GladiusZone: “Hold up. So, can we actually borrow golems? Can I get a few of those mechanical golems that shoot magic bullets from the undead invasion?! I wanna stomp some enemies with an army of golems!”
ProcrastinatingPanda: “Dude, read the fine print. We can borrow the standard mechanical golems, but if you want to own one, you gotta buy from players who are Artificers. That’s actually kinda cool.”
PrimoDos: “Artificers are finally getting buffed! Woohoo! ??”
Prominence: “The golems are great, but don’t forget about the guild system! We can finally stop operating in tiny groups and actually coordinate raids! And guess what? The number of third-stage Initiate Attunement players in the game is less than the fingers on one hand — with me being the first! Hahaha!”
Locktekei: “Damn, guess I better start grinding for mana crystals and meditating more often.”
Zylvern: “Imagine if someone just hoards all the top players into one massive guild. What happens then?”
BunnyFam: “Then we form a rival guild and declare war. Simple.”
Satellite: “Spinula Guild is now open for recruitment. Players who are second-stage Initiate Attunement or higher are welcome to join. Spinula will be paying all members with real money, ensuring a stable income. Together, we will be working under the mighty Lady Auralise!”
Zylvern: “Just as I had mentioned…”
VoidRunner: “Count me in! @Satellite”
Viper Moon: “I remember that in a lot of MMORPGs, guilds can occupy nodes or cities and earn a share of taxes and teleportation fees. I hope this game eventually implements something like that. ??”
Good. The hype is building exactly as planned, Victor thought in glee.
Hornycrab: “At long last, fast travel is here! No more spending hours running back and forth between the village and the academy.”
HaruHiro: “Yeah, but it costs twenty merit points per use. I get why they’re charging for it, but still… RIP my merit points.”
Squadzell: “The mention of bugs… Can you imagine getting stuck somewhere far because you ran out of infused mana? ??”
HaruHiro: “Agreed. I’m worried about potential teleportation accidents. Like… what if you get stuck halfway?”
Skylark777: “Help, stepbrother, I’m stuck in the wall!”
MikeisHandsome1000x: “Lmao. [Laughing.jpg]”
MariaC: “Still, I must say the auction update is intriguing. Weekly auctions, huh? I wonder how crazy the bidding wars are gonna get.”
Starsfall: “I bet rare spell models and magic tools are going to sell for insane prices…”
GiveMeTheNuclearCode: “Hehe! Since I can list any item in the auction, I’m gonna sell my doujin collection! Thousands of them, all genres!”
ButaYaarou: “@GiveMeTheNuclearCode If that happens, I’m buying it. ??”
Locktekei: “Me too!”
SirLaughsALot: “Mods, please ban these degenerates already.”
Storm Bringer: “Are you guys blind?! The Mystery Box is the most important one here! I could get my hands on a Gender-Changing Potion. The only one available last time was bought by that damn Aphrodite!”
Captain Derp: “Mystery Boxes?! Time to throw all my merit points into gambling!”
HaruHiro: “Knowing my luck, I’ll probably get five rocks and a stick.”
MsMelody: “Hold up, it says the best rewards are exclusive to the Mystery Box system? That means you can’t craft or find them anywhere else. That’s… kinda sus.”
StealthPeanut: “Gacha mechanics in a Western VRMMORPG. We have truly entered a new era.”
SuperNovaX: “Place your bets now. How long before someone complains that they spent everything and got nothing good?”
ZeroXScyth: “I give it one hour for Storm.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Storm Bringer: “Damn it! You’ll see!”
Prominence: “Pfft.”
Before Victor could read further, the double doors to his office suddenly burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Eleanor strode in, a smirk plastered across her face as she adjusted the goggles resting on her forehead.
“Alright, Patron! You know why I’m here!” she declared, slamming her hands onto his desk.
Victor sighed, rubbing his temple. “Eleanor, ever heard of knocking?”
“Didn’t have time for that,” she replied nonchalantly, plopping herself onto the sofa not far from his desk.
“I assume you’re here for your reward.”
“Damn right, I am!” Eleanor grinned. “Two full days of hugging sessions with Lizbeth and Lillie, remember?”
Victor noticed that Lizbeth had mysteriously vanished the moment Eleanor barged in. Perhaps, knowing full well that each time Eleanor showed herself like this, a bad time would await her. Smart move.
“I distinctly remember negotiating it down to one.” Victor frowned.
“Hehe, all right, you got me.” Eleanor waved a hand dismissively before leaning back. “But you got your fancy teleportation devices working, didn’t you? So, a deal’s a deal, and I don’t see the both of them anywhere.” She looked around curiously.
“Well, Lizbeth ran the moment she sensed you, and Lillie is probably napping or something.” Victor shrugged.
“Haha! Typical of Lizzy.” Eleanor smirked before cracking her knuckles. “Welp, I’ll save her for last. I’ll go find Lillie now!” Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and exited the room just as abruptly as she had entered.
Victor watched the doors swing shut behind her, then exhaled in exhaustion. If you really want a hug, why don’t you just hug a pillar or a wall? There are plenty in this building alone, he thought in dismay.
Moments later, the fairy in question appeared out of nowhere, her tiny face scrunched up in irritation. “Master, what does she mean by a hugging session with me?” Lizbeth huffed, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “I’ve never agreed to this!”
“It’s nothing, just the usual,” Victor said dismissively.
“What do you mean the usual?!”
“Relax! It’s not like she will hug you for the entire day. She will get tired of doing it to Lillie before you get your turn.”
“Oh, she absolutely will not!” Lizbeth cut in, pointing dramatically at the door Eleanor had disappeared through.
“Whatever.” Victor decided that it was best to ignore this entirely. “I need to meditate in the basement. I need to form my fifth sigil as soon as possible. Contact me if there’s anything urgent.”
Before Lizbeth could protest further, Victor strode toward the bookshelf and pulled a specific book. With a faint click, the hidden entrance slid open, revealing a passage leading downward. Without another word, he stepped inside and began his descent, leaving the fuming fairy hovering in place.
Lizbeth crossed her arms, glaring after him. “Unbelievable. Why do you keep selling this precious, adorable fairy of yours to others, Master…”
In the next few days, the academy saw an all-time high number of players logging into the game right after the update was rolled out. The new features had clearly drawn massive attention, with players eager to test out the Teleportation Waypoints, borrow mechanical golems, and participate in the weekly auctions.
The academy grounds were livelier than ever, with groups of players experimenting with the new fast-travel system like some kids that had just found a new toy. Some were spamming teleportations back and forth just to see if any unexpected bugs would occur, while others were busy forming and recruiting for their newly established guilds. The auction house was equally chaotic, with players aggressively bidding on rare materials and the Mystery Boxes causing quite a stir as players gambled their merit points in hopes of obtaining exclusive items.
On the training fields, those who had borrowed golems were putting them through rigorous combat tests. A few were even attempting synchronized formations, trying to see if they could create an army-like battle strategy. Meanwhile, the assistant professor candidates were growing anxious, waiting for the final announcement of their acceptance.
Watching it all unfold, Victor leaned against the balcony of his office with his arms crossed. Everything was progressing just as he had planned. However, he did realize that in his focus on forming his fifth sigil, he had yet to make the official announcement regarding the assistant professors. It was long overdue; thus, he told Lizbeth, who was still pissed off from having to hug Eleanor for a whole day, to announce that through the Shadowlink Marks.
Next, he activated his Master Shadowlink Mark and checked his status screen to see his progress over the past few days.
Victor Asteriscus
HP: 100%
MP: 1702/1702
Power Rank: Fifth-sigil Elemental Adept Magus | Ki Sentinel
Elemental Affinity: Cosmo (97%) | Chrono (93%) | Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%)
Mana Aptitude: Advanced bright grade
Meditation Technique: Omni-Elemental Fusion Method (fifth sub-level, 1%)
Breathing Technique: Harmonic Resonance Art (second level)
Status: Normal
Strength: (41 → 42)
Agility: (41 → 42)
Vitality: (41 → 42)
Magical Power: (54 → 55)
Infused Mana (total): (1451 → 1702)
Spell Repertoire:
- Aleph: {Blink Step}, {Spatial Mirage}, {Slicing Wind}, {Zephyr Dash}, {Tempest Burst}, {Wind Guard}, {Flame Whip}, {Flame Dart}, {Flame Prison}, {Ember Shield}, {Heat Wave}, {Demonic Eye}, {Mind Programming}
- Bet: {Warpblade}, {Blink}, {Gap Hole}, {Ethereal State}, {Nova}, {Space Fold}, {Gravity Hammer}, {Time Reversal}, {Time Prison}, {Volcanic Spear}, {Tempest Gale}, {Blazing Burst}, {Curse of Nightmare}, {Indomitable Will}
Thanks to the comprehension he gained inside the Dreamscape, Victor’s progress had been incredibly fast — so much so that it took him only a little over a week to form his fifth sigil after escaping that place. He was confident that no one in his former academy, even those so-called geniuses groomed by the old fogies, could compare to him.
“Just one more sigil, and the next step will be to advance to Nexus Temporal rank…” He wouldn’t have thought he’d come this close to achieving the lifelong dream of his family so soon.
It felt like it was just yesterday when he was trying to search for a complete Elemental Adept rank meditation technique through ancient records. But here he was, already thinking of a way to advance to Nexus Temporal.
For centuries, every Magus in the Asteriscus family had aspired to reach this rank, yet none had succeeded in the past few hundred years. If word got out that he was on the verge of achieving it, many within the family would undoubtedly side with him.
Still, Victor wasn’t na?ve. His father was a stubborn and ambitious man — one who wouldn’t relinquish power so easily. Even if the rest of the family saw reason, the current head of the Asteriscus family would never back down without a fight.
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