The God of Magic: Archmage Academy (OP, LitRPG)

The next day, the students and faculty who had traveled alongside Sen joined the reconstruction efforts. Professor Crosp and Ladia used Illusion and History magic to show exactly how things had been before, which helped people repair things more quickly. Sikar oversaw some of the more tedious projects. Mori assisted a team of faculty members with implementing more powerful wards that could never be bypassed by a single traitor from within again. These new wards were doubly protected, ensuring a more secure academy for future generations. 

Even Sen assisted, strolling around the academy, making projects here and there easier with the flick of a hand. Often he simply fully repaired whatever needed to be. Other times he subtly made changes to allow the students working to have the sense of fulfillment themselves. Before the assembly that night, Brightsail Academy was mostly whole again. 

For the assembly, all the students were gathered in a large auditorium that Sen had never been inside before. Most of the other first-years had attended something similar to a welcome ceremony before the academy entrance exams started, but he hadn’t been present at the time since he registered so late. So now was his first time in the first-floor auditorium. 

The grand space reminded him of a theatre. There were hundreds of rows of seating, and the gigantic space reminded him of the library. It looked almost too big, as if it stretched well onto the second floor into space he knew should be occupied by classrooms. It wasn’t temporal magic, of that he was sure. But if he had to put his finger on it, he’d say it was temporal adjacent. That wasn’t completely unexpected; he had seen actual temporal magic in the portals to Castle Harpis. But it warranted further investigation. He needed to inspect any weapon he might one day find in an opponent’s arsenal. 

Preparation is victory. A phrase he’d told Ragmár hundreds and hundreds of times in the past.

Nearly every seat in the auditorium was filled today, but Mori had somehow managed to get enough seats for all of them to sit near each other. The seats were lavender-colored and felt like sitting on a cloud. He wasn’t sure if it was the material they were made from or some kind of spell. The walls were painted a deep blue, like the depths of the ocean, and rows of mana lights lined the ceiling, illuminating the walkways so people could find open seats. 

 Sen sat somewhere near the middle of a row of almost twenty people in the center wing. Mori, Ilm, and Milim sat to his right. Samara, Joseia, and Oliver were to his left. 

Dean Withershade was already on stage. He wore a long black academic shroud and stood before a podium that appeared made of deep obsidian. The man was going over his notes while waiting for the remaining students to file in and find chairs. Almost all the faculty members sat behind him, with two exceptions. An empty seat where Calabari once sat, and another set aside for the school librarian. Orttha had decided to take some time to rest after everything they’d gone through. Sen couldn’t blame him for that at all. When he felt better, they’d have a much needed discussion about everything he’d learned during his time at Harpis Castle, and the vision Milim had shown him. 

The mana lights dimmed, and the dean looked up and cleared his throat. 

“Students of Brightsail Academy, recently, our prestigious academy faced a disaster so unprecedented that even our extensive guidelines and protocols failed us. We weren’t prepared to protect you as we should’ve, as we committed to when we accepted you into these halls so full of history, promise, and magic. On behalf of the faculty and staff of Brightsail Academy, I apologize profusely. 

“But that was not the end. Under my guidance, a group of promising students and faculty supervisors went to reclaim your missing peers, and they were so successful that not a single life was lost on our side. We’re still investigating, but we believe that the Cult of Harpis no longer exists in this world. Let that stand as a promise, a vision of our bright future. Those who stand against us will fall to us! Alumni from all over the world have poured forth support. Artifacts, weapons, defenses, and monetary donations. They were encouraged by your bravery, and they wish to support you. Thanks to your actions, Brightsail Academy will emerge stronger than ever from the brink of despair.”

Sikar did very little to hide his distaste for the speech. The dean hadn’t even tried to hide the fact he didn’t support this mission from the beginning, but now he was trying to take credit for it? 

Sen had to admit, Sikar wasn’t the only one more than mildly annoyed. He balled a fist, but released it at a touch from Milim. Her hand grazed against his arm and she smiled. He nodded, letting go of his anger. It mattered very little in the grand scheme of things. 

[Wanna bet how many of those resources that got sent end up with us? I’m thinking none.]

We’ll see about that.

The dean continued. “The fact that Brightsail Academy declared war on a cult and annihilated it will have a massive impact on our standing in the world. So massive that we can’t possibly evaluate it at this time. For that reason, and in the interests of fairness, we have decided to temporarily pause all updates to the ranking system for now.”

That set off a series of boos and cries of displeasure from the crowd. Many fourth-years and third-years depended on the rankings to set up post-graduation opportunities. The updated rankings gave them an idea of what they needed to do to stay competitive. It told them when to push themselves to duel or quest and when they could afford to focus on their studies. Sen understood why this was unpopular. After all, he still had rewards to get from that list, and his special class had promised him a significant reward for reaching the top spot. Everyone who’d joined him on the quest board should have seen a massive jump in the rankings. But that wouldn’t be reflected now.

The dean held his hands up. “This is a temporary change. We will still take rankings, duels, and other achievements into consideration going forward. If you wish to defend your position or continue climbing, you still have the opportunity to do so. You simply won’t know exactly where you are on the list until the announcement.”

“And when will that be?” Snake asked. He sat among the other fourth-years on the front row. They’d been the only group with designated space. Though Snake wasn’t particularly popular among the other fourth years, several of them grumbled or shouted their support for his question. 

The dean stared at Snake, clearly displeased with the outburst. “We will have the updated rankings prepared for the upcoming Brightsail Ball. At the end of the ball, we’ll release the new rankings. From that point forward, there will be no more quests. End of year exams and duels will be weighted much higher than before to compensate.”

Sen leaned forward. So end-of-year exams would factor into the rankings? He was confident that he could perform well there. But the second statement drew his attention the most. Duels would be weighted more strongly. As long as this quest propelled him as high as he hoped, he might end up just a few duels away from the top spot. 

Snake seemed satisfied by that. He took a seat. 

“There is one other announcement to make. Flamelord Kingcrew has generously made a special addition to the ranking system this year. In addition to our rank one prize, he has donated additional prizes for the student who claims the top spot. A summoning ring from his personal collection, as well as a spell tome containing the technique that helped him reach his status as Flame Lord. The Ashen Blaze.”

Samara’s eyes lit up. “There’s no way…”

Sen had never heard of that spell before. “Is it powerful?” he asked. If he were being honest, the summoning ring had already gotten his attention. 

Samara turned to him, her jaw agape. “That spell pretty much carried him to warlord. He used it to kill a king-class magician when he was our age. I’ve heard he’s never taught it to anyone. Not even Alari.” 

That was interesting. And now, he had yet another reason to reach that rank he desired so much. A class reward and two personal rewards from Alari’s father. He’d need to do more research on the spell, but it was almost certainly worth going for. 

His thoughts were still on the prizes as the assembly ended. Someone pulled him out of the line filing out of the room. He found himself face to face with Alari and Dasai. 

Alari crossed her arms, glaring at him. “You need to fix him.”

Dasai sighed. “Alari, I’m fine.” As if to protest, something beneath his Fire Kite Academy uniform squirmed.

“Mostly.”

Sen eyed the two of them. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Did something happen?”

“Well, ever since that whole…surgery thing you did. I’ve been having some…indigestion. Nothing to worry about, seriously.” Dasai rubbed the back of his head.

Alari rolled her eyes. “His body keeps moving. It’s like that thing you killed.”

[He has no affinity for flesh magic. It seems your on-the-spot modifier didn’t stabilize after taking root. It’s still searching for an ideal form, even though Dasai is whole now.]

Sen thought about Tutor’s quick analysis. Maybe he could kill two monsters with one spell. He stuck a hand into a pocket and into a slit of his temporal world. He withdrew the magic essence sphere of flesh he’d created when he stopped Marrow from turning Tatter into a giant flesh golem. 

Dasai eyed it as if Sen was holding a magic essence sphere of vomit. “What the hell is that?” he asked.

Alari arched a brow. 

“Magic essence spheres are useful for crafting, but they also have stabilizing effects. I…don’t have any use for this. If you take it, it should help calm things down until you build up your affinity with the new magic. It will help with that too, just don’t use it to craft spells anytime soon. I only have the one, and I don’t think we can get more,” Sen said.

Dasai sighed. “If it didn’t feel like something was moving inside of me, I’m pretty sure I’d throw this thing as far as I could. But at this point…I’m desperate.” As soon as he reached out to grab the sphere, his hand turned into a mouth and swallowed it whole. 

Alari took a step back. Dasai looked like he might pass out. Sen leaned forward and watched carefully. 

The sphere was way too large, but traveled through his wrist and up into his arm anyway. It was like Dasai’s body was expanding to allow it to pass. It moved until it reached his stomach, where it settled in and the lump disappeared. 

Dasai’s face paled, and he looked like he wanted to throw up. “That sphere of flesh is…in me?” He covered his hands with his mouth. But after a moment, he stopped. “Hey…I feel kind of normal now,” he said. Dasai tested his fingers and then rubbed his belly. “I don’t feel anything! You were right. It’s more stable.”

When Dasai turned to look at her, Alari still looked unsure of the situation. “If you’re feeling better, then tell him so we can go,” she said. 

Behind Sen, the other students were still filing out of the room. He caught Mori eyeing them as the line of students kept pushing him forward. Sen shook his head. He was fine. Mori relaxed and turned his attention back. Now he focused on putting a protective arm around Ilm and ensuring nobody cut her in line. Sen smiled at that. 

Dasai looked up, prying his attention away from his stomach to clear his throat. “Just so you know, those prizes were meant for you. Alari’s dad doesn’t really do the whole gift-giving thing. If you impress him, he puts a reward in your path, but it’s up to you to take it. I don’t know how much he knows about you, but those rewards are probably his way of thanking you for saving…helping out Alari.” He corrected after a glare from her. “They’re almost certainly tailored to you in some way. I wouldn’t waste the opportunity to collect them. If you do, the person who gets them just may end up using them on you.” He nodded his head in the direction Alari was now glaring. 

Sen looked up. Snake was staring daggers at him from the front of the room. The fourth-years were staying behind. They’d be getting more information about graduation after everyone else left.  

Sen simply nodded. “Game on, then.” 

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