Mage academy 4 a litrpg.., p.1
Mage Academy 4: A LitRPG Magic Academy Light Novel, page 1
Mage Academy 4
A LitRPG Magic Academy Light Novel
Kal Griffith
Copyright © [2024] by [Kal Griffith]
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Contents
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1. Once More We Begin
2. Shadows and Suspicions
3. Uncertainties In Routine
4. Dilemma
5. Missing Persons
6. Towards Achievement
7. Loading
8. Friendly Memories
9. Greater Impressions
10. Knock Knock
11. Following Leads
12. Turning Over
13. Process
14. On To Something
15. Prior
16. Power Difference
17. Noble Means
18. Loose Ends
19. Estate
20. Things Said
21. Homeward Bound
22. Coronations
23. Gifts
24. See You Around
25. Sword
26. What Then
27. Coming Tensions
28. Conflict
29. Treading
30. Diversion
31. Of Interest
32. Beneath
33. Hardly Believe
34. Narrow Cracks
35. Moving Pieces
36. Calm
37. Storm
38. Farewell of Sorts
39. Zechariah
40. New Era
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Once More We Begin
"Tess Stoneflower! Margot Flamekeeper! Come forth!"
Danny's heart clenched, and he slowly let out a long breath as Tess rose from her seat. She glanced at him with a smile as across the room Margot stood up as well. Together, they walked up to the door that led into the entry chamber of the Trial Chamber where they would all be judged on whether or not they could make it through to the fourth year of the academy. After they vanished, Danny let out a long breath and glanced around at the other students.
"The field is getting narrower," Radiance, sitting right next to him, commented. "Wondering who you'll be paired with?"
"Something like that." Danny nodded thoughtfully. "I'm used to working with others and I enjoy it, but this feels different somehow."
Radiance nodded. "Yeah, I get what you mean."
After sitting in silence a moment, Danny spoke up. "I have to admit, I didn't expect the entry exams for fourth year would require partnering up. It caught me a bit off guard."
"I'd heard a few rumors, but I have to give it to the upperclassmen. They kept a tight lid on it," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I get that the professors could hold their tongues, but for this not to be common knowledge? That's pretty impressive. I can't say that I was shocked when we got down here, but I also wasn't exactly expecting it either."
Danny nodded and went back to mulling things over in his head. He hadn't been worried about the entry exam, not really, not up until that point. Maybe that, though, was the whole point of it. By the time the students had completed three years, they were probably getting confident in their ability to muscle through the tests. The way to shake it up? Make them do the test with someone else.
It was unusual, but… Well… If those were the rules, those were the rules.
"So what do you think it'll be like?" Danny asked. "If one person fails, you both fail?"
"Is that what's on your mind?" Radiance laughed. "You're worried that someone else will hold you back?"
"No, no!" Danny chuckled and shook his head then folded his hands in his lap. "Actually, I'm more concerned about the possibility of letting my partner down. I don't want to be the reason someone else can't continue at the Academy."
"You? Cause someone else to fail?" Radiance grinned. "Danny, let me let you in on a little secret. The moment that they announced that everyone would be doing this test with a partner, everyone in our class started hoping that they would get paired with you. You're already as strong as some full-rank mages, and you're only a third-year, almost fourth-year student. Whoever gets paired with you should consider themselves lucky."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I have a feeling it may be a bit more challenging than that." Danny leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to focus and calm his nerves. Radiance watched him for a moment then did the same.
Danny had many things he wanted to discuss with Radiance. There were still a handful of mysteries from the previous year that were floating around, and it would have been a good time to mull them over if it wasn't for the anxious knot in his stomach. After several long minutes passed, the door swung open once again.
"Danny Youngblood! Radiance Silver! Come forth!"
Glancing over at Radiance, she flashed him an encouraging smile then shrugged as they both stood.
"Don't worry about me, Danny. I'll do my best out there. Just focus on doing what you do best, and we'll get through this together," she said reassuringly.
"I know we will." Danny nodded resolutely as they walked forward.
The two of them strode past the brown-robed aide and soon entered the darkened chamber where a long row of professors sat in a semi-circle around them. Their faces and voices were disguised with magic, making it impossible to know who was sitting in and watching, though Danny could make some educated guesses. The head professor was likely either Master Barrydew or Headmaster Bluestream. Danny's father, Zechariah Youngblood, probably hadn't been allowed to partake in the proceedings due to the obvious conflict of interest. Beyond that, either of the Masters Windstripe were a possibility, or-
"Danny! Radiance," the voice of the head professor boomed, carrying a familiar inflection that made Danny fairly certain that it was, indeed, Master Barrydew. "Are you aware of what this test will entail?"
Danny shook his head. "Not beyond rumors and speculation."
Radiance nodded in agreement. "Same here. I've heard some secondhand information, but nothing concrete."
"Then why don't you share what you've heard?" The head professor sounded intrigued.
"Well…" Radiance began. "What I've heard, and again, this is very much hearsay, so I can't guarantee its accuracy... but supposedly the point of this test is to evaluate how well we work with others. The assumption is that by now, you're confident in our individual strength and aptitude to progress through the program. But you need to ensure we have the teamwork skills to match."
"You are correct," the head professor confirmed. "Now, the logistics of the test are fairly straightforward. When you enter the testing chamber, you will each find a glowing ring. Step into one ring each. At that point, the rings will rise up, forming pillars. Then, monsters will begin to attack. You'll be graded based on how well your teammate fares and contributes. Is that clear?"
Danny nodded. "Understood."
"Yes," Radiance affirmed.
"Excellent. In that case, please proceed." As the head professor gestured at the door, Danny and Radiance both turned, but they were stopped as one of the other professors rose.
"Excuse me? I'd like a word with Youngblood. Privately."
Radiance shot a curious look at Danny, but he let out a long breath and nodded. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up in a moment."
Radiance folded her hands behind her back and quickly walked through the door. As it shut, Danny looked toward the speaker, trying to mask his unease. The head professor seemed equally perplexed.
"Please, this is highly irregular," the head professor said.
"There are many things that have happened in the last three years that could be considered highly irregular." The cloaked professor's voice sounded harsh even through the distortions, and Danny found that he simply didn't recognize the voice at all.
Who could it be? A member of the faculty he hadn't met yet, or someone entirely new? He supposed the point of the distortions was to ensure that students couldn't retaliate against professors who voted against them, but… It still piqued his curiosity.
"One could very easily point to Danny Youngblood as being at the center of them," the stranger continued.
Danny bit his lip, considering his response carefully.
"Well?" the professor prodded.
"Apologies, sir. I wasn't sure if that was a complete thought or a prelude to an actual question ," Danny said respectfully. "To respond to the implicit question - in my first year here, a dark spirit possessing Isa tried to take over. I happened to be the one to put an end to it, but I didn't instigate the incident. In my second year, a witch attacked, who turned out to be…" Danny paused, knowing the sensitive nature of the information about Captain Anne and her magically conjoined twin. "Connected to the Captain of the local precinct. Again, I got involved because of my friendship with Tess, not because I caused the problem. And last year, there was an invading army that breached the city gates. Many brave warriors and corp members lost their lives defending the southern lands. Unless you're implying I somehow summoned that army myself, I fail to see how I can be held accountable. My instinct is simply to face problems head on rather than run from them."
"A fair perspective," the head professor said with an approving nod.
"But not a satisfactory one, from my point of view," the antagonistic professor countered. "There are a great many rumors swirling about you. Your alleged connection to Nicodemus, the monster summoner who nearly destroyed the Imperial City, and was reportedly killed by your own father."
"If he is in fact dead, I'm not sure how I could have any current connection to him," Danny pointed out.
"There's also a very troubling rumor about how you managed to defeat the mage responsible for summoning the invading army." One of the other professors moved to interject, but the antagonist raised a hand. "Yes, I'm aware the official story is that it was just a sophisticated dungeon break, but we all know there's more to it than that! Danny, care to comment?"
The head professor leaned forward, but Danny raised a hand. "I'll field this one."
Taking a deep breath, he folded his hands behind his back and met the accuser's gaze steadily. "With all due respect, indulging in rumors and hearsay is behavior I'd expect from gossiping children, not esteemed adults and educators." A ripple of amused chuckles came from some of the other professors. Danny continued, "Furthermore, if there were hypothetically more to the story than has been made public, and if I had faced off against such an adversary... Do you honestly believe I would be at liberty to divulge those details to a total stranger?"
The other professors laughed openly now, and the antagonist bristled.
"But I am no mere stranger to you," he insisted.
"Well, to me, you sort of are. If you'd care to drop the cloak and identify yourself, I can better make that determination." Danny raised an eyebrow, privately amazed at his own boldness. He never would have had the confidence to challenge an authority figure like this back in his first year.
The antagonist sat back heavily, letting out a resigned sigh.
"It seems my line of inquiry has run its course. Please, proceed. And...stay safe in there."
Something about the way he said those final words made Danny's stomach twist uneasily. But there was nothing for it now. He glanced at the head professor, who gave an encouraging nod toward the door. Squaring his shoulders, Danny turned and marched forward.
He didn't know exactly what awaited him in that chamber, but... Somehow, after that hostile interrogation, he had a feeling that whatever challenges the test held would be far more manageable than the trials and tribulations undoubtedly still to come in the year ahead.
Assuming, of course, that he made it through to another year at all.
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Quest: Defeat the Chamber!
Location: Testing Chamber
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 30), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly with Tess, Friendly with Margot, Friendly with Radiance, Uncertain with [Uncertain]
Time of Day: 9:27 a.m.
Shadows and Suspicions
As Danny walked into the trial chamber, he felt a strange sense of foreboding fall over him. The chamber was just as he knew it, rather large, with a great deal of darkness and shadows around the edges.
Radiance already stood on her pillar, while a glowing circle stood out on the floor not far away from her. Each pillar was about five feet across (which did not give Danny much room for moving around), while the pillars were about twenty feet apart.
As Danny stepped into the circle, it rose upward, until it stood at a height of about ten feet. Enough that a fall would hurt, not so high that it would be fatal.
"You alright?" Radiance asked as he took his stance. "You looked like you were about to get raked over the coals."
"You do realize they can all still hear you, right?" Danny raised an eyebrow.
Radiance scowled at him. "I was setting up a joke. I was going to say something about how I could cool you down if it had gotten too hot in there."
"Ha-ha." Danny rolled his eyes, then glanced around the area. "Alright. So I'm going to be judged on how well you stay up there, and you're going to be judged on how well I can stay up here. What do you think?"
"I think they're probably going to attack us with our weaknesses," Radiance answered. "I'll be hit with fire and stone creatures, which ice is notoriously weak against. You'll get hit with… What are your weaknesses?"
Danny shrugged. "I don't have any."
"Ha-ha." Radiance rolled her eyes. "Anyway, that's what-"
[Quest Added - Stay on your pillar for as long as possible]
"And here we go." Danny drew his sword, though he knew that it wasn't really going to be all that much use. "Let's get to work."
Slowly, screeching monsters began to appear. On Radiance's side of the room, a handful of flaming creatures came marching forth, including a fiery cat, several stone golems, and a few birds that trailed long streaks of fire through the air as they darted this way and that.
Phoenixes.
Danny balled his hands into fists and nodded.
"And here we go. Stone golems, two of them. Add the Magma Attribute and Boss Attribute to both of them then enhance to 150 mana apiece."
[Notice: Creatures have been summoned.]
[Notice: Your mana reserve is currently 536/836]
With a flash, the two creatures appeared at the base of Radiance's pillar. The first one immediately reached down, grabbed the cat, and slung it into the wall. The second one looked at the stone golems then balled its hands into fists.
The golems stood a good head taller than the golems that the professors had brought to bear, and it easily smashed the attackers into rubble. Danny grinned then heard a loud screech from behind.
He spun around to see several dark forms emerging to attack him as well. Radiance raised her hands, and white magic began to swirl around her fingertips.
"Don't worry! Just keep your head down!" she shouted.
Danny nodded and ducked slightly as a handful of dark, raven-like birds came flashing down at him. They were small and nimble, and his hands clenched around his sword hilt.
Schnick!
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Blasts of ice streaked over his head, cutting down the birds in rapid succession. A massive spider lunged out of the darkness as well, snarling and hissing, and Radiance hit it with a huge spear of ice that pinned it to the wall behind.
It groaned and collapsed, waving its legs about for several long moments before vanishing into sparks.
Danny turned back to focus on Radiance's pillar. More and more creatures were swarming out of the darkness now, snakes, wolves, and orcs. Danny nodded then raised his hands.
"Alright. Add in a ring of goblins. All of them should be Level 30, armed with swords and shields."
[Notice: Creatures have been summoned.]
[Notice: Your mana reserve is currently 304/836]
With another flash, a whole ring of goblins appeared around the base of Radiance's pillar. They engaged the swarms of monsters directly, slaying anything that got past the massive stone golems.
A smile trickled across Danny's face. It was almost too easy. Of course, that only meant that the professors were going to get tricky, but… What could they really do?
"Danny! There's something on the ceiling!" Radiance called out. "A shadow… Thing. It was fast, but it's gone now."
