Victor Asteriscus
HP: 87%
MP: 649/2746
Power Rank: Seventh-sigil Elemental Adept Magus | Ki Sentinel
Elemental Affinity: Cosmo (98%) | Chrono (95%) | Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%)
Dreamforce Affinity: 12%
Mana Aptitude: Superior bright grade
Meditation Technique: Omni-Elemental Fusion Method (seventh sub-level, 12%)
Breathing Technique: Harmonic Resonance Art (second level)
Status: Mildly injured
Strength: (46 → 48)
Agility: (46 → 48)
Vitality: (47 → 48)
Magical Power: (58 → 60)
Infused Mana (total): (2274 → 2746)
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}, {Prism Divide}, {Blink}, {Gap Hole}, {Ethereal State}, {Nova}, {Space Fold}, {Gravity Hammer}, {Time Reversal}, {Time Prison}, {Eyes of Space-Time}, {Volcanic Spear}, {Tempest Gale}, {Blazing Burst}, {Curse of Dreamland}, {Curse of Nightmare}, {Indomitable Will}
Rather than increasing his elemental affinity, forming his seventh sigil had actually unlocked his affinity with dreamforce. Despite the abysmal number, it became the key reason he was able to cast a dreamforce spell, other than one of his sigils being able to contain dreamforce. It could be said to be the greatest factor in his victory against Alphonse — an opponent who had clearly outclassed him.
But regardless, the greatest haul of this battle was Alphonse’s belongings, especially the magic artifact that he used. Even though it was broken and further damaged by Victor’s spell, it still possessed the potential to help a peak Elemental Adept Magus ascend to the Nexus Temporal rank. Since Roland was still at the fifth sigil, the best candidate would be none other than the ancestor of the Asteriscus family, Alvin.
Unfortunately, as for the items stored in Alphonse’s interspatial ring — which likely had a capacity many times greater than the largest one Victor owned — they were destroyed along with the ring under Victor’s last spell. Even if the ring was preserved, the mana signature of a Nexus Temporal Magus was incredibly strong, and he would need a lot of time before he would be able to break through it and implant his mana signature.
As the wind howled past him, Victor soared through the sky, overlooking the charred remains of the Thornwood Forest, which gradually gave way to the battered but still-standing walls of the academy. Trails of smoke still rose from the outer perimeter, and the scent of scorched earth and wood lingered in the atmosphere.
From above, he saw everything. The eastern bastion was in ruins, its outer defenses cratered and scorched — yet the banners still flew. A few players moved through the rubble, assisting the wounded and salvaging supplies. The northern and southern bastions had fared better, with organized patrols sweeping through the tree line, pursuing whatever scraps of the enemy dared remain.
Yet, despite the gore that littered the ground, none of the players appeared particularly disturbed. After all, every player had a psychological limiter planted within their Shadowlink Marks for situations like this. In fact, most of them were hyped to exterminate the remaining enemies — eager to earn more loot and merit points.
Victor turned his gaze into the distance and spotted numerous dirigible wrecks scattered across the outskirts. Some were still smoldering, while others had already been raided by players. Among them, SPARK units — what few remained — were dragging their fallen comrades’ corpses or what remained of them back toward the academy.
He hovered midair for a few seconds, overlooking the entire academy. The protective magic barriers were still active — but just barely. Seriously barely.
Victor exhaled. Despite everything, they had won. A few hundred players might have perished in the battle, but at this stage, that was a very manageable loss. A single day in Seraphia alone would incubate a total of one hundred players. Incubating stronger players would take more time, but even a third-stage Initiative Attunement acolyte could be incubated in less than three days.
He then descended slowly, landing on the balcony of the top floor of the Headmaster’s Building. As his boots touched down, he turned around and saw the players returning in waves. Some limped, others carried stretchers, and a few cheered as they passed through the main gates, still riding the adrenaline of victory.
It was good to see that the academy felt alive and had developed to this degree. No matter how many times disaster had struck it, the academy always endured and grew stronger. And that was all he needed.
A small floating creature appeared beside him, zipping straight toward him. Lizbeth phased into Victor’s view with a mix of relief and seriousness.
“Master! You won!” she exclaimed joyfully, sticking close to Victor’s cheek. “Took you a while, but you’ve won!”
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Victor chuckled. “Ha. Of course, I won. Did you doubt me?”
“I didn’t!” she puffed out her cheeks before displaying a holographic screen in front of him. “By the way, this is the casualty report. And a list of all the loot your little chaos player army collected.”
He took it with a nod, scanning the numbers. Although the war wasn’t entirely over, the players who had stayed near the academy — rather than chasing down the fleeing dirigibles — had collected a significant amount of loot and brought it back.
Victor had already instructed the players not to keep any of the loot for themselves. Everything would be distributed fairly based on each player’s contribution. He wasn’t worried about anyone stealing since the Shadowlink Marks recorded every action taken.
After all, Magus Academy Online was different from typical MMORPGs that promoted individual power and selfish progression. Victor would gain nothing if one party became too strong compared to the others. He wanted everyone to grow together, fairly and steadily. That way, the Sanctum could one day become the greatest Magus institution in the world and beyond.
With the progress so far, Victor was confident that the first step — becoming the best Magus academy in the kingdom — was just around the corner. At the same time, this only fueled his ambition for power… He needed to become a Nexus Temporal Magus as soon as possible.
***
[Mission Accomplished!]
[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have successfully defended the academy and crushed the Merlin invaders.]
[The reward (15,000 academy points and a Cosmic Rubik’s piece) has been issued.]
A whole day passed as the war came to an end.
The remnants of the Merlin dirigible fleet were taken down by the Asteriscus fleet. Out of the original fourteen dirigibles, eleven were destroyed and crashed to the ground, reduced to piles of scrap metal. The remaining three — including their flagship, the Zephyros — were captured intact and brought back to the academy.
On the other hand, the Asteriscus fleet suffered only minimal losses. Among the academy’s thirteen dirigibles, including the Lunaria, fewer than half sustained damage. Only three required immediate repairs, and none were damaged beyond restoration.
It was, without a doubt, a total victory for the Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi. Had any other academies clashed in a full-scale war like this, both sides would have suffered considerable losses.
As a matter of fact, this kind of situation wouldn’t have been possible without several factors stacked together and aligning perfectly. Victor’s esoteric elemental affinities — Cosmo and Chrono — allowed him to set traps undetectable by ordinary Magi. On top of that, it was a defensive war, fought on terrain that gave Victor’s forces a clear advantage.
Nevertheless, the biggest factor of all was the players.
No sane acolyte would willingly throw their life away just to take down an enemy in a suicide bombing. No ordinary person would charge into battle without a hint of fear. Anyone else would have broken the moment their side suffered hundreds of casualties. The psychological war was more important than the physical one.
Regardless, the biggest haul from this war wasn’t the dirigibles or the loot obtained, but the captured enemies. Nearly two hundred mercenaries were taken alive during the battle, with more than half of them being Ki-Warriors or mages. The weaker enemies had been eliminated by traps, magic cannons, spells, and suicide bombers, serving as little more than cannon fodder and leaving the stronger ones behind to be captured.
These prisoners would serve well as laborers in the ravine or even the chasm, especially since a recent report indicated a potential mining site about a third of the way down.
On top of that, five Elemental Adept Magi were also captured — two of whom belonged to smaller Magus factions from the surrounding region. With their leaders in his grasp, Victor now had the opportunity to absorb those forces when the time came. And if he could perfect the {Mind Programming} spell, he could potentially turn them into his sla— subordinates.
As for the rest of the captured Merlin family members and their servants, Victor could use the {Mind Programming} spell immediately to make them loyal to him and erase their previous affiliations. These individuals could then be repurposed as low-level staff and NPCs to help manage and operate the academy.
“It always feels great tallying up the gains after a big battle,” Victor mused with glee, steepling his hands.
“Master, are you talking to me or a wall?” Lizbeth interjected from his shoulder, giving him a strange look.
Ignoring her remark, Victor could already see the day when the Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi would rise and carve out its own dominion within the kingdom.
Of course, he would need to move carefully. The other academies might not react kindly to his rapid expansion — especially after this battle, which had clearly showcased the academy’s military might. The world was bound to learn of his academy’s existence now, considering the Merlin family hadn’t exactly been discreet. But Victor didn’t care. So long as he played his cards right, even the Arcane Radiance College would have no choice but to acknowledge him as a rising power.
Besides, he wasn’t in a rush. With players continuing to pour into the world and more factions beginning to stir within the academy, the flow of talent and manpower was only accelerating. He already had several long-term projects underway — from the Twelve Magus Towers project to the Star Fortress project, and most recently, the construction of the new Asteriscus Manor.
As he thought about this, Lizbeth reported, “Master, Alvin’s accepted the artifact. He said he’ll enter seclusion immediately to refine it.”
“Good,” Victor replied with a smile. “Once he advances to the Nexus Temporal rank, the academy will have another powerful guardian, and a true inner circle can finally be formed. We’ll need someone like him when the next stage begins.”
“Also…” Lizbeth added rather hesitantly, “Thunder has requested a private meeting with you. He said he has confirmed his suspicion and wants to strike a deal.”
Victor’s eyes gleamed. “Is that so? It seems what he discovered regarding KuroUsagi and his little circle might be more significant than I thought… I guess the secret can’t be kept hidden forever.”
In fact, he already had a hunch about what they had uncovered behind his back. Thunder’s absence — and the fact that he hadn’t met with Victor the moment he returned to the academy — only made it more suspicious. It was as if they were confirming something to be sure.
“Then call them here,” Victor instructed, fully aware that Thunder wouldn’t be coming alone.
“Yes, Master.”
As the sun began to rise over the war-torn forest, Victor glanced at the glass window behind him.
It seemed the academy’s expansion wouldn’t be limited to just Seraphia...
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