Ch 12
NEYMAR
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Chapter 12
In [Devil Fantasy], the Aldeon School of Magic had a certain public image.
They were the ‘School of Mystery,’ a place where no one had a clue what they were actually doing.
In truth, Aldeon was filled with unpredictable, mystical scholars, and an endless stream of unverifiable rumors poured out from its tower. Rumors that a Demon Corps Commander was sealed within Aldeon’s walls, or that the scholars of Aldeon had made pacts with demons…
Most of them were negative rumors related to ‘demons.’
But based on my own research…
Demons? Don't make me laugh.
They were utterly baseless rumors.
How could a school that specializes in Light Magic make a pact with demons?
The magic Aldeon pursued was of the ‘Light’ attribute. They were on the complete opposite path, far from anything demonic.
…I had no idea how they ended up with such a reputation, but regardless.
The news that the Aldeon School was opening its Magic Tower was a tremendous stroke of luck for me.
I can learn Light Magic.
For demons, who were primarily active in the dark, the Light attribute was an absolute counter. It was also the only type of magic directly influenced by the Sacred Power stat.
For me, who planned to gather as much Sacred Power as I possibly could, it was essential.
Well, originally, I had planned to learn it around the midpoint of my build, but…
“There’s no harm in learning it early.”
Ssk.
Standing before Aldeon’s Magic Tower, I took a round wooden token from my pocket. It was an identification token I had purchased from a broker. It was imprinted with the identity of ‘Yuhannes,’ a commoner from Sector 6 who had died without anyone knowing.
I chose it because he was around my age, and the name was similar to my real one.
I held the identification token up and pushed it toward the Magic Tower’s barrier. The token flashed brightly as it made contact.
Fwaaat-!
“It’s done.”
With that, my intent to enter the Aldeon Magic Tower had been communicated. I would probably receive a summons to attend soon.
I turned and walked away immediately.
Since they were opening the tower for the first time in 100 years, countless people must have applied. Aldeon wouldn't accept all of them as students.
In other words, the competition would be fierce.
There wasn’t much time. Since I didn’t know what kind of selection process they would use, I had a mountain of preparations to make.
The next morning.
I slung a bag packed with everything I had bought yesterday over my shoulder and headed to the main street. My most urgent priority was to fix this pathetically weak body of mine.
“There should be at least one around here…”
The commercial area of Sector 6 was packed with all sorts of shops. I scanned them, focusing on finding a ‘training hall,’ and soon found the one I was looking for among the many options.
Without hesitation, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Tinkle—.
“...Who are you?” the owner inside asked, his eyes filled with suspicion.
I sized him up first.
A short, stocky build, a bushy reddish-brown beard, eyes of the same color, and bulging muscles. The manly physique belonged, without a doubt, to the race I was looking for.
“It seems I’ve come to the right place. I’m here to train my body.”
“You mean… you’re a customer?” the owner asked again as if he couldn’t believe it.
Well, it was understandable. How often would a customer visit this deserted place? Especially a human customer.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“...Hah. Well, this is a surprise. Why on earth do you want to train here? The area is crawling with training halls run by humans. There are even a few run by those Barbarian folks.”
Why did I choose this place?
“It’s the obvious choice.”
The reasons were plentiful. The price was cheaper than other places, I could get one-on-one coaching since there were no other customers, and their training methods were focused on short-term, intensive results…
But above all else…
“When it comes to physical training, aren’t the Dwarves the absolute masters?”
The pinnacle of training halls wasn't run by humans or Barbarians, but by Dwarves. Barbarians are born with naturally superior bodies, but Dwarves forge their physiques through hard work. In terms of training methodology alone, Dwarves were far superior to Barbarians.
And no one knows that fact better than I do.
I still couldn’t forget the thrill I felt when I had perfected my swordsman character’s lacking physique at an unassuming Dwarven training hall, earning my 108th achievement: [Perfect Body].
“Hoho… Hohoho!”
The Dwarven owner laughed heartily. True to his race's simple-minded nature, his suspicion had already vanished.
“You’ve got a keen eye, lad! You’re right! We Dwarves are the experts in physical conditioning! Those Barbarians are no match for us! Bwahaha!”
He was absolutely delighted. After a long laugh, the owner finally nodded.
“Alright. Anyone who knows the greatness of the Dwarves is worthy of receiving our training methods! But… there’s a reason this place is always empty.”
The owner’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“It will be incredibly difficult. You might even wish for death. If you have anything less than an iron will, you’ll surely quit. Are you still okay with that?”
His voice was a low growl. He was telling me to think carefully.
But, well…
I was being threatened by a silver-haired knight who wanted to take my heart. I was also a wanted man in Asternon.
And I’m supposed to shy away from a difficult path?
Not a chance.
There are no shortcuts in [Devil Fantasy]. An easy path only leads to slower growth.
“This is what I was hoping for.”
This arduous path… was exactly the path I wanted.
The reason I sought out a training hall despite choosing to be a wizard was simple.
I had confirmed countless times in the game that the power of one's magic was directly proportional to their physical specs.
…When I fought the red-haired man, if my body had been stronger, I probably wouldn’t have needed the Holy Water.
My modified magic alone would likely have been enough to deal with him. Just like that, the higher the physical specs, the stronger the same spell became.
That was why I was training my body. To cast more powerful and efficient magic.
But, even knowing that…
“Heok…! Heok…!”
This pain was hard to endure.
“Where did that passionate gaze from before go? Right now, you look no different from a dead fish.”
“...Are you making fun of me?”
“I’m telling you to put more spirit into it.”
The owner, who had introduced himself as ‘Barundel,’ let out a small laugh and pressed down lightly on my back.
I was currently doing push-ups. Though only two of his fingers were applying pressure, it felt like my arms were about to snap.
Oblivious to my suffering, Barundel chattered on.
“What kind of training do you plan on doing with this pathetic strength? We haven’t even started the real Dwarven training methods yet!”
“Huu, huuk…!”
Spurred on by his nagging, I gritted my teeth and tried to push up, but perhaps willpower wasn't enough. A moment later, I collapsed flat on the floor.
“...Kngh, how many did I do this time?”
“Tsk, tsk. Five. The number keeps going down.”
I felt like I was being gaslighted.
Of course the number goes down the longer you do it, you old coot!
The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I didn't even have the strength to spit them out. And no matter what, it was true that my physique was pathetic.
Just seven…
Even my real-world self, who had been far from athletic, could easily do about fifteen. But now, even in my best condition, seven was my limit.
…A perfect reflection of a body that had been starved half to death.
In any case, this was a display of unimaginable weakness. I decided this couldn't go on and finally chose to play the ace I’d been saving.
“...Could you hand me my bag?”
“Hm? Your bag?”
Barundel waddled over and brought my bag.
THUD!
The bag made a heavy sound as he placed it in front of me.
“This the one? It’s heavier than I thought.”
“Yes, that’s it.”
With trembling hands, I struggled to open the bag. Soon, shimmering objects revealed themselves from within.
“Hm? What are these…?”
“They’re here to help me.”
The bag was filled with colorful glass bottles. They were potions I had purchased from the general store, picking out only the most useful ones.
To be honest, I had anticipated that I wouldn't last long with my wretched stamina.
Pop!
I uncorked a potion filled with a green liquid and quickly drank it down.
Gulp, gulp.
The sensation was peculiar. I could feel exactly where the potion was as it flowed down my esophagus. Moreover, before I had even finished half of it, a change occurred.
“...Oh.”
Like clouds clearing away, the fatigue clouding my mind lifted.
The effect is instantaneous.
I wanted to drink more, but I put the cap back on. It was an expensive potion, so I had to use it sparingly.
Pop!
The next one I opened was a red potion. It contained life force, and had the effect of healing injuries and restoring the body. I drank about half of this one as well and could feel the potion seeping into my muscles.
Soon, the muscle pain that had felt like needles piercing my entire body vanished completely.
Expensive things really are better.
Of course, I wasn't done yet.
Pop! Pop! Pop…!
I drank potion after potion.
[Muscle Growth Acceleration Potion], [Regeneration Enhancement Potion], [Vitality Potion], and more…
Only when my stomach felt like it would burst from all the liquid did I get back on my feet. Then, I declared confidently.
“Shall we begin again?”
“...There’s a limit to what you can do with potions. If you keep this up, you’ll definitely strain your body.”
“But I’ll be able to grow in a short period of time. So, I don’t mind.”
The worry vanished from Barundel’s face, replaced by a dry laugh.
“...Hah. Were you a madman all along?”
A madman…
He wasn’t exactly wrong.
Because I was a madman who would do anything to get stronger… a madman obsessed with growth.
Meanwhile, in a conference room, its walls completely covered by barrier magic.
A group of men with grave expressions sat around a circular stone table.
“Elder, we already have over three hundred applicants who wish to enter the Aldeon Magic Tower.”
“...Is that so. The announcement of the tower’s opening has had a greater effect than I anticipated.”
“It means the reputation of Aldeon is not yet dead. There are surely many talented individuals among them. Perhaps we could take this opportunity to expand the scale of our school?”
Dercion, the First Elder of the Aldeon School and the soon-to-be Master of the Magic Tower, was lost in deep thought.
…Light is not a power that can be handed to just anyone.
The brighter the surroundings, the weaker the Light becomes; the deeper the darkness, the stronger it grows. It was a good thing that so many wished to enter the tower, but it was impossible to grant enlightenment to them all.
More importantly…
“That would go against the will of Aldeon.”
The reason Aldeon had opened its tower was not to increase the school's size.
It was solely to witness the true ‘Light.’
For that purpose, they had unsealed the Magic Tower that had been closed for 100 years. And for that process, they did not need a large number of people.
Only ten.
And if an exceptionally talented individual was among them, the other nine would not be needed either.
The Seventh Elder, who had made the suggestion, bowed his head in shame.
“...I became too excited. To think I would forget the will of Aldeon over such a trivial matter. I am ashamed.”
“Do not blame yourself. I was just as pleased,” the Second Elder, sitting across from Dercion, said, breaking the solemn atmosphere.
“So, Dercion. What do you intend to do with them?”
“What else? You know as well as I that there is only one way. The Aldeon School needs only ten new talents.”
“...You intend to pick just ten from this many applicants? There will surely be significant backlash.”
“We are already struggling to support our existing scholars. We must be even more cautious, especially in the current situation. I thought you, of all people, would understand.”
“...I understand.”
“I’m glad.”
Dercion looked around at the other Elders with a stern face.
“My fellow Elders, do not doubt the path you walk. We are walking toward the light.”
“You are right.”
“For the light of Aldeon…”
“For the light of Aldeon.”
“The time is finally near.”
If, and only if, everything went according to plan.
If there was a single talent capable of accepting the light.
“...Our purpose will be realized.”
At long last, Aldeon would see the ‘Light.’
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