Damn Academy chapter 99

99 – Circulatory System (1)

Students gather one after another in a large lecture hall that can accommodate hundreds of people. The joint class, which had been postponed due to the invasion of the black magician, was finally about to start in earnest.

This is the second time since the entrance exam that all the freshmen gathered together like this. At that time, the atmosphere was chaotic with admission applicants included, but now there is a moderate tension.

More than half of the students were seated with pre-formed groups. They chattered and discussed busily among themselves whenever someone entered the classroom.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Shion’s face. She had been watching with her chin resting in her far back corner earlier.

Does she still remember that she asked to fight with me during the entrance exam? Hopefully, she gets hit by the busy academy life and forgets about it. Because I have no intention of fighting.

Some of the students around me watched Zion sitting alone and whispered how they could bring him into the same group.

As expected, it was the students who took the top and second seats in each department that received the most attention.

Unfortunately, Luna, the head of the Ministry of Magic, is not here. She hoped she would take part in this class, but she has yet to hear from us if her aftereffects are in great shape.

The classroom door opens and a group of students enter. Some of the faces I know are mixed in.

Three women and one man. It was the Cecil group, including Trisha. They took a look around and settled down at the front desk.

They also chatted among themselves for a while, just like the other students. Then Trisha suddenly turned her back and looked around the classroom.

Then he shouted loudly.

“Damian!”

When she spots me, she waves her hand loudly. How did he find me hiding in the gap between so many people?

Cecile and other group members all turned around and looked up at me.

They muttered something among themselves, but they were too far away to hear.

Dozens of other students peek at my face, as if Trisha’s voice drew their attention.

I took out my notebook and pretended to read it, covering my face.

***

Cecile said in a sullen tone.

“Is that him?”

Although they were far apart, they easily recognized Damian. Thanks to the clear characteristics of the external appearance, there was no need for further explanation.

“Yes!”

“Did we become close because we were in the theater club?”

“No! He joined the art club.”

“It’s amazing. How did you become close in such a short time when you have no intersection?”

“Don’t even talk, sister. I heard that he persistently approached me to become friends with me first.”

Cecile did not appear to completely believe Trisha’s words.

“Yes, yes. I must have followed you around.”

She smiled cutely and turned her attention to the book.

Bertang was caught in the middle and had to take a break.

“We became close, right? They cover their faces and don’t even say hello.”

Tricia said, slightly furrowing her eyebrows.

“It’s because he doesn’t like attention.”

Despite Bertan’s efforts to be friendly with her, Trisha was always respectful towards him, her classmate.

He had even known Damien before. A guy named Damian was to the point where Tricia greeted him first, but Bertan wasn’t even comfortable talking to him yet.

Bertan looked at Tricia with a serious face, and she agonized over what she had missed.

In the meantime, just in time for class, an old professor opened the door and entered.

The classroom, which had been cluttered with the appearance of the professor, became quiet at once.

He had gray hair and a beard, and his face was lined with benevolent lines, making him look like he was about to retire.

He stood in front of the podium, looked around at the students, and cleared his throat.

“Kuhm. Now, I see vacancies, but I’m sure no one is missing. No idiot is late for the first class. Everyone must be busy adjusting to Eternia. Me too. Less than a day has passed since you returned from the North.”

Unlike his age, his vocalization was strong. Thanks to that, every word stuck in the ears of the student sitting in the back seat.

“Let’s start with an introduction. I am Professor Rackham of the Ministry of Magic. In detail, it deals with barrier arts and defense magic.”

Then he looked at the students’ expressions and grinned. He put his hands behind his back and walked sideways as if he were taking a walk.

“Looking at the expression, there are some friends who are embarrassed. I know what you’re thinking. I thought it was an alchemy class, but suddenly I’m a professor of magic, is the information wrong? No, you’re right. This is a class about alchemy. It has nothing to do with magic.”

“I wonder what they were going to do, so they called all the freshmen of the undergraduate school together for alchemy. What the hell does alchemy have to do with combat, magic, and sorcery? I know very well what kind of image the study of alchemy is imprinted in your heads. It must be thanks to the quacks who seduce noble ladies to sell ‘rejuvenation pills’, which greatly raised the status of alchemy.”

Some students burst into laughter. The ‘rejuvenating drug’ was everywhere on the continent. This was one of the representative fraudulent items of quack alchemists.

“Let me ask you a few questions. Do any of these students know all the names of the continent’s top 10 sword masters? Raise your hand if you can.”

More than half of the people raised their hands.

“Next, who knows about the 4 great wizards?”

This time most of the students raised their hands.

“Then who are the 3 great magicians?”

A similar number as before raised their hands.

“You must have read the biography carefully. Then ask Has anyone ever heard of a sage who reached the alchemy master level?”

Only three students raised their hands.

“Look at this. You guys are not interested in alchemy. If you need something for alchemy, you just think that you can buy something made by someone with money. They know nothing about how alchemy affects the world. Trying to understand the principles of alchemy yourself is a waste of time. Even the Pensions Department students.”

The atmosphere in the classroom sank as if cold water had been poured on it.

“Alchemy is not potion making. It is a study that understands and integrates the circulation principle of the material world that composes humans, nature, and the universe. Magic and sorcery have different resolutions, but in the end, the pursuit is the same.”

When the professor gave the signal, the two teaching assistants standing at the door stood up on the podium, holding scrolls as tall as a man.

Then he hung it high on the wall, cut the knot, and unwrapped the scroll.

It was a map of the Grace Mountains, including Eternia.

“What do you think the beginning and end of alchemy is? Most of you would think it was in a book. The truth is not in parchment. Truth is in the dandelion you see on the road, in the breeze, even in cow dung. Sages were originally travelers, not alchemists. They learned the truth with their bodies, not in theory.”

Rakam finally revealed the main purpose of this class.

“You need to learn what alchemy is. Not with the head, but with the body. So, you guys are going on a week-long pilgrimage to learn the basics of alchemy.”

The lecture hall was buzzing.

A student raised her hand.

After the professor gave permission, a male student asked a question.

“When you say pilgrimage, do you mean just going on a trip?”

“You can think of it that way. You can freely pack food, potions, and other items.”

Then he tapped a part of the map spread out behind him with his pointer stick.

“If you go all the way downstream along the Eternia River that crosses the Grace Mountains, there is a primeval forest area called Sotherton. It is a place where the magic power and fertile soil of Mount Grace washed away by the river have been deposited for tens of thousands of years, and the spirits have occupied it for a long time, creating a unique circulation system that cannot be seen anywhere else. Sotherton Primeval Forest is the destination you need to go to. Now, any other questions?”

About twenty students raised their hands at the same time. The professor answered the question by pointing with his hand.

“If I just go there, will I accomplish my goal? What are the scoring criteria?”

From noble mtl dot com

“You can go all the way to the center of Sotherton. You should adapt well there. Don’t worry, we have a way to measure fitness. You’ll get a very good grade just by setting foot in Sotherton. But it’s not as glamorous as you think. Not my bet Half of you will get in and spit out again. To make the goal a little more specific, the purpose of this class is ‘transfer to the circulatory system’.”

Damian felt strange when he heard the professor’s story. Zverev was also an alchemist and traveler, and his recipes repeatedly emphasized the importance of the circulatory system and vehemently criticized mainstream schools of alchemy for excluding the existence of the circulatory system.

Another student followed the question.

“I heard that students who perform the best are rewarded. Can you tell us about the reward?”

“Ah, yes, I will tell you about that. I am sure there are some of you who are not content to go on a pilgrimage to Sotherton and return. Those who want to be at the top.”

These words were aimed at students aiming for senior positions.

“A unique magical field spreads out in the center of Sotherton. There are mysterious ores and herbs that have not yet been properly studied, and above all, the world’s most powerful phantom beast. That phantom beast controls Sotherton’s circulatory system. So to speak, it is more like an indigenous god.”

The professor pulled a steel box from his inside pocket. He took out a glass bottle the size of his finger and held it out in front of the students.

“Originally, it is correct to deliver it secretly, but since rumors have been circulating, the reward will be made public. If you bring the horn of the great phantom beast, I will give you the highest grade in this class and I will give you this potion as a reward for your great contribution to alchemy research.”

Damian, who was sitting in the back and quietly listening to the professor, was surprised to see a commotion among the students. He seemed to know the potion except for himself.

“It took more than ten years to produce just one bottle. Even that recipe is monopolized by one person, so it takes luck to get it. This is a potion containing the essence of alchemy. Because one potion can control the human soul. It’s not perfect, of course.”

The lecture hall where hundreds of people gathered became so quiet that even breathing could not be heard.

“I will give this ‘elixir of love’ to the first place.”