Second Night at Ivan Perishich Academy
Ivan Perishich Academy, second night.
I had sneaked into the academy's banquet hall in the dead of night.
"Phew."
Why was it already this exhausting on just the second day?
Andre seemed to have his desired classes all planned out in advance, but Sunny hadn't. She'd insisted on following me, so we'd ended up taking the classes I had scheduled together.
But I hadn't expected the stares directed at me to be quite so piercing.
In Deus ex Machina, Dia had drawn attention by barely defeating Cronia's golem, but it wasn't anything like this.
Ah, come to think of it—Dia had barely won, while I'd melted the golem outright...
Yeah, that explained the frenzied interest.
Just passing by was enough to draw every academy student's gaze. Most just stared, but some actually approached me to talk.
First came these weird upperclassmen who called themselves Cronia's fan club, babbling nonsense before leaving. They didn't attack—probably too scared. But a Cronia fan club? That hadn't been in Deus ex Machina. A bit shocking.
What was it they said? Apologize to Cronia? Ridiculous—I ignored them, and they didn't follow. Maybe the rumors of me overwhelming her had spread. That part, I liked.
Then the magic club came calling, inviting me to join and explore the truths of magic together.
It was tempting. Their president was one of my favorites, after all. But I had to decline. For starters, I didn't even know fire magic.
Of course, to people unaware of spirits, the flames Ignis conjured must look like magic.
Anyway, as someone who wasn't a proper mage, I couldn't accept. Plus, I already had a club in mind.
Oh, and the student council came too.
Inviting me to join.
I never imagined they'd recruit a first-year—freshly enrolled, no less.
The student council was reserved for the academy's top elites, the ones with the most outstanding achievements. Only the very best from second year and up got offers. A rare few exceptional first-years might too, but usually only toward the end of the year, after proving themselves in events and exams.
Even in Deus ex Machina, Dia had to grind through all sorts of crap events just to snag an invite in the second semester of first year...
It felt good. Like all those years of struggling in this talentless body had finally paid off.
Joining was tough, but it came with immense privileges and power—one of the highest honors an academy student could claim. And it was packed with characters I liked, which made it appealing.
But I'd already picked my club, and council duties would've eaten into my free time. No room to revise the plan now. I tearfully declined.
If there were save points like in the game, I could've reloaded and tried the council route...!
I'd half-expected the magic club invite. The Cronia fan club was a surprise, but I figured some rivals might pick fights. The student council, though? That was wild.
Overwhelming Professor Cronia's golem must've shocked everyone. Sure, it was just a basic one—not her real ace—but the headmaster's intervention made it seem like I'd crushed her completely.
I'd meant to show some power, but not this much. I was aiming for "talented student" vibes, not full-on monster.
And with rumors spreading that I was Siren’s little brother—destined to grow just as strong—it snowballed.
Siren sis... not helping at all.
Anyway, shoving all that aside, late at night I slipped into the pitch-black, empty banquet hall.
The academy prioritized student safety with a strict curfew. Everyone had to be back in the dorms by then, but here I was, past hours, in the hall outside.
The very banquet hall from yesterday's entrance ceremony.
It hid a special item: the hidden piece Avatar.
Deus ex Machina was academy-focused, so most events happened there. But that made outside stories tricky.
Hence, the devs added Avatar—a hidden piece letting players attend classes while exploring the academy via a clone spell artifact.
It had solid lore too.
About 200 years ago, the academy's greatest genius mage lived: Ivan Perishich.
A brilliant mind and mage, he left huge legacies—but spent his career as a grad student and professor, all cooped up here.
His temperament soured, so he hid his creations around the academy for worthy successors.
Thanks to that, countless Perishich relics dotted the place, serving as hooks for the devs' custom hidden pieces with special mechanics.
To them, he was pure deus ex machina—players called him "Another Ivan," "Ao Perishich," and so on.
For me, though? Freebies. I was grateful.
And tonight's target: Ivan Perishich's Avatar.
Problem was...
Where was it?
I remembered it was in the banquet hall, but details were fuzzy after so long.
I pulled out the notebook where I'd jotted down my game memories upon arriving in this world.
The entry on Avatar read:
- Burn the floor in the very center with fire
Ah, right.
Burn the center floor of the hall, trigger the hidden magic, and out pops the piece.
Uh... I'd planned to borrow a salamander—or Ignis's power.
But Ignis was now a supreme spirit with divinity.
It wouldn't shatter the magic, right?
...She'd told me to get this, so it should be fine?
"Summon Ignis."
Mana drained from my body like an ebbing tide.
The flames roared.
Ignis lit the dark hall bright as day.
As expected from her elevated rank—insane brightness... Not the time to admire it!
Someone might see the light and come running. Had to access the hidden space fast!
"Ignis! Burn the floor here with fire!"
- Got it, Luke!
Whoosh.
A massive pillar of flame erupted before my eyes.
...Huh? The overwhelming power punched a huge hole straight through the floor.
I-it's gone! What do I do about the floor now?!
At that moment, mana enveloped me, and a magic circle activated.
Eh? Did it work?
Pop.
The next instant, I stood in a dark room.
Teleport.
Ivan Perishich's trick on all his legacies. Solve his riddle, get teleported to the reward room.
Of course, knowing the answer let me skip straight here.
Avatar should be here, right?
Bzzz.
Suddenly, a holographic middle-aged man's face shimmered in the air.
Ao Perishich. He'd always play this pre-recorded message upon claiming rewards. Fair enough—I'd brag too if handing over my life's work.
Huh? Something's off. Polite speech? That's not his style. "Great one"? Was the Avatar recording like this? Nah.
Secret art? Avatar was an artifact.
Pill? What the hell...
"Savior. Our... our world, we leave to you."
The hologram faded after those final words.
Never imagined tonight's haul would bring more confusion.
Not an artifact—a pill?
Ivan Perishich lived 200 years ago. Why's it different from Deus ex Machina?
What the...
- Just eat that pill, Luke.
Ack! Scared me. Ignis, huh. Oh, hadn't unsummoned her. She'd been out the whole time, burning divinity?
- Yup!
Sorry, Ignis. Head back for now.
I unsummoned her.
Wanted to ask her about this, but she'd dodge properly again.
Eat the pill and find out? Mana wrapped my body again—probably the return teleport.
Pill, huh. Check it later back at the dorm.
Academy banquet hall entrance.
"The hall suddenly lit up, so I came to check..."
A small girl stood there, arms crossed.
"Was it a holy spirit? At this hour in the hall... Must have its reasons. No need to interfere—let's head back. Oh, right. Gotta keep the other staff away."