How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 3: Altius (1)

“You must be from far away. Today’s the start of the Altius entrance exams, that’s why.”

Now that he mentioned it, Karl vaguely remembered hearing some merchants chatting about it along the way.

Sweating bullets, Karl pushed his way through the crowd and finally made it to the gates.

“Hey! You’re not allowed through yet!”

This time, a mage stepped forward, blocking him with a staff.

Judging by the emblem stitched into his robe, this guy was a proper Altius mage. It looked like they were personally managing the crowd.

Then again, with this many mages all in one place, it made sense for high-ranking personnel to step ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) in just in case.

Karl forced a smile and spoke to him.

“Hey, I’m not here to take the exam. I’m looking for someone—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Back off. If you’re here as a guest, you should’ve sent word and come through another gate. What are you doing here?”

Because the person I’m supposed to meet is a complete stranger, you bastard.

Karl held back his irritation and spoke again, calmly.

“The person I need to see—this will be our first time meeting. Could you at least pass along a message for me?”

“...Who exactly are you trying to meet?”

“A man named Seindal. My master said he was his old friend...”

Karl trailed off mid-sentence.

The mage who had asked him stiffened, eyes widening in visible shock.

“Se-Seindal? You mean the Seindal of the Council of Elders?!”

“Uh... I’m not sure. I just came to deliver something to him.”

The mage seemed to snap out of it and carefully asked,

“May I ask your master’s name? I’ll inform him right away.”

“Ah, thank you. Just tell him a student of Master Jeron has come.”

The mage immediately ran off in a panic.

Karl stood awkwardly, waiting for his return.

He hadn’t been waiting long when someone suddenly struck up a conversation from the side.

“Insane how many people there are, huh? But you know, by tomorrow, half of them will be gone. Most are just trash-tier wannabes.”

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Karl turned.

A blond man was grinning as he looked Karl up and down.

“You look pretty young. And from your clothes, and the fact that you’re here alone... you’re not some noble brat. Hmm. No school crest on your robe, either. Don’t tell me you picked up a few scraps of magic here and there and came to take the exam? Ha!”

“......”

“Ah, right, let me introduce myself. I’m Lorand, from the Aster School. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of it? It’s one of the subordinate schools under Altius. Not to brag, but I’m a Second Circle mage.”

He puffed up proudly and pointed to the emblem on his robe.

Karl was speechless.

What the hell is this idiot’s deal?

Was he seriously picking a fight?

Regardless of Karl’s silence, Lorand kept babbling.

“Just saying—I’ve seen kids like you before. With skills that sloppy, you’re not even gonna make it past the basic tests today. It’s good to dream big, but Altius? Bit too far-fetched, don’t you think?”

“......”

“So, what I’m saying is, don’t let it get you too down when you fail. Knowing your place early on is important if you want to get anywhere in life.”

Karl briefly debated whether to engage this clown, then decided it wasn’t worth the effort and just ignored him.

That reaction made Lorand’s brow twitch.

“What, not even a word? I’m trying to give you some friendly advice here! Typical—no talent, just a bloated ego...”

“There he is!”

Just then, a group emerged from the gates.

Lorand's eyes went wide in alarm.

And not just him—the surrounding mages all began murmuring, their attention snapping toward the new arrivals.

And no wonder.

A living legend had appeared.

A flowing white robe trimmed with gold.

The mark of the Council of Elders, the highest authority within Altius.

“Is it that boy?”

A white-haired elder approached the crowd, flanked by other mages.

It was Seindal, one of the Elders of Altius.

As he drew nearer, the murmurs died down.

By the time he reached the front of the crowd, there was complete silence.

He came to a stop directly in front of one young man.

Karl.

“......”

Seindal studied Karl for a moment, his eyes glinting with interest.

“So you’re... Jeron’s disciple?”

With every gaze fixed on him, Karl nodded stiffly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Judging by the reaction, it seemed this character’s backstory placed his master as someone with some heavy connections.

That... wasn’t great for Karl.

This entire situation was uncomfortable.

“Goddamn it. Way too much attention...”

In this dangerous world, attention was the last thing you wanted.

Cursing Seindal internally for making such a public entrance, Karl handed him a ring.

“My master said showing you this would be enough.”

“...!!”

Karl didn’t even know what the thing was.

He’d just received it alongside the quest as a proof of identity.

“...It’s real. No doubt about it—this belonged to my old friend.”

Seindal smiled, nodding as he returned the ring.

“Welcome to the Altius main campus. Let’s not keep standing here—come inside.”

As Karl began to follow him, he paused and glanced back.

He caught a perfect view of Lorand, frozen in place with his jaw hanging open.

“Hey, thanks for the advice. But maybe you should try applying it to yourself sometime. You know—the part about knowing your place?”

“......”

Lorand stood there, beet red and speechless.

Karl smirked and turned away.

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* * *

The mage tower I followed Seindal into was nothing like what I had imagined.

I’d expected something darker, gloomier—but the interior was just as bright as the sunny outdoors.

There was even someone at the entrance who looked like a receptionist behind a counter.

"Come now, make yourself comfortable."

We had arrived at a spacious room on the upper floors, following Seindal’s lead.

I sat down, glancing around awkwardly.

"What kind of tea would you like?"

"Anything’s fine."

"Haha, Jeron said the same thing every time I tried to offer him something. ‘Anything’s fine,’ he’d say."

Seindal had the look of someone momentarily lost in memory.

Though really, isn’t that just the kind of generic answer you give when it’s your first time in a place like this?

As he set down the tea and took the seat across from me, he suddenly looked at me and let out a hearty laugh.

"But really, it’s all quite astonishing. That man, with his personality, actually took on a disciple. And you, at your level—4-circle, and barely twenty—you’re quite something. Hoho..."

"......"

Had he seen right through me?

Well, even if he looked ordinary, the guy was a veteran mage of Altius.

Probably a monster at the 6-circle level or higher, which meant he could likely read my actual level at a glance.

"How is Jeron doing? If he raised such a fine disciple, he should have come along to boast. Why did he send only you?"

I stayed silent.

I needed a moment to gather my thoughts before answering.

First off, the character’s master, Jeron, was dead.

That had been part of the game’s setting from the very beginning, ever since I got swallowed into this damn world.

So I knew absolutely nothing about Jeron as a person.

All I’d done so far was follow quest markers and gather his scattered research notes from all over the continent.

<Main Quest: Research Delivery>

Deliver Jeron’s research notes to his only friend, Seindal.

You may find Seindal at the headquarters of the Altius School.

Quest Reward: 50,000 SP

And then came the new main quest.

This damn quest only told me to deliver the notes—it didn’t say a single thing about how to handle Seindal asking questions about Jeron.

So from here on out, improvisation was key.

Putting on a slightly somber expression, I spoke.

"My master has passed away."

"...!!"

Seindal’s face was struck with visible shock.

I didn’t say anything more and waited.

After a long moment of silence, Seindal nodded with a face that somehow looked even older.

"I see... So that’s what happened."

"......"

"With his stubbornness, he probably worked himself to death. I can’t say I’m too surprised."

He rubbed his brow tightly, then asked me,

"What did you do with Jeron’s body?"

"...I buried him in a sunny place, together with his staff."

Of course, that never actually happened. Jeron’s staff is currently tucked safely inside my inventory.

I was starting to feel a twinge of guilt when Seindal asked another question.

"Did Jeron ever speak of me?"

"He said you were his one and only true friend. That’s actually why I came looking for you."

A hint of doubt flickered across Seindal’s face.

I reached into my robes and pulled out a notebook along with a few scrolls.

Seindal’s eyes widened, as if he already knew what they were.

"That can’t be..."

"Yes. These are the research notes Master compiled while traveling the continent. He said that if anyone could understand them, it would be you, Seindal."

"......!!"

From my perspective, it just looked like pages of nonsense symbols and bizarre diagrams scribbled everywhere.

Seindal read through them with a grim expression.

"...This is astonishing."

It was only after quite some time that he finally muttered those words in awe.

And at the same moment, a message popped into my head.

[You have completed the main quest: ‘Research Delivery.’]

[Quest Reward: You have received 50,000 SP.]

[You have completed the first scenario.]

Yes!

I cheered internally.

Fifty thousand SP—that was more than you’d get from dozens of normal quests.

Guess the reward scales with the size of the scenario.

Seindal’s tone had noticeably softened as he spoke to me again.

"Truly, thank you. For bringing me something this important."

"It’s nothing. It was my master’s final wish, so of course I had to see it through."

Seindal smiled and shook his head.

"I’ve seen many people rise through the ranks to get to where I am now. I know all too well how corrupt a mage’s ambition can become."

"......"

"I’m sure you understand what this research is about, and just how significant it is. Yet you resisted the temptation and brought it here, honoring your role as a disciple. That couldn’t have been easy. You’re more than worthy of my gratitude."

I just gave a light smile at that.

‘What the hell’s he talking about? I didn’t understand a single word of it.’

To a fake mage like me, those scribbles meant nothing. The only thing that mattered was the 50,000 SP I’d just scored to level up my skills.