In a daze, Lynn seemed to hear a crisp “click.”
Then, as his consciousness gradually cleared, he could feel someone gently patting his back.
Lynn slowly opened his eyelids, which felt as heavy as lead, and lifted his head.
“Are you all right?”
It was Sophie.
She had taken off her scarf and wrapped it around Lynn’s neck, her eyes unable to hide her concern.
She placed the back of one hand against Lynn’s forehead and the other against her own.
“No fever…”
Lynn let out a yawn.
“I’m okay.”
After a short nap, his spirit did indeed feel much better than before.
‘Does recalling the trials really consume this much of my energy?’
Lynn felt a sense of helplessness.
“Honestly, even if the magic assessment is coming up soon, you don’t need to push yourself so hard.”
Sophie crossed her arms, speaking with a hint of a complaint.
Before Lynn could even feel touched, Sophie’s next words completely shattered his illusions.
“If you fall ill, who’s going to go pick out dresses with me?”
Lynn immediately stifled his budding sense of emotion.
‘You, your head is really only filled with thoughts of yourself.’
Lynn’s face darkened.
However, Sophie had reminded him of something.
In the original plot, it was never explained in detail how the Abyss Cult managed to infiltrate the heavily guarded Starkrye Magic Academy.
But according to the timeline, the moment the Abyss Cult invaded was precisely after the magic assessment.
Therefore, the answer was obvious.
There was definitely a mole from the Abyss Cult within the academy.
In the original story, the primary reason the Abyss Cult invaded the academy was to eliminate Sophie, who was seen as a threat.
But now…
Not just Sophie, but his own name likely appeared on their hit list as well.
‘I need to hurry and prepare.’
Lynn thought to himself.
The academy held two assessments every semester, and at those times, all teachers and students would attend.
If a mole really existed in the academy, it was no surprise that they would certainly participate in the assessment.
Thinking of this, Lynn slowly stood up.
The goal was clear.
Find the mole during the assessment in three days.
He had to prevent the tragedy and save his own life.
Dong— Dong—
The heavy bell tolling for the closing of the building echoed through the storage room.
“Ah, it’s time to go.”
Sophie looked at the giant clock on the wall.
“I’ll wait for you outside, Lynn. Remember to come out soon.”
Lynn nodded.
He quickly tidied the table and was about to return the book and join Sophie when a deep voice suddenly called out to him.
“Student Lynn.”
A middle-aged man draped in a black robe walked up to his side.
He wore a purple badge on his chest.
In the Magic Academy, some high-ranking faculty members wore badges to display their status.
Purple represented the academy’s management.
Management that frequently hung around the Grimoire Storage Room…
His identity was clear.
“Vice Dean Rogers.”
Lynn gave a small nod of greeting.
Vice Dean Rogers was an oddball in the original story.
Despite being the Vice Dean, he stayed in the Grimoire Storage Room every single day without fail, acting like a common librarian.
Though he didn’t understand it, Lynn respected it.
To stay in this ghostly place for decades on end meant that no matter what he was doing, he was bound to succeed.
Vice Dean Rogers patted Lynn’s shoulder and nodded with a smile.
“I’ve been watching you since you walked in, Lynn.”
“The magic assessment is important, but you must look after your health as well.”
Lynn nodded.
“I will.”
Just as Lynn finished speaking, Vice Dean Rogers slowly picked up the Theory of High-Level Control Magic lying on the table.
“Are you particularly interested in control magic?”
“I wouldn’t say interested, I just wanted to understand it,” Lynn lied casually.
He didn’t want anyone to know that his purpose for reading this book was to craft Magic Pieces.
For an average Piece Maker, a single low-level Magic Piece would take them six months to complete.
But Lynn was different.
Relying on the “Auto-Crafting” skill, as long as he had sufficient materials, he could easily craft Orange-tier Legendary pieces and above—things others might not achieve in a lifetime.
This was the most terrifying thing about Lynn.
In fact, as long as he had enough energy, he could even mass-produce low-level Magic Pieces.
This was also the secret Lynn wanted to keep most.
After all, he was counting on this to drive down the price of Magic Pieces in the future, breaking the monopoly on the market that had lasted for over 1,000 years on the Rhine Continent.
Monopoly?
Pointless competition?
Malicious rivalry?
‘Sorry, take it up with my high-quality, low-cost Magic Pieces.’
At the thought of everyone being able to use low-level Magic Pieces in the future, Lynn felt happy from the bottom of his heart.
Low-level Magic Pieces should not be the exclusive domain of the nobility; they should be tools that everyone could afford.
That was the equality Lynn envisioned!
“In that case, take this book back with you to read.”
Vice Dean Rogers smiled and tucked the book into Lynn’s arms.
“Thank you. I’ll be going now.”
After Lynn left, the smile on Vice Dean Rogers’ face gradually faded into neutrality.
He stood behind Lynn, quietly watching him walk away.
Until Lynn’s figure completely vanished, Vice Dean Rogers softly closed the heavy doors.
Starkrye Magic Academy, Conference Room.
It was late at night, but the lights in the conference room were still burning bright.
A shining silver nameplate lay quietly on the round conference table.
The message it conveyed was clear.
A traitor had appeared in the academy.
For the past few days, the academy had held meetings every single day because of this matter, leaving all the attending teachers with frayed nerves.
Dean Emil leaned against the back of his chair, his eyes half-closed.
He had also been restless because of this mess.
“Dean Emil, I believe we must stop this assessment and report the appearance of the Abyss Cult to the Central Council!”
Lucy slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and spoke loudly.
The other teachers in attendance did not dare to make a sound; the silence was deafening.
It was rumored that Duke Klein would personally attend this assessment.
He was the head of the Nightfall Fools and a favorite of the Emperor.
The Nightfall Fools he founded were still protecting the citizens of the Royal City from the Abyss Cult to this day.
At this critical juncture, if the news of the Abyss Cult being inside the academy was leaked to the Central Council and caused a public outcry…
What would Duke Klein think?
What would happen to Dean Emil’s position?
Therefore, Dean Emil’s heart was certainly leaning toward suppressing the matter as quickly as possible and holding the magic assessment as scheduled.
Aside from Lucy, all the attending teachers knew this perfectly well.
No one dared to cross Dean Emil.
‘She’s finished.’
‘Who in the whole academy doesn’t know how much Dean Emil craves a promotion?’
‘Besides, on the day of the assessment, the defenses will be even tighter, and with Duke Klein sitting in—a Rank 7 Legendary Warrior—no matter how stupid the Abyss Cult is, it’s impossible for them to choose that time to attack.’
‘As long as we have a little more time, we can find the traitor ourselves and handle this internally…’
Listening to the whispers of the other teachers, Lucy clenched her fists tightly.
She looked at the silent Dean Emil, who also felt Lucy’s gaze full of disappointment.
“Sigh.”
After a brief silence, Emil let out a long sigh.
He still wanted that promotion after all.
“On the day of the assessment, I will personally take the field to ensure it proceeds normally.”
“At the same time, I will continue to increase our manpower to track down that mole.”
Dean Emil’s tone brooked no argument.
Hearing this, Lucy let out a long sigh of her own.
She stood up and left the conference room without looking back.
But before she stepped out, she stopped at the door and said, “Dean Emil—”
“I am very disappointed in you.”
The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.
After the loud noise, the room fell into a dead silence.
“Let’s end it here for today.”
Dean Emil slowly stood up and glanced around the room.
He realized something seemed to be missing.
“Why isn’t Vice Dean Rogers here?”
The teachers looked at each other; no one knew where Vice Dean Rogers had gone tonight.
“Tch, that guy.”
Dean Emil frowned.
Simultaneously, his right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.
A sense of foreboding gradually spread in his heart.
‘Could it be…’
The moment the thought surfaced, Dean Emil laughed at himself.
‘No, that’s impossible.’