“Let’s go!”
“I’m coming!”
“We gotta get good seats!”
As I walked to the Magisterium’s massive stadium, I could hear hundreds of students running past me with excited faces.
The whole thing caused me to smile. This was basically high school for all these kids, so I could understand their happiness.
The stadium was basically a huge colosseum. It had one massive field that was bigger than a football field and was surrounded by rows and rows of stairs and seats.
The place could easily fit tens of thousands, more than enough for the entire school and then some.
I entered and found that they divided the seating by year. Walking up, I was planning to follow the very few fourth year students in when suddenly I was stopped.
“ID please.”
“...You didn’t ask for theirs.”
I pointed to the other fourth year students who were walking through. They just waltzed right in.
He smiled wryly.
“Sorry sir, I reognize them, but not you. I need to check.”
“Eh, fine. Here.”
I retrieved my ID, which he took and saw a big number 4 on.
He handed it back with a slight bow.
“Sorry about that. Please, go ahead.”
“Hm.”
I hummed while walking past.
Then, I entered a reserved section for all the fourth years. Before I sat down, I glanced over.
I could only see about 40 students here. Without a doubt, they were all powerful, at least an Authority or so higher than myself. But there were so few.
Compared to the freshman seating that was already jam packed, each person was basically taking their own row, if not grouped up in small cliques.
I was pretty casual as I found myself a seat, but I still couldn't help but notice the not so few stares.
Nobody in this school knew who I was, and I suddenly jumped into the fourth year class. It would naturally raise questions, and some might not take kindly to it it like that one guy who disturbed my already unpleasant morning.
But I couldn’t think that much about it. I was really just here to cultivate higher power and train myself against monsters instead of humans.
“And now, a performance from the College of Enchanted Arts!”
An announcement was suddenly made as a few dozen people walked into the middle of the field.
They seemed like a big marching band, or perhaps an orchestra. Either way, they had many instruments and dancers.
It wasn’t long before I heard music, and the dancers began going through their routine.
There were lights that lit up with waves of their hands and feet, and the music reached my ears rather pleasantly, both upbeat and soothing.
But I wasn’t too impressed. I had seen too many of these displays during the auction days in the Black Spider Market. And those people had such amazing skills, easily dwarfing these newbies.
Still, I enjoyed the entertainment that all the freshmen were going nuts over.
It lasted quite a while, but when it finally ended, a figure of authority stepped out along with waves of applause.
“Allow me to introduce myself.”
His voice reverberated through the air. It was deep, but more than that, it carried actual power. His words commanded attention and respect.
“I am Yottra Carrion, the President of the Magisterium and Duke of the Kingdom of Dragon Tongue. I welcome everyone to this most prestigious institution.”
Everyone went dead silent as he spoke. You could practically see the tangible reverence coming off those students in the other stands.
Truly, he was a great man who stood at the pinnacle of this kingdom. And not just socially.
To rise in this world, power was everything. This Duke was only below the King, and that meant he held power that was capable of dominating damn near the entire world of Magi.
He was at least Authority 10, if not 11. And although Authority 10 was only 2 levels away from Authority 8 where Rayla stood, truly, the difference was insurmountable, not to mention Authority 11.
It was said that Authority 12 was the highest peak of power. I wondered if the King was at that godlike level.
Yottra went on to speak about the Magisterium and its great purpose. He spoke of the Evil Scourge and how we were the greatest hope of humanity to put an end to that extinction-level threat.
This place was not only an institution to cultivate powerful Magi, but to encourage competition and growth through adversity.
Through fighting monsters and sparring with our fellow Magi, we would learn how to better our skills and spells until all of us could become a force that turned the tide of the everlasting war.
It was all motivational and inspiring, which was nice, but I couldn’t help but see the darker side of it.
These Magi were all better than the ordinary human, but in the end, anybody below the top were still merely soldiers. They were more like really effective cannon fodder rather than some special elite force.
But unfortunately, in this world where there was an unending war with an enemy that seemed impossible to kill, the reality could be nothing but dark.
I sighed as Yottra finished his speech.
“Now, I will allow your Council President to take the stage. Once again, welcome to the Magisterium. For Honor.”
“For Honor!”
“For Honor!”
The stadium chanted the mantra of the Kingdom with Yottra.
Then the Council President took the stand.
“Good morning everybody! My name is Tally!”
“Oh jeez.”
Getting to this point, I groaned and tuned out.
The girl up at the podium was an overly enthusiastic third year who spoke of nothing but high hopes and sugarcoated expectations. She was like some kind of mascot.
And sure enough, I saw plenty of the fourth years get up and walk out. I decided I would join them, leaving the stadium before everyone else.
Besides, I had things to do.
Heading to the library, I picked up a few books from a nice clerk lady. After that I went to the Resource Distribution Center where I received the spell formation and cultivation crystal that would allow me to cultivate my fourth Authority.
Simply by joining the Magisterium, I was allowed to rise to the next level. Then again, what was Authority four to these people?
I could imagine what would be asked of people in order to recieve the spell formations for higher Authorities. No doubt, most of it came in the form of military service or merits.
Alongside these items came my class schedule. There was a class for cultivation, but that was only one of many I was assigned.
Scourge Analysis, Geography, Emergency Medical Proficiency.
These three classes would take up most of my day, along with daily cultivation. But there was one that I looked forward to.
“Applied Hunting.”
I muttered curiously at the description for this class.
Basically, every other month there would be a two or three week long period where the entire class would go out on a field trip and hunt. This could include beast hunting in a controlled forest reserve, or hunting the Scourge alongside the military.
This controlled hunting allowed all us Magi to put our powers to the live test. After all, practicality meant everything. Theory meant nothing if it couldn’t deliver on the battlefield.
There would be nothing the first month of school, and come the second month, they would be throwing us out there for a whole two weeks.
It seemed I would have time to get my bearings before getting thrown into the deep end.
On my class list were the times for each class. Tapping my Aerial, I checked the time and decided to make my way.
Scourge Analysis was the first class of the day. It was a class that taught everything regarding the Scourge. Monsters, materials, weakpoints, tendencies, geographical habitats, and counter tactics.
Normally, someone in the fourth year wouldn’t be taking this class. Having gone through several years, they had already learned everything they needed to. But since this was my first year, I had none of those basics, which was why I was thrown into the freshman class.
I had to admit, it was a bit embarrassing. When class started, I was surrounded by nothing but young teens. I was severely out of place, wondering if I would be able to get away with teaching myself.
It was no different for the class after that. Geography wasn’t the normal geography class that I had thought it would be. One could say it was an analysis of the macro scale movements and shifts in the Scourge’s activity. It analyzed the territory that they had conquered and the areas that were currently warzones. Though, there was also some geographical study, primarily teaching major landmarks around the world that we would need to know.
Still, it was hard to focus when a bunch of teens were glancing at me constantly. I chose a back seat, but even the kid next to me was constantly stealing glances.
I beared with it. I knew I would probably end up out there fighting the Scourge, so this was knowledge I needed to know.
I had fought people up until now, not monsters. The two were radically different, even though I didn’t have the experience to determine such. I basically likened it to the difference between two boxers fighting each other and a boxer fighting a bear. The same tactics naturally couldn’t be used.
And many of the things they talked about, even on the first day, surprised me.
The Scourge, according to public sources, was made out to be nothing but a mass of horrific monsters that sought the destruction of the world. We were pretty evenly matched with them in sheer power, but while we had the advantage in personal power, they had the advantage in numbers.
But there were some special entities that posed the greatest threat. After all, nobody cared about the cannon fodder.
There were two types of Scourge creatures that were most concerning.
First, the ones who gained intelligence with power, earning the ability to control the Scourge forces in strategic ways.
And second, the humans who were captured and demonized, turning into an inhuman monster that was both intelligent and powerful.
The Scourge didn’t just destroy. It devoured. And occasionally, the unlucky victims would be demonized and warped into a monster beyond their own will.
The most horrific way to die to the Scourge, and one of the darkest realities of the war.
It was when I heard about this that I couldn’t help but remember Libitus’ words from that night at the auction house.
‘They seriously loved each other. I mean, she almost killed herself over it. The Scourge took her man in the worst way possible…’
Demonization.
Was that what happened to Rayla’s husband?
Not only was he captured by the Scourge, but he was demonized, and then reappeared on the battlefield, confirming his demonization.
Was he killed? Or is he still one of those monsters?
I was pretty sure he had been killed. If not, there was no way that Rayla would have recovered as much as she had seemed to. She probably would have remained in the military until he was relieved of his monstrous existence. Only his death could allow her to move on, even if only a little.
It was a mind numbing thought to have. I couldn’t fathom that kind of grief, to know that the person you loved with your heart and soul had been warped into that kind of monstrosity. And to have to kill him even after that…
I suddenly felt a wave of sorrow for Rayla. I almost wanted to call her up the instant I inferred these things, but it wasn’t like I could explain that I knew about her husband. Libitus had gone behind her back to tell me that before she did.
“...Shit.”
I cursed under my breath in the middle of class, earning a few glances.
Now my mood was ruined, and I had a new irreversible hatred for the Scourge.
If they were simply an enemy, then I could sympathize since there were always two sides to a war.
But this monstrous entity was nothing but a demonic stain upon the world. Nothing but a parasite that wrought ruin.
It seemed I now had another reason to get stronger, other than mere survival.
And I was glad that I could wreak my own retribution with the most lethal weapon in two worlds.
……
…
The first day passed, and I walked to my new on-campus residence with a neutral mood.
After learning about nothing but the Scourge, the last class of the day lightened the darkness with a lecture about the body.
It was here that I learned that anatomy, or medical science, was just as advanced in this world as on Earth.
The knew everything I knew and more. They knew about cells, the components of cells and their functions, along with all the myriads of biological functions that riddled our impossibly complex bodies.
Not only that, but they had learned about how the magical forces of this world interacted with the body. Of course, that stuff only appeared in the more advanced classes.
I had expected a primitive or vague detailing on the body and medical care, but I found quite the opposite. In fact, this class of mine was looking to be more of a paramedic course than otherwise.
We would learn not just about the body, but all about the types of medical care. They would teach us how to similarly respond to various injuries, making us EMTs in training.
This also seemed to be the most difficult class in the Magisterium, obviously because of how complex it was and how much there was to memorize. But when all of these people were going to be specialists on the battlefield, it was rather important that they at least knew some stuff.
I was similarly in distress during the class. I wasn’t cut out for memorizing all that information, a reason I never even fathomed becoming a doctor. Too much to learn.
But I found myself keeping up, especially in my other courses.
And I knew why.
Psyka, the power of the mind.
Summoners, although generally known for being weak, were also known for one other thing.
Being the smartest people in the kingdom.
With minds that became sharper, faster, and stronger with every Authority they gained, Summoners received many boosts to their cognitive abilities. They were the most successful in academics, even beyond Warlocks who studied magic spells.
This would naturally help immensely in regard to my classes. I almost looked forward to it.
Beyond that though, I only had one thing to focus on.
Cultivating my Authority was my most important task. With a greater Authority, I could unlock bigger and badder guns. Those would secure my survival, especially since I was sure my first hunting trip wouldn’t be an easy one.
I was hoping that I could advance in a month, like I had been, but upon opening the book to see the formations I needed to use, I couldn’t help but lose a bit of hope.
“This is absurd. What am I looking at, a circuit board?”
The book was filled with all these impossibly complex lines and symbols. It was hard to even look at, let alone use.
It seemed Authority 4 was a rather massive jump.
But I had a better mind! I knew I couldn’t be held up for long by this complexity, so I dedicated at least a few hours to studying the formations.
Besides, I found it oddly enjoyable.
Studying the formations wasn’t as simple as tracing the lines in your mind. If it were that easy, everyone would be able to advance.
No, it was what the lines and symbols represented that halted people’s progress.
The formations were a guide. By trying to mimic them, people would come to understand the formation within the magical realm and learn how to use it in order to cultivate greater power.
It was like learning a language, and whenever I studied the formation, I would slowly gain understandings.
It was like a bar that slowly filled up with progress, as if I were downloading information into my mind from the file that was the formation.
And the feelings of progress were nice, even if tiring. But I quickly figured out that it would take much more time for me to so much as decipher the formation, let alone cultivate the power. A month wouldn’t be enough.
But up until now I had been cultivating every day, so I had gotten used to the slow but steady progression.
So I stuck around in my room, waiting for the end of the day where I would go to bed early and catch up on sleep.
“Let’s go!”
“I’m coming!”
“We gotta get good seats!”
As I walked to the Magisterium’s massive stadium, I could hear hundreds of students running past me with excited faces.
The whole thing caused me to smile. This was basically high school for all these kids, so I could understand their happiness.
The stadium was basically a huge colosseum. It had one massive field that was bigger than a football field and was surrounded by rows and rows of stairs and seats.
The place could easily fit tens of thousands, more than enough for the entire school and then some.
I entered and found that they divided the seating by year. Walking up, I was planning to follow the very few fourth year students in when suddenly I was stopped.
“ID please.”
“...You didn’t ask for theirs.”
I pointed to the other fourth year students who were walking through. They just waltzed right in.
He smiled wryly.
“Sorry sir, I reognize them, but not you. I need to check.”
“Eh, fine. Here.”
I retrieved my ID, which he took and saw a big number 4 on.
He handed it back with a slight bow.
“Sorry about that. Please, go ahead.”
“Hm.”
I hummed while walking past.
Then, I entered a reserved section for all the fourth years. Before I sat down, I glanced over.
I could only see about 40 students here. Without a doubt, they were all powerful, at least an Authority or so higher than myself. But there were so few.
Compared to the freshman seating that was already jam packed, each person was basically taking their own row, if not grouped up in small cliques.
I was pretty casual as I found myself a seat, but I still couldn't help but notice the not so few stares.
Nobody in this school knew who I was, and I suddenly jumped into the fourth year class. It would naturally raise questions, and some might not take kindly to it it like that one guy who disturbed my already unpleasant morning.
But I couldn’t think that much about it. I was really just here to cultivate higher power and train myself against monsters instead of humans.
“And now, a performance from the College of Enchanted Arts!”
An announcement was suddenly made as a few dozen people walked into the middle of the field.
They seemed like a big marching band, or perhaps an orchestra. Either way, they had many instruments and dancers.
It wasn’t long before I heard music, and the dancers began going through their routine.
There were lights that lit up with waves of their hands and feet, and the music reached my ears rather pleasantly, both upbeat and soothing.
But I wasn’t too impressed. I had seen too many of these displays during the auction days in the Black Spider Market. And those people had such amazing skills, easily dwarfing these newbies.
Still, I enjoyed the entertainment that all the freshmen were going nuts over.
It lasted quite a while, but when it finally ended, a figure of authority stepped out along with waves of applause.
“Allow me to introduce myself.”
His voice reverberated through the air. It was deep, but more than that, it carried actual power. His words commanded attention and respect.
“I am Yottra Carrion, the President of the Magisterium and Duke of the Kingdom of Dragon Tongue. I welcome everyone to this most prestigious institution.”
Everyone went dead silent as he spoke. You could practically see the tangible reverence coming off those students in the other stands.
Truly, he was a great man who stood at the pinnacle of this kingdom. And not just socially.
To rise in this world, power was everything. This Duke was only below the King, and that meant he held power that was capable of dominating damn near the entire world of Magi.
He was at least Authority 10, if not 11. And although Authority 10 was only 2 levels away from Authority 8 where Rayla stood, truly, the difference was insurmountable, not to mention Authority 11.
It was said that Authority 12 was the highest peak of power. I wondered if the King was at that godlike level.
Yottra went on to speak about the Magisterium and its great purpose. He spoke of the Evil Scourge and how we were the greatest hope of humanity to put an end to that extinction-level threat.
This place was not only an institution to cultivate powerful Magi, but to encourage competition and growth through adversity.
Through fighting monsters and sparring with our fellow Magi, we would learn how to better our skills and spells until all of us could become a force that turned the tide of the everlasting war.
It was all motivational and inspiring, which was nice, but I couldn’t help but see the darker side of it.
These Magi were all better than the ordinary human, but in the end, anybody below the top were still merely soldiers. They were more like really effective cannon fodder rather than some special elite force.
But unfortunately, in this world where there was an unending war with an enemy that seemed impossible to kill, the reality could be nothing but dark.
I sighed as Yottra finished his speech.
“Now, I will allow your Council President to take the stage. Once again, welcome to the Magisterium. For Honor.”
“For Honor!”
“For Honor!”
The stadium chanted the mantra of the Kingdom with Yottra.
Then the Council President took the stand.
“Good morning everybody! My name is Tally!”
“Oh jeez.”
Getting to this point, I groaned and tuned out.
The girl up at the podium was an overly enthusiastic third year who spoke of nothing but high hopes and sugarcoated expectations. She was like some kind of mascot.
And sure enough, I saw plenty of the fourth years get up and walk out. I decided I would join them, leaving the stadium before everyone else.
Besides, I had things to do.
Heading to the library, I picked up a few books from a nice clerk lady. After that I went to the Resource Distribution Center where I received the spell formation and cultivation crystal that would allow me to cultivate my fourth Authority.
Simply by joining the Magisterium, I was allowed to rise to the next level. Then again, what was Authority four to these people?
I could imagine what would be asked of people in order to recieve the spell formations for higher Authorities. No doubt, most of it came in the form of military service or merits.
Alongside these items came my class schedule. There was a class for cultivation, but that was only one of many I was assigned.
Scourge Analysis, Geography, Emergency Medical Proficiency.
These three classes would take up most of my day, along with daily cultivation. But there was one that I looked forward to.
“Applied Hunting.”
I muttered curiously at the description for this class.
Basically, every other month there would be a two or three week long period where the entire class would go out on a field trip and hunt. This could include beast hunting in a controlled forest reserve, or hunting the Scourge alongside the military.
This controlled hunting allowed all us Magi to put our powers to the live test. After all, practicality meant everything. Theory meant nothing if it couldn’t deliver on the battlefield.
There would be nothing the first month of school, and come the second month, they would be throwing us out there for a whole two weeks.
It seemed I would have time to get my bearings before getting thrown into the deep end.
On my class list were the times for each class. Tapping my Aerial, I checked the time and decided to make my way.
Scourge Analysis was the first class of the day. It was a class that taught everything regarding the Scourge. Monsters, materials, weakpoints, tendencies, geographical habitats, and counter tactics.
Normally, someone in the fourth year wouldn’t be taking this class. Having gone through several years, they had already learned everything they needed to. But since this was my first year, I had none of those basics, which was why I was thrown into the freshman class.
I had to admit, it was a bit embarrassing. When class started, I was surrounded by nothing but young teens. I was severely out of place, wondering if I would be able to get away with teaching myself.
It was no different for the class after that. Geography wasn’t the normal geography class that I had thought it would be. One could say it was an analysis of the macro scale movements and shifts in the Scourge’s activity. It analyzed the territory that they had conquered and the areas that were currently warzones. Though, there was also some geographical study, primarily teaching major landmarks around the world that we would need to know.
Still, it was hard to focus when a bunch of teens were glancing at me constantly. I chose a back seat, but even the kid next to me was constantly stealing glances.
I beared with it. I knew I would probably end up out there fighting the Scourge, so this was knowledge I needed to know.
I had fought people up until now, not monsters. The two were radically different, even though I didn’t have the experience to determine such. I basically likened it to the difference between two boxers fighting each other and a boxer fighting a bear. The same tactics naturally couldn’t be used.
And many of the things they talked about, even on the first day, surprised me.
The Scourge, according to public sources, was made out to be nothing but a mass of horrific monsters that sought the destruction of the world. We were pretty evenly matched with them in sheer power, but while we had the advantage in personal power, they had the advantage in numbers.
But there were some special entities that posed the greatest threat. After all, nobody cared about the cannon fodder.
There were two types of Scourge creatures that were most concerning.
First, the ones who gained intelligence with power, earning the ability to control the Scourge forces in strategic ways.
And second, the humans who were captured and demonized, turning into an inhuman monster that was both intelligent and powerful.
The Scourge didn’t just destroy. It devoured. And occasionally, the unlucky victims would be demonized and warped into a monster beyond their own will.
The most horrific way to die to the Scourge, and one of the darkest realities of the war.
It was when I heard about this that I couldn’t help but remember Libitus’ words from that night at the auction house.
‘They seriously loved each other. I mean, she almost killed herself over it. The Scourge took her man in the worst way possible…’
Demonization.
Was that what happened to Rayla’s husband?
Not only was he captured by the Scourge, but he was demonized, and then reappeared on the battlefield, confirming his demonization.
Was he killed? Or is he still one of those monsters?
I was pretty sure he had been killed. If not, there was no way that Rayla would have recovered as much as she had seemed to. She probably would have remained in the military until he was relieved of his monstrous existence. Only his death could allow her to move on, even if only a little.
It was a mind numbing thought to have. I couldn’t fathom that kind of grief, to know that the person you loved with your heart and soul had been warped into that kind of monstrosity. And to have to kill him even after that…
I suddenly felt a wave of sorrow for Rayla. I almost wanted to call her up the instant I inferred these things, but it wasn’t like I could explain that I knew about her husband. Libitus had gone behind her back to tell me that before she did.
“...Shit.”
I cursed under my breath in the middle of class, earning a few glances.
Now my mood was ruined, and I had a new irreversible hatred for the Scourge.
If they were simply an enemy, then I could sympathize since there were always two sides to a war.
But this monstrous entity was nothing but a demonic stain upon the world. Nothing but a parasite that wrought ruin.
It seemed I now had another reason to get stronger, other than mere survival.
And I was glad that I could wreak my own retribution with the most lethal weapon in two worlds.
……
…
The first day passed, and I walked to my new on-campus residence with a neutral mood.
After learning about nothing but the Scourge, the last class of the day lightened the darkness with a lecture about the body.
It was here that I learned that anatomy, or medical science, was just as advanced in this world as on Earth.
The knew everything I knew and more. They knew about cells, the components of cells and their functions, along with all the myriads of biological functions that riddled our impossibly complex bodies.
Not only that, but they had learned about how the magical forces of this world interacted with the body. Of course, that stuff only appeared in the more advanced classes.
I had expected a primitive or vague detailing on the body and medical care, but I found quite the opposite. In fact, this class of mine was looking to be more of a paramedic course than otherwise.
We would learn not just about the body, but all about the types of medical care. They would teach us how to similarly respond to various injuries, making us EMTs in training.
This also seemed to be the most difficult class in the Magisterium, obviously because of how complex it was and how much there was to memorize. But when all of these people were going to be specialists on the battlefield, it was rather important that they at least knew some stuff.
I was similarly in distress during the class. I wasn’t cut out for memorizing all that information, a reason I never even fathomed becoming a doctor. Too much to learn.
But I found myself keeping up, especially in my other courses.
And I knew why.
Psyka, the power of the mind.
Summoners, although generally known for being weak, were also known for one other thing.
Being the smartest people in the kingdom.
With minds that became sharper, faster, and stronger with every Authority they gained, Summoners received many boosts to their cognitive abilities. They were the most successful in academics, even beyond Warlocks who studied magic spells.
This would naturally help immensely in regard to my classes. I almost looked forward to it.
Beyond that though, I only had one thing to focus on.
Cultivating my Authority was my most important task. With a greater Authority, I could unlock bigger and badder guns. Those would secure my survival, especially since I was sure my first hunting trip wouldn’t be an easy one.
I was hoping that I could advance in a month, like I had been, but upon opening the book to see the formations I needed to use, I couldn’t help but lose a bit of hope.
“This is absurd. What am I looking at, a circuit board?”
The book was filled with all these impossibly complex lines and symbols. It was hard to even look at, let alone use.
It seemed Authority 4 was a rather massive jump.
But I had a better mind! I knew I couldn’t be held up for long by this complexity, so I dedicated at least a few hours to studying the formations.
Besides, I found it oddly enjoyable.
Studying the formations wasn’t as simple as tracing the lines in your mind. If it were that easy, everyone would be able to advance.
No, it was what the lines and symbols represented that halted people’s progress.
The formations were a guide. By trying to mimic them, people would come to understand the formation within the magical realm and learn how to use it in order to cultivate greater power.
It was like learning a language, and whenever I studied the formation, I would slowly gain understandings.
It was like a bar that slowly filled up with progress, as if I were downloading information into my mind from the file that was the formation.
And the feelings of progress were nice, even if tiring. But I quickly figured out that it would take much more time for me to so much as decipher the formation, let alone cultivate the power. A month wouldn’t be enough.
But up until now I had been cultivating every day, so I had gotten used to the slow but steady progression.
So I stuck around in my room, waiting for the end of the day where I would go to bed early and catch up on sleep.
