Glory Kael Magic Academy had always been divided into two major camps:
On one side was the Magic Department, whose members could summon lightning and fire with a wave of their hands; on the other was the Alchemy Department, whose members spent all day fiddling with bottles and jars.
The Alchemy Department's students often barely scraped a passing grade in combat classes, but when it came to wrecking buildings, no one in the school dared claim to be better.
As for why all their laboratories were now underground-that was thanks to "that one glorious incident when they nearly turned half a teaching building into fireworks."
At the end of his patience, the headmaster had signed an order for every alchemy student and instructor to move their equipment deep underground. His reasoning had been quite blunt:
"If you blow yourselves up again, perfect. Nobody needs to run. You can all rest in peace down there together."
Naturally, he had intended to warn them to exercise caution.
Unfortunately, these people seemed to have spent so long steeping in thick tomes and complex formulas that their thought processes had grown just as convoluted.
After hearing his instructions, they exchanged looks, then broke into knowing sneers:
"Hmph. Trying to restrict our pursuit of truth and the flowering of our talents this way? You underestimate the wisdom of alchemists... and our will to survive!"
And so, a grand underground infrastructure project began.
While moving their main laboratories and equipment into the designated underground area, the Alchemy Department's bigwigs and small fry alike put their professional skills and personal initiative to full use.
Under the pretext of properly planning experimental zones, keeping emergency evacuation routes clear, and complying with safety regulations, they mobilized every resource available. Armed with engineering golems of every model, directional blasting devices,