All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 175

88. What Happened at Sea – 1

The Heroic Feat Festival was over.

As expected, Class B won the Heroic Feat Festival at the advanced level.

“It’s a bit of a shame I didn’t win the individual prize,” Balla said with a smile, and Haryun, Grajin, and Blanche stared at him.

The reason he, despite being a Master, didn’t win the individual prize was simple.

He had been caught in an illusion spell, used up all his aura, and collapsed from exhaustion.

“I told you to learn magic defense!”

“Aside from that, why did you go out to fight on your own? Do you think you’re Ian?”

“Ugh. I’ll just have to become a Master quickly because I’m too good for this.”

Balla sulked, bowing his head at their scolding.

Ian chuckled at him.

“Winning as a class is enough.”

“Sigh. I shouldn’t have said anything. By the way, Ian, how was it for you?”

As he had said in advance, he did not participate in the Heroic Feat Festival.

He simply stayed in the western area of the Academy, now named the Research and Development Zone, throughout the Heroic Feat Festival.

“They said they were going to build a new reagent manufacturing room and an alchemy testing room. I guess they’re not going to build that?”

“It seems like building the defense facilities is the priority. Anyway, I’ve set up the basic defense facilities.”

“What, that Titan thing?”

“Yeah.”

In the end, the dwarves, mages, and alchemists worked with Ian to create eleven Titans during the Heroic Feat Festival.

It usually took more than a month to make just one, but they had to make ten in a month.

Of course, they were faster since they had done it before, but it was still a forced march.

However, the workers did not complain at all.

Their skills had greatly improved in the process of making the Titans.

“The Magic Tower is in an uproar trying to interpret the magic circle you devised. Didn’t you teach them the interpretation method?”

“I did, but they couldn’t understand it.”

Especially the magic core, which could be called the heart [the central component], was a combination of various technologies.

Even with detailed explanations, it would take at least several years to fully understand and apply it.

Or they would need a genius like Ian.

“Can I see it too?”

“Just a part of it. Here.”

Ian took out a notebook and tossed it over.

The notebook was filled with formulas, diagrams, and magic circles.

Even the direction of power transmission.

Magic, anatomy, metallurgy, alchemy, enchantment.

Without a foundation in these and other academic disciplines, one could not even begin to understand it.

Even Haryun, who was confident in his abilities, couldn’t get past ten pages.

“How do you understand this?”

He couldn’t help but be amazed.

While he was marveling, Balla quickly flipped through the notebook and closed it.

“Ugh. Just looking at it makes me dizzy.”

“Anyway, I said I could teach it, but no one wants to learn.”

The foundational knowledge required to learn was too vast.

It seemed that the mages couldn’t handle it, and the Magic Tower was pondering what to do.

At that moment, Oerina entered.

“Hey. What are you guys going to do about the party partners?”

“I’ve decided to go with Rowena.”

“I’m going with someone from Class C.”

Everyone seemed to have found a partner one way or another.

Oerina glanced at Ian.

“What about you?”

“I’m not going to the party. I didn’t even participate in the Heroic Feat Festival, so why would I go there?”

“Then what about these?”

She was holding several letters in her hand.

Most of them were requests for Ian to be their partner.

“Why do you have those?”

“I received them on the way here to deliver to you.”

She placed them on the table, and Ian read them one by one.

From intermediate to advanced students.

Some were even from people who were not students, likely sent by their families.

“If they get permission, they can enter the Academy.”

“Hmm…….”

“Why? Is there someone you like?”

“What’s the point of being partners with people I’ve never even met? I’ll just do what I’ve been doing.”

That is, he was not going to attend the party.

Wildy smiled bitterly as he left, and Oerina was disappointed.

Shortly after, Wilval and Park Bare entered the lobby with a bundle.

“Hey. Where’s Ian?”

“He just left.”

“Huh? I didn’t see him.”

“Really? What’s that?”

To those who were curious, Wilval unfolded the bundle he was holding.

Written on it were:

“Invitations, Academy party partner applications, invitations from various organizations… Wow, there are a lot.”

Ian hadn’t really done anything special during the Heroic Feat Festival.

But who wouldn’t know his name?

That’s why more places than last year wanted to bring him in, and they sent him these things.

“I really wonder where he’ll go.”

Ian headed to the Academy’s main gate and checked the Titans standing there.

The Academy’s emblem was engraved on the silver armor of their chests.

They stood like statues because there were no enemies now, but they would be fully active when enemies appeared at the Academy.

“Why did you make those things?” Rowena approached from behind and asked.

It was certainly good to have guardians to protect the Academy.

But she wondered if it was really necessary when Ian was already there.

“I can’t stay here all the time. And I’m thinking of sending a few to protect Rakid.”

“Hmm. For Rakid’s protection. Are they that strong?”

“They’re stronger than the guardians of the Forgotten City.”

“That strong?”

“What? Didn’t you hear the detailed specs? Anti-magic, anti-aura, and the output details were all submitted in the report.”

“Ugh. I’ve been too busy with business, student council schedules, the Heroic Feat Festival, and even organizing the school rules and punishing problem students. I didn’t have time to read the report properly. The headmaster approved it, so I just approved the deployment.”

Ian lightly snapped his fingers.

At that moment, the Titan in front of the gate moved.

-Wee-ing. Clank, clank, wee-ing!!

With a low mechanical sound, magic circles appeared on the Titan’s silver armor.

Rowena was startled when she saw it.

“That’s magic defense, spirit energy reduction… What’s that?”

“Holy symbol. With that, most demon attacks shouldn’t work.”

-Woo-oong! Clank! Woo-oong!!

Suddenly, the Titan’s body floated into the air.

Flames shot out from the holes in its legs and back, lifting it up, and Rowena’s mouth dropped open.

“It can fly too?”

“And it’s quite fast. Of course, flying greatly reduces the charged energy.”

Still, it was enough to protect the Academy and the Academy town.

As Ian explained the other functions, Rowena was impressed.

“Even just one of these could properly protect a decent territory. If you only consider the overall combat ability…”

“It’s probably around the level of a decent Master.”

“Amazing. Everyone will want to make these, won’t they?”

“Considering the production cost and effort, it’s better to just hire a mercenary group. Tell them that if they ask.”

“Is it that much?”

“The materials are important, but the facilities are also crucial. And I’m the only one who can assemble them right now.”

“Wow… If you make and sell these, you’ll be rich?”

“I can make money any time I want without selling those.”

Ian said firmly and snapped his fingers.

At the same time, the Titan floating in the air came down and returned to its original position.

“It automatically recharges energy by receiving the light of the sun and moon, so it’s also eco-friendly. Anyway, so? Did you come to ask about this?”

“No. I came to give you this.”

Rowena handed over a document.

It was a request from the Salt Marquisate [a territory ruled by a Marquis].

“A request?”

“They say something strange is happening at Emerald Beach.”

“They’re trying to send me there under the guise of a request?”

Ian narrowed his eyes and asked, and Rowena shook her head.

“Who would dare to face the consequences if it was revealed that they had deceived you?”

In other words, it was a real request.

Ian read the contents of the request and tilted his head.

“The Train Valtor.”

“The Train Valtor is a large sailing ship that is the pride of the Salt Marquisate. It’s also a cruise ship that travels between Emerald Island and Emerald Beach, which are the representative resorts in the Salt Marquisate.”

But one day, the ship suddenly disappeared.

It was difficult to think it was a shipwreck because the weather was good on the day of departure.

In addition, Emerald Beach was only half a day away from the island.

“And a few days later, the Train Valtor returned to Emerald Beach.”

“There was no one on board… is that it?”

If there were signs of battle, they could have thought it was the work of pirates or sea monsters.

But there were no such traces at all.

The ship simply arrived at Emerald Beach, carried by the wind and currents.

“The Salt Marquisate has done some internal investigations… About half of them think it might be related to demons, and some think it might be related to mermaids.”

“Mermaids, huh.”

“The legends about mermaids are famous.”

They sit on rocks and sing beautiful songs to lure sailors.

“And then they make the sailors fall into the sea and drag them to their lairs.”

“What do they do with them? Do they use them as food?”

“Well? According to legend, some say mermaids and humans marry, some say they eat them, and some say they sacrifice them to the sea god.”

There were quite a few variations of the legend itself.

“So I asked the priests of the Sun Cult to check, and they said there was a bit of demonic energy left on the ship.”

So, as Rowena had requested in an official document, they had requested the Academy first.

“How about it? Don’t you want to go?”

Ian thought for a moment and nodded.

“It’s better to go.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of it that way.”

As she left, Ian fiddled with his ring.

After waiting for a while, Crowley appeared with red smoke and was startled to see the Titan.

“Wh, what?! Th, that unlucky symbol?!”

“It’s the Academy’s guardian. Don’t worry about that. Do you know what happened in the Salt Marquisate?”

Ian briefly explained the incident, and Crowley stroked her slender chin.

“The Sun Cult’s power is strong in the Salt Marquisate, so demons don’t go there often. But the sea…”

She nodded.

“It’s a bit of an old story. The demons who served Rurin of Jealousy fought with the mermaids. And they remained on a small island in the sea quite far from the territory.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, Rurin of Jealousy was destroyed, and other demons might have moved to absorb those demons to increase their power. And in the process, evil might have taken root in that ship.”

“The demons didn’t attack the ship?”

“I don’t know about that. At least not the ones under me.”

Of course, another great demon she didn’t know about might have moved to increase their power.

“Should I find out?”

“Yeah. Find out. And the Sun Cult’s power is strong in the Salt territory, so demons can’t come?”

“Yeah. Especially Emerald Beach. It’s a bit severe there. It’s a resort where many high-ranking nobles come, so the security is based on divine power… Hey, Ian?”

As Ian turned around and tried to leave, Crowley urgently called out to him.

“Hey! Don’t call me there! Seriously!! It hurts a lot if you go there!”

Ian turned to her and smiled brightly.

“It can’t hurt more than the Geumgoa [a magical artifact that causes immense pain].”

“No. Hey!”

“Don’t worry. I’m calling you to do work, so I wouldn’t go without preparing for that level of response.”

Even at those words, Crowley felt a chill run down her spine.

“That bastard. What is he going to make me do again?”