Mage academy 4 a litrpg.., p.5
Mage Academy 4: A LitRPG Magic Academy Light Novel, page 5
Danny opened his mouth then closed it again. "I have so many questions."
"And I wish I had answers, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to give you anything." Janna shook her head. "In any case, we're all very nervous about it. If there really is someone in the city who kidnapped him, that person is likely extremely powerful. After a coordinated effort with the Corp, it was decided that one of the mages should be placed in the ranks to further the investigation. There was talk of undercover work, and a great many other things, but in the end, this was the decision. I, for the record, was only contacted after the decision was made. I am currently focusing all my efforts on chasing clues and trying to hunt things down, but as you can see, I don't have much to go on. If you happen to find anything that could help, please, I beg of you, send it my way."
"You have my word," Danny confirmed.
"Mine, too." Tess nodded. "How many others know?"
"As few as possible. The only soldiers I've sent out to do anything have only been following orders, they don't have a clue what my lines of inquiry have been directed toward." Janna answered. "And it'll stay that way for as long as possible."
Danny nodded slowly. They sat there for a few moments longer, idly discussing the possibilities, then he stood up to leave. Tess stayed behind to work on some business in the Precinct while he wandered back to the Academy himself.
It was a lot to process, that was for sure. Margot's missing father, the chaos with the mages and the Corp… He didn't know how it would possibly all work out. That said, with Master Barrydew's silence, this gave him a project to begin working on.
All he could do was hope Margot's father could be found before something terrible happened to him.
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 100%
Mana: 84%
Quest: Find Margot's Father
Location: Fifty-Third Street, Imperial City
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 31), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly with Tess, Friendly with Janna, Concerned about Master Barrydew
Time of Day: 3:28 p.m.
Towards Achievement
Danny spent the next several days mostly lost in thought. When he wandered into the Boar's Tusk that Friday, he hadn't been able to settle much more, and he rather idly sat down at a table without really looking around at all.
Suddenly, he saw someone waving at him from a back corner, and he realized that it was Master Barrydew. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and walked over, and Master Barrydew raised an eyebrow.
"Now you seem lost in thought."
Danny shrugged. "You know how it goes."
"With you, I really do." Master Barrydew regarded Danny quizzically. "You aren't getting into trouble, are you?"
"That depends on exactly how you define the word," Danny quipped, though he didn't really feel the joviality of it. Margot's father was missing, and he had basically been told that he couldn't go help her. It was rather frustrating, and he sighed deeply.
"You're worried about the tensions between the mages and the Corp," Master Barrydew guessed. "I heard that Janna summoned you to come and help her calm things down. From what I heard, you seemed to have done a fine job with it. I wouldn't be worried, though."
"No?" Danny asked, trying to pull his mind away from the missing master. "Why not?"
"I've seen these things blow up before," Master Barrydew said. "They're not pretty, they never are, but they blow over. When your father and I were in the Academy, there was a dispute over a student who got into a brawl in one of the taverns. Both the professors and the local Precinct wanted to throw him in jail, but they each wanted to throw him into their jail. It got so heated that at one point, a regiment of soldiers breached the main doors and laid siege to the Grand Hall. In response, a bunch of final-year students invaded the Precinct and laced the hallways with magical traps. It was a great deal of chaos, up until they finally agreed to build a new prison that they could hold joint custody over, and held him there."
Danny shook his head in amazement. "That's quite a story."
"I wish I was joking," Master Barrydew said with a chuckle. "In any case, it all worked out. Tensions went down until the next time they flared up. That's just how things go, you know. Even within the Corp, there are divisions and rivalries between different units. It's a constant battle to maintain unity, and it'll likely be a battle until the end of time. Now…" He slapped the table and climbed to his feet. "Let's get to work."
"What exactly are we doing out here?" Danny asked. "There's not another dungeon located in the basement, is there?"
Master Barrydew laughed and shook his head. "No, not at all. It's in the kitchen. Come on!"
Danny raised an eyebrow and got to his feet, following his master into the tavern's kitchen. Inside, a handful of cooks were busily roasting large chunks of meat, while others seasoned skillets full of noodles and vegetables. A few of them smiled and waved at Master Barrydew, prompting Danny to chuckle.
"Is there anyone in this city you don't know? Seems like everywhere we go, you have someone who knows you."
Master Barrydew simply held up his hands. "I like to talk to people. No crime in that. Now…" He reached a door at the back of the kitchen. "Here we go!"
With that, he pulled the door open and stepped inside. Danny followed, finding himself descending a long, dark shaft that plunged into darkness. For a few moments, all he could feel was the stone beneath his feet, which was to be expected.
Suddenly, they emerged into an entry room, and Danny blinked a few times, adjusting to the light.
"Alright, Danny. Let's see if you can use your knowledge of last year's Dungeon classes to determine where we are." Master Barrydew raised an eyebrow.
Danny frowned and slowly looked around. The entry room was square, with three tunnels branching out. They were dark, and were more hallways than tunnels, with sharp doorframes and strange carvings that had been hewn into the wall, illuminated only by flickering torches.
"This is a Labyrinth-style dungeon," Danny surmised after a few moments. "Let's see here… There are three exits from the main chamber, which means that it's a Rank C or D Labyrinth. Here in the Central Plains region, that means that it'll primarily be humanoid monsters. Oh, and we'll have to worry about traps, of course."
"Very good." Master Barrydew confirmed. "Now, what we'll be trying to do is reach the main boss chamber as quickly as possible. It's a trick called Speedrunning, at least by the mages who do it more often. There are actually Speedrunning teams that will compete to complete dungeons faster than others." He winked an eye at Danny. "The record for this one is five minutes. Think you can beat it?"
Danny shrugged. "Well, let's see. Tell me when to start."
"Wait for it… wait for it… Now!"
Danny nodded and rushed forward. As he did, he summoned a stone golem that filled the hallway, making it as large as possible. He urged it forward, and as it smashed through the area, countless monsters surged out of the walls, emerging from dark nooks, crannies, and cracks.
The golem tore through them all, reducing goblins, small trolls, and anything else in its path to dust. Even the dungeon's traps were ineffective against it. Large, whirring saws slashed at the hard stone, only to break apart and shower sparks. Massive clubs swung out of the walls, only to be shattered, while spears popped up, only to be snapped.
Danny smiled as his creation did its work, clearing the first hallway in seconds.
"Not too bad." Master Barrydew nodded as he walked along behind him. "Still, though, the time is ticking."
Danny bit his lip. If he was going to speedrun the dungeon, he needed to get to the main boss chamber quickly. Labyrinths were notorious for being hard to navigate, given that they were, well, mazes. He could either run around aimlessly and hope for luck… Or…
"Alright," Danny said, balling his hands into fists. "We need to make a shortcut. Golem, get ready."
The golem turned around, and Danny raised his hand. A rockworm tooth appeared in each of its stone palms, and it grinned. With that, it smashed downward, digging into the ground as hard and fast as it could. Chunks of stone flew through the air, and Master Barrydew's jaw dropped.
"What are you doing?" Barrydew exclaimed.
"According to Dungeon Tactics, labyrinths are built in layers," Danny explained. "The top layer sits perfectly on top of the second layer, and so on. This dungeon likely has five layers, so we just need to dig down a few floors."
With a loud crack, the floor beneath the stone golem gave way, and it dropped to the next level. It continued to dig, and Danny followed it, running up to the hole as it smashed deeper and deeper. He and Master Barrydew leapt down from one hole to the next until they broke through a floor into a particularly large room.
The stone golem landed inside, only to be hit with a massive spear and pinned to the wall.
[Notice: Stone Golem has been destroyed]
Danny frowned as he knelt down, and a huge troll waltzed out into the open.
[Monster Identified: Snot-Nosed Troll. Level 62. Hp: 6,300]
"Easy-peasy," Danny said, rubbing his palms together.
Master Barrydew held up a hand. "I don't know if that's the easiest boss to take down."
"You're suggesting that we don't kill it?" Danny asked, surprised.
"No, I'm just suggesting that you let me help," Master Barrydew answered. "Come on."
He formed a ball of lightning in his hand and leapt into the air. With a swift motion, he hurled the spear of fierce energy at the troll's head, knocking it flat on its back. Danny followed, summoning another stone golem around himself as he descended.
When he landed, he stood a towering thirty feet tall, more than a match for the troll, and smashed a massive fist into its belly.
The troll proved to be a bit of a tank, and it took them nearly ten minutes to finally bring it down. At last, the troll collapsed in a heap. Danny unsummoned the stone golem and dropped down next to the fallen creature.
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[SpeedRunner: Level 1]
[Details: Complete a Rank C dungeon in less than 15 minutes]
[Reward: XP Boost]
[Notification: Monster Summoning has increased to Lv. 32!]
[Reward: Mana Increase: 892 -> 950]
Danny frowned as he looked at the strange message. "What was that?"
"I thought you knew that achievements were added in the fourth year," Master Barrydew said. "I'm sure it was mentioned to you sometime in the past."
"It does sound familiar, now that you mention it. Is that why you brought me in here?"
"More or less. I thought it would be a nice one to start your collection with." Master Barrydew sighed and sat down on the troll, using it as a bench of sorts. "Achievements are an interesting beast. They were added in the early years of the academy, as a way to encourage students to push themselves. It backfired initially, when first-year students began to pursue the achievements instead of focusing on classes, but when it was modified to only be given to older students, it started working a little better. Now, you already have the study habits solidified, and can start pushing yourself to greater heights in your personal battles and victories."
"That makes sense." Danny nodded thoughtfully. "Are all the personal trainers giving this to their students?"
"It's the very first thing they're supposed to do this year." Master Barrydew confirmed. "And, actually, they serve a more practical function as well. If you want to make it to the next year, Year 5, you'll need to acquire at least 10 achievements by the end of the year. They can be related to your focus, and in fact that's encouraged, though it should be noted that if you simply pick up ten easy ones, you may still be disqualified by the review board. It should also be noted that increasing the rank of your achievement doesn't count as a second one. Getting another Speedrunner achievement won't count, essentially."
"I see." Danny nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "It sounds like a fun challenge."
"Well, it certainly can be. It can also be quite demanding. If you have any trouble, please do come talk to me. I'll send you a full list of them that are available to you." Master Barrydew placed his hands on his knees and forced himself to his feet. "You're a good student, Danny. You're going to do well this year, I think."
Danny nodded as they started to walk toward the exit but stopped and turned. "And you're sure you're not just trying to distract me from the weird spider thing?"
"Me? Would I do a thing like that?" Master Barrydew laughed then sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "If it works, let me know so I can stop thinking of other things."
Danny chuckled. He wasn't sure if his master was joking or not (and he fully intended to follow up on the spider if possible), but the moment was amusing.
"So, did I beat the record?" he asked with a grin.
Master Barrydew shook his head. "Not even close. You did it in fourteen minutes, twenty-two seconds. I do believe it was a record for someone running it for the first time, but a true SpeedRunner will go through a dungeon a dozen times. There was a secret passage in the main entry room that would have taken you down to the boss room straightaway. Without that, I don't think you could have beaten it, and even then…"
Danny shrugged then smiled and crossed his arms. "Then I guess I just have some work to do."
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 81%
Mana: 26%
Quest: Research Achievements
Location: Snot Labyrinth Dungeon
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 32), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly (enough) with Master Barrydew
Time of Day: 4:39 p.m.
Loading
"Alright, let's see here." Danny flopped back onto his bed and opened up his interface. "Show me all the Achievements."
[Achievements Loading…]
[Achievements Loaded.]
[Please select a category:]
[Dungeons]
{Academics]
[Combat]
[Magic]
[Charting]
[…]
The list went on, but Danny selected [Dungeons] and found a wide list of things…:
[Clearance Expert: Clear out every single monster in a dungeon]
[Finders Keepers: Locate a Hidden Room]
[Speedrunner: Complete a dungeon in less than 15 minutes]
[…]
There were others, but, out of curiosity, he selected the SpeedRunner achievement.
[Rank 1: Complete a Rank C Dungeon in less than 15 minutes]
[Rank 2: Complete a Rank C Dungeon in less than 10 minutes]
[Rank 3: Complete a Rank B Dungeon in less than 15 minutes]
[Rank 4: Complete a Rank B Dungeon in less than 10 minutes]
[Rank 5: Complete a Rank A Dungeon in less than 30 minutes]
He frowned, then scrolled all the way to the bottom.
[Rank 20: Complete a Rank S Dungeon in less than 5 minutes]
[*Note: This has only been completed by four warriors in the last 800 years]
"Wow!" He whistled and shook his head in amazement. "That's super cool."
As he leaned back and continued to scroll, a knock came on his door.
"Come in!" he shouted.
The door opened, and Margot walked in with a wide small smile on her face as she sat down on one of his chairs. "Sounded like you're checking out the new achievement section?"
"It's pretty cool, isn't it?" Danny beamed. "Do you have one already?"
Margot nodded. "Yeah, my master walked me through one of them. It's called Fire Keeper. You basically just had to keep a flame sustained at a certain level for a certain length of time. It wasn't all that difficult, though it probably wasn't something I would have done without prompting."
"Same here," Danny said. "What are you going to work on next?"
"I was thinking about taking on some of the Charting challenges." Margot answered. "They're not nearly as easy as they sound on the surface, and a lot of them involve going around the countryside, which just sounds fun." She paused, then lowered her voice. "And it would give me a chance to look for… Well…"
"Yeah." Danny grimaced. "Any luck on that front?"
"Nothing so far." She shook her head. "I'm still hopeful. I'm hanging onto hope." She paused, then shook her head. "Actually, it's really frustrating. I know they know something. Don't ask me how I know, but when I go to Master Barrydew or Captain Windstripe, they look at me really strangely. They know something that they're not telling me, but I can't pry it out of them."
"Master Barrydew hasn't exactly been the most forthcoming with me, either." Danny frowned.
"I suppose he thinks he's doing it for the greater good, but I just want to know what happened to my father." Margot crossed her arms.
Danny nodded slowly. He had a feeling that Margot was prodding him, trying to see if he knew anything, but he had technically been sworn to secrecy. Frankly, he thought Margot did deserve to know, but if he broke confidence and told her, he was likely as not to get kicked off the case, and then-
"Hey!" Tess poked her head inside. "Get out here now."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "You know, you're more than welcome to stop by when there isn't some sort of emergency."
"I'm serious," Tess snapped. "Get up to the observatory. Now."
Danny glanced over at Margot then shrugged and ran out of the room after Tess. They soon found Margot following along. He wasn't exactly sure if she had been invited, but then again, he wasn't sure the officials in charge would exactly want him along either, so it was just how things were going to have to go.
