Chapter 44: The Peculiar Magic Academy


    The next day, Han Ming, Li Chengfeng, and Sagus spent the entire afternoon drinking and laughing together, from noon until evening. None of them brought up the fact that Sagus was about to leave.


    But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Eventually, Sagus bid farewell to Han Ming and Li Chengfeng and departed.


    Han Ming didn’t know if they would ever meet again in this lifetime. He wasn’t sure what the future held for him, but he knew he wouldn’t stay in the Monte Empire forever. One day, he too would leave. And in a world as vast as this, reuniting with his sworn brothers would be no easy task.


    Han Ming drank heavily, and by the time Li Chengfeng helped him stagger back to his room, he was thoroughly drunk. He woke up in the middle of the night, sitting on his bed, staring at the moon outside his window. He laughed, then cried, lost in thoughts no one else could understand.


    A week later, two massive airships arrived in Wild City.


    Almost everyone knew what this meant: the Imperial Military Academy and the Magic Academy had come to recruit new students.


    Due to the scarcity of mages, Wild City didn’t have a Mage Guild, so the Magic Academy’s recruitment was held at the Holy Temple.


    That morning, Li Chengfeng and Han Ming arrived early at the Holy Temple, only to find a long line already stretching outside. It seemed they were late.


    "Excuse me, where is the Magic Academy’s recruitment area?" Han Ming asked a staff member managing the crowd.


    The staff member looked at Han Ming with a hint of surprise and pointed to a corner inside the temple hall.


    Following the direction, Han Ming saw a small table with an elderly man sitting behind it. Unlike the bustling Military Academy recruitment, there wasn’t a single person in line here.


    "Thank you," Han Ming said and walked over.


    "Hello, I’d like to apply to the Magic Academy."


    The old man nodded, yawned, and said, "Show me your magic."


    Han Ming raised a finger, channeled his mana, and a small ice crystal slowly formed, spinning on his fingertip.


    "Fill out the form," the old man lazily tossed a piece of paper at Han Ming.


    The form was simple: name, gender, age, magic affinity, tier, and rank. Nothing else.


    Han Ming quickly filled it out and handed it back.


    The old man glanced at it and said, "You’re accepted. Come back here in three days and follow me to the capital." With that, he laid his head on the table and began snoring.


    That… was it? Han Ming was stunned. The recruitment process was absurdly simple, almost like a joke compared to the bustling Military Academy recruitment next door. He also noticed that his form was the only one on the table. Was he the only applicant from Wild City?


    Han Ming told Li Chengfeng about his acceptance, but Li Chengfeng wasn’t surprised. He explained that the Magic Academy’s recruitment was always straightforward. As long as you had the potential to be a mage, you were in. It didn’t matter where you were from, your gender, or your background. The reason was simple: people with magical potential were extremely rare. It wasn’t unusual for some cities to produce only one mage, while others might have a few—or even none at all.


    After chatting with Li Chengfeng for a while, Han Ming left. The line for the Military Academy stretched to the end of the street, and more people kept joining. Han Ming had no interest in waiting, and Li Chengfeng, as a fourth-tier warrior, had no reason to worry about being rejected.


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    Three days later, after a grand farewell banquet hosted by the city lord, Han Ming and Li Chengfeng boarded the airship and set off for the capital, Ferra City.


    Ferra City, the capital of the Monte Empire, had stood for over a thousand years. It was home to countless nobles, wealthy families, and powerful figures. The most famous institutions in the city were the Imperial Military Academy and the Magic Academy—the very places Han Ming and Li Chengfeng were headed.


    Before leaving, the old recruiter had activated Han Ming’s water affinity, revealing his rank as a first-tier, first-rank water mage—essentially the most basic level possible.


    After disembarking from the airship and parting ways with Li Chengfeng, Han Ming followed the old recruiter to the Magic Academy.


    Standing in front of the Magic Academy’s gates, Han Ming felt like a country bumpkin. The academy was so grand it could almost be considered a small city. The campus was lush with trees, flowers, and ponds, and it was so vast that you could walk for a long time without seeing a single building.


    Occasionally, Han Ming passed students carrying ridiculously thick books, who glanced at him briefly before returning to their studies. The old man gave Han Ming a quick rundown of the academy’s layout and then took him to the new student registration office. After a simple enrollment process, Han Ming officially became a student of the Magic Academy.


    Lying in his own private wooden villa, Han Ming was still in disbelief.


    Was this really it? The enrollment process for the prestigious Magic Academy was this simple? He was assigned a residence and told where the water magic classes were held—and that was it. No one even mentioned tuition fees.


    Water magic classes started the next morning at ten o’clock (according to Han Ming’s world’s time conversion). Until then, he was free to explore.


    Han Ming headed to the academy’s cafeteria, where a handful of students watched in surprise as he devoured his meal. The food was excellent—and completely free. You could eat whatever you wanted, and no one would question whether you were a student or not.


    Han Ming spent the entire day exploring the academy, from morning until evening.


    This place is ridiculously wealthy!


    That was Han Ming’s first impression of the Magic Academy.


    In the evening, Han Ming left the academy to visit Li Chengfeng at the Military Academy. The two institutions were close, with their main gates only a kilometer apart.


    They had agreed to meet at the entrance of their respective academies in the evening.


    Compared to the quiet Magic Academy, the Military Academy was bustling with activity. Night markets, vendors, and chatter filled the air.


    "Third Brother! Over here!" Li Chengfeng spotted Han Ming standing alone at the Magic Academy’s entrance and called out.


    The two met with smiles, and Han Ming couldn’t help but comment, "Your Military Academy is so lively. It’s like a marketplace here. Meanwhile, at the Magic Academy, you can walk for half an hour without seeing a single person. It’s so boring."


    Li Chengfeng laughed heartily and then took Han Ming to his dorm.


    The dormitory was a massive stone building, and Li Chengfeng’s room was on the first floor, near the entrance.


    Li Chengfeng shared the room with three other students, all wearing the academy’s uniform, making it impossible to tell their social status.


    "So you’re Third Brother? You look impressive!" one of the roommates, a young man about Han Ming’s age, flattered him.


    Li Chengfeng explained that he and his roommates had sorted themselves by age. He was the oldest, and the other three were the same age as Han Ming, making them second, third, and fourth.


    When they learned that Han Ming had his own private villa at the Magic Academy, they were all amazed, marveling at the academy’s extravagance.


    Han Ming chuckled. "It’s not as great as it sounds. You guys get to hang out and study together. That’s way more fun."


    The roommates immediately declared that Han Ming was now part of their group and could stay with them whenever he wanted. The dorm was spacious enough for a few more people anyway.


    Han Ming thought it over and agreed. He decided to stay with them that night. After all, no one at the Military Academy cared about where students lived, as long as they attended classes. And at the Magic Academy, it was even more relaxed. As long as you completed your coursework and advanced in rank, no one cared if you stayed out all night—or even disappeared for months at a time.


    Since the two academies were so close, Han Ming spent the night with Li Chengfeng and his roommates, drinking and chatting. The next morning, he returned to the Magic Academy for his first class.


    When Han Ming arrived at the classroom, he realized that the Magic Academy wasn’t as empty as he had thought. The large lecture hall was filled with about a hundred students, all around his age.


    The first class was incredibly simple. The instructor briefly explained what water magic was and then casually mentioned that water mages were essentially useless. After that, the class was dismissed.


    What the hell!?


    Han Ming was speechless. From roll call to dismissal, the entire class lasted less than twenty minutes. To make matters worse, the instructor openly told the students that water mages had no future and that they might as well coast through life. The Magic Academy would take care of them for life, providing food, shelter, and even housing for their future families. If they accidentally burned down their dorm, they could just request a new one.


    Han Ming stood alone in the empty classroom, sighed deeply, and muttered, "What kind of place is this?"