The entire week passed, and the conversation about the expelled student remained the primary topic on campus throughout. Nothing major occurred, except for someone trying to release the student's information online, which was blocked by the tower. So, besides knowing it was a white man, no new information was revealed.
The week was quite productive for Zane. In theory class, he learned all about shamans, other alternate magical paths, and about warding, which is a topic he has been looking forward to for a while. Unfortunately, there will not be any practical class on the subject for a while. In both the elite and the practical class, he learned [Mana Projection] and [Mobile Casting], which meant he could cast any spells while moving or evading. Sadly, the orc was still his nemesis, but now, he could fight it for an extended period. Victory was on the horizon.
The Analytic Association was still a nightmare, but the advantage was that he could learn spells for free while the professor analyzed them. It would have been ideal if these spells were not 1-ring, but the information should be crucial for him after his meditation stage reaches a higher level. In the past week, Zane had read countless books on magic theory, but he was still limited by points. Many of the core theories taught in the club required magic crystals or school points. And after exchanging for the magic crystal required for his daily meditation, he barely had enough points to pay for these high-level magic theory books or the paid published papers.
The only good news was Zane's progress in mathematics. According to his previous plan, he would take half a year to finish his refresher course before switching to Gremorian Mathematics. But, after seeing how crucial it was to become an Analyst, he decided to finish the course in a month and a half. With Tom Nguyen's help, the math society, and a bit of mental channeling, he was on track to meet that deadline.
Sunday, Day 16:
As usual, Zane's biological clock woke him early, but this time he went back to sleep and only woke up three hours later to his alarm. After taking care of his hygiene and changing into comfortable clothes, he did not immediately head to the guild; instead, he did his laundry. The process was fast and straightforward. He placed his dirty clothes in the designated space — which looked like a small closet — and activated the magic circuit.
A bubble suddenly manifested and swallowed his clothes before floating mid-air. Water and an unknown liquid soap filled the bubble, and then the clothes began to spin. Five minutes passed before everything stopped. Then, the bubble turned red for another five minutes, releasing a slight heat that even Zane could sense. Finally, the process ends with the bubble releasing a golden light that encapsulates every corner of the clothes.
After the process ended, the bubble slowly descended, and Zane quickly placed a basket underneath. Pop! The bubble burst, and the clothes fell into place. Zane immediately retrieved a piece to smell: "Smells so nice. Is this lavender?" He sighed to himself, thinking how fast and efficient magic made everything; he didn't know how he would cope if he ever lost access to such a power.
Ten minutes later, Zane finished washing his white clothes, and he proceeded to the final step: ironing. He brought the iron but not the board, so he had to make do with his bed. Once all his clothes were neat and tidy, he hung them before finally heading to the guild.
Devonte was the only one in the living room, watching a movie as always. Zane casually greeted him as he headed straight for the guild. As expected, all the good missions were already taken. But, he couldn't help it. His schedule was packed, and if he chose to do the missions during the week, he'd have to either sacrifice a crucial aspect of his training or further reduce his already dwindling sleep.
After he selected a mission, the guild receptionist brought him to a teleportation area, where Zane was sent to an unknown part of the tower. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself in another teleportation platform, separated by a glass door. At least, it looked like glass to Zane. Through the clear window, he saw a group of Earthlings waiting on the other side and immediately exited the premises to join them. All those people should be Arcane Mages, so Zane thought it might not be a bad idea to get to know them.
However, less than five minutes after his arrival, the only door in this large but empty corridor opened, revealing an elevator with a female mage in a blue robe and a 1-star pin, and the name Maliara appeared.
"You guys are the third batch, right?" Maliara asked while checking a magic pad in her hands. "Hurry up. Ten people at a time. Inject your mana into the circuit and choose the 17th floor." Nine people immediately joined her, and less than five seconds later, the elevator door opened for the next group.
Zane was in the third group, and as soon as he entered the elevator, he was a bit mesmerized. He stood on this circular platform carved in the shape of a spell diagram. The back of the elevator was not metal but a blue, transparent, cube-shaped energy barrier that served as this elevator's boundary and probably its safety mechanism.
"We-we're floating," someone exclaimed, and they were right. Through the barrier, it was easy to see that they were standing on this metal platform, floating in this very long, thin vertical passageway. A few people with fears of height began to panic a little. Zane exhaled to calm down. His eyes turned to a small magic circle engraved on the side of the metal wall after the entrance door had closed. He approached and injected his mana. A hologram screen appeared before him, and he selected Floor 17.
The floating metal platform slowly detached from the Floor Wall. Then, the barrier spread to encapsulate the entire platform, thus providing 360-degree protection. Everybody knew what would happen next, and they braced themselves: the elevator began to move downward at record speed.
The expected discomfort did not arrive. In fact, the ride was no different from taking an Earth elevator. If not for the transparent barrier that let everyone see how fast they were moving, no one would have been the wiser. Even the people who have acrophobia felt a strange sense of security or comfort. About thirty seconds later, the metal platform arrived at its destination. The front of the barrier disappeared so the platform could be set or latched onto Floor 17. The elevator door opened.
Maliara and the previous group were waiting about 20 meters away, and Zane's group joined them. Ten minutes later, all the other groups had arrived, and Maliara led them through a long corridor into a humongous red door labeled [Product Quality Assessment].
Maliara did not waste a single moment. She pointed at a few piles of weapons. "Your task is to inject a bit of mana into these enchanted items and determine if they are functional." She pointed to an immense dark-gray wall more than a hundred meters long and 20 meters high.
"Always point your item in the direction of the Anti-Magic Wall. According to Guild Law, we are responsible for any magical accident that occurs. But, if the accident is due to your stupidity, we also have the right to put you on a non-hire list."
Maliara then pointed to the front of the room, which was clearly divided into two sections by a line drawn on the floor. "The right is for functioning artifacts and the left for nonfunctioning." She points to another isolated area in the back.
"This is the resting area if you need to recuperate your mana. There is a sound isolation ward, so you don't need to worry about being disturbed. Now, for your pay: according to the rules, you're guaranteed 50 points for this mission as long as you do a minimum of 3 hours of work. However, there are extra points for those who do an excellent job. Any questions?"
"How do we know if a magical item is functional or not?"
"It will release a spell."
"Oh."
"Alright, get to work," Maliara stated before walking out of the room.
Zane frowned, feeling that this woman was too careless. Given the high likelihood of accidents in her job, she should have been more careful in explaining everything. However, his feelings would not change the situation, so he walked over to a pile of artifacts. After glancing at the variety of items, Zane immediately created a plan to maximize efficiency.
He removed his shirt and placed various items on top, using only small, easy-to-carry items such as daggers, rings, necklaces, and other jewelry. Carrying his small pile, he walked and stopped ten meters away from the Anti-Magic Wall. Holding the dagger, Zane examined it carefully, trying to detect any runes or spell diagrams on its surface. Unfortunately, mages were not stupid and understood the concept of protecting their intellectual properties.
Zane did not want to waste time, so he stopped snooping for runes. Pointing the dagger toward the hall, he injected mana into it. Nothing happened. He tried a second and third time, but the result was the same. After casually putting the item to his left, he picked a silver ring and repeated the process. A magic barrier appeared around him, and he immediately nodded: the ring was gently placed to his right.
It only took him a while to finish the pile he had chosen, so the next step was obvious: put the magical items into their designated area before choosing another pile. For three hours, Zane repeated this tedious process. Luckily, he could listen to music to pass the time.
Maliara returned three hours later on the dot. After registering everybody's soul crest, she also pays everybody the minimum 50 Guild Points and the bonus. Many people complained about the bonus, but they shut up when she revealed that it had been verified by divination.
Zane frowned as he looked at his profile: 150 points. An extra 100 points was good, but considering he needed 3000 Points every month to remain a part of the guild, which also means 750 points every Sunday.
"Four Sundays might not be enough," he thought.