Ch.14Violence in the Name of Education (1)

“Hmm…”

Aramis frowned at the strange energy he felt at his fingertips.

‘It’s cold.’

What unfolded from his hand was none other than ice magic.

“How is it?”

“Honestly… I’m not sure.”

“That’s natural since it’s your first time. But this suits you much better.”

“Is that so?”

Olivia nodded.

Magical power resembles the magician’s personality. People with fiery personalities have good compatibility with fire magic, while gentle people work well with water magic.

In that sense, ice magic suited Aramis best. For Jayna it was lightning, and for Ro it was light, just the same.

“Watch carefully.”

Whoosh!

Snowflakes bloomed from Olivia’s fingertips. The snowflakes, dancing in the wind, repeatedly bloomed and fell, eventually forming the shape of a cloud.

The cloud wasn’t satisfied with just that and continued to grow. The cloud, which had suddenly swollen like a snowball, compressed in an instant and began rotating around an axis.

Aramis’s expression became subtle.

He was someone who could rightfully be called a genius anywhere. Even though the White Tower wasn’t among the five great magic towers, he thought no one among his peers could beat him.

But look at the scene before him.

At first glance, it seemed like she was manipulating three attributes simultaneously.

But that wasn’t it.

This was magic constructed solely with ice magic!

The cycle of blooming and falling snow acts as wind, while the clumped snow in the air substitutes for clouds.

“Hmm.”

Aramis couldn’t help but let out a shallow groan.

– Everyone at the Golden Tower can do at least this much. This is just the basics.

The Golden Tower. The place where the most talented individuals from all towers across the continent gathered.

He thought the Golden Tower wouldn’t be that different. But no matter how he thought about it, he wasn’t confident he could apply magic like that right now.

He could create something similar by combining water, wind, and ice magic appropriately, but then the mana consumption would be unbearable.

Moreover, her method was more powerful.

Selection and concentration.

It was nothing short of textbook perfection.

“Can you do it?”

He had seen it, but he wasn’t confident he could replicate it exactly.

– If you can’t do it, ask right away. If you come to ask later, I’ll split you in half, so handle it yourself.

Recalling Olivia’s words, Aramis spoke.

“Honestly, it might be a bit difficult in just one day.”

“You can do it.”

“But still, a little…”

“Want to get hit?”

Wait, she said to tell her if he couldn’t do it.

Is that what a master should say?

“Here, I’ll show you once more. Watch.”

Even if she says that, what’s impossible is impossible.

“If you say you can’t do it this time too, expect to get beaten.”

“…”

Aramis squeezed his eyes shut.

No matter how he thought about it, he felt he had made the wrong choice.

“Hey, disciple.”

“…Yes.”

“You don’t think you’ll become a Tower Master by training so leisurely, do you?”

Olivia shook her head.

“It won’t happen. Absolutely not. Of course, you might eventually. Maybe when you’re about 50?”

Does this damn master know that being a Tower Master at 50 is considered very young?

“There’s no point in becoming a Tower Master when you’re that old. I was a Tower Master in my twenties, you know? So you guys, as my disciples, can do it too.”

“…You were a Tower Master?”

This was the first time he’d heard this.

In fact, he had never heard of anyone who had been a Tower Master in their twenties.

“Yeah, I was the Red Tower Master.”

“Ah, I see… What?”

Even if it had been the Blue Tower, it would have been understandable. But when the Red Tower suddenly came up, a high-pitched sound escaped involuntarily.

Aramis unconsciously glanced around.

Jayna, Ro, and even Glacia were squinting their eyes.

Just by looking at their faces, it was clear what they wanted to say.

‘That’s a lie.’

‘No, that’s a bit…’

‘No wonder her personality is as nasty as Red’s.’

One of them seemed to have a slightly different thought, but anyway, that wasn’t the important thing.

“You were… the Tower Master at the Red Tower?”

“Yeah. I was also once at the Blue Tower, and once at the Green Tower and the Golden Tower too.”

“…”

Unable to hold back, Ro stood up abruptly.

“I’ve never heard of one person serving as Tower Master at multiple magic towers!”

It was unimaginable for the usually quiet Ro. He looked like he was about to foam at the mouth and charge.

“Please explain yourself!”

Silence fell over the surroundings. Even Olivia was speechless, staring at Ro.

‘Ah, right. He was a historical accuracy freak.’

Historical accuracy freak.

Those who can tolerate gates opening to medieval fantasy and aliens appearing, but can’t stand Rococo dresses.

Ro Fernandi was exactly that kind of historical accuracy freak.

Because of his habit of poring over ancient books when bored, he earned the nickname ‘Ancient Book Authenticator,’ but in return, he contracted an incurable disease that made his eyes roll whenever history was discussed.

Of course, Olivia had no intention of explaining. She hadn’t been a Tower Master in the previous cycle, so there was no evidence to show…

‘I’ll just show them.’

Although she hadn’t learned magic, she had memorized all the formulas.

Swoosh.

Olivia’s staff began to draw elegant curves. For her, the air was a canvas, and the staff was her brush.

‘That is…’

Red residue remained where the staff passed.

It was embers. Although only ashes remained at the end, knowing this, one could only watch in a daze.

[This magic conflicts with your main attribute!]

– Magic power is halved.

– Mana consumption greatly increases.

– Magic duration decreases.

Olivia didn’t care.

This was just for demonstration anyway.

To show that this is the kind of person their master is.

So trust and follow her.

She was as familiar with it as someone who had practiced magic all their life. There was no hesitation in the process of drawing lines, connecting them, and linking formulas.

Swoosh.

“Spread.”

When the magic circle finally revealed itself, the surrounding landscape began to change.

Sometimes it looked like a flower garden, and other times like being on top of a high spire.

It was impossible to distinguish whether this was a dream or an illusion.

Whoosh.

The flames that had been overlaying the world with their color gradually weakened. The illusion became fainter and fainter. When it finally turned to ash and disappeared, the disciples let out sighs.

“Uh, uhh…”

Even without a discerning eye, one could tell that the magic just now was extraordinary. No, it wasn’t just extraordinary; it was almost the ultimate that the Red Tower pursued.

“What, want me to show you others too?”

“Ah, no. This can’t be possible?”

Ro’s mouth gaped wide open.

“It, it wasn’t in the history books?”

Of course it wouldn’t be. That was from a very old cycle.

Olivia spoke as if it was no big deal.

“History doesn’t know everything.”

“…”

The disciples closed their mouths, even though Olivia didn’t seem to care much.

Clap!

Olivia clapped her hands to change the atmosphere.

“Well, anyway. Start what I taught you now. Call me when you run out of mana.”

****

What’s the most important thing in Lactea?

Items? Rare skills?

They’re all important, but in the end, level is the best.

Leveling up isn’t just about changing numbers. It’s the process of elevating oneself to a higher place.

This is why level holds an absolute position in Lactea.

What happens when your level is high?

Literally, you’re in a different league.

A level 5 goblin is food for low-rank mercenaries, but a level 50 goblin makes those same mercenaries its food. A casual thrust with a rusty dagger pierces plate armor, and arrows bounce off.

How do I know this?

‘I wish I didn’t know.’

There’s a reason Lactea is called a newbie-killing game. Even Olivia, known as a pioneer, almost died.

Anyway, how do you level up this incredibly important stat?

First, the easiest way is hunting.

Of course, that doesn’t mean mindlessly killing goblins. That won’t help and is terribly inefficient.

So how should you hunt?

Kill goblins, but kill them in fierce battlefields where life and death hang in the balance.

With blood splattering! In that critical moment when your vision blurs!

That’s when you should kill goblins.

Because surviving such a battlefield itself is proof of your worth and an action that elevates your status.

…or so the developers said.

‘Hmm, no matter how I think about it, they’re crazy bastards.’

The biggest contributors to Lactea’s path to becoming a terrible game are definitely these damn developers.

They say “bloody battlefield,” but in the end, they’re telling you to fight while getting hit by monsters.

That might work for warriors with plenty of health, but telling a mage to fight while getting hit?

That’s just telling you to quit the game.

‘But we eventually found the answer.’

A build discovered by tens of thousands of mage users gathered together.

And that is…

“M-Master, I’m out of mana.”

Jayna raised her hand. It was a natural progression since lightning magic consumed the most mana.

She should be exhausted after using up all her mana, but she’s trying not to show it.

It seems she was inspired by Olivia’s magic.

“None at all?”

“Yes, none at all.”

Olivia took out a potion and handed it to Jayna.

“Drink this and do it again.”

“What?”

“I said do it again.”

Build?

There’s no such thing.

“We have plenty of potions, so don’t worry and keep going.”

“…”

The build is just grinding, that’s all.

Hehehe.