Chapter 23

After leaving the forest, Ulan headed to the dormitory.

He had belatedly remembered that they conduct roll calls every morning. But to cut to the chase, Ulan couldn’t return to the dormitory.

“Ulan Bator, Delia Arpen. The two of you are requested to come to the 9th floor of the Magic Department’s main building, the Dean’s Office, immediately.”

Diplyn, the Dean of the Magic Department.

As soon as her name was mentioned, Ulan had a rough idea of why they were being summoned.

‘Special benefits.’

During the Magic Detection exam.

Diplyn had promised that if they perfectly retrieved the core of the Magic Golem, they would receive special benefits separate from their scores.

She was probably trying to keep that promise.

Having grasped the situation, Ulan immediately changed his destination. However, upon arriving at the main building, a new problem greeted him.

“No. You can’t enter.”

Suddenly, someone blocked Ulan’s path.

They were the guards protecting the Magic Department’s main building. And the reason Ulan was denied entry was extremely simple.

“This is the Ivory Tower of mages.”

“We can’t let you in dressed like that.”

“If you want to enter, come back properly dressed.”

It was his attire.

At the guards’ words, Ulan made a troubled expression. When he left the prairie, he hadn’t brought any extra clothes.

So, while he was pondering what to do, a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Ulan?”

Long, flowing silver hair.

Round, golden eyes.

A girl as beautiful as a carved doll, Delia Arpen. She must have also come in response to Diplyn’s summons.

Meanwhile, Delia tilted her head.

Her expression seemed to ask why he was standing there. Reading this instantly, Ulan answered honestly.

“They say I can’t enter dressed like this.”

“Ah.”

Delia nodded as if she understood.

She then approached the guards. With her characteristic blunt tone, she spoke.

“I have a promise with Diplyn.”

“Even if it’s a promise…”

“It’s difficult to let someone dressed like that in.”

The guards looked troubled.

Then, one of the guards’ eyes widened.

As if he had just realized something.

“Wait, Diplyn?”

A familiar name. Of course.

Diplyn Cernio was the owner and dean of this Magic Department building.

After a moment, the three, who had been talking with stern faces, asked cautiously.

“…Are you Ulan and Delia?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

Ulan and Delia nodded. At the same time, they glanced at the clock. It was an indirect pressure, suggesting they might be late for their appointment.

And it worked.

“Hoo, I guess there’s no choice.”

“We’ll allow entry just this once.”

“Here, put this on for now, and next time, come properly dressed.”

They couldn’t refuse entry to students summoned by the dean. Reluctantly, the guards allowed them to enter.

Along with a thin leather cloak.

Probably a consideration to cover his bare upper body. Accepting it, Ulan immediately entered the main building.

Afterward, the two boarded a magic-powered elevator. As the elevator slowly moved toward the 9th floor, Delia suddenly spoke.

“Why don’t you wear clothes?”

“They’re uncomfortable.”

The reason Ulan didn’t wear clothes was that he wasn’t used to the sensation of leather or fabric brushing against his skin.

He also disliked the pressure of tight sleeves, chest, and shoulders. But taking them off solved all the problems. So he went without.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“I don’t usually feel the cold.”

His body was blessed to be exceptionally sturdy. Plus, once you get used to activating your Spirit, you can handle most cold and heat.

Meanwhile, after Ulan’s answer.

Delia’s eyes sparkled as she scanned Ulan’s body. It was as if she had discovered a creature she had never seen before, her eyes filled with curiosity.

【Arrived at the 9th floor.】

【The doors will open shortly.】

The elevator had reached its destination.

As the doors opened, a long, cool corridor came into view. The Dean’s Office was at the far east end, so the two hurriedly walked.

Then.

Delia spoke again.

“Is your shoulder okay?”

Why suddenly ask about his shoulder?

As Ulan looked at her curiously, Delia recalled yesterday’s events.

“You got hit by the golem.”

“Me? When?”

“Yesterday, while protecting me.”

Did that happen? Ulan scratched his head.

He remembered punching the golem, but not getting hit by it.

Of course, there was some physical contact with the golem while shielding Delia. But he wouldn’t call that getting hit.

‘No blood, no broken bones.’

By Ulan’s standards, getting hit means skin tearing and bones breaking. Anything less is just a graze.

So, he only considered it a brief contact with the golem, not a hit.

Then what did he get hit by?

Ulan looked at her with a puzzled expression, not understanding. And Delia was equally embarrassed.

‘What? Why is he pretending not to know?’

Ulan definitely got hit by the golem.

And it was a loud thud!

It happened just yesterday, so why is he acting like he doesn’t know? It’s as if he’s trying to erase yesterday’s events.

Thinking this far.

Suddenly, a guess crossed her mind.

‘Ah! Maybe…’

Is he trying to spare my feelings?

So I don’t feel bad about him getting hurt because of me, he’s pretending it never happened.

No, that’s the most plausible hypothesis. Otherwise, he wouldn’t act like this.

‘I was oblivious.’

Despite appearances, he’s quite considerate.

With that thought, Delia quickly closed her mouth. She decided to accept Ulan’s consideration with gratitude.

Meanwhile, as Delia remained silent, Ulan also brushed it off. He thought she must have mistaken him for someone else.

As they walked silently down the corridor.

This time, Ulan spoke first.

“Delia.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Do you have any idea what Dean Diplyn meant by special benefits?”

The moment Diplyn’s name was mentioned.

Her face stiffened.

“I don’t know. But…”

“But?”

“…There’s something fishy.”

The other party is Diplyn.

Even if she promised special benefits, she wouldn’t just hand them over.

There must be some ulterior motive.

Delia was sure of it.

Shortly after, the two arrived in front of the Dean’s Office. Then, something caught their attention.

A note from Diplyn on the door.

It said to enter one by one.

“I’ll go in first.”

“Okay.”

The order wasn’t important.

So he yielded.

After about ten minutes.

Diplyn’s voice came from inside.

“Come in, Ulan.”

It seemed her conversation with Delia was over.

Ulan immediately entered the room. But strangely, Delia was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Delia?”

“She left already.”

Diplyn answered with a bright smile.

She pointed to a separate elevator in the corner of the office. She must have gone down using that.

“First, congratulations on passing with top honors.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s get straight to the point. The reason I called you here is to give you the special benefits I promised.”

Ulan’s prediction was correct.

He silently waited for Diplyn to continue. And soon, she spoke.

“I’ll grant you one wish.”

“A wish?”

“Yes, of course, only if it’s possible. Just one. No postponing or saving it for later.”

She meant he had to say it now.

Ulan silently stared at Diplyn.

‘A wish.’

There was something he wanted.

The real reason Ulan enrolled in the academy.

To find clues to reach the ‘Realm Beyond Mastery’ and information about the ‘world’s most powerful weapon.’

He had heard that Arsen Academy held all the knowledge in the world.

‘Then there must be clues or information on how to reach the Realm Beyond Mastery.’

Ulan believed so.

So, just as he was about to speak honestly, he closed his mouth again. The reason was in Diplyn’s eyes.

‘…She’s plotting something.’

In his past life, Ulan had experienced various incidents and developed a sense for reading people.

And now, Diplyn’s eyes resembled those of an owl. The gaze of a hunter eyeing its prey.

As he silently observed.

Suddenly, Delia’s words came to mind.

She said Diplyn had some ulterior motive. Thus, Ulan quickly reached a conclusion.

‘It’s better not to mention this.’

He decided to hide the matter of the Realm Beyond Mastery for now.

He would state a different wish.

As he began to ponder anew, Diplyn suddenly spoke.

“No need to think too hard.”

Her voice was sweet and smooth.

Like honey, her sweet voice tapped at Ulan’s ears.

“Just say what you most desire right now. And if it’s something I can handle, I’ll grant it immediately.”

“……”

If it were Ulan before his regression, he might have wavered. Her voice was that sweet and strangely alluring.

But not for the current Ulan.

He let Diplyn’s words go in one ear and out the other, continuing his contemplation without wavering. Soon, he made a decision.

“I’ve lived like this all my life.”

“Huh?”

“Because of that, I find it hard to adapt to wearing clothes. So, I’d like permission to move around freely dressed like this.”

Recalling when the guards denied him entry earlier, Ulan finished his answer.

Diplyn, taken aback, asked again.

“Uh, that’s your wish?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing else you desire?”

“Nothing.”

His firm answers continued.

Diplyn frowned.

“Don’t answer so bluntly, think a bit more. For example, don’t you want ways to quickly accumulate magic power or rare magic books?”

“I’m satisfied with this wish.”

He already knew how to quickly accumulate magic power—by swallowing a monster’s core. And magic books were of no use to Ulan.

“Is it an impossible wish?”

“Ah, no. That much is possible.”

Diplyn shook her head.

“But are you really satisfied with this? Really? Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

“That’s enough.”

“Sigh, alright. Then starting today, I’ll inform the guards to allow you to move around dressed like this.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Ulan slightly bowed his head.

Meanwhile, Diplyn sighed.

As if things hadn’t gone as planned.

4.

Creak! Thud!

With the sound of the door closing.

Ulan left the Dean’s Office.

The sound of his footsteps gradually faded. Once they completely disappeared, Diplyn slumped onto her desk.

“Ugh, he didn’t bite.”

With a pout, Diplyn’s lips protruded.

Originally, her plan was this.

First, use the wish as a pretext to find out what Ulan desired. Whether it was an object, a person, or knowledge, it didn’t matter.

Then, get ahead and obtain it, using it as bait to coerce cooperation in various research endeavors…

“I must have made him wary.”

Who would have thought he’d make such a wish?

Diplyn frowned.

Not only that.

Unlike during the exam yesterday, today Ulan showed no trace of magic power. Even the two mana vessels in his small intestine had completely vanished.

“He must be hiding it on purpose.”

There’s only one reason.

He’s wary of Diplyn. While it might seem like a loss to have only heightened his caution, it’s not a total loss.

She realized that Ulan was hiding more than just his mana vessels.

‘He’s hiding his true strength.’

To deceive Diplyn, a High Mage, by erasing all traces of magic power and even concealing his mana vessels so perfectly.

This wouldn’t be possible unless he possessed exceptional skill. Unless, of course, he destroyed his mana vessels himself.

‘And the result of 100 magic power in the magic measurement was also intentionally manipulated.’

100 magic power is the minimum requirement to be called a mage. Adjusting the measurement to exactly 100 is impossible without intent.

‘To summarize…’

Ulan is wary of Diplyn.

And his magical skills are outstanding enough to perfectly hide the mana vessels in his small intestine.

Lastly, for some reason, he’s deliberately hiding his strength. The exact 100 magic power measurement is evidence.

This was the conclusion.

“The more I see, the more interesting he becomes.”

A smile crept up her lips.

She wanted to take him to the laboratory immediately and examine him thoroughly. From head to toe.

But she couldn’t.

“Too many eyes are on him now.”

Currently, Ulan is a noticeable presence.

He’s the top scorer in the entrance exam.

Moreover, two professors from the Military Department are eyeing him, and Berge Erkazhan, who could be considered Arsen’s second-in-command, is also watching Ulan.

In such a situation, hasty actions would bring more losses than gains, as Diplyn well knew.

“Well, this should suffice for now.”

So, she decided to take it slow.

Ulan is a new student.

He has four years until graduation. There must be a way to bring him to the laboratory within that time.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Diplyn’s eyes lit up like candles. The eyes of a mage, filled with curiosity and a thirst for research.

Chapter 8. Let’s Get Along

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