All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 153

◈ Chapter 153

77. The God Who Desires Destruction – 1

He tilted his head, confused by the word ‘ate.’

Ate?

What?

How?

Ian shrugged, seeing his confusion.

“Like this.”

He held up the ring Crowley had given him.

Instantly, the magic contained within the ring was absorbed into Ian, causing it to shatter.

The old man was aghast.

“You used that precious artifact for magic extraction?! Why?! This is incredibly valuable! You should have sold it to the Magic Tower!”

Recovering dimensional artifacts was the Magic Tower’s greatest ambition.

He felt as though he’d witnessed that ambition being destroyed right before his eyes.

As he stared blankly, Ian took the pendant from his hand again.

“Then, please keep this in mind.”

Even though he couldn’t activate the pendant’s magic due to the missing core, the magic circle’s design and the flow of magic within it would be immensely helpful.

As Ian reached for it, the old man clutched it tightly.

“Wait! Wait! Let’s talk! I’ve had my eye on you for a while now!”

Ian tilted his head.

“Aren’t we meeting for the first time?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“And how did you hear that I obtained this?”

“One of my disciples stationed in Fredician County informed me.”

As Ian stared intently, he quickly composed himself and extended his hand.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Handle Krauman, a 6-circle magician from the Magic Tower. I specialize in enchantments.”

“Ah, I see.”

“So, what I’m proposing is this: that pendant. Could you give it to me? Of course, I’m not asking for it for free. And you’d only need to lend it to me for a short while.”

He had no intention of stealing it.

No matter how desperately the Magic Tower sought to recover the Magic Kingdom’s legacy, they wouldn’t simply seize items obtained by others.

That would violate the Magic Tower’s core principles.

“Everything requires a fair exchange. As a magician, I have no intention of simply taking it.”

As Handle spoke earnestly, Ian replied with equal seriousness.

“I don’t particularly want anything, and I have no intention of giving it to you.”

“Why not?! That pendant belongs to our Magic Tower… If you’ve acquired the legacy of the Magic Kingdom, aren’t you obligated to assist the Magic Tower?!

“I am not. And this is far too dangerous. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

After a brief farewell to the stunned Handle, Ian walked away with his students.

Upon returning to the dormitory, they found students who didn’t have classes gathered in the lobby.

They were surprised to see Ian and his group back so soon.

“Why are you back so early? Did something happen? Do you need backup?”

Wilval, one of the students in the lobby, asked with a puzzled expression. Blanche explained the situation.

They had completed the request in just one day.

Hearing this, Wilval was impressed by Ian.

“Wow, seriously. You’re incredible.”

“It was nothing much.”

As Ian replied nonchalantly, Wildy grabbed his arm.

“Ian, about that pendant from earlier… Wouldn’t it have been better to give it to the Magic Tower? Giving it to them would greatly benefit you.”

“What benefit?”

“Uh…….”

On second thought, it wouldn’t really benefit him much.

What could he even ask the Magic Tower for, in the first place?

Besides, it was already known that he had conquered the Tower of the Forgotten City and even obtained the Magic Kingdom’s legacy.

If he wanted, he had plenty of knowledge to trade with the Magic Tower, even without the pendant.

“I guess not.”

As Wildy shrugged and stepped back, the door opened, and Haryun and Grajin entered.

They were also quite surprised to see Ian and his party return.

“What’s going on?”

“Why are you back already?”

“What, was the task too difficult, so you’re giving up? Hey, Grajin.”

Ian returned the marble he had received last time to him.

Grajin stared at the marble in his pocket and tilted his head.

“Wasn’t it a doppelganger [a shapeshifting being that imitates another person]?”

“You could say it was at first.”

“But why? Judging by its condition, it doesn’t look like you used it?”

He wondered if they had used someone else’s, but everyone else was also returning their marbles like Ian.

“Hey, then how did you find the doppelganger?”

“I just found it and caught it.”

Grajin stared at him, then chuckled.

“Seriously. You’re more effective than most artifacts.”

Facing his smile, Ian also smiled.

“Did you just realize that?”

* * *

Just because they had returned after finishing their mission didn’t mean their schedule changed significantly.

The next day, Ian went to the new furnace construction site and supervised the work.

Meanwhile, the Magic Tower contacted Ian several times, but he ignored their requests, claiming he was busy.

Just as the furnace construction was nearing completion, those who had left to deal with the monster wave returned.

“Ugh, I’m going to die…….”

As the exhausted Aranse entered the dormitory, the students greeted him with smiles.

They had heard that this monster wave was particularly severe.

They wondered if anyone had died or been injured, but fortunately, there were no serious injuries among those dispatched from the academy.

“You’ve worked hard.”

As Wildy smiled and handed him a fatigue recovery potion he had made during class, Aranse gulped it down and sighed.

“Wow. I really thought I was going to die this time.”

“Oh my? Really?”

“Yeah. There were dozens of ogres [large, hideous humanoid monsters]. There were three-eyed trolls [another type of large, monstrous humanoid]. And there were quite a few dragoons [elite soldiers, often associated with dragons or dragon-like creatures] too.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

“It was no joke. Anyway, it’s a relief that we defeated the Black Ogre leading the monster wave, but…….”

As Aranse muttered, the dormitory door opened.

Ian, who entered with Myane in his work clothes, said nonchalantly as soon as he saw Aranse.

“Did you become a Master?”

“Huh?!”

The students were surprised.

Even before going to deal with the monster wave, Aranse was at the very peak of Expert level.

But a Master…

Aranse, looking around at the bewildered students, felt a pang of bitterness.

“There’s nothing I can hide from you. How did you know?”

“I can tell just by looking.”

“Tch. Yeah. I became a Master. I wasn’t thinking about anything, just kept catching monsters, and then the Aura Blade [a manifestation of one’s inner energy, often used in combat] appeared.”

He had gained enlightenment by wielding his sword in a state of ecstasy.

As Aranse explained what happened, Blanche was envious.

“You don’t have much further to go either. Train hard while gaining practical experience.”

As Ian sat on the sofa, he examined his palm.

He had definitely felt something when he fought the doppelganger or the worm last time.

“Next week, I’ll skip all the classes and just stay holed up in the Miyal Mountains.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Practical experience will be good training too.”

“Well, let’s put that aside. Anyway, Ian, I heard you brought back something precious?”

“Yes.”

“As soon as you returned, the Magic Tower requested it. They asked me to arrange a meeting with you.”

“Tell them to come themselves.”

The students were dumbfounded by Ian’s nonchalant remark.

Magicians from the Magic Tower had visited the dormitory several times in the past few days, and he was saying such things.

“Anyway, it seems like they want to discuss the legacy of the Magic Kingdom. Don’t worry about the academy and do what you want if you have something you want to do.”

“I understand.”

“And if you have time, let’s spar. I heard from Instructor Pridion that creating an Aura Blade is just the beginning?”

“That’s right. It’s important how many and how strong skills you learn.”

Even if they are both Masters, there is a clear difference in skill.

As such, you shouldn’t be satisfied with just drawing an Aura Blade and should train harder.

Aranse nodded and then jumped up from his seat.

“Then, shall we have a sparring match?!”

“I can’t, I have an appointment.”

“……Appointment?”

Was Ian the type of person to make appointments?

He said indifferently to the puzzled students.

“The Saintess of the Moon Order asked me to have dinner with her.”

After changing from his work clothes to his student uniform, Ian went straight to the village.

At the entrance of the village, a woman in priestly robes, Celestia, the Saintess of the Moon Order, was waiting with a smile.

“Here you are, Student Ian.”

“Why are you here instead of waiting at the temple?”

“Hehe. Just because? Do you happen to know a quiet, atmospheric, and nice place? I’ll pay for dinner tonight.”

“If you insist…….”

Ian took Celestia to Ruben’s Table, the most expensive restaurant in the academy village.

She seemed flustered at the sight of the expensive-looking store.

Even though she was the Saintess of a religious order, she couldn’t escape the constraints of a poor order.

While she was hurriedly checking her wallet, Ian, who was already seated, handed her the menu.

“I heard the turkey is the best here.”

“Haha. I’ll have this salad.”

As Celestia said with a forced smile, Ian chuckled.

“I’ll pay.”

“……No. I’m buying because I have something I want to ask you…….”

“Money doesn’t mean much to me, so don’t feel pressured.”

“Then…… that steak…….”

As she chose the cheapest of the meat dishes, Ian ordered a few more dishes.

After a while, when the delicious-looking dishes arrived, she swallowed nervously.

“It, it looks delicious.”

“Eat a lot.”

Celestia clasped her hands together in prayer and then immediately began eating.

Steak, turkey, and salad.

Savoring the delicious dishes, she shuddered with delight.

“Wow…… amazing. This is the first time I’ve eaten such expensive food.”

“As a Saintess, don’t you get invited to dine here and there?”

“I do, but I’ve hardly ever eaten while worrying about the price of the food.”

“I see.”

Well, what business would a Saintess have coming to a restaurant like this to eat?

As Ian nodded, she munched on the meat and began to speak.

“I heard after you returned that you caught the Seven Deadly Sins [powerful demonic entities]?”

“Yes.”

“You’re amazing, as expected.”

“You’re welcome. And it’s not the first time.”

“Ahaha…… You’re the only one who would achieve such a great feat and say that, Student Ian.”

“Enough with the pleasantries, let’s get to the point.”

As Ian said sharply, she nodded and then her eyes flashed with seriousness.

“When I went to deal with the monster wave this time, I discovered a Black Ogre.”

A Black Ogre is a variant of an ogre, referring to an ogre with heightened intelligence.

A being with great power, ferocity, cunning, and even intelligence is a significant threat.

“But you caught it, didn’t you?”

“That’s not the important part.”

She took out the bag she had brought.

From inside, she retrieved a large piece of leather and made a serious expression.

“Ogre leather.”

“Yes. It’s the leather of the Black Ogre I found at that time. And…….”

On that leather, a black, ominous tattoo was engraved.

“Rubellin. The emblem of the one the demons regard as their god.”