The towers of the Altius main campus were tall.
There were many of them—and they were disgustingly tall.
And for so reason, a massive crowd had gathered around him, so Karl had no choice but to co to a halt.
“What the hell... I an, I know this is the main Altius campus, but why the hell are there so many people here?”
And they were all mages.
His confusion only deepened. There was, however, one thing Karl didn’t know.
Today was the first day of the official entrance exam for the Altius School—the one that only ca once a year.
Mages from across the continent had flocked to Rubenne, hoping to be accepted into the most prestigious school of all.
To put it in Earth terms, it was the classic case of “hitting market day on your travel day.”
“Excuse —why are there so many mages here?”
“Huh?”
He grabbed a passerby and asked. The man replied kindly.
“You must be from far away. Today’s the start of the Altius entrance exams, that’s why.”
Now that he ntioned it, Karl vaguely rembered hearing so rchants chatting about it along the way.
Sweating bullets, Karl pushed his way through the crowd and finally made it to the gates.
“Hey! You’re not allowed through yet!”
This ti, a mage stepped forward, blocking him with a staff.
Judging by the emblem stitched into his robe, this guy was a proper Altius mage. It looked like they were personally managing the crowd.
Then again, with this many mages all in one place, it made sense for high-ranking personnel to step ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) in just in case.
Karl forced a smile and spoke to him.
“Hey, I’m not here to take the exam. I’m looking for soone—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Back off. If you’re here as a guest, you should’ve sent word and co through another gate. What are you doing here?”
Because the person I’m supposed to et is a complete stranger, you bastard.
Karl held back his irritation and spoke again, calmly.
“The person I need to see—this will be our first ti eting. Could you at least pass along a ssage for ?”
“...Who exactly are you trying to et?”
“A man nad Seindal. My master said he was his old friend...”
Karl trailed off mid-sentence.
The mage who had asked him stiffened, eyes widening in visible shock.
“Se-Seindal? You an the Seindal of the Council of Elders?!”
“Uh... I’m not sure. I just ca to deliver sothing to him.”
The mage seed to snap out of it and carefully asked,
“May I ask your master’s na? I’ll inform him right away.”
“Ah, thank you. Just tell him a student of Master Jeron has co.”
The mage imdiately ran off in a panic.
Karl stood awkwardly, waiting for his return.
He hadn’t been waiting long when soone suddenly struck up a conversation from the side.
“Insane how many people there are, huh? But you know, by tomorrow, half of them will be gone. Most are just trash-tier wannabes.”
Karl turned.
A blond man was grinning as he looked Karl up and down.
“You look pretty young. And from your clothes, and the fact that you’re here alone... you’re not so noble brat. Hmm. No school crest on your robe, either. Don’t tell you picked up a few scraps of magic here and there and ca to take the exam? Ha!”
“......”
“Ah, right, let introduce myself. I’m Lorand, from the Aster School. Don’t tell you haven’t heard of it? It’s one of the subordinate schools under Altius. Not to brag, but I’m a Second Circle mage.”
He puffed up proudly and pointed to the emblem on his robe.
Karl was speechless.
What the hell is this idiot’s deal?
Was he seriously picking a fight?
Regardless of Karl’s silence, Lorand kept babbling.
“Just saying—I’ve seen kids like you before. With skills that sloppy, you’re not even gonna make it past the basic tests today. It’s good to dream big, but Altius? Bit too far-fetched, don’t you think?”
“......”
“So, what I’m saying is, don’t let it get you too down when you fail. Knowing your place early on is important if you want to get anywhere in life.”
Karl briefly debated whether to engage this clown, then decided it wasn’t worth the effort and just ignored him.
That reaction made Lorand’s brow twitch.
“What, not even a word? I’m trying to give you so friendly advice here! Typical—no talent, just a bloated ego...”
“There he is!”
Just then, a group erged from the gates.
Lorand's eyes went wide in alarm.
And not just him—the surrounding mages all began murmuring, their attention snapping toward the new arrivals.
And no wonder.
A living legend had appeared.
A flowing white robe trimd with gold.
The mark of the Council of Elders, the highest authority within Altius.
“Is it that boy?”
A white-haired elder approached the crowd, flanked by other mages.
It was Seindal, one of the Elders of Altius.
As he drew nearer, the murmurs died down.
By the ti he reached the front of the crowd, there was complete silence.
He ca to a stop directly in front of one young man.
Karl.
“......”
Seindal studied Karl for a mont, his eyes glinting with interest.
“So you’re... Jeron’s disciple?”
With every gaze fixed on him, Karl nodded stiffly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Judging by the reaction, it seed this character’s backstory placed his master as soone with so heavy connections.
That... wasn’t great for Karl.
This entire situation was uncomfortable.
“Goddamn it. Way too much attention...”
In this dangerous world, attention was the last thing you wanted.
Cursing Seindal internally for making such a public entrance, Karl handed him a ring.
“My master said showing you this would be enough.”
“...!!”
Karl didn’t even know what the thing was.
He’d just received it alongside the quest as a proof of identity.
“...It’s real. No doubt about it—this belonged to my old friend.”
Seindal smiled, nodding as he returned the ring.
“Welco to the Altius main campus. Let’s not keep standing here—co inside.”
As Karl began to follow him, he paused and glanced back.
He caught a perfect view of Lorand, frozen in place with his jaw hanging open.
“Hey, thanks for the advice. But maybe you should try applying it to yourself soti. You know—the part about knowing your place?”
“......”
Lorand stood there, beet red and speechless.
Karl smirked and turned away.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
* * *
The mage tower I followed Seindal into was nothing like what I had imagined.
I’d expected sothing darker, gloomier—but the interior was just as bright as the sunny outdoors.
There was even soone at the entrance who looked like a receptionist behind a counter.
"Co now, make yourself comfortable."
We had arrived at a spacious room on the upper floors, following Seindal’s lead.
I sat down, glancing around awkwardly.
"What kind of tea would you like?"
"Anything’s fine."
"Haha, Jeron said the sa thing every ti I tried to offer him sothing. ‘Anything’s fine,’ he’d say."
Seindal had the look of soone montarily lost in mory.
Though really, isn’t that just the kind of generic answer you give when it’s your first ti in a place like this?
As he set down the tea and took the seat across from , he suddenly looked at and let out a hearty laugh.
"But really, it’s all quite astonishing. That man, with his personality, actually took on a disciple. And you, at your level—4-circle, and barely twenty—you’re quite sothing. Hoho..."
"......"
Had he seen right through ?
Well, even if he looked ordinary, the guy was a veteran mage of Altius.
Probably a monster at the 6-circle level or higher, which ant he could likely read my actual level at a glance.
"How is Jeron doing? If he raised such a fine disciple, he should have co along to boast. Why did he send only you?"
I stayed silent.
I needed a mont to gather my thoughts before answering.
First off, the character’s master, Jeron, was dead.
That had been part of the ga’s setting from the very beginning, ever since I got swallowed into this damn world.
So I knew absolutely nothing about Jeron as a person.
All I’d done so far was follow quest markers and gather his scattered research notes from all over the continent.
Deliver Jeron’s research notes to his only friend, Seindal.
You may find Seindal at the headquarters of the Altius School.
Quest Reward: 50,000 SP
And then ca the new main quest.
This damn quest only told to deliver the notes—it didn’t say a single thing about how to handle Seindal asking questions about Jeron.
So from here on out, improvisation was key.
Putting on a slightly somber expression, I spoke.
"My master has passed away."
"...!!"
Seindal’s face was struck with visible shock.
I didn’t say anything more and waited.
After a long mont of silence, Seindal nodded with a face that sohow looked even older.
"I see... So that’s what happened."
"......"
"With his stubbornness, he probably worked himself to death. I can’t say I’m too surprised."
He rubbed his brow tightly, then asked ,
"What did you do with Jeron’s body?"
"...I buried him in a sunny place, together with his staff."
Of course, that never actually happened. Jeron’s staff is currently tucked safely inside my inventory.
I was starting to feel a twinge of guilt when Seindal asked another question.
"Did Jeron ever speak of ?"
"He said you were his one and only true friend. That’s actually why I ca looking for you."
A hint of doubt flickered across Seindal’s face.
I reached into my robes and pulled out a notebook along with a few scrolls.
Seindal’s eyes widened, as if he already knew what they were.
"That can’t be..."
"Yes. These are the research notes Master compiled while traveling the continent. He said that if anyone could understand them, it would be you, Seindal."
"......!!"
From my perspective, it just looked like pages of nonsense symbols and bizarre diagrams scribbled everywhere.
Seindal read through them with a grim expression.
"...This is astonishing."
It was only after quite so ti that he finally muttered those words in awe.
And at the sa mont, a ssage popped into my head.
[You have completed the main quest: ‘Research Delivery.’]
[Quest Reward: You have received 50,000 SP.]
[You have completed the first scenario.]
Yes!
I cheered internally.
Fifty thousand SP—that was more than you’d get from dozens of normal quests.
Guess the reward scales with the size of the scenario.
Seindal’s tone had noticeably softened as he spoke to again.
"Truly, thank you. For bringing sothing this important."
"It’s nothing. It was my master’s final wish, so of course I had to see it through."
Seindal smiled and shook his head.
"I’ve seen many people rise through the ranks to get to where I am now. I know all too well how corrupt a mage’s ambition can beco."
"......"
"I’m sure you understand what this research is about, and just how significant it is. Yet you resisted the temptation and brought it here, honoring your role as a disciple. That couldn’t have been easy. You’re more than worthy of my gratitude."
I just gave a light smile at that.
‘What the hell’s he talking about? I didn’t understand a single word of it.’
To a fake mage like , those scribbles ant nothing. The only thing that mattered was the 50,000 SP I’d just scored to level up my skills.
Reviews
All reviews (0)