Mage's Iaijutsu

Although he didn't have many Silver in his pocket, he couldn't show it. Du Pont didn't want anyone to know his current financial situation. No one in any world would look kindly on a poor man: "Forget it, I haven't been feeling well lately, really weak. The teacher at the infirmary even told me to see a doctor tomorrow. I don't have time to go."

"Oh, okay then." Charles was clearly a little disappointed: "We'll talk about it when you feel better."

The chubby guy went to chat with someone else, his eyebrows dancing, and soon the sound of lewd laughter came over. Du Pont observed silently and noticed a problem.

There were more than 40 students in the classroom just now. After the class, some left for other classrooms, but 15 people stayed. This break time wasn't short, but only this guy came to talk to him, which meant he wasn't very popular.

Generally speaking, students aren't as mercenary as people in society. He didn't think his appearance was so off-putting that people would dislike him. Was he unpopular because he was a bad student?

But Charles's seat was in the first row, and the fact that he could hang out with him meant that wasn't the problem. He wasn't so repulsive that people would be disgusted just by looking at him.

Maybe the people here are too competitive and don't have the mood to socialize.

Du Pont thought.

There were only four classes a day at the academy. The next magic class still made his head spin, and he worked hard to copy notes. Fortunately, he gained another 24 experience points.

At this rate, there was no problem becoming a level three Mage by the end of the year.

A level three Mage can cast second-circle spells, and the recycling price of second-circle scrolls is as high as 10 Gold Coins, more than tripling his efficiency.

"What are you thinking about?" Charles's voice came: "It's time for dinner. If you go late, there won't be any good stuff left."

The academy's cafeteria was quite spacious, but the environment was surprisingly clean. The bright floor tiles were spotless, and the walls were plastered with slogans such as 'No Loud Noises', 'No Fighting', and 'Strictly Prohibit Profiteering'. Even the corners of the walls, which were difficult to clean, were free of dust.

Many people didn't live on campus. At this time, there were only about 200 apprentices in the cafeteria. Three windows were open for serving food, forming a long line. Everyone was holding an iron tray to buy food. Some took it directly back to their dormitories. Du Pont looked at the prices in the restaurant and felt a toothache.

A student meal consisting of a steaming loaf of bread, a fragrant bowl of beef soup full of ingredients, and a small plate of coleslaw cost 30 Copper Coins.

This wasn't expensive in terms of the potential income of an apprentice. Even if they could turn in an extra scroll each week, they could afford nearly a hundred such meals. However, this was a bit difficult for Du Pont to accept.

He didn't have many coins in his hand.

Looking at the peers who were half a head shorter than him, Du Pont asked for two more loaves of bread and a glass bottle of milk weighing about a pound, totaling exactly 50 Copper Coins.

Du Pont didn't plan to save money on food.

Although his finances were tight now, having a good body would undoubtedly make things twice as efficient. If he could solve his current problems with food supplements, he would save a huge sum of 50,000 Copper Coins.

Sharing a table with a few classmates who looked familiar, Du Pont weighed the brown bread in his hand. It smelled good, probably weighed about three taels, and felt quite soft to the touch, but it was a bit dry in the mouth.

No wonder people here use the lamb paomo (bread soaked in lamb soup) method of eating.

After the two had eaten and drunk their fill, and were about to go back to the dormitory together, they vaguely heard the word 'glutton' behind them.

Du Pont glanced sideways, ignoring it.

It seemed that children in puberty in any world liked to give others nicknames. These Mage apprentices, whose intelligence should be much higher than ordinary people, were no exception, how childish.

Just as he was about to leave, Charles, who was beside him, got angry and shouted back: "What kind of Goblin-born bastard said that?"

Du Pont ate a lot, but because of his height, his figure was quite well-proportioned. Charles was indeed a chubby guy. Hearing others reveal his shortcomings, he immediately became angry, and his cheek muscles trembled.

"I didn't say you, why are you getting angry?" Hearing Charles's cursing, everyone in the cafeteria looked over. The apprentice named Bran was not afraid at all. A skinny guy next to him also sneered: "I just heard that some people like to pick up money. Today I saw someone picking up curses."

"Heh, so it's okay to badmouth people behind their backs?" Charles glared at the guy and was about to curse again, but Du Pont saw that a greasy-haired teenager at the next table was already reaching for his pouch.

This wasn't right.

Du Pont wasn't afraid of fighting. The construction site basketball he played with his workers could be said to be rough and violent. Except for not carrying wrenches, the movements were bigger than the current NBA. But in an unfamiliar place, getting into a conflict with someone with ulterior motives would likely not be resolved by paying some medical expenses.

Du Pont patted Charles on the shoulder and sneered: "Forget it, why bother cursing with this kind of stupid dog who doesn't know the value of time? When he can't graduate, he can still sell his ass. Can you do that with your bear-like appearance?"

Du Pont's words made many people in the cafeteria laugh. Charles, seeing the two of them flushed with anger, felt great joy in his heart. Then, realizing that no one at his table except Du Pont was helping him speak, he immediately picked up his plate and left: "That's right, I'm not going to bother with you idiots, I'm leaving."

These words were extremely harsh. The skinny guy stood up and said angrily: "A bunch of inferior students are acting arrogant. They've really benefited from the new era. Anyone can come and be a Mage."

But what he didn't expect was that the other Construction Mages next to him all stood up and slammed the table with angry faces: "Watch your mouth!"

The skinny guy was about to say more, but the person next to him who was putting on a sleeve badge shook his head. The skinny guy lost his confidence and sat down, whispering: "Those two mud-slingers ran fast enough."

Bran didn't respond, and quietly used the message spell: "Okay, provoking too many people is not our intention. But Conner, most people might think that us picking a fight today was just an accident, but if we take the initiative to cause trouble again in a short period of time, we'll probably be remembered. If it gets to the Mentor..."

Conner had already changed his sleeve badge to a handkerchief at this time, and wiped the corner of his mouth as if nothing had happened, the corner of his eye watching the backs of the two leaving: "It's okay, if we don't have these few pushovers, we can also go pick on those northerners, and clean them up one by one."

On the other side, Du Pont was already lying on the bed, lost in thought.

The school environment never lacks idiots. Even when Earth developed to before his transmigration, fights and brawls still happened frequently despite various restrictions and regulations. A feudal society in the Middle Ages like this would only be more barbaric.

In his memory, there were almost no deaths in the academy, but almost every month someone was confined for fighting, and it was not uncommon for people to be injured and go to the infirmary.

Sometimes conflicts happen for no reason. The School of Abjuration looks down on the School of Evocation, the School of Divination sees everyone else as idiots, and his newly emerging subject, the School of Construction, is even more inferior.

The world originally didn't have Construction Arts magic, but building fortresses and cities with magic and golems was obviously more efficient and reliable than doing it with mortals. So, they found suitable spells from other schools and put them into the School of Construction, thus adding this emerging school.

But not all new projects are potential stocks, not to mention that the School of Construction has a very low upper limit, with only fifth-circle spells at most. To go higher, you can only delve into Golem studies. Within the academy, it is seen as something that only 'incompetent people' without talent would learn.

This isn't a very extreme idea. In fact, Du Pont became a Construction Mage because he didn't have enough talent.

Du Pont's main attribute for a Mage, Intelligence, is only 14. Although he is young and his attributes still have room to grow, if he doesn't have any great adventures, it would be good enough if he could master fifth-circle spells in this lifetime.

He couldn't even meet the prerequisites for learning the ninth-circle spells that Archmages use to turn the tide of battle in those legendary stories.

So, what are the advantages of a Construction Mage?

Normal Mages can cast second-circle spells at level 3, and third-circle spells at level 5.

But the School of Construction has unique spell-lowering spells, which means that as long as Du Pont can become a level 5 Mage, he can cast fourth-circle spells of his school.

This kind of reduced-circle spell is definitely not as powerful as normal magic, but Construction Mages don't require combat ability. All their spells are for construction and speeding up progress. As long as there's construction to be done, they won't lack a livelihood.

It's easy to get a job with decent pay. Even if the career ceiling isn't high, the income is still good. After all, they're still Mages. Going to a construction site for work is much safer than adventuring.

And those with talent can escape the trivial matters of the world and focus on studying the Arcane Arts. It can be said that it's a worthwhile thing for everyone.

Du Pont doesn't dwell on how far he can go on his path as a Mage. Even being a Mage apprentice is much better than his previous job on the construction site.

He doesn't have to get up early and work late, nor is there the risk of being a scapegoat and getting the blame. Even becoming a low-level civil servant wouldn't be a problem.

A 14 Intelligence is unremarkable in the academy, but outside, he's a high-IQ talent. Being a strategist for a Barbarian would be more than enough.

However, this world doesn't seem very peaceful. Even within the school, there's infighting.

Fighting and releasing offensive spells are explicitly prohibited here, but if someone loses their temper and reason, who would care about that?

The most basic first-circle spell, Magic Missile, can shoot out a bowl-sized ball of pure arcane energy with a wave of the hand. It has automatic tracking, so its hit rate is 100%. If it hits a low-level adventurer, they'll be severely injured even if they don't die. Its power is definitely comparable to a modern rifle.

It can be said that everyone in this academy has a Mage's version of Iaijutsu. In the old United States, everyone carries a gun. It would be a big mistake to treat these apprentices as obedient boys.

However, compared to conflicts between students, his debt problem is more pressing right now. If he can't pay back the money this month, the interest will be ten thousand Copper Coins a day.

Money is a good thing in any world. If he can copy scrolls well, he'll be a walking printing press. But how can he copy scrolls well?

Charles said that his copying success rate is about 50%. This little fatty's talent is clearly stronger than his. And just now, he also inquired about the price of parchment scrolls.

A level 1 parchment costs 1 Gold Coin. Each apprentice can receive 10 for free each week, corresponding to submitting 10 each week.

Based only on the System's given probability, he can succeed on four out of ten, which means he can create 12 Gold Coins worth of value with 10 Gold Coins. However, everyone says that copying scrolls is a laborious and painstaking task. On average, it takes one hour to copy one. If he's energetic, he can spend 5 hours a day copying scrolls, including lunchtime, which means he can earn two Gold Coins in two days.

This is the most ideal situation. What about reality?

Sitting on a wooden chair for 4 hours, even if it's not torture, it won't be a comfortable experience. Concentrating for an hour also has a chance of failure.

This isn't just screwing someone over; it's worse.

Thinking of this, Du Pont put the bread and milk he brought on the table as a midnight snack. After adding food for the silly bird in the flower pot and cleaning the table, he summoned the System that had screwed him over.

"Is there any way to increase my success rate in copying scrolls?"

Several books that could be purchased quickly appeared before Du Pont's eyes.

Detailed Explanation of First-Circle School of Transmutation Spells

and

How to Copy Scrolls Quickly

each cost one hundred Gold Coins.

Scroll Scribing Insights

costs two thousand Gold Coins.

As soon as he saw money, Du Pont's head started to ache. The words "anti-fraud" echoed in his head: "I don't have any money right now. Is there any free knowledge?"

Everything in the world has a price. Knowledge is the most special kind, which contains the crystallized wisdom of the ancients and can be called the essence of time, an absolute treasure. If you don't have enough money to buy this knowledge, it's not that the knowledge is too expensive, but that you should consider your own problems.

Du Pont cursed inwardly. This System of his must be disguised as a devil. His face was calm: "But I don't have any money right now. Can I get credit?"

Having more lice doesn't make you itch. Adding 100 Gold Coins of debt to his current situation isn't anything. Being able to increase the success rate of copying scrolls and improve his income-generating ability is what really matters.

Under review. Your current credit is average. You can only increase your limit by 100 Gold Coins before the old debt is repaid. Please repay the extra loan within one week, otherwise an additional 10% interest will be added every day. Failure to repay within half a month will result in the collection of your soul.

Du Pont started calculating, and the more he calculated, the colder his heart became.

Originally, he had three months. Borrowing just 100 Gold Coins added so many extra conditions. It wasn't worth it.

"If I buy these two books, how much will the success rate of copying scrolls increase?"

Inferring. The success rate of copying scrolls will change from 40% to anywhere between 41% and 80%. Buying both will increase it to between 41% and 95%. The specific success rate depends on your own level, mentality, and environmental factors.

Du Pont was shocked to hear this. It wasn't just disappointing; it was outrageous. "I bought these two so-called priceless treasures, and the minimum increase is only 1%?"

Knowledge can only improve relevant ideas and the upper limit. How much you understand depends on the user's personal ability.

If there's a problem, it's because I'm not capable enough? This damn thing is really asking for a beating.

After thinking for a moment, Du Pont decided to change his approach: "Is there anything free that I can try out? Otherwise, it's a waste of everyone's time, and you'll also lose out on bad debts."

This time, the System replied exceptionally slowly.

Under review. Temporary simulation training function activated. In this state, your actions such as releasing spells and copying scrolls are all training and will not affect reality.

He finally got something out of this stingy System for free.

Du Pont breathed a sigh of relief. Following the instructions, he sat on the bed with his back against the wall, closed his eyes, and began to empty his mind.

To enter the training ground, he had to first enter a meditative state.

He didn't know how long it had been, but the darkness before his eyes turned into light. Before him was a spacious training ground, filled with all kinds of weapons and armor. A towering ivory tower was located on the side, looking a bit out of place.

Du Pont carefully came to the tower. Before he could knock, the heavy, ancient wooden door opened on its own. He cautiously greeted, but didn't even hear an echo. The empty tower only contained various magical devices, many of which he hadn't seen in the academy.

Bypassing those pieces of equipment he didn't understand, Du Pont walked to an empty table and sat down. As soon as he touched his waist pouch, ink, a quill, and several yellowed parchments appeared on the table out of thin air.

In his previous life, this would be a ghost sighting, but in the magical world, the appearance of ghosts wasn't uncommon. Du Pont wasn't in a hurry to write, but carefully checked these items. After confirming that there were no words on either side of the parchment, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether there's a result or not is another matter, but he definitely can't fall into a trap again.