Player 0.4 [You have died.] [Reset in progress.]

“Look at that!”

“Incredible!”

​Ooohs and ahhs rippled through the crowd surrounding me in the central square.

​The blue sky above had taken on a soft amber hue on one side as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Its low light caught on crimson and gold banners strung between buildings that matched the robe colors of the eleven Red Royal Mages standing on platforms at various parts of the court.

​It was a lively event. Small children sat on their parents’ shoulders. Music sounded from one corner, and vendors lined the outer ring of the square, selling popped rice, skewered meats, and buttery pastries.

I was currently munching on some popped rice myself, grabbing handfuls from the red-and-white-striped paper bag.

The highlight of the evening, the event that took place only once per month on the second day of the week, had commenced.

The mage to my right in red robes lifted his hand, and sparks spiraled upward, exploding into cascading arcs of gold and white that hung in the air. Another nearby mage motioned toward the nearby flower pots with nothing but dirt, and green leaves and stems sprouted, and magenta flowers unfurled and bloomed at their ends within seconds. A third mage clapped her hands, and swirling lollipops materialized into the palms of the children crowding around her. The kids squealed in delight.

I inadvertently yawned.

For a realm that was wrapped so deeply in their reliance on magic, I was not impressed.

My little sister’s fireworks could paint the sky with intricate, colorful patterns, even with a scent to accompany them. Chase Daylan and Leona had made me accustomed to food appearing from seemingly thin air. And the spouting of plants was something any low-level mage in my realm could accomplish—farming was afterall, the primary reason there was such a desperate demand for mages.

What I was seeing now was merely magic tricks. A performance. Mildly entertaining, but that was about it.

“Bored?” Dmitry guessed correctly.

I nodded. There was no point in lying. “I expected something more impressive. Especially after the test Augustus put us through.”

Augustus had teleported me into the depths of my subconsciousness. While it was an unpleasant experience and I had no intention of recalling the trauma thankfully cloaked by the Ignorance is Bliss affliction, the fact that such magic was possible…. was intriguing.

Could I craft an illusion like that one day? Something so all-encompassing that it replaced reality?

“I’m glad I made an impression.”

A familiar voice came from just behind my shoulder.

“Augustus! You’re finally here!” Dmitry lit up, eyes glistening toward his idol, even though it had been only about two hours since we’d last seen him.

Even Helen straightened again, her earlier composure snapping back into place.

Augustus Vointdel stood a step behind us, and the setting sun bathed him in a halo of golden light.

He inclined his head and smiled politely toward Helen and Dmitry before turning his attention to me.

“Not to speak well of my colleagues,” he said with an easy smile, gesturing toward the spectacle, “but this event is not intended to demonstrate the full extent of our capabilities.”

Another bloom of light erupted overhead, showering the square in glitter. The sparks lit up Augustus’s face, sharpening the angles of his cheekbones and bringing attention to his green eyes.

“If we truly showcased what we are capable of—what we are employed to do,” he continued lightly, “such an event would put everyone here in mortal danger.”

His gaze flicked toward the laughing children enjoying their candy, the elderly couples, and the vendors efficiently passing out food and accepting coins beneath the lanternlights.

“This,” he said, motioning a hand around the square, “is meant to reassure and entertain. It is held each month to remind the people that the mages protecting this kingdom are not distant figures in high towers to be feared, but that we are part of the same community.”

There was applause behind us as another mage conjured a purple flare into the sky.

Augustus leaned slightly closer, and his voice lowered. “But, if you’re curious about the true limits of what the Red Royal Mages are capable of, come to the palace and present this.” He pressed a small metal token into my palm.

“Mention that I sent for you,” he added quietly. “And they’ll let you in without question.”

He stepped back and smiled.

“Well then,” Augustus said brightly, motioning toward the crowd, “I suppose it’s time to do my part. Enjoy the show!”

He gave a playful wink and jumped atop a nearby empty platform.

Applause immediately thundered through the square. Children pointed, and excited voices called out his name. Even the mage conjuring sweets hadn’t drawn such enthusiastic fervor.

“Don’t worry,” Dmitry leaned close to me so I could hear him over the crowd’s roar. “You won’t be bored by his performance.”

And he was right.

While it was still merely a performance, the magic that Augustus displayed was by far the most memorable. Not because it was more powerful than what the other mages showcased, but because it was the most engaging. He knew how to work the crowd, making them a part of the entertainment.

He was a true showman. Dmitry informed me on our trolley ride back to campus that Augustus was also known to have eliminated the most threats to the royal family and kingdom.

Seeing his performance, it was hard to imagine that he was responsible for the elimination of over two million lives during the war two years ago against a neighboring nation. He singlehandedly destroyed the entire army of their enemy, and as a result was promoted to a Tier One rank.

​

***

​

I lay atop my dorm bed, rotating the red-and-gold token between my fingers.

Outside, the academy grounds had fallen into near silence. The festival’s distant celebration had come to an end, and it was late into the night now.

The token caught in the room’s bright light as I rotated it. On one side was a shield engulfed in flames. The other had in cursive, raised lettering: Augustus Vointdel.

Was an internship under such a mage the opportunity of a lifetime? Or a shortcut to my death?

I pursed my lips.

If it were in my own realm, I wouldn’t have been as cautious.

But what would death in this realm even mean? A reset? Or something final?

Even Apophis didn’t have a clear idea when I asked.

~Master, given you’re a partial Player, I’m afraid I do not know.

He hissed from atop my pillow, though his location was more of an educated guess, given that he remained invisible.

~See, normally, upon unexpected death, regardless of the realm, a Player would be brought into a waiting room within the Agency’s realm. But you are… irregular. And this realm is currently under review, so I’m afraid I do not know.

“So I should avoid dying…?” I mumbled.

~Yes, perhaps it would be wise to be careful while you are stuck here.

This was hardly comforting. Especially given the speed at which I went on to my next life in my original realm.

The door sounded, and I ended my conversation with Apophis.

“Ah. You’re here,” Aegus muttered.

I glanced toward the doorway as my roommate stepped inside. I had miraculously avoided him all day, but it was inevitable that we’d see each other eventually.

Aegus dropped his book bag beside his bed and gathered his basket of items without so much as a glance toward me. He evidently intended not to linger and go shower. He opened the door, then paused. His eyes flicked toward me, and he did a double-take.

“Is that…?” But his words trailed off.

Whatever question he had, he kept it to himself. Though I could make an educated guess that it was regarding the token in my hand. Aegus stepped out and shut the door behind him.

I stared at the closed door for a moment, but then a yawn forced my eyes shut.

The eventful day was catching up to me. There was Professor Sullivan’s advanced class and the out-of-body experience. The revelation regarding the shadow thing attached to me and Paisley’s offer to teach me how to communicate with it. The shapeshifting fly. Hours combing through textbooks in the library. Leaving campus for the first time with Dmitry and Helen, and my Black Mana Cuffs disguised beneath gauze and a stiff neck-brace. The impromptu psychological maze test and an internship offer from a Royal Red Mage.

Seven days. This was only my seventh day in this realm. But it felt like an eternity.

And I still have so much I have to do.

Another yawn took over my mouth. I wanted nothing other than to drift off to sleep.

Still, I shouldn’t forget the daily free item.

I slid the token into the drawer of my bedside table and reached for the Chromatic Pendant at my chest.

“Let’s see what you’ve got for me today,” I muttered.

Mana stirred faintly, and a small white feather materialized on my bedside table.

I stared at it without disappointment.

Not being too quick to judge it by its appearance, I ran a quick item inspection.

A translucent window shimmered into view. However, it only confirmed that it was merely a feather, not some incredible, secretly powerful item.

[ Item: White Feather

Classification: Mundane

Description: A goose feather. White. ]

​

I leaned back against my pillow and sighed.

Ah, well, even if it’s worthless and won’t sell for even a single Nexus coin, better to toss it in the Game Store for storage if nothing else.

Even useless items had value, under the right circumstances.

A third yawn took over, and this time I didn’t postpone my sleep. I pulled on my eye mask that blocked out the bright lightstone lamp on my side of the room, and I drifted off to sleep.

​

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

​

Aegus felt an involuntary shiver crawl up his spine when he returned from his long shower. He purposefully lingered in the bathroom longer than needed.

Long enough, he hoped, for Luca Frey to be fast asleep.

The door creaked softly as he stepped inside the dorm.

Seeing Luca Frey sleeping, engulfed in light, with that creepy shadowy black thing covering his face, only reconfirmed that his roommate was quite likely dangerous, and at best a weirdo.

Aegus swallowed at the sight.

What sort of lunatic sleeps with all the lights on??

Aegus screamed internally, but moved with great care as he crossed the room to his side. He dressed and got ready for bed as quietly as a mouse, avoiding even looking at Luca directly.

He did not want to wake him. Luca was already creepy enough while unconscious.

What would he be like if I accidentally awoke him?

Aegus shivered at the thought.

No. Absolutely not.

Aegus put out the light on his side of the room, which spared him from the strange sleeping arrangement of his roommate, and after some restless tossing and turning, he managed to fall asleep.

And despite having an unpleasant nightmare, Aegus ended up sleeping in and making up for the lost sleep of the prior night. He slept long enough that his lunatic roommate was gone by the time he awoke.

However, any relief felt from not seeing Luca that morning evaporated after he stepped out of the dormitory. The whole campus was buzzing about nothing other than him. The gossip Queen and King had gone into town with Luca Frey, and they had ensured that every single student knew that the notorious student had been offered an internship by none other than Augustus Vointdel.

“Can you imagine how powerful he’ll become if he trains under the kingdom’s number one battle mage?”

“And with a mana core of over a thousand? He’ll be unstoppable.”

“I heard Augustus practically begged to mentor him.”

Aegus stopped walking.

Ah, fuck.

Aegus clasped his mouth with one hand, feeling nauseous despite not having had breakfast yet.

He had seen the coin in Luca’s hand. But he assumed he had seen it wrong.

But the rumors, even if exaggerated, were clear. Not only had Luca Frey received an invitation from a Red Royal Mage… It was from Augustus Vointdel. The most famous and the most lethal mage of their generation.

If he’s trained by Augustus Vointdel…

Aegus felt cold, and his head spun.

My roommate won’t simply be a dangerous, weirdo lunatic.

He’ll be a dangerous, weirdo lunatic trained by the kingdom’s deadliest mage.

And I sleep three steps away from him.

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