Chapter 23: Treasure of the Academy

 

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-Chapter 23, DGM-

-Fleming magic academy-

There were still a couple of assassins left in the magic academy. However, with Celine by his side the fights were settled in a single exchange.

Two people scoured the magic academy meticulously. The library, the dean’s tower, mysterious towers, etc. However, not a single piece of valuable equipment was found. Not even one inferior magic wand was found in the apprentice blocks.

“We’re out of luck, they’ve all been plundered by the dark elves already.” Link sighed.

Almost all of the things that had value were snatched. After going a round, all Link found was a pile of books about the basics of magic, a small pile of gold coins, about 1300. That was all there was.

There were around 50 books and a few kilograms of gold. Link passed them to Celine. This demon princess was fitted with dimensional equipment for storing things.

This world had dimensional equipment for hoarding things, but they cost people a limb. A normal dimensional ring cost 3000 gold coins. Link did not dare dream of getting one currently.

Finally, only the alchemy tower had not been searched.

The door of the alchemy tower was already broken. Celine and Link spotted a huge mess upon entering. Several corpses littered the ground. There were too many alchemic equipment that were too heavy, so the dark elves directly destroyed them instead. All kinds of cupboards storing statistics and data were overturned in a hideous mess. Many data and materials were also looted dry.

However, the dark elves also had limited time. There were still some things left behind.

A medicine cupboard was half open. Link walked over to open it. It was full of crystal bottles filled with light blue liquid.

Information popped up in his field of vision.

‘Inferior mana magic potion1

Quality: Common

Use: After consumption, a magician’s mana will recover by 100.

(Note: This potion has slight toxicity. It is limited to being consumed once daily.)’

Link reached for a bottle, prying open the cork. He raised his head and downed the mana potion in one gulp.

Once the potion entered his body, he felt an uncomfortable sensation at his stomach. This was the side effect of the potion’s toxicity. However, at the same time, he felt a refreshing sensation surging through his body from his belly, before finally converging in his head. Link suddenly felt much more sober and alert.

Observing his status, he realised his mana had spurted up to 145 points.

Not bad. Against an individual opponent, it was sufficient enough to turn the tides of any battle. However, it was nowhere near delaying the main forces of the dark elves from entering Glaston city. Link rummaged through the place again, and found a crystal bottle filled to the brim with a mild green solution.

Inferior mana recovery potion

Quality: Common

Use: After consumption, mana regeneration speed will increase by 200%. Lasts for 2 hours.

(Note: Effects of potion do not stack.)2

Link gulped down the potion without batting an eyelid. As a result, his mana recovery speed shot up to 27.6 mana points per hour.

Not enough!

The middle of the alchemy hall only had a few basic potions or medicines. Then again, Fleming magic academy was an academy on the lower tiers.

However, even inferior magic academies like Fleming had valuables.

At the core of the alchemy tower was Fleming magic academy’s ‘valuables’, and also Link’s ultimate goal.

He scoured the heart of the alchemy tower. Finally, he stopped at a curtain at the side of the hall. A smooth wall was revealed as he tore down the curtain. If Link was not wrong, this wall was a sliding magic door.

Magic wall

Level 3 magic spell

Use: Create a stable protective screen perfect without defects to block access to areas.

The magic door was extremely hidden, and completely camouflaged with the rest of the walls. People unfamiliar with magic would be unable to identify the magic door.

All the dark elf assassins were blind about magic, so this magic door was left completely undamaged. This left Link relieved. If the magic door was left untouched, it meant that the magicians from the magic academy had not revealed their final card.

“Celine, can you open this door?” Link asked.

“No problem.” Celine grinned, brandishing her sapphire crystal sword.[/footnote]it appeared in chapter 20. Dark elves fired arrows at them but she deflected htem with her sword[/footnote] Striding towards the door, she hacked at it crudely.

The sound of the magic door collapsing sounded out. In the second level of the alchemy tower, the jade-like surface of the magic door was brutally devastated by Celine.

A simple level 3 magic spell. To Celine, it was as effortless as breaking a chicken’s egg.

A spiral flight of stairs was revealed as the magic door was busted down. Link strode in, following the spiral steps. There were very little on the second level. There was only a small room the size of a cell.

The room was devoid of people. In the middle of the room rested a cupboard around 1 meter squared in area. The violet-hued cupboard was built out of precious red sandalwood, and the corners of it were adorned with gold threads. It looked lavish and opulent.

Link felt a great sense of relief upon seeing the cupboard. The game world had designed it much more crudely than how it appeared like currently. However, the important details were still exactly the same.

The resources stored inside this exorbitant cupboard was something he had heard of before on the forums.

It was reported that a newbie magician had somehow broken through the hidden level 3 magic door while attempting to escape from Glaston city. Allegedly, he had discovered the private room on the second level of the alchemy tower, along with the cupboard.

After this player had opened the cupboard, he had obtained a bottle of heaven-defying potion. Legend said that after this player had consumed the potion, his power had risen to a terrifying level. During his escape, he had slaughtered people in all four directions, clearing the dark elves inside the inside the magic academy. One of the dark elves he had slain was magician Holm.

Link eagerly attempted opening the cabinet. However, the surface of the cabinet was shrouded in a thin membrane of light like a thin film of water. This was a magic seal. With his current power, it was impossible for him to open it.

“Allow me.” Celine walked over, preparing to break open the seal.

“Don’t!”

Link hurriedly stopped her. Although he did not recognise the magic seal, he could distinctly sense the flow of magic in the seal. He had a premonition that if the seal was broken by force, the accumulated magic in the seal would explode. Although the explosion may not be strong, it was more than enough to destroy the things inside the cupboard. When that happened he would not be able to obtain anything.

“Then what should we do?” It would be weird if nothing good was found inside an intricately designed cabinet like this.

“Let me take a look.”

Link shut his eyes, carefully sensing the flow of magic within the cabinet. After 5 seconds, he used his magic wand to point out three magic runes on the cupboard. “These three magic runes should be the main ones running the seal. If they are simultaneously destroyed, the magic seal should be safely dispelled.”

Link had not relied on any contextual knowledge for this. He had simply felt that these 3 magic runes were nodes in the circuit of magic flow.

“Simultaneously destroyed?” Celine frowned, uncertain.

“The disparity in the times of their destruction cannot exceed 0.1 seconds respectively. A chain reaction wouldn’t occur then.” Link explained.

“Ah, a piece of cake.”

Celine stepped forward, the sapphire crystal sword leaving afterimages in the air.

In a flash, she had struck 3 times. 3 minute punctures appeared on the magic runes as they were rendered useless.

After a second, the magic seal was disabled. The thin membrane of light veiling the cupboard sported a tiny hole, slowly eating away the membrane as it grew.

After a moment, the magic seal disintegrated.

Link opened the cabinet gingerly.

The cabinet was absolutely empty save the middle of it. In the centre of the cupboard lay a bottle flickering with a sheen of radiance like that of hazy moonlight. Inside the bottle was a swirl of pure amber. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Information popped up in Link’s field of vision.

‘Murmur of magic’

‘A legendary potion, the gem of Fleming magic academy!’

Use: Consumer obtains ‘murmur of magic’ blessing. Under the blessing, the power of any magic spell cast will be increased by 100%. Mana will be restored completely, and mana capacity will be increased by 1000. Mana regeneration speed will increase to 1000 points every hour, and magic casting speed will be increased by 30% irregardless of spell. Consumer will also obtain an ‘intermediate magic armour’ effect. Blessing will persist for 2 hours. When blessing effect is terminated, consumer will enter a state of ‘mana deficiency’, with all magic attributes reduced by 90% for a period of 3 months.3

What a godly potion!

Although the side effects were dreadful, it gave a magician frightening power for 2 hours. No wonder that novice magician could run rampant after consuming this potion!

However, Link did not drink it, instead handing it to Celine.

“Your strength is far greater than mine. You drink.” If Link was like a tiger with wings after taking this medicine, then Celine, a level 5 magician could be compared to a nuclear weapon.4

Celine looked away awkwardly. “Actually, I’m not too familiar with magic…”5

“What about that ‘obsidian ward’?” Link was astonished.

“That was the product of my innate talent… I still rely primarily on battle skills… This should be a magician’s potion, it won’t help me much. Furthermore, I’m afraid that I’m a demon…”

“I was insensitive.” Link knew Celine’s words were right. Her demonic identity could not be exposed or it would bring a good deal of hassle for Celine.

So this potion could only be consumed by him.

Pulling out the stopper, he downed the potion in a gulp. The second it entered his mouth, he felt like it was a fizzy liquid. After a while, the tangy gassy feeling like drinking soda could be felt. However, the fizziness of the liquid surpassed any carbonic drink by far.

When the potion had entered his throat, it already felt like it was boiling like liquid fire, flushing down into Link’s belly.

‘Bang~’

Link felt like something had erupted in his stomach, but he did not feel any pain. Following the eruption, strength, unstoppable strength seeped into his veins and throughout his body. His limbs and bones felt strengthened, followed by his mind becoming unprecedentedly clear-headed.

The ‘intermediate magic armour’ effect that the potion brought along was also activated. On the surface of Link’s clothes, countless magic runes condensed onto it. In addition, a layer the width of 1 cm congealed on his body like amber crystal or glass.

This was the ‘intermediate magic armour’, a level 5 magic spell. Its figure was similar to ‘guardian enchantment’, but the light of the magic runes were like night and day, with an even large disparity in use. This magic spell was poor against magic attacks, but had excellent defense capability against physical attacks.

With this magic, it was the equivalent of Link wearing a thick steel armour to war.

For a split second, Link felt like he had control over everything in the universe.

He glanced at his attributes.

Link Moleney (Noble)

Level 2 normal magician

Mana regeneration speed: 1027.6

Mana capacity: 1241

Current mana: 1241

Current equipment: Fire crystal magic staff

Current status: Inferior mana recovery potion, murmur of magic

High mana regeneration speed, high mana capacity and 1241 points of mana, as well as 2 hours. Link felt a sense of de ja vu, like he was his former self, the god of magic.

Now, he had 40 free points. What should he exchange it for?

Watching his insane mana regeneration speed, Link bought a level 4 magic spell: Flame burst without hesitation.

Flame burst

Level 4 magic spell

Mana consumption: 320

Use: With a firing range outstripping 50 meters, create a mighty conflagration!

(Note: Let the blazes consume everything!)

Level 4 magic spell and 320 mana consumption. Even if it was Link, without the support of a magic technique, it would still require 3 seconds of casting.

However, the demanding casting time was entirely outweighed by the terrifying might of the spell.

Furthermore, Link had the 10% boost from the fire crystal magic staff, and the 30% boost from the blessing of the ‘murmur of magic’. Calculating the figures, releasing one flame burst would only need 1.8 seconds.

At the same time, with the magic staff and the support of the potion, the power of his flame burst would increase by a staggering 130%, over-exceeding the normal flame burst by riveting amounts. This was no less than the support of a supreme magic technique.

Indeed, when the potion effects disappeared, Link would be incapable of freely using the magic spell. However, tonight, Link could live it up together with the enemies in a sea of flames.

Yes, let the blazes consume everything!

-Chapter 23, end-


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3 thoughts on “Chapter 23: Treasure of the Academy

  1. I found it odd that link being smart and all that would drink the potion while inside the academy instead of drinking it when he reaches the frontline/ramparts/wall. I mean I don´t know how far it is or how fast can celine travel, but he would lose some of the time with the potion effects…

      1. Yeah, I know, but it still is war. I mean, anything could happen where he needs to gain more time. Just seemed odd that he wouldn’t take that into account. It is an unimportant detail anyway.

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