In a certain computer store on Earth named Computer Emporium.
The scene buzzed with customers and the constant hum of computer fans. A young man in his late twenties stood at the center of the store, engaging in a spirited conversation with a customer. He was Michael, an eccentric guy known as “MikeIsHandsome1000x” on Discord.
“Ah, my friend! You’ve made an excellent choice with that laptop,” Michael exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine enthusiasm. “But wait, there’s more! How about a premium antivirus software to ensure your digital fortress is impenetrable?”
The customer, a bit overwhelmed, politely declined, “Thanks… but I think I’ll pass. Just the laptop will do.”
Michael was undeterred and pressed on. “Fair enough, my friend, but let me sweeten the deal. How about a complimentary three-month subscription to our remote tech support service? You’ll have peace of mind knowing our team is just a click away.”
The customer hesitated, tempted by the offer but wary of additional costs. Sensing his hesitation, Michael leaned in and lowered his voice, adding, “And, just between you and me, I’ll throw in a nifty USB gadget that will make your colleagues green with envy. It’s a secret perk for customers who appreciate the eccentricity of this old tech wizard.”
His employees exchanged knowing glances, seemingly accustomed to witnessing Michael’s unique sales tactics. Eccentric or not, there was no denying that it was effective and provided the customers with an “unforgettable” experience.
“A-Alright… fine. I’ll add the tech support and the USB gadget to my purchase, please.” The customer gave in and handed in his credit card to finish the transaction.
“Thank you for your patronage.” Michael packed the laptop and the USB gadget into a paper bag but held it with his hands and offered, “May I interest you in—”
“No, thank you!” The customer swiftly snatched the paper bag and immediately scurried away, afraid to spend another second in the store.
“Michael, I think you should ease up on the forceful promotion,” one of his employees expressed concern.
“Relaax… Didn’t you see how the customer happily bought all the things I offered?”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts. Get back to whatever you’re doing, Adam,” Michael interjected, lightly tapping his employee’s shoulder. He then made his way to his office, stating, “I’m gonna take a short coffee break for a few minutes.”
Sitting on his chair with a piping hot coffee on his desk, Michael opened the Discord app on his desktop and went straight to a certain server. Early this morning, one guy proclaimed that he was working on a fully immersive virtual reality game. Michael thought that this guy was crazy at first, but when he saw the well-made webpage of the game, he retracted his initial thought.
By now, the server channel was still busy with people discussing the game. Many were, however, skeptical about the whole notion of such a game. Calling it a gambling site in disguise or whatnot. Michael, too, held a certain level of doubt regarding the existence of such a groundbreaking game. Perhaps, he mused, it would be more of a pseudo-immersive VR experience, akin to the one depicted in “Ready Player One” or something. Nevertheless, this did pique his interest a bit, so he signed up for it.
When he was younger, he had played countless MMORPG games. Hopping from one game to another, becoming one of the best on the server before finding another game to conquer. But as he got older and real life caught up with him, he started losing his passion — no game gave him the enthusiasm he once had in the past. He was bored.
As he sipped the last drop of coffee on his cup, Adam called out from outside.
“Michael! Is there supposed to be a package this big today? I don’t remember any on our list…”
A package? Michael thought, rushing out of his room. He had not procured anything for his store today. Wait, is it the so-called “gaming capsule”? Is it here already?
Michael was appalled. And not because the package had arrived sooner than expected, but because he had deliberately provided a false address just one street away from his store — to a coffee shop he often frequented — as a precautionary measure. The owner would have contacted him if a package arrived at his door.
“Who delivered this?” he asked his employees.
His three employees looked at each other in confusion.
“I was in the storage area, so I didn’t see.”
“I don’t know, either. It feels like it appeared out of thin air.”
“I was manning the cashier earlier. If it was one of the customers that brought it, I should have noticed; this package is so large, after all. But…”
“Is something wrong?” Mike inquired.
“I don’t know if this is just my hallucination or something. I think… I may have seen someone with a distinctive black mask coming inside for a second.” The employee held his forehead in contemplation. “Sorry, I think it’s just me daydreaming.”
Huh? This is creepy.
Doubting that it might have been the coffee shop owner playing a prank on him for using his address, he called him, but said that it wasn’t him nor that any package had arrived… So, how did the package end up here, of all places? And who was the masked man? Perhaps it wasn’t the gaming capsule but just some random package that was mistakenly delivered here without their notice, though there was his name on the package. In the end, he told his employees to open it.
“This… Isn’t this…” Michael’s voice trailed off as the package was opened. Inside was a large, futuristic-looking capsule capable of accommodating a single person. Its dark metallic exterior exuded a sense of sophisticated technology.
“What kind of gaming chair looks like this?” Adam scratched his head.
“Are you stupid? This is obviously a massage chair.”
“But that doesn’t explain why it has an expensive-looking glass cover… In fact, this bears a striking resemblance to the VR capsules depicted in the comic I was reading last night.”
His employees were engaged in a heated debate, each one speculating about the nature of the mysterious capsule. Some even attempted to pry open the impenetrable glass cover but to no avail. Michael, however, remained silent, lost in a flood of nostalgic memories from his childhood novels. The captivating tales of immersive VR experiences came rushing back, reigniting his long-held longing for such an adventure—
“Michael, where did you buy this thing?” one of his employees asked, scratching his head.
Not answering the question, Michael approached the enigmatic gaming capsule. With a touch of his hand, to his astonishment, the capsule effortlessly unfolded before him, revealing a sleek helmet resembling a futuristic motorcycle helmet and a plush sofa chair nestled within. Surprisingly, there were no apparent additional gadgets or accessories, leaving him to wonder if there were hidden compartments cleverly concealed within the capsule’s interior.
“Michael?”
“Yes, uh, see, I signed up to this new innovative console indie company’s website to test their new products…” Michael bluffed his way with them. If he told his employees that this was a fully immersive VR gaming capsule, they wouldn’t believe him and might take him to the hospital to do a mental checkup.
“This thing is a console?!”
“Yep, I will try it first to check the quality of the product.” Michael entered the capsule.
As he settled into the plush chair, the glass cover gently shut close. With a mix of anticipation and curiosity, he cautiously placed the helmet over his head. Initially shrouded in darkness, he was about to take it off, but then a pale blue light suddenly penetrated the darkness and reflected into his retina.
Magus Academy Online
Time Remaining Until Activation:
23:59:58
Holy shit! This is truly the gaming capsule that the guy from Discord proclaimed! Frantically, he removed the helmet and climbed out of the gaming capsule. Turning to his employees, he said, “Adam, you try using it.”
“Why?” Adam hesitated.
“Just do it.”
Unable to refuse his boss’s request, Adam seated himself on the plush chair and put on the helmet.
“Did you see something?” Michael inquired, impatient.
“See what?
“Any text or number…”
“No, there’s nothing except pitch back.” Adam took off the helmet and asserted, “I think this thing is out of juice.”
“Maybe there’s a cord on the back. Who knows, just like any console, it doesn’t have a battery despite its size,” said the other employee.
“Bullshit. This thing must have its own battery; didn’t the glass cover automatically open and close by itself? If it didn’t have any power, how could it do that?” Michael’s last employee countered.
He himself didn’t bother addressing the issue and quickly darted toward his PC. He had to share his findings with the rest of the participants!
***
Victor, oblivious to the unfolding events on Earth, concluded his nightly meditation — energy particles dancing around him, dispersing into the wind. With a serene gaze, he opened his eyes, greeted by the lingering darkness of the sky through the windows; it would still be hours before the sun rose. Inside the Headmaster’s Office, there was a bedroom, and he had claimed the place for himself.
Curiosity suddenly sparked within him, and he checked on the “Headmaster’s Journal” tab to see the next mission through the black mark on his wrist.
—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——
Mission: Where are the Players?
You have tricked people into joining your “game,” and the gaming capsules have been confirmed to be delivered. Now, you must ensure that the first batch of players logs in to the game.
Type: Main mission
Reward: Interspatial ring (1 m3)
————————
Mission: Secure a Connection
To become a sustaining academy, you have to build a long-lasting relationship with nearby settlements. It is required to have at least one settlement to be on friendly terms with you.
Type: Side mission
Total Settlement on Good Term: 0/1
Reward: 50 academy points
“An interspatial ring?! Holy cow! This System sure is generous.” Victor whistled as he read through the rewards for the two new missions.
“Wh-What? Master, is it time to eat already? Oh, wait…” Lizbeth mumbled groggily, rubbing her drowsy eyes and catching a glimpse of the drool at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, she snapped back to full awareness and shot Victor an indignant glare. “Ahem! Don’t startle me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
“Sorry, my sleeping princess…” Victor said sarcastically. After all, he had all the right to be utterly shocked. It was important to note that possessing an interspatial ring was far from common among Elemental Adept Magi, let alone someone of his modest standing. Even if the ring in question only had a meager capacity of one cubic meter.
“Say, can the System scan my stats? You know, like those in games…” Victor considered this a possibility, considering that the previous headmaster had arranged everything as though it were a game.
“Is this what it’s all about?” Lizbeth questioned, obviously annoyed that her sleep had been disturbed.
“Not really,” was what Victor was about to say, but he forcibly swallowed the words — picking a fight with her could spell more trouble than it was worth. Therefore, he confirmed with a nod.
Lizbeth sighed but compliantly showed him the status screen, nonetheless.
Victor Asteriscus
Power Rank: Third-stage Initiate Attunement
Elemental Affinity: Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%) | ???
Status: Healthy
Strength: (22)
Agility: (23)
Vitality: (22)
Magical Power: (29)
Inverted Mana (total): (144)
Hrm? So, I have an elemental affinity for something other than Anemo and Pyro? Victor thought, finding that the status screen was rather plain but held secrets about his body that he wasn’t even aware of.
“Can you give me a short breakdown of all the things on the status screen?”
“Well, I’d be happy to help.” The fairy flashed a confident smile and proceeded to explain: “Um, The first three sections are quite straightforward and easy to comprehend for you, so I won’t go into detail about those. But there’s a unique twist to the stats: each increment of one point adds 10 percent of the previous value, which will stack up more and more as the point increases. For example, if an average adult has a stat of five for strength, agility, and vitality, each point increase beyond that would enhance their capabilities significantly. As for magical power, well, it’s safe to say that an average adult wouldn’t possess any… That pretty much sums it up.”
Victor nodded, absorbing the information. “I see. So, the higher the stat, the more pronounced the improvement. That’s interesting.” For one, this would become a topic that players would have to dig around to understand since he wouldn’t go out of his way to explain.
Considering that he had to plan to make this façade of a game to work, he enlisted Lizbeth’s help to brainstorm with him to smooth things out. There were also a lot of small details that he inquired her about the System, and she answered most of the basic questions without holding back anything. As the headmaster and the game manager, he had to understand everything to its nook and cranny so that he could be convincing.
With the conversation ending, Victor tried to rest, though he couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Restlessness stirred within him, urging him to take action. Hence, he resolved to move ahead of schedule. He had two important objectives to accomplish in the nearby village: securing necessary supplies and establishing a friendly rapport with the locals. Coincidentally, the village was the very place where he had resided before venturing into the depths of the forest.
Just that…
“After learning the consequences of the academy’s destruction, I am apprehensive to leave this place…” Victor confessed.
“Fear not, this academy has remained hidden for thousands of years due to magic barriers. What would another day do anyway, he-he?” Lizbeth’s tone was calm, steady, and slightly mischievous.
“So, you were tricking me before!” Victor very lightly pinched Lizbeth’s tiny, rosy cheeks in annoyance, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the mischievous fairy.
“Ow!” The fairy quickly wriggled free and massaged her cheeks, pouting in mock indignation. “When did I trick you? You just never bothered to ask. Besides, it’s been so long that the magic barriers protecting the academy may have deteriorated over time. Who knows?”
“Ugh… Then, all the more reason for us to hurry.”
Determination gleamed in Victor’s eyes as he said that. With renewed purpose, he made his preparations and ventured out into the depths of the forest, his steps guided by the moonlight, leaving Lizbeth behind to safeguard the academy in his absence.
In a certain computer store on Earth named Computer Emporium.
The scene buzzed with customers and the constant hum of computer fans. A young man in his late twenties stood at the center of the store, engaging in a spirited conversation with a customer. He was Michael, an eccentric guy known as “MikeIsHandsome1000x” on Discord.
“Ah, my friend! You’ve made an excellent choice with that laptop,” Michael exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine enthusiasm. “But wait, there’s more! How about a premium antivirus software to ensure your digital fortress is impenetrable?”
The customer, a bit overwhelmed, politely declined, “Thanks… but I think I’ll pass. Just the laptop will do.”
Michael was undeterred and pressed on. “Fair enough, my friend, but let me sweeten the deal. How about a complimentary three-month subscription to our remote tech support service? You’ll have peace of mind knowing our team is just a click away.”
The customer hesitated, tempted by the offer but wary of additional costs. Sensing his hesitation, Michael leaned in and lowered his voice, adding, “And, just between you and me, I’ll throw in a nifty USB gadget that will make your colleagues green with envy. It’s a secret perk for customers who appreciate the eccentricity of this old tech wizard.”
His employees exchanged knowing glances, seemingly accustomed to witnessing Michael’s unique sales tactics. Eccentric or not, there was no denying that it was effective and provided the customers with an “unforgettable” experience.
“A-Alright… fine. I’ll add the tech support and the USB gadget to my purchase, please.” The customer gave in and handed in his credit card to finish the transaction.
“Thank you for your patronage.” Michael packed the laptop and the USB gadget into a paper bag but held it with his hands and offered, “May I interest you in—”
“No, thank you!” The customer swiftly snatched the paper bag and immediately scurried away, afraid to spend another second in the store.
“Michael, I think you should ease up on the forceful promotion,” one of his employees expressed concern.
“Relaax… Didn’t you see how the customer happily bought all the things I offered?”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts. Get back to whatever you’re doing, Adam,” Michael interjected, lightly tapping his employee’s shoulder. He then made his way to his office, stating, “I’m gonna take a short coffee break for a few minutes.”
Sitting on his chair with a piping hot coffee on his desk, Michael opened the Discord app on his desktop and went straight to a certain server. Early this morning, one guy proclaimed that he was working on a fully immersive virtual reality game. Michael thought that this guy was crazy at first, but when he saw the well-made webpage of the game, he retracted his initial thought.
By now, the server channel was still busy with people discussing the game. Many were, however, skeptical about the whole notion of such a game. Calling it a gambling site in disguise or whatnot. Michael, too, held a certain level of doubt regarding the existence of such a groundbreaking game. Perhaps, he mused, it would be more of a pseudo-immersive VR experience, akin to the one depicted in “Ready Player One” or something. Nevertheless, this did pique his interest a bit, so he signed up for it.
When he was younger, he had played countless MMORPG games. Hopping from one game to another, becoming one of the best on the server before finding another game to conquer. But as he got older and real life caught up with him, he started losing his passion — no game gave him the enthusiasm he once had in the past. He was bored.
As he sipped the last drop of coffee on his cup, Adam called out from outside.
“Michael! Is there supposed to be a package this big today? I don’t remember any on our list…”
A package? Michael thought, rushing out of his room. He had not procured anything for his store today. Wait, is it the so-called “gaming capsule”? Is it here already?
Michael was appalled. And not because the package had arrived sooner than expected, but because he had deliberately provided a false address just one street away from his store — to a coffee shop he often frequented — as a precautionary measure. The owner would have contacted him if a package arrived at his door.
“Who delivered this?” he asked his employees.
His three employees looked at each other in confusion.
“I was in the storage area, so I didn’t see.”
“I don’t know, either. It feels like it appeared out of thin air.”
“I was manning the cashier earlier. If it was one of the customers that brought it, I should have noticed; this package is so large, after all. But…”
“Is something wrong?” Mike inquired.
“I don’t know if this is just my hallucination or something. I think… I may have seen someone with a distinctive black mask coming inside for a second.” The employee held his forehead in contemplation. “Sorry, I think it’s just me daydreaming.”
Huh? This is creepy.
Doubting that it might have been the coffee shop owner playing a prank on him for using his address, he called him, but said that it wasn’t him nor that any package had arrived… So, how did the package end up here, of all places? And who was the masked man? Perhaps it wasn’t the gaming capsule but just some random package that was mistakenly delivered here without their notice, though there was his name on the package. In the end, he told his employees to open it.
“This… Isn’t this…” Michael’s voice trailed off as the package was opened. Inside was a large, futuristic-looking capsule capable of accommodating a single person. Its dark metallic exterior exuded a sense of sophisticated technology.
“What kind of gaming chair looks like this?” Adam scratched his head.
“Are you stupid? This is obviously a massage chair.”
“But that doesn’t explain why it has an expensive-looking glass cover… In fact, this bears a striking resemblance to the VR capsules depicted in the comic I was reading last night.”
His employees were engaged in a heated debate, each one speculating about the nature of the mysterious capsule. Some even attempted to pry open the impenetrable glass cover but to no avail. Michael, however, remained silent, lost in a flood of nostalgic memories from his childhood novels. The captivating tales of immersive VR experiences came rushing back, reigniting his long-held longing for such an adventure—
“Michael, where did you buy this thing?” one of his employees asked, scratching his head.
Not answering the question, Michael approached the enigmatic gaming capsule. With a touch of his hand, to his astonishment, the capsule effortlessly unfolded before him, revealing a sleek helmet resembling a futuristic motorcycle helmet and a plush sofa chair nestled within. Surprisingly, there were no apparent additional gadgets or accessories, leaving him to wonder if there were hidden compartments cleverly concealed within the capsule’s interior.
“Michael?”
“Yes, uh, see, I signed up to this new innovative console indie company’s website to test their new products…” Michael bluffed his way with them. If he told his employees that this was a fully immersive VR gaming capsule, they wouldn’t believe him and might take him to the hospital to do a mental checkup.
“This thing is a console?!”
“Yep, I will try it first to check the quality of the product.” Michael entered the capsule.
As he settled into the plush chair, the glass cover gently shut close. With a mix of anticipation and curiosity, he cautiously placed the helmet over his head. Initially shrouded in darkness, he was about to take it off, but then a pale blue light suddenly penetrated the darkness and reflected into his retina.
Magus Academy Online
Time Remaining Until Activation:
23:59:58
Holy shit! This is truly the gaming capsule that the guy from Discord proclaimed! Frantically, he removed the helmet and climbed out of the gaming capsule. Turning to his employees, he said, “Adam, you try using it.”
“Why?” Adam hesitated.
“Just do it.”
Unable to refuse his boss’s request, Adam seated himself on the plush chair and put on the helmet.
“Did you see something?” Michael inquired, impatient.
“See what?
“Any text or number…”
“No, there’s nothing except pitch back.” Adam took off the helmet and asserted, “I think this thing is out of juice.”
“Maybe there’s a cord on the back. Who knows, just like any console, it doesn’t have a battery despite its size,” said the other employee.
“Bullshit. This thing must have its own battery; didn’t the glass cover automatically open and close by itself? If it didn’t have any power, how could it do that?” Michael’s last employee countered.
He himself didn’t bother addressing the issue and quickly darted toward his PC. He had to share his findings with the rest of the participants!
***
Victor, oblivious to the unfolding events on Earth, concluded his nightly meditation — energy particles dancing around him, dispersing into the wind. With a serene gaze, he opened his eyes, greeted by the lingering darkness of the sky through the windows; it would still be hours before the sun rose. Inside the Headmaster’s Office, there was a bedroom, and he had claimed the place for himself.
Curiosity suddenly sparked within him, and he checked on the “Headmaster’s Journal” tab to see the next mission through the black mark on his wrist.
—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——
Mission: Where are the Players?
You have tricked people into joining your “game,” and the gaming capsules have been confirmed to be delivered. Now, you must ensure that the first batch of players logs in to the game.
Type: Main mission
Reward: Interspatial ring (1 m3)
————————
Mission: Secure a Connection
To become a sustaining academy, you have to build a long-lasting relationship with nearby settlements. It is required to have at least one settlement to be on friendly terms with you.
Type: Side mission
Total Settlement on Good Term: 0/1
Reward: 50 academy points
“An interspatial ring?! Holy cow! This System sure is generous.” Victor whistled as he read through the rewards for the two new missions.
“Wh-What? Master, is it time to eat already? Oh, wait…” Lizbeth mumbled groggily, rubbing her drowsy eyes and catching a glimpse of the drool at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, she snapped back to full awareness and shot Victor an indignant glare. “Ahem! Don’t startle me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
“Sorry, my sleeping princess…” Victor said sarcastically. After all, he had all the right to be utterly shocked. It was important to note that possessing an interspatial ring was far from common among Elemental Adept Magi, let alone someone of his modest standing. Even if the ring in question only had a meager capacity of one cubic meter.
“Say, can the System scan my stats? You know, like those in games…” Victor considered this a possibility, considering that the previous headmaster had arranged everything as though it were a game.
“Is this what it’s all about?” Lizbeth questioned, obviously annoyed that her sleep had been disturbed.
“Not really,” was what Victor was about to say, but he forcibly swallowed the words — picking a fight with her could spell more trouble than it was worth. Therefore, he confirmed with a nod.
Lizbeth sighed but compliantly showed him the status screen, nonetheless.
Victor Asteriscus
Power Rank: Third-stage Initiate Attunement
Elemental Affinity: Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%) | ???
Status: Healthy
Strength: (22)
Agility: (23)
Vitality: (22)
Magical Power: (29)
Inverted Mana (total): (144)
Hrm? So, I have an elemental affinity for something other than Anemo and Pyro? Victor thought, finding that the status screen was rather plain but held secrets about his body that he wasn’t even aware of.
“Can you give me a short breakdown of all the things on the status screen?”
“Well, I’d be happy to help.” The fairy flashed a confident smile and proceeded to explain: “Um, The first three sections are quite straightforward and easy to comprehend for you, so I won’t go into detail about those. But there’s a unique twist to the stats: each increment of one point adds 10 percent of the previous value, which will stack up more and more as the point increases. For example, if an average adult has a stat of five for strength, agility, and vitality, each point increase beyond that would enhance their capabilities significantly. As for magical power, well, it’s safe to say that an average adult wouldn’t possess any… That pretty much sums it up.”
Victor nodded, absorbing the information. “I see. So, the higher the stat, the more pronounced the improvement. That’s interesting.” For one, this would become a topic that players would have to dig around to understand since he wouldn’t go out of his way to explain.
Considering that he had to plan to make this façade of a game to work, he enlisted Lizbeth’s help to brainstorm with him to smooth things out. There were also a lot of small details that he inquired her about the System, and she answered most of the basic questions without holding back anything. As the headmaster and the game manager, he had to understand everything to its nook and cranny so that he could be convincing.
With the conversation ending, Victor tried to rest, though he couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Restlessness stirred within him, urging him to take action. Hence, he resolved to move ahead of schedule. He had two important objectives to accomplish in the nearby village: securing necessary supplies and establishing a friendly rapport with the locals. Coincidentally, the village was the very place where he had resided before venturing into the depths of the forest.
Just that…
“After learning the consequences of the academy’s destruction, I am apprehensive to leave this place…” Victor confessed.
“Fear not, this academy has remained hidden for thousands of years due to magic barriers. What would another day do anyway, he-he?” Lizbeth’s tone was calm, steady, and slightly mischievous.
“So, you were tricking me before!” Victor very lightly pinched Lizbeth’s tiny, rosy cheeks in annoyance, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the mischievous fairy.
“Ow!” The fairy quickly wriggled free and massaged her cheeks, pouting in mock indignation. “When did I trick you? You just never bothered to ask. Besides, it’s been so long that the magic barriers protecting the academy may have deteriorated over time. Who knows?”
“Ugh… Then, all the more reason for us to hurry.”
Determination gleamed in Victor’s eyes as he said that. With renewed purpose, he made his preparations and ventured out into the depths of the forest, his steps guided by the moonlight, leaving Lizbeth behind to safeguard the academy in his absence.
