The recent advancement and the successful test of his new strength had made Victor plunge into deep introspection. Sure, he might have gotten stronger than ever and could now defeat a magical beast like the Queen Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid quite easily. Yet, in the face of real Elemental Adept rank magical beasts or even an average professor from his old academy, he would still be weak—nothing more than a slightly stronger ant to them.

  With the impending threat of his former comrades and their army, Victor didn’t believe that they wouldn’t have some cards up their sleeves. Even if the chances of a being as strong as an Elemental Adept Magus accompanying them were small, he couldn’t take any chances here. He knew he had to be perfectly prepared for their arrival, lest he die a foolish death.

  Would the enemy be so stupid as to allow him to get away, knowing he was privy to their secrets? Would they let themselves be chickens on the chopping board after learning that he was a newly-promoted Elemental Adept Magus?

  Clearly, these questions didn’t have to be answered.

  Hence, he concluded that the only solution to this was to become as strong as possible before facing them so victory would be assured. Power was his only surefire pathway to success.

  “And the best way to get stronger is either by acquiring a high-rank meditation technique or by completing my arsenal of spells.” Victor laced his fingers together and rested them contemplatively below his nose. “Since the former is a no-go, that leaves enhancing my spell repertoire as the only viable choice.”

  In the days following his acquisition of about a hundred high-end computers on Earth, he set them the task of developing the schematic for the high-rank meditation technique, as well as training the spell simulation program so that it could begin pumping out spell models. According to his estimation, with the combined processing power of one hundred CPUs, a single Aleph-tier spell model could be created in less than an hour. However, when it came to Bet-tier spell models, Victor was not sure. Heck, he didn’t know if it was feasible to simulate and construct even one such spell—at least for esoteric Cosmo-elemental spell models.

  “Even if it’s possible to create them, the question remains of how long it would take. Days? Weeks? This is something that needs to be tested, either way.” Victor was entranced in his monologue as he activated the program once he had inputted a few things.

  He already had a list of spells in mind, covering offensive, defensive, and various utility purposes. Nevertheless, to hasten the program’s training, it might be required for him to purchase a couple of Bet-tier spells from the System shop. The problem was, each was priced at a minimum of 100 AP, and that was just for the basic elements!

  “Crap! I really, really need more AP.” Lamenting, Victor massaged the bridge of his nose. He had once thought he was loaded when it came to AP, but reality spoke differently. “In terms of AP, I have no AP.” He sighed in resignation.

  Whatever the case, it had to be done. After all, having any more Aleph-tier spells wouldn’t necessarily enhance his power. Opening the System shop, he began to sift through the extensive list of spells. After some deliberation, he narrowed his choices to two spells—one each from the Anemo and Pyro elements.

  {Volcanic Spear}

  An offensive spell that fires a thin yet extremely powerful and blazing beam of pure heat capable of cutting through materials and barriers. Once unleashed, it generates intense temperatures, resembling molten lava that can incinerate targets upon contact.

  Spell Tier: Bet

  Elemental Type: Pyro

  Cost: 100 AP

  {Tempest Gale}

  A spell that conjures a massive, spiraling vortex of wind that generates a ferocious gale. This tempestuous force is capable of lifting and hurling enemies to great distances, scattering them with huge intensity. It can also deflect projectiles and clear obstacles.

  Spell Tier: Bet

  Elemental Type: Anemo

  Cost: 100 AP

  He chose these two because he could employ these spells in combat, thereby killing two birds with one stone. On top of that, these two spells were like upgraded versions of his two most commonly used spells, {Flame Dart} and {Tempest Burst}.

  “It’s decided,” Victor affirmed, completing the spell purchase and thus decreasing his total AP to 90. As he was about to head to the basement floor to retrieve the two spell books—

  “Master, we are back! And we’ve brought food for you!”

  “Woof!”

  The double doors to his office burst open, revealing the figure of a fairy riding atop an oversized, silvery wolf. Lumen walked backwards as she dragged a tray laden with an assortment of dishes into the room. A truly bizarre yet fascinating spectacle.

  The two of them had gone to the kitchen to get dinner from the players—an idea Lizbeth had whimsically suggested. The sight of such an unusual duo, a fairy and a wolf working in tandem, must have surely drawn curious and amused looks from the players.

  “What do we have here?” Victor, feeling a bit peckish, didn’t stand on ceremony and began observing the dishes.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Hoho, only the finest for you.” She beamed, setting the array of dishes on a table beside the sofa, as they were too numerous for his desk.

  There were slices of roasted meat, likely venison, seasoned with herbs and spices that filled the room with a mouth-watering aroma. Beside it lay a colorful salad, fresh and vibrant, tossed with a light, tangy dressing. There were also steaming rolls of bread, not the soft and fluffy kind found on Earth but equally delectable, perfect for sopping up the rich meat sauces. Considering deer were rare this deep into the forest and the ingredients available at the academy were limited, the players must have put extra effort into preparing this feast to celebrate their victory.

  Additionally, a small bowl of creamy soup sat steaming. Its rich, savory flavor was a perfect start to the meal. For dessert, there were slices of a simple cake garnished with fresh berries. The recent acquisition of wheat and dairy products like milk had clearly expanded the culinary options available to the players.

  As they ate, Victor opened the official website forum to see the players’ reactions to the successful dungeon clearing. Because they first had to come back from the expedition and log out, it took a while for the players to start posting about their experiences and bragging.

  Prominence: “Guys, we did it! The dungeon has been cleared! You won’t believe the crazy stuff we found in their nest. It was like a treasure trove!”

  Squadzell: “Really? Can you spill some details, please?”

  TeruBoi: “I’m new around here. What’s this all about?”

  MikeIsHandsome1000x: “Hush! Don’t tell the peeps, or else they will come after your merit-points-filled ass. But for real, what we encountered inside aside, the amount of spiders we took down was insane. We could fill a crater with them!”

  Naturally, as the headmaster and the orchestrator of the mission, Victor knew better than anyone about the secrets these players tried to conceal. It was important to note that he was quite generous in sponsoring this endeavor; he offered substantial rewards of one hundred merit points for every kilogram of spider silk collected and fifty merit points for each spider egg. For the special egg located at the heart of the nest, he had set an impressive reward of five hundred merit points for each participant. In total, each participant earned more than two thousand merit points!

  To some, this lavish outpouring of merit points might seem absurd, but for Victor, it was a strategic move with no real loss. The players would only use their merit points to get stronger by purchasing spells and expensive magic tools, which, in turn, would increase the overall strength of the academy. It could be said that the only real winner here was Victor, rather than the players.

  After all, the spider silk would be useful in making magic equipment such as the acolyte robes, and the eggs were actually an alchemical material. While the eggs might not be useful now, they would come in handy. Victor was sure of it.

  Zylvern: “Luckily, I didn’t volunteer for this expedition…”

  SuperNovaX: “I swear, I’m going to have nightmares about spiders for weeks. If it weren’t for the gunpowder and those improvised Molotov cocktails…”

  Aphrodite96: “Hahaha, bow down to me, the MVP! Who else could match my awesomeness? ??”

  SuperNovaX: “All hail Mister Aphro!”

  ButaYaarou: “Yeah. Without them, we wouldn’t have succeeded in this endeavor.”

  GladiusZone: “Stop messing around, you guys. He didn’t even step foot on the battlefield and just holed up inside his workshop. The best role I can give to him is the battlefield cheerleading squad. Though I have to give credit that his inventions are useful.”

  Aphrodite96: “Screw you! Next time you come to me asking for something, don’t hope that I will help you! (╬?_?)”

  GladiusZone: “Whoops, I didn’t mean to offend you. [Patsungkem.jpg]”

  Seeing that they were so carefree after massacring an entire nest of creatures, Victor clicked his tongue in annoyance. But who was he to complain when he did the same thing?

  ZeroXScyth: “Calm down, everyone. I can’t argue with the results. But next time, how about we fight something less… leggy?”

  MsMelody: “Please, please, do so. I still can feel the slimy spider’s goo on my hands from healing the others. ??”

  ButterflyWingsAreDelicious: “You guys are overreacting. Just a bunch of tiny little spiders. I snack on them here all the time. They’re surprisingly tasty and packed with protein…”

  She went into detail, explaining the texture as well as the taste of different types of spiders and also the best way to eat them, whether raw or cooked.

  Prominence: “Wait, what? Am I reading this right? (′?д?｀)”

  CookieMons: “??”

  ChickenSmackdown_MaxLevel: “?? ??”

  Princess_Tomato: “?? ?? ??”

  “…”

  “Pfft!” Victor almost spurted out the food in his mouth, though a few drops of saliva escaped despite his efforts and landed on an unsuspecting fairy.

  “Eww, Master, that’s gross!” Lizbeth exclaimed while wiping her face on Lumen’s fur.

  Anyway, he recognized this username, as she was the one with the Crimson Mystic Giant bloodline. To the best of his knowledge, Crimson Mystic Giants were known to consume almost everything in their sights—living or inanimate, life forms or objects—and turn them into pure energy. Perhaps the reason she was chosen to bear this particular bloodline was due to a personality that mirrored this trait.

  MissRichLadyAuralise: “A country bumpkin can never transcend her humble origin, it seems.”

  ButterflyWingsAreDelicious: “Bitch! Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

  MissRichLadyAuralise: “Oh my, such coarse language. It’s quite fitting for someone of your… caliber.”

  ButterflyWingsAreDelicious: “You! That’s it! You’ve crossed the line! Let’s see if you’re as bold in person. Share your address, I dare you!”

  MikeIsHandsome1000x: “Now, now, ladies. I know my charm is out of this world, but you shouldn’t fight over me like this.”

  MissRichLadyAuralise: “Shut up, creep!”

  ButterflyWingsAreDelicious: “Fuck off!! 凸(⊙▂⊙? )”

  These two were surprisingly in tandem when someone retorted their quarrel. Victor, however, had no interest in getting involved in a spat between two headstrong female players; that would be like putting his head between two bullet trains at full speed. However, it came to his attention that he might want to hire full-time moderators to handle this kind of situation. For now, he would just give them a warning.

  CyberWarlock: “Please be civil and avoid using profane words on the forum. I will overlook it this time, but please be aware that continued and excessive use of inappropriate language will result in a temporary ban. Further violations could lead to a permanent ban and the potential loss of your access to the game or the opportunity to join if you’re not yet given access.”

  Shaking his head, he exited the thread and browsed through other topics on the forum.

  Suddenly, the strategist of the entire operation emerged from his dwelling and shared a post containing a URL link to a certain video titled “First Ever Dungeon Raid in Magus Academy Online: The Den of Arachnids Part I.”

  Storm Bringer: “Guys! Check this out! The edited video of our dungeon raid is now live! I’ve made it into two parts. This one covers our first attempt. The second part, featuring today’s successful raid, will be coming soon. Stay tuned!”

  Victor only checked it for a brief moment while finishing his dinner. Storm’s creations were never disappointing; the background music, the cut that he took on each scene… He believed that it would gain at least one hundred thousand views easily. Still, this kind of multitasking—eating while watching YouTube—was a small pleasure he hadn’t enjoyed since his previous life. What a thing.

  Hmm, I wonder how many applicants have signed up for the game. It had been a while since he last checked the total, after all.

  Total Applicants: 109,267

  “—Holy shit!”