Chapter 94: Another Genius?

"You’ll play the game here and treat it as a training ground," Mislaine said, her tone carrying the quiet weight of an absolute order despite her casual posture. "Believe me, you’re going to be surprised by the realism."

Angelo simply nodded with a cool, nonchalant shrug, casting a fleeting glance across the shop’s interior. He acted as though he were already familiar with the mind-bending spatial expansion completely, refusing to show any outwardly visible awe.

Mislaine merely smiled at his slight swagger. She knew the young man’s prideful personality all too well.

Beside her, Morgan, Kassandra, and Viktor didn’t bother maintaining strict discipline either, as long as it didn’t pertain directly to an active mission. They let Angelo’s act slide, hoping only that his attitude wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention toward their group.

For now, they were officially off the company schedule, free from any urgent summons back to headquarters while Mislaine personally supervised their break.

Their original investigation mission regarding the failure of the assassination had effectively concluded anyway, especially after hearing the exchange between Donape and Baek Ji-Hong last week.

Naturally, the official report they compiled didn’t state a shred of the bizarre truth. They lacked physical evidence, and the reality—that Donape had single-handedly dismantled an entire first wave of elite assassins—was so absurd that no higher-up at headquarters would ever believe it.

Taking advantage of Mislaine’s backing, they had simply borrowed the S City Police Department’s official cover report and submitted it as the truth.

"Well, treating VR games as a training ground isn’t a bad idea at all," Ga-Eun chimed in smoothly from behind the counter after overhearing Mislaine’s words.

"Though, a certain incident just happened moments ago that made Boss Alexander warn everyone that if any of those fictional powers get showcased out in public, the government’s going to be in a massive uproar."

"Of course those politicians—the ones holding authority they barely deserve—would feel threatened," Mislaine replied, leaning forward against the counter, genuinely interested in chatting with Ga-Eun.

"Especially if ordinary humans can suddenly turn into superhumans like the ones depicted in movies or animations. Power like that isn’t under their thumb."

"Someone actually managed to cast a magic spell—a real fireball—after playing for just a few days," Ga-Eun explained with a casual shrug.

"That’s why the topic came up. I think it makes total sense that if someone can cast magic in real life, those in power would hunt them down for being a freak. What I don’t understand, though, is why Boss Don dove right back into his VR Capsule just now. He literally said he wanted to take a break because he was tired from grinding so much."

Mislaine and her three companions shared subtle smiles. They weren’t particularly surprised, but they weren’t entirely free of doubt either. Even though they knew this shop was fundamentally abnormal, they hadn’t witnessed the spell with their own eyes. For now, their belief that "fiction was real" was only slightly more than halfway confirmed.

Meanwhile, sitting beside them, Angelo straightened his back, completely bewildered.

’What kind of bullshit talk is this?’ he thought, his jaw tightening in disbelief. ’Why are they talking about superhumans and magic like it’s real? Is this place some kind of production studio making a movie or a Western TV series?!’

On the other hand, Mislaine grew even more intrigued by Magic Academy after hearing Ga-Eun’s words.

On a whim, she decided to join Angelo and play it alongside him, while Morgan, Kassandra, and Viktor stuck to their usual choice, Counter-Injustice.

Even though he maintained his usual indifferent front, Angelo quietly complied with Mislaine’s order.

Looking at the sleek VR Capsule, he felt conflicted and stubborn—part of him was still convinced this whole place was an elaborate scam.

Yet, seeing how dead serious his seniors were, he pushed his doubts aside and climbed inside the pod, navigating to the main menu.

The moment he experienced character creation and the game’s opening sequence, the illusion shattered. The sheer power of the VR technology inside Origins VR Cafe was miles ahead of anything that existed on Blue Star.

"This... is really just a virtual game? How the hell do they have technology this advanced?" Angelo muttered aloud inside the game, struggling to process the level of realism being fed directly into his neural network, capturing every single one of his senses.

"Just wait until you see how this place actually lets you cast magic," Mislaine’s voice echoed in his ear through the party voice channel.

After watching the awe-inspiring opening cinematic showcasing Grand Magus Andrey’s absolute power, the two of them spawned at the gates of St. Soren Academy as fresh first-year students.

Mislaine was already somewhat accustomed to the VR Capsule’s realism from her previous visits, so while she was amazed by the Grand Magus’s demonstration in the intro trailer, she quickly recovered her composure.

Meanwhile, Angelo was still stuck in total shock.

Experiencing the shop’s virtual reality for the very first time, he actually squatted down and caressed the stone pavement beneath his boots, then rubbed his own arms and face in utter disbelief—making himself the immediate center of attention for the surrounding student NPCs.

Mislaine ignored his rustic antics, taking the opportunity to look around the sprawling campus instead. "Wow, it feels like I’m back in college." She said, reminiscing.

A moment later, Angelo snapped out of his trance. Setting his amazement aside, he began following the tutorial interface alongside Mislaine, which led them into a massive facility.

The grand lecture hall of St. Soren Academy was designed like a classical Roman amphitheater, carved entirely from dark, light-absorbing basalt.

Rows of tiered stone benches curved downward toward a central circular podium, where Instructor Vane—a sharp-featured elf wearing severe silver-framed spectacles—stood with his hands folded neatly behind his velvet robes.

Both Mislaine and Angelo were automatically clothed in the heavy, coarse wool robes of first-year neophytes.

The sensory feedback was utterly suffocating.

Angelo could smell the dry, bitter scent of aging parchment, feel the draft of cool subterranean air pressing against his neck, and hear the rustle of fifty AI-driven student NPCs settling into their seats.

’This is no longer just a video game. This is real,’ Angelo told himself, relaxing his shoulders as a strange gravity settled over him. ’No wonder the Chairwoman kept insisting I train here...’

Down at the podium, Instructor Vane didn’t waste a single second on pleasantries. He simply raised a single finger.

"Silence," Vane spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it resonated clearly in every student’s ears—a passive spell effect that instantly silenced the room. "You are gathered here today because you possess the latent capacity to interact with the fundamental thread of the universe: Mana."

Vane turned toward a large slate chalkboard floating mid-air behind him. With a flick of his wrist, glowing blue lines drawn in magical chalk began forming a complex geometric diagram automatically.

"The uninitiated foolishly believe magic is merely about shouting incantations, waving hands, or brandishing wands," Vane said dryly.

"It is not. Magic is Internal Architecture. Your body is a vessel filled with noise—blood pumping, muscles tensing, thoughts racing. To cast a spell, you must build a quiet structure within your core."

A semi-transparent floating system interface appeared in front of the students’ vision:

{Lesson Objective: Constructing the First Circle - Node Placement}

{Difficulty: Advanced}

{Description: Follow the Instructor’s guidance to locate your internal Mana Core. Stabilize the primary node without shattering your spiritual focus.}

"Close your eyes," Vane instructed, his voice dropping an octave, carrying a rhythmic, hypnotic weight. "Locate the ambient mana surrounding you. Draw a single thread through your solar plexus. Do not force it. If you force it, the feedback will rupture your concentration."

Mislaine followed the instructions obediently, closing her eyes and taking a steady breath. Angelo scoffed internally, but followed along anyway out of lingering, cynical curiosity.

At first, there was only pitch darkness and the rhythm of his simulated breathing.

But as he focused inward toward his chest, a strange, prickling sensation spread across his sternum. It felt like tiny, warm needles piercing his skin—not painful, but intensely vivid.

Suddenly, a pulsing thread of pale blue light materialized within his mental perception.

Angelo’s eyes flew open under the visor, his heart hammering violently against his ribs. It wasn’t just a visual trick—it was a tangible, physical sensation in his chest.

He could literally feel a cool stream of liquid energy crawling up toward his throat, responding directly to his pulse and breathing.

"Good," Instructor Vane’s voice echoed, suddenly standing directly in front of Angelo’s desk, staring down at him through glowing amber eyes. "You felt it immediately, Neophyte Michael_343. Your spiritual density is unusually high."

Vane placed a small, unpolished gray stone onto Angelo’s desk.

"That is a Mana Reactant Stone. Channel that thread from your core into the stone. If your internal node is stable, it will ignite a momentary spark—a sign indicating the initial formation of a 1-Circle Mana Heart. Though the likelihood is low..." Vane smiled faintly. "...consider this a bonus trial for those who manage to draw the thread faster than their peers."

Angelo stared down at the dull gray stone, still reeling from the alien sensation humming inside his body. He was completely out of his depth, yet instinct took over.

Following the instructor’s direction, he placed his palm over the cold surface, attempting to mentally push the stream of energy from his chest down into his hand.

Unbeknownst to him, as his concentration deepened and his heart raced, his synchronization rate flashed rapidly, skyrocketing to a numerical value reserved strictly for monsters:

{42.3%}