As the dirigible gently rose into the air, carrying Victor and the players away from the city, the view of the sprawling landscape began to disappear. Below, the expansive fields and cityscape soon became mere specks on the horizon, while inside, the once-empty storage space of the dirigible was filled to the brim with crates and sacks of rare materials procured from the city. Each acquisition was carefully cataloged and stowed — this was the fruit of their labor.

  In the main cabin, the players gathered around as they fell into animated conversation, discussing their exploration.

  “Man, I’m really gonna miss this city… It felt like stepping back in time,” Locktekei said, reclining in his seat with a wistful grin. “Sure, we’ve seen tons of immersive environments before, but this is different. The atmosphere, the people, even the market noise — it was like I was the main character in one of those popular isekai webnovels.”

  “I know, right?!” Prominence nodded enthusiastically. “This game never fails to surprise me at every turn. Whenever I thought that the game had hit its peak, it hit me with something even more insane.”

  Across from them, Storm smirked as he propped his feet up. “Honestly, if I didn’t know it was a game, I’d swear that the blacksmith I talked to was a real person.

  Auralise, who had been listening quietly with a smug expression, finally spoke. “You lot are acting like yuppies. In Europe, rural towns have vibes just like that city. Honestly, the only difference here is the magical devices.”

  Dominique added, “What milady said is true. I was born in a small rural town in France, and Brightmoon’s architecture isn’t all that different, albeit closer to that of a Victorian era — elegant yet practical, with a touch of old-world charm.”

  Some players like Thunder and Zero listened intently as Dominique revealed what it was like living in a rural town in Europe.

  Prominence grinned. “Too bad we didn’t uncover some grand hidden plot. I bet the next time we come back, though, we’ll stumble onto something huge.”

  Victor, watching silently from a holographic screen on the bridge, couldn’t help but shake his head with an amused smile. What hidden plot? They are expecting too much for a regional city like Brightmoon. He didn’t intervene in the conversation, though, letting them revel in their own fantasies. After all, he knew too well about the reality of the situation as he was the mastermind behind the whole charade.

  Just then, the door to the bridge swung open, and an innocent-looking young girl with snowy white hair burst in.

  “Mentor!” The moment Lillie spotted Victor, she rushed forward, throwing her arms around him. “You’re back! Lillie has missed you so much!”

  The last time Victor had returned to the dirigible, Lillie had been utterly exhausted, sleeping soundly according to Eleanor. He had wanted to begin drilling advanced magic knowledge into her, molding her into a genius among geniuses, but he couldn’t bear to push her while she was so mentally drained. Instead, he had let her rest and recover.

  Eleanor, standing nearby, smirked as she watched the scene unfold. “Pfft. Patron, you look more like a doting caretaker than the headmaster of a Magus academy,” she teased, barely suppressing her laughter.

  “Ahem.” Victor glanced at Eleanor, his expression briefly flat, before turning his attention back to Lillie. “Mm, I’m back. Have you eaten and rested well?”

  “Yes!” Lillie enthusiastically bobbed her head up and down like a little lucky cat figurine in a shop window.

  “Good.” Victor nodded his head before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small item. Actually, there was something he’d taken from the lord’s study room, and it was a small photo. “I believe this belongs to you, Lillie.” He handed it to her.

  Although rare and extremely expensive in this world, magic cameras exist. And the images they produced could last centuries without fading, unlike the cameras from Earth over a century ago.

  Lillie’s eyes widened as she gazed at the photo, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. “This… this is Lillie’s family photo.” Her voice trembled as she gently cradled the picture, memories flooding back as she stared at the image of her father, mother, and herself. It was slightly different from the large portrait Victor had seen in the manor, but the composition remained the same. He had done what he could to recover this small piece of her past, knowing full well that at the end of the day, she was still a child, no matter how powerful her special abilities might be.

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  For a moment, Lillie’s emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but she quickly wiped away the tears, determination replacing the sadness in her eyes. “No! Lillie won’t cry anymore.” She straightened her back, her voice resolute. “Mentor, Lillie promises to become a powerful Magus, just like you. Please teach her the way.”

  Hearing that, Victor was satisfied, and his lips curved into a faint smile. But before he could respond, Eleanor gave her a heartful thumbs-up. “Attagirl! You’ve got this!” she said, pulling Lillie into a hug from the side and rubbing their cheeks together affectionately.

  “That’s what I wanted to hear from you, my apprentice,” he said. “As soon as we get back, I will teach you everything I know. I’ll make sure that no one will underestimate you anymore”

  “Mm-hmm! Lillie believes you.” With her head held high, Lillie smiled as she clutched the photo to her chest.

  Out of the blue, just as Victor was about to continue speaking, his Master Shadowlink Mark got activated and a holographic screen flickered to life. A small, fluttering figure appeared on the display — Lizbeth, the assistant fairy. Her face was full of worry as she hovered close to the screen, almost kissing it.

  “Master! Master!” she cried out, her voice shaking with panic. “Something’s happened to a player! It’s SuperNovaX — there’s something wrong with him!”

  Victor’s relaxed demeanor vanished, and his eyes narrowed. “Calm down. Tell me what’s going on, Lizbeth.” His tone was sharp. He had told Lizbeth only to contact him when there was something very urgent. For this to happen now, when he was en route back to the academy, felt like an ill omen.

  Lillie and Eleanor immediately perked up, as curiosity filled their eyes. Unlike the System’s personal notifications, this holographic screen could be seen by everyone in the room, including Lillie, who hadn’t yet bore her own Shadowlink Mark.

  Lizbeth gulped as she zoomed in on a replay. “He’s in the Thornwood Forest, but… something happened. He went deeper than anyone’s gone so far, and then his signal just disappeared!” She adjusted the view to show SuperNova’s last known coordinates. The image revealed a desolate area of the forest, with trees twisted and dying, their life force drained. Furthermore, there were undead creatures roaming around the land that added to the eeriness. “He fell into a pitfall trap, and just before his connection was cut out, I caught a glimpse of someone — no, something — at the edge of the screen.”

  Victor’s expression darkened as he scrutinized the footage. The Thornwood Forest, which had always been vibrant and teeming with greenery, now looked drained and twisted. “Are you telling me that the Nexus Tower can’t revive him?” he asked in a low voice.

  With a nod, she said in distress, “That’s the problem! The System keeps showing ‘Incubation not possible.’ I’ve tried everything: re-establishing the connection, resetting his capsule, but nothing works. It’s as if something is actively blocking the System’s power. Something powerful.”

  “Powerful enough to block the System? That’s… troubling.” Victor frowned as his gaze drifted upward, processing the situation. Whoever, or whatever, had the ability to sever a player’s connection possessed powers far beyond the norm. A being above even an Elemental Adept Magus… the implications were grim.

  This was the worst-case scenario Victor had dreaded since he started Magus Academy Online and drew his friends to play his so-called “fully immersive VR game.” He didn’t know if SuperNova was still alive or not, but according to Lizbeth, messaging him outside the game, gave no reply. This meant that the guy was highly likely trapped inside. Like a certain VR cartoon he’d watched in the past. In any case, he had to do something so other players didn’t share the same fate.

  “Watcha two talkin’ about?” Eleanor suddenly interrupted from the side, giving Victor a light shove with her shoulder, her gaze locking on Lizbeth. “Hi Lizzy! Did you miss me?”

  “Eep! No! Stay away from me!” Lizbeth squeaked, recoiling from Eleanor’s teasing as if she were staring at a monster.

  “How cold. That makes me really sad. Boo-hoo.” Eleanor faked a dramatic sob, despite the seriousness of the situation.

  Victor gave Eleanor a sidelong glance, unimpressed by her antics. He firmly pushed her aside and refocused on the matter at hand. “If this is the situation, then so be it. What we need to do now is mitigate the damage and make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Maybe we can even save the lost, hapless guy in the process. Who knows? His gaming capsule is still active, so there’s a pretty big chance he’s alive.”

  Even if the opposing force was a powerful entity capable of extracting SuperNova’s memories — and, by extension, discovering the existence of the academy — Victor knew he’d have to face them sooner or later. There was no avoiding it. The looming threat wasn’t just about rescuing a trapped player anymore; it was about protecting everything the academy stood for.

  Unfortunately, confrontation seemed inevitable. All Victor could do now was prepare and increase his odds of success. With the materials gathered from this expedition, the citadel could be repaired somewhat, and with that, the academy might just stand a chance. After all, failure wasn’t an option, considering that his life would be at stake.

  Lillie, still clutching her family photo, looked up at Victor with concern. “Is Supel-Novat in danger, mentor? Lillie will help her best!”

  Victor nodded grimly. “It seems so. But don’t worry, Lillie. I’ll handle this.”

  Lizbeth got near the screen again and urged, “Master, you need to return quickly — something feels off, especially with the sighting of undead lingering closer and the strange things that had been happening lately. It’s as if they’re targeting the academy. It’s almost certain that the enemy is controlling the undead.”

  Victor glanced at Eleanor, who returned his look with a solemn nod. “Looks like we have to increase our speed. Let’s go full steam ahead.”

  “That’s more like it.” Eleanor’s lips curled into a toothy grin. Without wasting another second, she sprang into action and operated the controls.

  Time was running out, and he had to be ready for what was to come.