Chapter 185

[[Hey uh, guys…why does this place look so familiar?]] Selene asked. She had recognized the majestic castle but couldn’t place her finger on where it was from.

[[That, my dearest Selene, looks like someone took Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and crammed it together with the Wolf School from the witcher before slapping it on top of Mount Everest and its twin brother.]] Cynrik said while pinching his cheek to be sure he wasn’t asleep.

If Cynrik and company weren’t convinced about Headmaster Rivia’s identity as a reincarnator before, they 100% were now.

Gazing out over the colossal castle built between the even more massive two mountains, it was too glaringly obvious of its origins.

Standing at over ten stories tall and sporting just as many majestic towers, Vesemir School For Affinities was an absolute sight. However, instead of being a free-standing castle, such as Hogwarts, it was carved magnificently into the face of the two beefy mountains creating a natural barrier on one side.

But this was not to say that the front half was left defenseless, positioned along an ever-winding 50-meter tall wall that guarded the front of the Academy were around fifty equidistant railgun class turrets, fusing the gothic old with the modern and technological.

From the sky, although it wasn’t easy to take in the full scale of the Academy, the members of MyrkLys were stunned.

“Pictures just don’t do this place justice,” Cynrik said, sporting a toothy grin.

Everyone in the party nodded silently in acknowledgment as they were too shocked by what they were viewing to reply.

Headmaster Rivia smiled warmly at their reactions and followed behind the convoy of transports holding the new students as it began circling around the campus, completing a small aerial tour.

“Aside from the new intake students, there are currently around 100,000 students, 3200 professors, 10,000 staff members, and 60 deans. The Academy is broken down into eight different wings, four on each mountain.” While he drove, Headmaster Rivia gave a brief description of specific areas as they passed by.

“The long building on Mount Kaer, the left-most mountain, is the Grand Hall, where students are given their three square meals a day. Do take care to remember its location; I don’t want you all starving to death within your first week.”

“There are two hangers on the campus, one for arrivals, located on the far side of Mount Kaer, and one for departures on the far side of Mount Morhen. The two spires positioned beside each hanger are Quest Halls. First through third-year students have access to the Quest Hall on mount Kaer, leaving fourth through sixth years to use the one on Mount Morhen.”

Listening to Headmaster Rivia, Cynrik jotted down notes and sketched a rough map in a notebook, annotating each key location. Although he knew the school would give out maps, he thought it was better to make his own. After all, the school maps wouldn’t have all the hidden paths marked, hidden paths Cynrik was already noticing with his [Mana Sight].

At first, when he used the skill, Cynrik was overcome by a blinding migraine. In addition, there was so much Mana floating around that It made his head spin when it came into view. But after a few minutes of adjusting to the myriad of bright colors and a lot of squinting, he was able to focus enough to get a solid picture roughly.

Brance, on the other hand, shut off his ocular skill the instant it lit up like fireworks to avoid the same splitting headache his older brother was suffering from.

“Everyone, please direct your attention toward the triple-stacked building there,” Headmaster Rivia drew everyone’s attention by pointing at a five-story tri-layered stone fortress between the two mountains as he spoke.

“This is one of the crown jewels of our Academy, The Challenge Depot. Housed behind those walls are several Oblisks connected to a vast Virtual Reality Network. Once inside, students can tackle the intense Trial of Grasses to earn various rewards the higher they climb.”

[[Hehehe.]] When the topic of the Challenge Depot was brought to his attention, Cynrik started his sadistic chuckle, making Selene and Brance slowly look at him.

[[Hehehe, Trial Towers, typical Isekai hehe, OI, BRANCIE, SELENE, WE SHALL TAKE DOWN ALL THESE OBLISKS KUEKUEKUE! THE LOOT, AHHH, THE LOOT!]] Cackling like a crazed pirate, Cynrik kept ranting about how much loot they were going to get in the future.

“What kind of rewards, Headmaster? If these Obelisks in the Challenge Depot are housed inside VR, how can we bring things out?” Choosing to ignore Cynrik’s supervillain act, Brance posed his question to Headmaster Rivia.

“Hoho, excellent question indeed, Student Björn; this is precisely why I stated it’s one of our crown jewels. Unlike standard VR, where you put on some kind of equipment to enter, the Trial Oblists are similar to the RWTC in that Vinestra itself moderates it. The same mysterious presence who administrates all Systems. Using an extraordinarily complex and intricate Array spell and a ridiculous amount of resources, we were able to tap into this mysterious presence and create a similar platform to the RWTC.”

When Headmaster Rivia mentioned the Central System Hub, calling it a mysterious presence, Cynrik, Brance, Gabby, and Benny all twitched slightly, the memory of the Adjudicator obliterating a god still fresh in their minds. However, this went unnoticed by Headmaster Rivia, who continued speaking.

“The rewards one can receive by climbing the Obelisks are unique in that they can be brought back to reality. In addition, some items can only be found within, such as Essence Crystals, Affinity Gems, and Proficiency Stones.”

“Wait, hold on a second, Headmaster, Essence Crystals and Affinity Gems, what are those?” This time it was Cynrik who spoke up.

“Simply put, Essence Crystals, when absorbed, can distribute a certain amount of free XP points. They are broken down into the same color classifications as Egresses. In addition, they can be traded at one of the Academy-run marketplaces in the Challenge depot for Merit Points if brought out of the Oblisk.”

“Now, Affinity Gems are something entirely different. Like the extremely rare and expensive Affinity orbs, these mysterious and exquisite gems can allow a person to unlock a new Affinity.” Headmaster Rivia said, turning around to meet the expectant gaze of Cynrik.

“Like on a 1 to 1 scale? I know Affinity Orbs have a specific percentage rate for unlocking a new Affinity; if I use a single gem, will I automatically say, get the Earth Affinity?” Cynrik asked while drumming his fingers on the armrest of his seat.

“Not quite. To break it down, these gems have a rarity scale. Depending on their luster and size, they have varying efficiency chances. Several factors determine the probability of actually receiving an Affinity from a gem. Cut, Color, Clarity, and Weight all play a factor.”

“For Cut, Color, and Clarity, they are classified as Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, Ideal, and Pristine. A poor Gem touts only a 1% chance, Fair brings 5%, Good is 15%, Very Good is 25%, Ideal is 50%, and Pristine is 75%. The gem’s weight can determine how many uses are stored within the said gem. For example, let’s say you find a Poor Water Gem, but it has a weight of 4 Carats; this means you can use that gem four times, giving you four chances at 1%. The same goes for if you had a 4 Carat Pristine gem, you would have four shots at 75% each to obtain the Affinity.”

Cynrik nodded and fell into thought about these Affinity Gems. His eyes shined slightly as he realized that if he could get his hands on a decent Gem, he would have found a way to give his little eggs whatever Affinity he wanted.

The inquisitive look in Cynrik’s downcast eyes didn’t escape Headmaster Rivia, and he quickly threw shade on Cynrik’s parade.

“That is to say; you would be able to find them. But unfortunately, Affinity Gems of higher quality have an abysmal drop rate in the Obelisks. Although they can be found in the Markets, they generally have a hefty asking price in Merit Points.”

“Understandable; thank you for the info, Headmaster,” Cynrik responded politely and looked out his window.

“Mm, we will be landing soon; there will be an in-depth introduction to the Academy and its facilities in two days when you all go through orientation. So just sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride.” With that, Headmaster Rivia fell silent and paid attention to the chatter on his onboard communication device.

[[What’s on your mind, Cyn? Your mood went from ecstatic child to broody emo kid again.]] Brance asked as he buckled his seat belt.

[[Nothing big, just a bit chuffed that I didn’t know about these Obelisks ahead of time. I’m sure an entry fee will be attached to their use, which I could have mitigated by adding it to our contracts. But it seems these are a well-kept secret. Either that or it’s just unspoken in the academic world. There was literally no mention of them at all.]] Cynrik stated while chewing on his left cheek.

[[I never heard my Bitch Mother or any of her little noble snob friends talk about it either. Hell, I only heard whispers of Affinity Orbs; now im finding out there are Gems; on top of XP Crystals and even Proficiency boosters, you’d figure that would be all over the internet.]] Beside Cynrik, Selene chimed in, adding what little she could to the conversation.

[[It’s doubtful the Headmaster would have allowed you to add it to the contract even if you knew Cyn, from what I understand, these Obelisks may be the Academy’s primary source of income outside of Egresses. However, that may explain why he was so quick to grant you access to them.]] Looking out his window, Brance tried to cheer up his brother, and to an extent, it worked.

[[You aren’t wrong, Brancie, if these items are as beneficial as I assume, there is no doubt they are a significant source of income, but that begs the question if the school is selling them outside, why is there no mention of it? (SIGH) One day I’ll have more answers than fucking questions. Constantly being out of the loop is driving me insane. Once we get situated, im heading to the library and getting as much info as possible.]]

With that, Cynrik stopped talking and leaned back in his chair, admiring the view of VSFA as they finished their final approach and landed in a spacious covered landing zone on Mount Kaer.

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