Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: Advance (Foreshock) (1)
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Oliver returned home and, instead of catching even an hour or two of sleep, pulled out the stack of unread newspapers he'd been saving and dove in.
Starting with the articles on the investment company, that is.
The investment firm founded by Druid Seamus and his lovers had been covered extensively by newspapers like The Talker, NO Credit, Liar, Gibberish, and countless others. The stories were riveting.
They grabbed attention with bold headlines, spun dramatic tales of the female investors' lives to hook readers, and touted the fact that they'd already secured hundreds of billions in funding to build credibility.
It almost felt like they'd been paid to write them.
But setting that aside, the company itself was genuinely fascinating.
The massive influx of investment capital was undeniable, and the backers—tycoons from Landa, nobles owning vast estates in the provinces—were all heavy hitters.
What captivated Oliver most, though, was their take on the World Tree.
According to the articles, Seamus had inscribed vast amounts of investment data onto a portion of the World Tree, creating an "investment system." He claimed it made losses impossible.
[Humans make mistakes. But nature doesn't. And the World Tree? It never errs.]
Seamus had declared as much in one piece.
It didn't sound particularly logical, but the public response was electric.
The World Tree was magic beyond even mages' full comprehension—a total mystery to common folk.
Hearing that such an extraordinary power was being harnessed for investing only fueled even fiercer interest and trust.
Of course, outlets like Inconvenient Truth and Cassandra dismissed it as impossible, branding Seamus a fraud.
But with his credentials as a druid who specialized in the World Tree, plus financial statements showing huge returns and testimonials from investors, they couldn't muster much traction.
Instead, Landa's biggest paper, Bugler, proclaimed Seamus's firm used a miraculous, fail-proof investment method that would turn Landa into a utopia where everyone grew rich.
After poring through days' worth of papers, Oliver felt satisfied.
It had been worth pulling an all-nighter.
Yet at the same time, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.
He hadn't studied the World Tree in depth, so he couldn't voice a firm opinion, but he seriously doubted it could work that way.
Mages still hadn't unraveled its secrets, after all.
"Xenon? Xenon? Xenon ...!"
Lost in thought, Oliver heard someone calling him. He turned around.
A student was panting hard, desperately chasing after him.
Oliver was breathing heavily too, of course—but just a touch more steadily.
"What's up?"
"Time's up."
The student pointed to the pocket of Oliver's training uniform. His training watch was beeping: beep, beep, beep.
Oliver silenced it and declared the run over.
Not that it mattered much—the others had given up long ago, everyone except one.
"Hmm ..."
Oliver let out a low groan as he eyed the students slumped over, motivation gone.
They'd jogged a bit, gotten winded, and just collapsed.
It was a matter of will, not stamina.
He had no intention of forcing them, but since it was his job, he pondered how to spark their drive.
Come to think of it, I've learned all the textbook methods and lecture tips, but nothing on firing up motivation. Hmm ...?
Suddenly struck by a oddity in Magic Tower training, Oliver shifted his gaze forward.
There stood the student who'd called out, catching his breath.
Felix of the Gaia minor school.
The one who'd boldly voiced his complaints when Oliver offered to help with training, then stubbornly argued during the persuasion.
True to form, he'd stuck with the workout.
"... Why are you looking at me like that?"
Felix asked, meeting Oliver's downward gaze.
Oliver questioned him to figure out what fueled his motivation—maybe he could use it on the others.
"Why didn't you stop? I said the watch beep meant you could."
"Precisely when you stop."
"Ah ... Sorry. Got lost in thought for a sec."
"It's fine."
"Anyway, thanks for keeping at it. The professor will be pleased."
The professor in question was none other than Kevin, teaching other students upstairs.
"... Honestly, I don't even know if this is worthwhile."
Felix said, his words laced with doubt, regret, and negativity.
What intrigued Oliver more was that he'd volunteered it unprompted.
Despite weeks of basic training together, Felix rarely spoke beyond answers.
Now he was sharing his thoughts first.
Oliver was intrigued.
"What do you mean?"
"Does grinding basics like this really get us back to the upper-level classes?"
"If your skills improve, probably? That's what the professor said."
"That's the problem. Does running and strength training actually make me better?"
Complaining, dissatisfied. Still, Oliver appreciated it.
At least he was being honest. In return, Oliver answered earnestly.
"It will. Stronger body means more mana output in one go."
Oliver drew from books and other classes.
To wield mana, your body had to handle it.
I wouldn't know from experience, though ...
Oliver thought, never having felt it himself.
"But only to a point, right? I already have decent basics."
Felix shot back, frustration and injustice in his tone. And truthfully, he and a few others did have solid baseline fitness.
Yet Kevin had them all—including Felix—drilling stamina because basics weren't enough.
Talent. Like Yarelli and Derek have.
Using magic was a gift in itself, but talent varied—some shone brighter.
Yarelli and Derek were those cases; Felix wasn't.
Their innate mana pools and control outclassed him, so Kevin pushed physical limits to compensate.
If heaven shorted you on gifts, you made up elsewhere.
Lucky bastards, the talented ones.
"Keep at it, and it'll get better."
"Sure, eventually. But can we return to normal classes before semester's end?"
"Any special reason to rush back to the professor's lessons?"
Felix faltered at Oliver's question. There was something.
"... Isn't it embarrassing just sitting here? We should at least get direct guidance from him."
"Hmm ... I see. Got it. Then push a bit harder. I'll help however I can to get you back to Professor Kevin's class ASAP."
Felix stared silently, eyes gleaming with how exactly?
Oliver ignored it, scanning the others.
"Alright, on to the next drill."
*
"Here's the report."
After Basic Magical Combat wrapped, Oliver handed Kevin a brief report on the students' progress and his own observations.
Kevin rifled through it as usual, pages fluttering.
It looked cursory, but it was his prep skim before deep read.
"Looks like the students aren't buying in."
"Sorry."
Kevin shook his head.
"Why apologize? Bad teaching's on the teacher, but no will? That's on them."
He spoke with contempt. Skilled and responsible, but strict as hell.
"Felix is trying hard, at least."
Kevin flipped back to Felix's page and read closely.
"... He's got motivation, huh."
"Yes."
"But his mana control's lacking. Not fatal, but average or below. Shame, with his mana reserves."
Regrettable—no contempt, but no praise. Oliver pressed.
"That bad?"
"Sadly, yes. Poor control caps your spell ceiling and slows casting. Combat's all about snap decisions—especially magic. Doesn't matter how much firepower if you're hit first."
Oliver agreed.
Magic seemed like brute force, but that was just one facet. True power needed speed, combos, adaptability.
Elemental magic especially thrived on it.
"Can't control improve with practice? ... Like Derek?"
Oliver recalled sparring Derek at the last party.
The guy's growth was insane.
Beyond basic blasts, he chained spells for max power at min cost, dominating space with fire's traits.
Better than most mages Oliver had seen.
But Kevin was skeptical.
"Not wrong, but you can't generalize."
"Huh?"
"Effort boosts control, sure. But results vary wildly ... Bluntly, no."
Kevin stated flatly.
"Talent dictates pace—some cover ten steps while others take one. Less gift, quicker walls."
"Walls?"
Oliver thought of the lightning mage he'd hunted and Aidri's journals.
Those walls had driven them from the Tower to the streets.
Pitiful, in hindsight.
"Yeah, walls. Ability ceilings. Everyone hits them."
"Really ...?"
Oliver replied, unable to relate.
"... You said Derek improved a ton, and he has. He'll plateau soon, though."
"He will?"
"Yep. That's his limit."
"Feels unfair."
"World is unfair."
Kevin said firmly, conviction burning.
Oliver half-agreed, but it still chafed.
After a pause, he spoke up.
"Professor, mind if I teach my students my way? Nothing extreme, just moderate."
"...? Already gave you leeway—do what you want. But why mention it? Something special?"
"Not huge, but they want back in your class fast."
"Skill up, they'll return."
"Yes. Can I help?"
"How?"
"Mind if I guide their mana control directly? Figured I'd ask permission first."
Kevin pondered long, then:
"... What?"
"To build mana control sense—"
"No, I heard you. I mean ... That's possible?"
"Probably? Never tried on mages, but that's how black magicians taught it."
Oliver said matter-of-factly.