by Nikostar A
Chapter 28: Invitation from the Director of Studies
Over the next few days, Alexander went on stage two more times, facing even stronger opponents. Sadly, he ended up losing both of them. He tried his best but with limited mana, he could only do so much. He had overestimated himself. Although he only spent two months here, Alexander believed that his memories of his past life would be enough to make up for his lack of meditation.
As it turned out, he was completely wrong. The other students were not weak. They did not have an outstanding understanding of magic but with their diligence, their mana reservoir was large enough to defeat Alexander.
His eighth match was against a second-year from NXT, Lee Cheol Woo. The youth was strong and proficient in all kinds of spells. Alexander was able to resist the barrage of attacks at the beginning but after a while, his mana ran dry and he ended up losing.
For his final match, Alexander went up against a Lohan. He was a prince of a large kingdom on Loha. As one would expect, he did not bother to hide his pride and arrogance. He ridiculed Alexander for not making him go all out. However, credits had to be given to the prince; he was truly skilled and could even use advanced spells. Naturally, had Alexander used his stargazer power, the outcome would have been completely different.
7-2, this was Alexander's final wins and losses. This ratio did not mean anything but it was still satisfying to see that he had more wins than losses. As for his final grades, Alexander would have to wait as the written exams would start next week.
After his final match, Alexander wordlessly left the magic stadium and walked to the nearby park. He was in high spirit. The long boring matches were finally over. As for the written exams, Alexander was not worried in the slightest. He had the power of the stars. With Egriss, the Archivist, he could easily remember the content of the course.
At the park, Alexander quickly found his friends lazing around, enjoying the last few moments of summer.
"Hey Alex, how did it go?"
"Do you even need to ask? I lost obviously," laughed Alexander as he sat on the grass.
Su Buqing smiled and answered, "Man, you are fighting against 2nd years. Had you fought against us, the first years, you'll probably have a 100% win rate."
"This does not matter. As long as you show your spells, you'll get your marks. You might even score more than me."
Raphael turned toward Alexander, "You know you became the talk of the students recently. We were all there and witnessed your match against Sonya Kress. Rumors say that you are a recruit from the Watchers. Is it true?"
"Of course not. If I was, why would I not join their group? You glorify the organizations too much, we don't necessarily need to join them to become stronger," said Alexander. He knew he had once again attracted the academy's attention toward him but what could he do? Was he supposed to throw his match with the others? Besides, a little exposure would not harm him. Instead, it would be good to show his strength. This way, the academy would not think that he was trying to blend in the background.
"Organizations are strong. We need to start looking at them for our future. In our third year, we'll need to choose one. Although it won't necessarily be our final choice, it is a hassle to make a transfer."
Jack nodded and said, "Yes, but we have a lot of time. Choosing an organization is simple. Just look at where they usually hunt and which beast they normally face. Also, take a look at which spells their higher-ups are using. If it fits your style, just join them. Next year, the organizations will send someone to make a talk or something. It will help you choose which one is more suitable for you. I personally have already made the choice to join Nuevo Mundo."
"Then will we end up going to different organizations? You want to go to Nuevo Mundo but Raphael is being invited by Arthemis. As for Alexander, the Watchers should approach you very soon," said Jessica one of the two girls of the group.
"Really? Raphael. Arthemis invited you?" asked Alexander. It was not rare for organizations to make a move on students of the academy. Officially, it was against the rule to do so but if they did nothing, then other organizations might snatch the young talents.
"Yes, it happened yesterday. I went to the gym and one of the students there brought me to a private room. He talked to me about joining Arthemis but I think that the truth is that my father is trying to get closer to the organizations. I did not give a reply yet as I don't know much about all the organizations," answered Raphael. He was proud that an organization was looking to recruit him.
Su Buqing remained quiet. He fell in deep thoughts before asking, "Alex. I was wondering if you will be willing to coach me?"
Surprised, Alexander answered, "Coach you? What do you mean?" The rest of the group was also intrigued by Su Buqing's request.
"It is obvious that you are the strongest among us and even if you lost your last two matches, you did not go all out. From the first day, you already displayed two advanced spells. After two months, you must have improved considerably. I just want us to study together like when we learn the spells with the instructors. With your knowledge, you should be able to guide us better and show us our mistakes."
Alexander let Su Buqing finish before answering, "You want me to teach you magic? But I don't know how to. Everything I learned comes from the library. But I don't mind if we spar and together."
After the magical examination, Alexander had quickly realized that his elemental mage abilities were severely lacking compared to his peers. This was the price he had to pay to obtain his Space. He could continue to practice the constellations but this solution was not ideal. He also needed to expand his mana reservoir and spirit circuits to some extent. The problem was his meditation technique required him to work twice as hard as the other students.
"Really? That's great! I know it is asking for much but just give me a hint or two and I'm sure I'll progress faster," happily answered Su Buqing.
"Can we join too?"
"Yeah, I would also like to get a few hints from Alexander."
The rest of the group quickly joined in and soon, they all decided to train together at the magic department after the exams. While Alexander had already had his final match, the others still had their own battles tomorrow. Then, there was still the written exams of the theoretical subjects.
After putting aside the serious discussions, the group chatted for a while. Eventually, they all took out their tablets and started revising for the incoming exams. Alexander's friends did not have the power of the stars to back them up during the written exams; they still needed to study like a normal student.
As Alexander browsed through his email, he noticed a special message coming from the academy's official email address.
"What is it? An invitation from the Director of Studies? What do they want now?"
Alexander read the email and to his surprise, it was written by the Director of Studies, asking Alexander to come and meet him at his office whenever he had time. Alexander raised an eyebrow when he read the last part. There was no time specified which was not something he was used to. The higher-ups of the academy were usually extremely busy but the old man actually told him to come whenever he wanted?
Since he had nothing better to do, Alexander said goodbye to his friends and went to the main office building of the academy. The Director of Studies' office was located in the same building as that the headmistress'. The entry procedure was identical; the receptionist happily escorted him to the office and left promptly.
Inside the office, Alexander looked at the old man browsing through a pile of documents. The old man looked frail and weak but his eyes were filled with wisdom. When he saw Alexander, the Director of Studies put down his cigar and pushed aside the documents.
"So you are Alexander. Please have a seat," warmly said the Director of Studies. He moved his hand, inviting Alexander to sit in front of him.
"I have heard a lot about you from the headmistress. I am supposed to be in charge of any matter involving the students' we
lfare but sadly, I was away from the academy at the beginning of the term for a special reason and only came when the incident was over. Fortunately, the headmistress agreed to replace me during that time. Do you know what I am talking about?" asked the director of studies.
Alexander smiled and confidently replied, "Is it about the rumors of me being part of an organization? I already spoke to the headmistress about it."
"That is one thing. There is also the matter involving the Flemming organization. They heavily requested us to investigate you and even asked for your expulsion. As far as I am aware, they claim that you can use magic without being detected."
"Do you really believe them? These are groundless accusations. Since you investigated me, it should be clear that my use of magic has always been registered by the X-Driver."
The Director of Studies nodded, "Yes, but we still need to observe a little more. In any case, we are here to talk about a different matter. I invited you because we selected you to represent the academy in a friendly duel."
"A friendly duel? What is it about?"
"Have you heard of the seventh organization? The Exil?" As the director of studies spoke, he carefully watched Alexander's reaction. He saw surprise and confusion but those were not what he was looking for.
"No. Aren't there only six organizations?" answered Alexander. His interest was piqued and was tempted to browse through his memories.
"Yes, there are officially six organizations but soon, there might be a seventh one. Conflicts exist everywhere and the organizations are not spared. There are quite a few people illegally importing the fluid used to awaken mages. These people are called rogue mages. The rogue mages would often band together on Loha and as time went by, their group grew."
"They are not as strong and structured as a real organization but they are not very far from it. According to the information we have, they even managed to secure a territory on Loha and claimed it as their own. The governments recognized the rogue mages' strength and decided to invite them to become the seventh organization but they refused. They wanted to be independent and claimed that their training methods were more advanced than ours."
"After various discussions, the governments and the rogue mages agreed to friendly duels between them. Twenty new recruits from each side would face each other to determine whose method is more advanced. If the rogue mages win, they would be allowed to exist as an independent entity but if they lost, they would join the governments as the seventh organization."
Alexander calmly listened and fell into deep silence. He already knew about the existence of rogue mages but he did not know that at one point in time they banded together to form a separate entity. Wherever there were profits to be made, people would always find a way. The rift was severely guarded; the security there was tighter than any immigration customs but in the end, people would always be able to get through.
If the governments came up with an impenetrable security system, illegal drugs would have long been eliminated. With only ten thousand mages being taken every year by the academy, quite a lot of people would have their dream shattered. But the rich and powerful would always find a way to get around the system.
The people awakening without the governments' consent were called Rogue Mages. They usually roamed freely on Loha and collected their own resources. However, as the resources were limited, they often plundered the organizations' mages, taking away their resources.
It was not just those rich families that abused their power, organizations also tried to secretly groom mages. Organizations were not saints; they all had their fair share of shady practices. With only ten thousand mages spread among six organizations, it would take them forever to fill up their ranks. Furthermore, mages died daily on their missions; if they did not train their own forces, their strength would inevitably plummet.
"You want me to fight against a new rogue mage? But why me?" asked Alexander.
"Because you are strong. We can only send first-year students to this duel and according to the matches you fought during the exams, you should stand among the top twenty of this year. The recruits from the other organizations have also been invited. There will be people like Sonya Kress who you met in your seventh match."
"This sounds very interesting but I will have to refuse," said Alexander with an apologetic smile.
The director of studies did not look surprised and asked, "That is fine, the students are free to refuse but may I ask why? Should you not be looking forward to expanding your horizon? It is a good opportunity to face other mages outside of the academy. You will get to meet the members of the other organizations. It will be good for your future."
Alexander laughed lightly and answered, "It is very simple. I have nothing to gain from accepting. The other students would be fighting for the honor of their organizations but what will I get from accepting? I will have to work hard for it but in the end, I won't get any reward but the satisfaction of helping the government?"
Contrary to Alexander's expectations, the director of studies laughed to his comment, "Well said. It is indeed true that you will normally not receive any rewards. You should be tired of the system that forces you to other's levels. As much as it is harmful to you, it also benefits the rest of humanity. Please keep that in mind. However, I will make an exception for you. We cannot give your credits or resources but we can give you something else. Let me talk to the headmistress for a moment. Can you please step out of the room for a moment. I will call you back in a few minutes."
Alexander's eyes shone. He quietly walked out of the room, leaving the old director of studies alone. The latter turned his attention to the screen and made a video call.
The screen changed and displayed the frustrated expression of the headmistress. However, as soon as she saw the director of studies, Carmen Ashmore's expression softened, "Mr. Andrea, do you need something?"
"Hello, Ms. Carmen. I was just speaking to the student Alexander Vagras about the upcoming duel with the Exil."
"How did it go? Did you confirm anything?" asked Carmen. Since the director of studies was calling her, it meant that things did not go as planned.
"He flat out refused but he seemed really surprised when I mentioned the existence of the Exil. I personally doubt that he was groomed by the rogue mages."
The headmistress frowned and asked, "Then, why did he refuse? He could just be playing with us and avoid fighting against his allies."
"That's precisely the reason I am calling you. He wants a reward for fighting the duel," calmly answered the director of studies.
Immediately, Carmen erupted, "What? Impossible. We cannot give him anything or else, the other students will also ask for rewards and it would upset the balance!"
The director of studies seemed to have anticipated this reaction. He waited for the headmistress to calm down before continuing, "Yes. We cannot give him this type of reward. I had something else in mind. Since we are looking for some final testers, why don't we give him the opportunity to test project C-192 for us?"
"The project C-192? Which one is it?" asked Carmen. She quickly browsed through the academy's intranet and found the corresponding page.
"Mmm, since you think it is the correct solution, I'll give you the green light. However, if you find out that he is a recruit of the Exil, do not hesitate to punish him. Expulsion is not too bad; we cannot let those rogues mages send their recruits to us while they openly bend the laws!"
Chapter 29: C-192
Alexander waited just outside the director of studies' office. He was not sure if he needed to go to the open area or just wait near the door. Alexander leaned against the wall of the corridor and fell into deep thoughts.
"I did not know the rogue mages tried to band together. As far as I can remember, during my third year at the academy, I only got to choose between six organizations. Does that mean that the rogue mages won and became a separate entity?"
"No... Something else must have happened. The UN would never allow someth
ing like that to happen. It is like witnessing the birth of a terrorist organization. Will history repeat itself? Although the UN will look like they are trying to reconcile with the other party, will they ignore the outcome of the duels and attack as soon as the rogue mages would have their guards down?"
The world has always been ruled by the rich and the strong. The term fairness is only a facade. There was irrefutable evidence of the UN's selfish acts but because of the huge amount of resources it possessed, no one could say anything. When the rift opened near the capital of Mozambique, the UN was the first to set up its forces there.
It did not remain passive as it did when the rifts opened in America and China. They knew that Mozambique would not resist under the international pressure and in the end, they took control of the rift 'for the greater good of humanity'.
Nevertheless, political disputes had nothing to do with Alexander. He did not care about what would happen. The entire world could burn; with his pocket dimension, he would always have an escape path.