The system wizard a litr.., p.40
The System Wizard: A LitRPG Academy Adventure (Reborn in a Simulation Book 1), page 40
And what sort of life would I be living at that point? she thought. A trophy wife whose job is to bear his children and look pretty during private events? No, I have to stay on track. I gained two levels last night. Two levels! I am a stronger spellcaster now than I was at the start of the semester. Hiring the System Wizard was the right decision. I need to get stronger, and then I shall not have to fear the sorcery of these glitches.
Those thoughts allowed Saphielle to stay awake during class. She sat in the very back section of the classroom. Classmates typically sat to her left, right, and ahead. Today, none of those classmates were in attendance. She noticed that a few other people, like Elizabeth, a charming human girl who Saphielle had a few lively chats with, had not shown up for class either. And come to think of it, Professor Veil never called Elizabeth’s name during attendance. She never called the names of the students who sat near Saphielle either. She assumed they dropped out, but with the midterms only a week away, they certainly waited a while to do so.
And why were only the life magic students gone? Nobody was missing in any of Saphielle’s nature magic classes. There were only missing students in the classes she attended that had a mix of students from the diverse types of magic taught at the academy. And again, it was just the life magic students.
It was very odd indeed.
Professor Veil dismissed the class promptly at three o’clock. Saphielle collected her books, slid them into her bag, and constantly reminded herself not to access her inventory screen in public. It was easier if nobody knew that she was learning the System Wizard’s sorcery. She entered the academy’s hallways, moving past a rush of departing students eager to head home for the day. Emiko stood ahead, book bag in her hands. She smiled and gave a joyful wave to Saphielle.
The two girls met up in the middle of the hallway.
“Ready?” Saphielle asked her.
Emiko slung her bag’s strap over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here!”
The pair walked through the hallway. Emiko yawned. Then Saphielle yawned. Then they both yawned together two minutes later.
“You too, huh?” Saphielle asked, tilting her gaze to the left to face Emiko.
“Yep, I’m exhausted.”
“Typically, we end up falling asleep when maintenance happens during the evening, but last night…”
“Yeah.” Emiko rubbed her tired face. “I really hope this isn’t going to be a regular thing.”
“Maintenance has been occurring much more frequently lately. I think it will be.”
Saphielle and Emiko chatted while making their way down the winding staircase, reaching the academy’s lower floor. They turned to the left and strode onward, only to spot a familiar face exiting room 122. It was Leon, and he looked so lonely. Everyone who left the classroom had someone to walk and chat with. Leon left alone, said nothing, and just turned toward the exit.
Saphielle hurried forward, moving fast to intercept Leon. She gave him a tap on the shoulder, and he spun around, adjusting his glasses when their eyes met.
“Hey, Leon,” Saphielle said. “Would you like to walk back to the dormitory with us?”
Emiko skittered to Saphielle’s right. “Yeah, come walk with us! We’re all going the same way.”
Leon said nothing at first, so Saphielle smiled at him. A smile always got people wanting to pay more attention to Saphielle. Her mother told her so too, and people having no desire to socialize with a highborn elf like Saphielle was absolutely unacceptable. Leon had to accompany Saphielle now that she had extended the offer to her. Saphielle’s pride depended on it.
Leon shrugged. “I guess so.”
Success!
Saphielle and Emiko walked toward the exit, Leon moving alongside them.
“So how was class?” Emiko asked.
“Strange,” Saphielle replied.
Emiko’s feline ears wiggled. “Oh? In what way? Tell me all the details!”
“A couple of students were not there, and Professor Veil did not seem to be aware of it. She did not even call their names when taking attendance. And you know how serious Veil takes attendance taking.”
“Yeah, that’s been happening to me too,” Emiko said, her smile fading away.
Saphielle looked at her. “Really?”
“Remember my study group?”
“With Elizabeth, Christine, and Hannah?”
“That’s the one. Well, they didn’t show up to study with me. And nobody seems to remember them. Leon,” Emiko called to their silent traveling companion, “didn’t you say someone you knew isn’t attending class anymore?”
“Yeah,” Leon said. “I was supposed to get notes from Emmanuel. I haven’t seen him in ages, and everyone insists he was never a student to start with.”
“People are going missing, and everyone seems to be forgetting that they even existed,” Emiko said.
Saphielle gasped as they passed through the academy’s exit, stepping outside into the afternoon sunshine, the spring air tossing their hair about.
“Hannah wasn’t in class today,” Saphielle said.
Leon did not appear to have anything to say. Saphielle wondered what was going through his head. He was such a difficult person to read. She considered that perhaps she and Emiko should introduce Leon to the System Wizard. She wanted to talk to the System Wizard about the missing students, anyway. Having Leon share his input with him might be beneficial. That and Leon kind of reminded Saphielle of the System Wizard. Strong, confident, stoic, and talked only when he felt it was necessary. The more Saphielle looked at Leon, the more she wondered if Leon and the System Wizard were related.
Leon glanced in Saphielle’s direction.
Her heart fluttered, and her face flushed. He caught her looking at him. Saphielle immediately looked away and focused on the pathway through the academy’s lush garden as the three walked back to the dormitory.
Niniara Academy Dormitory, Third Floor Men’s Hallway
Venus Day, Duober 10, 1837
8:02 PM
Leon stretched and yawned. The coffee he drank to keep himself awake had run its course. It was time to head to sleep and hopefully correct his sleeping pattern. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any maintenance tonight either. He still had midterms to prepare for. Leon had been seated on a sofa in the hallway’s corner, just before a window ahead of a coffee table. The common area was crowded with student study groups.
He turned the page of the book he was reading, took in its information, and then wrote critical study notes in his notebook. The slow patter of an individual striding up the carpeted staircase echoed, and then came the wobbling figure of Max on all fours. It turned out Max had been crawling up the stairs rather than using his feet. Leon had completed an entire chapter by the time Max actually made it over to him. Leon had read six pages into the next chapter by the time Max stood up, and when he did, he was tipsy. He’d been drinking, though the smell of alcohol on his breath was an obvious sign of that. Drinking when there was less than a week left until midterms started. Max should have been studying like everyone else.
Max locked his gaze on Leon and staggered over to him. Leon lowered his book and pushed his glasses up onto his face with a single index finger. “May I help you?”
Max pointed a waving finger at him. “I have to…apologize to you.”
Leon raised his right eyebrow. “For?”
Max grabbed and dragged a chair over and collapsed onto it, his head waving about before he continued. “You and I got off on the wrong start.”
“When you challenged me to a duel?”
“Yeah,” Max slurred, “I was angry.”
“To put it lightly.”
“I mean. About everything that has happened to my family. About the System Wizard humiliating me. All I wanted was to rebuild. To take back what was taken from me.”
“You are referring to the seizure of your family’s assets.”
“It’s not fair. I have done nothing wrong. Nobody did.”
“Tell me, Max.”
“Hmm?” He looked at Leon.
Leon placed a bookmark in the book and put it on the right side of the coffee table. He reclined and folded his hands. “What are your goals?”
“To become a powerful weather magic caster and track down the individuals responsible for the downfall of my house. We were wrongly accused, and I intend to prove it.”
“But it’s not going so well, is it?”
“I’m doing okay in my classes, but I fear my instructors are intentionally giving me lower grades because of who I am.”
“A member of the fallen House of McAllister.”
“My B-Ranked traits keep me in a decent place. Our instructors can’t unfairly fail me when it’s clear I’m a competent spellcaster.”
“Why not attend the System Wizard’s tutoring sessions?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like that guy. Why would I do that?”
“You could grow stronger, and knowing the System Wizard, he’d encourage his students to challenge him in duels to display how much they’ve grown.” Leon inched closer. “Maybe you could beat him one day.”
Max shook his head after what looked like a five-second internal debate. “I don’t see the benefit.”
“Saphielle does.”
“Ms. Oriroris? The failure, who should never have been accepted to start with, because her daddy pulled some strings?”
“Yes, her. Saphielle and Emiko are the System Wizard’s students now. And I hear that they’re slowly but surely developing into powerful spellcasters—”
“Outrageous!”
“Max, if Saphielle surpasses you in power—”
“I cannot and will not allow that!” Max interrupted for a second time. He smashed his fist onto the table, and Leon’s book bounced briefly. “What remains of my family’s wealth is going to be used for…”
“For what?”
“The Oriroris family made a deal with the Aesalors. Saphielle is to marry their son, Thuridan. In return, House Aesalor will give the Oriroris family a share of the mythril ore excavated from the mines.” Max glared at Leon. “My family used to own those mines.”
“I can see how that bothers you.”
“And now you’re telling me that Saphielle, who only got accepted because of her family, who barely passed last semester, is in the position to surpass me in power?” Max stood up, surprisingly without tipping over. “Not on my watch.”
He walked away then tripped and fell before entering his room.
Leon picked up his book with one hand, opened it to the bookmark, and held the hefty tome to his face, its size concealing the grin he made.
Max was playing right into his plans.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Niniara Academy Dormitory, Study Room
Mars Day, Duober 11, 1837
7:24 PM
Leon, as the System Wizard, added additional notes to the blackboard while the scribbling sounds of Emiko and Saphielle writing detailed notes in their books reverberated. Tonight’s tutoring session consisted of concentration techniques for spellcasting, followed by a review of course material for the upcoming midterm exams next week. There was a sudden knock on the door behind the girls. The pair looked surprised, likely wondering who was at the door.
Everything was going as planned. He moved away from the chalkboard, walking around the central table where the girls sat to open the door behind them. Max stood ahead of the open entrance with his book bag’s strap slung over his shoulder.
“Mr. McAllister, what can I do for you?” Leon asked.
Max tilted his gaze upward to peer over the System Wizard’s shoulder, spotting Saphielle and Emiko as they spun in their chairs and looked at him.
“I was wondering if I could join you?” Max said. “There are several topics I am unsure of for one of my classes, and I am worried it might affect my grade on the midterms. Could you help me with them?”
Leon nodded, his facial expression hidden behind the Shadow Cloak’s hood. “We can help with that and so much more.”
Max ran his hand through his blond hair, rubbing it. “Umm, more?”
Leon turned to the side and extended his hand forward, presenting an empty chair at the table where Saphielle and Emiko sat. “Have a seat, and I can explain.” Leon returned to the chalkboard and then accessed his System menu screen while grinning. Not that they could see his grin.
Max pulled up a chair and took a seat, laying his book bag on the table to remove a pen and notebook. All part of the plan. The System told Leon to hand the Viridis Orb over to someone else—Max was that someone else. Another student who could potentially gain access to System Viridis and tap into a level of power no one else under Leon’s guidance and teachings could.
“We do things differently here, Max,” Saphielle said. “We improve our knowledge and spellcasting power by learning the System Wizard’s ways.”
Max looked at her with a half-wince, curling his lips. “You mean, you two can make the System work for you now?”
“Not like him,” Emiko said. “But we might one day.”
Max folded his hands. “Tell me more.”
Leon gave Max a lengthy lecture, going into greater detail about the world of Iordia and the strange anomalies within it. Said anomalies were related to Professor Rhys Roberts’s hypothesis that their reality wasn’t what it seemed and that certain aspects of it could be altered with the abilities they gained.
“System, inventory.”
Leon’s inventory menu appeared in a flash ahead of him. He scrolled to the bottom of the item list, found the Viridis Orb stored in it, and then reached into the screen to pull it out. Max sat wide-eyed at the phenomenon the entire time. Who could blame him? He had never seen anyone pull an object out of thin air before. Max’s shocked gaze remained the entire time that Leon walked over to him. Even when Leon offered Max the Viridis Orb, the young lad was still stunned and awed.
Max snapped out of it and looked at the orb held in the System Wizard’s palm. “What is this?”
Leon gestured to the Viridis Orb in his hand. “That should be the key that will unlock your potential. Pick it up.”
Max grabbed the orb and held it with both hands.
Leon continued, “Now grip it and focus.”
Max tightened his grip on the sphere and shut his eyes. A moment later, a System menu appeared ahead of him. He opened his eyes and glared at the System menu’s content.
“My word…” Max said, squinting. “I’ve never seen a menu like this before.”
“That is how you will communicate with the System,” Leon said. He watched as Max scrolled through the menu’s limited options. A message box appeared in the center, asking if Max wanted to accept and connect with System Viridis. “Accept what it offers.”
Max tapped the Yes option. The Viridis Orb sparkled and hummed before liquefying into a thin fluid that pooled into Max’s cupped hands. His palms absorbed the ethereal greenish fluid, entering his body and vanishing from sight. Max examined his palms, then spun them to look at the back of his hands.
Leon returned to the chalkboard. “Soon, you’ll be able to utilize the magic that only we can use.”
Emiko cheered. “Welcome to the club, Max!”
“Is that how you gained your ability to access the System?” Max asked them.
“No,” Leon said, writing on the chalkboard.
“Same with us,” Emiko said.
“It would appear that there are many different ways,” Leon said while continuing to write notes for the students behind him. “The System reached out and offered it to me. Saphielle’s determination to discover a new type of magic by meddling with ancient trees gave her access. After that, she tried to share what she discovered with Emiko, giving her limited access to the System as well.”
“And for me, I have access because of that orb,” Max said.
“From what we have gathered, there are different ways we can use these powers to alter the world,” Saphielle said. “I can teleport to different ancient trees, provided that I know where they are. We theorize that in the future I will be able to learn other teleportation techniques.”
“And we all know of the System Wizard’s power,” Emiko added. “And soon we’re going to get to know your power, Max.”
“What about you, Emiko?” Max asked her.
“I’m still a work in progress.” Emiko shrugged. “Though the System Wizard feels that we’re getting close to discovering the System abilities I’ll be able to use.”
The System Wizard finished writing on the blackboard, clasped his hands together, and turned around to face his students. “Now, since we have a new student with us, let us take this time to discuss the basics of Iordia’s source code. This should help bring Max up to speed and serve as a review for the two of you. After that, we’ll spend the last hour preparing for your midterm exams.”
The tutoring session went on, and Max, Emiko, and Saphielle listened intently to his every word.
Niniara Academy Dormitory, Study Room
Uranus Day, Duober 14, 1837
12:05 PM
The weekend before midterms had arrived, and the dormitory was mostly silent as all students studied to prepare for their first major challenge of the semester. Leon arranged for an earlier tutoring session for the three that day, though it was more because he wanted the rest of the day off to study himself. He was secretly a student too, and there were a few classes, like Magic Ethics and Law, for which he needed ample time to study. Then there were Leon’s practical midterms for his weather magic classes. He needed to devise a plan to keep his true powers as a destruction magic caster a secret.
Max, as expected, showed up for the tutoring session today. In fact, Max had been diligently showing up as the week had gone by. Saphielle didn’t mind him coming, even though she was originally paying Leon to tutor her. In fact, Saphielle was happy that Max had joined the club because his access to System Viridis had indeed given him access to options on his System menu that neither of them could access. This led to Max developing unique System techniques that helped everyone, including Leon, further advance their knowledge of how Iordia truly operated.
