Chapter 4: Goal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Goal
Märchen Academy.
The academy wasn’t just a school; it occupied the entirety of a vast, remote island in the eastern part of the continent. It functioned as its own sovereign entity with an independent economic system.
Most importantly, the currency used here wasn't the gold or silver found elsewhere. The only legal tender within these walls was "gel."
For a student, the most common way to earn gel was through performance evaluations or exams. It was distributed in varying amounts based on grades and specific criteria. While one could earn gel through part-time work, it was notoriously inefficient—better thought of as a desperate safety net for when funds ran dry.
Students could also convert outside currency into gel, but only before the start of a semester, and usually only until the first semester's tuition was settled. If you were wealthy enough, you could even pay your tuition entirely in gel.
But what if you ran out? Then you were truly at the mercy of the academy. You’d have to borrow from others, take out a loan from the academy bank, or slave away at part-time jobs. Otherwise, you’d starve. It was a harsh, unforgiving system.
At the start of the year, every freshman was granted an initial stipend of 5,000 gel.
Since textbooks and uniforms were provided by the academy, a student could easily last until the first performance evaluation as long as they didn't waste money on luxuries.
Knowing this, I spent my gel modestly on lunch and dinner at the student cafeteria. Even the "budget" meals were delicious, leaving me fully satisfied.
It was a strange, surreal feeling.
After defeating Trevion earlier and experiencing the entrance ceremony and orientation firsthand, I was now certain: I had transmigrated into the world of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
I eventually made my way to the library to pick up an [Introduction to Basic Magic] textbook that seemed appropriate for my current level. Fortunately, the contents weren't too difficult to grasp, likely thanks to my meta-knowledge of the game.
Feeling a bit overconfident, I pulled out an [Introduction to Advanced Magic] textbook and flipped it open.
...Okay, this is way harder than I thought.
Was this physics? Chemistry? As a former liberal arts major, I wasn't entirely sure, but the formulas looked hauntingly familiar. Just staring at the complex equations made my head spin. I quickly slammed the book shut and retreated to my dorm.
Märchen Academy had four dormitories. Assignment was determined by grades each semester.
Currently, I resided in "Doris Hall," the lowest-ranking dormitory with the most lackluster facilities. Assignments for the first semester were based on entrance exam scores.
As expected, Doris Hall was the "loser's den"—a gathering place for the students with the lowest grades in the academy. Ian Fairytale, the game's protagonist, was also staying here for the time being.
I entered my room.
My belongings had already been delivered: clothes, toiletries, disposables, writing utensils, and other essentials.
The room was small—at least, compared to the other dorms. But as a veteran exam student who had once lived in a cramped three-pyeong studio in Sillim-dong, I found it surprisingly spacious, clean, and even a bit luxurious.
For the record, the academy intentionally made the rooms in Doris Hall smaller than the others to "motivate" students to climb the ranks. It was elitism at its finest.
Even so, the showers were top-notch.
"I'm stuck in a place like this?!"
"Huh? What was that?"
Startled me...
A shout echoed from the room next door—a cry filled with a desperate will to escape. It seemed this "small" room was a massive blow to the ego of some spoiled aristocrat who had spent their life in a palace.
I shut my door and sat on the bed. The single mattress felt incredibly soft as it cushioned my weight.
"..."
It had been three full days since I transmigrated.
If I woke up tomorrow and was still here, my path was clear. I’d thought about it a thousand times since arriving.
I have to clear this game.
The main problem was Ian. He was the protagonist, and his death triggered an automatic Bad Ending. Right now, he was nothing more than a pathetic newbie.
On Hell difficulty, the game was brutal. Enemy stats were through the roof, requiring the player to have perfect control from the very start. Ian had already nearly hit a Bad Ending on the very first day; there was no guarantee he wouldn't screw up again.
If that's the case, I just have to get stronger myself.
If the protagonist is unreliable, I'm the only one I can trust. I have to be the variable that prevents the countless Bad Endings of this world.
According to the lore, Ian was born with the Light element despite being human. Since Light was the ultimate weakness of demons, he could defeat them even when there was a massive level gap.
Normally, Light magic and Divine Power were exclusive to the Saintess blessed by Lord Manhalla. It should have been impossible for an ordinary human like Ian to possess it.
However, the late-game twist revealed that Ian carried the blood of a Celestial, beings who naturally wielded Divine Power. That was why he could use it without a blessing.
Of course, both Ian and I needed to grow. The Light element had many uses beyond combat, and eventually, demons with "Invincible" status would start appearing.
When that happened, Ian would need to dispel their invincibility using the 8-star Light ultimate spell, [Expelled from Paradise], along with his final weapon, the "Luminous Sword." In short, I had to make sure he survived long enough to actually progress the story.
But in the end, the biggest hurdle is the final boss.
The final boss of the game: Nephid, the Evil God of Destruction.
She was a nightmare. On Hell difficulty, even with maxed-out stats, a single hit meant Game Over. Nephid could cast 9-star magic—power capable of unmaking the world.
The magic circle intended to revive the sealed Nephid was engraved on the roof of "Bartos Hall" right here at Märchen Academy.
However, the engraving was impossible to see or touch because of a 9-star spell that blocked "Absolute Perception." Could you just destroy the building? During a developer Q&A, someone had asked that exact question. I still remembered the answer: "Destroying the building is meaningless because the magic circle is engraved beyond time and space."
The revival of the Evil God was an inevitability.
Still, if I can just kill Nephid, it all ends.
The demons would no longer be a threat because Nephid was the one sending them after Ian in the first place.
Currently, Nephid was sealed in the Abyss, only able to leak a tiny fraction of her mana into the world. She used that mana to awaken dormant demons, sending them one by one to assassinate Ian.
My job was to intercept those demons and prevent the Bad Ending.
To clear this game, I need to be strong enough to kill a god...
As Isaac, my goal was set.
Let’s check my potential.
*
[Potential]
Stat Points: 25
◈ Growth Rate
- Physical Training Efficiency (D+): 16/100 [UP]
- Magic Training Efficiency (D-): 10/100 [UP]
- Learning Efficiency (D): 12/100 [UP]
◈ Elemental Resistance
- Fire Resistance (E): 0/100 [UP]
- Water Resistance (D): 6/100 [UP]
- Ice Resistance (C-): 24/100 [UP]
- Lightning Resistance (C): 29/100 [UP]
- Rock Resistance (E): 2/100 [UP]
- Wind Resistance (D): 13/100 [UP]
- Neutral Magic Resistance (D): 8/100 [UP]
◈ vs. Race Combat Power
- vs. Human Combat Power (E): 4/100 [UP]
- vs. Other Races Combat Power (E): 1/100 [UP]
- vs. Celestial Combat Power (E): 0/100 [UP]
- vs. Demon Combat Power (S): 100/100 [MAX]
*
Where should I invest my points first?
It was time to think long-term. The class assignment evaluation was coming up soon, and around that time, another demon would appear.
The problem was the "hunt." To kill that demon, I’d have to survive a five-hour battle royale against students who were all stronger than me.
If I invested in [vs. Human Combat Power] now to survive the evaluation, I’d be slowing down my long-term growth against Nephid. I needed to level up faster.
I'll prioritize training efficiency.
I distributed 10 points into [Physical Training Efficiency] and 15 into [Magic Training Efficiency].
Ding!
[Potential [Physical Training Efficiency] has been upgraded from D+ to C!]
[Potential [Magic Training Efficiency] has been upgraded from D- to C-!]
I didn't expect a dramatic change before the evaluation, but every bit helped.
Now, I need a training schedule...
Actually, I was already exhausted. I sat at my desk, unfolded some parchment, and began sketching out a plan. Somewhere between the first and second lines, I drifted off to sleep.
*
"Charles Hall," the top-ranked dormitory of Märchen Academy, was the pinnacle of luxury.
It was an exclusive facility reserved for the top ten students of each department. The academy even provided high-quality staff and servants for the residents.
It was here that Kaya Astrea, the prodigious second-ranked student of the freshman Magic Department, sat at her desk, chin resting on her palms, lost in thought.
In her darkened room, the soft glow of an enchanted lamp illuminated her figure, dressed in a silk nightgown.
"It just doesn't make any sense..."
Kaya was replaying the morning's events in her head.
That man with the silver-blue hair. When he defeated the demon, Kaya had felt an overwhelming, suffocating amount of mana radiating from him.
Yet, during the official mana evaluation, that same man was ranked Grade E—the absolute bottom.
It was a blatant contradiction. It could only mean the mana measurement device was faulty. But was it possible he simply hadn't let his mana leak? No, she had clearly seen his elemental aura. Besides, she had felt his "feeble" mana herself during the test.
There's no way.
The power he displayed when he obliterated that demon was far beyond her own. Kaya was a genius who could manipulate both wind and ice; she had an eye for high-level magic.
The moment she saw his 5-star spell, [Frost Explosion], she felt like she was witnessing a masterpiece crafted by a master over decades.
How could such a master be classified as Grade E? She almost laughed when the results were announced.
But Professor Fernando had been adamant: the mana meter's results were infallible. And the silver-blue-haired young man, Student Number 25, hadn't even protested. He just stayed silent while the other students mocked him.
It was as if he knew this would happen...
—"It is said that an Archwizard possesses control over mana beyond the realm of possibility, allowing them to deconstruct and reconstruct the flow of mana within their own body."
She recalled those words. To fake one's mana quantity by altering the mana itself? That was as absurd as claiming someone could change every cell in their body at will.
Then again, an Archwizard was a being that transcended common sense. If anyone could do it...
But it still didn't make sense. A student her age reaching the level of an Archwizard?
"Archwizard" was a title reserved for the absolute pinnacle of magic on the continent. Even the most successful mages—Tower Masters, high-ranking Guild Leaders, Court Wizards—couldn't hold a candle to an Archwizard.
Even Kaya’s family, the Ducal House of Astrea, would be forced to bow their heads in the presence of one. Reaching that level required heaven-sent talent, divine blessings, and decades of bone-breaking effort.
Technically, while the man's mana was powerful, it was still slightly weaker than the first-class wizards Kaya had met. He didn't quite have the presence of a full-fledged Archwizard yet.
But that still didn't explain the Grade E discrepancy.
The black-haired boy didn't know anything either.
After the silver-blue-haired man left, Kaya had woken up the boy named Ian Fairytale and treated his wounds. His recovery was unnervingly fast, as if her healing magic was merely a catalyst for his own innate vitality.
When she asked Ian if he knew the man who saved him, he seemed completely clueless. His focus had been entirely on the demon that had already turned to ash.
Kaya had reported the demon's appearance to Professor Fernando after the evaluation, but she had tweaked the truth.
She reported that the demon was already dying and dissipated on its own. She claimed she didn't know who had struck the final blow.
She did it because a wild, unbelievable possibility had taken root in her mind.
"No, that's... that's just impossible..."
But as she peeled away the layers of impossibility, the hidden truth began to emerge.
Kaya whispered the thought aloud: "If Student Number 25 has reached the level of an Archwizard... and if he intentionally suppressed his mana during the test... then is he a genius among geniuses? Someone who surpasses every Archwizard in history?"
Absolute truths could be overturned the moment an exception appeared. Humanity only understood the world through what had been observed so far.
But what if the "exception" had finally appeared? What if that exception was the man with silver-blue hair?
"That's... incredible."
A shiver ran down her spine. Excitement. Thrill.
If she was right, she was looking at a living legend in the making. And she was the only one who knew his secret.
It felt surreal, like she was standing before a monumental truth she wasn't supposed to see. Kaya’s hands trembled, and the corners of her mouth twitched upward.
"No, no. Don't get ahead of yourself."
The professor said it was impossible. Think rationally.
When she calmed down, the idea seemed like a fantasy. It was illogical.
But what if it's real? What if it's actually real?
What if he entered the academy while hiding his true power for some secret reason?
Kaya’s mind was made up. If he was an important figure pretending to be the weakest, she would help him keep his secret. She wouldn't utter a word about his contribution to the demon's death.
I have to find out for sure.
Kaya resolved to speak to Student Number 25 tomorrow.