Andrew had slapped that place before throwing him toward the library.

    Circulating the mana in his body, Alec loaded the authorization. Suddenly, he noticed a flight of stairs leading up to a seemingly unassuming corridor in front of him. Obviously, Alec had to first climb those stairs to get a better view. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but hope that the corridor was clean from demons. If there really was a demon, there was a very good chance that they were a former teaching staff. There weren¡¯t many students that had access to the second level after all.

    While climbing the stairs, Alec took a last look at the familiar first level. From there on out, it was unknown territory for him.

    As he stepped foot in the corridor, Alec noted it to be a very sterile one. It stretched out tens of meters in front of him, which made it really hard to see the end. To the left of the corridor were neatly placed cathedral glass windows, giving the place a holy feeling. To the right were identical doors placed every five meters. When Alec walked up to tug on one of those doors, he noted it to be locked.

    ¡®How exactly is this a library again?¡¯ he mentally grumbled before pulling on the door with all his strength. Still, the door held on. Under the inhuman force exerted by Alec, the door didn¡¯t even budge. ¡®Whatever this is made of, it is an incredibly strong material.¡¯

    Letting go of the handle, Alec switched his gaze back toward the further end of the corridor.

    ¡®Maybe these ones are like staff offices and the actual second level is at the end of this corridor. Yeah, that must be it¡­¡¯ he thought. However, just as he was about to pass the halfway point, he felt a weird sensation, as if something had brushed past him.

    ¡®What was that?¡¯ he thought. They exchanged a few ideas with the mana brain. ¡®Professor Andrew said that the second level of the library disturbs anti-memetic magic. Maybe the effects are starting to show, and I¡¯m noticing some stuff I previously hadn¡¯t noticed.¡¯

    Closing his eyes, Alec exhaled a gust of air. He urged his mana and circulated it through his brain. This was a slightly dangerous and unknown practice Alec had found in a book. One¡¯s own mana had a mild blocking effect against other spells. Although it wasn¡¯t much, if he needed a slight edge, this could be the thing that gave him that. There was a minuscule chance that he could permanently damage his brain if he made a mistake, but that was, again, a low probability.

    As the mana kept circulating, a weird creaking noise made its way to Alec¡¯s ears. In fact, the noise had always been there, but Alec had just noticed it. It sounded as if a really heavy object was placed on a metal floor, straining the floor in the process. Latching onto that noise, Alec noticed its source to be really close. Almost thirty centimeters away from his face.

    With a horrified frown, Alec¡¯s eyes shot open. In the meantime, he took a long stride backward with hardship, distancing himself from whatever was so close. When the noise he had latched onto led his mind to its source, and the anti-memetic effect on him broke, Alec saw his path to be blocked.

    However, what blocked his path was hard to describe.

    It was a wall, albeit not made from concrete, but made from bright pink flesh. The flesh wall had fused into the surroundings, covering the entire width and height of the corridor. There were small, tendril-like appendages, all varying from a length of five to ten centimeters stretching from its surface. All covered in a thick mucosa, slowly dripping and forming a pool in front of the thing.

    Looking down, Alec noticed his shoes to be slightly covered with the mucus.

    ¡®This must be the reason why I found it hard to jump away,¡¯ Alec thought as he raised his foot to inspect the mucus closely. ¡®This small amount¡­ If I had accidentally touched that thing, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to break free.¡¯

    The mucus was slowly but surely melting the sole of his shoe. After taking it off, Alec held it in his hand. He didn¡¯t think about what could have happened any further, as he was feeling more and more uncomfortable whenever he did.

    While at a standstill with the thing, he noticed a bulge in the middle of the flesh wall. It was hard to notice at first because of the color scheme but there was an unmistakable abnormality on the thing¡¯s surface.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Looking at the shoe, Alec threw it over to accurately hit the bulge. When it did, the flesh over the bulge blossomed open like a flower. From inside, thousands of crooked teeth placed in a circular layout appeared. Tentacles shot forward, grabbing the shoe and pulling it in before the flesh sealed the deal by clamping shut.

    The only thing noticeable from the outside was the horrifying creaking noise, which had become louder as the thing presumably chewed on his poor shoe.

    Sweat dripping from his forehead, Alec gulped loudly. He ripped the memory of being so close to this monstrosity away and handed it over to the mana brain. Although the thing grumbled, it still accepted the horrific memory.

    Relieved, Alec took another deep breath and browsed through the list of spells he knew. Now that he could use The Author¡¯s Pen freely, he didn¡¯t need to precisely remember the magic circles.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go with this¡­¡¯ he mentally muttered before writing on his left palm.

    [Dispersion Point]

    This spell was of second circle and was a mix between telekinetic and fire magic. It was rare to see someone use it, because of the complexity of its usage and the benefits it brought. However, Alec skipped most of those problems with the help of The Author¡¯s Pen and had a seemingly stationary target that was perfect for practice.

    A magic circle appeared from Alec¡¯s hand. When he snapped his finger stylishly, the magic circle spun to activation.

    There wasn¡¯t a visual cue coming from Alec¡¯s hand, but the effects were apparent nonetheless. Small flame particles appeared next to the demon¡¯s mouth, then expanded and cut parts off from the thick flesh shell covering it before disappearing.

    The thing bellowed in agony, as its cavity was now left unguarded. Wasting no time, Alec wrote a couple of fireballs and bombarded the monster¡¯s mouth. Although his mana went down to about 60% of his maximum pool, Alec didn¡¯t hesitate. What was mana if he wasn¡¯t going to use it after all?

    As the fire battered against the wall¡¯s fleshy interiors, Alec finally managed to break through. The wall was punctured, and the corridor behind it was revealed.

    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I managed to get through all this stuff pretty much untouched. If I had taken one more step, my fate would have been the same as my shoe¡¯s,¡¯ he thought before walking forward. The remains of the flesh wall were scattered throughout, and he didn¡¯t want to come in contact with it at all. So instead, he picked up his pace and jumped over the remains, crossing to the other side.

    ¡®Huh, the end of the corridor was closer than I thought,¡¯ he realized. There was a double door, about twenty meters down the way.

    However, as he was walking, Alec heard gurgling noises from behind him. With a raised brow, he turned around to see what was going on.

    And when he did, his mouth opened and closed in awe.

    The remains of the flesh wall had merged together at some point, forming a skinless humanoid body, secreting a very thick cloud of miasma.

    Alec and the skinless body looked at each other. Well, at least, Alec stared into the thing¡¯s empty eye sockets.

    Then, he turned around and dashed toward the double door.

    ¡®Professor told me that I would be safe once inside the second level!¡¯ he thought.

    As he tilted his head slightly to gauge the situation, he noticed the monster to be incredibly fast, almost three times faster than he was.

    ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s going to catch up!¡± he shouted as The Author¡¯s Pen moved in his hand. Alec was already running at the speed of a car, and the monster was much faster than that.

    At that smallest window of time, Alec¡¯s mind churned with ideas at an impossible speed before settling on the fastest of them all.

    His hand moved in a blur, writing down four letters.

    [VOID]

    Nothing seemed to have changed for the first few milliseconds. However, as Alec¡¯s mana dipped to a dangerously low level, he turned around mid-stride and looked at the monster with a nervous but satisfied grin. The thing¡¯s footstep sounds had completely disappeared, even though it was still running at the same speed.

    However, a sudden rush of air pulled the two closer to each other, leaving at most four meters of distance between them. Then, a deafening explosion resounded. A shockwave spread out, shattering all the windows in the corridor. While Alec was launched toward the double door, rag-dolling through the air, the monster¡¯s speed was drastically reduced. The air itself seemed to heat up as the smell of burnt flesh started emanating from the monster.

    No matter, Alec hit the double door and broke through, rolling on the ground and finding himself in the middle of the library.

    Then, the monster entered through the gate. Invisible ward arrays activated in an instant, ripping apart the monster into pieces in mere seconds.

    Laying down on the ground motionless, Alec felt his broken ribs pricking the insides of his chest cavity. Still, he disregarded the pain and pushed himself to sit upright. Looking at the monster¡¯s remains, A twisted grin appeared on Alec¡¯s face.

    ¡°Haha! Argh¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have laughed¡­¡± He muttered. Then, he took out a low grade health potion and mana potion he had been keeping as backup. He downed them in one go and started eyeing his surroundings curiously

    ¡°I¡¯m inside¡­¡± He talked to himself. ¡®Simply being inside here shouldn¡¯t be enough for the anti-memetic magic to break,¡¯ Alec thought. Then, he suddenly felt an awkward pressure on his chest. Reaching into his shirt, he grabbed ahold of something.

    ¡®What the fuck is this?¡¯ he questioned. In his hand was a vial worn as a necklace, filled with a potion he had no memory of creating. The only thing he knew was the fact that something was written on it.

    [Average Grade Mental Cleansing Potion]

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Understanding that he must have created this at one point and forgot about it, Alec didn¡¯t hesitate.

    ¡®This thing was made for today. I can feel it.¡¯

    Downing the potion in one go, he felt his mind relax. Unlike the first level, the second level of the library was illuminated by the lights coming from the windows. Probably because anyone who came here could create their own light source without any problem.

    However, as the mental cleansing potion took effect, Alec felt his head spin. Everything and nothing changed around him at once. He touched around his eyes to see if there was blood, but couldn¡¯t find any. The gentle lights of the afternoon sun shining through the window were replaced by a horrible, blood-red crimson after all.

    ¡°What is¡­¡± he muttered. Pushing himself off the ground with hardship, he walked up to a nearby window and looked outside, toward the sky. When his eyes adjusted to the situation, Alec felt like he had just been shot in the head.

    ¡°The sky¡­¡± he muttered, horrified.

    There, in the cloudless and crimson-red sky polluted by dark dots spread randomly throughout like little bugs, Alec saw the sun. A sun that had gone completely dark, like a hole had been punched through the atmosphere itself.

    And when he did so, unfamiliar words escaped his mouth.

    ¡°The sky is dead¡­¡±

 Chapter 48 | The Mirror Me

    ¡°This¡­ This can¡¯t be real¡­¡± Alec muttered under his breath. With shaky pupils, his gaze darted between the small black dots staining the crimson sky and the gaping hole in the middle. If he were to compare, this hole would be bigger than the sun in his old world by about three times.

    And that wasn¡¯t all. When he focused more, he noticed small trails of energy being extracted from the atmosphere and slowly being absorbed by the hole. It was as if the thing was sucking the very essence out of the planet.

    Alec stared at the hole for a few more seconds before a sharp pain jolted him. He didn¡¯t know when, but at one point, he had started hearing whispers.

    ¡°Stop writing¡­¡± The voices told him. The pain was getting deeper and deeper as the whispers intensified in volume, slowly becoming shouts. Not being able to keep his bearings anymore, Alec grabbed his head with both his hands and pressed down.

    Then, he lost his footing. His legs started feeling like noodles as he fell on his butt.

    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t look away!¡± he shouted to no one in particular. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes seemed to be glued to the hole in the sky. Fortunately, just in time, he made the mana brain take over and punch himself in the face.

    Not only did the force make him break eye contact, but it also managed to make the voices disappear. When he pushed himself off of his prone position and sat upright, Alec found himself gasping for breath.

    ¡®I almost got demonized,¡¯ he thought. The memories of his encounters with the monsters flashed past his mind, making him shiver at the thought of becoming like them. Then, he contemplated how he had understood the fact that he was about to become a demon, before discarding it as another effect of the anti-memetic magic.

    Once more, this time more rigorously, he looked around. The eerie and almost alarming crimson lights blasting through the windows and illuminating the library were hard to ignore.

    ¡®This is not something a singular entity can do¡­¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®Messing with memories, making people forget each other, blocking us from learning more about the anti-memetic being itself, that¡¯s all somewhat okay. But this¡­ Making us ignore the fact that the sky is like this¡­¡¯

    He wanted to look at the sky again but managed to stop himself just in time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look up,¡± he told himself. He also ordered the mana brain to focus on the matter in case he forgot.

    ¡®What more did I ignore?¡¯ Alec couldn¡¯t help but ask. No matter how deep he went, it seemed like he couldn¡¯t reach the bottom of the well. Every time he loosened the shackles around his mind, different forgotten truths and ignored realities seemed to appear from the depths.

    Feeling uncomfortable being so close to the window, Alec pushed himself back with his hands on the ground. However, his back hit a furniture much earlier than he had expected.

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± He muttered before turning his head. With the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a reflective surface, which made him shiver and jump to his feet.

    ¡®It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a mirror,¡¯ he thought with a nervous chuckle. ¡°God¡­ I thought someone was behind me.¡±

    Patting off the dust on his uniform, Alec got up. He stretched as his search both through the physical library around him, and the mental library in his head would be tedious. He then shifted his gaze toward the mirror.

    ¡°As always, I¡¯m looking go¡ª Huh?¡± Alec suddenly got cut off. His eyes searched for a familiar face in the mirror, but couldn¡¯t achieve their goal no matter how hard they tried. ¡°Who the fuck is that? That is not my face¡­¡± Alec muttered as he patted his face, trying to determine if what he was seeing in the mirror was real.

    ¡¯Wait¡­ Of course, it¡¯s not my face. I transmigrated to this world, into the body of Alec Greenwood,¡¯ he then mentally repeated. This wasn¡¯t a fact he had forgotten, but one that he had seen as too simple a truth so far. ¡®But since crossing over, I have never looked at a mirror. Not once. At least that¡¯s what the memories left to me convey. Which means that this is the first time I¡¯m seeing what Alec Greenwood looks like.¡¯

    Stolen story; please report.

    Once more, this time with fascination, Alec caressed his own face. He had deep, messy black hair and dark-brown eyes. He had a small amount of baby fat, an amount that you wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see on a 19-year-old student¡¯s face. His gait was one of confidence, even in that situation. He hadn¡¯t realized it when it happened, but his hand had involuntarily gone into his pocket at one point.

    ¡®All of this, and I still feel strangely excited,¡¯ Alec thought to himself. His mouth curled up into a smirk as one of his brows rose. ¡®Hah, I do look good after all.¡¯

    Slightly shifting his body, he struck a pose.

    ¡®Hm¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have forgotten to wear the disciplinary committee armband. It would have made me look cooler,¡¯ Alec contemplated. His eyes first focused on his upper arm, then shifted toward the folded sleeves slightly under.

    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ he thought. There seemed to be a weird patch of skin stretching under his shirt. When he pulled on his sleeve, he noticed that weird patch to be scar tissue. ¡®Scar? What scar? I always used health potions whenever I got wounds. Why would I have scars left over?¡¯

    Seeing that his sleeves couldn¡¯t be pulled any further up, he scrambled to undo his buttons. It took him a short while to do so. When he finally undid the last button, he had already lost all his patience. He took off his jacket and shirt in quick succession.

    And when he did, Alec was shaken.

    He knew that his memory had been severely altered. He knew that there had been times when he had left the influence briefly and left clues and messages to himself. Maybe he had left the anti-memetic magic¡¯s influence briefly whenever he drank a mental cleansing potion. However, how deep did those messages really go? Had he already freed himself completely from the shackles?

    He didn¡¯t know.

    However, what he did know was the fact that he was really close to the end. And the state of his body which he could only notice now was a testament to that.

    ¡°WAKE UP¡±

    ¡°YOU ARE LOSING YOUR MEMORIES¡±

    ¡°REMEMBER¡±

    On his upper body, focused around his chest and arms were countless messages from his past self. From a self that hadn¡¯t lost his memories. However, these messages weren¡¯t written with a pen. No, nothing as ephemeral as that. Instead, he had carved those messages onto his body, waiting for it to heal and scar. This way, they would be eternal. As long as he lived, he would carry those messages with him.

    ¡°And all this time¡­¡± Alec muttered. There were too many messages to take in at once, however, most were something along the lines of ¡®Wake up, you are losing your memories¡¯.

    ¡®I probably got momentarily aware of something. Remembered some stuff I shouldn¡¯t have,¡¯ he guessed. ¡®However, I still couldn¡¯t see the other messages. So instead, I left a new one for every time.¡¯

    Then, there were some more complex messages. One that particularly attracted his attention was a message that contained a list of names. Those complex scars were also written very lengthy. Maybe at the point he had written this, Alec had already become adjusted to the pain from disfiguring himself.

    [I have forgotten many things. What if among those things are people? People I hold dear to myself? I am writing this so you can remember. Do you know these names?

    Ariel

    Evan

    Thomas

    Alexei]

    As Alec read through the lines, he frowned.

    ¡®Who is Ariel? Why is she on the top of the list?¡¯ he questioned in his head. ¡®I know my writing style. I was probably feeling depressed at the point I was writing this. Why? And this¡­ Ariel person. Who is she? I wouldn¡¯t have written her above Evan if she wasn¡¯t someone really important.¡¯

    However, no matter how hard Alec tried to remember, he couldn¡¯t do so. It was as if alongside memories of Ariel, anything that acted as a clue toward her existence was also shrouded.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Alec shouted in anger. He kicked a nearby chair with all his power, launching it away.

    Then, his gaze shifted slightly lower on the mirror, down to his abdomen.

    For some reason, the scars left there were very simple, and isolated from the other messages.

    ¡°OUTSIDE?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Alec muttered with a frown. He looked around and inspected the scars again. The letters of ¡°OUTSIDE?¡± were thicker than any other¡¯s. He had apparently stabbed very deep, and maybe even shifted the blade inside to really cause damage.

    ¡°What outside? Outside is the outside¡­¡± he then muttered. However, his thoughts seemed to get a hold of something. A thought so heavily protected that he was still having problems reaching.

    Suddenly, blue sparkles started flashing around Alec¡¯s head.

    ¡°Outside¡­ What¡¯s there?¡± he disregarded the commotion and spoke as if he was trying to get an answer.

    ¡°Outside the library is the academy grounds. Walk a little bit more, there should be the forest. Further ahead, there are the walls.¡±

    As he kept extrapolating, the sparkles intensified. Unfortunately for the thing, the average mental cleansing potion created by The Author¡¯s Pen was too strong.

    ¡°And behind the walls¡­¡± Alec muttered. He turned his head toward the window he had previously looked outside of. He didn¡¯t look up, but forward, trying to see behind the walls. ¡°No land? We are floating in the air? The entire academy?¡±

    Taking a few shaky steps Alec noticed his breathing become rugged.

    ¡°Nothing¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about the outside,¡± he muttered again. ¡°What city are we in? Wait¡­ The academy seems self-sufficient, so maybe there isn¡¯t a city¡­ No fuck that. What country are we in? Why did the outside authorities not notice what was going on here? Since crossing over, why have I never once thought about what is going on outside the academy?¡±

    Gulping loudly, Alec turned his head back toward the mirror. The scars in the middle of his abdomen seemed much more intimidating now.

    ¡°Why is the academy cut off from the outside world..?¡±

 Chapter 49 | The Past Me

    ¡°Not this!¡± Alec muttered under his breath as he flipped another page hastily. He switched between two pages before throwing the book aside and picking up another. ¡°And not this too! Nothing!¡±

    With a frown, he put the book down and started pacing in front of the table.

    ¡®All the books are related to magic!¡¯ he thought with his hand on his chin. ¡®Nothing historical except magical history. And even those are too vague to extract any information from. No country names, no continents, no big events¡­ It¡¯s as if the only place that exists in this world is the academy!¡¯

    Then, Alec punched the table next to him with rage.

    ¡®There are also no details about the technologies of this world albeit some crude inventions. No ancient artifacts¡­ No magical tools¡­ At most some brief mentions of such things. Maybe they were too connected with their origins and were deemed a threat that could make us remember the outside world by the anti-memetic entity¡­ But why? Why is it trying to make us not know about the outside?¡¯

    ¡®And I could notice this only now,¡¯ he contemplated. ¡®Is there anything left? Are there other things that I¡¯m incapable of noticing? How far does this thing go?¡¯

    Anxiously, Alec remembered the words of Professor Andrew.

    ¡®Not only that but whatever this anti-memetic magic is caused by, it¡¯s regaining energy. Maybe I will lose all the awareness I had as soon as I step out of the library, or the potion runs out.¡¯

    ¡®And the thing is, I won¡¯t even know when it happens. I will go back to living in the academy as normal. I might even forget about the second level of the library forever.¡¯

    Knowing this, Alec sat back down on the chair and took his head between his hands. They exchanged ideas with the mana brain, trying to figure out some way to resolve this problem.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Alec muttered. His face brightened up momentarily. Getting up once again, he rushed toward a nearby bookshelf and started rummaging through. He didn¡¯t even pay the respect of leaving the books on the shelf, as he threw aside the ones he picked up but didn¡¯t need.

    ¡°There!¡± he shouted. In his hand was a book called ¡°On Ancient Gravity¡±. This was one of the more esoteric but comprehensive books about gravity which Professor Andrew had talked about but refused to give to Alec.

    Opening the first page, Alec read the first few lines to satisfy his curiosity.

    [What is gravity? Many might laugh at my question, but the answer seemed more complicated to me. Our modern physics simply tells us that objects attract each other, and the formulae we have deduced work almost perfectly. But we can neither recreate gravity magic nor perfectly calculate orbital and stellar mechanics. What is the reason behind this? I feel like the mismatch of time in our low-orbit magic satellites might contain the answer to that¡­]

    ¡®Low orbit magic satellites?¡¯ Alec read with awe. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn¡¯t misreading. However, he then realized that such a construct wouldn¡¯t be out of the question with telekinetic magic. Professor Andrew could lift both of them into the air and fly pretty fast. What was stopping them from launching some satellites into low orbit for research?

    As Alec read book after book, he kept finding more and more details that pointed toward general relativity. Although some people came somewhat close, no one theory had managed to take the spot next to classical physics.

    ¡°If I keep searching for gravity magic, that might help me circumvent the memory alteration and remember the library¡¯s existence. The gravity magic is not related to the anti-memes or the outside world after all¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°It might just become the anchor that connects me and this library. And if I keep coming back here, I will always have the chance to regain some clearance.¡±

    Looking around, Alec smiled.

    ¡°This place will become my sanctuary. A bunker. I will come here to exchange books on gravity magic every weekend,¡± he thought. ¡°That way, I will have a reason to come here that hopefully surpasses the restrictions on my memory.¡±

    However, as his thoughts kept churning, Alec noticed a bag in a corner of the room. It was an unassuming student bag, looking exactly the same as any other.

    ¡®Huh¡­ There is another student who comes here?¡¯ he questioned in his head curiously. With relaxed steps, he approached the bag and opened it to see its insides. Other than a small notebook, there was nothing else of note.

    Putting his hand in, Alec picked up the notebook and inspected its cover zealously. There wasn¡¯t anything that clued what could be written inside, so without further ado, Alec opened the notebook.

    ¡°This¡­ This is my handwriting,¡± he muttered when he saw the letters. This made Alec shiver in place. Although he kept his cool on the outside, his heart had already started beating faster once again.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡®So I actually came here before? How is that possible? There might be some blank spots in my memories, but from the outline of those holes, I can deduce that I never had the possibility of coming here. Did I find a secret passage or something?¡¯

    Closing and reopening the notebook from somewhere in the middle and reading the writings, Alec found the thing even stranger. It was written similarly to a diary, however, writing diaries had never been his thing.

    [I met a girl called Ariel today. I have had very short romantic interactions in my past life, and I can only hope that this isn¡¯t one of those. Adjusting to my life in this world is hard, and some emotions that can help me keep going forward are all I need.]

    ¡°What..?¡± Alec muttered as his brows rose into a genuine frown. Skipping a few more pages, he kept reading.

    [The hidden passage I have found into the library¡¯s second floor has helped me greatly. The temporary entrance authorization Ariel gave me has also done wonders. I definitely don¡¯t want to see the defensive ward arrays activate. However, this place feels weird, as if it messes with something in my head.]

    ¡°So I did come here before. But when did that happen?¡± he talked to himself. He rolled his eyes to the side for a few seconds to think before coming out empty-handed.

    ¡®After leaving the infirmary? No, after that? Somewhere before I started taking the stat upgrade potions?¡¯

    Flipping a few more pages, Alec kept reading. There were a lot of mundane events mentioned in the diary, and the fact that he remembered none of these things made him uncomfortable.

    [I have been researching gravity magic for a while and managed to figure it out. Using The Author¡¯s Pen has helped me out a lot. Even though I went into a mana coma thrice while trying out things, I think it was worth it. I can even hide it as telekinetic magic! I knew spending my time researching magic was worth it!]

    ¡®I¡­ I recreated gravity magic? How? And if I did, why would the past me not leave memories regarding that?¡¯

    [Recently, there have been more and more strange happenings in the academy. I think there is something wron¡ª Anyway. My relationship with Ariel has finally reached the next stage, and I have a really good feeling about how things are going¡­]

    ¡®Was this about the first time I started realizing anti-memetic magic?¡¯ he contemplated. The words that were crossed over were strangely hard to read. Something Alec correlated to the anti-memetic effects on it.

    [There really is something going on. My memories¡­ They are... Strange? It¡¯s as if there are some things I¡¯m looking over, or as if I can¡¯t even perceive some things. And this happens only when I am inside this library. What might cause that I wonder.]

    ¡®Idiot¡­ It¡¯s not that it only happens when you are in the library¡­¡¯ Alec thought while switching to the next entry.

    [¡­But I can only notice it whenever I am in the library. So, I will try and make this place a sanctuary of sorts. A place where I can figure things out.]

    Another page flipped, and Alec kept reading.

    [As if the shackles around my mind are becoming looser and looser, I think I will reach the truth soon. I¡¯m hoping to be in the library when that happens, so I can get the most out of it.]

    ¡®Hah¡­ At least you achieved that,¡¯ Alec muttered before flipping the page. However, he found the next page to be written hastily as if he were losing his mind at the time of the entry.

    [This should be the end. I haven¡¯t managed to come far, as of the consequences of my actions. The only thing I could barely figure out was the fact that I am being affected by anti-memetic magic, but whenever I try and think further, I hit a roadblock. Even while writing this, I can feel my memories slipping away by the moment. In maybe mere minutes, I will become an unaware shell. Merely a transmigrator who thinks he crossed over for funsies. My only wish is that I won¡¯t become an anti-meme when I do, lest I might go unnoticed and die a death of confusion and starvation.]

    ¡®Wait¡­ Wasn¡¯t I in front of the infirmary building when I lost my memories?¡¯ Alec thought to himself. ¡®Were the memories left to me fake?¡¯

    [I can¡¯t help but feel like an idiot for all the mistakes I have made. But I know me. I know I will climb my way back up to this point, possibly with even more knowledge than I have now. All the stats I have grinded will remain, and all the mistakes I have made will hopefully be engraved into my soul, so I don¡¯t make them again.]

    [If I had another chance at this, I would have focused more on increasing my stats instead of randomly trying out The Author¡¯s Pen. I should have kept to what I knew worked, such as potions and simple actions, instead of depleting my mana so many times. I would have used more of the stat upgrade potions I figured out, instead of spending my time studying gravity magic.]

    [I would have tried and gotten a mana brain. I would have tried and asked for help from my peers. Talked to Ariel or Evan about all this¡­]

    ¡°What..?¡± Alec muttered, his eyes widening in terror. ¡°No mana brain..?¡±

    [Tomorrow, we will have the final practical exams. I will probably face Evan in a duel, and I doubt I can beat him. Still, even with no chance, I will go ahead and try. While finishing, I will leave you with the knowledge I have accumulated on gravity magic. So you can progress it even further. This war¡­ This war where we don¡¯t even know who we are fighting against¡­  This war which we barely know that we are participating in¡­ It is a thorny path. No one else but we can walk and rewalk it. These were my last words to you. Bye, future me.]

    Like the end of a noisy reverie, Alec found himself isolated. The voice of the notebook echoed far into the distance and disappeared. As if he had talked to a person he liked for the last time, he yearned for the notebook''s continuation. He had felt alone before, but never this much. His shoulders shivered under the pressure he felt, as his mind churned to make sense of what he had read.

    ¡®Even though I lost my memories, I had the mana brain and high stats by my side to help me carry some over. But what if I didn¡¯t? What if I was put in a similar situation, but with no tools in my hand to manage it?¡¯ he thought.

    ¡®I have always thought that I have crossed over at the start of the semester, in the infirmary¡­ I assumed that Evan had accidentally killed the original Alec in their fight, and I was the one who took over his body¡­¡¯

    ¡®But what if that¡¯s not the case?¡¯

    ¡®What if I crossed over before that, and lost my memories at one point?¡¯

    Then, some words told to him by Evan way back when he had recently crossed over came to his mind. Seemingly innocent words that only started making sense now.

    [You were a bit... Different back in the first semester. Many people were surprised by your sudden change in the winter break, you know?]

    As the notebook slipped from his hand and fell on the floor, Alec found himself out of breath.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t cross over at the start of the semester¡­¡¯

    ¡®I crossed over half a year earlier!¡¯

 Chapter 50 | Donéˆ¥æª› Stop Writing!

    The ticking of the clock synced with Alec¡¯s heartbeat. Letting out a deep breath, he picked up the notebook and caressed its gray cover. He opened it back up again from the start, and read through it once again with fervor.

    ¡®These are my memories. Not someone else¡¯s. They are a testament to how far I have come,¡¯ he thought to himself. A gentle smile blossomed on his face. He closed his eyes and rested them for a while before opening them back up again. Now, however, they weren¡¯t filled with frail loneliness, but a blazing determination. ¡®This time, I have almost every tool I need at my disposal.¡¯

    Turning his senses inward, Alec confirmed that the average mental cleansing potion was still going strong. He had at least two hours remaining, which was more than enough for him to formulate a plan.

    Opening the last written page of the notebook, Alec took out The Author¡¯s Pen and started writing down his thoughts.

    [First of all, I have to resolve the issue with my previous self¡¯s loss of memory,] He wrote. He tapped the pen on the notebook¡¯s page a few times before continuing. [From what I have managed to piece together, this anti-memetic entity seems to have a sort of cyclical nature to its actions. That¡¯s the only way to explain how a much weaker version of myself could have gained awareness, even if to a limited degree.]

    [Occasionally, the entity loses its energy and cracks start appearing in the shroud,] Alec wrote. Then, however, his hand stopped. Scratching his head with the pen, he leaned against the backrest of the chair.

    Sighing, he sat up straight and started writing again.

    [I have been thinking about this for a long time, but have only become somewhat sure after reading from my past self. This entity¡­ Whatever it is, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s fully sentient. It is either not very smart or maybe not intelligent at all. I feel like it is acting on a set of rules.]

    Turning a page, Alec cast a first circle spell called illuminate. The red lights were making it really hard to read and write. Fortunately, the small point of yellow light was strong enough to overpower it, albeit in a small circle. The gentle light source settled on one of the table¡¯s corners before Alec went back to writing.

    [What made me realize this was simple. I have had several clues pointing out that this entity is spending more energy on the professors. That makes sense, as it couldn¡¯t influence them spending the same amount of effort it does on the students.]

    [So, why didn¡¯t it take more drastic measures to deal with me?] He wrote. After thinking for a few short moments, he kept going. [If it could influence the library enough to make any writings about the outside world disappear, it should have noticed this notebook. It should have deduced that I was a danger to its schemes, and it did. It did delete my memory twice after all. However, it didn¡¯t keep pursuing me, as if it was incapable of learning and changing its behavior. At worst, it could have regarded me as a threat and categorized me similarly to a professor. If it spent that amount of energy on me, I would be as aware of the situation as a balloon.]

    [<u>Then, the question is, what is this thing?</u>]

    After writing the last sentence, Alec underlined it and started swiveling The Author¡¯s Pen rapidly between his fingers, juggling it around. Watching the hypnotic motion intently, Alec thought of all the possibilities one by one. However, from all the options he dismissed, he was left with only three.

    [I have three theories regarding that. Note that because of my lack of understanding about this world, my speculations might be off. If by the time you are reading this, you somehow have more information than me, please consider and reconsider these options.]

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    [<u>Theory 1:</u>

    This might be a scheme done by a group of demonic entities. Although I have barely any knowledge of demons, it seemed like each of them had a variety of different abilities. The librarian, the flesh wall, and most importantly, Professor Isabel. They all had widely varying abilities. Maybe there is a group of anti-memetic mages who got demonized, and they are manipulating this school in a certain way¡­ That also perfectly serves their intention, as this conspiracy seems to be capable of making people into demons. These demons might not be entirely sentient.]

    [<u>Theory 2:</u>

    The second theory is one that I find slightly improbable. I feel like there could be some sort of ancient artifact that could be causing this. I thought about this being a very elaborate spell, but that seems unlikely. The main reason is the fact that this thing uses anti-memetic and memory manipulation magic in tandem. From what I can deduce with the knowledge I have about those magic branches, at least 10 legendary mages would have to come together to achieve such a feat. And even still, the student¡¯s and the professor¡¯s resistance against the memory magic would destroy the spell¡¯s mana supply. However, a misused, out-of-control, or decaying ancient artifact could cause such a phenomenon. Maybe the artifact is fluctuating in stability? This would also explain why there is a cyclical nature to its actions.]

    [<u>Theory 3:</u>

    The third theory is more of a guess than anything. I have no idea what is currently going on outside the academy, and seemingly have no way of knowing. So, there¡¯s a good possibility that a force is affecting the academy from the outside. It might have something to do with the hole in the sky. Which I will talk about further on this page.]

    Dropping the pen on the table, Alec¡¯s face crumpled up into a frown.

    ¡®Will this even work?¡¯ he couldn¡¯t help but question. He felt like each word he wrote was going to go unread. He worried that even with his plan, he would lose his memories and be devoured once again.

    Squeezing his glabella, a bitter chuckle escaped Alec¡¯s mouth.

    ¡®Heh¡­ It has been a long time since I worried about whether or not my writings are read. When was it? Back when I first started writing? I tried writing something unique at the start but¡­¡¯ he thought to himself. Now, all of those memories were nothing more than a distant echo. ¡®I quickly switched to writing cookie-cutter power fantasies. They were almost¡­ Magical. My reader count shot up. It was as if someone had put an opposite version of anti-memetic magic on it. One refuses to be perceived while the other refuses to go unnoticed¡­¡¯

    However, Alec¡¯s eyes shot open in awe at his thought process.

    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± He muttered to himself. He sat up straight and looked around, seemingly searching for something. Then, his gaze shifted down to his own body. After taking off his shirt, he had forgotten to put it back on. And there, on his chest, slowly rotating was the mana brain. However, something seemed different about it. As if certain parts of the magic were easier to understand now.

    ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡± Alec laughed dryly. He rubbed his finger on the mana brain.

    ¡°You fucking bastards¡­¡± He muttered to no one in particular. ¡°Why the fuck would there be a derivative such as anti-memetic magic, if there wasn¡¯t a magic branch called memetic magic?¡±

    Then, a devious smile appeared on Alec¡¯s face. After this long cat-and-mouse chase, he had finally gotten his hands on his enemy¡¯s kryptonite.

    ¡°If anti-memetic magic alters information to make it imperceivable, memetic magic can alter it to make it unforgettable.¡±

    When Alec shifted his attention back to the mana brain, he managed to figure it out.

    ¡®This mana brain¡­ It is the only piece of memetic magic that it didn¡¯t manage to erase. After all, every professor in this school has several of them. It would take an unimaginable amount of effort to make them all forget the fact. So instead, it made the waters murky by distorting how they are perceived. It made the professors overlook the memetic parts of the circle and only focus on the parts related to the memory magic.¡¯

    When Alec looked closer, even amongst the mess of a magic circle, he managed to grasp the clues to the memetic magic.

    ¡®I might be able to piece together a low-level magic by extracting parts from it and getting help from The Author¡¯s Pen,¡¯ he thought. He had about one and a half hours left for the mental cleansing potion.

    Putting on the shirt and the jacket hung on the backrest of the chair in a hurry, Alec noted all the necessary information his future self might require.

    The rest of his time in the library would be spent researching memetic magic, and preparing himself before the potion ran out.

    Amidst the blue sparks around his head, indicating the bitter fight of the potion against the memory alteration, Alec got up to pick up another book. However, he stopped and looked down at the gray cover of the notebook again. With a smug smile, he opened the notebook once more and wrote in cursive.

    [¡­And remember. No matter what happens¡­ Don¡¯t stop writing!]

 Chapter 51 | Publish Me a Thesis

    A bone-chilling breeze¡ªstrong enough to claim the life of an ordinary person in a single night¡ªbattered against the lecture building''s temperature arrays. The sky cast down a gloomy, grayish light, draping the academy grounds in a somber atmosphere.

    With exams and the mid-term holiday behind them, classes now bustled with more students than ever. Alec could have sworn there weren''t this many people at the academy just two weeks ago, but he had no way to prove it. Lacking evidence, he decided to set the thought aside for now.

    To his side sat Evan. His gaze was breezing through a book in his hands, seemingly taking everything in at once.

    ''He seems to have changed lately,'' Alec thought to himself. There was a hard-to-ignore glint in Evan''s eyes nowadays. He felt different from the other students as if he had something that they didn''t have. He also seemed bored during most classes, which was uncharacteristic as Evan was a pretty studious person. ''It feels like I am talking to a professor when I try to communicate with him...''

    "What are you reading?" Alec asked. He had taken Evan''s interest in him for granted for too long and only now noticed when he seemed more absorbed in his own endeavors.

    "Hm? Oh," Evan exclaimed. He closed the book and placed it down with its front cover facing the desk. "It''s this novel that has lately been circulating around the academy. Nobody knows who is writing it."

    "What?" Alec asked, confused. He knew that the books being admitted to the library were screened pretty tightly. Although they did accept some pretty dubious books, they made sure to include an author when they did so. "What is it about?"

    "Actually? Pretty much nothing," Evan said. "I was expecting it to be something interesting, but it¡¯s just your classic underdog succeeds at the magic academy type of thing. I have already read the first ten chapters and nothing of interest has happened yet."

    "Huh... Why is it so popular then?" Alec asked with his brows furrowed.

    "Hmm..." Evan looked at the book''s cover for a few brief seconds. His pupils shook in agony. He then turned back toward Alec. "If you are asking me for a critique of the book. It is pretty simple. The author seems to be masterful at manipulating tropes. It''s as if he has written the same thing over and over again. Just slightly better and more memorable every time."

    Alec flinched, his eye twitching as each and every one of Evan''s words hammered at his heart.

    "Ugh... Disgusting..." He muttered. Evan let out a small chuckle in answer and went back to reading.

    Shortly after, a familiar face entered the classroom, making everyone calm down immediately.

    "What the fuck..." Alec muttered as quietly as possible. He turned to Evan, who was rightfully surprised as well. He leaned in closer toward him and whispered. "Since when did Professor Howard start giving the Fire 201 classes?"

    "Since never. This is the first time," Evan said. He then sighed deeply and opened his notebook before continuing. "The first time as far as I know, at least. Professor Howard has been dealing with school affairs since the headmaster disappeared."

    "Huh..."

    Straightening his posture, Alec looked straight ahead.

    The white-haired middle-aged man clad in gray and red robes walked into the middle of the classroom and looked around. Whenever his gaze passed over a student, the said student would either freeze in terror or shake in excitement.

    Alec was neither one of them, as Professor Hunter''s gaze never settled on him. However, even still, the man was intimidating even if he didn''t want to be.

    From what Alec knew, Hunter Howard was currently the strongest person in the academy after the headmaster. He was about to reach the legendary level, and more importantly, specialized in fire magic.

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    Once his inspection of the students was done, Professor Howard stepped back and stood in front of the blackboard. With a flick of his hand, a nearby chalk stick disintegrated into little white particles. Those white particles flew up and around the man, looking like snowflakes.

    Then, a small group of those launched forward and attached themselves to the board.

    [Fire 201]

    The words read. Alec, and possibly many other students in the class, gulped loudly at the intimidating show of magic.

    "So now, we start learning fire."

    ***

    "That was... That was something..." Alec muttered. He doubted that he had seen such a well-prepared class before in his lives.

    "Yeah..." Evan muttered. Even his now aloof attitude had seemingly broken down. "It would have been much better if he were teaching classes all this time. I wonder why they make him take care of internal affairs all day."

    Alec shrugged in answer and started packing up. He was done with his classes for the day after all.

    "What are you going to do now?" Evan asked.

    "I have to go and talk to Professor Andrew. It seems like he has achieved some progress about the stuff we were dealing with the previous semester," Alec answered.

    "Great. I hope it goes well for you," Evan said.

    After parting ways with Evan, Alec walked to the special Professor labs. Professor Andrew had been making him do all sorts of menial labor around the academy, and Alec honestly couldn''t blame him. Even though he had managed to recover a lost piece of gravity magic, that was all thanks to The Author''s Pen. He himself wasn''t that well endowed in magic, and Professor Andrew had somewhat understood that fact during their time together.

    Still, Alec was a fast learner with high stats. He didn''t despise studying like most students his age would, found magic to be fascinating overall, and also had a mana brain, which gave him an edge.

    Knocking on the door of Professor Andrew''s lab, Alec waited for about two minutes. This was nothing new, as the man would go into a sort of "zone" whenever he studied something.

    "Come in," his grumpy voice resounded from inside the room. Alec took a deep breath and pulled on the door''s handle before letting himself in.

    "Welcome, Alec. I called you in today because I seem to have finally finished," Professor Andrew said without waiting for Alec to answer.

    Nodding, Alec looked around the room and noted there to be papers scattered all around. He couldn''t help but wince at the amount of trees wasted on those papers.

    "I compiled what you have found in your papers ¡ªwhich were all very badly written¡ª and managed to make them somewhat presentable," the man said without lifting his head from the book in front of him. "And not only that, but I also managed to extrapolate some of the reasoning you used and started chipping away at the third part of the magic circle."

    "Huh, that''s neat," Alec said in answer. However, it was obvious from his monotone voice that he wasn''t that excited about it, which caused Professor Andrew to become strangely animated.

    "Neat? That''s all?" he asked. Alec realized that he had made some sort of mistake, but had no way of taking his words back. "With this, we have made at least fifty years of advancement in less than half a year, Alec."

    Then, however, he quickly calmed himself back down by looking at a framed magical photograph on his desk.

    "Never mind. Here, come check them out. I have already submitted it to the academy journal and will have to do a thesis defense the next week. I say, they are repressing the news but I think this will create huge commotion in the academy," he explained.

    Alec nodded in understanding and walked up to The Professor''s desk. Then, a bundle of papers flew up into his hands, startling him in the process.

    When he started flipping through the pages, however, Alec''s brows rose in interest.

    "What?" Professor Andrew asked, annoyed. Alec raised his gaze to meet his and then looked back down again.

    "Nothing... I just never thought you could do it like this," he thought to himself. Inside, however, Alec was having a crisis.

    ''This is all wrong! How could he go in such a wrong direction? Everything he has written is self-consistent, but this isn''t math! Gravity magic wouldn''t work like this,'' he thought. ''And why do I know that these are wrong? This isn''t a simple hunch, I just know that it isn''t supposed to be like this. As if I already know the magic circle...''

    When Alec flipped to the last page, he noticed his name to be under the co-author section.

    ''Holy fuck... Any other time, this guy would try his best to exempt me from taking any credit for this... And now, he added me as a co-author! He will take me down to hell with him!'' Alec shouted mentally, in horror.

    He then read through the entire thesis once more. He felt his legs getting weaker and decided to sit down.

    ''No no... I''m thinking about this wrongly. He doesn''t care about his pride or anything. If this thing gets published, someone will eventually notice how wrong it is, and that will affect both of us. Hell, it will affect him worse...''

    "Um..." Alec opened his mouth. "Is there any way you might... Take down these papers?"

    "What? What do you mean?" Professor Andrew asked with a raised brow.

    "It''s just that..." Alec muttered while pulling on his necktie. "They are very, very flawed."

 Chapter 52 | My Daily Training

    A deep sigh and the creak of the unoiled door hinges mixed into each other, signaling Alec''s entrance into the dorm. However, as soon as he stepped in, Alec was greeted with a flashbang of light to the face, temporarily blinding him.

    Raising his arm and blocking his eyes, Alec cursed under his breath. A cacophony of noises washed over, disorienting him alongside the bright flash of light. As his eyes adjusted, Alec found his friends facing each other off, standing about two steps away from each other in a circle.

    "That''s cheating!" Alexei shouted as his cards stopped floating.

    "What''s cheating? Playing a well-calculated move?" Evan asked with a condescending smile on his face. Alexei clicked his tongue at his words and looked through the cards in his hand.

    "I think we have to do that," Thomas said, to which Alexei nodded in agreement.

    ''Huh... I''m invested now. I guess they are teaming up against Evan,'' Alec thought to himself. Closing the door behind him, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

    With a flashy move, Thomas raised both of his arms. In one hand was a card with its back turned, in the other was the rest of his deck. The general shy demeanor of his was nowhere to be found.

    "I play..." he said. Then momentarily stopped to give more of a dramatic effect to his revelation. "Arcane Storm!"

    ''Huh... It''s this card again,'' Alec thought to himself. He inspected the battlefield and noted the lack of unit cards on there. ''Why would they use an anti-personnel area of effect card now?''

    Suddenly the battlefield was encased in a storm of magic missiles, rotating around, damaging practically nothing.

    Then, the next moment, Alexei unleashed two other cards. These were two simple magic missiles, which were seemingly meaningless.

    However, both Alec and Evan understood what they were trying to do.

    ''They are hiding the magic missiles in the storm...'' Alec thought. He turned his gaze toward Evan to watch his next move.

    Evan''s pupils moved rapidly, inspecting the hundreds of magic missiles one by one at a moment''s notice. Then, with a smug grin, he unleashed two magic missile cards of his own, which miraculously dodged every arcane storm missile and precisely collided with the ones Alexei had unleashed.

    "Fuck!" Alexei shouted, his face draining of blood. He turned to Thomas in worry. "I''m out! You have anything?"

    Shaking his head bitterly, Thomas bit his fingernail and answered.

    "I''m out too. That arcane storm was my last."

    "I win then," Evan said. He released two arcane lance cards and unleashed them toward the two, depleting their hit points in one go.

    "You guys actually got beaten 2 versus 1?" Alec asked as he walked further into the room, which prompted Evan to jump in place.

    "Since when have you been there?" Evan asked.

    "Since just now," Alec answered. Even if he didn''t show it on his face, he was happy to see Evan playing around like the old times. He didn''t seem so distant now.

    "Hey, Evan," Thomas asked with worry on his face. "I know this is rude to ask, but did you increase your mind stat by any chance?"

    At his question, Evan flinched. His back was toward the other two, but Alec could clearly see the guilty expression on Evan''s face.

    "A little bit," he said dryly.

    "How much is a little bit?" Alec asked. He had also been curious about that for some time. ''Why would he spend his precious stat points out of nowhere? Wouldn''t it be better to hold onto them for maximization?''

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    "I-" Evan muttered. However, his voice trailed off. Alec, with a worried frown on his face, patted Evan''s shoulder. However, Evan threw him an angry glare before storming out of the room.

    For a few short moments, an awkward silence encompassed the room. The trio looked at the door left semi-open by Evan.

    The one to break the silence was Alexei.

    "That was... Awkward," he muttered. Alec nodded along but there was an awkward feeling in his heart, as if he already knew the reason. However, when he tried asking the mana brain, he noticed it to be unresponsive.

    "Anyway," Thomas said before walking to his bed and sitting down with a deep sigh. His eyes first trailed Alexei who climbed the ladder to the upper bunkbed then looked toward Alec. "Are you going to the library''s second level today?"

    "Nah, that''s tomorrow," Alec said, adjusting his shirt.

    "Why are you even going there? Can you understand the books? I thought you had gotten the first place accidentally," Thomas continued. Feeling slightly anxious, Alec scratched his chest and finally managed to look away from the door.

    "Yep. I''ve been researching gravity magic for some time," he absent-mindedly answered. Which prompted a dry chuckle from both his friends.

    Looking at their unimpressed and uninterested faces, Alec found their reaction to be the most desirable.

    "And, shouldn''t you have run after him?" Thomas asked. To which Alec shook his head even if they were looking away from him at the moment.

    "I''ll deal with it later," Alec answered. At the moment, he had to go and do his daily training.

    Since the start of the holiday, Alec had streamlined his training process. He had previously been using very low grade upgrade potions, which had all lost their effectiveness a few weeks ago. Now, Alec had gone on to start using low grade ones. The only problem was the fact that these potions were incredibly expensive. So expensive that Alec could only create one a day without depleting all his mana. That necessitated him appointing a day to create those potions.

    Showering and changing into a different set of clothes, Alec gathered his stuff and left the dorm after bidding his friends farewell.

    ''That makes me wonder, what are the ingredients for these potions?'' Alec asked himself on the way. He had been using The Author''s Pen to create potions for a long time but hadn''t really questioned the fact before.

    ''Now that I know The Author''s Pen uses possibility to create things, I assume this potion isn''t just a group of chemicals that happened to come together. Not to mention, it is pretty cheap when I consider its effectiveness. So not only are they better than conventional potions and achieve seemingly impossible effects, but the ingredients should be relatively easy to find. The concoction process also has to be pretty easy...''

    As Alec''s mind churned, he found himself in front of the training grounds. He passed the blue energy barrier using the private room token he already had. On the way, he drank the potion of the day and watched his mana stat go up by one.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 29

    Agility: 28

    Health: 30

    Mind: 26

    Mana: 31]

    By now, Alec had gotten plenty used to the feeling of having his stats increased. So the sudden feeling of bloatedness didn''t make him lose his composure. Instead, he kept his steps steady, raised his entrance token to the air, and watched the door of the private training room open.

    Inside, a familiar face was waiting for him.

    "Hi Edward," Alec greeted. The blonde-haired council president greeted Alec with a wide smile. He was waiting with his arms crossed, seemingly thinking about something right before Alec entered. "How was your day?" Alec asked.

    "Same old same old," Edward answered. He tapped his finger on his arm a few times and continued speaking. "Third-year curriculum is pretty much all practical and project-oriented. So I have a lot of free time, which goes mostly to student council work."

    "Does it get tiring?" Alec asked as he took off his jacket and hung it on the backrest of a chair.

    "Definitely, but it''s worth it," Edward answered. Alec smiled gently without answering. "What do you say? Should we get started?"

    "Sure," Alec said, silently cursing at the fact that he didn''t get any time to rest. Pushing himself off the chair by holding onto the armrests, Alec stretched his arms.

    Edward, on the other hand, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With a steady and upright posture, he slammed his hand onto the middle of his chest. His mouth moved rapidly, probably reciting something.

    Then, both of them finished their preparations and entered the reinforced training chamber.

    This room they had rented was much better than the one Alec had rented so far. Alec wasn''t surprised. Edward was the student council president after all.

    The training chamber was incredibly sturdy, enough to endure a fight between two low-level professors.

    Walking to two different ends of the chamber, Alec and Edward faced each other.

    While Alec closed his eyes to revise the movements he would be using, Edward started casting enhancement after enhancement on himself.

    After a minute, Edward was glowing with rainbow lights from all the enhancements, which made Alec involuntarily chuckle whenever he saw.

    "Duel, five minutes, mild injuries," Edward ordered. The training chamber lit up with red lights and a holographic countdown appeared in mid-air. A blue protective ward wrapped both of them and disappeared from sight.

    As the countdown approached zero, Alec lowered his stance, and tens of magic circles appeared around Edward.

    "Here I come!"

 Chapter 53 | Get That Checked Out

    A charring gust of air blasted against the walls of the training chamber. Alec gritted his teeth at the pain. If his health stat was any lower, he might have gotten second-degree burns all over his body.

    ''This is genuinely horrifying. Not to mention, he is a support-type mage!'' Alec grumbled inwardly. This was a baffling fact he had learned after one of their previous training duels. According to what he said, Edward''s mastery was mostly in enhancement-type magic.

    When asked why he would specialize in such an area, he told Alec that he wanted to lead the way for his countrymen, which was actually pretty typical of Edward.

    But it was also important to point out that Edward wasn''t clueless when it came to fighting. Quite the opposite actually, Edward was probably one of the best fighter mages in the academy. In a situation where he wasn¡¯t using The Author''s Pen, Alec wasn''t confident in beating him, which was the main reason behind him choosing Edward as a training partner.

    ''Damn, his enhancement spells are quite something! Maybe I should try learning some too,'' Alec thought as he pushed himself off the wall he had attached himself to using telekinetic magic. Although the mana costs were pretty high for such spells, their effects were hard to ignore.

    "You focus too much on dodging, Alec!" Edward shouted with his hand raised. No matter which direction Alec ran toward, he would trace accordingly, blasting him with different spells. When he felt confident in hitting Alec, he would unleash magic missiles. When he didn''t, he would cast fireballs to utilize the explosive aftermath. "It might be true that you can''t cast attack spells during our training, but you should still have methods to attack!"

    With a click of his tongue and a flick of his hand, Alec threw over two daggers to disrupt Edward''s spellcasting.

    After dodging one of the daggers by lowering his body, Edward slapped his hands together, catching the dagger mid-air in the process.

    On the other hand, Alec wasn''t one to let go of such an opportunity. Utilizing the opening, he dashed toward Edward at breakneck speed. Fists and kicks rained down like a torrent, all of which were repelled by Edward''s unreasonable mastery of close combat magic use.

    Normally, it would be impossible for a student mage to stand against Alec in close combat. After all, his physical stats were too high. However, someone like Edward who had a range of enhancement spells, some of which probably increased his casting speed, could.

    As one of Alec''s punches was about to connect with Edward''s shoulder, a magic missile hit his hand on its side, steering the punch off course just enough to create the distance Edward needed.

    When he tapped Alec''s belly with his finger, a magic circle quickly appeared and disappeared. Feeling uncomfortable, Alec jumped away and took off his shirt. On his skin were thin, inky strands that looked awfully like circuit traces.

    "What the fuck?" Alec muttered. He knew what this spell was, and was horrified by Edward''s ability to cast it.

    ''Isn''t this a fourth circle spell? How can his mana still be this high!?'' he shouted in his head. Casting a single fourth circle spell was already way over the limits of a student mage, let alone using one after spending mana on other spells beforehand.

    As the inky strands kept spreading throughout Alec''s body, his skin started cracking and bleeding from around those strands.

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    ''If I want a chance to win, I have to finish this in time!''

    Fortunately for Alec, Edward didn''t seem like he was capable of pulling out another bullshit spell from his pocket. The plethora of enhancement spells on him had run out leaving him shaky like a tree in the wind. Surely, if Alec were to dash toward him and land a punch, he would topple.

    However, when Alec kicked the ground and launched himself forward, he found his body to be stiff. The spell seemed to have worked its way through his core muscles already, leaving him in a hard-to-move state. This delay was the only thing that the spell needed to find its way down to Alec''s legs, leaving him completely immobile.

    With the momentum left from his initial dash, Alec fell over and rolled on the ground until he was left unmoving in front of Edward, barely half a meter away from him. Whenever he tried moving one of his limbs around, the traces on his body ripped apart his skin, making him squirm in pain.

    As their duel ended, the training chamber suddenly lit up green. A holographic text appeared mid-air, signaling Edward''s victory. Then, a blue mesh of mana appeared around Alec''s body, infusing into his wounds and restoring them back to their state before the duel. It had already stopped the magic from attacking his vital organs, which had saved it a lot of energy when healing him.

    As the thin lines disappeared from Alec''s body, he raised his head and looked at the hand Edward had reached out to him. Grabbing it, Alec jumped back to his feet.

    "Since when have you been capable of casting that?" Alec asked. To which Edward chuckled in response.

    "Not long. I''ve recently learned it in case I have to fight with someone way over my level," Edward answered. "Normally, using higher level spells like "Stone Prison" isn''t a very good idea for lower level mages. I don''t know if you have seen them fight before, but even most professors stick to the basics in spellcasting."

    "Huh... That''s interesting. Why?" Alec asked. He had kind of expected higher-level people to use esoteric and exotic high-level spells all the time.

    "Because most of the time, the spells that are used the most are the most well-developed ones. There is no need to complicate things more than they need to be. In the end, if you are just trying to take down your enemy, you need to hit them hard. That''s all." Edward answered. "If I had the ability to, I could have showered you with fireballs, a simple first-circle magic, and left you completely charred. I just can''t multicast that much in quick succession. So I had to opt to use a fourth circle magic, which drained almost all of my mana pool."

    "Huh... That actually kind of makes sense," Alec muttered to himself.

    "Yep. That''s why, it is a good idea to focus on the basics first. You might find this funny, but I don''t think Douglas is completely crazy for being obsessed with magic missiles."

    "That''s funny," Alec chuckled in answer.

    "On the other hand. I really admire your attempt at improving yourself in non-magical combat against mages, but I can''t say I see the point. It''s not like I can teach you hand-to-hand combat," Edward said as they left the training chamber. Walking up and wearing his jacket, Alec plopped down onto the chair.

    "I just felt like I should utilize my physical stats more," he said in answer. "I know that it might seem pointless, but I kind of find spell-casting hard. Even with the mana brain. I would rather have more in my arsenal until I get better."

    "That''s okay. I would actually recommend you look into enhancement magic, but don''t know if you have the time," Edward said before gathering his stuff. Alec thought to himself for a moment before answering.

    "I should be able to. Not now though," Alec muttered. "I have a lot to do tomorrow. And you... You might want to get that checked in the infirmary building," he said while pointing toward Edward''s arm.

    There was a weird, seemingly benign lump growing on Edward''s forearm. Its size was comparable to half a ping pong ball. It didn''t seem dangerous, but Alec still thought that it was better to be careful.

    "Thanks for worrying, though, I would like to point out that there is no infirmary building in the academy," Edward said. Alec frowned for a second, then nodded.

    "Yeah... I don''t know why I said that. Still, you should go get checked out by one of the healer professors," he urged him further.

    "I will. Thanks for noticing," Edward muttered. He seemed unaware of the thing until Alec pointed it out, as he kept looking at his arm for the next few seconds.

    As their training was over, Alec bade his farewells and left the training grounds.

 Chapter 54 | Teaming Up, So We Can Fight Back

    The door creaked shut behind Alec. His steps followed one another, leading him further inside. Light streaks showering the library rendered the dust particles in the air visible. He hesitated to breathe for a second, lest those dust particles enter his nasal cavity and cause him to sneeze. His gaze sweeping through the library, Alec adjusted his necktie.

    The library¡¯s second floor was a bit eerie, making Alec look around contemptuously. Although it was rumored to be the most informationally loaded level of the library, Alec had never seen any person other than him go there.

    ''It''s probably because the professors already have copies of whatever they are doing research on...'' Alec thought to himself. ¡®Magical academia has had a hard time for the last ten years. There were no breakthroughs in that time period, and very little advancement was made. The professors were probably focusing more on a small group of studies to make advancements.¡¯

    Alec was momentarily distracted by his thoughts. Then, however, his hand went into his chest pocket involuntarily and took out a vial. ''What..?''

    Without thinking further, the mana brain forced him to drink the potion, and Alec didn''t resist. There was a hunch in him that told Alec to trust the mana brain no matter what.

    As the purple potion slid down his throat, Alec closed his eyes. When the last drops entered his mouth, he raised it further and shook it a few times to make sure it was empty. Shortly after, blue sparks started flashing all around his head. Once he reopened his eyes, Alec''s temperament had completely changed. Before, he was relaxed and casual. Now, he was steadfast in his stance. His eyes flashed with determination as he took in the crimson lights showering down from the sky''s corpse.

    "I''m back. Again," Alec muttered to himself. His gaze caressed the library intimately before it settled on one of the tables. What remained in his mind wasn''t plenty. He knew his goal, and he knew where to find his notes. "That should be it..."

    Turning around, Alec walked up to his confused friend. It had been much easier to find a temporary pass once he himself had the permanent one. Professor Andrew didn''t really seem to care who Alec brought along in his endeavors.

    "What''s going on?" Evan asked. He had been skeptical of coming with Alec, however, still followed him along. The temporary pass he was presented with was interesting, and the prospect of going to the second level of the library was hard to refuse. "What are those..."

    "Drink this," Alec said calmly. There was no need to explain anything. Taking out another vial of mental cleansing potion, he held Evan''s face and shoved it into his mouth. Without struggle, Evan accepted the potion. Once he was done drinking, a glint similar to that of Alec''s appeared in his eyes.

    "Huh... I can''t believe that actually worked," Evan muttered to himself. He held his chin thoughtfully.

    "I told you that it would," Alec said while walking toward the table. Without further ado, Evan followed him along.

    "Where did you hide the journal?" he asked, catching up to Alec. His gaze wandered over the table but couldn''t spot the book.

    Alec didn''t answer and raised his hand instead. His palm facing forward, a crooked magic circle appeared mid-air. Shortly after, the circle spun to activation. A much more well-drawn version of the same magic circle appeared on the table. Then, as if it had always been there, a notebook appeared under it. Once Evan saw this happen, he gasped in surprise.

    "I still can''t believe that this thing managed to blot out an entire magic branch," he said, to which Alec nodded in answer.

    "Yes," he said simply. He tip-toed around the table carefully and reached the chair that was placed behind it. Evan, on the other hand, had to take one from another nearby table.

    Sitting side by side, they opened the journal and started reading the entries.

    The first section of the journal was about Alec''s experiences before his first memory erasure, which Alec hid from Evan promptly. Evan didn''t find this weird. He knew that there were some things that Alec had to hide from him. They were undergoing a tribulation so severe that anything less than absolute trust in each other wouldn''t do. So, Evan chose to trust in Alec, that he wouldn''t hide something from him unless absolutely necessary.

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    When he read through enough of the notebook, Alec pushed the notebook toward Evan for him to read too.

    The part they reached was interesting, as it started with a date, unlike the previous entries.

    [This thing... It has also taken away our calendar. Thus, we will be creating our own, just to make this thing easier to read.]

    [The Chaos Calendar --> 01/01/00]

    "That''s interesting..." Evan muttered audibly. He looked around for a few moments and confirmed the journal''s claim. "That''s true. I don''t know the date. I have a concept of months, days, and years, but that''s all..."

    "That is probably what we realized last week," Alec said. "I genuinely admire this thing''s anti-memetic capabilities."

    "Yeah... That''s fine and all but why did you name it ''The Chaos Calendar''?" Evan asked. He couldn''t see a reason behind it. At his mention of the name of the calendar, Alec shifted his gaze back to the journal.

    "Huh... I have no idea. I''m sure it''s not that complicated though..." Alec answered. Flipping a page, he threw the question to the back of his mind and read through the rest of the journal.

    "So let''s continue with what we have learned this week. Today should be... 08/01/00." Alec said while taking out The Author''s Pen. He tapped the pen on the table three times before writing down the date and turning his gaze back toward Evan.

    "Hunter Howard has gone back to teaching this week. That might mean something," Evan said. He then got up and circled the table with his hands joined together behind him.

    "Yes. That was shocking," Alec said while noting the event. "Maybe there have been some shifts in the academy''s power structure."

    "That is possible..."

    "I''ve also noticed that the infirmary has disappeared," Alec said. He scratched his temple with The Author''s Pen before continuing. "Edward had a weird tumorous growth on his arm..."

    "Do you think it might be something related to this..." Evan said. His words cut in half, and he looked at the journal once again before continuing. "Demonic incursion? It''s incredible that we fought against demons and forgot it..."

    "I have no idea," Alec answered his question with a frown. "I don''t know how a demon looks other than the description in the journal. So I can''t identify if the lump was related or not..."

    "God damn it," Evan cursed under his breath. Placing his hand on Alec''s shoulder, he read the description of the demons Alec had written about in the journal once again before returning to pacing around the table.

    "Oh! There was this interesting news..." Evan muttered, struggling to remember for a second. "Apparently, the illusive array will be used for the final exams of this term."

    "What''s that?" Alec asked with a raised brow.

    "It''s an incredibly complicated ancient magic array spanning the entire underground of the academy. Once activated, it creates semi-real illusions of random monsters for the students to fight against," Evan explained. "Apparently, nobody has seen it be activated before, including the professors."

    "That''s weird. Why now?" Alec asked, to which Evan shook his head.

    "What''s weirder is, I clearly remember being told that only the headmaster can activate it," he said.

    "But... Didn''t the headmaster disappear a long time ago?" Alec asked.

    "Mm..."

    "There''s definitely something weird about that. Just the fact that we don''t even know the headmaster''s name is..."

    "Worrying?" Evan finished his sentence.

    After a short while of silence, both sighed in resignation. Alec started noting things down while Evan kept thinking.

    "Shouldn''t we have some kind of plan in case things don''t work out?" he asked suddenly. Alec stopped writing and tapped The Author''s Pen on the journal, splattering small amounts of ink on it.

    "We already do," he said. Evan stopped pacing around the table thoughtfully and looked at Alec.

    "What? What kind of plan?" he questioned.

    Alec lifted his head from the journal and looked at him.

    "I have absolutely no idea."

    "Huh?"

    "I mind wiped myself to forget what the plan is. Shortly before the mental cleansing potion ends, the mana brain will hand me a heavily protected memory package strengthened by memetic magic," Alec explained. "Then I will mind wipe myself again before the anti-memetic entity does."

    "That''s kind of smart..." Evan muttered.

    "I have a hunch that you were the one to think of that," Alec said before going back to writing.

    The next ten or so minutes went by silently. Alec finished taking his notes with the help of Evan and then went on to study memetic and gravity magic.

    Evan''s mental cleansing potion was about to run out, so he was readying himself to leave. However, before that, he stopped and thought for a second.

    "Say, I know that these potions of yours are hard to explain. I still don''t know how you make them..." Evan muttered. Alec''s interest was piqued. He closed the book in his hand and threw it aside. "But, is there any way you might make more? Are there other potions that can be used casually? Something like the health potion or that stamina potion the journal talked about?"

    "Yeah... There is. Where are you going with this?" Alec asked, his brow raised.

    "If you could create more, what if, let''s say... You gave them to me and we started selling them?" Evan asked nervously.

    "What? Sell? How? The academy regulates the selling of potions heavily," Alec asked.

    "I will deal with that part," Evan answered. "You make the potions, I sell them. We both do our own jobs."

    Hearing his words, Alec''s mouth opened in awe, then his lips rose into a wide grin. Raising his hand to hide his amused expression, he agreed.

    "Sure ''partner'', let''s team up..."

 Chapter 55 | Evan! We Have to Cook!

    The public alchemy labs seemed to be getting less and less crowded with every passing day. The lack of students and the hubbub in the main hall aside, Alec couldn''t hear the occasional explosion or see the toxic fumes permeating the corridors either.

    He had also felt a suffocating heat, not enough to actually make him sweat, but enough to make it uncomfortable. Now, however, the lack of such heat actually felt worse. As if something important had been lost, as if a recently turned-off oven was cooling down on its own, indicating the imminent end.

    In such a situation, Alec patted his chest and found comfort in that motion. He stopped concentrating on what was lost and started looking at what was ahead. And by ahead, he was thinking of money.

    "What ingredients are you going to use?" Evan said, looking contemptuously at the bag filled with random wild herbs in Alec''s hand. He had insisted on visiting the alchemy shop and paying for the ingredients himself but was baffled when he realized Alec wasn''t going to buy any at all. Alec, on the other hand, had no intention to explain anything. He was already skeptical about the deal at hand, after all.

    "Look man," Alec turned around with a sigh. He patted Evan''s shoulder and looked around before continuing with a whisper. "I do the cooking, you do the selling, let''s not get things mixed up. Alright?"

    "Uh... I don''t think you ''cook'' potions. You brew them," Evan said, reeling from how close Alec was. Hearing his words, Alec felt like he was getting older and older.

    "Never mind," he said, caressing his forehead tiredly. "The point is, I know what I am doing and you know the results. No public formula can create potions that are that potent. And weren''t you the one who offered to work together? Trust me more!"

    "Alright alright!" Evan stepped back. He looked around to see if anyone had heard them but instead noticed how empty their surroundings were. "Oh... I''ve heard that there has been a lack of resources lately. The potion and herb prices keep going up they say."

    "Interesting. Was there a problem with the source, I wonder," Alec said. He wasn''t annoyed by the fact that Evan had changed the topic so suddenly. Quite the opposite actually. He didn''t really want to argue over such a topic. Even with their bickering, they were both aware of their trust in each other.

    Shrugging, Evan walked up to the counter and rented a room. Since his first potion creation trial, Alec had depleted most of his credits. His monthly allowance distributed by the academy itself was nowhere near enough to fund him, and alchemy labs were incredibly expensive to rent, which left him with no choice but to make Evan pay for it.

    Seeing the uncomfortable expression on Alec''s face, Evan patted his shoulder and rolled the token in his hand.

    "Don''t worry. This amount of expenses is okay while starting a business," he said, to which Alec nodded in agreement. He himself knew that. He was quite a money-oriented person in his nature after all. However, the academy grounds weren''t quite the place to make money comfortably.

    ''Once I leave this place, I will start a company or something. Hell, maybe I will write some novels and see how that goes...'' Alec muttered to himself as they traversed the corridors.

    When they finally reached the correct room number, Alec took Evan''s entrance token.

    "It shouldn''t take long. You can wait in the main hall if you want," Alec said. Evan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall next to the door. Seeing him uninterested in leaving, Alec entered the alchemy lab silently and closed the door behind him. "Now..."

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    He dumped the wild herbs on the table and placed the bag aside. Although Evan knew what was inside, and was confused at Alec''s antics, this was a necessary step to hide their endeavors. It would be weird if he went into the alchemy lab with nothing at hand and came out with a batch of potions after all.

    Afterward, he incinerated the herbs with a fireball and placed the ashes inside a jar to be disposed of later. With his preparations done, Alec took out The Author''s Pen and started his ''cooking'' process.

    He had other uses for his mana for the day, so he had to be conservative in his spending.

    ''Why don''t I start with some very-low grade health and stamina potions? Those oughta be easy to sell and less conspicuous,'' Alec thought to himself. He wrote with incredible speed and vial after vial started appearing on the table. His mana stat had reached 32 and with constantly active mana regeneration potions, he could achieve quite the efficacy in his creations.

    ''Five of each should be pretty good. Considering the recent price increases, even if we are selling them for cheap, we should get about 7 or 8 thousand credits each,'' Alec calculated in his head. Alongside his recent increase in mana, the fact that he was inside an alchemy lab seemed to reduce the cost of The Author''s Pen potion creation even further.

    ''I wonder if I should create that...'' he thought to himself, his gaze wandering between the vials on the table and The Author''s Pen.

    For a long time, Alec had thought of utilizing The Author''s Pen to help his friends in some way. There was a feeling in him that told Alec that he couldn''t survive in this world on his own. And for that, he thought of Evan as a pretty good candidate.

    ''What could happen if I gave him an upgrade potion?'' Alec thought to himself. He wasn''t actually a deeply cynical person. He could build relations on trust, just like how he did with Evan. What he didn''t trust was this new world he was inside.

    After all, Evan himself could be completely loyal to him and still harm him in some ways. For example, what if there was a cult following Evan around for some reason and he led them to Alec? What if Evan had an incredibly strong ancestor always watching over him wherever he was in the world and stumbled upon Alec''s secrets that way?

    ''That''s a no-go... I should keep The Author''s Pen a secret...'' Alec thought to himself. Then, however, he still wrote a very low grade strength upgrade potion. ''I can just dodge any questions he asks. There is also a very good chance he won''t question me at all. He should know how dangerous the existence of such a potion is.''

    Once he was done with that, Alec closed his eyes and waited for his mana to regenerate a bit. Not too long, approximately 15 minutes. After that, he wrote another potion and split it into two vials before wearing them as a necklace.

    ''With that done, I should be ready for the last part,'' Alec thought to himself. He had to create some cover-up potions to use on an Alchemy Crystal.

    ''Beginner-level Health Potions should be good. Two of them maybe?'' he made an educated guess. With the intent to create a traditional potion, Alec closed his eyes and started writing once again.

    However, weirdly, the potion-creation process felt somewhat weird.

    ''Why is it taking this much mana?'' Alec thought to himself. Because of the low level of the potion, it still wasn''t that expensive. However, compared to the three times more effective very low grade health potion, it was at least five times more expensive.

    His eyes trailing the mana motes leaving his body and slowly forming into a beginner-level health potion, Alec scratched his cheek in confusion.

    "There are two major aspects that affect the creation cost of potions. One is the difficulty of its creation, the other is how rare the ingredients are. However, very low grade health potion also has the fact that its formula is unknown to this world, which should make its creation incredibly expensive. So why is it cheaper?" Alec contemplated. "The ingredients? The creation process of the traditional health potion is relatively easy, and I myself made it before by hand. There shouldn''t be a problem regarding that. So the ingredients should be the bottleneck here. Then, what ingredient is this easy to find..?"

    With a sigh, Alec filled the potions into his bag and came out of the alchemy lab with the two health potions in hand. Evan was waiting in the same pose Alec had left him. Once he heard the door open, he opened his eyes and turned around to look.

    His gaze first wandered over the two potions in Alec''s hand, then shifted toward the bag in hand.

    "Good job," he said. Alec handed over the bag filled with potions. Once he saw the rows of vials, Evan let out an unintentional gasp.

    "These are..."

    "Health and stamina potions. Three times more effective than the traditional beginner-level ones," Alec explained. With a loud gulp, Evan tightened the mouth of the bag and led Alec back to the main hall.

    Registering the cover-up health potions on the Alchemy Crystals, Alec and Evan left the lab building together...

 Chapter 56 | Practical Gravity

    The training grounds were frequented by pretty much any student of the academy. It was a place where commotion and ruckus never died even when the amount of students was at its lowest. After all, no matter what you specialized in, spell-casting was the main property of a mage. You had to be able to dish out your fireballs and magic missiles at a moment''s notice if you wanted to be competent, after all.

    Well, considering Alec''s situation, he was slightly behind on that topic. He could very well do some quick casting, but that wasn''t enough to make him exceptional among his peers. Someone like Iris or Evan could already quad-cast simple magic such as fireballs, which was a bit discouraging for the more physically oriented Alec.

    ''It would be better if I found a solution to that,'' he thought. However, he had a more important task at hand than that.

    As the cheap special training room he had rented shone with bright purple lights, Alec''s face lit up in excitement. By now, the room had become akin to a battlefield with all kinds of trash, furniture, books, and papers strewn around the floor. He hadn''t touched the training chamber itself, but he would come to that later.

    "This is incredible..." He muttered. In front of him, little specks of dust were rising into the air gently. They looked akin to a purple waterfall, albeit flowing upward instead of downward. And amidst those dust was a small pebble he had previously picked up on the way here.

    The pebble was floating, however, it wasn''t floating unstably like how telekinetic magic would make an object float. Normally, when a mage used telekinetic magic to make something float, they would apply a constant force that would be just right enough to keep it still. However, no matter how well accomplished the mage, it was impossible to adjust the force enough to keep the object from shaking or flailing ever so slightly.

    Alec wasn''t focusing on that though. He had simply cast a simple, first-circle magic, and the pebble stood perfectly still as if it was in a vacuum without gravity.

    Once Alec took in the scenery to his satisfaction, he prodded the pebble away. It gently shifted through the air like a boat in a calm river before coming to a stop.

    His heart started beating with excitement once again. He had been trying to replicate this magic for some time and had finally succeeded.

    "Gravity magic..." He muttered. "The things I could do with this are endless," he said while imagining himself floating through the air with countless blades and weapons blossoming around him. He would point his fingers toward his enemies and they would either be flattened without ever knowing what happened to them or launch off the planet''s atmosphere, boiling and suffocating in the vacuum of space.

    ''For now, though, I will have to make do with this,'' he said. Striking a cool pose, Alec raised his finger toward the pebble. With the release of a bit of intent, the pebble shot out like a bullet, striking the reinforced glass covering the training chamber from the outside. It didn''t manage to scratch the glass, but Alec hadn''t expected that to happen either.

    As the pebble crumbled into pieces, Alec decided to progress to the second level of his plan.

    ''So far, I have managed to recreate a first circle gravity spell that helps me manipulate the gravitational forces that affect an object, though there is a limit to the object''s size,'' Alec mentally noted. He quickly drew some conclusions by comparing this to other types of 1st circle magics and their relations to their respective branches. ''This could be the main spell of this branch. That is also probably why it has been so heavily scrutinized by the academia.''

    This gravity magic had a very peculiar way of casting. Frankly, it felt different compared to the contemporary magic he was taught in the academy. This was to be expected, as he had scrapped it from the bits and pieces left from ancient times with the help of The Author''s Pen, however, he hadn''t expected it to be this different.

    So far, most of the spells he had learned were immediate in execution or were sustained spells. This made him wonder why the spell realization stage of casting was even considered a stage. After all, it wasn''t even a stage that required input. It was just the spell acting on its own.

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    Well, Alec was slowly but surely coming to a conclusion.

    As far as he knew, modern magic was but a mere low-quality replica of ancient magic. What was scrapped was very minimal and fragmented. He himself had noticed this fragmentation with the classification of branches such as fire magic. In its essence, fire magic was just supposed to be particle magic, but today''s magic world had somehow regressed and returned to thinking of the material world as if it was made up of elements such as fire, water, and so...

    There were obviously some who noticed these branches contradicted themselves. After all, most spells had some relation to fire magic itself, even if they weren''t necessarily related to flames and explosions. Hell, even water magic contained pieces of fire magic, which made Alec question the academic integrity of these expert mages.

    With all these being said, the piece of gravity magic recovered by The Author''s Pen was very different. The fact that it was made up of some esoteric magic matrices and seals aside, the very spell-casting process was more comprehensive. Once the magic circle was formulized, initialized, and actualized, it would be filled with mana, which was the same for any magic, really. However, the difference was that the realization stage of the gravity spell didn''t immediately deplete all the mana in the circle. Instead, it would remain active for some time and let Alec manipulate it to his will until the energy ran out.

    What Alec found weird about this aspect of the spell was the fact that it didn''t contain any parts that would help him achieve such a thing. As far as Alec''s understanding of magic went, this was akin to controlling a computer without using any interfacing peripherals like a mouse or a keyboard. How did he do it? He didn''t know. But it worked out nonetheless, which brought another question to Alec''s mind.

    ''What if I tried combining this circle with bits and pieces from the mana brain? Can''t I create a proxy mini-brain of sorts that might function on its own? This wouldn''t work with other spells as they are set in stone as soon as they enter the realization stage, but it might just work with gravity magic,'' He thought excitedly. Being an author required a surprising amount of analytical creativity, which Alec could be lacking from time to time. Now, however, he felt full of inspiration. ''A semi-autonomous gravity spell would be cool. I would place it onto daggers and they would fly around on their own. Hell, If I have enough mana, I might even be able to form a network with the mana brain as the center. That means a highly coordinated assault on the enemies!''

    Professor Andrew had told him an interesting piece of trivia upon one of his questions before. Apparently, as the mana brain lacked intent, it wasn''t truly able to act on its own. It was very well capable of creating solutions to problems. However, it couldn''t present itself with a problem.

    A mana brain can only act and extrapolate on the main brain''s orders, he had said.

    This was the reason Alec was thinking of them as semi-autonomous. They wouldn''t exactly be acting on their own, but it would be fine as long as he ordered them to hit the target as fast and hard as they could.

    Formulating a plan, Alec took off his shirt and looked at the mana brain engraved on his chest. As he had found this piece of arcane inscription intriguing, he had asked Professor Andrew to teach him a certain piece of magical feat.

    He brought both of his hands forward and tightened them into fists. Mana started coursing through his body, under his skin. A tingling sensation spread throughout, making him feel the pieces of magical nerve tendrils connecting the mana brain to his nervous system. However, that mana quickly surged further ahead and into his fists. Once it started piling up, Alec relaxed the index fingers and thumbs of both his hands, making a camera gesture in front of his chest.

    The mana that had piled up inside his hands suddenly poured out, creating a blue, jello-like, square film between his fingers. Then, the mana brain magic circle on his chest spun in excitement before releasing a light. That light then became amplified by that mana film, which projected the mana brain magic circle in its true size to the opposite wall.

    "This is still cool no matter how many times I do it," Alec muttered out loud. This was a method to see the image of a true-sized mana brain without having to copy it by hand from somewhere. It didn''t really consume mana and was fun to do.

    His eyes breezing through the magic circle and inspecting every detail within, a deep frown appeared on Alec''s face. He had been really excited a short moment ago, seemingly filled with inspiration. But now, as if something was stopping him from properly reading the mana brain, he had lost that sparkle in his mind. No matter where his eyes looked, he couldn''t find what he was looking for.

    Slurping back the mana film with his hands, Alec sighed deeply. He had done well enough for now, and could always look into broader usage of gravity magic later. He was in no rush after all.

    ''Maybe when I go to the library, I will find some inspiration...''

 Chapter 57 | Hi, Professor!

    ''So, why did I come here again?'' Alec asked himself mentally. The sight of the empty lot was definitely appealing but didn''t mean much. Albeit the awkward clearing, there were only trees and more trees surrounding the place. What was weird was that Alec had found himself unintentionally coming to this place, much like how one would go to another room and forget what they would do there.

    With a deep sigh and a frown on his face, Alec turned around to leave.

    ''This kind of thing has been happening a lot to me. I wonder what''s the reason?''

    However, before he could actually leave, he found a familiar face standing in front of him.

    "Fuc-" Alec was about to shout before a patch of dirt suddenly formed in his mouth out of nowhere, making him choke momentarily. With tears gushing out of his eyes, Alec started coughing.

    "Swearing is not particularly something I would call unethical. Still, do try not to mouth bad words in front of other professors. For your own good," the white-haired man said. Once Alec managed to get all the dirt out of his mouth, he wiped the tears off of his eyes and looked at the person in front of him.

    "Was there a need to do that?" he asked Professor Howard. This man was a true expert. Not only was his knowledge immense and his strength boundless, but he was also very eccentric, which made Alec not know what he was supposed to do or say in his classes.

    "It builds muscle memory," he said with an expressionless face. Alec gulped loudly once he fully realized that he was actually face to face with Professor Howard, an almost 100-level fire mage. This man could so much as wave his hand and Alec would be dead before he even realized. He wondered what would happen to The Author''s Pen if that happened.

    On one hand, the fact that the man was known for being strangely gentle relaxed Alec slightly. On the other hand, he was in close proximity and direct conversation with a walking talking nuclear bomb, which wasn''t an ideal situation if he were asked.

    "T- That''s great..." Alec muttered. Once he noticed that he stuttered, he realized that he was being pressured by the man''s immense aura. And there was a very good chance that wasn''t even intentional. ''Maybe his stats are too high for him to not intimidate me...''

    "I guess I should leave, Professor. Have a nice day," Alec said before turning around with a swift motion. Apparently and unfortunately not swift enough, as he felt a hand grab his shoulder. What horrified him was the fact that he was stopped immediately.

    If he had to be honest, Alec was trusting his unusually high physical stats to overwhelm the Professor''s grip. What instead happened was that all of Alec''s momentum died in a mere moment, leaving him unable to walk. His entire body went stiff as he couldn''t even move his fingers.

    "Wait a little bit young Alec. Let''s talk," the man said. His voice wasn''t loaded with any emotions. Instead, they were spoken as dryly as possible.

    The next moment, Alec found his body to unintentionally turn around, which was eerie. It wasn''t a mind control type of thing as his muscles weren''t the ones doing the moving. His body had just turned around because of an unknown force.

    ''Telekinetic? No, that isn''t his specialty and telekinetic magic doesn''t work like this...'' Alec mentally tried to guess.

    "You are thinking too loud, Alec. I can see your question on your face," Professor Howard said. Alec couldn''t understand if he was talking about actually reading his mind. The man could very well be trying to joke and failing miserably, as his voice and expression didn''t betray any irony.

    ''This guy... You know facial expressions are a part of communication too, right?'' Alec questioned in his mind. He then panicked for a second that his mind was being read. However, the man did not comment on his rude thoughts, which made Alec relax once more.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "I''ll tell you just because you are this curious, I tightened the air molecules around and encased you in a net to move you. I guess a level 60 fire mage would be capable of doing such a thing. Though, I doubt levels make much sense to you," Professor Howard explained. That made sense. After all, the man was a legendary fire mage. It would have been uncool if he used telekinesis in their first interaction.

    "Thanks for explaining," Alec said confusedly, ignoring the blatant hinting at his disability. He couldn''t see where the man was going with all this.

    "Stay a little bit. I want to ask you some questions," the man said. Alec wanted to sigh at the fact that this interaction would go on for longer, but decided against doing so. He certainly didn''t want to disrespect the man, after all. "Why are you here? This place doesn''t lead anywhere. Neither is there anything interesting about it. I saw you look around in confusion. Were you waiting for someone?"

    "Uhh..." Alec genuinely didn''t know what to say. To be honest, he wanted the answer more than him. Unfortunately, Professor Howard didn''t seem the type to accept ''I don''t know'' as an answer.

    "I found this plot a bit too weird and wanted to take a closer look," Alec made something up. "Why is there a clearing here? I wouldn''t be confused if it was newly cleared. I would have just assumed there to be a planned construction..."

    "How did you know it wasn''t cleared recently?" Professor asked. Alec quickly threw a glance to the side and answered.

    "The grass is too tall."

    "An okay observation," Professor Howard praised Alec. At least that was what Alec assumed him to do. This was the first time Alec saw the man smile. Well, he wasn''t sure he actually smiled. After all, his mouth had barely moved. But there was some movement Alec hoped to be indicative of a smile. "I''ve decided on building an infirmary here."

    "What? Why?" Alec asked. He felt an uncomfortable sting deep in his head but ignored it. His hand reached up to scratch his chest.

    "I''ve recently found some writings between the notes left by The Headmaster," Professor Howard answered while turning toward the empty lot. He didn''t seem to really care about the confidentiality of the matter. "He wrote about the construction of an infirmary."

    "Just like that?" Alec asked. Professor Howard turned back toward him with a raised brow. Alec gulped at the man''s reaction before continuing. "There was a note about it, and you are going to build it just because of that?"

    "Oh. I can see how that might seem weird," the man said. He took a deep breath, causing visible vapor to form because of how cold it was.

    "Question a sage''s order, then do it anyway, -Commissar Petrovsky."

    "Umm..." Alec waited for him to continue. He had thought that the man would''ve gone on to explain, but they stood in silence for half a minute.

    "I wanted to give you some time to think about it," the man finally opened his mouth. Unfortunately for him, Alec hadn''t thought about the saying at all. He was more busy thinking of a way out of this encounter. "The obvious political load under the saying aside, it''s a saying that really works for the headmaster. You don''t know him, so this might seem weird but, he always has a plan. Always."

    ''I wonder...'' Alec mentally muttered, keeping his silence. He felt like too many things were happening in this academy that seemed completely out of control. Though, Professor Howard didn''t seem to care about Alec''s indifference.

    "Did he leave any other notes?" he asked, curious. Then, however, he realized how that might have come off as rude and corrected himself. "Other notes that would be okay for me to hear, obviously."

    "Hmm..." the man caressed his chin thoughtfully. There was probably more than one order left to him but he couldn''t tell Alec all of them. "He also ordered there to be food ready in the infirmary for all times, enough to feed more than a hundred people."

    "What, why?" Alec asked with a frown. Let alone the fact that the whole thing was a waste, it was also very creepy. Who was the food going to be made for?

    Unfortunately, Professor Howard didn''t seem like he was interested in talking any further. Without saying another word, he turned around and started walking away. Alec was watching his departure for a few short seconds until he wasn''t. The man had suddenly disappeared from his sight, which was something Alec had gotten used to seeing happen.

    ''These people... Why is everyone so obsessed with looking cool? Does leveling up come paired with unhealthy levels of self-obsession?'' Alec mentally grumbled before turning around to leave. However, before he could, he felt a gentle touch on his cheek. His body turned almost instinctively, eyes tracing the surroundings with fervor.

    ''What was that? Is the Professor playing pranks on me?'' He guessed. However, that felt a bit too uncharacteristic for him. Although there was an itching feeling inside Alec, telling him to look for the source of that touch, he had to go back and meet up with Evan. ''Never mind. I should leave...''

 Chapter 58 | Gravity Proxy

    The scratches of his pen gliding on the journal and the nervous taps of Evan''s feet mixed into each other, giving the library''s second floor a livelier atmosphere than how it really was. This was probably Alec''s fourth visit and Evan''s third visit. Still, with how many things were written to have been deleted or twisted from their minds in the journal, Alec was doubting that too.

    While Alec kept a journal of his own, he had taught Evan the memetic first circle magic too. This way, he would be capable of arranging his own journal in case he needed to keep some things from Alec. Although this was somewhat inevitable considering his situation; mind, memetic, and anti-memetic magic had become the branches that Alec was most accomplished in. Constantly thinking about them and researching their nature had furthered his understanding to a level that a normal student shouldn¡¯t have had.

    "So, how exactly does the spell look in the system interface?" Alec asked. This was one of the things that he wondered. As he himself couldn''t utilize the system''s skill page, he had no choice but to ask Evan about it.

    "It''s called ''Unnamed first circle memetic magic''," Evan answered with a frown. His fingers tapped and dragged the system panel. Alec himself didn''t have much to navigate in his own system but as far as he understood, he could''ve used his mind to navigate it. As to why Evan was using his hand to do it, it was a mystery.

    "That''s weird. What if I name it?" Alec asked. Seeing Evan keep his silence, Alec took out a dagger from his backpack and started playing with it. This was a habit from his previous life. Whenever he felt stressed out ¨C or bored, really ¨C he would find some fidget toy to play with.

    After thinking for a moment, Alec pushed the dagger in his hand up into the air. A little bit of mana was inserted and a purplish magic circle engraved into its hilt glowed into existence. The dagger seemingly came to life, jumping in excitement and circling Alec like a little puppy.

    "I''ll call it..." Alec muttered, his eyes seemingly lost in the far distance. "Memetic Ping."

    As soon as Alec said the name, Evan jumped in place, seemingly startled by something invisible.

    "It changed," he said while seemingly looking at another invisible panel.

    "Interesting. It did? So it updates in real time. That''s neat," Alec commented. He didn''t know what to feel about having his very own spell in the system so soon. He also wondered if there was a reward for doing so. Even if there were, he wouldn''t be aware. He was a "cripple" after all.

    "Neat and weird," Evan added, his hand caressing his chin. "Maybe even the little differences in the magic circle cause it to change names. After all, didn''t you scrap this magic from inside the mana brain? There''s no way you are the first one to discover it."

    "Yeah, now that you mention it..." Alec muttered to himself. What he had done wasn''t anything particularly exemplary. Any somewhat well-accomplished student could have done the same provided they were freed from the effects of the anti-meme. "Maybe it is fundamentally different from the previous version of the spell. Think about it, most modern magic is scrapped from ancient times. This would be similar in nature, I guess."

    "Yeah..." Evan answered. However, his attention had already shifted toward the dagger playfully flying around Alec. "That is very cool. Gravity magic, right?"

    "Yup," Alec answered. He turned toward the object with a smile. "I have just rediscovered gravity magic for the... I don''t know, tenth time? I keep forgetting what I have researched and figuring out the same thing..."

    "How are you planning on dealing with that?" Evan asked with his arms crossed. The dagger circling Alec briefly departed his orbit and greeted him before coming back.

    "Once you decide it is complete, you can sort of memetically tag memories themselves. It¡¯s a hassle, so I wanted to wait till I researched up to the point I wanted," Alec explained, recalling the dagger. "What I was waiting to finish was this," he said while showcasing the magic circle engraved onto the thing.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I call it a gravity proxy," he went on. With a flick of his hand, the magic circle expanded visually and showcased its inner workings. "I mixed gravity magic with memetic components I took from the mana brain. It''s a bit crude but does the job."

    "Does it work completely independently?" Evan asked while walking closer to inspect the magic circle.

    "Not yet. I have been working on that too, but for now, the circles are connected to the mana brain for coordination," Alec further explained. "That way, they can make meaningful coordinated attacks."

    "How many can the mana brain control at the moment?" Evan asked. As an answer, Alec pointed his finger upward. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, seven daggers appeared and flew up.

    "Fortunately, these things spend much less mana than you would think. Well, at least they spend very little unless I''m in attack mode," Alec explained. An awkward expression settled onto Evan''s face for a short few seconds, probably contemplating what ''attack mode'' meant. However, he quickly went back to normal.

    ¡°Why would the memory of gravity magic get deleted, though? How is it related to the anti-meme itself?¡± Evan asked. Alec sighed deeply before answering.

    ¡°I have been thinking about that a lot too. However, lately, this thing seems to be deleting unrelated stuff too,¡± he said. A frown appeared on Evan¡¯s face. Flipping Alec¡¯s journal, he scoured a certain part of the entries.

    ¡°As if this anti-memetic thing has started breaking down again?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes. Seems like the end of this cycle will come earlier. The previous one lasted, what¡­ about 4 months?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the entries indicate that.¡±

    ¡°The end of this cycle might come much earlier¡­ Around the end of the final exams, I guess,¡± Alec made an educated guess. Unfortunately, they had too little information at hand to really calculate anything.

    "So, how is the potion business getting along?" Alec decided to change the topic. With his question, Evan put his hand into his bag and took out his student card.

    "Here," he said while walking up. Without saying much, Alec took out his own card and held it out. When their student cards made contact, an infinitesimal amount of mana transferred from one to another.

    Seeing this, Alec checked the amount of Credits he had curiously.

    "What the..." He mumbled incoherently at the amount. He first looked at his card for a few seconds, then looked up at Evan the next. His gaze switched between the two repeatedly, and he tried making sense of the amount.

    "A- A hundred thousand!?" Alec said, almost shouting. Evan chuckled at Alec''s bafflement.

    "Nothing to be surprised of. We might be selling them illegally, but they are still much more effective than the traditional ones. People are willing to pay a lot. Fifty percent to me, fifty percent to you. Two hundred thousand in total. I don''t know how much money you have to spend for the creation, but this should cover the costs very well."

    Hearing the fifty-fifty split rate, Alec wanted to refute and try making his cut higher. However, he knew that he wasn''t the one who risked himself in this deal. If Evan were to be caught selling, he would be the sole responsible for the whole ordeal. Even if he tried blaming Alec, ¨C Alec highly doubted he would do that ¨C Alec could simply shrug him off. There would be a lot of headaches for sure, but Evan would be dealing with much worse than him.

    "This is... This is incredible Evan. We are rich!" he said in excitement. To which Evan smugly nodded. A short celebration later, Alec calmed himself down and decided to do something he had been holding back for some time.

    "Evan, come here. I have something to give you," he said. Raising his brow, Evan circled the table and stood beside Alec, who was currently looking through his bag. Shortly after, Alec found a vial filled with a red-purplish potion. Bringing it out, he handed it to Evan.

    "Don''t ask anything. Don''t talk about its effects. Don''t, comment," Alec said right before Evan could take it.

    "Uh..." Evan was about to respond. However, seeing the serious expression on Alec''s face, he decided that the best course of action was just to drink the damn thing.

    The potion sliding down his throat, Evan gave the vial back to Alec and started waiting. At first, it seemed like there was nothing going on with him. However, the next, he fell down to his knees in pain. He stood there for approximately ten seconds before finally relaxing.

    "What-" he was about to ask before his brows rose in confusion. His gaze shifted up and focused on seemingly thin air. His mouth opened and closed, probably trying to formulate a sentence.

    Then, with a horrified but grateful expression, he turned toward Alec and inspected his face.

    "Who actually are you, Alec? How can you possess something like this?" he couldn''t help but ask. Alec raised his index finger and placed it on his own lips, making a shushing gesture.

    With a loud gulp, Evan swallowed all his questions. In the end, he was the one benefitting from the strength upgrade potion. And he sure as hell wasn''t going to bite the hand that fed him.

    "Let''s continue," Alec said. He turned back toward his journal and went back to writing. Evan, on the other hand, dumbfoundedly sat on the ground for a minute, staring at what Alec presumed to be his stat screen. Then, he got up too and joined Alec in their arduous path.

 Chapter 59 | Memories, Try and Remember

    "I met Professor Howard a few days ago," Alec suddenly said out of nowhere. The library had been silent for the last few minutes, so his sudden speaking caused Evan''s ears to hurt for a second.

    "In class? I doubt you would tell me about that if that was the case though..." Evan muttered. Alec recalled his encounter with the awkward fire mage for a moment before continuing.

    "No, I went to a place accidentally," he started. His gaze brushing past his journal, he collected his thoughts and continued. "I think it was where the infirmary was supposed to be."

    "Is that a guess?" Evan interjected. He seemed interested in the infirmary. "Or do you know something?"

    "I''m not sure," Alec answered. He thought with his hand on his chin for a few moments before continuing. "Though, if I had to pick, I guess I would call it a strong hunch."

    "What do you think actually happened to the infirmary?" Evan asked, curious. This was one of the topics they had touched on briefly before but hadn''t gotten further into the discussion.

    "It''s kind of hard to say, but from what I understand, this anti-memetic entity rarely ¨C if ever ¨C destroys things. However, it does permanently shroud them in instances. That''s what the journal means by ''anti-memed'' people and places. The infirmary is probably still there but we just can''t perceive it."

    "Isn''t that... Really weird?" Evan asked. Alec raised his brow, signaling Evan to continue explaining. "What I mean is, how can it anti-meme ''people'' of all things? Can''t they just, interact with you? What if one came along and, I don''t know... Punched you in the face?"

    "That''s a good question but you will figure out the answer if you keep thinking about it," Alec said. He didn''t give Evan time to think before continuing, though. "Let''s say I get anti-memed today. What happens then? There is a chance I get completely mind-wiped, unable to understand my surroundings."

    "If not?" Evan cut him off. "What if you do remember?"

    "If I do remember, I go and try to interact with you, for example," Alec took over. It seemed like he was ready for Evan to bring up that particular question. "But I can''t. You can''t perceive me. What then?"

    "You interact more intensely. Hold me in place?" Evan guessed, to which Alec nodded in answer.

    "Yeah, sure. Then you notice something is weird. You either get disturbed and try to fight back, or run away. Or you actually notice me. Then what?" Alec continued the discussion. However, without waiting for Evan to answer, he explained. "Then you forget it when the interaction is over. So, as the anti-memed person, you have to try and intensify the interaction more and more. You also try to make it long-lasting but the anti-meme can just blot out the person''s senses."

    "Oh..." Evan muttered. He seemed to be getting the picture slowly. With a frown, he took over from where Alec left. "You are anti-memed, and the only possible way is to leave a noticeable effect on them. But anything you try will get deleted. The only viable way is to wound them, but you don''t want to do that."

    Nodding, Alec added.

    "Exactly. There''s also the possibility that you just cause them to get anti-memed too. So the anti-memed person trying to interact with others will only result in harm for others," he said with his hands raised to his sides. "Though, if they did some devious things, nobody would be able to stop them I guess..."

    "So they can only sit and wait or do bad things?" Evan asked. The fact that they wouldn''t know even if the anti-memed people did bad stuff worried him.

    "Possibly. Oh, thinking about it, the infirmary might have been prepared for the anti-memed people," Alec muttered with his hand caressing his chin.

    "What do you mean?" Evan asked. He was missing an important piece of the puzzle, which made it really hard for him to understand.

    "Professor Howard was talking about building an infirmary. Apparently, he found such an order amidst some notes written by the headmaster," Alec explained, causing Evan to frown.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "He wants to build it in the place where it previously was?" Evan asked.

    "Probably?" Alec said. He still wasn''t sure if it really was the previous place. "He apparently wanted there to be food ready at all times too. That probably confirms the theory."

    "The headmaster knew about the anti-meme but couldn''t stop it? So he had to take some other measures?" Evan said. "Let''s write that down. We might learn more later."

    He and Alec took their respective notes before continuing their discussion.

    "What happened with Professor Andrew?" Evan asked. Last week, Professor Andrew had shown Alec his research on gravity magic, which he had preemptively submitted. Unfortunately for the two, the research was incredibly flawed and was actually of no worth. Although Alec could understand how it might have seemed logical to the reviewers, if the rest of the gravity spell was completed using that research, it would fail catastrophically.

    Alec had told the man to take down the papers. After all, he could always have realized he had made a mistake in his research and taken it back, right? Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case for magical academia. A submitted paper could not be revoked ¨C which Alec assumed to be a rule caused by the possessive attitude mages had toward their knowledge ¨C. So they would have to improvise.

    "It should be okay. The thesis defense will be tomorrow," Alec said, thoughtfully looking at his bag.

    "Okay? What did you do to make it okay?" Evan asked. He knew that Alec was a cautious person and had probably already thought of something.

    "Well... Not much, really," Alec answered. "Me and Professor Andrew are going to cause a little bit of ruckus tomorrow, that''s what."

    "Huh, should I be excited?" Evan asked with a smug smile. Although Alec was speaking somewhat cryptically, he could understand the intent behind his words.

    "Yes, you can," Alec confirmed. "Lately, nothing cool seems to be happening inside the Academy. Why not have some fun?"

    "Yeah," Evan said. He seemed almost childish while doing so, a glint of excitement in his eyes. He looked around hazily, seemingly trying to remember something. "I have really been missing the good old days..."

    Hearing this, Alec''s ears perked up with curiosity. Albeit having been friends and now pretty much life-bound comrades for a long time, he didn''t know much about Evan. Not at all.

    "What did you use to do when you were younger?" Evan asked, seemingly wanting to hear about Alec before continuing himself.

    "Hmm..." Alec thought for a second. Obviously, he couldn''t answer for the real Alec Greenwood. However, he didn''t think it would pose a problem for him to use his own past to answer the question.

    "I don''t really remember much about my father. My mother is a bit better as she was there while I was growing up..." Alec started by muttering. For some reason, those memories of his previous life felt distant now. Maybe the time he had spent in this world was so eventful that it felt longer than it really was.

    "I was a troublesome child, to be honest. I got angry really easily and fought a lot with children my age."

    "Interesting. You?" Evan asked. He had found Alec to be a calculative and calm person. Although he was a bit cynical in nature, he couldn''t really imagine him as an emotional person.

    "Yep. Well, I changed around when I was... 12, I guess?" Alec continued. "I started reading books more, and I surrounded myself with people who made me less angry. I learned how to control my emotions... And all throughout that, reading must have been my favorite hobby."

    "Reading huh..." Evan muttered. His eyes glanced over the journal in front of Alec. "I can kind of see that. You have that... How to say it? Scholarly nature to you. Not to say, your writing style is a bit weird."

    "What?" Alec asked, his voice rising a little bit in confusion. Amidst all, he hadn''t expected Evan to talk about his writing.

    "Your journal..." Evan said, making Alec defensively hug the notebook. "You write it as if you are writing a story or something. It''s too flavorful to be a simple journal."

    "Huh..." Alec exclaimed. He looked at the journal and involuntarily chuckled. "Is that so..?"

    Feeling baffled at Alec''s childish giddiness, Evan sighed.

    "So, what about you?" Alec asked after calming down. Now that he was done telling a bit about his past, he wanted to hear more about Evan''s. Hopefully that way, he would be able to circumnavigate the anti-meme''s blockage of the outside world and learn something.

    "Heh... My childhood was-" Evan started speaking. However, before he could even finish his sentence, the blue sparks around his head suddenly intensified in amount. Noticing this, Alec''s brows furrowed. He got up and started walking to his friend''s side. "My... My childhood... Family..."

    "Stop, Evan!" Alec shouted. As the blue sparks intensified, Evan''s eyes started getting redder and redder.

    "I have... My parents were..."

    "Stop! Don''t think about your past!" Alec bellowed with terror. Whatever Evan was about to think, it had seemingly infringed upon the anti-meme massively. This was a reaction far beyond Alec had ever seen.

    ''If I don''t stop him now, he might be memory-wiped like me! Or worse...'' Alec thought. However, it seemed like Evan had put himself into a loop. He was constantly trying to access some forbidden information, then forgetting that he was trying, and then forgetting that he forgot...

    With just as much force as needed, Alec slapped Evan''s face repeatedly. He hoped to snap him out, however, it wasn''t working. Which left him with only one choice.

    Placing his hand on his friend''s head, Alec started injecting mana and coursing it through his brain. His other hand a blur, The Author¡¯s Pen wrote down on Evan¡¯s forehead. Quickly after, a second circle mind spell appeared around Evan''s head. Fortunately, Evan''s mental defenses were completely down.

    "Hold on, Evan!"

 Chapter 60 | Jump Ship and Hurry Up

    As the magic circle started spinning to life, albeit at a slow pace like that of a sloth, little beads of sweat appeared on Alec''s forehead. Evan was constantly twitching on the ground, possibly trying to fight against the loop he had put himself into.

    As Alec''s mana joined the fray, Evan''s brain became a battlefield. Alec could feel an invisible, nigh undetectable presence in there. And this feeling didn''t even come from the being itself. Rather, Alec could only feel it through the disruptions in Evan''s mindscape. Kind of similar to dark matter, which wasn''t visible by any conventional means but its gravity signaled its existence nonetheless.

    What was horrifying was, that no matter how much he concentrated his mana in accordance with the mind magic, his prods and pushes against the thing were left unresponsive. It didn''t budge. Not even a little bit. It was as if Alec was trying to move a mountain with all his strength.

    The next moment, however, another intent joined his mana. It wasn''t malevolent and felt deeply familiar. It was filled with zeal and a will to stand up. This was Evan. Even if he had lost control of his mind, he was still capable of producing some intent. Alec was baffled when he realized this. He took a deep breath and followed Evan''s intent.

    There was one major and one minor block between a mage and manipulating another¡¯s memories using mind magic. The major one was that, it was really easy to put up a fight against such forces. The mind was like a heavily protected bastion, and the assailant had to bring a much bigger force than the defenders to beat them into submission.

    The minor block was how hard it could be to interpret other''s memories, especially doing so quickly. When Alec''s magic entered Evan''s head, he was met with a metaphorical library with unopened books. Sure, Alec could walk up to a memory and read its title, but that was nowhere near enough to get a complete grasp of the memory itself.

    Unless of course, he was being aided by the librarian himself, which would be Evan in this particular situation. His magic breezing through the mindscape of Evan, Alec started picking out memory after memory and sending them over to himself using the magic circle. Although he didn''t know their contents, Evan was the one who knew what he needed to remember.

    To be honest, even if the two came together and tried stopping the process using all their expertise and mana, they would have failed spectacularly. The only thing they could do was to scrap whatever they could and jump ship into Alec''s mind.

    An excruciating five minutes full of precise mana-work later, Evan''s mind had been almost completely wiped. At one point, around the four-minute mark, Evan''s intent had faded and disappeared, leaving Alec to his own devices in his mind. Although there wasn''t much left, Alec did his best to get whatever he could and extracted himself from his mind, not coming in contact with the anti-meme any further.

    And shortly after, the sparkles around Evan''s head completely disappeared. He laid still, with his eyes closed, similar to how Alec had gone into a coma after being mind-wiped.

    Just as Alec was about to plop down to the ground with a deep sigh, he saw Evan''s hand twitch. Although he doubted it at first, with even further movement, he realized Evan to be quickly regaining his consciousness.

    ''Just how high is his mind stat?'' Alec couldn''t help but ask mentally while regathering his focus. ''He wouldn''t have put all of his free points in mind, right?''

    Before Alec could go down that line of thought further though, Evan''s eyes shot open in confusion. He looked around like a newborn, taking in his surroundings. Alec walked to his side and tapped his cheek with worry.

    Then, a sharp look appeared on Evan''s face. Even with no memories, his mind seemed to be working to decipher his situation. Alec had no intention of leaving him like this, so he took out a low grade mental cleansing potion he had prepared for such a situation. Although it wouldn''t persist as long as the average one, it would help him at least implant the memories he took over from Evan.

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    He had to admit, he had been tempted to at least briefly glance over those memory packages left to him. However, there were two problems with that. The first problem was that it wouldn''t be right for him to do so as Evan''s friend. Unless explicitly told so, it was a really rude thing to look at other''s memories.

    The second problem was the probability that Evan had handed over some of the forbidden knowledge to him. From what Alec assumed, Evan had tried accessing his childhood memories, probably from outside the academy. If some of those were amongst the memories handed over to him and he accidentally opened it, that would probably be their end. Both of them would be anti-memed and lose most of their agency in the academy.

    The fact that the anti-meme had cut off the academy from the outside world was already known to Alec, however, he hadn''t known how far that went at the time. He already had no memories of the outside world after all.

    And now that this had happened to Evan, Alec got a better understanding of the anti-meme. This whole, ''cutting the academy from the outside world'' seemed to be one of, if not the entire goal of the thing. One quick glance at his past and Evan''s memory had been completely wiped out.

    ''This probably happened because of the fact that we had loosened the shackles around our mind too much,'' he contemplated while looking at his friend''s eyes. Raising his hand, he calmed him down and started the infusion of memories. ''If we were outside the library''s second level and not under the effect of the mental cleansing potion, Evan wouldn''t have been capable of asking a question about the past at all. Even if he did, he wouldn''t follow through with that thought process and think back to his childhood. I wonder what was hidden behind that reminiscent look in Evan''s eyes...¡¯

    As the memory packs flowed from his mind into Evan''s, Alec watched his eyes go from sharp to confused, then to surprised, and finally, relieved.

    "Thank you..." he muttered with a low voice. If not for Alec''s enhanced senses, he wouldn''t have been capable of picking that up. "Thank you, Alec. I managed to pull through thanks to you."

    "No problem. I am technically the one who caused this to happen to you," Alec answered, plopping down onto the ground. With a confused look, Evan sized him up and down before asking.

    "What do you mean?"

    "If I didn''t pull you into this, you wouldn''t have to deal with it. Maybe ignorance is bliss after all..." Alec muttered. Even though he knew that logically, he did the right thing by asking for help, he couldn''t help but feel like he had caused Evan to sacrifice a lot.

    "Huh... That''s the stupidest thing I have heard you say in a while," Evan commented. They looked at each other briefly before breaking down into laughter. If Alec wasn''t there, Evan might''ve fallen into the exact same situation as him. Well, disregarding the whole thing about him being a transmigrator of course.

    "So, how much of your memory is okay?" Alec asked. His question caused Evan to frown and close his eyes for a second, probably trying to do a damage calculation.

    "It''s hard to say. I have about... 10% of my life¡¯s memories left," he answered. "But it is enough for me to continue my daily life as normal. Considering that you have lost much more and did just fine."

    "Yeah," Alec confirmed, his tone trailing between relaxed and nervous. While Evan got up to finish the rest of his notes and add in the events that transpired in the library, Alec himself sat in silence for a moment.

    ''About 10% of his life is roughly 2 years. It seems to correspond to his life in the academy. So nothing before that?'' he questioned in his head. Although his gaze turned toward Evan for a moment, he quickly averted his eyes and went back to his own table.

    ''So, what I should understand from this is that I''m not the only one who knows little about the outside world, but every other student in the academy? Maybe even the professors are in the same situation...'' he thought while para-phrasing his thoughts down in the journal. ''How could the academy function like this? How could no one come to disturb this place from the outside world?''

    [...Those are some of the questions I leave to you, myself. The mysterious nature of this world seems out of my reach. It looks so far out there that I cannot perceive even its outline. But there is a hunch in me that the mystery will start unraveling soon, showing its naked face. I need more allies, and I need more power. With the happenings of today, it seems that more drastic measures are needed. So from this week onwards, I will turn my focus towards memetic magic.]

    [Don''t give up...]

 Chapter 61 | Thesis Defense (1)

    The conference hall of the Lation Magic Academy was rarely, if ever, frequented by the students. Although there were some occasional events that necessitated its use, the amphitheater was a much better choice most of the time. For that reason, this would be the first time Alec and Evan visited the place since the start of their school life.

    That said, the conference hall of the day was much more crowded than how it was supposed to be. There were fliers strewn around the academy, announcements made by upper-classmen...

    Not to mention the people he already knew, Alec could even see some first-year students, who wouldn''t even be able to understand the thesis defense. After all, gravity magic was an esoteric, cutting-edge magical field. Unless they studied beforehand, they wouldn''t have the necessary foundational topics down such as ''Magical Matrices'' or ''Urielian Particles''.

    "Well, a breakthrough doesn''t happen every single day after all," Evan commented, noticing the surprised expression on Alec''s face. "Especially one of this scale."

    The conference hall was what you would expect. There was a stage that lay about one and a half meters above ground at one end. Facing that stage were about a thousand seats, all placed neatly in groups. Mages in general were particularly conscious of their personal space, so the seats had a bit too much space between them. Alec could see about five hundred more seats being placed if the empty spaces were utilized better.

    Those seats would get slightly higher with each row so that the people in the back rows could see the stage clearly. The two double-doored entrances to the conference hall were placed at the back side, much higher than the stage itself. When one entered through those doors, they would be able to see the conference hall in its entirety. Which made it a bit dizzying in Alec''s opinion.

    While they were inspecting the atmosphere, someone finally had enough and asked them to not block the entrance. They stepped aside with apologies and walked further into the hall. Descending the stairs connecting the different seating groups, they chose one that was neither too far away from the stage nor too close.

    "Wasn''t she supposed to be here earlier?" Evan couldn''t help but ask. They were supposed to be joined by Iris earlier, but she apparently had some stuff to deal with.

    "She promised," Alec said. His eyes checked the students entering the conference hall wave after wave. It wasn''t so much of a stampede but was still a big crowd. "We haven''t been able to hang out much lately, but she should be here before the thing starts."

    "Are you excited?" Evan asked. A genuinely curious glint in his eyes. "You told me that you were going to do something interesting, I assume it contains you walking onto the stage. Will you be able to handle the pressure?"

    "Handle the pressure?" Alec repeated his words. Then, a smug grin appeared on his face that threatened to turn into laughter at a minute''s notice. "This much is nothing."

    Alec was no stranger to settings such as this. Although nothing as similar, he had stood in front of thousands of people in his previous life. And if he were to think of it societally, those people were much more hierarchically important than these students. The world of web novelists wasn''t simple. One had to always pay attention to what they said and did, lest they would be ostracized.

    There was one such time Alec had a problem with one of the organizations that arranged the yearly awards. At that time, he was writing his second web novel, which would be awarded the Best Web Novel of the Year. However, after having a personal argument with one of the jurors, his award had been changed to the Best Academy Web Novel of the Year. Just like how it sounded, it was a categorical award and was nowhere near the one-of-a-kind Best Web Novel of the Year award.

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    No matter how much Alec tried to calm down and accept the situation with grace, he couldn''t do so. He could bear with a lot of things and take pacifist actions but when it came to his writings, his entire demeanor would change. It was ''only I can talk shit about my books'' kind of thing.

    The rest of his actions of the time were a blur in his memories. What he could remember was the moment he went onto the stage for the award, and started taking his revenge. Digging out the jury''s past was another thing, displaying every secret of his to thousands of people on the stage using a projector was another. He wondered if the jury would have rather been blackmailed than that...

    Nonetheless, he wasn''t going to do anything that confrontational. He would simply go onto the stage, and complete his part of the deal.

    "Hi," Alec was suddenly ripped out of his thoughts by a gentle and calm voice next to him. When he turned his head, he saw the person speaking to be Iris, the white-haired freshman. She was as calm and collected as ever. Still, there was something that changed. "Can I sit?"

    "Sure," Alec answered. They had held the seat for her, knowing she would come. "How are things? Working under Professor Howard must be hard."

    "He is a bit weird, but seems to wish the best for his students," Iris answered. About a week ago, baffling news had reached every student in the academy. Not only was Professor Howard back to teaching classes, but he was also going to take in an assistant.

    If the introverted Professor Andrew taking in Alec as his assistant created a shockwave, Professor Howard taking in a student would be akin to a ten-meter tsunami. Alec doubted that any student was unaware of the news.

    "Is his personal teaching as good as his classes?" Evan asked. That was a question Alec would have asked if Evan didn''t.

    "Much better. Ready yourself, Alec. Our next duel won''t be as close as the last one."

    "Sure," Alec accepted the challenge. Though inside, his thoughts were different. ''I''m sorry Iris, but that train has already departed. No student in the academy can compete with me, assuming that I''m using The Author''s Pen.''

    Placing those thoughts aside, Alec shifted his attention back toward the stage, which was slowly becoming more animated. Some members of The Student Council pulled two blackboards onto the stage from the sides. Then, they seemed to discuss something before adding one more blackboard. Unsatisfied, one of them jumped off the stage with a quick motion and whispered something into the ear of one of the Professors.

    Shortly after, the Professor got onto the stage. She lifted her hand and two more blackboards came in floating, attaching themselves to the other three from the top. Instantly, the edges of the blackboards fused into each other, creating a big, uniform writing space.

    Finally, five jury members took their seats to the side, behind a table. They all had their own notes and a copy of Professor Andrew''s thesis in front of them. Unfortunately, the students didn''t get the same treatment. Considering that most of them wouldn''t understand, The Student Council hadn''t bothered to give them print-outs. Those who wanted would have to get a copy themselves.

    Fortunately, Alec had his own copy, handed over by Professor Andrew himself. That way, he would be able to better follow the flow of the defense and decide on his moment of entry.

    ''Hmph, I''m getting giddy just imagining the expressions of the jury,'' Alec thought to himself. Then, the magical lighting of the conference hall went out, leaving the students to their own devices. Instead, the stage was illuminated, gathering the attention there.

    Taking a deep breath, Alec closed his eyes and readied himself.

    When he opened his eyes, he found Professor Andrew to be already on the stage, looking over the audience first, then the juries. From very minute details, Alec could see that the man was excited. Nervous, even... Which was funny. Although he was nowhere near level 100, he was probably 60 or 70 levels, which was enough to make him strong enough to level a city on his own. Still, here he was, sweating from his palms.

    "I greet the jury," Professor Andrew said with a calm and clear voice. No matter how nervous, he knew how to keep it to himself. If he didn''t have that level of control over his own body, he wouldn''t deserve to be called a Professor. "Today, I will do a defense on my paper called, ''On Gravity Magic and Particles''."

    Seeing both the jury and the audience silent, the man turned around. Magical circles appeared and spun to activate around him, causing different pieces of chalk to start floating.

    "However, before that, I would like to do a presentation to clear the minds of the audience and the jury," he said. The chalks finally approached the blackboard and started writing...

 Chapter 62 | Thesis Defense (2)

    "...This brings us to the point of Urielian Particles. We found them in the ancient texts and have somehow managed to make out what they are recently. Rather than particles of their own, they are part of an atom that forms the positive parts, neutralizing the charge of the atom when together with electrons," Professor Andrew said with a confident voice. Unfortunately, his words didn''t prompt any reactions from the jurors. The audience was much worse. Probably half had already zoned out, and the rest were trying their best to keep up.

    "Just like this, the nature of gravity seems to lie in particles. I called them ''gravitons''," he went on to explain. This caused three of the jurors to nod in approval while the other two to frown. "Just like how electrons are negatively charged fields in an atom, gravitons are the ones that are gravitally attractive."

    In fact, quantum gravity was an already theorized field. A lot of telekinetic mages supported it, but there was no solid foundation behind it. Most of those who supported it did so because it seemed to make sense. There was also the fact that gravity magic usually contained esoteric and unknown particle magic formulae, which could very well point toward something else.

    "I''m sorry Mr. Andrew, but I can''t quite understand the part on page 7, line 10. Could you talk further about it? You support quantum gravity but don''t explain how it relates to mass itself. It doesn''t even explain how orbital mechanics could work. I can''t help but see your ''gravitons'' as a useless hypothesis," one of the jurors who didn''t support the quantum gravity theory said.

    This wasn''t actually an attack on Professor Andrew''s thesis but quantum gravity in general. It was one of the main points of argument against it, after all.

    Alec, on the other hand, could reconcile this world''s understanding of physics with his past world, assuming that it functioned similarly at all. What these mages were struggling with was the fact that their metaphorical tower of scientific knowledge had weak spots. Some of its middle floors were thinner, and less robust than it needed to be.

    The reason they couldn''t solve gravity magic for such a long time was their lack of understanding of gravity itself. They couldn''t go far in this field as long as they kept to what an Earthian would call Newtonian physics. Not to mention the fact that they had a simplistic, Thomsonian atomic model.

    Truly, if Alec had let Professor Andrew be and do the thesis defense, he would have completely messed up this question.

    "These ''gravitons'' I mentioned are carriers of information," Professor Andrew answered. "They relate to mass, the classical particles in a way I can not comprehend. That is also unimportant, as I will continue the rest of my defense correlated to the pieces we have left from an unknown first circle gravity spell..."

    Listening to his words, Alec sighed to himself. If not for this piece of gravity magic, these people wouldn''t be discussing such topics at all. The thought of ''quantizing'' gravity was something that wouldn''t pop up without first understanding the quantum world more.

    And that was exactly what Alec would do to shake things up a bit. Hopefully, it would be enough to distract people from Professor Andrew''s disaster of a thesis and achieve a plethora of other goals.

    "Excuse me!" Alec said. He used a first-circle voice-enhancing spell to make sure he was heard. While doing so, he got up and briefly looked at Evan, gesturing with his hand. At his gesture, Evan blocked his ears, completely cutting off his hearing sense. This was just another part of their test that would hopefully teach them more about their situation.

    The next moment, every single head turned towards Alec, more than a thousand mages looking at him directly. Alec would be lying if he said that his heart didn''t jump at the sight. Still, he calmed his nerves quickly.

    "As Professor Andrew''s assistant, I have done a bit of self-study. I think I have an answer that might sway the esteemed jurors¡¯ thoughts," he said with elegance, again, amplifying his voice. Unlike what one might expect, nobody laughed at his claim. Instead, an awkward silence encompassed the hall.

    "What are you doing?" Alec heard a whisper from his side. Iris was looking at him with a horrified expression, trying to figure out his intentions. In answer, Alec smiled wryly and jumped. With a clean motion, he was out of the cluster of seats, free to walk to the stage as he wanted.

    "I am a co-author in this thesis, so I hope that this doesn''t count as an offense," Alec said with a gentle smile. His gait was one of confidence, his arms swaying as he took wide but patient steps.

    "State your name, student," One of the jurors said while eyeing the thesis in front of him.

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    "I am Alec Greenwood, second year," he said, his voice loud and clear not only because of the voice amplification but because of how well-endowed he was at public speaking. One stutter, a little stop to take a breath, or an awkward pronunciation would have made him look weak, but he made none of those mistakes.

    Many whispers could be heard rising from around him. Although there were a lot of different sentiments, most of them acknowledged him because of his success in the theoretical exams.

    And truth be told, Alec had the necessary qualifications. Since the start of his academy life, he had struggled with magic. He lacked years of basic knowledge, which made it hard for him to excel in it. However, with the amount of effort he put into studying, abusing The Author''s Pen, and the advantages he had created for himself ¨C such as the mana brain, his higher-than-average mind stat, and all the potions he used ¨C, Alec could finally call himself a genius. A prodigy of sorts...

    At this moment, he realized... He realized that this was what he had been waiting for since arriving in this world. He hadn''t known it but feeling these eyes on his back, carrying the weight of their attention was something he had missed from his days of being a famous web novel author.

    "You can''t go back once you get on that stage, young man," the juror said after checking his name on the thesis paper. Although Alec could see the contempt in his eyes, he could also see admiration. The juror probably admired Alec''s confidence.

    Without another word, Alec jumped onto the stage in a single step. He didn''t worry about his swift motions attracting attention. After all, he was way past the point of worrying about that.

    "For years, our understanding of gravity has come from fragmented, lost pieces of magic," he said. He prodded using his mana against one of the floating chalk sticks and took its control from Professor Andrew, who had backed away to a corner with a fake frown on his face. "We focused on magic, trying to see the world from metaphorical magical glasses."

    As Alec spoke, the singular chalk he had taken control over, flew up and ahead, drawing a circle on the blackboard. That circle seemed to carve a space of his own, pushing away the writings of Professor Andrew.

    "I don''t know how it used to be in ancient times..." Alec muttered. Leaving the circle on the blackboard on its own, he turned toward the jury and continued. "But I think we should put down those glasses. Magic isn''t the building block of our universe but just a product of it. Only the mind can understand nature, magic can only manipulate it."

    "We don''t know where you are going with this, Alec Greenwood. Please hasten your explanation," one of the jurors prompted, cutting Alec''s inspirational speech. Alec couldn''t say he wasn''t annoyed by this.

    "I say, to rediscover gravity magic, we have to take one¡ª no. Several steps back. We are trying to quantize gravity because we saw it in an ancient piece of magic. But we don''t understand nature well enough to do that."

    Finally, Alec turned around and lifted his hand. The chalk was prompted to start drawing little circles on the bigger ring he had made.

    "Since the discovery of negatively charged fields, namely electrons, made by Professor Howard, we have had the same atomic model," Alec said. He turned his head slightly to gauge the reactions of the judges and found them to be frowning. He was challenging something a student wouldn''t after all.

    "But I would like to showcase an experiment I have devised. Could a professor specializing in fire magic step up?" Alec asked. Then, suddenly, a familiar face appeared on the stage. With a lot of gasps and shocked faces, Professor Howard had stepped up.

    "You are challenging my model. It''s only correct that I step up to help you showcase your research," he said. Alec couldn''t exactly understand the logic behind that statement, but still appreciated it. He trusted that Professor Howard wouldn''t mess with the experiment, and such an authoritative figure doing the experiment would raise its credibility.

    "Does anyone have some gold with them?" Alec asked. Gold wasn''t exactly a valuable resource, at least in the academy. Quickly, a particularly generous student brought over her golden jewelry.

    "Professor Howard, please amalgamate pure gold into an approximately 1000 atoms thick gold foil," Alec said. Professor Howard complied and with a flick of his hand, created the foil.

    "Could you also conjure some alpha rays?" Alec continued by saying. He then gazed around the conference hall and said, "I want to ask every juror and capable mage here to cast the spell, ''Particle Gaze'' on those alpha rays."

    ''Particle Gaze'' was a third circle spell used mainly in experiments. It was used to mark certain atoms and make them visible. It didn''t actually make the atom look bigger. If that were the case, the inner workings of the atom would have already been deciphered. Instead, it was more like a representation, merely a way to keep track of their trajectory.

    Around the conference hall, more than a hundred mage''s eyes glowed in blue, indicating that the spell had been cast.

    Taking a deep breath, Alec turned toward the jurors and asked.

    "What do you think would happen if we bombarded the gold foil with these particles?" Alec asked.

    The jurors whispered amongst each other, seemingly trying to come to a conclusion.

    "Please elaborate on your question, Mr. Alec," one of them said. It seemed like they didn''t understand what Alec meant.

    "Let me rephrase then, could one of you demonstrate the alpha rays'' supposed trajectory?"

    Without further ado, one of the jurors raised her hand and pointed forward. A glowing light ball flew forward and hit the gold foil before disappearing.

    "Great. No matter how thin the gold foil is or how small the alpha rays are, the uniform atomic structure wouldn''t let them pass. Right?" Alec said with a shit-eating grin. Some of the professors, especially Professor Howard seemed to be slowly understanding what he was getting at. "Now, I would like everyone to watch closely. Professor Howard, please bombard the gold foil with alpha rays!"

    With a nod, the fire mage started bombarding the golden foil.

    The conference hall suddenly went silent...

 Chapter 63 | Alecs Atomic Model

    Everyone in the conference hall held their breath, waiting for the experiment to start. Even those who hadn''t understood what was going on were excited.

    Professor Howard created alpha rays using an ancient spell that was barely understood and pointed them toward the gold foil. He flicked his hand but nothing seemed to happen; at least according to the people who hadn''t cast the ''Particle Gaze'' spell. Those who did, saw something incredible, something that would change the world of magic forever.

    When the first particle made contact with the gold foil, it passed right through it. As if there wasn''t anything on its path at all, it shuttled right through, ripping apart the old atomic model in the meantime.

    With excitement, Professor Howard kept the bombardment going. Most of those particles flew right through, some had very slight changes in their trajectories, and an incredibly minuscule amount was directly reflected.

    After confirming that this wasn''t a mere coincidence by keeping the bombardment going for half a minute, Professor Howard''s hand fell to his side. Everyone, including Professor Andrew, was baffled by the results.

    If there were a few particles that passed through the gold foil, they could have kept the previous atomic model with very slight changes... Unfortunately ¨C or fortunately ¨C for them, the exception here was the particles that were reflected.

    "What does everyone think about that?" Alec suddenly split apart the silence that had encompassed the conference hall. All eyes were once again, turned toward him.

    ¡®After this, I will attract a lot of attention,¡¯ he thought to himself. ¡®However, I am ready. It was about time I took over the spotlights. I have all the contingencies and backup plans ready. Whatever is hiding in the shadows, it can hit me with its hardest.¡¯

    Riding the momentum of the experiment, Alec turned around. He pointed his finger toward the blackboard and the chalk started drawing.

    "First and foremost lesson we can learn from this experiment is the internal construct of the atom," Alec said. Now that everyone had the time to gather their bearing, they started listening to Alec with rigor. At first, he was nothing more than an overzealous student. Now, he was a prodigy that needed an audience...

    "From how the alpha particles behaved, we can come to three conclusions. First, the ones who passed right through tell us that an atom is mostly empty. Whatever its inner constructs are, they are all gathered in a singular spot," Alec said. He started by drawing a cluster of circles, namely, the protons.

    "On the other side, some alpha particles had minuscule trajectory changes while passing through the golden foil. If we consider the angles of those changes, we can conclude that they were caused by the alpha particles'' interaction with small, negatively charged other particles. Those are what we call electrons!" he continued, his voice booming. As the chalk stick moved with grace, it placed the electrons in orbit around the protons.

    "And finally, the particles that bounced right back with incredible force tell us that there is a condensed, relatively heavy cluster of positive charges inside the atom. I''ll call this cluster of Urielian particles the atomic nucleus," Alec stated the third fact. He placed plus signs in the protons.

    "And electrons... They can''t stand still around the nucleus," he said while pointing at the cluster of protons in the middle. " Or else, the opposite forces would attract the electrons into the protons, and the normally stable structure of the atom would become unstable. That isn¡¯t how it works, so the electrons have to orbit the nucleus at all times!" Alec said while drawing the orbital lines around the nucleus.

    "Our universe, when we go down to the smallest scale, looks the same! The atom is similar in nature to our solar system!" he finally said. The conference hall was shrouded in silence once again. While everyone was busy contemplating Alec''s words, someone started muttering to himself.

    "Electrons... Orbit... Energy levels..." Professor Howard''s mouth moved sluggishly. His hand caressing his chin, he seemed completely lost in his thoughts.

    Suddenly, his eyes widened and he raised his hand. Hundreds of magic circles started appearing and disappearing without ever rotating to activation. Each of those magic circles was similar, like different variations of the same, fourth circle spell.

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    None of the mages there, even the professors, seemed like they were capable of understanding what they were. However, Professor Howard kept going on.

    "Electrons! Orbits!" Professor Howard shouted with excitement. His normally calm demeanor seemed to have changed. There was a wide smile on his face, and his eyes glowed in a blazing blue. "Of course. They are not a charged field inside an atom but a particle of its own! That''s the reason I couldn''t figure it out!"

    The number of magic circles appearing and disappearing around him was decreasing in number, but some of them actually started activating, releasing little sparks and crackles.

    The audience could feel the heat radiating from the man, so most of the people in the front rows stepped back, watching with a mix of terror and excitement.

    Alec, on the other hand, was baffled. He watched the fire mage with his mouth slightly open. He had barely talked about electrons'' orbits and the man had immediately started producing a new spell from it.

    "I can see it... The flow of the universe!" Howard Hunter shouted. At one point, he had started floating, his feet still perfectly parallel to the ground. The sparks and crackles kept increasing in length and volume. The man''s hair stood on its end.

    "I dare not treat you as a mere student anymore, Alec Greenwood! You inspired me, so you deserve the honor. I name this fourth circle spell after you! Alec''s Lightningbolt!" His voice was almost ethereal, echoing and resonating throughout the academy grounds.

    Finally, one last magic circle appeared. This time, it spun with a certain weight behind it. Alec could see the air in front of Howard Hunter''s hand heating up, ionizing and turning into plasma. Once the air was ready, the floodgates opened. Millions of volts of potential difference folded electric and magnetic fields into each other, unleashing a tree-trunk-wide lightning bolt carrying more than a billion watts of power. Carrying with it the smell of ozone¡­

    The bolt traveled approximately ten meters away from Professor Howard. Lichtenberg Figures, branching tree-like patterns illuminated the surroundings. The thunder struck the ground with a deafening explosion that caused many students to shriek in terror.

    On the other hand, Alec who was the closest to this feat and actually felt pain from the lightning''s heat didn''t even frown. Instead, a crazed grin adorned his face. With his obviously charged hair standing up, it wouldn''t be hard to call him a mad scientist.

    He was left breathless, gasping for air. Although it wasn''t exactly his discovery, the knowledge he had brought to this world had unfurled in front of his eyes. Not to mention the creation of a spell in his name.

    ¡°It¡¯s a thunderbolt¡­ He actually controlled electricity to such a degree¡­¡± Professor Andrew muttered from the edge of the stage. Electricity was a newly recovered branch of magic and was mostly at an experimental level up until then. This feat of Professor Howard heavily implied the soundness of Alec¡¯s atomic model.

    As the commotion finally started calming down, Professor Howard adjusted his hair and turned toward Alec with a cough, gathering everyone''s attention.

    "Mr. Alec, do you have anything left to say?" he asked.

    "Yes, actually," Alec answered, which garnered a lot of attention. He turned to his side and slapped the blackboard, causing a layer of chalk dust to come off. Holding himself back from coughing, he looked around the conference hall once more.

    "Today, we took one more step toward a place where our ancestors stood hundreds of years ago," he said. For a brief moment, his presence seemed strong enough to compete with Professor Howard''s. "However, answers are nothing but mere facilitators to more questions. The intelligent mind craves, and humankind tries to sate."

    His words urged the slightly cheerful atmosphere to settle, causing everyone to pay more attention.

    "I promised myself that I would fully understand this world one day," Alec said. ''In more than one way,'' he added mentally. Then, waiting for people to completely subsume his words, he continued.

    "Chances are, I will die before then. If not for external causes, I will die from old age. Still, there are questions I want answers to before then."

    Ordering the chalk without breaking eye contact with the audience, Alec started listing.

    "Moving electrically charged particles will emit radiation and lose energy. Then why do the electrons not fall into the nucleus after a certain amount of time? " the first line was written down quickly. His control over telekinetic magic, coupled with his knowledge of gravity magic, helped him write beautifully, almost like a calligraph.

    "Second! How do the nucleus and electrons relate to a matter''s properties?" he wrote down while saying.

    "And finally, is this the end? We used to think atoms were homogenous not long ago, but we can see that it is made up of smaller particles," Alec said while watching the audience''s reactions. "Is it the same for electrons or Urielian particles?"

    Placing down the chalk to the side, Alec walked closer to the audience, to the edge of the stage.

    "More questions will pop up as we walk this road, but we will answer them too. Until the day we know enough to use ancient magic, and even after that... I can''t wait to see the day we understand nature, and bend it to our will!"

    Satisfied that this inspirational speech wasn''t interrupted like the last one, Alec jumped off the stage confidently. With a small prod of telekinetic magic, he signaled Evan ¨C who had been waiting with his ears blocked and eyes looking away all this time ¨C to follow him. Together with Iris, they left.

    While leaving, all they could hear was thunderous applause gushing out of the conference hall...

 Chapter 64 | The Backstage

    "Are we in the clear?" Evan asked with a frown while walking down the hallway. They had just left the conference hall and the applauses had just died down.

    "Yes. There are no holes in my memories," Alec answered. It wouldn''t be wise to talk more than that. "How about your end? Did you notice anything weird?"

    "No. The audience was completely normal. I was honestly waiting for everyone to zone out at the same time and forget everything they know," Evan said. "But it didn''t happen. Just like you said."

    "You made sure to block your hearing properly, right?" Alec asked. "If you didn''t, you might have been affected by the anti-meme too and forgot the fact."

    "Yes, Alec. I made sure. Don''t worry," Evan said, an annoyed frown adorning his face.

    "What are you two mumbling about? I can''t understand! It''s like you are saying random words..." Iris said with her brows furrowed. "And what''s that smell? I didn''t realize it before in the conference hall but now... Is that... Is that an incense?"

    "Huh... Didn''t expect you to figure it out so fast," Alec commented before reaching into his left sleeve. Inside a small compartment protected with tiny ward arrays was an incense. Its ethereal smell was apparent but negligible. If one was in a crowded space with lots of sensory information assaulting them, they wouldn''t be able to notice it. Just like how Iris couldn''t do so. In fact, Alec thought her to be even more disadvantaged because of her mana eye.

    ''These things last really long, huh? It has been running since yesterday and seems to have about half left... It''s a shame the effects are so weak, even for the average grade incense,'' Alec mentally commented before turning his attention back toward Iris.

    "What do you..." she was about to say before Alec brought the incense closer to her nose. She took in the incense smoke without any questions. Then, small sparks started appearing around her head. Her pupils became larger momentarily as if trying to take in more light. "What incense is this? I feel... Weird. Also, my mana eye started seeing red for some reason. Literally."

    "Be patient and follow us, we are going to meet up with Professor Andrew first," Alec said without stopping. Their footsteps echoed down the halls. An eerie emptiness surrounded them, probably because a huge chunk of the student body and professors were still in the conference hall, discussing the absurd situation.

    "What do you mean ''meet up with Professor Andrew''? Wasn''t he right behind you on the stage?" Iris asked, ignoring Alec''s words.

    "Yes, he was. I just didn''t want to gather the attention back to him," Alec said. ''I also really wanted to make a cool exit like that. But that''s a whole another topic,'' he thought before continuing.

    "How long will it take him to finish his defense?" Iris asked. To which Alec laughed in answer.

    "Finish the thesis defense? No... That''s the point. He won''t finish it," Alec said. Before Iris started asking again, they turned a corner and reached a door labeled "backstage". Alec pulled on the handle.

    What greeted them was a relatively cramped space. However, the crampedness wasn''t actually because of its size but because of the lighting. The place was probably two times bigger than the stage ¨C which was big enough on its own ¨C. The real reason was its lighting. The only source of light seemed to be coming from the other side of the wall separating it from the front stage.

    Letting aside the hubbub they could hear coming from the conference hall, the backstage was energetic too. Student council members were working like ants, making sure everything worked perfectly. That said, most of their efforts were about making sure nothing was harmed by Professor Howard''s unreasonable display of magic.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Amidst those student council members ¨Csome of which who had noticed Alec and greeted him¨C, Alec saw Professor Andrew sitting with a cool demeanor.

    "Yo!" Alec said casually. His manner of speech not befitting that of an assistant.

    "Tch... Monster," Professor Andrew muttered while eyeing Alec with scorn. Still, Alec could pick up the playful undertone in his voice. After all, both of them had benefited from the show Alec had put up.

    "How could you say that about your own assistant?" Alec grumbled with his arms crossed. "How did it go?"

    "Just like you said. They let me off the hook," Professor Andrew answered with a deep sigh. "I said," he started recounting, his tone suddenly changing to become serious. "''I didn''t know he was capable of this much. My judgment as an academician was lacking it seems... At least give me the chance to revise my thesis under these new findings!'' Honestly, they ate it up. I think one of them was about to cry from how emotional the atmosphere was."

    "Bullshit," Alec said with a chuckle.

    Evan and Iris were watching Alec''s interaction with the Professor in awe. They seemed more like friends rather than a Professor and a student. Still, it didn''t feel out of place. Evan knew what kind of person Alec was and he knew he had the aura of an adult. Iris, on the other hand, had seen Alec''s accomplishments on the stage. It wasn''t that weird for him to treat Professor Andrew like that.

    "Anyway. Both of us achieved our goals, so I will leave for now," Alec said, reaching out a hand toward the Professor.

    "Sure, Alec. Take care, will you? I can guarantee that the academy is a safe place, still, better safe than sorry," the man said with a smile. This was the first time Alec saw the man this sincere. Apparently, saving his ass from public shaming was a feat worthy of his appreciation.

    "Oh, by the way," Alec said right before leaving. He slightly turned his head and looked at Iris, then grabbed her arm and pulled her to Professor Andrew''s side. "Can you give her a library pass too?" he asked.

    "Sure, show me yours first," Professor Andrew said. He had asked some questions for Evan but by now, there was no need to. They might as well give Alec the authority of a Professor around the academy after all.

    Tapping his index and middle fingers on the back of Alec''s head, Professor Andrew extracted a small mote of light from there and sent it toward Iris'' wrist.

    "I made it a year-long pass. Will it be enough?" the Professor asked. Alec nodded and thanked him before bidding their farewells. He and the gang shifted their course toward the library''s second floor.

    After walking for a while, Iris finally seemed to have enough of it. "Okay, you have to tell me what is going on," she said while scratching her wrist, the spot where the library pass had appeared.

    "We have been working on a project with Evan in the library''s second floor and we need help. You are the only person we can ask for help from," Alec briefly explained.

    "What''s the project?" Iris asked with a raised brow. Meanwhile, they had passed through the gates of the library, heading towards the hidden second-floor stairs.

    "We don''t know," Alec answered truthfully. The mental cleansing incense wasn''t strong enough to make them remember everything. Instead, it could help them remember some vague goals and important facts, saving them from being completely oblivious. Alec had felt incredibly stupid for ignoring the option of using incense. Still, to justify his case, he had only become capable of creating an average grade mental cleansing incense recently with The Author''s Pen.

    "What do you mean ''we don''t¨C'' oh..." Iris'' words were cut off, seemingly in realization. She was a mage specializing in anti-memes after all. "I see. You can trust me if that''s the case."

    Once they finally reached the fated door of the library''s second level, Alec felt his heart jump. Whenever he saw this, he would have an awkward feeling of anxiety in his heart. As if he had some bad experience with the door in the past... For some reason, he could imagine himself being hurtled through the door and breaking a couple of bones.

    Evan pushed open the door and went in, Alec and Iris following along closely. As soon as they stepped in, the blue sparks around their heads amplified in strength, and they only got stronger the further they walked in.

    "This won''t be enough. We will have to use a potion after all," Evan said. If even Evan ¨Cwho had an absurdly high mind stat¨C was saying this, there was no reason for Alec to wait further. Taking out an emergency potion he had prepared for such a day, he took a small sip and handed it over to Evan.

    Evan repeated Alec''s motions and passed the vial to Iris, who smelled the potion contemptfully. Although she felt skeptical, she could also feel that something was very wrong. Her sight was getting blurry, her surroundings seemingly switching between normal and crimson.

    Once she gathered her nerves and downed the rest, she fully realized the red lights and how awkward the situation was.

    An anti-memetic mage''s mind wasn''t to be underestimated. After all, they were the ones who were the best at spotting holes in their memories.

    "How bad is the situation..?"

 Chapter 65 | Expansionism

    "How bad is the situation? My memory is full of holes..." Iris said while holding her head with one of her hands. Then, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Even after the time I lost my memories... There are a lot of days I can''t remember anything about. What is that..? Why would I spend a couple of days sitting in my room without doing anything?" she mumbled back to back, causing Evan and Alec to frown.

    "It''s better if you stop. Don''t spiral down and remember something you shouldn''t," Alec said while patting her shoulder. His touch seemed to break Iris out of her trance as her eyes shot open.

    "I see... How much have you progressed?" she asked, before turning around to walk to the window. She seemed to be annoyed by the crimson lights.

    "Don''t," Alec stopped her, this time with even more force. "Don''t look up. It won''t end well for you."

    "What do you mean?" Iris demanded an explanation. Fortunately, thanks to the journal, Alec wouldn¡¯t have to explain everything by word. Casting the memetic magic that tied him to the journal, he pulled her along to his table.

    "Read this..." Alec said while riffling through the pages. "...From here. Don''t read the older entries."

    "Alright," Iris took the journal. She then placed it on the table, sat down, and tied her white hair into a ponytail before continuing. It took her less than a few minutes to read through the entire thing. The mana eye on her forehead increased her peripheral vision a lot. Coupled with her relatively high mind stat, she was able to read a page every few seconds and contemplate it before continuing to the next.

    Once she reached the entries of the last day, she closed the notebook.

    "I don''t exactly understand your motives behind today''s events," she commented. Alec was waiting for this question, so he started explaining.

    "I assume you understood the part about Professor Andrew? I was trying to save both of our reputations," he started by saying. Iris nodded along and added.

    "But that wasn''t the entire shtick."

    Evan settled about three meters across, sitting on his own table while Alec called over a chair using gravity magic.

    "Of course. We just decided that it was about time we started moving," Alec said. "We assume that the current cycle will end around the end of this term. Give or take one and a half months. Considering the events at the end of the previous cycle, there''s a good chance something we can''t deal with will pop up," he went on to explain.

    "What was today supposed to be then?"

    "It was a probing strike," Evan suddenly joined the conversation from his own table. "We wanted to see what the anti-memetic entity would do in case Alec attracted such attention."

    "I see... Why were you closing your ears during the entire event, by the way?" Iris said with her brow raised.

    "Oh, that? The anti-memetic entity was wiping Alec''s memories of gravity magic whenever he left the library. We weren''t sure if it was doing that simply because he researched it in the library or because it wanted to block us from developing magic further."

    "Huh... That''s pretty smart of you two," Iris said with her arms crossed. She pushed on the table with her feet and started balancing her chair on its two back legs. "That way, if there was anything weird, Evan would be able to notice it without being affected. Though I have noticed you two addressing this thing as an ''anti-memetic'' entity, that might not be entirely true."

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    "What do you mean?" Alec and Evan asked at the same time.

    "It''s at least partially wrong. The feats of this entity... It isn''t only anti-memetic but uses a shit ton of mind magic too. In fact, some of its mind magic seems stronger than the anti-memes it creates."

    "We thought about that too, but we weren''t sure what to make of it," Alec said truthfully.

    "We will think about that further later," Iris said while flipping a few pages of the journal. "For now, your action seems to have confirmed the fact that the anti-memetic entity isn''t sentient. At least not entirely. You would have been prioritized as soon as you brought up the new atomic model."

    "The new atomic model?" Evan suddenly asked. Iris and Alec turned to look at him before remembering the fact that he was completely oblivious to what Alec had done.

    "I will brief him on the situation," Iris said with a sigh. Then with vigor in her eyes, she walked up to Alec and held him by the collar.

    "W- What the fuck are you doing?" Alec asked with a stutter. However, Iris started unbuttoning his shirt without answering. Her hands a blur, she revealed Alec''s upper body for everyone, namely her and Evan, to see.

    "These names... Ariel... Why didn''t you look more into her?" Iris asked expressionlessly.

    "I... How would I?"

    "Are you stupid or something? Isn''t she supposed to be where the infirmary is?" Iris pressured Alec further. He couldn''t help but take a step back with a frown on his face.

    "Why not just drink that... Cleansing potion of yours and go there to bring her to the library? It is already mentioned in the journal that she has a permanent library pass. With how much you resist the anti-meme here, you should be able to interact with her," Iris quickly explained. Hearing her plan, Alec''s mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to think of a reason why he wouldn''t be able to do that.

    "I- That..."

    "Shut up and get to it."

    "Yes, ma''am!" Alec said with a salute. He inhaled a good chunk of the incense, feeling its invigorating effect before putting it back into his sleeve. The incense was long-lasting, even if not as effective as the potion. Hopefully, combined with the little amount of potion he had drunk, he would be able to keep his goal in mind for the longest time.

    As Alec left the library, Evan and Iris were left alone.

    "It''s hard to believe, isn''t it?" Iris asked.

    "What is?" Evan reflected.

    "All of this... Even though I know how dangerous anti-memes can be, I can barely wrap my mind around it," she muttered. Evan felt a bit irked by her words. If this was her barely wrapping her mind around it, what would it look like if she fully understood? "And it feels cold... Metaphorically, I mean. How did he bear with it by himself for such a long time?"

    "Alec? Oh, he''s just crazy," Evan said nonchalantly.

    "Crazy?"

    "Yep. He is absolutely unhinged. He just hides it well," Evan said in answer. Then, he thought for a second and continued. "Didn¡¯t you see the scars he left on his own body? I¡¯m sure you have read the story behind them from the journal. How can a person who has barely any memories disfigure themself so easily? Is that something a normal person does? It is as if he doesn''t care what happens to himself as long as he achieves his goals."

    "I think I get it..." Iris said, watching the now-closed door. She shivered at the memory of those carvings on Alec¡¯s statue-like body. Imagining him cutting himself, shaking in pain and terror all the while trying to understand his surroundings, knowing that he would forget once again¡­ Iris couldn¡¯t help but feel pity and admiration at the same time.

    "I get it..."

    ***

    ''Everything seems to be fine for now,'' Alec thought to himself as he dashed past his fellow students, causing quite a bit of ruckus in the process. With how high his stats were, he had become incredibly fast. So fast, in fact, that the ground seemed to hiss beneath his feet. The friction between his shoes and the ground had become so much that he could see sparks flying around.

    Fortunately, he had bought himself a new, more resistant pair of shoes with the credits given to him by Evan.

    ''Still, the air friction seems like it will become a problem in the future. I wonder how people of other classes solve this problem?'' he couldn''t help but think. ''After all, over level 100 warriors or hunters would probably have more than a hundred points in agility... Maybe gaining a certain amount of points in that stat makes you magically aerodynamic?''

    Pushing aside the thoughts, Alec took a few turns ¨C kicking off a good bit of dust ¨C and reached the place where the infirmary was supposed to be. Taking out a paper, he started thinking.

    ''What was it again..? A... Alice? No that''s not it,'' Alec forced his mind to remember. "Ariel..." he finally muttered after a few seconds. He wrote down her name on the paper and held it out toward seemingly nothingness.

    [Ariel, follow me to the library.]

    After waiting for about ten minutes, he decided it was enough time and turned around to leave, hopefully leading his imperceivable ex-girlfriend to the library...

 Chapter 66 | You and The Anti-Memed

    Alec retraced his steps and reached the library. He couldn''t run fast like before. After all, Ariel was presumably following him.

    He pushed open the door and the shackles around his mind once again relaxed. Evan and Iris were sitting in different chairs, each dealing with their own ordeals. Iris seemed to have started a journal of her own. Evan had probably taught her the memetic spell to bind one herself. After all, the more trustworthy allies they had, the less the risk of getting mind-wiped at the same time would be.

    When they heard Alec¡¯s entrance through the door creak, both turned toward him.

    "How did it go?" Iris asked. Alec looked around the library first, trying to gauge the situation. Then he sighed. Raising his head, his eyes focused on Iris.

    "How important is this?" he asked. Although he could somewhat make out the importance, Alec still felt like he needed some confirmation. It was as if there was something waiting for a verbal command inside him. "How important is it that we pull Ariel to our side?"

    "Very. We have to see the other side of the veil and understand their situation," Iris said with a serious expression. She seemed to sense the grim tone under Alec''s words.

    Hearing her judgment, Alec nodded. For a moment, his eyes seemed to shine golden. A perfectly hidden memory package, so well hidden in fact that Alec himself wasn''t aware of its existence was passed along through a specialized cluster of nerves in his spine.

    As the memory package unfurled in Alec''s frontal cortex, he started patting his uniform at random places, seemingly trying to find something.

    "What are you doing?" Evan asked, interested in Alec''s actions. Not batting him an eye, Alec finally managed to find what he was looking for.

    "One of the contingency plans just activated. Apparently, I was prepared for such a situation," Alec muttered while pulling out a vial of mana potion and a piece of paper from a hidden compartment on the inside of his jacket, somewhere around his left shoulder.

    He unfolded the paper, being met with a second circle spell he hadn''t seen before and a bunch of hastily written notes.

    ''Huh... I wonder when I prepared these,'' Alec couldn''t help but think.

    "So? What kind of contingency plan?" Iris couldn''t help but ask. She walked up to Alec and tried looking but Alec crumpled the paper before she could. Then, without saying anything, he incinerated the paper using a fireball.

    "One that nobody needs to know but me. I have many contingency plans, more than ten, actually. None of which I¡¯m aware of. As I am the one with a mana brain, I am the most suitable person for such a thing," Alec explained. "By the way, no one else should have their own contingency plans, lest they interfere with mine. That extends to you too, Iris."

    "Mm," she nodded in answer. She could understand the reasoning and was all for it. If Alec wanted to shoulder the responsibility on his own, there was no need to stop him from doing so.

    "For now, I would like you two to go further away and don''t look over here no matter what happens, unless I call you two back," Alec said. The two complied without any questions and walked to the other side of the library, leaving Alec presumably alone.

    "Now..." he muttered. Although Ariel could be there, watching his actions, Alec didn''t feel the need to hide the abilities of The Author''s Pen. Bringing out the soul artifact, he inspected the magic circle in his head once more.

    ''This thing is pretty much halfway done. With what I have learned so far about memetic magic, I should be able to complete it,'' he contemplated. Browsing through a library of knowledge in his head, Alec brought forward The Author''s Pen and started carefully writing on air. He had managed to develop his ability to write on air after a lot of trial and error. Although it was nowhere near the level of being usable in battle, he could at least do so at normal times.

    [Memetic Beacon Magic Circle]

    Alec wrote with blue, glowing mana on the air while drinking the mana potion that had come from the compartment. The words first shifted. Then, motes of blue light started exiting Alec''s body and fueling their existence. The Pen''s mysterious mechanisms churned, creating an ephemeral magic circle. While Alec recognized more than half of the thing, he didn''t know the rest. However The Author''s Pen had done it, it had managed to shift through all the possibilities and bring him the necessary knowledge. Presumably, Alec would have been able to figure it out on his own if he had one or two more weeks, so the cost wasn¡¯t much.

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    "Great..." Alec muttered while memorizing the magic circle and noting it down on a piece of paper. Later, he would shuffle its compartment''s placement on his uniform, maybe carve one or two things onto his body, and possibly wipe his memories of it once again. After all, he couldn''t use memetic magic outside the library unless he was under the effect of some mental cleansing supplement. And this wasn''t a matter of he shouldn''t but a matter of he couldn''t. The anti-meme wasn''t very fond of memetic magic and would try and wipe it if possible.

    Taking a deep breath and readying himself, Alec wrote on air once again, this time spending much less mana than before. The magic circle appeared in its perfect form before spinning to activation. When it did; a faint, blue pulse of magic spread throughout, reaching as far away as ten meters from Alec. Whatever the blue pulse passed over seemed to become more perceivable, easier to see. The furniture, the books... They all seemed more interesting than they normally were.

    When Alec filtered through those mundane things with the help of the mana brain, however, he sensed something. A gentle breathing, a presence right next to him... He felt like he heard heartbeats, a touch on his hand, trying to wake him to that presence.

    And when he finally focused enough, he managed to spot a person right next to him.

    "Finally... You found me," the person said in a gentle voice. That voice shook Alec''s composure, which was something he hadn''t experienced recently. His heart missing a beat, Alec took in the person''s hair at first.

    It was navy blue, lustrous hair cascading down past her chin, caressing her shoulders gently but not going past there. Alec found it to be the perfect length. Perfect, if not for everyone, just for her.

    Her wispy, light bangs covered about half of her forehead, highlighting her eyes in the meantime.

    And her eyes... Although they were supposed to be normal, ordinary brown eyes Alec could have seen anywhere else, he felt drawn to them. He would stare at them for hours if he had the time.

    If he were to inspect her further, he would have to look down awkwardly, as the girl was about one and a half heads shorter than Alec. That-

    ''Fuck me, I''m spiraling,'' he cut his own thought line off. Supposedly, a lot of time had passed since their last proper encounter with this girl. Still, she seemed to have a captivating effect on him. Especially now that Alec knew she was actually his girlfriend. Not the previous Alec''s.

    Before he could say a word, Ariel stepped forward and took Alec into a deep hug. Well, whatever deep hug her short stature let her do. Her face mainly disappeared on Alec''s chest, making him worry that she would hear his slowly creeping heartbeat.

    ''God, I feel like a middle schooler,'' Alec couldn''t help but mentally grumble before returning the hug.

    "Hi," Alec said, breaking the hug and the silence at the same time.

    "It''s been hard," Ariel replied. "For both of us," she then added. Alec nodded with a gentle smile on his face. Then, however, both of their expressions hardened. There was no time to reminisce ¨CAnd Alec didn''t really have the memories to do so¨C about the past.

    Turning his head, Alec spoke out loud.

    "You can come back!" he said, slightly louder than normal to make sure Evan and Iris would hear him.

    Shortly after, the two appeared from further ahead, coming to their side and stopping next to Alec.

    "Where is she?" Iris asked, looking around confusedly. His brows rising in realization, Alec held Ariel''s hand and pulled her closer.

    "She is here," he said, casting the memetic beacon spell once again, this time manually. Although the results weren''t as good, it was enough to renew Ariel''s waning presence coupled with his actions.

    Evan and Iris'' pupils changed sizes a few times, becoming bigger and smaller repeatedly. Then, they finally focused on Ariel, both of their faces lighting up.

    "Nice to meet you," Iris said, reaching out her hand. Ariel unwillingly separated from Alec and shook Iris'' hand. Iris seemed to understand that this wasn''t a particular reaction against herself, but simply because Ariel wanted to hold onto Alec for a bit longer.

    "Nice to meet you too," Ariel answered. "You must be Iris. I''m sorry, the anti-meme doesn''t exactly work on us but the mind magic does. The occasional random wipes seem to have taken away your memories from my mind."

    "By us, do you mean the anti-memed people? Are you in contact with each other?" Evan asked. Ariel nodded in answer before explaining.

    "Yes. We live in the infirmary, which has been recently anti-memed too."

    "How recent?" Iris asked.

    "I would say about two weeks," Ariel answered. She then sighed and continued. "Though, it''s better to not trust an anti-memed person''s memories."

    "What, why is that?" Alec asked.

    "You see, becoming anti-memed seems to make you exempt from the anti-meme itself at most times. However, if you know something you shouldn''t, you can still get mind-wiped ¨CWhich happens a lot because of the fact that we are mostly unaffected by anti-memes¨C. This has been the biggest reason we can''t venture outside the infirmary much," Ariel explained in one breath. About half a minute passed in an awkward silence before Alec started talking.

    "I might have a solution to that..."

 Chapter 67 | Enhancement Magic

    "A solution?" Ariel muttered, unable to understand.

    "Is there anyone amidst the anti-memed that has a mana brain?" Alec asked.

    "Unfortunately, no. Most of us are students or the people working in the infirmary. Totaling to about two hundred people. The highest-level person among us is the Master Healer, Rebecca Bailey. Although she is a professor, she doesn''t give any classes. She also unfortunately doesn''t have a mana brain." Ariel explained. Her words attracted Alec''s attention. Although he had never heard of this ''Rebecca'', he found it weird that a professor wouldn''t have a mana brain, considering that other professors would have more than one.

    "Why doesn''t she?" Alec asked.

    "She is particularly weak in combat and doesn''t like pain. So she never opted to get one. Still, her healing skills are undeniable," she answered. Iris and Evan looked at Alec awkwardly.

    "That''s bad. You see, because of the mana brain''s structure, namely how it is made up of mind and memetic magic, it has an innate resistance to both of those magic types," Alec started explaining. "Even though the resistance is minuscule, it helps a lot when you know how to use it. Also, with more usage, you get more control over your own brain too."

    This was true. Normally, arranging your own memories, shifting them around, hiding them from yourself, and overall manipulation weren''t easy feats. At least, they were not as easy as Alec made it look. Because of his constant use of the mana brain and the extreme situations he had been put through regarding his mind, Alec had gained an incredible level of control over it.

    "To survive in this war, it is better to keep control over your thoughts. I advise one of you to get a mana brain, just so they can become a central leading figure," Alec said. He thought of telling Ariel to be the one to get the mana brain, however, for some reason, he couldn''t bring himself to ask her. He didn''t want to see her suffer like he did.

    "Then I will ask Professor Rebecca. I think she won''t refuse it now that things have come to it," Ariel said. "Though, will you be able to conduct the ritual on your own? Isn''t it hard to do so? Also, do you have enough credits to handle the ingredients?" she listed question after question.

    When it came to the ritual, Alec was confident in being able to handle it. Unlike using magic spells, he could spend all the time in the world preparing the ritual circle. When it came to the ingredients, he had a billion different channels to gather them. He could ask Professor Andrew and pay him some money ¨C Which he would only get more of with time. Their ''business'' with Evan was going well ¨C. If he couldn''t provide them, Alec could always use The Author''s Pen, sacrificing some mana. Although he had promised himself he would focus on increasing his stats, it seemed like his mana expenditure would have to be reallocated for the time being.

    "Absolutely. Don''t worry about that part," Alec said. "Try and train in the matters of controlling your thoughts, though, I assume you have probably been working on that. If the anti-memed become capable enough to venture freely outside the infirmary without risking getting mind-wiped, they will be an incredible asset. Like a secret task force."

    "Mm. For the same reason, it''s better if I leave now. When should I come back?" Ariel asked. Just like Alec had said, she was risking getting mind-wiped any second now.

    "Our regular library sessions are on Saturdays at around noon. I will try and pay you a visit before starting," Alec said. Although he would have liked to spend more time with Ariel, there was a time and place for that. "I will also try and figure out a way to properly enter the infirmary. It seems like even a combination of potion and incense isn''t strong enough."

    "Mm," Ariel nodded. Her mouth opened and closed, seemingly about to say something. However, she didn''t continue and instead turned around, leaving the library.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Now that is done, we have to continue devising plans..."

    <hr>

    "This is turning out to be harder than I thought," Edward muttered while watching Alec struggle. They were currently in the public section of the training grounds. After all, what they were doing was a simple spell-casting training.

    At least, that was what it was supposed to be. Unfortunately for Alec, enhancement was a whole other branch of magic from the ones he specialized in. When it came to the branches of memetic, anti-memetic, mind, and gravity magic, Alec had a clear advantage.

    Magic circles weren''t constructed randomly. Most of the time, the spells of the same branch utilized similar, if not twinned constructs. Sadly, enhancement magic was very far away in the magic tree from Alec''s specialties. Coupled with his disabled system, Alec had to learn a lot of stuff from scratch.

    "I don''t know what to say, Alec. This isn''t a problem of teaching. You just can''t seem to remember the circles," Edward said with a sigh, his arms crossed. With a grimace on his face, Alec glared at him with annoyance.

    "Really? I hadn''t noticed that," he said sarcastically, which seemed to fly past Edward for some reason. ''Maybe he is too much of a hard-ass to notice...'' Alec thought. Though, his blatant obliviousness to methods of entertainment aside, Edward was still a cool guy to hang out with. He didn''t seem the type to take things too seriously unless needed. and was ready to learn the hip young people things if Alec deemed it necessary to teach.

    He also excelled in Magikards, which made him a fun to duel opponent.

    "It''s good that you notice now. As I have said, you have to focus on the inner workings of your cells. It''s enough if you just remember how they work. The reason I''m saying this is that the spells of this branch usually utilize those. If you understand them, your understanding of the circles will get better," Edward explained in one breath. "At least, hopefully..."

    "Yeah..." Alec groaned tiredly. He had been trying his hand at enhancement magic for the last hour but seemed like he was getting nowhere. As he had already chosen his classes for the year, he couldn''t pick to go to the enhancement classes. He had tried reading some books on the topic of enhancement but found Edward''s guidance to be more effective.

    What he found the most interesting about enhancement magic was the robustness of its scientific foundation. It was the exact opposite of fire magic. Fire magic, which mainly utilized physics, had the most practical and useful spells but lacked a scientific foundation. The mainstream magical academia seemed to have a level similar to that of the early 20th century back on Earth.

    On the other hand, biology was prosperous, maybe fifty years ahead of physics. There was a lot of free theoretical knowledge, waiting to be made use of and turned into magic. This was one of the reasons Alec had found it to be of importance. If he could utilize it, who would know what he could do? Still, this was a matter of later importance. He had to first figure out the simpler stuff.

    With considerable help from the mana brain, Alec finally managed to construct the spell. After completing the four essential stages of spellcasting, Alec felt his body heat up. It was similar to how one would feel when faced with imminent, lethal danger; only without the confusion that would come with it.

    "Finally, Alec. Good job," Edward said with a sigh. "The Adrenal Boost spell is one that mainly depends on your bodily stats, especially health. It causes you to secrete a certain group of hormones that help boost your physical prowess beyond their natural limits. It isn''t a widely-used spell, as mages don''t really have that many points in that but..." he was explaining, but felt something weird before coming to a stop. Bringing his hand closer to Alec, he jumped in place and took a step back.

    "A- Alec! You are burning!" Edward shouted. His eyes widened in worry, trying to think of a way to help.

    "Don''t worry," Alec muttered calmly. He was aware of his situation. His body was currently in an overdrive. Even while just standing there, an immense amount of heat was being released, causing nearby air to heat up. If one looked closely, they could even see smoke coming out of his head, which was worrying. At least for a normal human.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 30

    Agility 30

    Health: 31

    Mind: 27

    Mana: 33]

    Alec''s unreasonable amount of stats was a strict exception. The Adrenal Boost spell would boost him as much as possible without directly harming his body. However, those limits were way higher for Alec than for other mages. ''Ah... Truly a spell for a jack-of-all-trades like me...''

    Deciding to test his capabilities, Alec lowered his body and readied himself to dash. Seeing this, Edward''s recently calmed nerves became alert once again.

    "Alec stop! Don''t¡ª"

    Crack

    BOOM!

 Chapter 68 | Demonic Taint

    Crack

    BOOM!

    When Alec pushed on the ground with all his strength, he kicked off a good chunk of dirt from the ground. He was launched forward at an incredible speed, so fast that he actually lost control of his body momentarily.

    As his body''s velocity increased so suddenly, the inert air molecules on his way were pushed away at incredible speeds, causing a shockwave. Although nowhere near a sonic boom, it was still a considerable disturbance, enough that many people in the training ground would look over.

    By the time Alec could stop himself, he had already traveled 100 meters. It wasn''t pure luck that he didn''t collide with anyone on the way. He had carefully chosen his path before dashing. After all, considering how high his normal speed was, if he had collided with anyone, the person on the receiving end would have broken most of the bones in their body. Even Alec himself wouldn''t be unscathed from such a collision.

    ''I wonder how hard it would be to make a power armor using magic?'' he couldn''t help but think. After finally gathering his bearings, he turned around to look at Edward. The student council president was sitting on the ground, probably having fallen down because of the sudden shockwave caused by Alec. Seeing the exasperated expression on his face, Alec walked up to Edward''s side. He reached out a hand and helped him up before apologizing.

    "Sorry for that... I didn''t think it would be that effective," Alec said. Edward patted his uniform to shake the dust off and made sure he was clean before responding.

    "It''s okay. Though, do be aware of your prowess, okay? What you just did is..." he said before his voice trailed off. "...Absurd. And you should''ve known it would happen. Especially if even I could guess it."

    "Yeah..." Alec muttered. Just before he was about to back off, he noticed an awkward lump on Edward''s arm. If not for the fact that he had held his arm to help him get up, he wouldn''t have noticed its existence. In turn, that realization caused alarm sirens to go off inside his head. The mana brain seemed almost as clueless, however, it still told him to pursue the matter. "That thing on your arm..."

    "What?" Edward asked. Following Alec''s gaze, he looked down at his forearm for a good few seconds before raising his brow. "What do you mean? There is nothing there..."

    Seeing that he was incapable of answering, Alec quickly reached into his sleeve and found the hidden compartment. Feeling with his fingers, he held onto the piece of incense and brought it out before lighting it up. His nostrils flared in response to the bittersweet smell. Still, he didn''t stop there. Bringing the incense closer, he took a hefty sniff of the thing before finally placing it into his wrist compartment. The thing was still lit, so the smoke coming off of it was trailing up toward his nose non-stop.

    Feeling the dizzying change in his perception, Alec took one more look at the lump. This time, it seemed more sinister. There seemed to be hair growing out of it. When he looked closer, Alec could even spot some blood vessels constantly sucking blood from Edward''s circulation.

    With a frown, Alec grabbed Edward''s wrist with one hand while touching the lump with the other.

    "This."

    "Oh. How could I miss that?" Edward muttered. "Thank you for pointing it out. I will get it checked out in the future."

    "No. We are going right now, together," Alec said while looking deep into his eyes. Under Alec''s overbearing demeanor, Edward buckled and finally agreed.

    "Sure... If you say so."

    Without wasting any time, Alec took him to one of the few professors he knew specializing in life magic. A professor called Emma Fraser. He had taken one of her alchemy classes before but hadn''t interacted much.

    They had become mainly acquainted through Alyssa Fraser, the girl who had sold him alchemy supplies at exorbitant prices. Apparently, Professor Emma was her grandmother. They had come across each other while Alec was passing by and had a little chat. The woman was very friendly and didn''t have an oppressing aura like most other professors, the reason probably being her relatively low level. As for why Alec assumed her to be low-level, it was her elderly appearance. After all, once people reached a certain level, their physical aging would slow down.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The woman would usually hang around the alchemy shop, helping Alyssa tend to the place. Although Alec wasn''t exactly aware of her schedule, it was fine anyway. He could always ask Alyssa for help, after all.

    After a quick jog through the academy grounds, the duo reached the cute little store. Alec pushed the door open, causing the chime to ring pleasantly. Shortly after, Alyssa came out of the backroom with a smile on her face.

    "Alec!" She said happily. ''My last few tries in getting Alec to buy some unnecessary stuff didn''t go very well. Hopefully this time, I will be able to swindle him,'' Alec imagined her thinking. Still, he didn''t show his contempt on his face, instead displaying a worried frown. "Oh... Isn''t that the student council president? It''s nice to see you come along... I guess..."

    "I''m sorry Alyssa. We don''t really have the time for pleasantries," Alec said. He subconsciously looked at his wrist to make sure there was still smoke coming out before continuing. "Is Professor Emma around here?"

    "Granny? She is in the back room, dealing with some record stuff," she said. "If it''s something urgent I can call her over."

    "That would be beautiful," Alec said while making sure to not forget about the lump on Edward''s arm. While his main brain was busy talking and walking, the mana brain was constantly recycling the thought, making sure it didn''t disappear.

    "Sure then, I will call her over," Alyssa said before turning around and entering through one of the doors and disappearing. Alec and Edward waited in an awkward silence. While Edward hummed what Alec presumed to be a hymn, Alec himself kept his focus on Edward''s arm.

    Shortly after, the door opened and the elderly woman appeared alongside Alyssa. She walked over with a worried expression and looked at Alec.

    "What happened Mr. Alec? This is the first time I have seen you this restless," she said.

    "I''m sorry for disturbing you out of nowhere," Alec apologized sincerely. "However, my friend over here seems to have a weird lump growing on his forearm. We couldn''t understand what it was and wanted to ask someone..."

    The woman walked closer and raised her hand to grab Edward''s wrist. Then, a magic circle appeared in front of her eye. She closed in slightly and started inspecting the lump from every direction, occasionally tapping on certain parts. Then, in a swift motion, brought her finger down and made an incredibly small incision using a spell unknown to Alec.

    From inside, pus and greenish blood slipped out, causing blisters and pimples to grow on Edward''s skin wherever it touched. The student council president winced in pain as a terrified expression appeared on his face. With an ugly frown, Professor Emma incinerated the toxic material before sewing shut the incision.

    "Come with me," she said, her demeanor changing from that of a friendly old woman to that of an authoritative elite. Without further ado, Alec nodded toward Alyssa and followed the woman with Edward in tow. They passed through a normal, featureless room before heading down some stairs. The stairs creaked under their weight, causing Alec to think whether or not it would hold.

    Still, they managed to descend about twenty steps before walking through some underground corridors. Finally, the woman ushered them into a room and looked around carefully before closing the door.

    "That thing on your arm is bad news, young man," she said while making Edward sit down. Alec stood in a further corner of the room so as to not disturb the professor, but still kept his attention.

    "First of all, are you comfortable with Mr. Alec being here?" she asked just to make sure. Alec didn''t find it weird or offensive. After all, the patient here was Edward, and had all the right to make him go away.

    "No, it''s fine," Edward said. His trust in Alec seemed solid.

    "Alright. Then, I want you to listen to me well, okay?" Professor Emma said. Just as she opened his mouth, she made a sudden movement. Three magic circles appeared around her at the same time. Before Alec could even react, they all activated.

    One released a simple cutter magic missile and precisely cut off the lump from Edward''s arm, severing a couple of large veins and hundreds of capillaries at the same time. The other released a fireball that burnt the puss and infected flesh, and the final one immediately increased Edward''s regeneration.

    As her movements were so sudden, Edward had a hard time processing the pain for a second. Shortly after, his pupils dilated and the pain finally registered. One hand clutching the sheets, Edward gritted his teeth and kept himself from screaming. The spell quickly regenerated the wounds, taking approximately five minutes before the skin perfectly scabbed.

    "Sorry sweetheart, I had to do this quick. Casting healing spells on unconscious people can cause complications and this was the least painful way I could think of," Professor Emma said apologetically.

    "I- It''s fine," Edward muttered. The sweat drenching him caused Edward''s hair to stick to his face, giving him a disheveled look. "But I would like an explanation of what that was."

    At his question, the elderly woman gulped loudly and shifted her gaze toward Alec. Looking at him for a couple of seconds, she sighed and started explaining.

    "That was demonic taint..."

 Chapter 69 | The Hierophant

    The underground room was eerily silent. Alec stood in a corner with his arms crossed behind him, stopping his back from making contact with the cold rubble walling. He noticed the room''s eerie silence to be amplified by its almost liminal decor. A simple bed and a chair, nothing else... It was desolate, making him wonder what it was actually used for.

    Across the room, several meters away was Professor Emma. She was sitting with a grim expression on her aged face. Her hand resting on her lap as her mouth hung open, seemingly trying to formulate the rest of her sentence.

    "That was demonic taint," she had said. Although she looked like she would continue, her mouth shut closed, waiting for Edward''s reaction first.

    Shifting his gaze, Alec wanted to gauge his friend''s feelings. He hoped that Edward wouldn''t be too harsh on himself. However, once he saw his face, Alec realized this was too big of a wish.

    Edward was crying. However, his expression was that of blazing fury instead of sadness. Alec could see him gritting his teeth in absolute fury inside his mouth. His facial muscles contracted under his skin visibly, seemingly trying to figure out a way to relay his emotions.

    "Demonic taint, you say," he growled under his breath. Nonetheless, Edward closed his eyes and flared his nostrils, taking in an unnatural amount of air. Then he held his breath for ten, gruesomely long seconds before letting it go. Finally, he started muttering hymns and chants that Alec couldn''t make sense of.

    For a second, he tried his damndest to understand. Only then could he realize the effects of the anti-meme. The reason he couldn''t understand was that it was being blocked by the entity, very severely at that. Funnily enough, Alec thanked the anti-meme for that. If not, he would be twitching on the ground, once again jumping ship into his ark that was the mana brain.

    Still, he had a question that needed answers. How could Edward be mouthing those chants? It didn''t seem like he was being mind-wiped by the moment, so how?

    It took Alec a good bit of time to figure out.

    Even Edward didn''t know what he was chanting. The words were scratched into his very being, so attached to his mind that he didn''t even know their meanings while chanting. Instead, it seemed to invoke certain emotions in him. The words coming from his mouth didn''t carry meanings but emotions, a form of sound technology...

    Shortly after, Alec managed to feel it too. Edward chanted with such fanaticism that his voice seemed to transform slowly, causing Alec to feel breathless. He wanted to join the chant but didn''t know how to.

    "The zealotry of the Spellson family..." Professor Emma muttered, a tear flowing down her cheek. She clasped her hands together into a praying position and closed her eyes, listening to Edward''s chants.

    In confusion, Alec looked at Edward once more. He seemed like he was shining in brilliance.

    "The Hierophant..." Alec muttered. Being a web novel author, he had familiarized himself with some arcana and tarot cards, just in case he would need to ass pull some symbolism where it was needed.

    But now, he felt as if he was facing the embodiment of the card. A shining, religious, and ideological leader. An exoteric zealot adept at pulling others to his side¡­

    Alec listened to the chants and hymns of Edward with serene calmness. Once it was finally over, the smell of cedarwood covered the room, almost wrangling away the smoke of the incense inside Alec''s wrist compartment.

    When Edward opened his eyes, that gentle calmness of his was back. Professor Emma, too, opened her eyes and smiled.

    "No demonic emotion would affect such strong belief. It was probably caused by an outer effect..." she said. The now-calm Edward looked at her and asked.

    "I only know of demonization from emotional instability. What would be the outer effects, may I ask?"

    This was a question that intrigued Alec too. Was it related to the demonic incursion at the end of the-If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ''Wait. Why do I remember this? I''m not inside the library...'' Alec thought. He looked around, mildly worried that something was wrong. The shackles around his mind were loose, too loose at that. The incense was nowhere near strong enough for this. Was the anti-meme becoming weak incredibly fast? ''No, that''s not it... That would bring a lot of side-effects with it.''

    Then, Alec lifted his head and smelled the cedarwood smell once again.

    ''Oh.''

    ''Whatever Edward did, it loosened the shackles temporarily,'' he finally understood. Although risky, this was to their benefit. After all, it would make talking about demons and the lump on Edward''s arm much easier.

    "There are two outside factors that can cause demonization without emotional overflow," Professor Emma started explaining. Emotional overflow was the term generally used for the phenomenon of being demonized through the instability of the mind. Now that it was mentioned, Alec noticed his knowledge of demons to be lacking. Other than that little fact, he knew nothing. Which made him include the topic on his list of anti-memed stuff.

    "The first is through contact. Demons carry inexplicable diseases alongside an endless amount of cursed aura. Getting splattered with their pus, blood or any bodily fluid might cause it to spread," she said. Alec barely held himself back from sighing. From what was mentioned in the journal, there was a good chance of that being the case. Getting drenched in demon juices wasn''t really that hard of a feat, especially considering how harsh the battle was mentioned to be.

    "That seems hardly plausible," Edward said while caressing his chin. From their perspective, this was true. The shackles being relaxed didn''t mean their memories coming back, after all. If the memory was in their head and they were just ignoring it because of the anti-meme, they would remember. If not, and the memory had been entirely deleted, they wouldn''t remember the demonic incursion. "So I would like you to continue with the second possibility."

    "Indeed, Sir Spellson," Professor Emma said. Before she could continue, however, Edward stopped her.

    "There is no need to call me that. In the academy, I am but a mere student," he said. Professor Emma nodded and changed her way of addressing him.

    "Alright, Mr. Edward. As you have stated, it is nigh impossible for you to contract demonization through contact. After all, there are no demons in the academy, and I assume you haven''t been going out to wander around in the middle of the semester," she said.

    "Definitely. That brings us to the second possibility," he said. Alec knew he was leaving them in the dark and that could cause them to arrive at the wrong conclusion, but there wasn''t much he could do. He could always pull Edward along to the team but that had its own problems. The biggest being Edward''s responsibility as the student council president.

    Although he would definitely be a big asset, increasing their authority and reach over the school by a good amount, he would also bring a lot of restrictions. Edward was a very principled and traditional person. He would probably boss over them nonstop. Also, Alec had decided to increase his authority by achieving scientific advancements for a reason. Edward''s help was unneeded and expensive, which stopped him from helping him out. There was no choice but to listen to the second possible reason.

    "You see, the second possibility is quite similar to the first one. However this time, instead of skin contact, it comes from digestion," the professor continued. This caused both Alec''s and Edward''s ears to twitch. "It is much more possible that you accidentally consumed some demonic substance."

    "What does that mean, Professor? How could I consume such disgusting substance without noticing? Is it that someone slid some into my food?" Edward asked, baffled. Alec was even more confused. There were a lot of things on his "appetizing" list and demon pus or blood wasn''t exactly on the list. Let alone tasting it, the smell was enough to make him frown in disgust.

    "Umm... Not exactly, I think..." Professor Emma hummed indecisively for a moment, looking at Alec out of the corner of her eye. Seeing her hesitation, Edward sighed.

    "Alec Greenwood is a trustable man. I wouldn''t have chosen him as the head of the disciplinary committee if not. Not to mention the fact that he is an incredible asset to the magical academia. Whatever you are about to say, him knowing it is not a problem," he assured the elderly woman. Hearing his words, there was no need for her to worry anymore.

    "You see..."

    "There have been these... ''substances'' circulating in the academy lately," she said. While Edward was expressionless, Alec''s heart jumped.

    ''There''s no way... Right?'' he couldn''t help but ask. He released his crossed arms and shifted in his place, maintaining his composure.

    "These ''substances''... They are what you would call potions. Incredibly effective at that. We deem them to be about three times more effective than their traditional counterparts," she went on to explain.

    ''Holy shit...'' Alec barely held himself back from saying out loud.

    "And these, ''Potions''... They contain a serious amount of demonic substances. Although it is refined really well, a minuscule amount of people can have allergic reactions like that and become demonized. Or at least show signs of demonization."

    An eerie smile appeared on Edward''s face. However, Alec could sense the murderous intent behind that smile.

    "I see... So these ''potions'' somehow made their way into my food or drink, you say?" he asked.

    "It seems so..."

    "Do not worry, Professor Emma. I shall catch the vermin who dare stain the holy academy grounds," Edward said with shining vigor.

    His mouth twitching involuntarily, Alec couldn''t help but curse in his head.

    ''Fuuck!''

 Chapter 70 | The Plan of Identity

    "I shall purge the heretics who commit such crimes in the holy academy grounds. Do not worry, Professor Emma," Edward said, making his hand into a fist and placing it in the middle of his chest. When he saw the elderly woman nod thankfully, he turned his head toward Alec.

    "Alec, I would like to ask you to mobilize the disciplinary committee and start investigating. Until this investigation is over, I will raise your authority to equal that of mine," Edward continued. With a serious expression plastered onto his face, Alec repeated the same gesture and slammed his fist onto his chest.

    "Understood. I will start as soon as we get out of here," he said. He seemed confident on the outside but inside, Alec was about to shit himself.

    ''Holy fuck Pen! Are you trying to get me fucking killed!?'' he shouted in his head, wiping his sweaty hands on his uniform. He didn''t know what Edward would do to him if he was caught and didn''t really want to learn either. ''No no... I can''t blame the pen. I should have foreseen this. Fuck me! I just didn''t think it would fucking use... Demons as an ingredient! Not to mention, why the fuck would it use demons of all things? Is it because it is more effective? Or..."

    For some reason, Alec didn''t want to continue thinking down that path. He felt his mind get cloudy for a moment before he refocused on the problem in front of him. Edward and Professor Emma started talking about a different topic, but Alec was too nervous to listen to them. His brain worked on overdrive, in tandem with the mana brain.

    ''What do I do now? We can''t stop selling or he will understand that it''s me... I can''t even take any action like this! I could cause the information to leak anonymously but that might still come back to bite me. There is no way I can control it,'' he eliminated option after option. After going through all the options, Alec realized that he only had one choice. He had to swallow a sigh before readying his resolve.

    "Is there anything else?" he asked, cutting Edward and Professor Emma''s conversation in half. Both turned toward him. Seeing the frown on his face, Edward shook his head.

    "You can leave now. I trust you will not spare any effort to find the perpetrators," he said before returning to his conversation.

    Alec opened the creaking door of the underground room and left. Taking a few steps, he leaned on a wall and felt the cold stone on his skin. It was a good way to relax. With a few deep breaths, he picked himself up and left the dubious underground section of the alchemy shop. Alyssa was waiting at the counter like before. Hearing Alec come out, she turned around and skipped to his side in excitement.

    "Is everything okay? What did you all talk about?" she asked. Alec shook his head and responded.

    "Ask nothing, know nothing. Speak with Professor Emma and she will decide on telling you more or not," he said with a monotone voice. He turned around and jumped over the counter with a sleek front flip, supporting himself with a single hand before exiting the alchemy shop; leaving a baffled Alyssa behind.

    Unfortunately, he didn''t have the time for her. Running at almost full speed, he scoured the academy grounds to find Evan. It took him more than twenty minutes before he finally found the red-haired CQC mage reading some stuff in the library.

    "And I was wondering where you were," Alec said while walking up to Evan.

    "Hey. I was read- what? What are you doing?" he asked, trying to resist Alec who had grabbed his wrist. "Come on, tell me what is going- Wait, at least let me get the bo- Never mind..."

    Seeing the expression on Alec''s face, Evan decided that it wasn''t a good idea to resist him. Alec pulled him through the corridors of the library before locating the second-floor stairs. Almost running through the corridor, Alec pushed open the door in one motion and led Evan inside.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "I don''t know what is going on but it has to be really bad..." Evan muttered. In response, Alec took out a mental cleansing potion and shoved it into Evan''s mouth. He had already used up an emergency one earlier and now used another. It seemed like he would have to write some more in the near future.

    Once both of them drank the potion, Alec started pacing around the room, biting his nails.

    "They found it. The authorities, they have it!" he said. Seeing Evan''s raised brow, he remembered that he hadn''t told him anything. "The potions, they found some."

    "Oh shit... Are they onto us?" Evan asked. Alec shook his head.

    "No. At least not yet. The good thing is, Edward put me up for the investigation," Alec said. When he saw Evan''s face relax at the mention of that, he couldn''t help but feel a little bit annoyed. "But the main problem is the... Is the ingredients."

    "The ingredients?" Evan asked, his head slightly tilted. "What do you mean? What about them?"

    Gulping loudly, Alec sighed and took a deep breath.

    "Okay. Before I tell you anything further, I want you to know that I had no idea of the contents of our potions," he said.

    "Wha- Okay okay..." Evan muttered while pinching his glabella. "I am not going to ask how that happened but still, how bad could it be? Illegal potion distribution is a heavy crime but at most, we will serve about half a year and pay a fine. It''s not like we killed people, right?"

    Seeing the clueless Evan, Alec facepalmed at the ridiculous situation.

    "In fact, we are completely fucked. Totally, 100% fucked," he answered Evan''s doubts. "The potions, they contained demonic substances. In large amounts at that."

    "What!?" Evan shouted, kicking the chair he was sitting on in the meantime. He looked around to make sure no one was there, no matter how unnecessary it was. "You used demonic substances to make the potions!? Oh my¨C They are going to execute us if they find out Alec! What were you thinking!?"

    "I said I didn''t know!"

    "What even happened? How did you learn of this?" Evan couldn''t help but ask. Now that he was slowly calming down, he wanted to learn more about the details.

    Without further ado, Alec explained the situation to him. When he was done, Evan was just sitting with his mouth open, completely dumbfounded.

    "So Edward was actually stained in the demonic incursion, but because they are unaware of that, they think it''s because of our potion?" he asked to confirm. Once Alec nodded; Evan, too, got up and started pacing around the room like a madman.

    "So? What do we do?" he asked. With a deep sigh, Alec started explaining.

    "There is only one way to resolve this problem. We can''t escape from it, as Edward just included the entire disciplinary committee in the situation," he said. "We have to pull off a technique I once saw in a book."

    "If it was anyone else saying that in this situation, I would have probably punched them in the face," Evan commented. Disregarding his words, Alec continued.

    "I will have to separate my identities. First of all, no more going to the alchemy labs," he started explaining. "Whatever we do, we do it inside the library and under the effect of mental cleansing supplements. We have to be 100% in control of the situation."

    "I agree," Evan said while nodding.

    "Then, I will delete all of my memories about the whole potion-dealing ordeal. Completely," Alec said.

    "What?"

    "Just like you heard. I am going to extract the entire thing from my mind. You will be the only one who remembers it," he said. "If I don''t know I am the criminal, I can''t slip up and make a mistake. I will be genuinely chasing my own tail."

    "And I assume we are going to keep dealing. If we stopped now, you would be the primary suspect..."

    "Yep. Exactly," Alec snapped his finger. "I will somehow deal with the potion-brewing process using the mana brain. You will have to continue dealing. But be more careful than ever. We keep going for some time, let''s say two weeks, and we stop dealing then. That way, we won''t be implicated right away. Alright?"

    Evan sighed in response, thoughtful. He was probably feeling guilty, even a little bit. He was the one to come up with the whole dr- potion empire deal after all.

    "Alright, partner," he said, a bittersweet smile on his face. Hearing Evan''s confirmation, Alec didn''t wait any further. Closing his eyes, he started a thorough spring cleaning in his mind. In a short few minutes, Alec had forgotten all about the fact that they had distributed potions, a sizeable memory package stuffed away inside the mana brain.

    "Anyway Evan. That''s about the gist of it. I will ask you to start questioning people and keeping an eye out," he said.

    Evan, on the other hand, didn''t betray any emotions on his face and nodded.

    "Sure, Alec. We will catch whoever is causing this..."

 Chapter 71 | The Illusory Announcement

    "I cast..." The green-haired mage muttered, his left hand reaching toward the deck in his right. It was a monotone day, even for the normal student. The second year was much more flexible compared to the first and they had synced their lessons to make sure they had the same day free. Maybe they would do stuff around the academy? Try and hang out with girls?

    Well...

    "I cast Alec''s Thunderbolt!" Alexei shouted as the card left his hand. His mana drained immediately, causing his face to go pale. However, once the card flew forward and faced toward Thomas'' playing field. The air in the room seemed to go stale for a moment.

    With a sharp crackle and a loud thump noise, a bright white lightning arced forward, first hitting one of the cards, then jumping toward the others. Most of the lower-level unit cards died, the unprotected spell cards were disabled, and the ones who barely managed to keep going were paralyzed temporarily; giving Alexei the opportunity to make one more move against Thomas.

    Of course, he would have done so if he had the mana. Instead, he sat there with a stupid smile in satisfaction. A disgusted frown appeared on Thomas'' face.

    "Really? You are going to use up all your mana for a single spell?" he couldn''t help but ask. Once Thomas'' cards were unparalyzed, Alexei simply did not have any actions left to take.

    "Rule of cool, was it? Alec was the one to say it, not me. I might have sacrificed a perfectly winnable match but I managed to finally use this thing," he said while caressing the newly bought card.

    Apparently, Magikards was a game that closely followed the magical academia. As soon as Alec''s atomic model was released and Professor Howard developed the spell Alec''s Thunderbolt, they went on to release a new pack. The new pack contained a bunch of spells and units that had been on hold for a long time, some new ones that came along because of the atomic model, and the spell made in a mere student''s name, Alec''s Thunderbolt.

    "Sure. Whatever you say," Thomas replied without much care before unleashing the full might of his deck on Thomas. In a short few seconds, Thomas had been completely beaten to the ground and lost the game.

    "I did say he was going to do something stupid, didn''t I?" Evan said while holding his student card out. With a deep sigh, Alec touched his own card to Evan''s and transferred the money.

    "This is not fair, you have known them for longer than I have," Alec muttered under his breath. Evan, on the other hand, didn''t even bat an eye at Alec''s complaints. Every bet was fair as long as he was the one to win.

    Just as Evan was stepping forward to challenge Thomas, a buzzing noise assaulted their ears. This was no new occurrence. The academy''s announcement arrays were slightly older than they should have been. It was inevitable for there to be such artifacts in the voice.

    "Attention, attention... bzzt¡ª The Grand Illusory Array has been activated for its usage in the final exams. Until then, anyone who wants can use the training ground passage to access the underground illusory training rooms. For further details, please gather in the training ground in one hour. I repeat, please gather on the training grounds in one hour."

    As the announcement came to an end, the last word echoing far away into the distance, an eerie silence covered the academy grounds. Alec, Evan, Alexei, and Thomas looked at each other before nodding. They all readied themselves as quickly as possible and left the dorms.

    After a short walk, they reached the training grounds, which was slowly becoming more crowded. As minutes passed, more and more students made their way. This wasn''t the first time Alec had seen this many students side by side, but it was definitely the first time he saw them this excited. Maybe because he lacked some core memories, he couldn''t be that enthusiastic.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The rest of the wait went by as Alec and his friends chatted about mundane topics. Occasionally, a couple of students would give Alec some weird or curious looks. After all, he had become quite the celebrity after the whole ''atomic model'' ordeal. The only other students who attracted as much attention were Edward and Zac. It was an interesting coincidence that there was one central figure for each grade level. There was Zac for the freshman, Alec for the sophomores, and Edward for the seniors.

    Finally, Professor Howard came out and erected a platform with the shape of a semicylinder on one side of the training grounds. The stone platform was thick, probably with a radius and height of five meters. While the circular part of the platform had a rough surface, the rest was smooth.

    Standing on the platform, the man started talking.

    "Greetings, students. As you know, The Grand Illusory Array will be used for the final exams of this semester," he said. Gauging the reactions of the students and noticing it to be mostly neutral for now, he continued. "Before I announce the details, I would like to inform you of the training grounds'' new section, the illusory array training area."

    Suddenly, the crowd seemed to get more animated. It seemed like what intrigued the students most was this. And Alec couldn''t exactly say he wasn''t one of those interested. Since arriving in this world, he hadn''t gotten to properly test his fighting prowess other than that one time.

    "After you create your groups, which will be detailed later, you will have the chance to use the illusory training area once a day. You will have to complete what we call ''runs'' to achieve a score in the training area," Professor Howard went on to explain. "During a ''run'', you will have to kill as many monsters as possible in the given time. Once the timer is over, you will be given a new timer and a practically indestructible training dummy. You will have to inflict as much damage as you can before the second timer runs out. Then, taking that information, the illusory training area will calculate you a score, and display it here!"

    As Professor Howard finished speaking, he pointed his finger downward, toward the semicylinder platform''s smooth surface. On there, a blank list written with golden glowing lines appeared. While the left row was labeled ''groups'', the right row was called ''points''.

    "I''m sure many of you are curious what this is for. After all, why would there be a score calculator if this is just training? Simple! It''s because there will be rewards for the highest rankers!"

    As soon as Professor Howard mentioned the word ''reward'', the entire student body suddenly started cheering.

    "The training period will end fifteen days before the exam starts for the illusory array to charge up. According to the rank you get in the training, you will get a certain percentage of your points as credits equally distributed between your members," Professor Howard said. The cheers seemed to get stronger, but they couldn''t suppress his magically-enhanced voice.

    "The first place will get 10% of their points as credits! The second will get 8%, the third 6%..."

    "Ranks 4-10 will get 3%, 10-50 will get 1.5%, and the rest will get 1% of their points as reward."

    ''I can''t believe this,'' Alec couldn''t help but think amidst all the shouts and chatters. ''Is this a fucking exam arc? Finally! Something normal happens in this goddamn academy! What is it? Will a dark organization amp up the illusions to make them capable of harming the students? Will one of the students attack the others? Whatever it is, let it be something clich¨¦! I''m ready to deal with whatever, just please...''

    While Alec was busy scouring his mind for what would happen in a generic academy story, the students were slowly calming down, letting Professor Howard continue the announcement.

    "I would like all the students here to get their durability tested. As the monsters you are facing are illusions, we will have to give you all numerical health values depending on your body condition. Without it, you won''t be able to attend the exam or the training."

    "As for the final exams, the format will be announced later. Though, you can expect it to be somewhat similar to the training version. What I want to touch on is the rewards."

    "As this is the first time in a long while, the rewards for the exam will be different than the usual."

    "The first-place reward is the chance to go into the headmaster''s magic office and choose a reward from there!" Professor Howard said. This caused the entire audience to go silent. After all, how big of a reward was that? Wouldn''t there be unimaginable treasures in there?

    However, on one side of the training grounds, Alec found his heart to skip a beat.

    ''That''s it... If I go there, I might be able to figure out something about the anti-meme!''

 Chapter 72 | Solo Training

    Amidst the crowd, Alec and Evan''s eyes met. Their first instinct was to look at each other, just to be sure that the other thought the same thing. Both had a cold, calculative glint in their eyes.

    A simple nod was enough to clarify. Evan had caught on too. The incense was working wonders, giving them both the clarity necessary.

    Honestly, Alec couldn''t help but wonder about the nature of this reward. Both the mid-terms and the final exam had perfect rewards as if they were hand-picked just for him. All of his questions seemed to accumulate and point toward one person.

    ''What is the headmaster up to? Did he really disappear? Or is he manipulating things in the shadows?''

    Nonetheless, they had one single option. For a long time, their only achievement as a group was gathering information. Sure, that wasn''t a simple or negligible gain, but Alec didn''t feel closer to solving the mystery behind Lation Magic Academy. Not at all. Now, however, he could see a light at the end of the tunnel.

    ''I have to get the first place in the exams no matter what happens,'' Alec thought. As the students started calming down, Professor Howard started talking once again.

    "As for the teams, they will have a maximum of 4 people, all from the same grade level," he said. Considering the population of the academy, about 250 teams would form on each grade level, provided that everyone chose to utilize the maximum amount of team members. However, the word ''maximum'' could imply many things. "Still, for those who want to act with fewer people, there will be a scaling point multiplication. Four-person teams will get 1x points, three-person teams will get 1.5x, two-person teams will get 2.5x, and solo students will get 4x points. This will be the same for the final exams."

    With a quick calculation, Alec decided that the best configuration would be creating a two-person team. After all, that gave the highest multiplication per person out of the four choices.

    On the other hand, there would be a plethora of other elements that would affect an individual¡¯s results. After all, depending on the details of the event, having a four-person team could be miles better than having high point efficiency. Not to mention, Alec himself was an unstable variant amidst all this. Although having a two-person team seemed really attractive, he doubted there would be anyone who could keep up with his pace. Also, if he were to go solo, he could utilize the full power of The Author''s Pen without worry. Provided that they wouldn''t be monitored in real time.

    Just as Alec was calculating his course of action, Professor Howard''s eyes swept through the crowd. They only stopped after settling on Alec. This threw Alec''s entire planning session off the window, causing him to shiver in place. ''Why is this madman looking at me?''

    However, Professor Howard didn''t seem like he was planning anything malicious. Instead, Alec caught onto an incredibly minuscule arch on the man''s lips.

    "For those who have concerns about confidentiality, you don''t have to worry. Although you will be thoroughly searched before entering the training area, no one will be able to see what is going on inside the actual training other than your teammates," he said.

    ''Holy shit... This man has eerily keen senses. Though, I''m the one who benefits off of it so...'' Alec thought. As for the search thing, I will just pre-emptively drink the potions and¨C

    "And you will also be tested for any kind of doping. So don''t get your hopes up if you want to use potions," Professor Howard added, once again cutting Alec''s thoughts off.

    ''Great. Now I can only use regeneration potions. Anything else will be discovered. Hmm... I won¡¯t be able to use the incense so I have to use a cleansing potion instead. I don''t want to go unaware if something happens in the exam or the training.''Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    The professor kept the announcement going for another five minutes, giving the newer students some much-needed information. After that, about half of the crowd dissipated while the rest remained to get their durability tested. The others could get tested any time they want, but they would have to do so as early as possible to utilize the training grounds to its full extent. It could only be utilized once per group each day.

    "So? What will you do?" Evan asked, his arms crossed. Alexei and Thomas were slightly further away, chatting about something irrelevant for the moment.

    "I think I will have to go solo," Alec said while caressing his chin. His unsure tone aside, he had already made his decision. Evan knew this, so he didn''t press any further.

    When the other two finished their chat, they made their way to Alec''s side.

    "Going as teams of four doesn''t seem beneficial. I think we should split up into two teams," Alexei said. Thomas was nodding in agreement, they had probably talked this over.

    "I was thinking the same thing, but Alec wants to go solo," Evan said. "Nevertheless, I had guessed this so I have a partner in mind. Don''t worry about me."

    "Huh? You do?" Alec asked, confused. Who would this introverted guy choose as a partner?

    "Heh, you will be surprised," Evan said with a smug grin.

    "We''ll see..." Alec replied with a confused frown. As the crowd was dissipating, he decided that it was time to leave. With an apologetic smile, he bade his farewells.

    "See you, guys. I want to get my durability checked as soon as possible."

    "Mm, have fun," Evan answered.

    Without further ado, Alec went to the testing area and approached the lady manning one of the cabins. He wasn''t really worried about his high physical stats being exposed. After all, they couldn''t get an exact amount but a general estimate. Also, he had already done plenty to expose himself, which had been ignored by many. Although he had absurd stats, not intruding into another mage''s secrets was an important rule.

    "Hi. Please hand over your student ID and reach out your hand," the lady said. Alec complied and waited for her to start the test. The woman used a spell to cut a straight line onto his palm, about five centimeters long. A small amount of blood stained Alec''s hand, however, the cut quickly scabbed and closed before healing completely.

    The woman raised her brows and adjusted her glasses. Then, she unleashed a third circle spell that Alec hadn''t seen before. Nothing seemed to happen, other than a green light shining from Alec''s whole body. The woman shook her head in disbelief and scribbled on her clipboard. Then, she gestured to Alec in another direction.

    "Please punch that dummy as hard as you can," she said. The testing cabin was isolated and there wasn''t anyone but Alec and the woman inside, so he didn''t need to hold back. Rotating his shoulders to relax, Alec took a stance and looked at the dummy in front of him.

    ''It wouldn''t break, right?''

    Nevertheless, Alec cocked back his right arm and punched, putting his entire body weight behind it. With a bang, his fist connected with the heavy metal. Alec pulled his hand back in agony and massaged his knuckles. Even though it swayed heavily, the dummy was unscathed.

    On the other hand, the lady had her mouth hanging slightly open, her brows furrowed.

    "T- That''s... Uh..." She muttered, trying to formulate a sentence. "Alec Greenwood, right?" She asked, constantly switching her gaze between Alec and his student ID card.

    "Yes."

    "Umm... I have registered your Health Point and Health Regeneration values," she said. Her bafflement seemed to dissipate as she regathered her composure and continued. "Your Health Points represent how much damage you can directly take from the illusions while the Health Regeneration value represents how much you regenerate. Your regeneration will go down to a tenth during combat, so be mindful of that. Also, any spell you cast relating to these numbers will be accurately shown. If you cast a healing spell, you will recover your health points. If you cast a spell that improves your regeneration, you will get a regeneration buff accordingly. That kind of thing..."

    "Mm. Thank you very much," Alec said with a smile. After the woman made sure everything was correctly registered, she gave Alec his card back and let him go.

    Alec took a deep breath once outside the cabin and stretched. Not being able to wait, he immediately went to the entrance of the illusory training area. He was one of the first ones to get tested so the place was mostly empty. He walked up to one of the testers. He only had mana and health regeneration potions, so they wouldn''t be able to detect anything out of the ordinary.

    Only the temporary stat-improvement potions were detected in such tests. The other students, too, would use them. Although this added a bit of a pay-to-win aspect to the exams, there was nothing to do.

    And after all, Alec benefited from it so...

    ''Let''s see...''

 Chapter 73 | To Train

    Alec got rid of his incense and chugged a low grade cleansing potion. After getting tested, he waited in line for about half an hour. Although there wasn''t much of a line, even a single run seemed to take a long time.

    The entrance of the illusory training area was simple. It was a double-doored hatch made from solid marble. There were intricate carvings on it, which made Alec feel like they had been carefully crafted. Though, he wondered when they had actually been placed there. It wasn''t that much of a concealed entrance. Obviously, it could have always been under an anti-memetic shroud to prevent entry. Which wouldn''t be uncharacteristic for this place.

    Taking a deep breath, Alec pulled on the hatch and opened one side before jumping down. A relatively short fall, approximately five meters later, he found himself landing on a solid and rocky cave ground. With his stats, such a fall wasn''t enough to disorient him, especially if he was aware of it coming.

    The hatch was closed by the attending professor, which cut off the single light source that illuminated the place. Now, Alec was left in absolute darkness. His pupils largened and adapted, still, dark... Then, he was blasted in the face with a sudden wave of light. There were torches adorning the walls of the cave. An underground opening roughly the size of a tennis court. A ceiling high enough to accommodate three Alecs.

    With a deep breath, he looked around. ''Nothing of importance,'' he thought. Feeling confident in Professor Howard''s words, he took out The Author''s Pen. With it, he felt confident in winning. Lately, his research into gravity magic had progressed by leaps and bounds. Once he figured out the first magic circle, a whole new world of spells had been unlocked. Mixing and matching the leftovers of ancient gravity magic, coupled with his overpowered artifact and the scientific knowledge he had from Earth made it undoubtedly easy.

    And also, he had understood why many mages struggled so much for gravity magic, and why it was told to be a horrifyingly strong branch...

    Alec heard a guttural growl. The structure of the cave caused his footsteps to echo as he turned around. From the wall came out a humanoid creature with green skin. About a head taller than Alec himself. It carried muscles of unnatural vigor, with pulsing veins and clearly defined muscle fibers. Long, white tusks adorned the sides of its mouth. As opposed to Alec''s expectations, the thing didn''t look ethereal. There was nothing ''illusory'' about its looks.

    Still, he didn''t feel intimidated. Instead, there was curiosity in his heart. ''Is that an orc? So those kinds of fantasy species exist too... At least conceptually. Though, I haven''t seen anything about them before,'' he thought while checking his mind.

    Now, though, was the time to focus.

    In the dusky lighting of the room, seven shiny, handleless blades floated up from behind him. His mana brain fully focused on managing those blades while his main brain calculated the distance.

    The orc, on the other hand, carried a brutish club, as thick as the upper leg of an adult man. It flourished the thing with a proficiency unexpected of a brute.

    Alec made the first move. His legs a piston, and his body barreled forward, directly toward the monster. The daggers followed him closely before spreading, attacking the thing from every direction.

    The creature didn''t have the time to react before Alec was already in front of it. A clean blow to the stomach, the sound of Alec''s fist splitting apart the air, the orc folded, falling on the ground while holding its stomach. Then, cold metal joined the fray. Seven blades plunged in, skewering the thing from every direction. The orc dissipated, turning into white fog, reabsorbed into the walls.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ''Weak,'' Alec made a single mental comment. While waiting, he noticed a small amount of fog to remain, forming a new shape.

    [+10]

    ''Hah. Neat. They actually made it look like a game.''

    Once the growls returned, Alec turned around and surveyed the cave with his eyes. This time the growls were numerous. So much so that it seemed omnidirectional. Without knowing where the monsters would come from, Alec dashed back to the middle of the cave and distanced himself from the walls.

    Five more monsters came out the walls, two orcs, and three of what Alec could only call gnolls. Hyena-headed humanoids. Unlike the orcs, the gnolls were equipped with short swords.

    ''Not enough,'' Alec thought, raising his hand. The seven blades split, dashing in different directions. Seven clean cuts and lacerations later, the five monsters dissipated. ''When will it get harde¨C Oh shit did I just raise a flag? Fucking Edward... This is all his fault.''

    As expected, the number of monsters quintupled, reaching twenty-five. This jump in amount seemed a bit absurd. ''Is it because I killed the first ones too fast?''

    Nonetheless, his goal hadn''t changed. He had to take down the monsters and he had to do so fast.

    As the blades dashed in different directions, Alec crouched and wrote with The Author''s Pen.

    [Anti-memetic Shroud]

    Alec''s mana drained, and the magic circle appeared and covered the ground. This wasn''t a spell to hide himself, but one to win time.

    The monsters around first looked around in confusion, then started shaking. They looked down in terror, stepped down hard, and tried to reach out and hold onto stuff.

    Then, they realized that the floor hadn''t disappeared suddenly. Still, it was too late.

    [Gravity Dash]

    A purplish magic spell of the second circle appeared around Alec. It distorted and warped, taking an awkward shape. The world around Alec seemed similar. His vision was severely restricted as light orbited him in awkward directions, but what remained was enough to make out the monsters.

    Space was pulled and stretched, and the distance between Alec and the monsters ahead shortened.

    [Adrenal Boost]

    His skin heating up, Alec blasted off from his crouched position. The shortened distance was covered in less than a second. Nothing too fancy, he simply collided with a gnoll and caused it to be hurled to a nearby wall, exploding into several pieces.

    Without wasting any time, he turned on one foot and dashed in another direction. Using this tactic, it took him less than ten seconds to demolish the entire monster army.

    Once again, he returned to the middle and looked around. ''Quintuple again? The next one won''t be resolvable with brute force.''

    One reason why his gravity magic was this strong was related to his location. While manipulating gravitons to his will was easy, he couldn''t create them out of nowhere. Being on the surface of a planet was the bare minimum for the utilization of gravity magic. He needed matter and a lot of it. While the effectiveness would be immensely weakened in the depths of space, it would be unbelievably strong and easy to cast next to a black hole. At least that was what Alec could theorize from his relatively limited knowledge.

    Crouching, he brought down The Author''s Pen and readied himself.

    Once again, the walls birthed monsters for him to face. 125 of them to be exact, just like he had guessed. With a smile, he wrote down the third circle spell he had readied.

    [Gravity Amp]

    The gravitons communicating the planet''s pull energized, causing the monsters to become heavier and heavier. As they had reached about halfway from the wall, they had lost their ability to move completely.

    However, the spell was draining. Pumping the gravitons full of pull spent a lot more energy than just changing their behavior. He didn''t have much time before he would expend his entire mana pool.

    Obviously, Alec had a plan to solve that.

    [Gravity Well]

    Suddenly, the gravitons surrounding him started changing in spin value. What was supposed to be a downward slope became something else, creating a valley of sideways push. However, unfortunately for the monsters, these gravitons had been amped. They were ready to push with all their might.

    The sudden change in direction, a 90-degree bend, caused the monsters to fall back toward the cave''s wall, exploding into a fog as soon as they made contact.

    With a sigh, Alec dismissed the spell. He had spent quite the amount of mana and still seemed to have some time left. He had to push further to see what would happen in the later stages, so he could devise a plan for his next runs.

    Thus, he readied himself...

 Chapter 74 | Intimidating the Freshman

    Behind one of the Lation Academy lecture hall buildings was a small opening. Not many students frequented the place because of how suspicious it would make them look. After all, one''s reputation as a mage was important. Even if they didn''t intend to attract positive attention, they very well knew not to attract negative instead.

    "I- I''m sorry! I have no idea who it was!" the first-year student who had been slammed to the wall said. Lifting the freshman by his collar using one hand, Alec turned his head toward Evan.

    "Should I believe him?"

    "Maybe?" Evan said, his arms crossed, looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

    "Look. Even he is not sure, and let me tell you, he is quite the kind one."

    "It was in the dark, the person was wearing a hoodie and using both face and voice-concealing spells!"

    "Huh. Those are some interesting spells. Was he there before you were?" Alec asked.

    "Y- Yeah..."

    "Don''t be too strict on the kid. Whoever is doing this, they seem to know their thing."

    With a sigh, Alec let go of the freshman and stretched. The student, on the other hand, immediately took off, leaving Alec and Evan alone.

    "The dealer is too careful. I don''t know what to do," Alec said while massaging his face with both hands. Evan patted his shoulder.

    "They will slip, one way or another."

    "How do we know that? Tsk..." ¨C Alec clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. ¨C "You should have seen the expression on Edward''s face. He looked like a fucking Hannya mask."

    "Hannya mask?"

    "Never mind."

    As the duo were finished with their daily questioning, they decided to go back to the headquarters, which in this context was the student council.

    "We are not making any progress this way," Alec said while chewing on his thumb.

    "Maybe we are. It''s hard to say."

    "Have we gotten any leads? No. I don''t like sitting around and doing nothing. It''s not my type of thing."

    "I know. Still, the success of our approach can''t be measured by outcome. One moment, you don''t know anything, the other, someone confesses something important."

    "Still..."

    "And, do you even have any idea on what to do?" Evan asked. "It might be better to keep to what might work instead of blindly trying things out."

    "I don''t know... However, we are not really being discrete, won''t the dealer get scared and stop dealing?"

    "The dealer has been more active lately though."

    "That is probably because of the illusory training," Alec said. The illusory training area was filled with people trying their best to make it to the higher scores. Many were buying potions to increase their regenerations. And since the dealer''s products were more potent than the market stuff, it sold like hot cake.

    "Now that you say it, how was your run? I assume you have been using that trick too. I used it myself."

    "Yup. Didn''t really want to expose my score so early on."

    "Makes sense. Though, it might have been better if it didn''t become this widespread so quickly."

    "What can you do? Leave an exploit and people will start abusing it," Alec answered while turning a corner. "And it''s not like surrendering right before your score is calculated is a genius idea. Oh, who is your partner by the way? You still haven''t told me."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "It''s Lea."

    "Lea?" Alec repeated, confused. Lea was one of the disciplinary committee members. A girl about a head taller than Alec himself. He hadn''t particularly noted them to be close with Evan. "Are you two close?"

    "Not yet."

    "Oh?"

    "No comments."

    "Whatever you say," Alec said while raising his hands in resignation. He had no intention of digging into Evan''s personal matters if he didn''t intend to talk about it.

    While they kept chatting, the duo reached the student council room. They entered without knocking and made their way toward Edward''s table. The rest of the council members were akin to ants, working like crazy as always. To be honest, Alec would rather be on the brute force side of the council than the bureaucratic one. Intimidating innocent students was kind of growing on him.

    "Welcome, you two. It''s nice to see you working hard as always," Edward said. His greeting was overly formal, as he seemed to like being that way while around others.

    "You specifically can''t say that. I can''t bring myself to think I''m working hard when you are wasting away on that table. Oh, by the way, We failed today, too."

    "This dealer of ours is too proficient. He doesn''t leave any traces."

    Edward''s face crumpled into a frown.

    "I have learned of that too. Accursed heathen, probably has been dealing for a long time. It must have slipped under my nose. It might cause complications if similar problems to what I had happened to other students."

    ''Oh god, I hope not,'' Alec couldn''t help but think. ''Let alone the potion, many might have contracted demonic taint after the incursion.

    Even if aware, Alec didn''t have an option. Edward having the taint appear on his arm was like a blessing. What if it was somewhere more private? It was essentially impossible to search every student in detail.

    Still, there was a semi-solution to the problem.

    "How did the meeting with the school committee go?" Evan asked.

    "They agreed to allocate a budget for the search. You can hand me a list of the people who have consumed potions to get them checked. Professor Emma will be leading the medical checks, so you can rest well," Edward patted the table. "Let''s go to the back room, shall we?"

    Nodding, Alec and Evan followed Edward. The student council''s back room was used mostly for recreation. However, it was also a good way to talk about more secretive stuff away from the eyes.

    Once all three settled down on the two couches,¨C Edward on one, Alec and Evan on the other¨C Alec took out an incense and placed it on the table.

    "What for?" Edward asked.

    "It helps relax the mind, the recent topics are a bit disturbing, that''s all."

    "Don''t worry, I like the smell. The woody scent reminds me of... Anyway," the student council muttered with a reminiscent smile. Inhaling the incense deep into his lungs, he continued. "The professors were baffled when they learned about the demonic taint."

    "I wouldn''t be surprised. It is an awkward occurrence after all," Alec shrugged.

    "What did they say after the initial bafflement?"

    "They were mostly worried about the possible consequences. If a demonic incursion were to occur, the results would be... non-ideal," Edward said with his eyes closed, his hands massaging his temples. "Once a demonic incursion starts, the nearby human¡¯s psyche will start weakening. It''s like a rot, being in their accursed presence is enough to cause you to start festering. Unless you have a particularly strong soul, obviously."

    What Edward meant by soul was his mental fortitude. Alec had gotten used to him occasionally using divine terminology like that. Though, he still had no idea what the particular religion he believed in was. It seemed to be blocked by the anti-meme too.

    "If it is so dangerous, why didn''t the authorities take more drastic measures?" Evan chimed in.

    "They are worried that the information will leak. Panic and fear will amplify the problem. For now, we have to take out the source," Edward explained. "I really hope you can dig into the matter more and figure out the dealer¡¯s contact. If you figure it out, you can act like a buyer and catch the dealer red-handed."

    "Mm."

    "Understood."

    Both of them nodded. While deciding on their own, they could discuss it at length. But if it was Edward proposing something, it was better to do it without question. Even if something went wrong, they would just be moving under orders.

    After bidding their farewells, Alec and Evan left the student council room.

    "I would like to ask you to deal with what Edward said," Alec said while they were walking down the corridor.

    "Hm?"

    "Find the dealer''s contact information. Then we will catch him together. Though, we might want to outsource the buying process. We are in the disciplinary committee, after all."

    "Oh, yeah. The dealer might become suspicious. Sure, I will look into it. Though, what will you be doing?"

    "I have to prepare for a mana brain ritual."

    "You are getting another?"

    "No, I''m the one doing the ritual, not the one getting. My mana would get all fucked up if I tried getting another."

    "Huh... Great. Who is the one getting the mana brain?"

    "Like I''d know..."

    "Ah, the classic. Anyway, good luck then," Evan said with a smile. Shortly after, Alec went his own way, leaving him alone.

    "Ugh..." he suddenly grunted. He took a deep breath and grabbed his chest. ''Damn you Alec! My heart was about to explode there... Anyway, it''s good that he gave me the task.''

    Leaning against a wall, he slowly slid down and sat on the ground to calm himself.

    ''Now that I am the one dealing with the investigation, I should be able to set something up. Hopefully, it will win us the time necessary...''

 Chapter 75 | Now I Give the Mana Brain!

    The library was its usual self, an eerie silence, even if it was more crowded than normal. On one side were Iris and Evan, each watching Alec''s motions with curiosity and a tinge of excitement. They had been told they could do their own thing, but no. This was both a rare, interesting occasion and one they would need to learn more about, in case they wanted a mana brain themselves.

    Such was the nature of mana brains. They were a student''s first notebook, a fresh employee''s first check, an avid gamer''s first computer, or an author''s first publishing contract. That fuzzy warmth of acknowledgment coupled with an unending stream of dreams it birthed would fill the mage.

    At least that was what the average mage would feel. Alec, on the other hand, was different. His excitement didn''t come from the acknowledgment but more so from its novelty. What he needed wasn''t acknowledgment ¨C Although he liked that quite a bit too ¨C, it was new feelings. He had been inserted into a world, completely different from his previous one. There was magic, the sensation of mana coursing through his veins, a completely different experience from anything he had felt. It made him more aware, remember that he was a human rather than a walking talking web novel machine.

    The mana brain was similar in that sense. It was a new perspective, a different way to see and feel the world. It was a brand new tool that helped him extrospect, instead of introspecting like a madman.

    As his fingers elegantly clutched on the chalk, drawing line after line on the ground, his mana brain dealt with the rest of the floating sticks. Occasionally, it would ask for the right to rotate his head, to see around and make sure it hadn''t made any mistakes.

    Further ahead, directly opposite to Iris and Evan were Ariel and Professor Rebecca. They had come here following Alec, and been revealed by the memetic spell he had developed. Her first reaction to seeing Alec had been mild. It seemed like she knew him, from before she became anti-memed. But she didn''t exactly remember how. Obviously, Alec didn''t remember her at all. As she wasn''t mentioned in the journal, she probably wasn''t that impactful of a person in his life. However, he still wondered how they were related.

    As Alec finally finished drawing the circle, he straightened up and stretched his back. No matter how much a superhuman, bending over for so long was still uncomfortable for his body.

    "I will start placing the ingredients now," he said. Calling over a chair with gravity magic, he placed it down in the middle of the circle. "Please sit."

    Rebecca was fidgety at Alec''s request. She had to take a deep breath before sitting down. She seemed like a little kid waiting in the vaccination line at school, trying to keep her cool. Still, she had to bear with it. There was no one else that had a similar level of mind and mana stats and a comparable life experience.

    Once the woman settled on the chair, Alec walked up to Ariel and asked her to hand over the materials he needed one by one.

    ''Funny. A couple of months ago, I was the one sitting in that chair, waiting for my mana brain. Now, I''m the one engraving it.''

    Unlike Professor Andrew, Alec utilized gravity magic. Gravity magic was much more precise than its traditional counterpart, telekinetic magic. This allowed him to place the materials using gravity, rather than placing them like Professor Andrew, manually.

    ''What did he do next? Oh, right. He asked me to take my top off,'' Alec reminisced. He eyed Rebecca Bailey for a moment before sighing.

    "Where do you want me to engrave the mana brain?" he asked. "Anywhere along your spinal cord is fine."

    "Then wherever you got it," she said. Alec nodded. This was the best outcome. He was slightly worried that she would ask him to engrave it on her back. Although unlikely, being able to see the mana brain in case she forgot it could be helpful. And in the end, Alec was just happy that he didn''t have to say "take your top off," like his insensitive professor. He also couldn''t help but throw a glance at Ariel, who seemed unbothered by the situation.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    After Rebecca unbuttoned her shirt, Alec raised his index finger toward the middle of her torso, somewhere along her solar plexus. This placement was slightly lower than his own, just so he could avoid the uneven surface.

    He closed his eyes for a moment and visualized the second circle spell he had just memorized for this part of the ritual.

    [Light Beam]

    Unlike what one might expect, this spell wasn''t a strong, lightsaber-esque ¨C which was more of a plasma weapon rather than a laser weapon anyway ¨C one. Instead, it was mainly used for experimental or carving purposes. Funnily, the place it was most used in was art. Many mages who liked to carve things knew the spell.

    As the magic circle spun to activation, a thin beam of blue laser-ish light came out of Alec''s index finger. The light penetrated into Rebecca''s skin but didn''t reach under. Slowly, as Alec got more and more used to it, a small, empty magic circle appeared. This was but a frame.

    "The mana brain has to be shrunk. I wouldn''t be able to directly engrave it on your skin as it''s just too complicated."

    "Mm. I know," Rebecca answered. Alec seemed to have forgotten that she was technically a professor too, albeit for a moment. Afraid that he had offended the woman called "Master Healer", Alec smiled apologetically.

    "It''s okay. Please continue," she said. Her eyes were tightly shut close. She didn''t really seem to care about the outside world at the moment. She wanted it to be over, as soon as possible.

    "Please stay still. This will hurt. And it will hurt a lot," Alec said. However, for a moment, he felt bad for the woman and decided to feed her a focus potion. He himself had used it. Why wouldn''t she? Especially considering that she seemed to need the help.

    After that, Alec took in a deep breath and raised his arms before pointing them forward, perpendicular to the ground. His hands were completely open, his fingers spread out. From his ten fingers came out ten silk-thin threads of mana. Professor Andrew was capable of much better. Alec still remembered how the mana threads had spread out in every direction that day. Still, Rebecca would have to bear with it.

    Co-operating with the mana brain, Alec used every bit of his intelligent processing power and spread out the mana tendrils. They touched the magic circle drawn on the ground, invigorating it. The mana brain shook like it had woken up from a long afternoon nap. Then it shone. It shone with blinding blue lights as Alec''s mana filled it up.

    What Alec was doing right now was a feat of pure mana control. The mana brain circle, which was actually just a really complicated magic circle, needed mana to be initialized. However, Alec couldn''t just intent his way into the thing. It was too complex. He had to activate it part by part and gather it into one piece before actually engraving it. So he did it. It took quite a bit of time, perhaps thrice the time Professor Andrew had taken, but he still did it.

    Alec''s mana started draining quickly, saturating the atmosphere inside the library. This saturation became higher the closer to Alec. This was a necessary expense, as the mana-saturated air facilitated the magic circle much better.

    And, the mana brain circle was dislodged, ripped away from the ground. It floated. Floated and flailed on air. This part was the hardest for Alec, as he could feel his mana rapidly draining. His mental strength was in a similar situation. Fortunately for him, this wouldn''t last long.

    The materials ¨C Which were mostly concerned with making the circle into an actual ritual, giving it a permanent nature ¨C had already melted into the circle, so his part was mostly done.

    "Here it comes!"

    With a loud whizzing noise, the magic circle rotated in the air. Alec clasped his hands together with a loud clap, causing the mana tendrils to disappear. The magic circle rapidly shrunk, increasing in spin even more. So much so that it became blurry and eventually seemed to stop spinning.

    The air itself seemed to light up as blue motes of mana vibrated all around. This was it. Like a pulsar, it spun. Waves of mana agitated the people surrounding them, excluding only Alec and Rebecca.

    The woman''s mind unraveled, and Alec felt it. Not memories, but sentiments he understood. The way everyone experienced memories was different, but the way they felt emotions was similar. This was the reason humans had developed language. They could communicate emotions easily, with body language. But memories, not so much.

    The magic circle''s connection with Alec cut off. Now, it was left to Rebecca. To her and the mana brain, which was akin to a newborn trying to breathe for the first time. Once Rebecca nudged the thing with her intent, it immediately reached out and latched onto her.

    "Ahh!"

 Chapter 76 | Come to My Place

    "Ahh!" Rebecca Bailey screeched. Frothing from her mouth, her hands flailed around. By now, her neurons were probably being bombarded with all kinds of unknown sensations, causing her to shout in agony. Alec found it bitter that when random sensations were invoked in the brain, their mix averaged out to be insufferable pain.

    As the woman kept shaking, her eyes started rolling back into their sockets. To be honest, the pain was enough to make a normal person faint at a moment''s notice. It was akin to the spiciness of wasabi. You would expect it to end quickly, a "clean" pain. After all, how could something like this hurt for a long time? However, it lasted. And it lasted for quite long.

    Alec didn''t even think she could last halfway through the ritual. After all, if she had avoided taking the ritual all this time, her resistance couldn''t be that high. At least that was his reasoning. As for how much of a truth there was to it, he would learn it pretty soon.

    However, as time passed, all the people in the room realized a fact. Rebecca wasn''t going down without a fight. In the end, a professor¡¯s willpower was not underestimated. She had probably been through many things in her life, and this wasn''t going to be one where she miserably failed.

    After a few minutes of agonizing pain, Professor Rebecca finally lost consciousness and the ritual stopped. After all, she couldn''t bear the pain the whole way through. Still, she had gotten 70% of the way through, which was better than Alec''s expectations by a mile. The mana brain settled on her solar plexus and started gently rotating. It didn''t take long, about a minute for Rebecca to wake up.

    She breathed hard, profusely sweating from every pore. The memory of the pain seemed to linger, her face a frown... Alec and Ariel walked up to her side and crouched.

    "How do you feel?" Alec asked.

    "Not good."

    "Can we do something to make it better?" Ariel said while looking at Alec.

    "We can''t. But she can," he nodded toward Rebecca''s mana brain. "Pass the bad feelings to the mana brain."

    "Isn''t that cruel?" Professor Rebecca couldn''t help but ask.

    "No. A mana brain doesn''t feel, it just processes. If you pass along the bad feelings, you will relax. There''s no need to feel bad about it. I understand we humans have the tendency to attach importance to insentient beings, but don''t beat yourself over it."

    Alec had fallen into the same pitfall, but mana brains lacked what was called "intent", which confirmed their status as mere tools.

    "I see..."

    Taking a deep breath, Rebecca closed her eyes. She had to focus to properly utilize the mana brain. A short moment later, the frown on her face relaxed.

    "Thank you."

    "No problem. Your help will be of great importance where needed," Alec said. With what he had done, Professor Rebecca was technically under his orders. After all, Alec was the central figure of this "anti anti-memetic" team. Without him, all of these people would be completely helpless and mostly unaware.

    "Mm," she nodded.

    Alec and Ariel spent some time, about ten minutes talking before Ariel took her leave. Her staying in the library for too long was a bit dangerous.

    The rest of the stay was spent with Alec teaching Professor Rebecca about the ways she could use the mana brain, such as an aide in spellcasting, a way to hide memories from herself, an ark in case she got mind-wiped, and an unconscious manipulator that could nudge her actions without alerting her.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Although it would take some time for her to become proficient, she would manage.

    Once done with that, they decided it was time to separate. Just as they were about to leave, Evan stopped Rebecca by grabbing her from the shoulder. Noticing this, Alec turned around and looked in confusion.

    "What''s going on?" he asked.

    "Not much. I want to talk about something with her," Evan said. "You two can go ahead."

    As per their agreement of unquestioning trust, Alec nodded and left with Iris in tow....

    ***

    "7000..." Alec muttered under his breath. He was left gasping for air, crouched and one hand''s palm resting on the ground. His hair stuck on his forehead from all the sweat, he took a deep breath and raised The Author''s Pen once again.

    [Quarterstaff]

    Immediately, a particularly thick quarterstaff fully made out of iron hurtled out of the wall of the cave, settling in his hand. It was quite a sizeable weight. A normal person wouldn''t have been able to swing it around quite like how Alec did.

    Flourishing the quarterstaff, Alec dove forward and hit the dummy square on its head. With a clang, the iron quarterstaff bounced off. A number on the upper right of his vision went up by one, reaching 7001.

    With one last bullrush, containing all the energy Alec had left, he managed to push his damage score up to 7050. He fell on his knees after the last attack. He had spent most of his mana and all of his stamina. He placed the iron quarterstaff into a little hole he had dug in a corner of the cave.

    This was a tactic he had found in his previous attempts. He would place this quarterstaff for the times he didn''t have much mana remaining. With the correct intent, he could summon the quarterstaff into his hands rather than actually create it out of nowhere, which would cause him to spend more mana. He could use gravity magic instead, but it would require more focus and mana than necessary.

    Watching the timer on the edge of his vision, Alec realized that he had less than five seconds remaining on the clock, so he immediately shouted out loud.

    "I concede!"

    Suddenly, the timer in his vision lit up red and disappeared without ever reaching zero. This way, his score wouldn''t be revealed. This was something he had thought on his own but had been discovered by the others too. For that reason, the uppermost parts of the list were filled with mildly successful students for now.

    Once he was sure the quarterstaff wouldn''t be discovered, Alec headed toward the exit.

    ''I managed to kill about 3000 monsters in the monster wave sequence before the time ran out. 7050 score in the damage calculator... Which makes up to about 2.1 million points. Multiply it by the 4x solo score amplification, 8.4 million. There''s no way anyone has accumulated that much, right?'' he thought. Then for a moment, he salivated about the amount of credits he would get when placed first. The first-place reward was 10% of the score so...

    ''Never mind. I should think about that later. I have to win first.''

    Jumping the 5-meter height that was to the exit, Alec latched onto the hatch''s edge and pulled himself up, landing without much trouble. He smiled and exchanged some pleasantries with the attendant and turned around to leave. However, before he could actually do so, he was approached by a familiar face.

    "Douglas? What''s up?" Alec asked.

    "Not much man, not much. How is the exam prep'' going?" The magic missile enthusiast asked. Since the time of Alec''s excellence in the thesis defense, their relationship had become slightly weird. Alec didn''t spend much time around Professor Andrew, as he was too well-accomplished to do so. Still, he was considered his assistant, so he was of the same rank as Douglas.

    "Pretty nice, you know. Optimization and all that. What about yours?"

    "Same. Anyway, Professor Andrew wanted to meet you at his place."

    "At ''his place''? Are you talking about his special lab?" Alec couldn''t help but question the wording.

    "Nah. Not really. He wants you to go to his house."

    "That''s weird. Did he tell you what it was for?"

    "Nope. He was all secretive and awkward about it. Honestly, I feel a bit betrayed."

    "I- I see," Alec said awkwardly, not knowing how to answer. "I will head there then. Bye"

    "See you."

    Leaving the training grounds, Alec traversed the academy''s complex layout. He walked through the forest separating the Professor''s quarters from the middle section of the academy and started wandering around. He managed to find Professor Andrew''s house only after searching for 15 minutes.

    The place was pretty luxurious for the average person, however, "Professor in the Lation Magic Academy" was the least average title you could probably have.

    The walls were painted a pearly white, and absurdly clean windows adorned the house. The place even had a second floor with a spacious balcony. Eyeballing it, Alec guessed the entire house to be about 350 meters squared, excluding the just as big ¨C if not bigger ¨C garden.

    ''Huh. This place is awkwardly modern. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see it in the middle of a modern Earth city. Though, I wouldn''t put it behind Professor Andrew. The man can be weird.''

    Without further ado, he walked through the garden path and the wooden patio before knocking on the door.

    The person to open the door was surprisingly not Professor Andrew, but Professor Howard.

    "Come in, Alec."

    "Uhh... Sure."

    ''What the fuck..?''

 Chapter 77 | Take the Neutron

    The living room had four same-sized red couches, all placed in a square pattern and facing a low, glass surface table. It was bright. Too bright in fact. The walls were painted in pearl white, just like the outer ones.

    While one side of the room had windows covering the entire wall, the other side extended into a kitchen, which was well-equipped. A bunch of pans and pots rested on top of a mana-powered stove. Whatever was inside boiled, causing gentle pops to reach Alec''s ears.

    Alec sat on one of the couches, facing the windowed wall. His hands rested on his lap, his back perfectly straight. His face betrayed no expression, but his posture was that of wariness. After all...

    ''Why did these two call me here? And why aren''t they saying anything?''

    Across the table sat Professor Howard. The fire mage''s hair had become disheveled. Caressing his beard, the man seemed deep in thought.

    On the other side, to his right was Professor Andrew, Alec''s boss. He was a man who took care of himself. He was usually clean-shaven, with short hair and the smell of sandalwood hanging around him.

    Now, however, none of that was present. His chin was covered with stubble. Dark bags under his eyes. Whatever these two had been up to, it had tired him quite a lot. Professor Howard was too high leveled to get tired easily, however, the same couldn''t be said for Andrew Walker.

    "So... Is anyone going to explain why you have called me here?" Alec asked. Professor Andrew and Howard looked at each other briefly before turning back toward him.

    "We were curious about how much you know."

    "Yeah. You have to tell us what you know."

    "Huh?"

    The duo, seemingly under some kind of high pressure, demanded Alec to share what he knew. ''What the fuck are these two talking about?''

    "Sorry..." Professor Howard took over, calming down. "You see, after that show you put on during the thesis defense, we have come together with Mr. Andrew here to do some research. But unfortunately, we have hit a roadblock."

    "...And you want me to?"

    "We would like to ask you to join us," Professor Andrew said. Alec''s brows rose, his demeanor slightly relaxed. He leaned against the backrest of the couch before continuing.

    "Why would I of all people be able to help ?"

    "We have seen what you can do, Alec. No... Mr. Alec. We are aware that you know more than you show. That''s why..." Professor Howard said. Although the man was a legendary figure, he was still talking to Alec politely, in search of knowledge. Alec admired that.

    "If I can help, sure. I don''t see a problem."

    "Great!" Professor Andrew said with a slightly raised voice. He immediately got up and went out of the living room, leaving Alec and Hunter Howard by themselves.

    "Hmm..."

    "Hmm..."

    The two hummed while waiting. Shortly after, Professor Andrew came back with a stack of papers in hand. He placed them in front of Alec and sat down.

    "This is what we have."

    "Let''s see..." Alec muttered before picking up the stack. Nudging the mana brain, he started breezing through the pages one by one. With each page he flipped, the more a frown settled on his face.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Once done, he placed the research papers down and sat in silence.

    "So?" Professor Andrew couldn''t help but ask. "Is there a problem?"

    In fact, the problem was that there was no problem. Their research was mostly pristine. ''How much should I tell them? A little? Nothing? Everything?''

    After the conception of Alec''s Atomic Model, most professors had lost themselves in what could be taken from it. With the amount of tools magic provided and the mental enhancements given by the system, they could do countless experiments, expanding on the foundation Alec had set.

    Alec knew this himself. He had expected rapid advancements after he corrected what was essentially a malunion of theoretical knowledge. This much, however, was beyond that.

    ''Orbitals, energy levels, uncertainty? Holy shit, he almost created the Schr?dinger''s Equation there...''

    "From what I can say, most of what you have researched leads to somewhere," Alec finally commented. "As for where exactly? I am not quite sure."

    Then, however, he stopped. If he went any further; if he told them the thing in his mind, would he cause the world to be destroyed? Would his actions bring the end of this civilization? From what he understood, that type of magic was discovered in the past. Then didn''t it destroy the entire magical society, kicking them back into what was essentially the stone age of magic? At least, that was what Alec assumed to happen. And if that really was the case, was it okay for these two to know of this?

    ''No. Withholding knowledge won''t stop them. They will find it either way. Once science is kicked into motion, every civilization will have to pass this barrier or meet its doom, it seems...''

    "I''m curious," Alec started. His voice didn''t betray the dilemma in his heart. "I have noticed this before too, but only properly thought of it now. The mass and charge mismatch in our atomic model might need an explanation."

    "Oh. I remember reading an explanation in an unpublished thesis yesterday," Professor Howard said. He was on the review committee and had access to such papers. "He proposed that it was because of extra protons and electrons bound inside the nucleus, thus neutralizing their charges while keeping the mass. It makes some sense, as otherwise, the nucleus would be much lighter than how it is."

    "But I''m sure you have realized how that doesn''t make sense," Alec said. While Professor Howard nodded, Andrew Walker''s brows rose.

    "How so?" he asked.

    "From the results you have here, it is easy to see that the electron would need an immense amount of momenta to be bound inside the nucleus. And even if that was the case, it should have radiated an immense amount of energy, causing the electron to lose energy with time, giving it an unstable nature."

    "Not to mention, the weight is still slightly wrong," Professor Howard added after calculating in one of his plethora of mana brains.

    "Mm. That''s why, I think there is something else inside the nucleus," Alec added. He sighed and turned toward Professor Howard. "Could you find some Beryllium..?"

    ***

    Alec was tired. He had been bombarded with countless questions, had to jot down more than ten complex equations, and also had to prove them step by step, just to make the two maniacs fully agree with him.

    Though once he understood the existence of the neutron, Professor Howard wasn''t exhilarated like before. Instead, he simply said "I see..." and went silent. Whatever magic spell he had devised in his head, he hadn''t liked it. After nodding toward Alec, he had quickly gotten up and left.

    ''Still, it''s better than him instantly bombing us into oblivion by testing a nuclear explosion spell.''

    As Alec walked the path toward the dorms, he encountered Evan on the way there. The sun had already set, shrouding the academy in darkness. Although it took quite a while, Evan finally noticed Alec. Seeing him, the red-haired close combat mage ran to his side.

    "Alec!"

    "What''s up? Why the hurry?"

    "I was looking for you everywhere... I managed to get the dealer''s contact information."

    "What? Good job!" Alec whispered with a smile on his face. He had been worrying about Edward''s expectations for some time and was relieved to learn that he would finally be freed.

    "Yeah. I even managed to set up a meeting."

    "Huh? How?"

    "I secretly met up with two freshmen and ordered them to ask for a trade," Evan said. "We will go there, use voice and face changer spells, and catch the dealer."

    "Wouldn''t the dealer use a... delivery man?" Alec couldn''t help but ask.

    "Probably. But that is fine too. We can always catch and question the delivery man. Hell, with your proficiency in mind and memetic spells, we could probably dig it right out of his brain."

    "You are right. Where is this meet-up again?"

    "It seems that one of the places this dealer of ours uses is behind the library, approximately half a kilometer into the woods. We have to be there in twenty minutes."

    "Twenty minutes? What the hell were you going to do if you couldn''t find me? Go by yourself?"

    "I mean... Yeah? Where even were you?" Evan asked with a raised brow. He had probably looked all around the academy.

    "I was... You know what? Never mind. Let''s go..."

 Chapter 78 | Deal Me This

    The forest encasing the academy''s main area acted as a pseudo-border for the students. Although there weren''t strict rules about preventing them from entering the forest ¨C Other than some particular areas ¨C, it was still frowned upon. Yet, if you wanted to do a shady deal with a shady person, why not go there?

    Obviously, Alec questioned in his head how the authorities could let this be. There were some pretty handful of spells that could help track students around. Then still, there were many weird antics of the authorities that Alec couldn''t exactly wrap his mind around.

    As Alec and Evan applied the spell on their faces, they first went to the library. Then, they jumped out of a window facing the back side of the building.

    "Huh. You know your way around this, don''t you?" Evan couldn''t help but ask with a raised brow. Why was Alec so proficient at sneaking around and being inconspicuous? Alec pursed his lips in answer and looked away. An awkward silence later, they refocused on the matter at hand.

    They went into the forest, past many trees under the moonlight. Even though the relatively thick forest ceiling mostly cut them off, it was still possible to see the thin pillars of light overflow and penetrate the barrier.

    Then, Alec shook off the amazement. They had arrived at their destination, a small clearing, enough to be called a natural coincidence rather than an intentional design. What did look like intentional design was the layout, however. Surrounding the clearing were eight trees, perfectly distanced from each other into an octagon. It made the place look more like a ritual site than a clearing. In fact, Alec felt like he could summon something if he tried really hard. Though, why this place was designed like that was a mystery. Perhaps a spell had landed here during the fight against the demons? Or the dealer had intentionally cleared the place to make it easier to find?

    Nevertheless, Alec and Evan stood side by side in the middle of the clearing. They surveyed their surroundings with utmost care. Then finally, they looked at each other and nodded. They both turned slightly to the side and leaned against each other, back to back, giving them near 360-degree vision. This way, the dealer wouldn''t be able to approach them unnoticed.

    The late night was eerily quiet on the academy grounds. It was sterile, like a silent room. No buzzing insects, no owls, and seemingly no wildlife. Even the leaves didn''t seem to rustle that much. Alec hadn''t noticed it before, maybe because he had always been so busy, but now...

    Then, he felt a gentle gust of wind. It was akin to someone brushing past him in a crowd. Firm enough to notice, but not enough to physically disorient him. ''Strange...'' he thought. Although he immediately turned his head, he didn''t see anyone else but Evan, looking around carefully. ''Was I the only one to notice?''

    Confused, Alec patted his clothes. Then, he noticed a weird bump in his left pocket. Something was in there, and it wasn''t something he had on himself already.

    "What the fuck..?" he muttered in confusion. His hand went into his pocket and grabbed onto a paper bag.

    "Hm?" Evan turned around slightly, his eyes still paying attention to their surroundings but trying to gauge what Alec was doing at the same time. "What''s that?"

    "It''s... I don''t know. This thing just appeared in my pocket."

    Alec inspected the paper bag from every direction before finally reaching his other hand out to open it. However, before he could, Evan stopped him.

    "Uhh... Try checking your credit wallet. I have a bad feeling."

    "Sure..?" Alec muttered with a raised brow. However, his confusion quickly gave way to understanding, then worry. He scrambled for his pocket. Taking out his student ID card, he injected a bit of mana and checked his credits. "Holy shit... The dealer took the money! And not even all of it. He just took enough to complete the transaction"Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "What!? How? We were paying attention."

    "I don''t know. Was the dealer invisible or something? I would have noticed if he used anti-memetic magic. I would have definitely noticed..."

    Just as Alec was about to open the bag, Evan stopped him once more. There was an eerie decisiveness in his eyes.

    "Don''t. It''s dangerous."

    "What do you mean?"

    "We don''t know what''s in it. It''s better to hand it over to Edward and tell him about the situation. Our approach was wrong."

    "Oh, right. Sorry," Alec said. Without further ado, the two went back to the dorms...

    ***

    "Interesting. So not only is this damned heretic capable of producing incredibly potent super-potions full of demonic substances, but they can also steal stuff right under your noses and place the potions in your pocket? Without you two noticing..."

    "It was incredibly weird," Alec said, shaking his head. He was pretty sure Edward wasn''t trying to blame them, just really confused about the situation.

    "Well then. It seems that our search will have to continue," Edward said before taking the paper bag from Alec''s hand. "You did a good thing not opening the bag. The heretic might have known and placed a trap inside. I will have it opened by the academy committee and get it inspected. You two did a good job at least securing a sample."

    Alec and Evan nodded. They turned around to leave, thinking that the conversation was over, however, Edward still seemed to have something to say.

    "On another note, I have been checking the alchemy lab logs for some time."

    Hearing him, the duo turned around and faced him again. A small cough escaped Evan, probably clearing his throat. Alec, on the other hand, was unperturbed. He caressed his chin.

    "Although I doubt the dealer is producing the potions inside the academy, it might be smart to check those," he said.

    "Mm. What I found interesting is, you were visiting the labs quite frequently Alec, starting from two weeks ago," Edward continued, an enigmatic smile on his face. Alec couldn''t help but frown at where he was leading the conversation.

    ''Not good. It''s not like I can explain The Author''s Pen. At this rate, he might think I am the culprit!'' Alec thought. He threw a brief glance in Evan''s direction and noticed him to be unbothered, which caused his tightened fists to relax for some reason.

    "Still, you stopped going there a week ago and the heretic is still dealing," Edward said with his hands clasped, supporting his chin. The lights coming from the windows behind him caused his face to be underlit, giving him a menacing aura. "You made a couple of health potions, mana potions... Nothing out of the ordinary. Still, please pay attention to your image, Alec. I don''t want us on opposing sides."

    "Mm. I was just training," Alec said. He thanked himself for writing the decoy potions, or he might have been in big trouble. ''It''s good that he didn''t-''

    "Also, I just checked the Alchemy supply store records to see if your purchases matched," Edward suddenly added, causing Alec to mentally facepalm.

    ''Am I caught? Will I have to expose The Author''s Pen to avoid suspicion?''

    "And they matched perfectly. Which is the main reason I am trusting you. After all, no matter what potion this heretic brews, they need the ingredients to do so."

    "Oh... Yeah," Alec answered, making sure his voice didn''t shake. ''How? Who would play with the records? Evan?'' he thought, looking at Evan for a moment. Although his brows were slightly raised, he didn''t seem to be too surprised. ''No... He doesn''t know I went to the alchemy labs, how would he change the records?''

    "By the way, why are you telling me this?" he couldn''t help but ask. Whatever Edward was trying to do, his only achievement was making Alec unnecessarily nervous.

    "It''s so you can take it as an example and implement it yourself. I can''t run searches on every single student in the academy. As I have said, you have heightened authority and can demand to access records you normally can''t," Edward said before leaning on the backrest of his chair. The lights finally managed to reach his face, lighting it up. The menacing aura around him dissipated quickly. "If there are any suspects, run detailed searches on them."

    "I see. Thank you for the advice," Alec said, tugging on his necktie. Finally, they turned around and left the student council room. Both he and Evan exhaled sighs of relief.

    "That was..."

    "...Stressful?" Evan finished his sentence.

    "That would be an understatement. I almost thought I was going to get wrongfully executed for a second there."

    "Uh-huh."

    "Again, we have no lead. And especially if the bag is trapped, there is a good chance the dealer will stop dealing. He might feel too threatened to continue."

    "If that happens, how would we even catch him?" Evan asked.

    "I don''t know Evan. I don''t know..."

 Chapter 79 | The Review Cult?

    "I wonder what it is this time."

    Alec''s footsteps echoed down the hallway. The number of students in the hallway had decreased with every floor he climbed, eventually reaching zero. On the upper-most floor was a waiting room for the professors who didn''t want to leave the building during the short breaks. Other than that, there were some small meeting rooms practically unknown to the students.

    Alec had just been called to one of these meeting rooms by Professor Howard. Meeting Room #0 to be exact. Though, he couldn''t for the life of him find such a place. The lowest number written on the door tags was 10. Quickly understanding the situation, Alec sighed and activated the mana brain. Coupled with the ongoing incense in his wrist compartment, Alec''s eyes caught on a door.

    "Really funny..." Alec muttered under his breath before opening the door. "Huh?"

    Alec was met with an awkward scene, one no other student had likely witnessed before. A dark room, illuminated only by a small, floating ball of light in the center, greeted him. Inside were ten armchairs, their surfaces upholstered in crimson velvet, with delicate golden embroidery lending them a regal air. The armrests curved outward like the arms of a throne, and gilded accents capped their edges, making them appear larger and more imposing than they truly were.

    But the most surprising thing wasn¡¯t the chairs¡ªit was the people sitting in them.

    ''Enoch, Miriam, Maximus, Simon...'' Alec counted their names in his head one by one. They were all professors he had taken a class from. Others, not so much. He had seen their faces before, and even knew one''s name ¨C She was called Bianca and was a part of the jury during Professor Andrew''s thesis defense ¨C but he hadn''t taken classes from them.

    Then there was the man...

    ''Professor Howard...''

    Sitting in a bigger armchair with the same design, arms resting on the armrests, he seemed unbothered by Alec''s arrival.

    ''What the fuck did I get mixed up into? Is this a fucking cult?'' Alec questioned in his head.

    "Come, Mr. Alec. Sit," Professor Howard opened his mouth. His voice was more imposing than normal as if he was straining it by choice. He gestured toward an armchair, which was empty.

    Alec nodded and sat down. He found it strange that he had been sat on one of the armchairs. It made him look almost like he was their equal.

    "Greetings, committee. Today, we are welcoming our newest member," Professor Howard said, again, with a strained voice. "This is Mr. Alec Greenwood. Albeit his status as a student, I have deemed him worthy of the tenth seat."

    ''Oh god, this is definitely a fucking cult. Maybe I shouldn''t have come. Though what the hell am I gonna do? Snitch on them? These ten are probably stronger than the rest of the school combined!

    "We would have liked to be informed earlier, Professor Howard!" The man named Enoch said. He was also a jury member and a young-looking man with purple hair.

    "Why? What would you have done if you were to be informed?" Professor Howard asked, his eyes locking onto the man.

    "What if I had a better candidate in mind?"

    "Then call them too. We will see if they can beat Mr. Alec here. In theoretical knowledge, of course," Professor Miriam interfered. The green-haired woman had her arms crossed with a frown on her face, seemingly frustrated at Enoch, who was blatantly antagonistic toward Alec.

    "Hmph, maybe I will," Enoch answered, mimicking her and crossing his arms.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Let''s calm down, everyone, we are not setting a great example for Mr. Alec here," Professor Howard took over the conversation. "I would like to open today''s discussion¨C"

    "I''m sorry Mr. Howard, but I don''t understand what is going on," Alec finally said. He was brought to a shady location, watched incredibly powerful people argue about his presence in an eerie, dark room, and was meant to join their discussion? About what?

    "You didn''t tell the guy?" a professor named Simon said. He facepalmed. His body language didn''t betray dissatisfaction but bafflement.

    "I thought he would have guessed it by himself," Professor Howard answered. "Anyway. This is the review committee, Mr. Alec. The tenth seat of the committee has been open for some time and we wanted someone who knows their thing to join."

    ''Oh,'' Alec finally understood. He inspected the others'' expressions before turning his head back to Professor Howard. ''I must''ve shown too much potential. They would be willing to accept a student into the fray? And by the way, why did they make it so shady? Is it because of some esoteric mage fetish?''

    "I would be just as surprised if you dumped that on me out of nowhere," Miriam added. Alec particularly liked the woman as she was constantly taking his side.

    "Not to mention, the tenth seat is supposed to be for the anti-memetics review board, what the hell does Alec Greenwood have to do with that? Doesn''t he specialize in fire magic?" Professor Enoch retorted, his voice rising slightly toward the end.

    ''The anti-memetics review board seat is empty? Is it because the previous one died?''

    "There haven''t been many high-level anti-memetics papers in a long time. I doubt it will be a problem. Either way, Mr. Alec will be a great addition to the committee."

    Professor Enoch didn''t refute further and crossed his legs with a quiet sigh.

    "I can do it," Alec suddenly added. If he had to be honest, even with the lack of extra mana brains and mind stat, he could deal with reviewing anti-memetics papers on par with other professors. It was the magical branch he had the most theoretical knowledge. Not to mention, because the memetic magic branch had been shrouded, most of the foundational knowledge of anti-memetics was being ignored, making it very hard to create new papers.

    "Really? Prov¨C"

    "Enough, Mr. Enoch," Professor Howard cut him off. "If Mr. Alec says he can do it, he can do it. Instead of meandering around like this, I would like to open today''s discussion."

    Suddenly, red holograms of circles appeared in front of everyone. With a small nudge of mana, the mages turned those circles green one by one. Alec followed along and did the same, assuming it was some kind of "ready" signal.

    Once everyone''s lights turned green, Professor Howard started talking.

    "The first topic I would like to discuss is one that has been discussed many times. With the recent advancements made thanks to Mr. Alec, I''m starting the session regarding the renaming of elemental magic systems."

    The mages of the committee started whispering amongst each other utilizing silent communication spells. Alec felt a bit like an outcast watching them that way. Fortunately, Professor Miriam reached out to him and started explaining.

    [As this is your first day in the committee, I''m going to run you through what they are talking about,] she said. Alec traced the source of the communication, as the voice was a bit janky because of the spell, and noticed Miriam looking at him.

    [That would be great. Thank you very much.]

    [No problem, it''s good to see a fresh face here finally. I hate being around these geezers all day.]

    ''Huh... Is she younger than them, perhaps? Or is she trying to be a hip grandma?'' Alec couldn''t help but think. The system made it really hard to gauge people''s seniority. That was the main reason behind strength and knowledge being the deciding factors of respect in this society. At least that was what Alec thought. After all, he didn''t have a Transmigrator''s Guide to the New World¡¯s Societal Norms.

    [You see, the upper echelons of magical academia have been discussing whether or not to amalgamate all the elemental magic branches under fire magic and call it something else,] she said, ripping Alec away from his thoughts. [After all, there are many problems with the current classification.]

    [Huh. Isn''t that a no-brainer? What is there to discuss?] Alec asked.

    [It''s too much of a hassle, that''s the problem. The classes will have to be reshuffled, professors will change their classifications... Still, Professor Howard himself was the one to stand against it, it''s surprising that he proposed it himself this time around,] she said while holding her chin thoughtfully.

    ''I wonder if it has something to do with what I did,'' Alec thought. In the end, he was on the side of changing the classification. Separating what was essentially the same thing into arbitrary categories like water, fire, and earth, was incredibly boring and unnecessarily complicated. It was also wrong, which only strengthened his point.

    After everyone finished their personal discussions, Professor Howard gathered their attention by clapping his hands.

    "Now that we are ready, I would like to proceed with the first round of votes, which will be followed by the first round of open discussions..."

 Chapter 80 | I Get What I Want

    "...And the voting starts now," Professor Howard said. Alec felt mana shift right in front of him, a soft, tingling pressure on his skin. Another holographic circle flickered into existence, jolting Alec. His gaze shifted, gauging the others¡¯ reactions. They were all straight-faced. ''Hah. I''m just a student and I have to deal with this?'' he thought, a wry smile tugging on his lips. The holograms started lighting up ¨C green or red, illuminating the room.

    Alec tugged and pulled on his mana flow, manifesting an ethereal tendril. He touched the tendril against the hologram. He felt two distinct mana shapes, pressing against his awareness¡ªone a rough tick, the other an equally clunky ''x''. Whichever he completed, the hologram would light up accordingly. He let out a quiet huff of amusement. ''Huh, neat. Just like Magikards...''

    Without further ado, Alec "ticked" the vote by flowing his mana through the shape and lit up his own hologram green.

    "6 no''s and 4 yeses, the first result is rejected," Professor Howard announced monotone, a frown adorning his face. His own hologram was green, after all. His gaze darted across the committee. They were too focused on the result. Raising his finger, he squeezed the air using mana and suddenly let go, causing an audible pop to jolt everyone awake. "Then please, start the discussion."

    Immediately, three hands shot up. Namely Professor Enoch, Miriam, and Simon. Enoch seemed steadfast in his rejection, a resolute glare in his eyes. His back was perfectly straight as he locked eyes with Professor Howard. Miriam, on the other hand, was burning a hole in Enoch''s face with her glare, gritting her teeth. Simon remained untouched by the tension, his expression unreadable, his posture relaxed.

    ''I should just watch for now...''

    This felt a bit like the time he¡¯d been on a review committee in his past life, trying to tread lightly in a room of sharp opinions. He¡¯d learned then to talk less but say more¡ªsomething he¡¯d need to keep in mind now.

    Professor Howard acknowledged Enoch''s glare with a nod, granting him the right to speak. All eyes turned to the man now representing the opposition.

    Enoch rose slowly, pulling his mage robes tighter around his shoulders as though drawing strength from their weight. A sign of respect, yes, but also of resolve.

    "We¡¯ve debated this before, and the logistical issues remain unresolved. I respect Mr. Alec¡¯s contributions to elemental magic, but without a solution in sight, we¡¯d be inviting chaos by moving forward with a reorganization."

    The room filled with telepathic murmurs, an invisible undercurrent of whispered arguments and swayed opinions. Heads nodded, glances were exchanged, and then¡ªa subtle shift. One of the green lights flickered and turned red. Seven to three. The opposition had gained ground.

    Alec buried himself deeper into his couch, watching the discussion unfold. He enjoyed the chaos as it distracted the professors while he calculated what he would say if the decision didn''t lean in their favor.

    "Mr. Enoch is approaching this from a conservative perspective," Professor Miriam said after standing up. She threw a cursory glance toward Enoch before continuing. "However, we will never be ready enough if we keep delaying. The rotted roots of misplaced magic branches will cause a malunion if left untreated. The sooner we switch, the less the damage."

    ''That''s a good one,'' Alec mentally commented, his hands clasped together and resting on his lap. His mind, now coupled with the mana brain, breezed through different dialogues. Two votes shifted, turning green. Still, equal. ''No choice. Simon will represent the opposition. There is a good chance he takes the lead back to their side. What will he strike with? He is too relaxed. It must be something integral to the professors. And why is he looking at Professor Howard? Oh. He will try and challenge his opinion on the matter. I should be ready to support Howard then.''Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "I don''t really like how our classifications will change if we accept the reorganization. Will you be able to bear losing your title as a fire mage, Professor Howard?" he asked. The meeting room went silent. The committee''s eyes shifted from Simon toward Howard before stopping. The tension in the air was palpable, making Alec uncomfortably shift on his armchair

    ''What is this atmosphere? Did he say something controversial? Could Professor Howard be attached to the title in some way?'' Alec thought.

    "I will..." Professor Howard muttered indecisively. He caressed his beard for a moment, his mana lingering in the air. It shifted a few times, almost about to change his vote.

    However, before he could come to a decision, Alec finally raised his hand. He did it neither too slowly nor too fast.

    ''If they are treating me as an equal I will abuse it. Give me an inch, I''ll take a mile.''

    His legs crossed, both arms resting on the armrests of his chair, one supporting his chin. Alec took his time to get up. He began speaking as soon as Professor Howard gave a brief nod, his voice steady and calm.

    "I think we¡¯re forgetting the fact that magic is a tool to shape the world, not the other way around," he started. "Words are vehicles for meaning, not its source. They¡¯re tools of communication. Even if we change the classification, Professor Howard will remain the legend he is. Even if he¡¯s placed in a different class of magician, his legacy will still be that of flame and fire. When heavenly flames rain down from above, mages will still think of Hunter Howard. Shedding the title from its bloat will make it more meaningful. After all, who dare call themselves a fire mage as long as Professor Hunter walks the realm?"

    ''Perfectly delivered. Though, I almost slipped at the end. Can''t call this place Earth¡ªwhat the hell is this planet''s name anyway?''

    Alec''s words injected confidence into Professor Howard. His back straightened, his eyes glowing. Whatever worry weighed on his shoulders was blown away by Alec''s lengthy monologue.

    ''What about this one?'' Alec thought as his gaze darted across the room, settling on Simon. The man slowly sat down, his eyes still locked on Professor Howard, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. His relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be seen. His hands rested on his knees like he was being interviewed. ''Hah. Act smug now, bastard.''

    Surprisingly, not only did Professor Howard not switch to the opposition, but two other professors changed their votes, finally tipping the scale toward the supporting group. A quick telepathic message later, Alec learned that this was the first time this particular topic had a majority vote. Although he felt proud of the fact, it didn''t entirely depend on his prowess as a speaker but on what he had brought to the table, namely his model of the atom.

    "This is utter madness!" Professor Enoch slammed his hand against the table, his voice cutting through the room. Deep creases lined his forehead, and his face twisted into something halfway between outrage and disbelief. Alec couldn¡¯t help but find the display amusing, though he kept his expression neutral.

    "Alec Greenwood is nothing but a mere student," Enoch barked, gesturing toward him like he was the source of all the world¡¯s problems. "How could someone like him possibly understand the hardships behind such a decision?"

    ''Funny. He is somewhat right but what matters is to win,'' Alec mentally commented while leaning against the backrest of his chair, his arms crossed. Hardships were unavoidable on the path of development. And after all, if they were so worried about it, they could just graduate Alec early and make him a professor. ''Ugh... That might alert the anti-meme though...''

    "There¡¯s no need for finger-pointing, Professor Enoch. Let¡¯s keep this professional," Professor Howard settled the situation with a small smile. Enoch sat back down with a sharp snicker.

    "Please finalize your decision and get ready for the second round of the votes..."

    ***

    ''Horrifying...'' Alec mentally muttered, watching the ongoing discussion with wide-open eyes. ''It has been two hours! What is this? The tenth round of discussions? No wonder this academy runs so shitty! How can anything get done if they are just talking all day!?''

    Fortunately for Alec, and for Professor Miriam, whose quiet sigh of relief mirrored his own exhaustion, the discussion finally reached its end with a satisfying 9 to 1 supporting vote.

    "Now that we have concluded this discussion, I am proud to say that all the elemental magic branches will be amalgamated into a single one. Still, this births another problem and a new topic of discussion!" Professor Howard announced with a shit-eating grin on his face. Alec could swear the man glanced in his direction, as if taunting him. "We have to find a name for our soon-to-be magic branch! One that fits the start of a new age of magic! Start the discussions!"

    Alec¡¯s mouth fell open, his brows shooting up in pure disbelief.

    "Oh god..."

 Chapter 81 | Completely Normal Chapter

    Unlike what one might expect, Professor Enoch wasn''t a hung-up asshole. And Alec appreciated that, truly. Once it was decided that the reorganization would pass, the man had simply sat down, straightened his robes, and waited for the proceedings to continue. It was either that he was hiding his emotions well and plotting Alec''s murder in the meantime, or genuinely didn''t care¡ªWhich honestly, Alec hoped for.

    "I think using an already familiar term is the best option," Professor Miriam stated her opinion, her hands busy gesticulating left and right. She made sure to make eye contact with everyone present, her gaze briefly lingering on each.

    Unlike the tense debate before, this discussion was far more light-hearted. Even Professor Enoch, who was the only remaining opposition, occasionally chimed in. Hell, it was actually fun¡ªwhy wouldn''t he join?

    "What do you actually propose then?" one of the professors asked with his arms crossed, his voice neutral. It wasn''t an actual question¡ªjust a gesture for her to continue.

    "Going with Elemental Magic will be easier to digest, both for the students and for the Professors," she explained with a firm tone, flicking a glance toward Alec while speaking the word ''student''.

    Alec himself had no comment for now. He had his own agenda but there wasn''t a need to act hastily. The more suggestions were made, the more his naming sense would shine later on.

    "Although that makes some amount of sense, it isn''t ideal," Professor Simon said with his legs crossed. For some reason, he mirrored Alec''s posture from before¡ªleaning back slightly. His voice, however, didn''t betray any inflection. Perfectly dry. "Think about it, calling it elemental magic will just reinforce the idea of ''elements''. Some might think I''m just doing semantics, but this is especially important for the general student psyche. If we want to revolt the minds, we have to first shed the old conceptions."

    Most professors seemed to share similar thoughts as they discussed with each other. Murmurs, nods, furrowed brows, Professor Simon slowly sat back down. A small smile tugged on his lips as he crossed his legs again.

    "How about ''particle magic''?" Another suggestion came. While people were busy evaluating, Alec rose to his feet by placing his palms on his chair''s armrests and refuted.

    "Particle magic is too vague. If we are going to call it that, we might as well bundle in light magic. After all, light has both a particle and a wave nature," he said with a firm tone. His voice cut through the hubbub and killed the noise as the mages turned their heads one by one to take in his words. ''Good thing light¡¯s double nature was discovered earlier in this world. I wouldn¡¯t have had a clue how to refute the naming otherwise.''

    "Good point, Mr. Alec." Professor Howard said, his eerie smile spreading wider. "Do you have a suggestion in mind?"

    Alec cursed in his head. This man was supposed to be a dignified demigod¡ªand for the most part, he was. However, when it came to magic, he turned into something else entirely. A mischievous, creepy old man who seemed far too entertained by these discussions.

    "Classical Magic," Alec said with a tone of grandeur. His gaze darted across the room, gauging the professor''s reactions. Most were straight-faced, unimpressed. Some had raised brows, though¡ªThe confused ones. Especially Professor Howard. His grin had disappeared, leaving its place to a frown.

    "Isn''t that too... Boring?" Professor Howard asked. His voice seemed to resonate with the others as some nodded slightly. Alec knew this would be their reaction.

    ''Tsk Tsk. These poor mages. They might be demi-gods walking the earth ¨C Or whatever this planet is ¨C but they fell into the same pitfall many did when it comes to naming,'' Alec thought. A small smirk appeared on his face before he quickly suppressed it. Hopefully, the professors hadn''t caught on to it.

    "You see, that''s the point," Alec said. He raised his hands to his sides confidently and shrugged. "When naming things, you need highs and lows. Peaks and dips. Contrast is everything."

    "What do you mean?" Professor Howard asked. Unlike before, his tone was now slightly eager¡ªwaiting to see what Alec would present them with. On the other hand, Professor Miriam''s brows rose in understanding, she nodded briefly. Seeing that he had at least one person on his side, Alec continued.

    "When you try to make every name sound cool, it loses impact. It¡¯s like shining light on an already bright surface¡ªyou need contrast," he said. Then he cast the magic and actually demonstrated it. Two first circle light spells, shining on the same spot. Once the first was cast, the second didn''t make that much of a difference. "The point is, we have the chance to establish a baseline for magic. By naming the most famous branch Classical Magic, we create contrast¡ªletting every future magic branch sound even more impressive by comparison. Not to mention, it fits perfectly. Element magic was the basis for many other branches. It also perfectly describes the branch''s main-stream nature."

    Again, murmurs. By now, Alec had come to understand the review committee''s general dynamics. On average, every professor had two to three close acquaintances. Whenever something was told, they would throw a glance in their direction. Now wasn''t any different. If not for Professor Miriam''s occasional telepathic messages, Alec would have been left completely disconnected.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    A minute later, the room had calmed down again. Professor Howard sighed, his eyes closed for a moment and his brows drooped tiredly.

    "That makes sense. I would like ''Classical Magic'' to be our first voting subject," he said, monotone.

    ¡®Huh... Was I really that convincing? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to put up a fight?¡¯ Alec thought, his brow furrowing. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d noticed it, but now it was clear¡ªHoward was favoring him. Maybe it was because of the breakthrough Alec had made, but the man seemed unusually willing to let Alec steer the discussion.

    When he looked around, Alec found the professors to be sitting quietly. With crossed arms, scratched cheeks, most were relaxed and uninterested in continuing the discussion. ''Hmm... Did they also realize? It''s better not to attract Professor Howard''s ire by opposing me, after all.''

    Once the voting started, the rest was smooth sailing. Ten votes, ten greens. Why not? There was no need to stick out like a sore thumb. It''s not like the naming convention mattered that much. And in the end, the name Alec chose was undeniably good. Precise, easy to remember, almost memetic in some sense. As though it was supposed to be called that all this time.

    "Great! A name chosen most wisely by Mr. Alec. Now that is done, I would like everyone to decide if their seating needs to change name too," Professor Howard announced, his face expressionless. He seemed back to his normal, enigmatic self now that the talk about his own branch was over.

    At first, his question prompted some to raise their brows. Only after a short moment did they understand, nodding along and diving into deep thoughts with frowns adorning their faces. This wasn''t the kind of topic they would discuss with their inner circle. It was a personal one, one they needed to answer on their own.

    Alec sat in silence. His own branch, namely the anti-memetics board, wouldn''t be affected by these changes in any way.

    After a minute of contemplation, Professor Howard woke everyone up with his classic popping effect. However, before he could speak, Professor Enoch interrupted.

    "Mr. Howard, what are the boards of earth, water, and wind branches going to do in this new conglomeration of magic?" he asked with a frown. For a moment, he seemed to be overcome by the anxiety of losing his seat. Professor Howard smiled gently and gestured for him to sit back down.

    "Don''t worry Mr. Enoch. Just like the magic branches, we will become a multi-person board. After all, classical magic is a vast branch that needs many experts," he said. Then, his smile disappeared as he continued. "Now that is out the way, I would like everyone to state their opinions one by one."

    "Light magic is fine the way it is. No need for changes."

    "The telekinesis board is waiting for the imminent rediscovery of gravity magic. No need for changes until then."

    "Mind magic is..."

    The professors stated their opinions one by one, none choosing to change their own branch''s name. When it came to Alec, Professor Howard chose to speak in his stead with a smile.

    "As anti-memetic magic is the only magic type of non-human origin, there is no need to consider changing it. It is highly unrelated to classical magic after all," he said. Once he heard the words, Alec''s brows rose. It was a sudden jerk, like waking up from a dream ending in a fall. he uncrossed his leg and adjusted in his armchair uncomfortably.

    "I''m sorry, I don''t know what you mean by that," he said, stopping Professor Howard from glossing over the topic. Although he did his best to keep his calm demeanor, storms were brewing inside him. His heart started picking up pace. He felt his mind getting groggier as he tried formulating a thought. One that he would regret doing so.

    Whoops. Blue sparks, around his head. Again.

    ''Non-human origin? What the fuck does that mean? What other species can create magic, and why only anti-memetics? No. The anti-memetics comes from memetic magic. Does it... Does it come from de-'' Alec''s thought was cut in half. Ah... Another contingency plan, hidden away. Now activated.

    The atmosphere of the room became turbid, ghastly. All the professors'' heads snapped toward Alec at the exact same moment. Their eyes seemed hollow, not literally, but figuratively. No emotions seemed to habit there. Their blinks were too slow. Occasionally even unsynchronized. Left eye, blinked... Right eye, wide open. Inhuman almost. When Alec asked the question, he must''ve fucked up their mind badly. Hopefully, they would recover on their own.

    Cold fear crawled up Alec''s spine. Was this the first time? No way. It had probably happened many times before. And each one, he extracted himself. But if he failed here, he might cause something bad, very bad to happen. It would make every victory before... Meaningless. Unforeseen consequences, accompanied by Professor''s who were very strictly blocked from knowing.

    He felt a presence next to him. Around him. Inside him. Inside his head. Inside his soul. ''I''m inside you,'' it said, its voice an amalgamation of many¡ªa cacophony of whispers that scraped at the edges of Alec¡¯s mind. At least Alec imagined so.

    A cursory glance in his direction.

    Is there something in your head? Some knowledge, forbidden?

    Wherever it came from, it smelled the knowledge. It ran on all fours, perhaps, a guttural growl to eat Alec''s mind.

    ''I- Imagining... Juust imagining. That thing doesn''t exist. This doesn''t happen. I don''t think Idontthink.

    Cold sweat poured, his back drenched. Alec''s hair rose all around his body in a primitive attempt to make him look more intimidating. Uncontrollable tears wetted his face as his eyes lit crimson with swollen capillaries.

    His heart hammered with fury, but not fast, just violent. It was as if his heart was trying to explode, but failed with every pulse. Still, something written into his very existence stopped him from losing composure.

    Then, Alec smiled. A crazed smile in fact¡ª32, brilliant teeth showed themselves.

    "Nothing to see. Nothing here. No memories," He muttered to no one in particular. A gentle, clean cut into his memories¡ªlike that of a neurosurgeon. And then, serenity.

    In the end, nothing happened.

    "As anti-memetic magic is the only magic type of non-human origin, there is no need to consider changing it. It is highly unrelated to classical magic after all," Professor Howard said with a gentle smile.

    "Yup," Alec answered, mirroring the man''s smile. He wiped his face with the hem of his uniform. ¡®Weird¡­ Am I getting allergies? My eyes are getting teary for some reason.¡¯

    Other than that everything was alright. Though, he did notice a weird lingering relief appear in his heart. Why? Well, there was no need to dwell on what was already resolved...

    Right..?

 Chapter 82 | Patrol Duty

    The rest of the meeting went by in a friendly manner. From what Alec learned, this long of a committee meeting was a rarity. Understandable, considering the number of decisions they had to make

    Unlike the first two parts about the reorganization and renaming, the rest was more about the technical side of magical academia. Still, Alec didn''t hesitate to state his opinions and shift the educational methods slowly. Granted authority by Professor Howard, he did his best to add some scientific lessons to the curriculum instead of magic-focused classes all the time. The good thing was that the committee members weren''t a bunch of impotent jesters for Alec to push around. When Alec made a recommendation, they could twist it in a way that would be more applicable in real life.

    That way, the review committee meeting came to an end. Alec parted ways with the professors after bidding his farewells. Professor Howard hadn''t signaled anything about the neutron for the moment. But Alec could occasionally spot a somber expression on his face. He had already understood the problem¡ªnuclear fission. So he kept his silence. Maybe even Professor Andrew didn''t know yet.

    All that to say, Alec and Professor Howard were the only people shouldering this forbidden piece of knowledge. As for what time would show, they would see.

    ***

    The next day, Alec and Evan were patrolling the academy grounds. This was an everyday, mundane task of the disciplinary committee. Members would have to patrol and inspect the students'' behavior. And those that didn''t act properly ¨C As stated in the disciplinary committee handbook handwritten by Edward Spellson ¨C would be... Gently warned, let''s say. This was enough for most people. Still, occasionally, some would get too heated and don''t comply.

    There was even a time one tried punching Alec in the middle of a fight. Alec hadn''t even had to retaliate, as the guy''s fist had broken on contact with Alec''s cheekbone. Funny, really. That was left from a time when Alec''s physical prowess was unknown. Nowadays, many students either shivered in fear or greeted him respectfully. The disciplinary committee had gained quite the momentum, and the armband carried a lot of weight. Occasionally even more than that of the student council armband. After all, The Student Council was a bureaucratic organization. The Disciplinary Committee on the other hand...

    "My fists are getting itchy," Alec muttered out of nowhere. Wrinkles lined Evan''s forehead as he threw Alec a disgusted glance.

    "You have been getting into this way more than you should," he said, punching Alec on the arm.

    "What can I say? No one is causing any ruckus anymore. We might just lose our jobs at this point," Alec said. "Then still, as long as the dealer is around, we will be around too."

    "Haha..." Evan awkwardly laughed, averting his eyes. "Anyway. Shouldn''t we reduce the patrol shifts'' lengths?"

    "What do you mean? It''s not like we are the ones suffering from it. We have been making the others work overtime for the, what? Last two weeks?" Alec said with a shrug.

    "Yeah..." Evan''s voice trailed off, his face expressionless.

    While walking, Alec felt his heart jump. It was an out of nowhere reaction. There was no sensory input that would cause him to react this way. So why? Still, something inside him screamed. When he turned his head, he noticed Evan to be in a similar situation¡ªif not the same.

    "What''s that?"

    "Drink this," Alec said before downing half a bottle of mental cleansing potion. Whatever was happening, it wasn''t something good.

    Evan took the bottle from his hand and drank the rest. By now, Alec had gotten used to picking and choosing the intensity of the potions, and the amount they would have to drink. He always kept some in his pockets.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Pang. Once more. Alec''s heart jumped as if trying to warn him of something. His mana brain spun in excitement. It also seemed incapable of understanding what was happening, at least until the potion took effect.

    In front of them was a student, lying on the ground and shaking, twitching. His uniform was disheveled and ripped in places. Out came tumorous growths, mounds of flesh full of purple, pulsating veins, irregular, thick hair, and little pieces of bones breaking out of the skin. His skin had become a ghastly green, losing its luster and life. All contents of fat seemed to have receded, leaving him bone dry. Maybe the tumors had taken it away.

    "Holy shit..." Alec muttered in disbelief, his eyes widening in terror. They gave each other a brief look with Evan before stepping forward.

    In the meantime, the student''s back arched. A perfect arch, in fact. His arms thrashed in all the wrong directions, causing popping and cracking sounds to emanate. His bones weren''t broken before, they just did.

    However, before his transformation was done, Alec slid to his side on a knee. Gathering all his strength, he punched down. He intentionally didn''t look at his face. If he did, he might have felt bad about killing him. Just a small trick to dehumanize his enemy.

    As Alec ripped through the student''s skull with a crunching noise and hit the stone block paving below, the demonized student''s head exploded and splashed pus everywhere. Expecting it, Alec had already blocked his nostrils and eyes using his other arm. Unfortunately, he couldn''t avoid getting splashed in other places.

    Coursing the mana in his veins, Alec fought against the pus'' corrosive effects. He had learned this from Edward, who had also learned it from someone else after the whole demonic taint ordeal. It seemed that signature mana ¨C namely, mana that comes from the body ¨C had a strong effect against corruption. The signature mana''s disposition also depended on the personality of the mage and affected how effective it was in fighting against corruption. In what way exactly? That was unknown.

    As Alec''s body sizzled and smoked, his clothes slowly melting, Evan started blasting him with daily-use cleaning and water spells. They couldn''t use most spells in the academy, so they had to fight physically, thus creating the need for the disciplinary committee. Fortunately, Evan had just enough access to clean him of the pus.

    Left completely drenched, his clothes melted in places, Alec sat on his knees. Silent. He looked down for a moment gasping for air, then turned his head to look at the demon''s corpse.

    "What the fuck are we going to do now? Will we be able to show Edward this?" Alec asked. He wasn''t sure if the incense would be strong enough.

    "Maybe if we are the ones to lead him to it, we can weaken the anti-meme more easily. And considering its cyclic nature, it should have started decaying some time ago," Evan said with his arms crossed and his back to a nearby tree.

    "Sure. I will stay here, and you bring him," Alec nodded along. Evan took off in a dash and left. He came back a few minutes later with Edward in tow. They were both running, a deep frown on Edward''s face.

    He stood about a meter away from both the demon and Alec. He first looked at the mangled corpse and then eyed Alec.

    "Strip," he said.

    Alec''s mouth twitched.

    Once both Evan and Edward inspected his body, they found no taint. Alec knew this. He had used his mana to check. From what he knew, his mana flow would have been disrupted by the taint. Still, it was good to get checked out.

    "This is very, very bad," Edward said with his arms crossed. His eyes were glued to the corpse on the ground. His hands relaxed and tightened repeatedly. Alec could see muscles move inside his cheek, probably gritting his teeth.

    "It''s time to take drastic measures," he said. Alec couldn''t figure out if he was simply talking to himself or them.

    "Follow me."

    The trio left the corpse lying on the ground. Alec placed a memetic ping on it just for good measure, even if they weren''t going to need it. They followed Edward through the academy grounds before finally reaching the alchemy shop. They greeted Alyssa and went by, going to the underground rooms. Edward found Professor Emma there and told her about the situation.

    They went back. The corpse was still there. Alec didn''t need to do any memetic shenanigans. Professor Emma utilized some rudimentary fire magic to incinerate the corpse.

    "It was too weak of a student to spread the taint," she said. She eyed Alec and Evan before turning toward Edward. "But the next one might not be like that. If it was someone like you or Mr. Alec here, any student in a hundred-meter radius would immediately burst into demonic flames and transform."

    "Or if it was a professor..." Edward muttered.

    "That would mean an academy-wide incursion. Absolutely every professor would have to get involved," she explained. Neither Alec nor Evan betrayed any emotions, perfectly straight-faced.

    "Then it is the time for the witch hunt."

 Chapter 83 | The Witch Hunt

    Edward and Professor Emma took Alec and Evan through countless corridors under the alchemy shop. Whatever the fuck they had tried to build underground, they had managed to make it look like the inside of an ant nest. Every time Alec waited for it to end, they turned another corner and found another corridor. The corridors seemed completely arbitrary and quite honestly, were pretty dizzying.

    They finally stopped and entered a door. Inside, there was a purple crystal sitting on top of a pedestal with an angular design. While the rectangle reaching up from the ground, about waist-high, was a dark gray; the pedestal plate itself was pristine, marbly white. The crystal was a crude pyramid with jagged corners, looking like the tip of a primitive spear. It was about the size of a shoebox. The width of the pedestal had been obviously tailored to the crystal. Just wide enough.

    Other than that, the room was completely empty. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were of the same stone blocks in a monotone arrangement. What was such a non-descript room made for?

    Nevertheless, they stood around the crystal in a circle. Professor Emma and Edward reached out their hands, touching them. Alec felt the mana in the room boil and start siphoning toward them. It passed through their magical circulation and was injected into the crystal. As more mana piled up inside it, the purple crystal started shining. Its previously dead surface now glistened from the inside.

    Then, a shift. The shackles around Alec''s mind immediately relaxed, and he felt it. It wasn''t by much. Someone unaware wouldn''t notice it, even if they were proficient in anti-memetics or mind magic. Still, the change was there. Alongside it, Alec felt a restriction on his body. Although he could still move freely, he felt that moving in one direction was harder than the other.

    "Will any of you two explain what is going on?" Alec asked with his arms crossed. Generally, he was the one to lead people around without explaining things. Being on the receiving end of that wasn''t pleasant. Professor Emma and Edward turned around simultaneously, eerie.

    "This was a measure left by the headmaster before he disappeared," Professor Emma explained. Her elderly nature seemed to have vanished, being replaced by that of a veteran. Her brows creased, either in worry or in anger, dropping shadows on her eyes. "He had foreseen that something like this might happen. In fact, he had foreseen it so precisely. He guessed that a demonic incursion might start trickling into the academy grounds. He said that it had to be stopped no matter what."

    "What does it do, exactly?" Alec asked. His eyes shifted from Professor Emma to Edward. Although he was just as tense, he didn''t seem to know much. He was listening to the woman with raised brows and curious eyes just like Alec and Evan.

    "It has a few uses. The main one is that it completely shuts down the academy by erecting a barrier around it. Once it is activated, no one can enter, and no one can leave. In fact, the barrier encasing the academy is so strong that even the headmaster himself would not be able to breach it," she said in one breath. Alec noticed a small smile tug on her lips and her face relaxed whenever she talked about the headmaster. "Well. That was told to me by the headmaster himself, so I don''t know if it is an exaggeration."

    "Interesting. What is the nature of this barrier?" Alec asked. He had heard of barriers before and had searched into them a little bit. However, these types of ultimate barriers tended to be specialized designs rather than generalized ones. A simple example of this was a barrier called Protective Ward Barrier. It would simply form an egg-shaped barrier that absorbed classical spells until a certain damage threshold. On the other hand were the temperature arrays covering the academy buildings. These were technically barriers. But didn''t have specific names. A normal temperature barrier would be much smaller than that. Thinking about it, Alec couldn''t fathom the amount of mana they were expending on the maintenance of the academy.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "I''m not sure. However, the headmaster did tell me the barrier was unbreakable by conventional means," she said. She then held her saggy chin to think for a moment. "Though, his ''conventional means'' might be different from today''s. Especially yours, Mr. Alec. With the recent developments, stacked along your discoveries, magic is much better than how it was back then. Still, it is an indubitably strong barrier."

    "I see," Alec said, averting his eyes. No matter how strong the barrier was, it probably wouldn''t hold against a nuclear bomb. Fortunately, the odds of Professor Howard becoming demonized were very low. And if he did, the barrier would be their last problem. Alec shuddered at the thought.

    "The other effect of the crystal is unleashing a mind-affecting miasma. It will make anyone who wants to get near the outer walls not do that," she said. This caused Alec to nod in realization. ''That must have been the reason I felt a restriction moving in a certain direction.''

    "Why would it do that? Isn''t there a barrier already?" Evan chimed in with a question of his own. Professor Emma turned toward him and smiled.

    "Indeed, young man. It''s just to make everyone gather in the middle of the academy grounds," she said. That made sense. If even Alec himself felt the restriction, many students would feel much worse. Moving toward the middle would be the only reasonable choice. "Those are the main uses of the crystal. He called it ''The Witch Hunt'', so we call it that too. It also makes an announcement for everyone to gather. This place is too isolated to hear it, so we probably missed it. But the rest of the academy should be heading there by now."

    With Professor Emma''s explanation over, she gestured for them to leave the room, then followed them outside. While traversing the corridors, Alec contemplated the crystal.

    ''Alongside those uses she mentioned, the crystal seemed to weaken the anti-meme. This makes it certain that the headmaster knew about it. He just didn''t tell anyone, at least not Professor Emma. As for why she was chosen to tend to the crystal... I don''t know,'' he thought while eyeing the elderly woman.

    She was weak. At least when compared to the other professors. If Alec were to face her in a one-on-one using The Author¡¯s Pen, he would probably be able to take her out. Possibly unwounded. Still, he could somewhat understand the headmaster''s decision. ''She seemed incredibly fond of the man whenever she talked about him. Maybe he wanted to use that loyalty of hers? Still, none of this makes sense. What happened to the headmaster? It was as if he knew he would disappear¡ªbut he didn''t try to prevent that. Instead, he went ahead and prepared the academy for his absence.''

    While Alec was deep-diving into his thought process, they walked. Twists and turns, they left the alchemy shop underground. The somewhat scared Alyssa was worriedly looking around, like an alert little rabbit. Once she saw them, she visibly relaxed and skipped to their side, following along. Alec was readying himself for the gathering in the middle of the academy grounds.

    However, once they opened the door and stepped out, they found the academy to be very different from how it normally was.

    ''Orange.''

    All of them thought. All of their brows rose as they angled their heads to look up. The sky was orange. How weird. It was supposed to be slightly past 1 p.m. And not to mention, Alec didn''t remember seeing this, sun-rise, sunset orange painting the sky. Ever. His thoughts wandered toward the journal. But he still couldn''t make sense of it. The un-anti-memed sky was told to be red. Not orange. He wouldn''t make such a blatant mistake, especially when the stakes were this high. Not to mention, the anti-meme hadn''t weakened this much. Leaving himself aside, Alyssa would never be able to perceive it. Even with a shit ton of help.

    "Umm... Why the fu-" Alyssa was about to say with a frown before she stopped. Her gaze briefly wandered toward her grandmother ¨Cwho looked back at her with a terrifying expression¨C as she coughed and corrected herself. "Why is the sky orange?"

    "Oh. Sweetheart. The headmaster had told of this. The inert barrier surrounding the academy is orange. When it activates, it looks like a beautiful sunset," she explained with the tone of a sweet grandparent telling their grandchildren a story. Her sudden shift in demeanor caused Alec to shiver.

    "Thanks, granny," Alyssa said. Right beside her, Alec considered the woman''s words. How true were they? Did the headmaster deceive her? Was the orange sky really related to the barrier, or was it something related to that dead sky the past him had written about?

    There was no way to figure that out for the moment. So Alec chose to follow along...

 Chapter 84 | Light Rains From Above

    The academy had a circular layout, quite like an onion or the inside of a tree trunk. The rim layer was the wall, strictly separating the academy from the outside. Its height was unknown to Alec, after all, he had never gone that far out and had never asked about it. Still, it was visible from most places.

    The next layer was the outer forest. This place was mostly trees, then some trees, and a little bit of pathways sprinkled around. He also hadn''t been to this part of the academy, as there really wasn''t a need to. He would guess the layer to be one kilometer thick if he had to.

    The next layer was also a forest. This time, however, the ''forest'' part was much less. The trees were less crowded, the grasses were maybe ankle-high. Compared to their more wild counterparts in the outer forest ¨C Which could go as tall as the average person''s waist¨C, they were easier to get around. Unlike the outer forest, Alec had been there before. That time he circled around the library to the infirmary, going to the Professor''s special labs and Andrew Walker''s house, or trying to meet up with The Dealer... All of these were done there.

    The next layer was where the students spent most of their time. A plethora of buildings and areas, such as the training grounds or academy buildings, were all located there. While the living spaces such as the dorms, utility buildings like the library or the alchemy building were placed on the outer edge of the layer facing inward, the academy buildings were placed on the inner edge, facing outward.

    This formed the final layer, which was like a small dot compared to the rest of them. It was a clearing approximately as big ¨C if not slightly bigger ¨C as a football stadium with the occasional academy building placed on its edges. Alec had never been to this place before, not to mention, he hadn''t even thought about it. Maybe it had some sort of anti-memetic aversion spell. ''Not unexpected.''

    Whatever the nature of this place or the reason for its anti-memetic nature was, it was being used now. And that was the important part. As Alec and the others passed by some trees and shrubbery, seemingly intentionally placed to make students not go past, they reached this clearing.

    It was an absurd place. If not for the thousands of students filling it, it would have looked liminal. Now, with approximately ten thousand people, the place looked like a fair. Except for the festive atmosphere obviously. Being mages, the students stood either in groups or isolated. Whichever they chose, they kept their personal distance from each other. Most stood wary, with straightened backs, hands ready to grab or cast, and eyes gauging their surroundings. They didn''t know what was happening, and no one liked it.

    After entering the clearing, Alec and the others headed for the middle, penetrating the crowd bubble. They had a professor with them, and the professors would usually gather in the middle whenever a gathering like this happened.

    ''This orange barrier is making me nervous,'' Alec thought. The color wasn''t a table lamp, warm-light orange. Instead, it was like a warning. It seemed to threaten to turn red at any moment. He knew that such colors could invoke anxiety in some people, and wondered how the others were faring.

    Evan and Edward were as usual. Neither relaxed nor worried. Still, they could have just been hiding their feelings. Professor Emma walked a tad bit fast. With how short and old the woman was, she looked ridiculous in her speed. On the other hand, Alyssa seemed to look around with a mix of worry and excitement. Occasionally, her brows rose. Then she smiled at a friend. Sometimes, her steps became skippy, like a little child.

    As they passed the crowd bubble and reached the middle of the circular clearing, they found the place to be much less crowded. If he were to look in bird¡¯s eye view, Alec would see a low-density bubble right in the middle, strictly separated from the outer bubble, much like a cell¡¯s nucleus.

    Passing by some professors they knew, the group stopped in front of Professor Howard, who was side by side with Professor Enoch, Simon, Miriam, and Andrew. They seemed to be talking heatedly, possibly discussing the situation.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "You have finally arrived, Little Emma," Professor Howard said. Alec''s brows rose. His mouth opened slightly before closing shut. His gaze darted between the two a couple of times before he understood. ''He is the older one. Of course. And they must be rather close.''

    "It''s always nice to see you, Howard," she replied with a sweet smile. After the short exchange, Professor Howard nodded to Alec and Edward before frowning.

    "Now. What happened? Why did The Witch Hunt activate?" he asked. ''So he knew of it. It mustn''t be that unknown amongst the professors, I guess.''

    "Someone was demonized," Professor Emma answered. Her words seemed to stir something in their hearts. They looked at each other. Maybe they exchanged some telepathic messages. Meanwhile, Alec caught onto something weird. Professor Enoch gave him a look. And it wasn''t a good one. It seemed to stir something inside him. His heart jumped. A bundle of nerves communicated his worry down to the mana brain, which then answered simply.

    ''I should send over Evan.''

    Without betraying a single emotion, or looking at his direction, Alec passed a message toward Evan. Evan was the same. No one would be able to understand they had exchanged a message. Inconspicuously, Evan looked around. His eyes stopped on a few friends, and he went back into the crowded segment of the clearing. Just like that, he was gone. And none of the professors had paid attention.

    "Demonized? In the academy grounds?" Professor Howard asked, just to make sure. Once Emma nodded, he grabbed his chin. Deep in thought, he contemplated something for a minute before releasing his hands. He communicated something to the other professors, presumably with telepathy. Then he joined his hands behind him. His finger moved, making a small gesture. With that, the ground under him transformed. It rose. He was elevated¡ªif Alec had to guess, approximately five meters into the air by an earthen pillar. With an amplification spell, his voice boomed across the clearing.

    "To All the students of the Lation Magical Academy. I would like everyone to stand orderly, form lines of one, and wait. No talking, no chatting," he said. Alec prayed for Evan to have left the clearing by now. ''Considering the amount of time that has passed he should have been able to if he acted fast. Hopefully, the mind miasma didn''t hinder him too much.''

    With Professor Howard''s words, all the noise in the clearing immediately disappeared. Then, the shuffle of clothes, steps on the grass... A minute. That was all it took for the students to get in formation. They looked like beams leaving a light source, spreading in every direction.

    Then, eight professors in total, walked up to Professor Emma. They spread into an octagon and stood still, leaving Professor Emma right in the middle. They occasionally eyed Professor Howard. Once he nodded in confirmation, they closed their eyes and raised their hands.

    Alec felt it. The mana in the atmosphere shook. Then it swirled. A gentle breeze, it started flowing towards the middle. This felt somewhat similar to the mana brain ritual, but also completely different at the same time. The mana flow was constantly ramping up. The professors, like fans, started blowing mana in Emma''s direction. As mana came, she directed it into a spell that she seemed to be readying. And whatever spell it was, it was a complicated one. Alec could see blue lights pouring out of her sleeves. There were mana brains in there, at least two. With her level, providing that much mana was a hard feat. She would struggle whenever she activated two, and starve on three. Unless of course, she was being funneled with mana by the others.

    Suddenly, a magic circle appeared mid-air. It wasn''t very complicated, nowhere near the mana brain. But it was bigger. Much bigger, in fact. It blotted out the orange sky and caused the clearing to light up blue as if they were being tractor-beamed up by a huge alien spaceship.

    The magic circle, as wide as the clearing itself, increased in radiance with each passing moment. Alec raised his hand and placed it in front of his eyes, opening his fingers so the vision would trickle through. However, that stopped being enough a short moment later. The magic circle finally spun and activated. It showered them with a rain of light drops. Alec felt the warmth falling onto his skin and relieving him.

    Though, that didn''t seem to be the case for the others. Shouts filled with agony and terror started rising from the crowd. Alec couldn''t see how many there were, or who the screaming people were. But he knew that there were enough people for the screams to sound like a chorus. To be noted, some of those screams were close to him. There were professors screaming too.

    Once the spell''s effects died down, Alec blinked his eyes rapidly to adjust himself. About half the student body and a quarter of the professors were lying on the ground, unconscious.

    ''What the fuck?''

 Chapter 85 | Taint and to Understand

    As the lights from the spell died down, Alec''s eyes adjusted to his surroundings. Many were in the same situation as him, with their arms or hands blocking their faces and their pupils changing sizes in an attempt to adjust.

    Next to him, he found some of the professors to be lying on the ground, and Professor Miriam was among these people. Alec could see some sort of black-purple smoke coming off from her. He turned his head to the other side and noticed about half of the student body to be lying on the ground.

    What he found more noteworthy was, however, the uncaring attitude of those who hadn''t fainted. They were straight-faced, standing with their back straight and their eyes looking directly ahead. Occasionally, one or two would look at the fainted ones briefly before looking ahead again.

    ''This... It must be what the journal me talked about. The students seem to become more calm and collected during moments of crisis. It might also be related to the anti-meme being weaker. Maybe it suppresses some parts of their personality when active, Alec calculated while his gaze wandered about the crowd.

    While he was busy thinking what the spell had done, Professor Emma left the octagon and approached their side.

    "This many tainted people... It''s too much," She muttered with a frown. Alec quickly picked up on it. They were the tainted. Professor Howard nodded and caressed his beard thoughtfully.

    "Indeed. There is no way some potion dealer could affect this many people. Not to mention, even the professors were affected," he said. It made sense. No matter who the kingpin was, there was no way someone could deal that much under the authorities'' noses.

    "Then what? There are invisible demons in the academy?" Professor Emma asked sarcastically. Alec barely held himself back from flinching. It was a pretty close guess. Especially for a joke.

    "Demons that use anti-memetic magic are pretty rare. Not to mention, our anti-memetic specialist professors would have noticed by now," Hunter Howard answered with his hands joined behind him. He didn''t register the woman''s words as a joke.

    ''That''s interesting. Don''t the demons copy whatever spell they specialized in while they were a human? Anti-memetic is a pretty rare branch, so that should be the reason,'' Alec thought to himself. A moment later, Professor Howard started announcing again.

    "I would like every conscious student to distance themselves from the unconscious ones immediately. I will ask you to let go of your personal spaces for a moment and form a circle around the central clearing," he said. The students obeyed and huddled closer to each other while distancing themselves from the unconscious ones. Quickly, a couple of professors spread and started piling the unconscious students side by side. It took them about ten minutes to gather.

    Hunter Howard erected a bunch of earthen cabins from the ground and asked the professors with experience in healing to purify the tainted. Still, they kept silent about the taint itself and made sure the students didn''t start talking to each other. This was the best they could do to stop them from causing discord and raising concerns.

    Alec understood this decision. Overflow of unstable emotions could cause demonic incursions. The main reason behind the professors trying to hide the whole potion ordeal was this. If the potions actually caused demonic taint, telling the students about it would only cause them to get even more nervous.

    As the Professors started treating the tainted one by one, The rest gathered into a circle. About fifty people. The only students in the fray were Alec and Edward. Professor Howard erected seats for everyone with a flick of his hand. Once the people had settled, a few sound-isolation barriers appeared around them at the same time.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    "This is an unprecedented crisis. One that has to be resolved as soon as possible," Professor Howard started by saying. He sat straight and looked at everyone''s faces one by one before continuing. "I''m sure all of you have heard about the ''potion dealer''. Although there are indeed demonic substances inside the potions, we have noticed them to be perfectly bound. From the tests we made, they had no demonizing effect."

    His words attracted many gasps from the audience. Whispers rose and mixed into each other. Alec coughed, feeling tight in his throat for some reason. ''Interesting. This was hidden from us too. Did Edward know it?'' Alec thought. He briefly looked at Edward, who seemed unimpressed. ''He knew it.''

    "Why was this hidden from us?" Professor Enoch asked, causing the commotion to die down. His arms were crossed, giving off an aggressive vibe. Still, Alec attributed that to his general demeanor rather than a particular emotion.

    "The main reason was that we had no clue for the reason behind the taint spread. We didn''t want to cause more discord amongst professors. Now, however, this has scaled beyond what we can hide," Professor Howard responded calmly. He didn''t get agitated by Enoch''s aggressive attitude. "We have to figure out what this is being caused by."

    Alec frowned. Things were getting complicated. First, the professors had thought that the potions were the main reason behind the spreading taint. Alec himself was pretty sure that it was caused by the demonic incursion at the end of the previous semester. But was that really the case?

    ''I would get it if only the students were being affected. After all, we were much more limited in combat capabilities at the time. Many had to engage in close combat. But the professors? They knew. They had kept their distances according to what it said in the journal. There was no way for a quarter of them to get tainted, especially considering how they could have fought against the taint¡¯s corruption and expelled it in real time. Which leaves only one choice,'' Alec thought. He supported his head with his hand, his eyes looking at the ground. ''It is caused by something anti-memed. It has to have settled slowly, with time. In a way that stops the professors from noticing. It has to have been going on for some time. Since when?''

    "Mr. Alec," Alec was woken up from his daze by Professor Howard calling his name. He quickly straightened his posture and raised his eyes. Many professors directly turned toward his direction, while some had to follow the other''s gaze to find who he was. "Can you please tell us about your investigation into the dealer?"

    "Oh... Yes," Alec said before taking a deep breath. "We have been looking into the dealer for about... 10 days. I noticed some kind of taint on Edward Spellson''s arm during training and forced him to go get it checked out. It was really nasty, and I didn''t want something bad to happen to him. Then we talked to Professor Emma and learned about the demonic potions."

    At his mention of the woman, some people gave her a brief look before tuning back in.

    "From there on, our research began. I did most of the investigations with disciplinary committee member Evan Coates. We went around interrogating students who bought potions. Unfortunately, the dealer was careful. They used face and voice-changing spells and acted really careful," Alec said. Some professors nodded, some frowned. "Finally, understanding that we weren''t getting anywhere, we moved with Edward''s orders. We managed to secure a trade with the dealer and went to the meeting place, somewhere in the inner forest. Unfortunately..."

    Alec took a breath, noticing that he was left breathless after speaking in one go. He was getting unreasonably nervous. That was weird. He wasn''t one to get nervous because of public speaking. Especially if he had nothing to worry about. Why would that happen?

    "We couldn''t catch the dealer. One moment, we were standing. The next moment, the credit in my student card was gone¡ªreplaced by a potion. It was eerie," he said. Then he stopped. There was nothing else to say. They hadn''t had the time to investigate any further. Ten days was too short, especially considering how secretive they had to be with it.

    "There is no way of denying, it was an anti-memetic feat," Professor Enoch said. Many seemed to agree, nodding their heads. Alec wanted to state that he would probably notice if it was anti-memetic, but held himself back from doing so.

    "That makes sense. But I find something really interesting," Professor Howard said. His gaze locked onto Alec. Again, Alec felt that stinging worry in his heart, warning him of something. "But then, why did the dealer suddenly change from using face and voice changing to anti-memetic magic? Especially right when Mr. Alec and student Evan decided to confront them?"

    ''Oh...''

 Chapter 86 | This Book Doesnt Exist

    ''Oh...''

    Alec froze. He threw a quick glance without turning his head in Edward''s direction, hoping for help. Unfortunate. He had his arms crossed, curiously eyeing Alec. No help from him. Alec fought an internal battle. A quick fight, a quick win. He didn''t frown. Didn''t flinch. His heartbeat threatened to quicken, but he held it back. He kind of cheated though. The mana brain rotated furiously, fighting against the emotions being rained down upon it.

    Maybe a second had passed since Professor Howard''s question. He had to answer, and he had to be quick. He had to un-incriminate himself somehow. If not, he had to divert the suspicion. Who else could be suspicious? Other than himself and Evan, of course.

    "There weren''t many people who knew of our plan," Alec chose his words carefully. He made sure not to sound agitated as if he hadn''t understood he was being implicated at all. As if there was no way for him to be the culprit. He cursed his luck inside his head. ''I can''t believe that I''m trying to weasel my way out of a crime I didn''t commit.''

    "We would appreciate it if you stated who those people were," Professor Enoch said. Alec turned his head, waiting to see a victorious, shit-eating grin on the man''s face. He had been pretty antagonistic in the review committee meeting, after all. However, that wasn''t the case. Instead, the man was distraught, his face a deep frown. Maybe he had wanted to fight Alec fair and square¡ªto take a hard-won revenge. Not the way whatever this was.

    "The other two who knew of it were Evan Coates and Edward Spellson. Other than that, there should be two more people," Alec said, trying to remember Evan''s explanation with his hand scratching his cheek. Edward, who was sitting next to him, was surprised. His brows rose. He didn''t know. They hadn''t told him after all.

    "Should be?" Professor Howard asked to confirm. Alec''s voice was indecisive.

    "Yes. I myself haven''t interacted with them before. You see, to avoid alerting him, Evan reached out to two other students to set up the meeting with The Dealer," Alec said. His eyes were looking slightly up, as if he was trying to watch his memories on the air. "Then we disguised as them and went to meet The Dealer. You know how that ended so..."

    "Huh... So you are saying that these two might be our culprits? These two students, whom Evan picked randomly?" Professor Howard pressured. Wasn''t he supposed to be taking Alec''s side? At least that was the situation during the review committee meeting. ''It must be that when it comes to demons and heresy, there are no favors and friendships,'' Alec thought.

    "Not really. It might also be that they have leaked it somewhere and The Dealer got a hold of it," Alec said. He sighed and continued. "There is no real way to stop them from doing so. It''s not like we could have exposed the nature of our operation to warn them."

    "Mm," Professor Howard nodded. Straight-faced, he looked around and checked the other professors'' expressions. Some seemed to find Alec''s explanation reasonable. Still, none were too satisfied with it. They kept whispering and shaking their heads. Alec felt as if he was being sucked into a black hole. Once near the event horizon, because of the bending of space-time, wherever you walked was the same direction. To the middle, into the meat grinder.

    "I think it would be best for us to call Mr. Evan and talk to him. We would like to learn the names of these people, and consider running a deeper investigation into their contacts," Professor Howard said. Alec gulped. He wiped his clammy hands on his uniform and exhaled a sigh. ''Crisis averted. For now,'' he thought. Then, however, he remembered¡ª''I sent Evan off! Oh my fucking god, please act fast!''

    Fortunately for Alec, Evan wasn''t the type to dilly-dally. Just as Professor Howard was about to open his mouth to call for him, a buzz. The air seemed to become stale, and a deafening buzzing noise assaulted everyone''s ears. Ethereal threads seemed to become visible, hanging in the air. They came from wherever and went to fuck all. To say, Alec could see neither their ends nor their start. However, if he had to guess, he would have guessed them to be hanging down from the barrier over their heads.

    Then, those ethereal threads started vibrating in different frequencies, eventually conglomerating into a voice.

    "Umm... Can anyone hear me? Wait no. Uhhh..." Evan''s voice, albeit with a lot of parasites resounded. The people''s reaction was varied. Some brows rose, some frowned. Still, Alec felt relieved. "Ehem... Anyway. Today. I am going to be sharing a story¡ªno. The continuation of a story many of you already know."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Alec''s head rose. His eyes unnaturally rolled into his head. So much so that his pupils almost disappeared. Then, they settled down. ''That was too big of a memory package to suddenly receive.''

    Still, Alec sunk into his chair. He finally remembered why he had sent Evan away. ''These contingency plans sure come in handy.''

    "This is the first volume of... Uhh..." Evan hesitated for a moment. It was easy to hear the confusion in his voice, so much so that Alec could imagine him reading the paper with a horrified expression. "This is the first volume of ''Academy''s Genius Anti-Anti-Memer''," he read in one breath. Then, a moment of silence. "Holy shit that''s such a bad name," he whispered, thinking that his voice wouldn''t register. That was a mistake. Chuckles and gasps rose from the crowd. Negative emotions didn''t seem to have much of an effect on them, but positive ones sure did. Alec could even catch some professors coughing, plucking their lips in an attempt to not laugh.

    "Anyways. I will read the thirteenth installment, which is titled, ''This Book Doesn''t Exist," he read. With that, the audience was starting to calm down. They were curious about what would happen, even in this abhorrent situation. So much so that it would be weird if Alec hadn''t set them up with memetically enhanced volumes distributed around the academy. Memes were infectious. They jumped from one person to another. Once someone knew about it, they were a host, waiting to infect someone else with the information.

    Before Evan started the next sentence, a short telepathic whisper was exchanged between Professor Howard, Enoch, and Andrew. Then, Enoch and Andrew got up from their seats before blasting off in a seemingly random direction. However, Alec knew their goal. They were going to detain Evan and bring him back here. Hopefully, they would let him go far enough into the story to help Alec''s plan.

    "The Noital Magic Academy was calm as always. However, Alex himself knew that wasn''t the case. After all, that horrifying thing was prowling around," Evan read. Now things were getting interesting. The blatant way Alec had written the story was easy to see. Many noticed it and frowned. What was Evan trying to achieve?

    Nevertheless, a sudden, second buzz came from the magical comms. This time, the ethereal threads changed in color, ever so slightly. They were easier to notice now.

    ''The second beat,'' Alec thought. He was happy that the spell was enough to affect the entire comms. He would have rubbed his hands together like a sinister fly, ready to annoy the shit out of someone trying to sleep¡ªIf he wasn''t being implicated with treason and heresy, of course.

    "I still remember how that thing ate away Memetic Magic..." Evan''s voice resounded, penetrating deep into the entire academy''s mind. Immediately, Alec felt a surge of mana. He looked around. Everyone, the professors, and the students, had blue sparks blasting off of their heads in every direction. A grating noise reached his ears. Like the rumblings of a gargantuan, steampunk mecha. Countless clockworks folded into each other, gears rattling, geyser-like copper pipes stretching and screaming under the pressure of scalding hot water vapor...

    "And how it would eat our memories if we knew too much. And how it would stop the professors from helping us. And how it would stop us from remembering the outside world. Say, what had happened there?"

    By that time, Evan''s voice, too, was starting to trail off. These questions were too dangerous. The anti-meme was messing with his head. It was messing with everyone''s heads. Still, this was too much. Not the entire school, it couldn''t.

    Then, the shackles broke. Once again, crimson red. Students looked ahead blankly for a moment, then came to themselves. Professors shook. They fought. Mana''s boiled inside their bodies. Countless measures against mental interferences activated. Some fainted, but some stood. Among those who stood was Professor Howard. His eyes widened in surprise at first, then narrowed into a decisive frown. He stood up and raised his hand. Suddenly, a wave of mana, an amount that would surpass Alec''s entire pool by orders of magnitude poured effortlessly. It traveled and applied gentle pressure on the students'' heads.

    "No one!" He shouted. This time, his voice was more grating, guttural even. "No one looks up! No matter what happens! Keep your heads down!"

    Alec was slightly confused. ''So he knows of the crimson sky, the dead sky?'' However, he was more confused by the students'' responses.

    "Sir, yes sir!" They shouted, perfectly synced. Thousands of students, a rumbling chant. "The sky bleeds! And we stand steadfast! The land rots, and we burn! Heavenly flames rain down to cleanse the taint!"

    Alec''s heart quickened at the chant. It was filled with vigor. He felt the amount of conviction in that chant. Edward shouted, his roommates shouted... He saw Iris shout too. If Evan was there, he would have done so too. Alec was the only stranger to it. Still, he joined in and repeated their chant. At least he acted as if he did, moving his mouth.

    "Fellow Mages! This taint can not be explained by anything else than a break in the Purification Array," Professor Howard bellowed. This was a completely new side of his. His calm demi-god and perverted old man persona duality was gone. The gritty commander had joined the fray. "This moment of clarity shan''t last more than a few minutes! Please repair the array."

    Alec sighed. This was the main reason behind him sending Evan over and using this plan. Whatever was causing the taint, they weren''t finding out any time soon. Unless the anti-meme broke. He couldn¡¯t sit and wait for the entire school to become demonized while they walked in circles around the problem because of the anti-meme.

    ''What was it? The... Purification Array? Maybe the outside atmosphere causes demonic taint? Holy shit... Doesn''t that mean¡ª'' Alec''s thoughts were cut in half by Professor Howard''s next words.

    "In the meantime, we have to execute the heretic!"

 Chapter 87 | Judgement Cast Upon Ye

    "Then we have to execute the heretic in the meantime! We can''t allow them in our ranks!" Professor Howard said, making sure that everyone heard him. Everyone. Including all the students in the clearing. Then, he turned toward Alec and made him forcefully stand up with magic. "Alec Greenwood. You are being accused of heresy and treason against humankind! These are crimes enough for you to be turned into a Manathrall and serve in suspended animation, sapped of your mind and will for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, we don''t have the time for that. So! Prove your innocence right now, or face execution by mana."

    Alec took deep, wheezy breaths. He felt his chest burning, his brain scrambling in an attempt to figure out a way. He couldn''t move. No matter how hard he tried, the restriction placed by the professor was too strong. For the first time since crossing over, Alec was completely powerless.

    ''This can''t be happening! So this is what it means to be helpless,'' Alec thought to himself. This wasn''t a new emotion, but one that he had deeply buried within. He remembered being a new author. Completely under the mercy of others. The reason he had given up on his dreams was that. He would rather write the same story with little variations time after time than bear with powerlessness.

    "I... I..." he muttered. He didn''t know how to respond. Even exposing The Author''s Pen wouldn''t save him now. In fact, it would make things worse. Barely holding himself from breaking down, Alec looked around. He saw Edward and the terrifyingly angry expression on his face. Professor Emma, shaking her head disapprovingly. Alyssa averted her eyes. No one was going to help him.

    ''Fuck that! Fuck! I struggled so much for this academy! I did so much, and I am going to be executed for no reason!? I am the reason you are still alive!'' Alec shouted in his head. Professor Howard was applying a weird pressure on his throat, cutting off oxygen flow into his brain. He was having a harder and harder time thinking.

    However, at that moment, someone left the crowd and came forward. It was Iris.

    "Sir Howard!" She said. She went down on her left knee, her right knee extended forward and her right arm rested on top of it. She bowed her head and waited.

    "Speak. But be wary. We know of your dealings with Alec Greenwood. One wrong word and you will be stamped a heretic too, Princess Iris. I wouldn''t want to see what my brother would feel if he were to be presented with his daughter''s head!" he said firmly. Alec couldn''t think about the implications behind his words. Instead, he was busy wavering in and out of consciousness.

    "Mr. Alec is a great prospect to the humankind. I think he deserves a bit of leeway, at least until he is proven guilty!" She shouted. Still, her voice was filled with reverence, not rebelliousness.

    "Enough. That is precisely the issue at hand. There is no way for him to be this successful, especially given his affliction as a cripple!" he shouted. For the first time, someone had touched on the topic. Even amidst his struggle, Alec managed to pick up on the words. He circulated his entire mana pool with renewed vigor and pushed back. Just enough to relax his throat and pull himself together. "The only plausible explanation lies in the potions! He must have discovered some means to strengthen himself through their use. And then he decided to sell it to the other students!"

    ''Why now? Why were they not questioning my capabilities up until now?'' Alec thought. As the situation stabilized, he found himself in the right headspace to think. Finally, something clicked. ''The anti-meme. It was protecting me? It was making them not question my skills. But why?''

    "But what if we execute him mistakenly? What if the real culprit is someone else?" She said, her voice becoming more and more desperate. In fact, from where he stood, Alec could see little droplets splattering the ground. He couldn''t see her face, but she was crying. "Can we afford losing someone as important as him, especially when our kind is nigh gone? Do we have the luxury?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ''Oh.''

    Finally, Professor Howard showed signs of budging. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally decided to think further. A short moment later, he continued.

    "If Alec Greenwood is not the culprit, we will execute everyone related¡ªEvan Coates, and those two students he talked to! If it comes down to it, we will execute Edward Spellson too!" He answered. "What we can''t afford is to have heretics in our ranks!"

    "My neck is hair-thin for mankind, praise be upon Uriel of the Flame!" Edward chanted. He quickly went on his knee and reached out his neck, as if he wanted to be executed.

    "That''s¡ª!" Iris was about to continue, but she couldn''t find the words to do so. Her head slightly lifted. Alec could see her biting her lips. So hard that blood started trickling down her chin.

    "Now, do you have a way to prove yourself innocent, Alec Greenwood?" Hunter Howard said, his voice as sharp as a blade. Alec gulped. Time was running out. Professor Howard had said that the anti-meme would recover shortly. Before that, he would be executed.

    This wasn''t his forte. He wasn''t a quick thinker. He had to have a plan beforehand. Or he would panic. He was good at guessing how things might go and creating contingency plans for that. But that was all. Now, he was completely blindsided. Think, think...

    "Fuck..." Alec muttered, his eyes bloodshot from anger and desperation. Iris raised her head with a terrified expression. Edward''s head snapped toward him. Professor Emma''s brows rose, and Howard Hunter frowned. "Fuck you! What the fuck are you trying to do instead of resolving the problem at hand!? What are you going to do once the anti-meme takes over again? Stand around like muppets until the next cycle comes? Why don''t you divert your energy elsewhere instead of accusing a completely innocent person!?"

    Instantly, everyone went quiet. Gasps, confused expressions, raised brows...

    Most surprisingly, Professor Howard was taken aback. He took a step back. Trying to process Alec''s words. Then, an expression of realization.

    "You are..." he muttered. However, before he could continue, another shout resounded.

    "Stop!"

    Andrew Walker and Professor Enoch came with Evan in tow, holding him by his hands, which were bound behind him with magical manacles. They had finally detained and brought him over.

    "Stop this! I can prove his innocence!" Evan said with ragged breaths and disheveled clothes. Alec could even spot some purple spots on his neck and face. They hadn''t been gentle with him.

    Suddenly, the blue sparks around Professor Howard''s head intensified for a moment. Then, they calmed down again.

    "Speak and be quick then, student," Professor Howard said. The two professors let him go. Losing his balance, he fell forward and face-planted on the dirt. He then got up with hardship and spat out blades of grass.

    "I finally understand now! Those two students, their names were Miller Grant and Ryan Anderson!" he said. The two professors had probably told him of the situation. At his mention of the names, Professor Howard turned toward the crowd and raised his hand. Two students came flying over. Both were average height. One had navy-blue hair with pitch-black eyes while the other was a brown-haired brown-eyed dude. They settled gracefully on the ground, in the same posture as Iris and Edward.

    "Now continue and prove yourselves innocent, Evan Coates. If not, I will be gravely disappointed in you. Considering that you are the child of the two most famous demon hunters of mankind," Professor Howard gave him the signal to continue.

    "Then I am going to be quick, Sir Howard. I would like to point out two inconsistencies with Alec Greenwood''s incrimination," he started. Finally, his breaths stabilized. He straightened and continued. "Firstly, it doesn''t make sense for Alec Greenwood to be able to run such a potion operation in the first place. Considering his status as a cripple, how would he be able to make contact with demons inside the academy and go unnoticed for such a long time? It doesn''t make sense."

    "Continue," Professor Howard said with his arms crossed. Unimpressed. Evan nodded.

    "Secondly, concocting such potions needs to be done inside the academy. It can''t come from the outside. Where would Alec Greenwood do that? He doesn''t have the means or the place to do so. The rudimentary tools inside the student alchemy labs wouldn''t be enough for such complicated potions," Evan said. Now Professor Howard seemed moved. He nodded and thought for a second.

    "Then who do you suggest it is?" he asked with his arms crossed.

    "Considering those two reasons, there is no way a student could have done this! It has to be a professor!" he said. Then, he looked at the two students, Ryan and Miller. "I thought about it a lot. Only now did I understand. From what I see, we have to look at their common acquaintances to find the culprit."

    A brief moment of silence... Professor Howard first eyed the two students and then turned toward Professor Enoch. His eyes locked onto the man, he asked the two students.

    "Miller and Ryan. Which professor were you the assistants of again?"

 Chapter 88 | He Stares Back

    "Miller and Ryan, which professor were you the assistants of again?" Professor Howard asked with a rising voice. This wasn''t a question. It was an accusation. The focuses shifted from one side of the clearing to the other. Those who knew looked at Professor Enoch. He took a step back in bafflement. His brows rose and the corners of his mouth fell.

    "We work for Professor Enoch, Sir Howard," they immediately sold him out. It wasn''t like they were oblivious. They had understood what was going on. In fact, Alec spotted their shoulders to shake briefly. They feared that they would be implicated alongside the man. They wanted to weather the storm.

    ''Holy shit! Good job, Evan!'' Alec praised mentally. He could feel a cold wave of relaxation spread across his chest. Even if he wasn''t out of the woods yet, he had a brief reprieve. If he could, he would''ve dashed and taken the guy into a deep hug. Still, his face didn''t betray an emotion. Live first, celebrate later.

    "Professor Enoch," Hunter Howard said. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes for a moment before disappearing. Professor Enoch, on the other hand, quickly gathered his bearings. Alec felt a sudden pang of guilt, but the relief pushed it back down. After all, if Professor Enoch wasn''t guilty, there probably wouldn''t be enough time for them to execute someone else. And if he really was guilty, he would be executed and everything would be fine.

    "Speak," Professor Howard ordered. He raised his hand and pointed it toward the man. A horrifying amount of mana torrented forward. The mana was so thick that it seemed to liquefy. Alec felt lucky to be not on the receiving end of that mana. Once it wrapped around the man, Professor Enoch was restrained. His hands joined behind him, his legs bent backward from his knees and his back arched as he started floating mid-air. The man either didn''t try or couldn''t struggle.

    "This is utter nonsense, Sir Howard!" he said with a raspy voice. He probably had a lot of pressure on his throat, like Alec from before. It was horrifying. Just how strong was Professor Howard to be able to play with him like a child? And he wasn''t even over a hundred level. What were those legends like then?

    "That isn''t a convincing argument, Mr. Enoch!" Professor Howard bellowed. Enoch''s face crumpled in terror. He tried to shrink, to become smaller. But still couldn''t move.

    "Isn''t it obvious!? This heretic is trying to frame me! He must have approached my students on purpose!" he struggled. Alec understood. But he still prayed for his downfall. "Believe me, Sir Howard! I am not the one to dabble in heresy. I have lived a life of righteousness. You know me better than everyone here!"

    "I can''t trust you based on that," Professor Howard said. He thought for a second, then snapped his finger. The ground under him liquefied and then settled down to a semi-fluid state. He darted, riding the earth. The earth carried him away with a mind-blowing speed. A disorienting boom resounded. It was a sonic boom. He was faster than sound. But by how much, Alec couldn''t understand. Just like that, he disappeared.

    In that short moment he left, the mana restraining both Alec and Enoch dissipated. While everyone was busy watching Professor Howard disappear, Alec felt something. It was as if a coiling snake was making its way up his leg. He unleashed a wave of mana in fury and stepped back. Once he turned, his eyes settled on Professor Enoch, who was pointing his hand toward Alec with a frown of desperation.

    Alec shook. He couldn''t retaliate. He was confident in holding his own, but that wasn''t the problem. He didn''t want to attract attention to his abilities, not in the current situation. Fortunately, Alec wasn''t alone in it. He had curried favors with many people throughout his stay in the academy. A terrifying pressure spread and settled on Professor Enoch. A five-meter-wide purple magic circle appeared above his head. Before he could react, he was instantly slammed against the ground, his bones creaking.

    "Professor Andrew..." Alec muttered. Looking at the telekinetic mage. Andrew Walker''s hand a claw pointing downward, purple light shimmered in his eyes. He looked down at the miserable Enoch with lines creasing his forehead, disgusted.

    "You don''t have the right to act before he comes back," he said. Walking up to his side, he bent down on one knee and pressed his hand on the man''s back. Immediately, Professor Enoch''s mana-flow was cut.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ''He was that stronger than him?'' Alec thought. He nodded toward Professor Andrew thankfully.

    The next few minutes of excruciating silence passed. Finally, Professor Howard came back, bringing with him a gale. The speed he cut through the air caused a whizzing noise to spread as if a fighter jet had stopped right in front of them.

    ''Holy shit,'' Alec thought when he saw the man.

    His face had the deepest frown Alec had seen. His eyes blazed as little sparks of blue and red flames started forming around him. The temperature rose in the clearing by a few degrees. Alec could see those road shimmers one would see on a hot day in the distance. More so, he felt the air dry up in real-time. Hunter Howard was angry, and an angry demi-god was not something you wanted to be next to.

    "Enoch! What are these!?" he shouted. He placed a gunny sack on the ground and ripped it open. Tens of vials came out from the sack and scattered in front of him. One rolled and stopped next to Andrew Walker. He bent down and picked the vial up before smelling it.

    "It''s one of the demonic potions," he said calmly, a disgusted frown on his face. He poured the potion on the ground and threw away the vial.

    "If you are innocent as you have said, why were there demonic potions inside both your special labs and your living quarters?" Professor Howard said. His nostrils flared in anger.

    "I- Those aren''t mine! They must have planted it there!"

    "Lying till the end, heretic? I didn''t want things to come down to this," Professor Howard said. "How can someone go into your living quarters without your knowledge? Especially these two students," he continued while pointing toward Alec and Evan, who were standing side by side now.

    "They- They must have..." Enoch muttered. His face was an ugly mess at this point. The man was barely holding back his tears. For some reason, Alec felt bad. He averted his eyes. He couldn''t look at the man''s face. He knew heresy was an unforgivable crime, but still...

    Finally, Professor Enoch gave up. The light in his eyes died, and tears started flowing. He stopped talking or making any sounds for that.

    "I hereby declare Enoch Wright to be a heretic, and banish him from humankind!" Professor Howard shouted while turning toward the students. Students slowly started opening their mouths, one by one.

    "Judge the heretic!"

    "Heavenly punishment!"

    Shouts started rising. When Alec turned toward Evan, he saw his chest to be rising and falling a bit faster than how it normally was. His mouth twitched. He scratched his cheek.

    ''Maybe he feels bad too. He was the one to figure it all out, after all,'' Alec thought before turning back toward Hunter Howard. With a flick of his hand, a structure rose from the ground. It was a guillotine, albeit without a blade. It settled into place with a rustle, causing Enoch to wince.

    "Deal out the holy judgment!"

    "Demons perish, mankind lives!"

    The crowd was becoming rowdier. Professor Andrew used telekinetic magic to lock the man into the guillotine, his head and his hands hanging out. Alec''s hands were getting clammy. He rubbed it onto his white pants.

    "Mankind''s flames burn!"

    "Uriel judges your heresy!"

    The atmosphere seemed to become stale for a moment. Professor Howard raised his hand and a transparent, blue blade made of pure mana appeared on the guillotine, ready to fall down at a moment''s notice.

    Alec took a deep breath. His heart skipped a beat.

    The crowd''s shouts died down.

    Enoch Wright raised his head one last time, to see the crowd looking at him with blazing fury. Tears and snot covered his face, however, he didn''t sob. He didn''t shout. He didn''t make a sound.

    Finally, the blade fell.

    A clean cut separated the man''s head from his neck. His eyes widened. The crowd started cheering with fervor.

    His head rolled. As if it had a mind of its own, it kept rolling until it hit Alec''s shoe.

    Alec looked down with widened eyes at the severed head. Two thin lines of blood spurted out of his carotid arteries. They splattered against and soiled Alec''s pants red.

    The man''s widened eyes, full of swollen, red capillaries stared back at Alec. Unblinking.

    He suddenly felt sick, incredibly sick at that. Bile rose from his stomach before he forcefully swallowed it.

    A wave of memories came crashing down against his consciousness.

    He remembered their deal with Evan, he would make the potions, and Evan would sell them.

    Then he remembered how he had panicked and deleted his own memories, also sealing his mind with anti-memetic magic against these potions.

    Alec''s breaths became short and rapid. His fists tightened and relaxed repeatedly as he slowly turned his head toward Evan. He wasn''t in a better situation.

    "We did this? You framed him?" Alec asked with telepathic communication. Evan absent-mindedly nodded, his eyes still locked onto the head.

    "Yes."

    "The potions, how did you¡ª"

    "I asked Rebecca Bailey. The anti-memed did come in handy. Just like you said," Evan replied. His head slowly turned. When Alec looked into Evan''s eyes, he felt like he saw something different. Something died in there.

    Then maybe, they would have to kill that thing anyway, to survive in this world.

    "We live on, and that is all that matters..."

 Chapter 89 | And The Listing Begins

    ''Why? Why did the memories come back now? Why would the mana brain make such a decision?'' Alec''s mind churned. He swallowed and swallowed as if he was trying to wash away the smell of blood. But it didn''t work. His brows rose. He had understood. ''This is my way of paying respect. He died for us, and nobody knows. At least I can remember and feel the guilt.''

    As the cheers from the crowd died, Alec bent down and closed the head''s eyes. He took a look at his pants. It needed to be washed. Then he turned his attention toward Professor Howard.

    "Praise be upon Uriel of the Flame! The heretic has been delivered justice," he said, silencing the students. With a snap of his finger, Enoch Wright''s remains turned to dust and flew away, riding the wind. Now, the only remaining proof of his existence was the blood staining Alec''s pants and the ground. Possibly, after the anti-meme came back, nobody would remember him. No one.

    A short moment later, Professor Howard closed his eyes. Countless spell circles rotated around him and innumerable magical sigils appeared. They were indecipherable. And they weren''t created just now. They had always been there. Alec just couldn¡¯t perceive them before. He didn''t know their meanings. They were too esoteric, and he hadn''t even heard of such sigils. ''Maybe it''s a lost piece of magic.''

    A holographic, blue-colored, gargantuan eye formed above the man. It was the size of two tankers placed on top of each other. Its pupil thrashed, gauging its surroundings. Then, it disappeared as if it hadn''t existed at all. Professor Howard reopened his eyes and muttered something to himself, caressing his beard. Alec was pretty close to him, so he could hear what he was saying.

    "No time left... It''s too weak... We have to fast forward," he said. Alec frowned and crossed his arms. As the man had spoken so quietly and the crowd was still noisy, he couldn''t hear the entirety of his words. What was he talking about?

    Before he could guess further, however, Professor Howard snapped out of his daze and cast voice-amp on himself. He looked around the student body and started announcing. This time though, he was more casual. He seemed to be returning to his old self, ever so slightly.

    "Everyone! I hereby declare that the final exams have been pulled forward in the schedule! The training grounds will close tomorrow evening, and the exams will be the day after. Rest well, and good luck!" he said. Many students winced at the announcement but still shouted in unison.

    "Sir, yes sir!"

    Alec took a deep breath. He had expected such a decision. Whatever was going on, Professor Howard seemed to know the anti-meme beforehand. He just had his memories blocked. And as far as Alec''s understanding went, the anti-meme would weaken immensely even after it activated again. It would lose most of its effectiveness and reach a premature end of the cycle. For some reason, he felt like he was rounding the last bend. Entering the final stretch. Things would come to an end soon.

    "Say..." Evan suddenly sent a telepathic communication, jolting Alec. There was a somber expression on his face. Maybe he wanted to escape from what he had done. What they had done. Or maybe he was genuinely curious. But he still asked. "That story... I liked it. How does it end?"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Alec thought for a moment. Then understood what he meant. He was talking about the memetic story he had been writing since the last exams.

    "I have a really bad habit when writing," Alec responded telepathically. A bittersweet smile of reminiscence blossomed on his face. "Whenever I wrote something, I would end it on a bad note. The bad guys would win, the heroes would fall..."

    Evan frowned. His gaze unintentionally fell and settled on the pool of blood where the head once was.

    "But this one..." Alec continued, regathering Evan''s attention. He grabbed his chest with his right hand. His heart was still beating, like the tick-tock of a grandfather clock. Steady and calm. He raised his head slightly and looked at the crimson lights raining down upon them. "I think just for this one, I will do a good ending. No matter how much I need to write."

    ***

    The training grounds were crowded. In fact, crowded would be an understatement. This was a full-on stampede. The puny idea of personal space had disappeared in front of the crushing concept called money. Everyone wanted to win those sweet sweet credits, and everyone wanted to win big.

    Alec cast a handy piece of enhancement magic. One that practically rehydrated his body using the atmospheric water vapor. For some reason though, the air seemed drier than usual.

    "This is so fucking boring," Alec said while stretching. He then wrapped his arm around Evan''s shoulder. "I''m tired man..."

    Evan pushed his arm off and sighed.

    "Me too," he said with a frown. "But still, imagine how those at the back of the line feel. We came here pretty early and we have only about... What? Half an hour to go?"

    "Y- Yeah," the girl next to them said timidly. Even with her head slightly down, she was taller than Alec. Not to mention Evan, who would have to slightly raise his head if he wanted to look at the girl''s face.

    Still, her shy demeanor made her look smaller. She was tall, but she occupied less space. That sort of thing.

    She was standing close to Evan as if trying to hide behind him. From what? Alec didn''t know. Maybe she was feeling a bit intimidated by his presence. Alec''s status as a student was becoming weirder and weirder with every passing day.

    After standing around for another half an hour, it was finally their turn to enter. The first two to go in were Evan and Lea, leaving Alec alone. They only came back after utilizing their entire time limit. A blinding light shone on the edge of Alec''s vision. He turned his head and found one of the monoliths raised by Hunter Howard to be changing. The writings on the list shifted, and the first place was taken by the two.

    Evan Coates & Lea Robinson: 5.432.216

    ''Huh.'' Alec exclaimed mentally. ''That''s not bad. Well, considering their advantage as a two-person team... Still, it''s okay. Not as good as me, of course.''

    A short moment later, Evan and Lea came out of the hatch entrance. Evan had a satisfied, smug smile tugging on his lips while Lea seemed ever so slightly more confident in her gait.

    When Evan saw Alec''s expressionless face, however, he frowned. His back slouched and he clicked his tongue.

    "Fuck... You surpass that? Really? What the fuck did you do to get so many points? How big is the difference?" he asked. He had immediately understood Alec''s training score to be higher than theirs just by looking at his reaction. Scary. Maybe Alec was spending a bit more time with him than he was supposed to. ''If things turn out well, I want to spend some time with Ariel.''

    "There is no need to talk about it. Scores vary wildly," Alec said while stepping forward. He rotated his shoulders to warm up and passed by them. He turned his head back slightly, showing the right side of his face to them to deliver the last line. "If things go really badly, our scores might be close," he said with a shit-eating grin. Satisfied with the way Evan cursed under his breath, Alec jumped down the hatch.

 Chapter 90 | Topping the Charts

    "The heavens may tolerate your existence, but my blade will not," Alec said, his eyes gleaming with pride and belittlement. His left hand rested behind him while his right displayed a hand seal. Ten handleless blades, created by The Author''s Pen and controlled by gravity proxies spun like a maelstrom. Each turn they made decapitated countless enemies, causing them to dissipate into a smoke.

    Alec''s words didn''t mean anything. He had just wanted to try saying something a sword immortal would say. Nor did the hand seal he made mean something, he was just showing off, to no one in particular. Hell, he had both written and read about it countless times. It must have some kind of effect, right? Well, it did. It was strangely fun, and he relished it. It didn''t lose him anything, so why not?

    The first few waves of the monster phase were easy to overcome. The main issue was the downtime between the waves. For that, he had to immediately annihilate any monster that appeared before they could leave the walls to maximize his time. Only that way, would he have the necessary time to fight against the next waves. Such was maximizing. He wondered if other students calculated these things too, or if they were more focused on the killing monsters part. After all, this kind of maximization was more of a modern-earth, MMORPG concept.

    The way he fought didn''t make any sense for a fight outside of the training cave. In real life, monsters wouldn''t be coming out of the walls in a circular pattern. Not all of the enemies would be close-range fighters. And Alec wouldn''t be in pristine condition whenever he fought. Well, at least he assumed it to be so. He really hadn''t had a proper fight since the current iteration of his memories started.

    Whatever it was, he had no intention of surrendering his chance to get the first place. He didn''t feel good about what had happened the previous day, and he wanted to drown his sorrows in money. A lot of it.

    As the first few waves passed, he was left face to face with hundreds of monsters, once again. It was time for the second part of his strategy. He took out The Author''s Pen and wrote on air confidently. Suddenly, a pulse of gravity spread in every direction, in the shape of a dome. It pushed whatever it was met with and slammed them against the walls.

    Whoever saw this would call it scummy. Alec wasn''t dirtying his hand in any way or form. In fact, he hadn''t lost any health points in his training runs so far, which made the whole mechanic kind of meaningless. ''It probably won''t be the same in the final exam.''

    As another wave of monsters appeared, Alec slammed them against the wall too. This time, however, not all of them died. The monsters in the back would act as cushions for the ones at the front, necessitating Alec to cast several times. So he did. As waves kept coming and monsters left the walls, he cast. The Author''s Pen was very effective when it came to casting and allowed him to do so without wasting mana.

    Still, at one point, it was meaningless to continue. He had to be careful about the mana he spent on this level to avoid getting too low of a score on the second part of the training.

    "5460..." Alec read the number on his vision. This was the precise number he had found to be the best point to stop casting. "I have ten seconds left. Let''s do this."

    Taking a deep breath, Alec braced his fists and launched forward. Each time his fist stretched out, he would amplify and spread the impact into a wide area using gravity magic, which would immediately evaporate a handful of monsters.

    This wasn''t as fast as the first method, but it still increased his score. It was cheap, effective, and relatively low-risk because of his stats and the range.

    With another push utilizing the rest of his time, Alec managed to get his score up to 5600. This was good. In fact, it was the highest he had gotten so far. Well, not by much. The runner-up was 5598, which would have been a disappointingly random number. 5600 on the other hand? Smooth.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    As the remaining monsters disappeared, Alec gathered himself. He had a bit of mana and quite a lot of stamina remaining.

    A portion of the jagged cave walls disappeared, revealing a similarly-sized room. In the middle of that room was a dummy. It was pretty much indestructible, and Alec wasn''t some exception to that rule. He had tried giving it the strongest attack he could before, and the thing hadn''t even budged.

    He made sure to gather his breath in the given time, which was a 30-second downtime. If he were to start attacking the dummy before the downtime ended, it would end immediately. ''No wasted time here.''

    Reaching out his hand and writing with The Author''s Pen, Alec took his hidden iron quarterstaff. His stats hadn''t improved much lately, as he had to spend most of his mana on other things, than producing stat upgrade potions.

    [Name: Alec Greenwood

    Strength: 32

    Agility 31

    Health: 32

    Mind: 28

    Mana: 34]

    Against his expectations, Alec still occasionally gained natural stat-ups on certain occasions. Although the improvement had indeed slowed down to a crawl, it wasn''t as impossible as he had calculated it to be. His mind stat had jumped from 27 to 28 without a potion for example.

    He had also learned a new, important bit of information. Apparently, every 50 points on a stat would create a synergistic effect and cause the person to make a qualitative breakthrough. For some reason, the curriculum or the books in the library hadn''t contained this information before. Maybe the academy wanted to keep the students from dumping their entire free points on a stat prematurely.

    ''This might be the answer to my agility and air friction question,'' he thought as he lowered his body and held the quarterstaff perpendicular to the ground.

    Again, throughout his attempts, he had shifted the quarterstaff to be the most weight-efficient. If he went past a certain weight, it would become too unhandy to use. However, if he made it too light, he would be losing precious momentum.

    Once the countdown ended, he swung the quarterstaff, putting both his weight and the quarterstaff''s weight into it. The quarterstaff slammed against the dummy with a pang and bounced off. Controlling the rebound was an important aspect of this phase. Alec had experienced it, breaking his hand the first time he tried hitting the dummy full-force.

    Alec didn''t hold himself back and utilized the Adrenal Boost. His body started pumping out a concoction of hormones that pushed him beyond his limits into his veins. It took immediate effect. He started smoking from his head. While another spell he cast started pulling in the water vapor into his body to replenish lost moisture, he kept hitting the dummy.

    This was more effective. Unfortunately, none of his spells were that potent in dealing single-target damage. Buffing his already strong body to deal physical damage was more effective.

    As his relentless assault continued on the unresponsive dummy, Alec started feeling dizzy. He did his best to regulate his breathing. The academy lacked martial manuals or anything of that sort. So he didn''t actually know what he was doing. Slamming the rod again and again on the dummy was a simple process, but he could have probably made it much more effective if he knew how to regulate his breathing or utilize his muscles better.

    ''If I can leave this academy one day, I will go and meet people of other classes. I could probably learn a shit ton from them,'' he thought.

    Seeing that time was ticking down, and he didn''t have much time left, Alec recast The Adrenal Boost that was slowly losing its effectiveness, infused his strikes with gravity magic, and started going all out. He had to spend everything he had before the time ran out.

    The swooshing noises his quarterstaff made as he swung it crackled through the air. Every time he hit the dummy''s armor, an explosion-like sound would resonate in the cave, assaulting his ears. Fortunately, he didn''t have to endure it for long, as his time ran out a short while later.

    ''5600 kill score and 7121 damage score. Multiplied by 4... Holy shit. That makes 16 million!'' Alec calculated. He felt that he had overdone it a bit for the moment, but decided that it was okay.

    Retracing his steps and jumping up, he left the illusory training cave. By the time he went back outside, people were dumbfoundedly staring at the damage charts. The amount of damage dealt by Alec not only placed him in first place among the second-year students, but he even topped the other two charts.

    "What the fuck..." Evan muttered, his mouth slightly agape. Alec shrugged his shoulders and walked to their side. Lea was even more nervous now. She held onto Evan''s arm and became smaller.

    "It is what it is," Alec jolted awake the close combat mage from his daze.

    "You think anyone can cross that?" Evan asked. "The second years probably can''t. I''m asking about the third years."

    Alec thought for a moment. Maybe Edward would? But still, they would see a couple of hours later.

    "Let''s not focus on that. We have to get ready for the final exam..."

 Chapter 91 | A Battle Royale?

    Most students waited excitedly for the midnight to come. The academy had an awkwardly jolly atmosphere, compared to its usual self. Maybe because of the fact that even if the students didn''t get first place, they would receive some credits to splurge on whatever they wanted.

    Alec was spending his time getting ready for tomorrow in his dorm room. He didn''t exactly know what was happening at the training grounds and if there was any drama around the final scores. He didn''t like lingering on topics he couldn''t control. A short while after the clock ticked up to midnight, students started showing up at the front gates. They settled back into their dorm rooms.

    He was alone in the room. The others had stayed, so they would tell him about the results. Just as he expected, Alexei slammed the door open. Evan and Thomas followed him inside. While they were mostly expressionless, Alexei seemed excited.

    "Holy shit dude! You actually came first place!" He said while walking up to Alec''s side, patting him on the shoulder. Even though Alec gently smiled, he felt a bit empty inside. As if the money he had gained would have been meaningless.

    "What about the rest?" Alec asked. He was curious about the others'' scores. Alexei turned his head toward Evan. Before he could say something, Evan started listing.

    "Zac Fraser took the first place for the first graders. Iris was sixth. We don''t know the rest of the people there," he started by saying. The trio spread across the room, all settling in their usual places. Evan in his study, Thomas in his bed, and Alexei leaning against the wall, next to Alec.

    "For the second graders, you came first, me and Lea were the second. These two got seventh," Evan nodded in their direction.

    ''Surprising. My perception might have been altered because of how strong my immediate connections are, but getting the seventh place is pretty good,'' Alec thought while listening.

    "Edward got the first place as you guessed. He went in with a team of four and got about 11 million points," Evan said with a sigh. He then looked up at Alec, possibly gauging his reaction. Alec let out a small whistle.

    "That''s quite high," he said. Evan frowned in response.

    "Are you joking? That''s an insane amount. And you bested that by about 40%," he said. Alec shrugged.

    "I was just well-spec''d for the training," Alec said. That was correct. He would struggle a lot if he were fighting against a four-team person led by Edward. The guy was a beast, especially when he was given proper subjects to work with.

    "Well-sp- spec''d?" Evan raised his brow. Alec had accidentally said the word in English, which confused the three.

    "My abilities were specifically useful for the case," he explained, willfully ignoring his blatant mis-speech. "Anyway. That''s not important. Where do we get the credit rewards?"

    "They said that they would give it after the final exams," Evan said. Alec cursed under his breath. He turned his head to look outside.

    It was snowing.

    He didn''t know what month they were in, but it sure felt like a December night. Considering they were a month away from the end of the term, wouldn''t the date be matching? If this wasn¡¯t a different planet, that is.

    Alec felt a serene calmness wash over him.

    That night, when he lay down on his bed, he dreamt of how his previous life would have been if Evan had been there. If Ariel was there.

    ''Would I have lived a happy life then?'' he asked himself. ''I had money but...''

    However, what was money, if people to spend it with weren''t there?

    Then, he drifted away into the depths of sleep...

    <hr>

    The morning passed like a breeze. Alec was in a trance, his mind entirely stuck on the exam they would be taking. Perhaps because the training period had lasted much shorter than it was supposed to, the grand illusory array had recharged fast.

    Funnily enough, they were called to the central clearing of the academy for the exam. This time, however, the oppressive, orange lights weren''t there. Instead, a gray-colored, cloud-ridden sky greeted them. The melancholic atmosphere was palpable, but it greatly contrasted with how energetic the students were.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    And no matter how hard he tried, Alec couldn''t feel the same way.

    Without further ado, he threw cursory glances. Evan and Lea were about fifteen steps away from him, talking about something with hushed voices. Seeing their synergy, Alec couldn''t help but feel happy for his friend.

    Alexei and Thomas on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen. Not that Alec worried. The clearing was very big, and there were many students. It was more probable for him to not find someone he was looking for.

    He also couldn''t spot Iris or Edward, which left him completely alone, standing isolated from the crowd.

    ''Huh. I feel as if I missed the first few days of school and friend groups have already formed,'' he thought to himself, scratching his cheek. Professor Rebecca might have been there. She had gained quite the control over the usage of her mana brain, probably. After all, she had been going around and doing all that stuff under Evan''s orders.

    Then, Alec realized.

    ''The anti-meme has weakened a lot, just like I thought.''

    "Greetings, students," Professor Howard''s familiar, monotone voice resounded. The voice was strangely calming to him. A part of him was worried that the man would come blasting with his ruthless commander act. Fortunately, that didn''t seem to be the case. "As you all know, after yesterday''s unfortunate events, we had to reschedule the final exam. Still, I''m happy to announce that the Grand Illusory Array has fully recharged and we are ready to go."

    To avoid any problems, Alec had refrained from lighting up an incense. He would do so once he was inside the caverns. So, for the first time, he understood how it felt to be under this weakened anti-meme. He knew something unfortunate had happened the previous day. He also knew it was related to him in some way, alongside the emotions it made him feel. But what was it? He didn''t know. And he knew not to think too deeply about it.

    Nevertheless, the students started cheering. Alec looked around with raised brows. Weren''t they supposed to be nervous? He imagined one of his exams in his previous life suddenly being rescheduled to a whole month earlier, and that made him shiver.

    ''Maybe they are excited to fight.''

    "I will now explain how the final exam will work," Professor Howard said. "You will be placed inside the cavernous chambers under the academy grounds. The cavernous chambers are exactly that, an area of unending caves, weaving into each other. The caves will be filled with monsters, various objectives that the array will inform you of in real-time, and most importantly, other students."

    ''Huh. That sounds like a battle royale,'' Alec thought to himself. His hand tightened and relaxed. Now, he was getting excited too.

    "I would like to make sure that this is known. Hurting other students physically is prohibited," the man said, emphasizing the word prohibited. "You are not enemies, you are opponents. Any form of physical altercation or usage of eleme- classical magic on other students will be punished with immediate execution. Other than that, you can use a variety of methods to steal other''s points from them. Those methods will be, again, provided by the Grand Illusory Array."

    ''That''s nice,'' Alec considered. He had read many stories where allowing the harming of fellow students turned out really bad.

    "Finally, the center of the cavernous chambers will house a supremely strong monster. The method to take it down will be up to you, the students. However, I would like to warn you that clearing it as a single team is nigh impossible. The rewards will be appropriately high for clearing the boss," Professor Howard continued. "The teams will be the same as the ones in the training, and the point amplification will work the same way."

    This was expected. Normally, they would have given the students some time to create new teams. However, they didn''t have that much time now.

    "Finally, health points. You know how it works, so I won''t be repeating it to you. There will be methods to replenish health points inside the exam. I trust all of you to figure it out on your own."

    "Without further ado, please head to the middle of the clearing for the transportation process," the man said.

    Alec started slowly heading toward the middle.

    ''I wonder how they''ll spread us throughout the caverns. They wouldn¡¯t start us all in the same place, right? If this is like a battle royale¡­'' he thought to himself. Teleportation didn''t exist, so that was out of the question. Portals were in a similar situation. Opening such gates would need a level of gravity magic that even Alec didn''t possess.

    The students started heading down an absurdly long flight of stairs that had appeared in the middle of the clearing one by one. When his turn came, Alec traced the same path. He found himself inside a dome-like cave. It was pretty spacious, perhaps half as big as the clearing above their heads. The students would normally have a hard time fitting in the cave, but there were doors in every direction, waiting ominously. Occasionally, a professor would pick some students at random and usher them into those doors.

    A short fifteen minutes later, Alec was led through one of those too. He found himself inside what seemed to be a metallic box. The walls surrounding them were industrial, with plates of unknown composite metal bolted together and painted a dark green. There seemed to be windows too, but the inside was under-lit, making it impossible to see properly. There was a very small and soft light on the ceiling, occasionally flickering on and off.

    ''Maybe it''s broken,'' Alec thought.

    He waited another fifteen minutes with sixteen other strangers in that metallic, suffocating room. Then, an announcement came.

    "The exam starts now! Please deploy wherever you want!" Professor Howard''s voice buzzed. The metallic room they were in shook, and started accelerating with a grating noise.

    A short while after, the windows started actually doing their job, and showcasing the outside. Alec turned his head to look.

    "Holy shit..." he muttered to himself. They were in a cable car, passing through what seemed to be a huge cave, full of awkward, jagged structures and deteriorated fauna. This singular cave was maybe fifty meters wide and ten meters tall. And it was probably only a small part of the exam grounds.

    Alec felt his heart skip.

    ''This place is fucking huge...''

 Chapter 92 | Uriel the Legend

    The cable car, probably powered by some sort of magic from the fluctuations Alec felt, passed through the wide cave into a dark, perfectly dug tunnel before emerging out on the other side. Another similarly sized but differently shaped cave greeted them. And then, suddenly, the middle of the cable car''s floor slid open. Alec jumped in place from the sudden motion before looking down.

    "Deployment begins!" Professor Howard''s voice appeared and fizzled out once more. Now, it had really begun. His HP bar appeared on the upper-right corner of his vision while a score counter appeared on the upper-left, showcasing a big ''0''. This wasn''t mind or memetic magic. It was a pure illusion, made by the masterful manipulation of light reflecting into his eyes.

    ''This feels too high-tech, they must''ve scrapped it from the ancients as always. In fact, I think the font used is the same as the one in the Alchemy Crystals,'' Alec thought.

    While he was busy thinking, several of the students in the cable car had gotten up and were eyeing the hole in the ground. They seemed to exchange glances for a few moments before they all jumped off. Alec didn''t see how they had landed, but the height was such that any mageling would be able to do so safely.

    Alec decided to wait. He felt like landing too close to the middle wouldn''t be a smart choice for him. The outer rim would be bigger, and thus the density of students would lower. He could always head toward the middle if he wanted. The layout wasn''t confusing, and he could commit it to memory just by looking out the window of the cable car.

    A short five minutes later, he and two other students were the only ones left in the cable car when an announcement came.

    "Two more minutes for the end of the line, please deploy before then, or be eliminated from the exam," Professor Howard said. Hearing this, the two remaining students jumped off the cable car, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts and the ear-grating whizz of the car''s clamps scratching against the cable.

    Alec stretched his arms, cracked his neck, shook his legs, and jumped out of the car. The wind kicking up his hair and jacket flailing in the wind, Alec slammed against the ground with a loud thud, kicking up dust. That was no feat of magic. Having high stats was truly absurd. With the way he had landed, he should have broken at least a bone or two, but he had simply shrugged it off as an uncomfortable feeling. It was like that of missing a step while walking down a stair, easy to deal with if he knew it coming.

    Adjusting his sleeve, he looked around. He was in front of what seemed to be ruins of a temple, inside a forest similar to that in the upper academy. If he were to label it, he would have guessed the temple to be Mediterranean. Similar to Greek architecture. There were tall, doric columns, cracked or demolished, spread across the place. Broken tiles adorned the floor, occasionally lifted and thrown. As if a fierce battle had happened there. Alec could imagine a warrior lifting the huge tile off the ground ¨C Possibly hundreds of kilograms ¨C and throwing it at their enemies.

    Still, the structure stood. With only six of its original eight columns remaining, it was steadfast against the eroding of time. Neither the cracks running across its surface nor the moss made it look less majestic. Taking a deep breath, Alec stepped inside the temple. The inside was barren. The temple was made to be a perfect square, each side approximately ten meters long. Every few steps leading to the middle of the temple, the floor rose approximately five centimeters. This created a platform overseeing the surroundings. And right in the middle of that platform was a statue.

    Maybe because of time, maybe intentionally, the face of the statue had been wiped. It carried a scale, small balls of flame carved from marble sitting on both ends, perfectly balanced. While one half of the statue was ever so slightly blue, the other was red, creating an awkward duality.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ''I wonder who it is. Is it some kind of deity? Well, considering this world, it probably is a real person,'' Alec thought. He ascended to the platform at a leisurely pace and touched the statue. Which immediately prompted a notification screen from the illusory array.

    [The Trial of Uriel.]

    [Accept/Reject]

    "What the fuck..." Alec muttered while looking at the notification. They had purposefully made it look like a system prompt, which had almost made him think he had gotten a mission after all the time he had spent in this world.

    Still, without much thought, he accepted the trial by focusing his eyes on the ''Accept'' button for a few seconds. This was an exam made for the students to take, so it wouldn''t make sense for it to be too hard.

    Alec felt the ground shake ever so slightly. He took a step back and noticed the temple to have reverted to a pristine state. The discolored and faded building had become pristine white again, the broken columns back to their initial state.

    ''Holy shit. They went all in on the illusions, didn''t they?'' Alec thought. While he retreated from the statue, throwing cursory glances in every direction, the shaking of the ground became even more apparent. The temple started cracking and breaking apart, rubble falling down to the exact places where they were supposed to. The temple changed shape to become the way it really was, replicating the moment of destruction perfectly.

    While that all settled down, Alec heard a noise similar to that of concrete dragging across the floor. He quickly found the source of the noise to be the statue in the middle. It was moving. Its arm was twitching slightly as if there was a person inside the statue trying to make their way out. A short while later, a long, red HP bar appeared above Alec''s vision. The name "Uriel the Legend" floated slightly above it.

    Alec lowered his body. He had already lit an incense, so he could fully focus on using The Author''s Pen.

    As the statue started cracking and snow-white skin started showing from the inside, Alec started stacking enhancement spells on himself. This went on for another thirty seconds before the statue broke apart and out came a man with a scale in hand. However, just like the statue, the man lacked a face. Solid, smooth skin covering where its eyes, mouth, or nose were supposed to be.

    That made Alec flinch. It was somewhere around the middle of his list of ''What the fuck is that?'' list. Though, he knew not to trust that list. He had probably forgotten most of it, after all.

    ''What is it going to do?'' Alec thought, his eyes focused on the scale. Considering the looks of the man, he was probably a mage, right? The Uriel from this world''s history was one.

    However, Alec''s expectations were shattered by soft flesh''s pitter-patter against the floor, Uriel the Legend running toward Alec, brandishing its scale.

    "Shit!" Alec shouted before dodging to his side. The statue was relatively fast. If he was careless, it would catch him with some stray hits. He didn''t know how much damage the thing would do to his 1565 HP points, and he didn''t want to know.

    As the man dashed past him, Alec quickly rolled and wrote on the ground.

    [Fireball]

    Ten fireballs spun to activation around Alec and launched toward the boss. However, his fireballs seemed to change direction out of nowhere and were absorbed by the scale, making it ever so slightly brighter.

    ''So fire doesn''t work..?'' Alec thought to himself. He had hoped to probe the boss'' health by using some basic spells, but it didn''t seem to work. ''What about magic missiles?''

    He quickly wrote and dodged as soon as he was done, the scale swooshing past his face, mere centimeters away.

    ''This shit is too realistic.''

    The magic missiles appeared around the boss, eight to be exact. Before the thing could react, they hammered against its skin, one even hitting it square on the face. Though, how effective it was? A mystery.

    Still, the boss'' health bar went down by a mighty 10%. Alec liked it. But it also made him frown slightly. That was too much, wasn''t it? This was a boss. No matter how effective his magic missiles were, could they really take out a boss in 80 hits total?

    Alec dodged left and right, the statue chased him like a little kid chasing their dad. He was slow enough for the statue to keep up, but fast enough to not get hurt. He was busy thinking. What was wrong? The occasional magic missile did its job and chipped away at the boss'' health. So?

    Alec''s eyes settled on the boss'' name.

    ''Uriel the Legend...''

 Chapter 93 | Duality

    ''Uriel the Legend? That feels wrong,'' Alec thought to himself. Dodging the boss'' blatantly patterned attacks had become laughably easy now. And as far as he understood, that was not how a boss fight was supposed to go. Not at all. ''Will there be a second phase?''

    Nevertheless, Alec continued the same strategy. His legs shuffled as he spammed the monster with magic missiles. This time though, he made sure to hit every single missile, lest he waste precious mana. It took him five minutes to chip down the boss without wasting much stamina or mana.

    As soon as the statue went down, he stepped back and lowered his body, ready to respond to any sudden movement.

    The first signs of the second stage didn¡¯t come from the boss¡¯ body but from Alec''s interface. The now-emptied health bar started filling up once again, and the name hanging above it started blurring.

    Once the boss on the ground started twitching and rising to its feet, the name finally disappeared. The bar filled up, and the body floated up into the air slowly. The balls of fire, still that white, solid constructs on the scale caught on fire. One was a blazing red. The other was¡­ Blazing too. This time blue.

    Then, the boss¡¯ body started changing. It suddenly split apart into two, right in the middle. Again, blue and red.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Alec clicked his tongue. He wanted to start attacking pre-emptively, but the boss was in an animation right now. Nothing he did collided, passing right through. That changed only when the boss completed its transformation, two halves of a body standing side by side. The insides were solid, without any organs, which was a relief. Alec didn¡¯t want to see that at all.

    The scale was also split into two. While the red part of the boss had taken the blue flame, the other had taken the red flame. Seeing this, Alec wrote down before storing back The Author¡¯s Pen. There was a good chance he wouldn¡¯t be able to leisurely write while fighting.

    The waning lights of his enhancement spells renewed while a quarterstaff appeared from the ground, this time an alloy of tungsten carbide. He had finally spent the time researching the known materials of this world, and tungsten carbide was amongst these. That meant low cost, incredibly high durability, and a shit ton of weight he could swing without being unwieldy, nearly 60 kilograms.

    It was a sizeable weight, but not to the degree Alec couldn¡¯t swing around. However, he did have to be careful with the way he swung it, or the momentum would destabilize his body. And had the quarterstaff been 90 kilograms or so, he wouldn¡¯t be able to swing it at all. Not because he wasn¡¯t strong enough, but because it would simply be heavier than his body. He assumed one of strength stat¡¯s milestone effects would solve that, but which exactly? That was a question he didn¡¯t have an answer to.

    Grabbing the quarterstaff, Alec pointed it towards the two parts of the boss. While the blue boss took a step back to raise his part of the scale, creating tens of fireballs, the other half dashed forward, brandishing its scale like the first phase of the boss, albeit faster.

    [Uriel of the Flame]

    The boss'' new name hung in his vision with all its glory. Alec swung his quarterstaff in answer to the red boss coming crushing down on Alec. The blue flames from its scale spread out, blanketing him. His swing kicked up the air, pushing away the flame and connecting with the illusion''s head. Surprisingly, Alec felt the weight of his swing slam against its temple, causing the thing to do a full spin in place and fall down.

    ''How did they manage to do this? I don''t feel any mind magic at play, is the statue actually moving?'' Alec thought while dodging a half-solidified plasma ray of fire. His hit was solid. The quarterstaff carried quite the punch, and with the way Alec handled it, it could easily crack open a wall.

    The boss'' health bar had split into two, each half having the same name but different colors. The one Alec had just hit was the red one, its name in Alec''s interface mirroring its color. That hit had taken away a good 40%.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ''Two more like that and it''s done,'' Alec thought. However, the boss wasn''t a mindless automaton. Once it got back up with the help of its red half, it was much more careful. It stood next to its mage counterpart and protected it while the other kept blasting Alec with fireballs and a plethora of other fire-based spells.

    This was, unfortunately for them, the wrong strategy. Alec had been waiting for the space created by the lack of pursuit. He quickly bent down and wrote down a spell.

    [Cold Rain]

    Unlike what one might expect, this spell didn''t have anything to do with water. Using water-based spells could be hard, as only a small part of the planet''s atmosphere was water vapor. This necessitated the existence of a nearby source of water, which Alec didn''t have access to.

    And in the end, he didn''t need it.

    The air in the temple seemed to stand still for a moment. Atoms, previously filled with energy, calmed down and started coalescing. First, spread a wave of heat from Alec''s spell, and then a gaseous substance appeared around him. It rose and suddenly started raining down on the bosses.

    That was liquid nitrogen. Alec had used the nearby air as a heatsink and isolated some amount of cooled-down nitrogen. A cool spell. Quite literally.

    Once the rain of liquid nitrogen started, Alec distanced himself quickly. He didn''t want that coming in contact with his skin, or he would be dealing with frostbite for quite a while.

    The bosses weren''t as smart. They kept spamming Alec with fireballs, unaware of the spell he had cast.

    Once the drops of liquid nitrogen started hitting their body, especially the flaming hot scale in their hands, it started shaving away portions of their health bars. Not to mention, the flames they were so proudly blasting away were suppressed. A lack of oxygen strangled their strength, cutting off whatever their source of energy was.

    This spell Alec had cast was a third circle one with particularly high mana costs. Another group with average students might not be able to cast it at all, let alone do it as well as The Author''s Pen did.

    Once the rain of nitrogen ended, the bosses were left with less than fifteen percent of their health bars. Alec didn''t waste any time and followed up with a flurry of strikes with his quarterstaff, which finished them off. Once the bars emptied fully, the illusions around him ended. He found himself in the temple, wrought and battered by the cold and Alec''s strikes. However, none of the bosses'' attacks were left behind. Not even a little charring or burnt surface. The statue in the middle was now broken. However, the remains were spread following the illusion.

    ''So the statue was actually moving. The illusion was used for the hit recognition and visual effects,'' Alec thought. He didn''t know whether to be revolted by the idea of the moving statue, or to be impressed by the magical feat. Then still, he had seen much worse...

    Before he could think further on the topic, however, he was blasted with a notification. It wasn''t a simple notification like before. Instead, a scroll of some sort unraveled in front of his eyes.

    [Alec Greenwood has taken down a high-level boss! 5.000 points have been awarded!] It read.

    When Alec looked at his points indicator, however, he saw there to be 20.000 points instead. The 4x multiplier for the solo players was still there.

    ''Why was that notification so... General? Was it-''

    [Team Spellson has taken down a high-level boss! 5.000 points have been awarded!]

    Another notification came. This time much smaller, more like a simple kill-feed on the upper-right of his vision.

    ''Okay it''s a map-wide notification,'' he confirmed his own thoughts. Fortunately, the rewards of lesser importance didn''t seem to have notifications of their own. Or else, he would have his entire vision covered by people killing low-level bosses, he presumed. Considering the strength of the boss he had just fought, it should have been quite easy for the other students to at least take out the lower-difficulty ones.

    ''Hm... I feel a bit bad for the first graders. But what can I do? I''m not the one who prepares the exam, after all,'' Alec thought before leaving the temple at full speed. If he wanted to get that first place, he would have to be quick on his feet. If he guessed right, Edward would be doing some pretty unorthodox things to bolster their points.

    After running inside the forest for a short while, Alec passed through a perfectly angular tunnel like before and reached another cave. As soon as he stepped out, he found himself standing on top of a magic circle, one that covered the entirety of that particular cave. If he had to eyeball it, he would guess it to be around thirty meters in diameter.

    Further ahead, around the circle, there were approximately twenty-five people, all split into their own parties and spread across the edge of the cave. While some were indifferent, some were looking at Alec with terrified expressions.

    [You have entered a 10-team damage calculator challenge area! Do you want to allocate 2.000 points to join the challenge?]

 Chapter 94 | It Returns

    Reading the notification, Alec considered the terrified expressions on the other team''s faces. Had they recognized him? Without further ado, he accepted the challenge. His points ticked down to 18.000 and a new notification appeared.

    [Beat the other nine teams by getting a higher damage score! The winner will receive 10000 points as a reward!]

    [All the slots are full, the challenge is commencing! Hurting other students is strictly FORBIDDEN!]

    Mentally nudging away the notifications, Alec looked at his opponents once again. There weren''t any noteworthy people amongst them. At least Alec didn''t remember their faces.

    ''That should be an easy 40.000 points,'' Alec calculated off the top of his head before brandishing his quarterstaff. Another renewal of his enhancement spells, and he was ready to take on whatever was to come.

    The magic circle on the ground shone brightly. It rotated, and out rose a stone pillar in the middle, as thick as a human waist. Then another came out with the noise of stones rubbing into each other. New pillars kept coming out until there was a literal stone forest of them. They all had intricate carvings with running traces on their surfaces.

    Those traces lit up with streaming, bright blue. It was mana, coursing through the veins of the pillars like blood. The pillars seemed to become soft, slithering, flowing, bending, and circling around each other like snakes. Finally, they formed into an almost monstrous form. The last added touch was the activation of an illusion. The pillars turned into a five-meter-tall black blob with a veiny, human-sized red eye in the middle.

    [Begin!]

    Like arrows being launched in an arch, the students started with simple artillery spells. This was a fundamental teaching of the battle theory classes. Probing enemies with low-level spells from relative safety was pretty much a thumb rule. Anything else was an exception.

    Alec did the same, albeit in his own way. Daggers floated from behind him and launched forward, slamming and cutting against the monster like a maelstrom. A new number appeared in his interface, indicating his damage for this particular challenge. There was also a timer slowly ticking down.

    [1.324]

    [4:54]

    As the numbers on his score started scrolling into place, each digit ticking slightly slower than the previous one, Alec decided that he had seen enough. The challenge boss seemed to have come to a similar decision as tentacles started shooting out of its body, hurtling toward the students surrounding it from every direction.

    Only one had chosen Alec as its target. Holding his quarterstaff like a paddle, Alec slammed it against the tentacle while stepping to the side, deflecting it. The noise from the collision was fleshy. Alec knew that they were probably flowing pillars disguised as tentacles but still...

    Dragging his quarterstaff across the tentacle, Alec started running forward at breakneck speed. He lowered his momentum momentarily, jumped up and landed on the tentacle, and kept dashing ahead. He then flexed his leg muscles, dipped into a low squat, and launched up and forward. He could see the fireballs and magic missiles passing by.

    Rolling in the air, he extended the quarterstaff over his head and clasped his hands on its lower end. Then, he cast a spell that amplified the strength of gravity between the quarterstaff and the planet. The metal rod became heavy. So heavy in fact that Alec felt his hands groan in pain. Nevertheless, he brought it down with all his might. The metal rod split the air in a whizzing noise and slammed against the monster. Alec, on the other hand, had let go of the quarterstaff just before it collided with the monster. If he had held on, the rebound would have probably broken both his arms.

    The collision was intimidating, to say the least. As if a meteor had hit the Earth, the sound resonated across the cave. The monster groaned in pain as its head caved in. The quarterstaff flew off, stabbing into the ceiling like a knife through butter. It had probably been bent out of shape. Still, Alec could salvage it with the pen.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    [87.129]

    Alec''s score displayed on his interface. Frowns emerged on the faces of the students gathered around the challenge area. His move had captured significant attention. While the challengers could not see one another''s scores, the impact of the attack highlighted its effectiveness.

    As the boss slowly recovered, the students started attacking once more. Alec kept to his flying daggers, increasing his damage counter. He could see what the others were doing, and they were not going to get as many points as him. Not with the way they attacked.

    The countdown finally ticked down to zero. The illusion dispersed, revealing the bundle of slithering columns. Alec could clearly see the wounds of his attack. It had destroyed and ripped through a couple of columns, causing a deep wound. Nevertheless, the columns were retracted down into the ground, leaving nothing but the magic circle behind.

    [The challenge has concluded!]

    [First Place: Alec Greenwood - 120.315]

    [Second Place: Team Hartwell - 110.782]

    [Third Place: Team...]

    Even though that was a bit closer than Alec felt comfortable with, it was pretty acceptable. No matter how strong, he was going solo. There was strength in numbers. Not to mention, he hadn''t gone all out. With The Author''s Pen, he would have gotten much more.

    [58.000]

    Alec''s points rose. Still, he had a gnawing premonition that Edward was doing something that could best him. While busy checking his interface, Alec didn''t notice a student from another group approaching him.

    "Did you have to come here?" the student suddenly said. It was some guy with brown hair and a hooked nose. There were acnes covering his face, which was uncharacteristic for a person of this world. Alec''s brows rose as he raised his right arm, his palm facing the ceiling. The quarterstaff that had been dug into the ceiling was pulled out. It fell down into his hand gracefully. It had been bent about thirty degrees right in the middle

    "I don''t know what you mean," Alec answered. He genuinely didn''t. Was the guy complaining to Alec because he had beaten them? Certainly not, right?

    "We would have gotten the first place if you weren''t here!" the guy said, his voice becoming irritatingly high toward the end. Alec responded with a frown.

    ''He must be from that Hartwell team,'' he thought. He looked the guy up and down. The situation gave him an awkward vibe. One that he felt strangely familiar with. The mana brain activated and took a quick look through his memories of the journal. ''Oh. It''s this again. When the end of the cycle nears, the anti-meme will become erratic. It will randomly blot out people''s memories, making them irrational. And that is followed by...''

    Alec dodged the green-colored ball of fire hurtling toward his face by twisting his upper body slightly. A cold gleam in his eyes, he looked around the cave. Many students had already departed. The remaining ones were curiously watching the situation. Though, when the fireball was launched, they had instead become wary. No one had expected a physical altercation to occur, especially when the no-harming rule had been emphasized so heavily.

    With a swift motion, Alec stepped forward. He grabbed the student''s hand. He pulled, flicked, and pushed down on the guy''s back with his free hand. Just like that, it was resolved.

    ''The rules stated that physical altercations were forbidden. Then why haven''t the professors made a move yet?'' He thought. He placed just enough strength to stop the student from struggling. However, his thoughts were disrupted by a sizzling pain in his hand.

    A green smoke came out of the student''s collar and made contact with his skin. It moved as if it was being guided.

    ''It''s the fucking corruption again. I thought that the professors had fixed the problem. Or is it unrelated? Maybe there were two different reasons behind the demonification. Maybe even more.''

    He didn''t know what to do. The student was struggling under his weight, his protests becoming more guttural by the second. He would probably transform soon.

    ''Let''s see. If it is caused by something external, I should be able to delay his transformation,'' Alec mentally calculated. He ripped the student''s uniform apart, revealing a blister-ridden skin. Coating his hand with pure mana, he slapped down and started circulating it throughout the student''s body. The demonic taint started shriveling under Alec''s touch. ''Good! It seems to be working.''

    However, Alec''s rejoice was short-lasting. The moment his mana stopped fighting against the taint, more surfaced from deep inside the student.

    ''It''s hopeless,'' Alec thought with a bitter frown. He looked around. About five people were by their side, three being the team members of the student under restraint. ''It''s internal. His emotions have been twisted so severely that it causes constant demonic taint.''

    "Hey Alec," one of the guy''s team members said with a meek voice. He knew Alec''s name, even though they hadn''t interacted before. At least Alec didn''t remember doing so. "Will he become a demon?"

    Alec looked down, his shoulders slumped for a moment.

    "No, he won''t."

    "That''s a relie¡ª"

    *Crack

    Green, gooey blood splattered, pieces of sickly brain matter staining the surroundings, some even hitting Alec''s uniform.

    "He won''t."

 Chapter 95 | Dont Capture The Flag, Eat It

    Alec vaporized the blood and burnt away the corpse under the silent gaze of the students. No one talked. Maybe they were being blocked by the anti-meme from properly reacting. Still, they all had somber expressions on their faces.

    "He was a good guy," the one who had asked the question muttered. He kneeled down and rolled the ashes of the student between his fingers. "I don''t think he deserved this."

    "He probably didn''t. Nobody does," Alec said with a bitter expression. While mourning the dead was preferable, he didn''t have the time to waste. The professors were obviously not getting involved any time soon.

    ''The demonification should have caused him to not be considered a student,'' Alec guessed. The method of detecting fights between students must have been automatic. Once someone was demonized, the rules wouldn''t apply. ''There might be other students in the same situation. Things will quickly cascade. The students with weaker mentalities should have been weeded out in the first incursion. The remaining will hold on a little bit more this time around.''

    There were three other teams remaining. Alec couldn''t babysit them, so he took out a couple of mental cleansing incense and handed them out.

    "Light these up and keep them by your side at all times. See a demon? Crush their head. No hesitation. Understood?" Alec said. The student''s stances almost shifted to a salute before they stopped themselves.

    "Yes," the one closer to Alec answered. He carefully took the sticks, lit them up, and distributed them to the others.

    After handing out the incense, Alec dashed out of the cave into another. No matter what, the only way to stop this mess was to solve the anti-meme. Getting the first place and going into the headmaster''s room was the only breadcrumb he had in his hands.

    The next couple of caves he went through were already emptied by other students. He only managed to find another medium-grade boss and increase his points up to sixty thousand. The cave cluster he was inside seemed to be empty. Unnervingly so. Where had the people from that challenge gone?

    ''If one transforms, it will cause a chain reaction. That must be the cause!'' Alec guessed. ''There should be a challenge with a lot of participants nearby. I really don''t want to use this spell but...''

    Taking out The Author''s Pen, Alec wrote down.

    [Sound Amplification]

    This was a very simple spell that picked up on very minute noises and amplified them. It was just too disorienting to use frequently. Once the circle activated, Alec felt his vision spin. Waves of rustles, noises, and footsteps filled his ears. He started sifting through the data, leaving only those he needed behind.

    ''Footsteps... Shouts... It''s far away. Slithering? Fleshy noises too.''

    He changed his course once again. He passed cave after cave, each with different designs. There was even one where the ground was made out of quicksand. Alec was almost trapped.

    The noises became audible, and they were increasing with every step he took. He finally passed through one more tunnel and found himself on the edge of a literal battleground.

    [Would you like to join the teamed capture-the-flag challenge? The fee is 1000 points.]

    The notification aside, Alec''s mouth hung open at the sight he was met with. There were two groups of students¡ªMaybe a hundred in total, each standing around their respective red and blue flags. The green flag, however, had...

    ¡®The students fused with the flag?¡¯The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The moaning, whimpering, and hollering mound of rotted flesh had fused into the flag, looking like a misshapen pyramid. The faces of the students participating in the demonic amalgamation pushed against its purple, necrotized skin from the inside. And they flowed. Their mouths opened and closed, they tried to say something but failed to do so.

    And occasionally, they reached out.

    Reach out as in, a non-descript face would bubble out of the amalgam and hurtle toward a still-human student with all its might. That happened. A head flew across the cave, slipped through the defenses, and latched onto a student with its toothless, fleshed-over mouth.

    When it did, the student immediately burst into flames of heresy. Fortunately, the students of the Lation Magic Academy were not hesitant in their actions against the demons. A bunch of spells, and the body was already gone. Alec gulped and turned his attention back toward the amalgam.

    ''Why that kind of thing..? He thought for a second. Then understood. ''Their emotions in protecting the flag must have overflowed and caused them to unite in demonic form.''

    He accepted the challenge and joined the blue team, dashing to their side while launching a couple of fireballs and magic missiles himself.

    "It''s Alec Greenwood!"

    "He might be able to help!"

    A bunch of students noticed his presence. Alec was the person with the highest score in the training period. It would have been weird not to know of him at this point.

    Once Alec approached, a student from the fray came out and started talking to him.

    "Alec. We have been handling the attacks of that demon for some time, but don''t have the power to counterattack. We fear our strength will run out with time, but the thing is not budging at all! The professors are nowhere to be seen. Please help us!" she said. Alec nodded, frowned, and grabbed his chin for a moment. He then looked up at the monster. His eyes narrowed. Turning his head toward the girl once more, he pointed toward his cheek.

    "Slap me."

    "What?"

    "Do what I say. With all your power. You won''t be able to hurt me," Alec said. The girl, with raised brows, raised her hand and slapped Alec across the face with all her strength. Which was not much. Alec didn''t even budge. In fact, the one who seemed to have hurt was the girl, holding her wrist in pain.

    Still, the cave suddenly blared with red alarms.

    [Interstudent violence has been detected, dispatching a professor!]

    A sudden notification appeared. Alec dismissed it before looking around. This was way beyond the scope of what he could handle. It was a hunch, but a strong one. His spells, even with The Author''s Pen, wouldn''t hurt that thing. He would have to unleash something at least of 4th circle, and it still wouldn''t guarantee success.

    Then what was there to do but to invoke a professor?

    He probably wouldn''t be implicated in this situation even if he were to hurt another student, but he had outsourced the task to the girl just in case. Although it would have been a really scummy move to cause the girl to be eliminated, the situation at hand was way more important than some exam results.

    While the fierce battle ensued, Alec joined them by assisting in defense. The aforementioned professor didn''t take long to arrive, maybe thirty seconds. It was Professor Simon who came, the head of the previous Earth Magic Review Board. Now conglomerated into Classical Magic. Once the man saw the situation, he frowned and dispelled the earth-riding spell he was using. He settled in front of the students and raised an Earthen Barrier spanning the entire cave with a snap of his fingers. He then turned toward Alec.

    "What is going on? Demons?"

    "Yes," Alec said. He looked for blue sparks around the Professor''s head, but couldn''t spot any. The anti-meme wasn''t that weak. Not yet.

    "I see. I assume the alert was given out because of it. Am I right?" He asked while turning his back toward Alec. He raised his hand, his palm pointing toward the earthen wall he himself had raised. A brown-colored magic circle appeared. The ground under their feet started flowing towards him, slowly accumulating into a large, spiky ball. Once the spiky ball seemed to solidify, the man used his other hand to split the earthen wall and launched his spell.

    The spiky ball hurtled through the air, approximately the size of two grown men. It spun rapidly, smashing against the amalgam of demons. The spikes on it exploded in every direction, the ball itself dug into the mound of flesh, leaving a gaping, giant hole right in its middle. Then it exploded too. Fine grains of sand ripped apart the demon amalgam in one go, leaving baffled students behind.

    "Umm..." Alec watched the happenings. The professors were not meant to be underestimated, after all. "No. These beings don''t seem to alert the system. I think you will have to declare an emergency."

    "I see... Then we should cancel the-"

    "No!" Alec said firmly, his voice rising. He looked deep into Professor Simon''s eyes. He had tried asking Professor Howard for the right to enter the Headmaster''s room before. Apparently, it wasn''t possible at all. One had to get the first place in this exam. If not, even Professor Howard himself wouldn''t be able to enter.

    "No matter what happens, the exam must go on!"

 Chapter 96 | Signature Locator

    Professor Simon looked back at Alec. His mouth opened and closed, but he didn''t answer. He seemed to think for a second before continuing.

    "I see. You are a man of reason, Alec Greenwood. I have seen that. I will trust your judgment this time. Don''t make me regret it," he said with a resolute frown. He then tapped his temple where a tiny magic circle appeared.

    "Emergency. Code: 107. Immediate dispatchment of all personnel authorized," he said. For a moment, Alec felt a gargantuan amount of cumulative mana shake and roil, somewhere about three kilometers away from where they were.

    "That''s..."

    "They will be moving," Professor Simon said. "Go and do what you must. The exam goes on," he announced before snapping his finger once more. Alec tried understanding whether that was really needed, or if he was merely acting cool. The ground under them liquefied once more, carrying away the professor.

    Seeing that, Alec didn''t waste any time and started heading toward the middle of the cavernous chambers. He had wasted a lot of time on facing the demons.

    [Team Spellson has taken down a high-level boss! 5.000 points have been awarded!]

    He frowned. Putting aside the 5.000 points, they had probably slain some medium-level bosses along the way, so he genuinely didn''t know if they were closing in on his score.

    [Team Spellson has taken down a high-level boss! 5.000 points have been awarded!]

    Another notification came two minutes later. Alec''s brows rose as he stopped in his tracks.

    ''What are they¨C''

    [Team Spellson has taken down a high-level boss! 5.000 points have been awarded!]

    ''How can they find this many?'' Alec had come across a couple of high-level bosses, but they were either occupied by other teams or already killed. ''He is doing defeat in detail? He splits up his teammates to search and occupy bosses while he himself aids in taking them down one by one. Tsk... That requires some sort of communication artifact. What are they using?''

    Alec had seen the student council president use such a device before. But he didn''t know how well it worked. Considering how many walls would be between their teammates, it seemed to work better than he had imagined.

    He managed to locate a couple more medium-level bosses, none of which were a major threat to him, Alec bolstered his points up to 70.000. He was probably about two kilometers away from the absolute center of the caves, inside a habitat replicating something like an ancient bazaar filled with minor mobs when he encountered an ally.

    "Iris!" he rejoiced. Another demonic incursion wasn''t on his list of expected events, and he needed every bit of help right about now.

    "Alec?" She turned her head, dispelling a mana ray that had blasted through more than twenty goblin mobs. She straightened and looked at him. When she noticed the frown on his face, however, she got serious too. "What''s going on?"

    "Another incursion," Alec said. His eyes wandered over her wrist, confirming the existence of magical incense smoke slowly flowing out. "The events from before have weakened the anti-meme too much."

    "Shit," she muttered under her breath before crossing her arms. "What do you need me for?"

    "I need help in getting the first place," Alec said with a firm tone. He had wanted this race to be fair and square, but those concepts had dissipated the moment the demonic incursions had started. And by the looks of it, Edward wasn''t aware of it yet. Or else, he would have been focusing on dealing with the demons, entirely abandoning the exam.

    "How? I doubt I''m strong enough to matter," she said. Alec thought for a second and answered.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Yes. But I need mana. So you will be that."

    Iris uncrossed her arms and took a step back in aversion.

    "Ugh... You want me to supply mana?" she asked to confirm. Alec nodded apologetically. Supplying mana could be uncomfortable, especially for weaker mages. "For what though?"

    "Don''t ask," Alec answered before taking out The Author''s Pen. He went down on his knees and started thinking, visualizing many patterns and magical concepts. This was to reduce the mana cost of what was to come.

    ''I will have to use memetic magic, classical magic of Earth branch... Maybe some light? That spell and that other one...'' Alec thought while scratching his head with the pen.

    "Alright. I will spend a lot of mana now. You will have to supply me with however much you can. Be prepared to completely fail the exam in case you run out of mana," Alec said. He was about to avert his eyes before he stopped himself. "There is a good chance it won''t mean anything."

    "Mm," Iris nodded. Failing the exam didn''t have any explicit punishments like getting kicked out of the academy or something. It would, however, greatly tarnish a mage''s reputation. Especially one of Iris'' popularity. Nevertheless, she didn''t seem to be too bothered by it. At worst, she would use anti-memetic magic to disappear for some time.

    Without further ado, she crouched behind Alec and lifted his shirt. She planted her hands on his back and started attuning her mana signature to Alec''s. She breathed deeply and readied herself for Alec to give the signal.

    On the other side, Alec was ready. He brought down The Pen''s tip onto the ground and wrote.

    [Signature Locator Magic Circle]

    The artifact''s enigmatic mechanism churned to life, pulling on Alec''s mana rapidly. A steady stream flowed from his hand onto the pen as the outline of a magic circle started flickering. Seeing this, and feeling the amount of mana roiling, Iris let go of the breath she had been holding onto, alongside the mana she had readied.

    Even with her help, however, Alec''s mana continued lowering. From the 70% he had at the start, he was already down to 60%. His mana pool wasn''t much of a pool, but more of a small lake compared to that of Iris. The amount she contributed was nice to have but didn''t have much of an effect.

    Fortunately, Alec''s expenditure of mana stopped somewhere around 35%. His face sweaty, he took in the brand new piece of magic he had created with the help of the pen. It was of the third circle, a memetic branch spell. It would help him locate the mana signatures of mages he wanted to find.

    "Thanks for the help," Alec said to Iris, who was left breathless, sweating profusely. She nodded in answer.

    "That artifact..." she muttered. However, she stopped herself from continuing and looked away.

    "How much mana do you have left?"

    "About 30%. Why?"

    Alec bent down and wrote a Very Low Mana Potion before handing it over to her. She took the potion and drank it without questions.

    "Please use this spell I have drawn and find Evan. You know his mana signature, right?" Alec asked. Iris nodded. "Once you find him, bring him to the middle of the cavernous chambers. If I am not there yet, wait for me. Is that okay?"

    "Sure..." she muttered before looking at the magic spell Alec had so easily created. She gulped loudly and cast the spell. There weren''t any visual effects other than a magic circle appearing momentarily. Without waiting any further, Alec did the same too. The magic spell appeared as he input the mana signature.

    Mana signatures weren''t actually set in stone. They could change slightly over time, and the easiest way to differentiate them was by straight-up feeling it. It was like some sort of body odor. The person''s natural disposition, the way they lived their life, their personality¡ªAll of those contributed to their mana signature.

    Alec had spent a lot of time with certain people in the academy, but the mana signature he was the most familiar with was Edward''s. This was because of their extensive training sessions and duels over the months. He could easily input that into the spell, which spread across the entire cavernous chambers in the form of an ethereal pulse. It locked onto a signature approximately four kilometers away from where Alec was.

    "Found you..." Alec muttered. Although there seemed to be something weird with Edward¡¯s mana signature, it wasn¡¯t to the degree that it failed the spell.

    ¡®Hopefully, he will help me if I ask politely.¡¯

    Alec dashed. Although he couldn''t go at full speed because of all the zig-zagging paths and many tunnels he had to pass through, he managed to reach Edward''s location in less than five minutes.

    He found Edward to be fighting against a high-level boss all by himself, using advanced enhancement spells coupled with simple artillery ones. He unleashed the last barrage of spells, which took down the boss.

    [Team Spellson has taken down a high-level boss! 5.000 points have been awarded!]

    "Edward! I need your help," Alec said while walking to his side. Edward turned toward him. Slowly. Excruciatingly so. Alec stopped in his tracks as he looked at Edward''s face, a twisted expression of hesitant anger. "Edward..?"

    "Why Alec... Why did you have to... Do that?" Edward muttered, his voice dripping with poison.

    ''Oh no,'' Alec thought.

    "You framed him... You did it. You and Evan... You are my friend! So I couldn''t tell anyone," Edward''s voice kept shifting and changing. It was as if there were two different personalities fighting in there. "But duty calls... Tell me, Alec! Tell me! What do I do? Do I slay the heretic?"

    Alec frowned.

    ''He is losing it. If I don''t do something...''

    ''He will turn!''

 Chapter 97 | Bite It

    "Calm down Edward! Demonic rot is taking root in you!" Alec shouted while cautiously walking towards him, making sure to show no signs of hostility. He stepped over the mess that had been created previously, different potteries, and probably fake foods and fruits that spread all throughout. This cave was pretty similar to the one he had found Iris in¡ªAn ancient marketplace.

    "Demonic... Rot?" Edward looked down on his body. He ripped his shirt off and saw blisters growing on his chest. He frowned. A golden hue battled sickly, rotting green inside his pupils. He started muttering under his breath.

    "Demonic rot... Emotional turmoil. Focus and destroy. No emotions. Stop the rot..." He rambled on and on. His accent seemed to become a weird, archaic form of Toalqeshi. His head suddenly kicked back, his eyes rolling back into their sockets. Alec wanted to dash in to stop the rot, but unless Edward overcame his emotional turmoil, he wouldn''t be able to help him. Even mind magic was out of the question. Edward wouldn''t let him in. Not in this state.

    Edward raised his hand. A magic circle appeared, and his hand started glowing a brilliant blue. He straightened his hand like a blade, and suddenly brought it down. It ripped through his skin with precision, eviscerating the blistering rot on his front and revealing pink, bleeding flesh.

    "Don''t pity the fallen..." He muttered once more. Then, his eyes rolled back into place. Alec saw no rot in there. However, he did see rage. Holy, inquisitive rage. "I am sorry, Alec. But this is the only way."

    He had made up his mind.

    Layer after layer of golden hues stacked on top of each other, Edward started shining like a holy figure. He was going all out. Right from the start.

    ''Shit! He focused on his rage to stop his inner turmoil,'' Alec understood. Demonic rot could be stopped if one was perfectly in control of the emotion. And Edward was. Every bit of anger he had towards heretics was controlled perfectly. It was all gathered, pointed towards Alec like a spear.

    "Feel the wrath of the Spellson family, Alec! Rest for eternity!" Edward shouted as he suddenly dashed forward. His hands caught on fire as he tightened them into fists. Alec frowned.

    ''Why is he rushing in like an idiot?''

    Flexing his muscles, Alec lowered his stance. He dodged the flaming punches with two swift motions and slithered between them before smashing his fist into Edward''s chest, a bit of gravity magic spreading the force across his body. Edward was hurtled back like a cannonball, only stopping after rolling for 15 meters and hitting a stall filled with pieces of cloth.

    [Interstudent violence has been detected, dispatching a professor!]

    Edward didn''t stop, however. He shrugged off the pain as if it wasn''t there and got up. With the assistance of his enhancement spells, more than fifteen arcane lances appeared around him. Those were second-circle spells, unlike ordinary magic missiles. They were also much more penetrative and fast compared to a variant missile.

    Seeing that, Alec reeled back. He took off into a rapid dash while casting a couple of enhancement spells on himself. Edward started slinging spells at Alec with practiced proficiency. They had fought each other many times, and they instinctively knew what the other would do.

    So, Alec had to use something different.

    Once the arcane lances lessened in frequency, Alec stopped, faced Edward, and brought his hand forward. A magic circle appeared in his hand. Once the magic circle started spinning like crazy, Edward''s movements became sluggish. His steps slowed down. Then, he was slammed onto the ground with a loud thud. He was pancaked, the entirety of his body pressed against the market floor. Alec maintained the spell while walking toward Edward, dodging the occasional arcane lance with ease. The blonde student council president managed to ever so slightly turn his head under the pressure with a growl, looking at Alec with spiteful eyes.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "I''m sorry Edward. But you will have to open your mind to me," Alec said. He took out The Author''s Pen and did something very dangerous.

    [Low Mental Relaxation Potion]

    As the potion materialized in his hand, Alec let out a small sigh of relief. That was the first time he tried making such a potion. He was worried that it would have taken away his mana reserves in an instant, but that wasn''t the case.

    The hateful look in Edward''s eyes was like thorns being stabbed into Alec''s chest. This man had helped him with many things and had trusted him blindly for a long time. He knew taking such a risk was absurdly idiotic, but he couldn''t bear a friend being in this situation.

    Once next to him, Alec bent down on one knee. However, before he could force-feed the potion to Edward, something unexpected happened. Edward knew he couldn''t hit Alec with an artillery spell no matter the proximity. He was simply too fast for that.

    However, there was another method of hurting him.

    Suddenly, a different magic circle appeared above Edward. The air around them heated up and immediately caught on fire. Alec felt his lungs and skin burn while grunting in pain. He pushed himself away with a rapid jump. He was outside the hot air pocket. Then, however, came the blast wave. It caused Alec''s speed to be amplified, forcing him to use gravity magic to stop himself.

    Disoriented, Alec barely managed to gather himself when he noticed Edward dashing out of the dust cloud the explosion had kicked up. He let out a mouthful of air and dodged out of the way. Edward''s fist slammed against where Alec just was, and it exploded into a cloud of bones and blood. The splinters of his bones from the explosion spread in every direction.

    Alec''s eyes widened in terror.

    ''He detonated his arm to hurt me...''

    Disregarding the pain from the splinters digging into his skin, Alec dashed forward. He had to stop this now, or Edward would kill himself in an attempt to hurt him. They were in close proximity, their faces maybe half a meter apart, Alec tilted his head to dodge a punch. He knew Edward would probably try detonating that arm again, so Alec had no choice left.

    Before Edward could detonate his arm, Alec used Dispersion Point to detach his arm from his shoulder. Edward''s internal mana went into turmoil because of the major disruption, stopping him from manipulating it. At least for now. With his left arm gone completely, and his right hand exploded into pieces, Edward slumped forward and fell to the ground tiredly.

    The sight of his back made Alec''s stomach churn. The skin had been completely burnt off, occasionally displaying bones. That explosion spell had hit him too.

    Terrified, Alec kneeled down next to him. Edward''s breaths were sparse, weak... But they were still there. He wasn''t dead yet. And Alec had no intention of letting him die. Once this whole ordeal was over, they would find a way to reconcile. Maybe they would get him a magical prosthetic or something.

    For that, he took out The Author''s Pen. He wrote down a low health potion, causing his mana to dip down to 30%. It would regenerate, as he had a mana regeneration potion going.

    Feeding Edward the health potion, Alec watched the student council president''s severed arm turn into a pink stump. The bones on his back were being fleshed over once more. His breathing strengthened slightly.

    And at that moment, he jumped.

    His body propelled upward with a crude telekinetic spell, he bit down on Alec''s neck, shaving off nearly ten percent of it. In a knee-jerk reaction, Alec pulsed his mana pool into Edward''s messing up his magic signature, essentially making him into a magical cripple.

    The burning, lava-like pain held Alec''s mind captive. High-pressured blood started spurting out of his jugular like a hose.

    His mind blanked out for a moment, then he wrote another low grade healing potion. Once he took it, it coupled with his already active health regeneration potion and managed to close the laceration, albeit barely. Left breathless, Alec grabbed his neck in terror, looking at Edward''s unmoving body.

    He got up. Walked up to Edward. This time much more careful, ready to smash his head down to the ground in case he tried something like that again.

    He touched Edward''s head and used a mind spell. He dove right in and ignored the wave of gushing rage that flowed toward him from the mental link. His mind was too baffled, too numbed to feel anything at the moment. Spotting the realization about his relation to the potions, Alec deleted the memories one by one. Once done, he cut off the link and lay down on the ground tiredly.

    The blood spurting from his throat... The expression on Edward''s face... The moment he jumped up like that...

    "I want to go home..." Alec muttered under his breath, his arm covering his eyes. However, he was alerted by someone approaching. Once he stood up, he noticed Professor Miriam to be the one approaching.

    "What is- Oh."

    The woman looked at the unmoving Edward, then Alec. She sighed and nodded toward him.

    "You can go on with the exam if you want. I will take care of him," she said. Alec watched the woman carry Edward away on her shoulder like a corpse. He then got up, his lifeless eyes scouring the leftovers of their battle.

    It was time to push forward.

 Chapter 98 | Give Me My Pen!

    The wind brushed past Alec''s face, kicking up his hair and coat jacket. As he zoomed past many caves, he found himself thinking of the day he was transmigrated. He felt strangely similar to when he was in that car, with that trophy on the passenger seat.

    Now, there were no rewards. Only duty.

    He guessed that Iris would have already located Evan and led him to the middle of the cavernous chambers. He didn''t want to waste mana by using the signature locator spell.

    He had wasted a lot of time. 75.000 points were not going to be enough. The students of the academy were resourceful. Alec was strong but he couldn''t win while having wasted this much time. He had to achieve something that would surpass anything else. And that was to beat the middle boss.

    Recovering his mana as much as possible on the way, Alec found the middle boss'' entrance in ten minutes. He encountered students going through challenges, fighting lower-level bosses, and professors taking down demons here and there. Fortunately, with the speed they had dealt with the situation, things hadn''t spiraled out of control.

    The entrance leading to the middle boss wasn''t inconspicuous. There was a five-meter-tall and wide entrance leading to a gate embellished with incredibly minute details and carvings. Right in front of that gate stood his friends. Their numbers exceeded what he had expected.

    Putting aside Iris, Evan, and Evan''s partner Lea¡ªAlexei, Thomas, Alyssa, and Douglas were there too. Alec approached them calmly. The exam still had another fifteen minutes before it ended. That was more than enough. If they couldn''t beat the boss in ten minutes, they wouldn''t beat it at all.

    The first to notice him approaching was Evan. He uncrossed his arms and looked directly at Alec, garnering the other''s attention too.

    "Where is Edward?" he asked with a frown. Alec kept silent for a moment and then answered.

    "Not here," he said. A conceptual weight pressing on his back, Alec struggled to keep his head up. He hadn''t done something wrong. He had done what was needed. That was all.

    "Why?" Douglas asked. However, he shriveled under the dangerous frowns of Evan and Iris. They knew Alec. The situation wasn''t good if he acted like this. Better to deal with it later, when they have the time.

    "We have to beat the middle boss. And I will ask everyone here to assist me in doing so," Alec slightly bowed his head while changing the topic.

    "I mean, we understood that on our own. But will we be able to?" Alyssa asked. Alec nodded in answer. He was confident.

    "The problem is, I would like everyone to surrender right before we beat the boss," he said. Now that? That got some reactions. Evan and Iris were indifferent. They were used to Alec making unhinged requests. Alexei crossed his arms in confusion while Thomas scratched his head. They would probably be convinced easily. The other three, however, weren''t on the same wavelength.

    "I''m sorry Alec. But I think that is a bit too much to ask of us," Douglas said in all seriousness. It was understandable. They weren''t particularly aware of the situation they were in. And for that, Alec couldn''t blame them. Not everyone was blessed with a nigh untouchable base of memories like him. While the anti-meme could completely play around with their entire lives, it couldn''t do the same to Alec.

    "I will add your name as a co-author in my next-"

    "I am always willing to help out a friend in need," Douglas said while slamming his fist on his chest as a sign of respect. Alec sneered at the guy''s pretentious act before turning toward Alyssa.

    "I''m sorry but I''m not really interested in academic achi-"

    "Three hundred thousand credits."

    "Three hundred fifty-"

    "Get the hell out of here."

    "I''m sorry," she answered, averting her eyes. "Can you give half as a down payment?"

    "Sure," Alec answered. They touched their ID cards and he transferred one hundred fifty thousand on the spot.

    Lea, on the other hand, seemed to have been convinced by Evan using some unknown methods.

    "Well then," Alec wrapped up. He looked at everyone one by one and got their confirmations before continuing. "We have a deal. We will go in, and take down the boss. Everyone will surrender when the time comes. Let''s do this."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He approached the huge gate and stood in front of it, taking in the carvings. It was the carving of two figures. A nondescript man with a line perfectly separating his body in two, doing a hand seal of some sort. Countless magic circles of the ninth circle surrounded him. However, the spells were unreadable. One couldn''t decipher what they were merely from the carvings.

    On the other side was a monster. The monster''s looks seemed to have been sort of deified, made more surreal. However, it was a monster of countless eyes and countless fingers. Millions of those fingers seemed to coalesce into a single, gargantuan spear, pointed toward the man.

    Alec traced those carvings, feeling the coldness of the stone gate under his touch before finally pushing open the two sides of the gates. They groaned and screeched against his push, trying to resist. But he was too strong. The gate wings gave way, and they entered the boss room in tandem.

    The room was underlit, with small, wisp-like fires barely visible from the distance. When they walked deeper, however, those wisp-like fires raged. They increased both in size and luminance.

    With their light, the room, or the chamber they were in revealed its entirety.

    It was a football-field-sized, cylinder-shaped chamber with monotone stone blocks covering the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. It looked like a bigger, much bigger version of those rooms under the alchemy supply shop. Maybe those were somehow related to the cavernous chambers. Its size made Alec guess that it was directly under the middle clearing of the academy, which would coincide with its location anyway.

    Walking further inside, they stopped right in the middle.

    "This place is empty," Douglas said with his hand in his pocket. Alec threw him a glare.

    "Don''t say that."

    "Hey. Uhh... Was that always there?" Iris mumbled while pointing in a certain direction.

    Everyone turned their heads. There was a singular column standing right next to them. However, Alec could swear that thing wasn''t there until recently.

    Before he could walk up and inspect it, however, the column slipped back into the ground like a mischievous rabbit. Just like that, it disappeared.

    That rung alarm bells inside Alec''s head.

    "I think it''s under us!" Douglas shouted. Alec thought so too. But there was something wrong with that statement. Very wrong. Alec looked around. Why wasn''t his attention pointed downward? What about Iris and Evan? They were looking around too, instead of at the ground like the others.

    What made them different?

    The first one to figure it out was, unsurprisingly, Iris.

    "It''s anti-memetic! It''s not under us. It''s around us! Everywhere!" she exclaimed. Her words weren''t registered fast enough. Most couldn''t react in time. Other than Alec and Evan, obviously. They had been trained for this.

    While Evan''s entire body suddenly started blazing with golden flames, Alec took out The Author''s Pen.

    ''I need to write a mental cleansing potion right now!'' he thought. However, before he could do so, he found himself inches away from a dark crack in space. It was as if reality cracked like a glass, revealing a dark abyss. Alec froze. There, in the deep abyss, an eye opened. A few million more eyes appeared in quick succession. Their pupils thrashed around erratically before settling on Alec. Perfectly synchronized. From there, their attention slowly shifted toward The Author''s Pen.

    ''Is this really an illusion..?'' Alec couldn''t help but ask in his frozen state. Cold shivers crawled up his spine like millions of spiders. Before he could react, a human-wide finger appeared behind him, slamming against his hand. He watched in terror as The Author''s Pen was launched away, slamming against the further wall of the chamber before falling to the ground.

    With a guttural growl, everything around him seemed to fade. His body lowered and dodged a finger trying to slam into his head from behind before dashing forward like an arrow released from its bow.

    ''The pen! I can''t lose it! Or everything will be over!''

    Then...

    More than fifty cracks in reality appeared around the pen. Those fingers came out. Alec felt pain. It had cracked his hand, even with a small amount of contact. Before he could even make it halfway there, however, the fingers started crushing against the pen with all their might, repeatedly. The floor cracked. Huge pieces of rocks were launched in every direction as they repeatedly attacked the pen.

    ''It''s fucked. I''m fucked.''

    Alec''s shoulders slumped as he watched a dust cloud cover the fingers slamming against The Author''s Pen. If it was his body in The Pen''s stead, he would have already been ground to dust. He couldn''t even imagine what had happened to the artifact.

    In his stupor, another finger came out from behind him, launching him forward. He growled in pain as he crashed into the same wall The Pen did.

    ''I''m no one without the pen. What am I if I''m not writing? Just a cripple. What the fuck do I do now?'' Alec thought with a self-deprecating, soulless frown. However, he could hear his friends still fighting in the distance. How could he stop now? He had come this far. He would at least fight till the bitter en-

    ''Huh?''

    As the dust from the fingers'' massive assault dissipated, Alec''s eyes locked onto the pen, sitting there silently, etched into the ground.

    ''It''s unharmed? The pen... It''s... Is it indestructible?'' he thought. He tugged on his connection to the pen¡ªwhich he had lost track of because of his chaotic mental state. It disappeared and reappeared inside him. Once he took it out, he found it to be in pristine shape. ''Holy shit. There isn''t even a scratch on it.''

    Then, however, Alec thought of something.

    ''Wait...''

    ''If it''s this durable...''

    Getting up with hardship, he inspected the pen once more. A wide grin appeared on his face. He activated a gravity spell, and the pen flew up.

    At that moment, he noticed a couple of fingers approaching him from every direction.

    With a flick of his hand, the pen blasted away at an incredible speed. It ripped through the fingers like they were butter, completely shattering them and returning to Alec''s side. Floating in the air calmly.

    Again, unscratched.

    "The pen! The pen is fucking mightier than the sword!"

 Chapter 99 | Verba Volant, Scripta Manent

    As if a sword immortal had descended upon the world, twelve daggers formed an array around The Author''s Pen. The Pen could strike the fingers in just the right places, weakening their structure. After all, the fingers were made out of concrete. Alec was sure. This was just another illusion. It wouldn''t make sense otherwise.

    The confirmation had come from his interface. His HP lowered ever so slightly when that finger hit his hand. The same hadn''t happened when Edward attacked him. It didn''t register outside attacks against the user''s health points.

    Ripping through the plethora of giant fingers appearing out of nowhere all around, Alec managed to make it to his friend''s side. Whatever the boss was, its ability to obstruct vision was too high, so Alec wasn''t aware of their situation up until that point.

    And when he did see them, he found them to be in a dire situation.

    Momentum was a vital aspect of fights, especially when it came to mages. They needed time to set up their attacks and tactics. Without plenty of preparation, they would fall into simpler, easy-to-counter tactics. That was exactly what had happened to his friends. In fact, if not for Iris'' early warning and Evan''s fast reaction, the whole team would have been eliminated. Alec could see why the Professor had called the middle boss to be almost impossible for a single team.

    Evan and Lea were working in tandem, trying to create that time window for the others to pick themselves up. While Evan blazed with golden flames, each of his punches and palm strikes minutely altering the course of those fingers, making them miss by a hair''s breadth¡ªLea followed slightly behind him, launching surprisingly many amounts of basic artillery spells at close range. However, Evan''s flames seemed to be slowly running out. Both literally and figuratively. His movements and usage of spells were of utmost efficiency, to a degree that even Alec couldn''t compare. But still, his stamina and mana pools were nowhere near enough for the scale of this fight.

    The ones struggling the most were Alyssa and Thomas. Alyssa was a rare plant mage. She would take out seeds from her pockets and throw them around. The seeds would sprout in no time, forming countless vines and entangling the fingers, restricting their movements ever so slightly.

    Thomas was in a similar situation. He was a mage specializing in light magic. Although light magic could be really useful against biological monsters with soft flesh, he struggled quite a lot against the fingers made out of concrete. His fingers parted, and ten beams of light masterfully attacked the boss. However, no matter how much he concentrated fire, he could only take care of a single finger at a time.

    Alec had to win them some time to regain their footing. If not, the boss would steamroll them in no time.

    "Gather around me!" Alec said while pulling Evan by the arm. With a quick dash, he gathered all 7 of his teammates around him in touch distance. Not wanting to try writing on air and fumbling it, he used Evan''s back as paper and wrote.

    [Gravity Well]

    Suddenly, a purple wave of energy spread throughout, pushing away all the fingers into the spatial cracks they had come out of. This would buy them a couple of seconds, which was more than enough.

    "Iris, Evan!" he shouted. "Ping bomb him!"

    The duo nodded. Like a sea of fireflies, more than two hundred spells appeared around them, all of the first circle. While more than fifty belonged to Alec, the others were an equal split between Evan and Iris. Once they activated at the same time, a dizzying wave of pure white awareness spread throughout, encompassing the entire cave. Finally, the boss monster revealed its entirety to their eyes.

    "It''s just fingers?" Evan muttered under his breath. The boss was attached or was protruding from the wall. It looked like a gargantuan stone hedgehog was stuck in the wall and showing only its back. Albeit the spikes were instead stone columns disguised as fingers. The rest¡ªthe cracks in space, the eyes... All of them were merely illusions. The fingers would leave the anti-memetic effect just before striking them, maybe as a mechanic of the exam.

    Seeing the truth behind the situation, they still couldn''t relax.

    "So... What do we do now?" Evan asked with a bitter frown on his face. Alec shrugged. He doubted he had something that could deal with it in his arsenal. "So we just chip it down?"

    The boss'' HP bar had only gone down by five percent.

    "But we don''t have the time to do so," Iris added. The fingers had started approaching them once again, recoiling from Alec''s gravity spell. "I don''t know what that wave of force was. Can you do something bigger?"

    "There is no way. Even if you were to supply all of your mana to me at the same time, I wouldn''t be able to deal enough damage," Alec said. It was a restrictive spell at most. Using it to deal damage to such a big opponent would require him to have 50 points in mana at least.

    "Hm... Alec. How many of those blades can you control with your mana?" Evan asked. Alec shook his head as the twelve blades launched forward with the pen, keeping them safe for a couple more moments.

    "It''s not about mana. It doesn''t even cost much. I just don''t have the brain power to control all of them. Letting go of the fine controls, I could maybe deal with another four. If I didn''t have to move and use both brains only for that, maybe twenty-four in total," Alec said. This made a glint appear in Evan''s eyes.

    "Everyone! Win Alec and me some time!" he asked. He then made Alec call back The Author''s Pen. "I don''t exactly know how this artifact of yours works, Alec. But it probably creates stuff that you write, right?"

    Alec nodded hesitantly in answer.

    "Great. Then give me something to write with," Evan said. Alec nodded and wrote a simple pen to write with.

    Evan started drawing and scribbling on the floor with immense speed. His hand a blur, he managed to write a couple pages worth of stuff in less than a minute.

    "We are running short of energy here!" Iris relayed. Alec and Evan momentarily looked over before going back to it.

    "Can you do something using these?" Evan asked. Alec quickly read through, inspecting the drawings. They were about a spell, or some sort of ritual. It was pretty complicated. Which made Alec frown.

    "Did you think of these on the spot?" he asked. Evan nodded.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "Yes. My mind stat has long surpassed 50," he answered. Alec gulped when he heard that. "At that point, it was better for me to go all in on it. It has practically become impossible for me to become a combat mage. All of my stat points are on mind."

    "Oh..."

    Alec inspected the ritual once more. He committed it to mind, conceptualized it, and wrote it down.

    [Mind Nexus Ritual]

    Alec''s mana pool, which had filled up to 60% while waiting and fighting on low maintenance, dipped down to 10%. His eyes became hazy, as he struggled to stay up. If it was anyone else, they would have immediately gone into a mana coma. For Alec who had induced himself with such comas many times, however, it was bearable.

    "It''s done," he added with a hoarse voice. "But someone will need to supply me with mana."

    "Douglas can do that. He should be the one with the most mana. Once the ritual starts, you will be able to freely share mana anyway," Evan said before blasting off in a direction to help the others. Douglas quickly came along and kneeled down next to Alec. He started pouring in mana without a word. He seemed to have quite a big mana pool, close to Alec''s. After all, magic missiles were all about spamming. And that needed mana. A lot of it.

    Once the mana flowed, Alec felt energized. He started writing blades into existence. A pile, containing more than a hundred blades appeared. Although he had spent a sizeable amount of mana, the one paying the price wasn''t himself.

    Getting up, Alec started running around, drawing a big magic circle on the ground with the pen. Literally carving away the ground with its tip. Once he was done, he unleashed another gravity well and recalled his friends to his side. There were circular empty spots on the ritual circle. He made everyone sit. He then settled in the middle.

    "Brace yourselves! This will be uncomfortable!" Alec shouted. Once the magic circle activated, he felt his mind expand. The same happened to the others. However, he also felt bloated. Their consciousnesses overlapped. It was similar to having a mana brain, however less efficient. Still, it was more than enough. Once both mana and calculation power started flowing toward Alec through their connections, he willed the inert blades into action with gravity proxies. More than two hundred blades floated and pointed outwards.

    A big portion of the calculation power came from Alec and Evan. In fact, Evan''s mind was like a brilliant glow compared to the others. However, his massive mind was mostly spent on coordinating them.

    A finger, finally freed from Alec''s gravity well, launched in their direction. More than 10 blades focused on it and ripped it apart. As they got used to utilizing the mind nexus, the blades started pushing back against the fingers. The fingers retreated further and further away until the amount of blades just couldn''t keep up with the amount of area they had to hold. Now settled down to a stalemate, a barrier of blades had formed around the eight.

    The mana kept flowing toward Alec from the formation. Everyone was getting tired, and there were about two minutes left for the exam. The boss still had about thirty percent health.

    "This isn''t going to work out. We have to finish it in one go," he told through their mental connection. Receiving signals of affirmation, he tugged on the mana pool and took a huge portion for himself. He distributed the orders of attack. Then The Author''s Pen lowered. It wrote on the ground, seemingly glowing.

    [Gravity Well]

    However, what Alec visualized wasn''t a singular gravity well, but a series of them. They reached from where they were to the main mass of the boss, creating a corridor of unimaginable gravity. The air shook. The two hundred daggers immediately pointed toward the boss. The Author''s Pen flew up to stand in their middle.

    The air parted into a vacuum because of the gravity. Time seemed to stop. The fingers trying to reach them from that particular direction were swooshed away like leaves in the wind.

    Then, the spells were realized in quick succession. Like a railgun, more than two hundred blades, accompanied by The Author''s Pen were launched forward.

    The crushing gravity caused the blades to shatter into thousands of little pieces. The gravity proxies shattered and a mental backlash slammed against their collective consciousness like a tsunami. Alec tried his best to gather as much damage as possible and pour it into the mana brain, while the rest was equally distributed by Evan.

    The blade pieces stabbed into the boss'' main body with ear-rattling explosions. Load an object with enough speed, and it would cause an explosion. Not to mention, the huge vacuum created by the gravity spell was filled instantly, causing a shockwave to spread. It launched the eight in one direction while slamming against the boss in the other. The boss'' health dipped down to zero.

    Amidst the cacophony of explosions, Alec found himself lying next to a wall, directly on top of Evan, crushing him with his weight. Evan was still unconscious, barely able to breathe. The others weren''t in a good situation either. The first to wake up was Alec, the amount of time passed unknown.

    [Alec Greenwood, Iris Duncan, Alyssa Fraser, Douglas Burton, Team Coates, and Team Lemke have beaten the Middle Boss! As they have done so with less than ten team members, they were directly placed in the first eight seats of the leaderboard according to their participation.]

    [1. Alec Greenwood] [2. Evan Coates] [3. Douglas Bu...]

    The list continued, but Alec released a sigh of relief. He dismissed the illusion and looked around. The boss'' illusions had ended, revealing a wide, interconnected array of columns. Each with magical carvings of different types. He got up to inspect them closely, but as he approached the leftovers of the boss'' main body, he spotted a door to have opened in its remains. In fact, the door was shining. It seemed to be calling Alec toward itself.

    He turned around to look at his unconscious friends and made his way to the door.

    When he was no more than two meters away from it, an illusory prompt appeared, not right in front of him but at the door.

    [Detected the first ranker. Please take out the token of passage.]

    ''The token of passage?'' Alec thought. He suddenly felt a burning sensation on his chest. Unbuttoning his shirt, he noticed himself to be wearing some kind of crystal necklace. ''Since when has this been here?''

    It was a small, eye-shaped crystal. He didn''t remember receiving it. Probably a piece of memory lost in his last mind erasure.

    Once he took out the crystal, the notification on the door disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he passed through and started descending a long flight of stairs. The door slid shut behind him, which only worked to increase the rate of his heartbeat.

    The darkness made him lose his sense of time. He would occasionally stumble, barely managing to pick himself up before falling.

    Then, he made it.

    It was a dome-shaped place, similar to the boss'' chamber, but much smaller. There were 9 columns, placed in a circular pattern.

    And there was nothing inside. Nothing. Absolutely empty. No more entrances, no person, no artifacts.

    "Oh."

    Alec took out The Author''s Pen. His mana was full. He should have accidentally pulled all the mana his friends had. Maybe all of them had gone into a mana coma. Hopefully, Professor Howard would take care of them quickly.

    [Average Mental Cleansing Potion]

    Once the vial appeared, Alec didn''t waste any time and downed it in one go.

    The room seemed to look ever so slightly different, but still empty nonetheless.

    Something in him told Alec to walk further and stand in the middle. He accepted that intuition and followed it. When he stepped past the columns... That was the moment he was hit with a cascade of sensory input.

    It was gone.

    When there was constant noise, the human ear would get used to it. Sort of pushing the noise to the background. You would only notice it once it stopped.

    It was that kind of feeling. Only for the anti-meme. It wasn''t there anymore.

    Alec found himself to be standing in a magic circle. A magic circle of imperceivable complexity. The lines running through it looked more like circuits in a processor, rather than lines in a magic circle. The writings were so incredibly minuscule that Alec couldn¡¯t read them no matter how close he got. The magic circle was also big, spanning the columns and reaching toward the middle.

    This was the eye of the storm. This was the anti-meme. That, Alec understood.

    Under each column, a hooded figure sat cross-legged. Nine in total. Their red robes were robust, not showing even a bit of skin.

    And in the middle sat a white-haired, clean-shaven, middle-aged man. His eyes were closed. He wore a robe too. A white and gray one.

    Alec gulped loudly.

    "Headmaster?" his voice echoed inside the chamber. The middle-aged man''s eyes slowly opened, revealing two gray eyes. They were ancient. They locked onto Alec.

    "Alec Greenwood," he responded. His voice was turbid in an eerie sense. Alec wondered when the man had last spoken.

    "I am Odiel the Unknowable."

 Chapter 100 | Heavy Is the Head That Wears the Crown | 1/3

    The ancient chamber lit up under the soft glow of the magic circle. The Headmaster opened his eyes. Those eyelids seemed to carry the weight of the world, pushing against a slumber of years. Once the man''s pupils locked onto Alec, he stepped back in aversion. There was no aggression behind those eyes, but Alec still knelt in respect. The pressure was so high that he couldn''t stand up.

    "Headmaster?" he asked to confirm. The man didn''t move, letting Alec''s words echo out.

    "Alec Greenwood," he answered. "I am Odiel the Unknowable. You have made it."

    Then, silence ensued. Alec and the man looked at each other for a couple of moments. The one to break that was Alec. He got up with hardship. He rubbed the ground with his shoe, looking down.

    "It was this thing all along?" he asked. The corners of his mouth lowered. He then stopped and looked up at the man with a questioning gaze

    "Depends on what you were asking. But yes, it was," Odiel answered. His enigmatic choice of words caused Alec to click his tongue. "It can be hard to understand what is and what isn''t related to each other, Alec Greenwood. Please know that whatever you have experienced in the academy, it was for a reason."

    "Really?" Alec asked, tightening his fists so hard, digging his nails into his own flesh so deep that it started bleeding. He felt the need to reach out to The Author''s Pen for a moment. To attack Odiel. It felt like he was messing with him. However, he was wiser than that.

    "A smart choice," the man said. He lifted his hand with a drawn-out motion and pointed it toward Alec.

    Then, Alec forgot everything. Literally. Nothing existed in the world for a split second. He was a brain floating in space, dabbling in the illusions it created for its own entertainment. Everything else than himself? He forgot. And also The Author''s Pen. It seemed unaffected. Floating somewhere close by.

    Although this was for, maybe one-tenth of a second, Alec found himself on his knees once he was released. Gasping for air.

    "That, and much worse. I could''ve done. But we are not enemies. No one in this academy is your enemy," Odiel the Unknowable added as his hand went back down.

    "That''s a way to treat your allies..." Alec muttered under his breath, wiping the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "And? Will you explain?"

    The man''s eyes closed again. Alec worried that he had gone back to his slumber. His worries were unfounded. The man straightened and got up. When he did so, Alec felt an unbelievable amount of mana explode in every direction. As soon as the man got up, the magic circle stopped working. It lost its luster. Alec saw countless floating runes, whispers, and screams filling the air outside the circle. Those dissipated too, but the residue mana gave a faint luster to their surroundings.

    "All that... For what..?"

    "More than five hundred years ago," the man started. Alec gulped and turned toward Odiel the Unknowable. The man had joined his hands together behind him, looking directly at Alec. "My ancestors united this land. This planet, if you will. A long-lasting war ended, and humankind prospered under the guidance of a man called Uriel of the Flame."

    ''Oh. So that''s who it was. It was a real person after all.''

    "He was domineeringly strong. That''s what happens. Once someone gets ahead of the curve using the blessed system, it becomes incredibly hard to stop them. The only choice is to bow down," Odiel muttered. However, Alec couldn''t spot reminiscence in his eyes. He was merely talking history.

    ''Maybe he isn''t that old...''

    He noticed a throne only when Odiel sat on it. How long had it been there?

    "In that age of peace, they looked up. The magic of that time was much more developed. Better than what we have. However, the internal strife had caused astronomy to linger behind. They launched the first relatively high-resolution magiscope array into low-orbit."

    ''Where is this going?'' Alec couldn''t help but think. He was sort of getting uncomfortable, standing awkwardly. Only then did he feel a chair nudge against the back of his knee. He sat down and went back to listening.

    "Once they looked up at the stars, however, they saw something they shouldn''t have."

    Alec gulped. His mind wandered toward the dead sky but quickly realized that it must have been unrelated. Without the anti-meme, there was no need for any type of magic to notice it. It was very obviously there.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "They saw a galaxy strife with conflict."

    "Huh?" a reaction escaped Alec''s mouth. He pondered over the words. That seemed to be way beyond the scale that would be related to them. "What do you mean?"

    "Hm..." Odiel caressed his beardless chin. He seemed to be pondering something silently. "Tell me, Alec Greenwood. What do you think demons are?"

    "Umm..." Alec was stuck. He didn''t know how to answer that. The academy lacked answers about the demons. They were strictly blocked out by the anti-meme for the longest time. "They are... Monsters?"

    "What makes a monster, a monster then?"

    "A large, ugly, thing..?"

    "Hm. You can''t be perfect in every sense, it seems," the man said without any particular expression. "Well, they might have seemed like that inside the academy, disconnected from the hive. I assure you. They are not."

    Alec frowned. ''The Hive'' didn''t sound like fun times.

    "You seem to understand," Odiel continued. "Demons are some weird form of humans. That''s what we know, at least. And they are also the biggest galactic threat currently. At least that''s what they were five hundred years ago. I don''t know how it is nowadays."

    "Galactic threat..?" Alec muttered. He wiped the sweat accumulating in his palms onto his pants. This was supposed to be a magical academy with a slight twist. What the hell was he going to do about something of that scale?

    "Indeed. The demons... They had this sort of... Anti-memetic nature to them. They were hard to perceive with humankind''s rudimentary magiscopes. But their Hive Arks were pretty easy to see, considering they were bigger than most stars in the galaxy."

    Hearing the scale, Alec started feeling like it didn''t make much sense. Not that it was nonsensical, it was just beyond his comprehension at the moment. Humans weren¡¯t good with absurdly big numbers and sizes.

    "There was, however, another group. A group of sentient beings called The Concord. By the time we looked up, they were already fighting a bitter fight against the demons. We didn''t receive any of their signals, but what we did receive was a memetic message that blasted our mages the moment we saw one of their planets," the man recounted. He didn''t continue, however. He lifted his hand and pointed it toward Alec. Instead, Alec directly received what was presumably, that original message.

    [To the sentient species that is receiving this message. If you are still of planetary grade, this galaxy might be beyond saving by the time you are out of your star''s gravity well. The demonkind¡¯s memetic capabilities are peerless. Once you have noticed them, they have noticed you too. The Concord kindly recommends you blow up your planet using tectonic fracturing, lest the demon threat comes to consume you too. Sending our regards...]

    A confused chuckle escaped Alec''s mouth, however, Odiel didn''t seem quite entertained by the message. The rest of the message was a quick explanation about tectonic fracturing.

    "I assume your... Ancestors refused to comply," Alec said as the message faded away.

    "Yes. They were sure they could weather the storm somehow," Odiel said.

    "How?"

    "As soon as we got those messages, we dove deep into the research of anti-memetic and memetic magic branches," he said. "They weren''t concepts humankind knew at the time."

    "And with those..?" Alec urged him to continue. He grabbed the armrests of his chair and leaned against the back of it.

    "Humankind made a big mistake. If they had focused on the tectonic fracking, this planet would have turned into an asteroid belt long ago. All of our bodies stardust... Instead?" Odiel muttered, his voice getting lower and lower as he went on. He quickly pulled himself together before continuing. "They tried crafting ''The Veil''. An Immense mega-structure. An anti-memetic shroud that would stop us from looking at the sky ever again. We would forget the demons completely, and they would hopefully never find us."

    Alec frowned. A grim frown at that. He knew how that ended for humankind.

    "The demons were fast. They came in less than ten years, bearing mere vanguard ships for them. For us? They were doom. Human cities fell one by one. They didn''t allocate many resources to our back-water planet. That was the reason we could hold on for two hundred fifty years straight," creases lined Odiel''s forehead. He seemed distressed.

    "However, it would be over soon. Not much was left. Humans of this planet would die. Transform. So Uriel of the Flame bought us some time."

    "By doing what?" Alec asked while reminiscing about that statue.

    "I don''t understand exactly. I wasn''t there. It was a couple of months before I was born, in fact," he said. "He... He detonated himself. That''s what the records say. But that kind of detonation? Hmph. If he was that strong, he should have known better."

    Suddenly, Odiel raised his hand. Mana particles quickly formed what seemed to be a globe. There were four continents strictly separated by a single ocean. They were more like incredibly big islands, completely disconnected from each other.

    "Those landmasses? They are what''s left over."

    "Leftover? From..? Oh."

    "Uriel of the Flame detonated himself in a bitter attempt to push back the demons, cavitating the entire middle section of our supercontinental plate. The people who managed to live were only those of high level or those that lived in protected cities."

    As the man kept recounting, a huge fireball engulfed the globe and kicked up horrifying amounts of mass into its atmosphere.

    "That''s how he bought us time."

    Still, Alec couldn''t make sense of these stories. They seemed strangely distant. Why was The Headmaster even telling him these?

    "That''s why Uriel of the Flame is such an important symbol for the people of this world, in case you were curious."

    "That makes sense..." Alec muttered under his breath. He grabbed his chin, wanting to think further into the matter. However, he suddenly froze.

    ''People of this world? In case I was curious?'' His eyes rose to meet those of Odiel. The man still didn''t betray any emotions. ''He knows? How much?''

    "It must have been extremely hard for an otherworlder to adapt, I presume. I wonder what kind of place you have come from," the man mumbled, almost apologetic. Alec took a deep breath, not knowing what to say.

    "Uhh..."