Four days elapsed as Victor busied himself with preparations for the expedition. He wasn’t wrong; in order to transport the nearly destroyed dirigible back to the academy required more than five trips, even with three interspatial rings at his disposal. To be fair, the dirigible was on the smaller side, quite different from the ones he was used to seeing at the academy. But despite that, he still had to separate them into parts to bring them back.

  Meanwhile, Eleanor was also hard at work trying to repair the dirigible with the assistance of the players and Victor’s “helpers.” When she discovered that the helpers were mechanical golems, she nearly fainted on the spot. However, her sense of curiosity overpowered her shock as she launched toward the golems like a drug addict spotting a stash. Her enthusiasm for working with such advanced constructs and her passion for the project fueled her drive to get the dirigible operational.

  With the repairs underway, Victor decided it was time to give a speech about the upcoming expedition. He had deliberately delayed this announcement rather than making it right after the update since there were a few things he wanted to be sure of first.

  As Victor stood in the grand auditorium, hundreds of players gathered to listen. Unlike the previous few speeches he had given, this time, he had carefully written down the key points he intended to discuss, which was to select individuals for the grand expedition. But even so, the turnout exceeded his expectations. Truly, these players had nothing but time to waste here. Well, they wouldn’t have become gamers otherwise.

  Regardless of the reason, without further ado, Victor spread his mana force to assert his authority over the assembled crowd and seize the moment to begin his speech:

  “My acolytes! Today marks a new chapter for our academy. In two weeks I will embark on an expedition that will take us beyond this forest and into the territories of Brightmoon City. For two months, we have been building up the academy, honing our skills, deepening our knowledge, amassing resources, and, most importantly, treading on the Magus path. Now, the time has come to reveal to the world what we have built and entrusted our spirits to.” His voice was resolute as he moved his gaze from left to right, sweeping over the players who listened intently, their eyes fixed on him.

  “Now, I want ten to fifteen volunteers to join me—” Before he could finish, basically everyone in the auditorium raised their hands. Some of the shorter players stretched on tiptoe, raising both hands to be noticed.

  Why does this scene always repeat itself? Victor’s face slightly twitched.

  Maintaining his commanding tone, he continued. “Ahem, hear what I have to say before jumping at an opportunity that you might not be prepared for.” He stared intently at the eager, stupid faces of the players before him. “I need only the bravest, the most skilled among you. This expedition is not for those who hesitate or falter in the face of the unknown. Those who join me must be ready for anything—be it unknown enemies or unforeseen dangers.”

  He paused, letting the players grasp the gravity of the situation.

  “If you are preoccupied with other tasks or if your magical prowess is not yet honed to perfection, then do not bother applying for the expedition. There will be other opportunities, and your contributions here are just as important. But for those who are ready despite all this, please sign up through your Shadowlink Marks and pay one hundred merit points as an entry fee.”

  He swept his gaze over them as he paused, then asked, “Do you understand?”

  Victor was sure every player recognized that this was a defining moment that could change their fate within the game. After all, he had promised a bountiful reward as well. However, he had also listed a strict requirement for this expedition, and he couldn’t have everyone signing up willy-nilly.

  William was among the first who immediately signed up for the grand expedition, eagerly paying the one hundred merit points entry fee as if it were nothing. Turning to his party members, he called out, “Guys! We’re all signing up for the expedition, right?”

  “Of course!” Storm replied enthusiastically. “As the game’s number one pioneer, there’s no way I’m missing this opportunity!”

  Zero adjusted his nonexistent glasses and added, “Count me in. Since I can work from home, it should be fine to skip the morning meetings without any issues.”

  Mike, however, hesitated. “Dudes, my employees are still too newbies to leave around. I’m afraid I’ll have to sit this one out.”

  “I see.”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “Understandable.”

  The group nodded in understanding. Mike was, after all, a store owner with responsibilities. Plus his employees were still new to the game. Not to mention his budding relationship with an NPC girlfriend in the village, much to their envy.

  What was unexpected was when SuperNova spoke up.

  “Uh, I think I’ll also pass.” He shook his head dejectedly.

  “Why?” Storm tilted his head.

  SuperNova sighed. “You see, I’ve got to start writing my thesis soon. I’ve been skipping too many classes recently to play the game, and I need to catch up. Until then, I really shouldn’t be playing so much.”

  “Oh, c’mon.” Prominence wrapped an arm around SuperNova, saying, “It’s not like a degree guarantees you a good job. Besides, there are classes in this academy too, where you can learn all sorts of magical knowledge.”

  “Yeah, it’s just a piece of paper.” Storm laughed. “Look at me. I used to earn as much as a typical office worker just by gaming professionally and making videos. And now, thanks to the currency exchange platform, I’m making double that amount. This game is gonna be huge!”

  “But still…” SuperNova hesitated, staring at the floor.

  William laughed creepily. “Listen, going on this expedition might land you with a beautiful NPC girlfriend like Mike. Hehehe.”

  Storm nodded in agreement.

  SuperNova stuttered as a tug-of-war raged within his soul.

  Zero smirked. “Guys, come on, stop bullying him. I only became a consultant of a large multinational corporation and started earning six figures because I studied at Harvard,” he bragged, a glint of pride clear on his face.

  “Shit!” Storm groaned.

  “You just had to bring that up, didn’t you? This bastard…” Though annoyed, William knew Zero was right, as proven by his intelligence and good strategic thinking. It was undeniable.

  Unable to convince SuperNova to join the expedition, the three remaining members could only leave their friends behind. Of course, there was no guarantee they would all be accepted—only the headmaster could decide.

  Victor sat at his desk with a holographic screen spread before him. He sifted through the applications, considering the strict criteria he had set while carefully reviewing each one to determine who would accompany him on the grand expedition.

  Applicants had to be at least first-stage Initiate Attunement acolytes, possess a useful set of skills, and most importantly, have ample free time to minimize absences from the game. The 2:1 time dilation meant players would be more active during Earth’s nighttime, effectively giving them one full day in Seraphia while sacrificing activity during the day on Earth. However, it also meant that any time they did spend on Earth got doubled, so if they took a three-hour break on Earth, they would be missing for six hours on Seraphia.

  Victor couldn’t afford to have anyone on his team who couldn’t meet these demands, as it could hamper his goal. So, those who fell short would be eliminated from consideration. While there were players from different time zones, the same problem would still be in effect, just in reverse.

  As he neared the end of the list, something caught his eye.

  “Auralise herself applied, huh?” he murmured, a bit surprised. While he had chosen several familiar players, he hadn’t expected this moneybags of an investor to show interest in the expedition. So far, he had never taken her or her group on any important missions, unlike some of the others.

  Just then, a voice interrupted his thoughts. “Master, have you decided whom you might bring?”

  “Pretty much,” Victor answered thoughtfully. “Prominence, ZeroXScyth, Storm Bringer, KuroUsagi, ChickenSmackdown…” He listed the players he was familiar with, including Thunder, Aphrodite, and CookieMons. “And the last two are MissRichLadyAuralise and Domonique. A total of fifteen players overall.”

  Given the scale of his objective and the number of qualified candidates, Victor decided to take the maximum number of players possible while keeping the groups diverse and balanced. For example, he included a cook like CookieMons, and Auralise’s expertise as a businesswoman would undoubtedly prove invaluable—

  [Mission Accomplished!]

  [Congratulations on passing the mission. You have successfully gathered at least ten players for the expedition and prepared the necessary supplies.]

  [The reward (1,000 academy points) has been issued.]

  Academy Name: Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi

  Headmaster: Victor Asteriscus

  Academy Points: 2110

  Academy Grade: Level 3

  Total Acolytes: 688/500

  Total Professors: 4/5

  Progression Value: 530/500

  Victor’s goal here wasn’t simply repairing the citadel and its mechanical golems. His primary goal was to recruit an official Magus from the outside world, someone who would willingly join his academy as a professor without a single word of complaint. After all, it was the only remaining requirement to level up the academy.

  But who would want to join an unknown Magus academy hidden away in the middle of nowhere?

  Victor absentmindedly stroked Lumen, who was in her small form, as he gazed distractedly at the darkening sky. Even recruiting a Magus with questionable morals and ulterior motives might not be possible; forget poaching a promising one…

  Brainwashing was an option, though.

  However, kidnapping an Elemental Adept Magus—who would certainly have countless tricks up their sleeve—and then brainwashing them was not simple. Victor himself had only just formed his first sigil. If he wasn’t careful, he might offend an entire Magus faction, which would spell disaster. Besides, the brainwashing spell he had was still stuck at Aleph tier…

  “I could upgrade it, but…” The citadel’s library was brimming with knowledge on mind manipulation and studies of the soul. “It’s just too risky.” Victor sighed.

  This left him with one last possible option: finding an independent Magus who was at the end of their lifespan and offering them what they desired most—more time.

  If he upgraded the Alchemist Hall, it might unlock an elixir capable of extending an Elemental Adept Magus’s lifespan. What could be more tempting for a dying Magus than the chance to live a few more decades? It was the perfect bait.

  “Only, I need to find an old Magus who’s one step from the grave,” he murmured with a self-deprecating smile. “Ha, as if that’s going to be easy.”

  One thing was for sure, this expedition wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.

  Wong40k for making the typography for the cover of my next story. This is something that I've been planning for months, but I won't be releasing any time soon, as I will be focused on Magus Academy more.