Night at the academy seemed even livelier than during the day. On the way to the dorms alone, Edwyn saw at least seven or eight flying apprentices.
"Do Mage classes run at night too?" he wondered.
In front of the tower, the heavy main door had two bronze knockers, and above them was a metallic lion head.
Edwyn gently knocked the ring.
Dong, dong, dong.
"Another round of new students?"
The lion head sculpture suddenly spoke.
"Ah! It talks!" Elia yelped in surprise.
The lion ignored her reaction.
"You little ones, show me your crystal orbs."
They did as told, retrieving the smooth, flawless orbs from the bags the owl had given them. These were clearly much higher quality than the ones used during the entrance exam.
The lion's eyes flashed red, scanning the orbs. Once it confirmed their identities, the door creaked open.
"Apprentice Edwyn. Apprentice Elia. Welcome to Dormitory Tower 012."
Inside, the first floor was empty, just a large hall with a thick layer of dust. Clearly, no one had used this tower in quite some time.
Climbing the stairs to the second floor, the layout changed drastically. A corridor split the floor in two, with rooms lining each side.
Edwyn chose a sunlit room, and true to her word, Elia took the room next door.
"Good night."
"Good night, Edwyn."
The room was decently sized, around thirty square meters, and included a private washroom. All the furniture was intact. After a thorough cleaning and checking for bugs, Edwyn began unpacking.
He hung the greatsword on the wall, and arranged the synthetic beast core and arcane artifacts neatly on the desk. Finally, he took out the items given by the owl: aside from the crystal orb, there was a black robe, the academy rulebook, a beginner's meditation manual, and ten Mana Stones.
Edwyn picked up the robe, and suddenly, the long-silent Infinite Forge trembled.
"Huh? This robe can be used as material?"
Surprised, Edwyn examined the robe. It felt like silk, with faint magical pulses across the surface. Using spiritual sense to probe it, a stream of information entered his mind:
"Lucky apprentice, you've received a premium apprentice mage robe handcrafted by Alchemy Master Joron. This robe is inscribed with Forcefield Protection, Aura Concealment, and Purification spells. It has a built-in recharge loop. A must-have for surviving ambushes and assassinations among low-level apprentices."
Edwyn twitched. This so-called master alchemist, Joron, clearly had a twisted sense of humor.
Still, the message gave him a clue: this robe was premium, perhaps the Infinite Forge only accepted premium magical items.
It was just a theory, but a promising one.
[Material: Apprentice Mage Robe]
[Extractable Craft: Spell Inscription (Incomplete)]
[Extraction Cost: 15 Spiritforce]
[Extractable Knowledge: Forcefield Protection Model, Aura Concealment Model, Purification Model]
[Extraction Cost: 5 Spiritforce]
This shocked Edwyn. He hadn't expected a single robe to offer both craft and knowledge extraction.
"Fifteen Spiritforce for Spell Inscription… the three models only cost five. Must be zero-circle spells."
Edwyn debated whether to proceed. The three spells weren't that useful right now, but extracting the technique could knock him out cold again.
"But the exam period isn't over yet, and there's not much else to do right now…"
After a moment's thought, he chose to extract the technique.
And, just like last time, his vision went black and he fainted.
When he woke again, it was already noon the next day.
"Was I out that long?"
Sunlight poured through the window. Edwyn sat up, still groggy.
The Infinite Forge glowed faintly. As he absorbed it, a wave of experience hit him. He became one with magic, mana flowed like threads from his fingertips, weaving spell lines into a robe.
"Whoa!"
He snapped back to reality, staring at his hands.
A faint, ghostly blue light glimmered on his fingers. The mana unraveled into glowing threads and formed words in the air.
"So this is a Mage's craft?"
He retracted the mana. This felt like discovering a whole new world. He'd never imagined that magic could be wielded so naturally, like an extension of his body.
"Amazing… and this is just an incomplete technique. Imagine what a complete one could do."
For a moment, he grasped the terrifying potential of Mages. This was just one part of one skill. What was a Mage like when they'd mastered everything?
Could he ever become one of them?
He didn't dare think too far. After washing up, he opened the academy rulebook.
If there was one thing he'd learned from the entrance exam, it was that the books the academy gave you always mattered.
As he read through the rules, the lightness in his heart faded and was replaced by a growing weight.
The rules themselves weren't strict, on the contrary, they seemed to minimize conflict among apprentices.
Which was very different from the death-match entrance exam.
But every favor came with a price.
While the academy discouraged violence in daily life, every ten years, students would undergo a "Trial Assessment" just like the entrance exam, an exam of blood and death.
To graduate, an apprentice had to survive two of these.
And even if they made it to graduation, they faced two choices:
Take the final deadly exam for a shot at becoming a full Mage.
Pay thirty years' worth of tuition and leave.
That's right, Mage school did charge tuition.
And it was astronomically high. If you didn't become a Mage, it'd take a century of labor to repay your debt.
"Did the Chancellor study economic policy in Venezuela or something?"
Edwyn's expression darkened. The lighthearted relief he'd felt was gone.
The rules left him restless, anxious, and even a bit nauseous.
What was this place training students to become?
Killing machines?
Setting the book aside, Edwyn went downstairs to chat with the lion head and ask some questions about the academy.
As part of the academy itself, the lion head knew all the ins and outs. It gave him some very useful tips:
The library is open to all apprentices, and many books are free to borrow.
Academy overseers like nuts and gems, bribe them, and they may overlook minor violations.
Even used Mana Stones can be traded for Academy Coins, though haggling is required.
None of it seemed flashy, but if Edwyn had to figure it all out on his own, it would have taken weeks.
"Thanks for the tips. I'll grab you some alchemy oil paste for your joints."
He bowed slightly and headed to the Commercial Zone.
The lion head was made of metal. Despite rustproofing spells, years of weather had taken their toll. The rust made him miserable, and some de-rusting balm would help a lot.
The balm only cost 25 Academy Coins. While he was out, Edwyn also bought a few changes of clothes and some new leather shoes.
After applying the balm to the lion head, Edwyn returned to his room, took a hot bath, drank a nutrient potion, and changed into clean clothes.
Then he set out for the Library.
Mages sought knowledge and respected it. The academy's library was sacred, anyone who disrespected it could be expelled by the librarian on the spot.
Wearing presentable clothes helped avoid trouble.
And Edwyn had too many questions that needed answers.