Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Academy Inspection and Attribute Fusion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“President, this is the Yoo Hanes I mentioned last time.”
“Oh, this is him?”
Brown beard, sharp eyes, square jaw.
A man who reminded me of a tiger scanned me up and down.
From his conversation with Roan, this must be the president... but he was younger than expected. Mid-forties at most.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Hanes.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Asion Gail.”
The president, Gail, offered his hand with a gentle smile and a light greeting.
It was the moment I took it without much thought.
“Eut.”
The instant our hands clasped, a foreign energy sucked into my body.
It wasn’t a good feeling, so I reflexively drew up my mana, but the energy had already probed every corner of my body and withdrawn.
I glared at the president, making my displeasure as clear as possible.
“...What was that?”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I merely checked how your mana circuits are structured.”
‘...Checked the circuits?’
It didn’t seem like a lie.
If there had been malice, my heart would have reacted first.
Still, that didn’t make it any less unpleasant.
“Next time, give me a heads-up.”
I didn’t hide my feelings, and the president let out a hearty laugh.
“Ha ha, just as Roan described—a fellow with some fire. I apologize. I’ll ask permission next time.”
The president said this with another gentle smile.
At first glance, it seemed like he was readily admitting his mistake, but to me...
That smile carried an inexplicable pressure.
Well, maybe because I knew he was the president.
‘At least on par with Dershion.’
Either way, the key point was that this man was a powerhouse rivaling Aldeon’s former tower lord, Dershion.
The fact that he personally used a mana circuit scan—one that normally required a private consultation—proved his skill.
‘No, in terms of combat ability, he might surpass him.’
The mana swirling around the man told me as much.
Unlike Dershion, who focused on illusion magic and light magic research—theory—this man specialized in combat magic.
With that in mind, I heightened my vigilance and spoke.
“So, how are my mana circuits?”
I was genuinely curious.
I wondered how my body’s mana circuits were structured.
I hadn’t gone to a specialist because it was pricey, but now was a good chance to find out.
As I thought that...
“Your mana circuits? They’re abysmal.”
“...Pardon?”
The answer was unexpected.
I figured with my mythic trait, they’d at least be decent...
“Abysmal enough to say so?”
“Without a doubt. Not only are there too few circuits, but they’re structured in a highly inefficient way for handling mana. Honestly, I’m baffled how you cast magic with circuits like these.”
“...”
Baffled how I cast magic.
Talk about harsh criticism.
‘...I haven’t felt any inconvenience so far.’
No need to despair.
I’d cast magic without issues until now, and poor circuits just meant more room for growth.
‘I’ll add this to my build.’
I’d need to set aside time to restructure them once I had some leeway.
“By the way, is it true you surpassed Roan in the Aldeon evaluation match?”
I looked up at the question and saw the president squinting at me.
He seemed surprised too.
No wonder—with circuits this poor, beating the academy’s star prospect was shocking.
I glanced at Roan, who looked oddly intimidated, then answered.
“Yes, well, it just happened... I still have a lot to improve.”
“Hoo... Is that true?”
Stroking his chin in deep thought, the president placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Anyway, welcome. Roan said you’re here just for a tour, no special purpose. Rest well.”
“Yes.”
“Roan, make sure our rare guest wants for nothing.”
“Yes, President.”
Roan bowed to the president and tugged my sleeve.
“Let’s go, Mr. Yoo Hanes.”
The academy tour officially began.
***
“This is Building A. Mostly facilities for magic research. That spire next to it... you could call it the academy’s magic tower. Where the president and board members reside.”
“It’s enormous.”
“It would be. It’s the heart of the academy. The defenses are top-notch accordingly.”
Roan turned and pointed left.
“And this is Building C. Where we’ll explore properly today.”
“Ah, is this...?”
“Exactly. Asteron’s premier institution, Asion Academy. Where I study.”
I examined the building as Roan explained.
Unlike the others, it had bright tones, walls covered in windows, and consisted of two five-story buildings and one single-story one.
Pointing to the single-story building, I asked.
“What’s that? An auditorium?”
“Something like that. We gather for special events or hold spars by mutual agreement.”
“Spars?”
“Yeah.”
Students were coming and going even now, so they must happen often.
‘So that’s how Roan got good at fighting.’
That explained where he gained combat experience.
‘I’ll have to check it out later.’
Going there would let me gauge the battle prowess of this era’s mages.
“Follow me.”
Roan led the way again.
He headed to the frontmost five-story building. Crossing the entrance, a lavish lobby greeted me.
Polished marble floors gleaming brightly, a massive chandelier on the ceiling, and walls filled with obviously expensive paintings.
If I didn’t know it was the academy, I’d mistake it for some wealthy noble’s mansion.
‘...Insane. Does the academy have money to burn?’
Mages’ status must have risen far beyond 100 years ago. No other way to amass this wealth.
‘Everyone but me has it easy.’
As that bitter feeling twisted in my gut, Roan, scanning a notice on the wall, asked.
“How about auditing a class if you’re up for it? Could be a good experience.”
“Auditing?”
“Yeah, perfect timing. There’s one on ‘Understanding Mana and Attributes.’”
“Attribute class...”
I didn’t ponder long.
“Sure.”
***
That’s how Roan and I ended up in the lecture hall.
We took seats in the back row, drawing curious glances from other students.
“Lots of interest.”
“Rare occurrence. They’re probably intrigued—an outsider our age auditing.”
“Hmm.”
Fair enough. Even in the game, visiting the academy without enrolling was uncommon.
The door slid open.
A white-haired middle-aged woman entered.
“Good to see you all.”
She had a kind face, but her presence was anything but.
‘...An Asion professor.’
Even lowballing it, elder-class from Aldeon School. A class from someone like that naturally built anticipation.
The professor quickly scanned the students and launched into the lecture.
“Today, as mentioned last time, we’ll cover attribute fusion. As you know, attributes divide into lower and upper...”
‘Attribute fusion.’
Essential for advancing my build. I focused immediately.
“First, fusion with lower attributes... like this.”
Mana from two attributes swirled above her staff, creating a color I’d never seen.
“Once you grasp the principles of each attribute, it’s straightforward.”
She demonstrated magic periodically to aid understanding.
-
Magic learning aptitude has increased.
-
I poured all my concentration into those moments.
This wasn’t a public lecture—everything she showed had to be mine.
I’d been fully immersed for a while when...
“Now, come up one by one and try attribute fusion.”
The professor suddenly called for students to try it themselves.
‘They do this too?’
Surprised by the hands-on approach, I glanced around—other students seemed unfazed, like they knew.
Probably routine.
All the better for me.
I’d see the process in detail.
Bonus: gauge academy students’ levels.
“Go on, fuse as instructed.”
“Yes. Hoo—”
The young man at the front took a deep breath at her prompt.
And.
Srrrr—
Mana spheres from two attributes formed above his staff.
Smooth so far. The issue came next.
“Hup!”
Pulling his arms together like clapping, the spheres collided violently.
Nothing like the professor’s gentle fusion.
Pebang.
They refused to merge, exploding small instead.
“Ugh...”
The young man paled, and the professor patted his shoulder.
“Try again. I’ll assist this time.”
“...Yes.”
He glumly formed two spheres again.
Same result—they repelled each other.
Pajijik!
Sparks flew, on the verge of exploding.
That’s when the professor intervened.
“...Like this.”
Gripping his shoulder, she carefully infused her mana. The trembling spheres stabilized and fused instantly.
“Wow...”
The students exclaimed in unison.
I was just as stunned.
‘...That’s no easy feat.’
Directly influencing someone else’s mana is tough.
Even Oli Didan, an Aldeon elder who taught us, couldn’t demonstrate like this.
Her understanding and control of mana were elite.
‘Not a bad idea to pivot my build slightly.’
My original mage build skipped the academy, but I was rethinking.
This level of instruction would yield solid gains.
Of course, without noble status, I’d need to leverage Roan... but worth trying.
“...Got the feel. Thank you, Professor.”
“With fire attribute mastery, you’ll do it solo next time.”
Attribute fusion continued, until finally—Roan’s turn.
Shwaaaa—
He effortlessly fused water and cold attributes into ice.
Ice was commonplace now, no surprise.
“As expected of the top student. Excellent fusion, Roan.”
“Haha, nothing special, Professor.”
Roan shrugged and grinned at me.
A face screaming, ‘Bet you can’t do this.’
‘Did he bring me here just to show off?’
As that suspicion arose...
“Professor, mind if I ask something?”
“Hm? What?”
“How about letting Yoo Hanes, our auditor today, give it a try?”
“Oh?”
He pointed at me with that annoying smile again.
Yeah... pretty sure. Brought me to stroke his ego.
“That’s a great idea. You okay with it, Yoo... Hanes?”
“Yes, I’ll give it a shot.”
No reason for me to back out.