How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 52: Altius Summons (2)

‘Oh, this is pretty impressive...’

It was clearly different from the usual magical street vendors, most of which were scams.

He hadn’t known before, but apparently this Free City had a pretty developed magical economy.

It felt like he could finally find a real enchantment workshop here.

Enchanters.

Artisans who shape refined mana stones into magic tools.

They’re similar to blacksmiths, but the materials they work with are primarily mana stones, not ordinary ores. This required a far more delicate technique.

Karl had come looking for a workshop for one reason.

Ever since that close-range hit from the old man from Aranhel during the fight, his shield-type magic tool had been half-destroyed—and he wanted it repaired.

There hadn’t been any workshops in Keramic, so he figured he’d fix it gradually along the way, but every city he passed through had come up empty. He hadn’t managed to fix it at all.

Eventually, he arrived at a workshop.

The sign above read: [Hughesman’s Workshop].

There was no flowery branding or nonsense, which somehow made it feel more trustworthy.

“Anyone here?”

As he stepped inside, a wave of heat immediately hit him.

A middle-aged man with greying white hair was sitting in a chair, focused on something.

He glanced over at Karl and raised a hand slightly, signaling him to wait.

Karl stood quietly and waited for him to finish whatever he was doing.

Plunk.

The man soon set the item he was examining down on the desk and stared directly at Karl.

His eyes were asking: What do you want?

Karl handed him a silver bracelet he’d been keeping in his inventory.

“I came to get this magic tool repaired. Do you think it’s possible?”

The man inspected the cracked bracelet from various angles, then finally spoke.

“This is high-grade mana stone. You really just carry something this valuable around like that?”

Karl gave an awkward laugh, having nothing in particular to say in response.

Still, he was impressed by the man’s skill.

Karl didn’t know much about enchanting, but even he understood how difficult it was for a non-mage to evaluate the quality of a mana stone with just a glance.

After fiddling with the bracelet a little more, the man handed it back and said,

“I don’t think it can be repaired.”

“Huh? Why not...”

“It’s not just about filling in the crack. The internal ritual code is damaged too, and I’m no magi-technician. I can’t fix that part.”

The man crossed his arms, looking a little apologetic.

“Why not try visiting the Altius branch? I don’t know which school you’re with, but unless you’re on bad terms, they should be able to help. Though, of course, you’ll have to pay a reasonable fee.”

“...Huh?”

Karl blinked, then finally understood and asked,

“There’s an Altius branch in this city?”

The man gave him a baffled look.

“You didn’t know? That tower you can see from anywhere in the city—that’s the magic tower.”

“Ah...”

“All the magic shops around here, including mine, get their supplies from there.”

So that was the Altius branch.

Karl only now realized it.

He’d just assumed it was some ordinary school building—he hadn’t expected it to be Altius.

Technically he was affiliated with Altius, but he was practically an outsider, so he didn’t even know which cities had branch offices.

“If you get the internal code fixed and bring it back, I’ll handle the external repairs.”

After giving his thanks, Karl left the workshop.

‘I mean, I am a registered member... Surely they’ll help me out, right?’

He glanced briefly up at the tall magic tower in the distance, then began walking toward it.

* * *

The branch was centered around the tower, surrounded by wide stone walls like a noble estate.

At the entrance, guards stood on both sides.

‘Do I just show my ID and go in?’

Karl paused for a moment, then spotted another mage walking toward the entrance.

She was a young woman with blue hair, wearing a robe.

She was carrying a basket filled with what looked like materials for research.

Karl thought it was the perfect opportunity, and approached her.

“Hey, excuse me for a moment.”

“...?”

“You’re a member of this branch, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct... What is this about?”

She looked him up and down with a slightly wary expression.

She hadn’t seen him before inside the branch.

She’d heard that sometimes people tried to sneak in by bribing staff, and the thought crossed her mind—was this one of those?

But the moment she saw what Karl pulled out, her eyes went wide.

“I’m from the main office. I’ve come to take care of some business at this branch. Would you mind guiding me inside?”

An Altius ID card.

Not a trainee’s, but a full-fledged member’s.

And in the corner, the golden insignia—that was the symbol of the Elder Council.

It meant he hadn’t passed through the usual promotion exams, but had been officially appointed by the Council itself.

“A-ah, greetings, senior!”

Startled, she bowed deeply in a hurry.

Karl flinched at the sudden title.

‘...Senior? Just like that?’

Do they call each other senior and junior even if they’re from different branches?

Karl had never actually worked within the school system, so he didn’t know how these things worked.

He just figured it was probably normal and nodded.

“Yeah, so anyway, could you...”

“Yes, of course! Just leave it to me, Senior! I’ll lead the way!”

She answered energetically and stepped ahead, then suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Uh, wait... Where should I guide you exactly?”

“......”

Karl gave a small laugh and followed her.

* * *

Her name was Lyle.

She introduced herself as a First-Class Apprentice of the Asition branch.

She explained all sorts of things enthusiastically, but Karl didn’t know the internal rank structure of the school, so he just nodded politely without understanding most of it.

‘Still, she’s an apprentice and she’s already 3-circle? That’s high.’

Her level was 3-circle.

From what Karl remembered, that was the minimum requirement to be a full-fledged member of Altius.

Judging by her age, she probably hadn’t been promoted yet because she hadn’t built up enough years of service.

“You said you needed to repair a ritual code in a magic tool, right? Then I’ll guide you to the Department of Magical Engineering.”

Karl glanced at the heavy-looking basket she was carrying and said,

“Want me to carry that for you?”

“Eh? Oh, no no! I’m fine!”

She rejected the offer so vehemently that he didn’t bother asking again.

“...It’s not urgent. You can stop by wherever you were headed first.”

“Ah, really? Thank you!”

Relieved, Lyle turned and led the way.

As they climbed the stairs into the central tower, she spoke to Karl.

“By the way, I thought all the members from the main office had already arrived... Did something come up along the way?”

“...?”

The sudden comment made Karl tilt his head.

“What do you mean by that?”

Lyle also tilted her head in confusion.

“Um... You came as part of the group headed to Sky Sword Castle, right?”

“...?!”

Sky Sword Castle?

Karl’s eyes went wide at the completely unexpected name.

“Can you explain that in more detail?”

Wait—if he’s from the main office, why doesn’t he already know?

Lyle briefly summarized the situation.

A mana stone mine discovered in the Blade Mountains.

A friendly match proposed by Sky Sword Castle regarding it.

And the delegation of Altius mages, now gathered at the Asition branch, preparing to travel there.

“......”

After hearing everything, Karl was silent for a moment.

‘...What the hell is this insane coincidence?’

Wasn’t he just trying to meet the Lord of Sky Sword Castle by any means necessary?

If he joined Altius’s delegation, it’d be a hell of a lot easier.

Internally, Karl was celebrating.

He revised his plan—first, get the magic tool repaired, then meet the rest of the delegation from the main office.

“And apparently, one of the Elders from the main office is arriving soon too. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) The whole branch is in a total—”

Lyle suddenly cut herself off mid-sentence.

Several mages were approaching from the opposite end of the corridor.

The young man at the front of the group glanced sideways at Lyle with a blank expression.

She quickly lowered her head.

“......”

Then his eyes moved to Karl.

Karl met his gaze, looking back as if to say, What are you staring at?

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue out of nowhere, the young man strode past them.

“What’s with these people? Can’t even greet someone properly.”

The two men following him shot Karl a hostile glare as they passed.

‘The hell’s their problem?’

Karl frowned.

Lyle also gave them a subtle glare as they walked away.

“They’re from the main office. The guy at the front is supposedly that famous Head of Combat, Grambell’s disciple, but... his personality is just... Ah!”

She had been murmuring under her breath, but suddenly looked at Karl in alarm.

But he didn’t seem to care about what she’d just said.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief and tilted her head slightly.

‘Wait, do they not know each other? Well, I guess the main office is a lot bigger than this branch, so...’

Just as she convinced herself, Lyle’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

“...Excuse me, Senior. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?”

She set her basket down on the floor and hurried off toward the room they had entered.

“...What the hell?”

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Left behind, Karl just stood there blankly and watched her go.

* * *

“Everyone get out. You're in the way.”

At Remic’s words, the trainees in the training hall all grimaced.

This had been happening for days now.

Because of this guy barging into the hall whenever he pleased, they hadn’t been able to properly conduct their magical training.

“Aren’t you going too far?”

Someone finally voiced their frustration.

“I don’t care if you’re the disciple of some bigshot. You can’t do this. This hall was designated for branch members. You have your own private training room—why do you keep coming here and causing trouble?”

Remic gave a short laugh and extended his hand toward him.

A burst of force instantly shot out, grabbing the man and yanking him up close.

“......!!”

“It’s because I like this place better. You really think it makes sense for my training to be disturbed by inferior trash like you?”

The branch member, bound by force magic, hovered helplessly in the air.

The others in the hall watched the scene with pale, frightened faces.

Crack!

Just then, someone launched a precise strike of force that shattered Remic’s magic.

The trainee fell to the floor, finally free.

“This is going too far, Senior.”

Remic turned with a scowl.

Lyle was standing in the hall, glaring at him.

“Using offensive magic against other members inside school grounds is a strict violation of the rules. How do you plan to justify this?”

“What? You little—!!”

The men behind Remic glowered threateningly at her.

But Remic gave a short chuckle and raised a hand to stop them.

“Justify? You’re the one who should be worried about what happens after spewing that kind of crap to me.”

“...I only stated the academy's internal regulations. You’re the one breaking them. And besides...”

Lyle took a deep breath and glanced around before continuing.

“No matter how great you may be, Senior, you have no right to belittle the members of our branch. We might not be as gifted as you, but we all work hard to improve ourselves every day. Instead of encouraging us, you mock and sabotage us like this?”

Her bold speech left both the branch members and even Remic’s own men visibly pale.

Then Remic suddenly grinned.

“Alright then. How about we make a bet?”

“...A bet? What kind?”

Remic stepped to the center of the training hall.

The branch members quickly backed away, clearing the area.

“I’ll only use force magic. You can use whatever spell you want. Try to make me move even a single step from this spot.”

“......”

“If you succeed, I’ll accept punishment for using magic against a fellow student. I’ll never step foot in this place again.”

Lyle frowned.

“What? Can’t do it? If you can’t even manage this, then how can you call that 'effort' despite your pathetic lack of talent?”

In truth, it was the opposite.

Remic’s proposal was absurd.

Even though he was 4-circle and Lyle was 3-circle, saying he’d only use force magic?

“...You’re seriously underestimating me.”

“Then get to it. No need to hold back. Not that it’ll happen, but even if I do get hurt, I won’t hold you responsible.”

With a smirk tugging at his lips, Remic opened his arms wide.

That smugness made Lyle grit her teeth and begin casting.

You think you can just walk all over people, huh...?!

Just like Remic said, there was no need to hold back.

If things got dangerous, he’d raise a shield—there was no way things would get out of hand.

Fwoooosh!

Massive fireballs roared toward Remic.

Even as they closed the distance, he remained completely relaxed.

Then, just as they were about to collide—

They stopped in midair, then snuffed out like candles.

“...!!”

Lyle’s eyes widened in shock.

She had poured a decent amount of mana into that spell, and it had been stopped so easily.

Crackle!

She immediately cast another spell.

Lightning shot forth with vicious intensity, striking directly at Remic—but again, it was neutralized by his force magic, unable to penetrate any further.

“......”

Lyle’s expression turned hollow.

Is that... even possible?

To block lightning magic that effortlessly using nothing but force magic—which isn’t even specialized for defense?

How insanely precise did his mana control have to be for that kind of feat?

“Pathetic.”

Whip!

Remic’s force lashed out like a bolt of lightning, wrapping around Lyle’s ankle.

“Ugh...!”

She fell hard onto the floor and looked up at him, flustered.

Remic grinned.

“I never said I wouldn’t attack.”

His force magic shot out again.

Lyle tried to throw up a shield in a panic, but the compressed force ripped through it with ease.

What followed was pure humiliation.

He knocked her down, bound her body, swung her through the air—Remic played with her like a toy.

The men who followed him snickered while the branch members watched in horror, their bodies trembling with anger and shame.

“Urgh... ngh...”

Lyle dangled upside down in midair.

Remic, now looking a little bored, said,

“Giving up already?”

“......”

“Looks like I won the bet. Apologize for your disrespect, and I’ll let you down.”

Lyle said nothing. She just glared at him with her mouth tightly shut.

Remic clicked his tongue.

“If you don’t want to, then stay like that. Or maybe I’ll make it a bit uglier for you—”

Swish!

A sudden force came out of nowhere, slicing through Remic’s magic.

Lyle’s body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut—but it didn’t hit the ground.

Another force caught her mid-fall and gently placed her down.

“...?!”

Remic flinched and turned his head.

Unlike with Lyle’s earlier strike, he hadn’t sensed this one at all.

A man was walking into the training hall.

“Was wondering why it was taking so long. Looks like you’ve been having fun.”

Karl glanced at Lyle, who was still sprawled on the floor, then turned his gaze to Remic.

“Let’s try it with me this time—that little bet of yours.”