Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Birth of the Magic Swordsman
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“What the hell? That guy.”
Roan had suddenly bolted off on his own.
Leaving me stranded out of nowhere.
“Was he that shocked?”
I considered it, but it didn’t sit right.
Roan was already at a level where attribute combination came easily to him.
There was no reason for him to sink into negativity just because I’d succeeded at it.
Sure, unlike Roan, mine had been a higher attribute...
“But I only pulled that off with the professor’s help.”
If I’d tried it solo, I probably would’ve failed.
Worse, it might’ve exploded and caused a major incident.
Anyway.
“Hmm.”
With no other choice, I slipped out of the lecture hall and wandered the academy grounds.
Since I was here, I figured I might as well sightsee freely.
That’s how I ended up at the magic training room.
“Whoa...”
At first, I was pretty impressed by the facilities.
It wasn’t huge, but there were meditation rooms to aid focus, mana detectors, breath-concentration sensors, crystal orbs, and more.
Facilities and tools perfect for magic training overflowed the place.
It was incomparable to the academy training rooms from the game, set a hundred years in the past.
“Training here would let you master even the most stubborn spells.”
And what surprised me even more?
“What? All this is free?”
“Yes. Any mage affiliated with the academy or the society can use it freely.”
“Heh...”
They even let you use artifacts owned by the society for magic training.
With zero cost or time limits.
And the grades weren’t half bad, either.
Common, rare, and even a few heroic-grade ones.
Overkill for practice, really.
‘No wonder Roan made such good use of the artifacts.’
With that thought, I asked the training room attendant.
“Mind if I give them a try?”
“Of course. Use as much as you like. It’s the society president’s orders.”
“Really?”
I’d asked just in case, but got the green light.
Probably because I was Roan’s invited guest, and the president was extending courtesies.
“Then it’d be rude not to.”
With a bit of excitement, I closely examined the artifacts and tools.
Thanks to Professor Jairen’s help, I had a rough grasp on attribute combination.
Might as well seize the chance to master it for good.
“This one okay to use here?”
“Yes, of course.”
I grabbed a couple artifacts that boosted mana capacity and entered a booth-style training room.
Blinded by privacy magic, no one could see inside or detect mana fluctuations.
Word was, it kept secrets during academy evaluations or tournament prep.
Whatever. Perfect for what I needed.
“Alright.”
I sat down and summoned two orbs.
One was the same water-attribute orb as before.
The other?
Whoooosh!
The radiant light orb I’d gained facing Baal.
“Phew...”
This combination I was about to attempt was crucial for me right now.
Its success would lock in the build I planned to use in the coming war—the Prophecy of the Red Moon.
Succeed, and I could stick to the original plan. Fail or delay, and I’d have to scramble for a stopgap build usable even briefly in the war.
That meant wasting time on unnecessary spells.
Inefficiency like that was my pet peeve.
In the game, and now in this reality.
So.
“I’ll make it work.”
Flash! Flicker, flicker-flash!
- Magic computation ability maximized.
I activated the artifacts I’d brought and entered a state of focus.
Replicating the sensation from before to the letter.
‘...Smooth and flexible.’
Light-attribute mana was inherently tough to control by nature.
That’s why my mana had gone haywire during the attempt.
Professor Jairen had provided the fix for that snag.
The so-called mana-soothing technique.
I carefully drew the orbs together.
Swooooosh.
Unlike before, a pleasant sound filled the air.
Maintaining that stability, I swiftly mapped the mana flow.
Only my second try, but my innate talent was already self-correcting through feedback.
‘Now!’
Rumble-rumble.
The moment a faint vibration ran through my staff.
Shwoooosh.
All my mana drained out in one go.
Way more taxing than the dimmed light spell from earlier.
Without the artifacts, I doubt I could’ve even attempted it.
‘Gotta prioritize boosting my mana pool, too.’
The Prodigy of Magic trait’s mana regen kept my sustain solid, but spells this mana-hungry had limits.
At my current capacity, even stepping into 5th circle would strain me.
I added mana expansion to my pre-war to-do list and slowly opened my eyes.
Couldn’t help but gasp.
“Whoa.”
Hovering above the Holy Staff was a single, iridescent orb of light.
But utterly unlike the one before.
The scattered light now held a perfect form, shaped by the water.
Its beauty was breathtaking.
“...Not the time to gawk.”
I snapped out of it.
I still had work to do.
Next: Imbuing this successful combo with ‘form.’
Tougher and more perfect than the ice spear I’d used to seal the Aldeon rift.
Nail that, and I’d hit the midpoint of my planned build.
“Let’s do this.”
I shelved my ambition and started with tiny shape shifts.
Cube, cylinder, cone, star.
How much time passed?
Finally.
Zing!
A handle sprouted from the orb, and an edge formed.
Yeah, in simple terms... a ‘sword.’
I swung the completed light sword smoothly.
Swoooosh!
- Proficiency correction +300% on all bladed weapons.
Flutter.
Nothing sliced, but a thrilling shiver raced up my arm.
The thrill of achievement.
How long I’d waited for this moment.
“...Finally.”
The main of the build I’d longed for.
The moment I became a ‘magic swordsman.’
***
By the time I left the training room, quite a while had passed.
I’d been so immersed in light magic practice that time flew by unnoticed.
So much for more sightseeing—I stopped by the society president’s office as a courtesy.
“How was the tour?”
Asion Gail asked, stroking his beard.
“Yeah, it was fine. The academy facilities exceeded my expectations. Good experience.”
No empty flattery.
I’d learned how academy education worked in this era, gauged the students’ levels, and scored an unexpected magic breakthrough.
All in all, a fruitful visit.
“Glad you’re satisfied.”
Asion Gail smiled warmly.
Then his eyes narrowed abruptly.
“Speaking of which... any thoughts on enrolling here?”
“Pardon? Enrolling now?”
“Exactly.”
Whoa, totally out of left field.
I’d been racking my brain for ways to leverage the academy, and here it was, handed to me.
But I couldn’t just jump at it.
Too many complications.
“Thanks for the offer, but... as you know, I don’t have the luxury for that. Commoner background and all.”
Money, first off.
Even in the game, academy courses guzzled cash.
And this was a century later—likely even pricier.
But.
“No worries there. I won’t take a dime for tuition. In fact, I’ll waive all additional costs, too.”
“Pardon?”
Asion made an offer too good to pass up.
‘No tuition?’
Cost had been my biggest hurdle.
Remove that, and... yeah, worth considering.
But.
“Sorry. Still can’t.”
I wasn’t in a position to lounge around attending lectures.
Just thinking about the impending Prophecy of the Red Moon event.
Enroll, and most of my time gets tied here. War hits, and as a student? What could I do?
Just huddle up, following society orders to evacuate.
Affiliating with the academy was that big a shackle.
No matter how I sliced it, enrollment was impossible.
“Hmm... So you can’t be tied down here?”
But.
“Understood. How about this: No regular attendance required. Come only when you want for lectures.”
“...Pardon?”
Asion upped the ante.
“Only when I feel like it...?”
“Precisely. Just mind your evaluations, and there’s no issue.”
Never heard of such a thing.
Even committing to the academy path in-game had no such route.
“Really okay? The students would riot.”
“This is Asion Academy. Prove your worth with skill, and no backlash. Roan did just that.”
“Oh, Roan...”
Right—Roan was society-affiliated, an academy student, and took Aldeon’s exam.
Impossible back when I played.
Guess this system was new.
But.
‘Why?’
The nagging doubt deepened.
“...”
I quietly sized up Asion Gail.
He feigned calm, but his face was stiff, faint sweat beading on his brow.
Visibly tense.
Sensing something off, I started probing.
“It’s quite a trek to get here...”
“We’ll provide dorm space.”
“That’d basically mean settling here...”
“Then a dedicated carriage. Driver included—no travel hassles.”
“If I’m here that long...”
“Good evaluations, and we’ll fast-track graduation. Two years tops.”
“But still...”
“Are you messing with me? We’re offering full support! Free tuition! Free meals! Flexible attendance! Guaranteed graduation! Carriage service... Wait, what else do you need?”
Pushed too far?
Asion Gail finally snapped.
‘...Okay, this is legit tempting.’
I gave an awkward smile, then sobered up.
One last thing to address.
“Why go this far? I don’t get why I deserve all this.”
“...”
Asion turned deadly serious at my question.
His first impression returned—like a beast.
Overwhelming charisma poured from him.
His answer was curt.
“Recruiting talent.”