How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game

A beloved home.

Karl let those words linger in his mind for a moment.

Could that grand mage have been just like him—someone who ended up trapped in the body of a game character?

If so, did he actually reach the end of this damned world and make it back to Earth?

There was no way to know.

"I don’t remember anything else. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help."

"No, it’s fine. You’ve already helped me plenty."

With that, their conversation about the grand mage’s memories came to a close. Karl then asked the question that really mattered—how to activate the Fragment of Dimension.

"Activate it? As you can see, and I’m sure you already know, that’s not a complete artifact. It’s just a piece."

Fluren looked down at the fragment.

"My guess is, if you gather the rest of the pieces, it’ll activate on its own. Hmm... based on my research, I’d say the complete artifact is made of about four, maybe five pieces..."

Four pieces. That was correct.

Basically, unless Karl collected all the remaining pieces, he couldn’t do anything with it.

Finally, Karl brought up the most important request.

"I know it’s shameless of me to ask, but... would you let me have this? I need it, no matter what."

No matter how much someone owed you, no mage would hand over something they’d spent ten years researching just like that.

But surprisingly, Fluren nodded without hesitation.

"Why wouldn’t I? I owe you more than I can ever repay. If I refused, I’d be the one without shame."

"But still, you’ve put so much time into studying it..."

"Haha! I spent half a year like a damn vegetable because of that thing. Honestly, I’m too scared to keep it near me anymore."

There was a faint trace of regret in Fluren’s eyes.

"I’ve done wrong by my disciples too. I got so wrapped up in pointless research, ignoring my responsibilities, running the school into the ground. I’ve always believed that the essence of a mage was endless pursuit of knowledge, but as the head of a school... I was a failure. One stayed by my side till the end, but the rest left me, and I can’t even blame them."

Come to think of it, he had been called the last head of a fallen school.

Karl quietly listened to his regretful sighs before asking,

"So, what will you do now?"

"...I don’t know. I just came back to my senses. It’s not like I have any plans yet."

Fluren glanced toward the door.

"But one thing’s for sure, I won’t let Barrett rot away in some shop like this. She’s too talented for that. I’ll find a way..."

"Then let me make a suggestion."

Karl’s next words made Fluren’s eyes go wide.

"You’re suggesting... we join Altius?"

"Yes. At the very least, your disciple’s talent won’t go to waste there."

"Hmm... but Altius..."

"There’s a man named Seindal at the main branch. Go to him and mention my name. Getting in as a probationary member shouldn’t be hard."

Barrett was already near the end of the 2-circle stage.

Considering her age, that was quite impressive.

She didn’t even need to apply as a full member—being a probationary member was more than within her reach, and Karl could recommend it without hesitation.

As for Fluren, even though he’d lost his circles due to the treatment, his fundamental insights and magical knowledge were intact.

It wouldn’t take him long to recover his abilities, so there was no problem there.

Of course, Karl wasn’t offering this purely out of kindness.

Fluren had studied the Fragment of Dimension for years.

There might come a time when Karl needed his expertise again, and keeping him somewhere within reach wasn’t a bad idea.

Fluren looked dazed by Karl’s confident proposal.

"I’ve been no help at all, and yet you keep doing me favors."

"Please don’t say that. You’ve already done more than enough."

"I should ask Barrett first. I don’t have a reason to say no, but what matters most is what she wants."

When they stepped outside, Barrett was waiting nearby.

After Fluren explained what they had discussed, her eyes widened.

"...Join Altius?"

Her reaction wasn’t just about liking or disliking the idea—her expression was complicated.

Fluren gave her a wry smile.

He understood. Though it was all in the past, he had once been the head of a school, and now he was talking about joining another as just a member.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what she must be thinking.

"My dear, I don’t mind. Don’t let that bother you."

"But..."

"If you truly care about your master, then grow stronger. Do your best, and who knows? One day, you might be the one to rebuild our fallen school."

Eventually, Barrett accepted Karl’s offer.

With that, everything Karl had come here for was done.

After receiving their heartfelt thanks, Karl prepared to leave.

"I’ve been given more help here in Herlando than I deserve. Thank you for everything."

"No, please. If you ever need us again, come visit our branch anytime."

Karl also said goodbye to Scarlett, who had ended up spending more time with him than expected.

"May I ask where your next destination is?"

Karl just shrugged.

He didn’t know where the other fragments were, so he didn’t have a specific path.

And then—

[Fragment of Dimension in possession: (1/4)]

[Sufficient clues obtained from 'Fluren Acid.']

[Main Story is now connected.]

[The second Fragment of Dimension is in the possession of 'Bashon Hexer.']

"..."

Karl blinked, surprised by the notification.

He didn’t expect the system to kindly point out his next target.

Last time, it said something about a new main story branch, but was it going to keep guiding him like this until he found all the fragments?

'Yeah right, kindly my ass. All I get is a name again. How the hell am I supposed to find them?'

Karl scratched his head, but suddenly froze.

The name felt familiar somehow.

'Hexer? I’ve definitely heard that surname before... Ah!'

A memory clicked, and he gasped silently.

On this continent, there’s something that stands in contrast to magic schools—the martial sects, or "Mupa."

Mupa: groups focused solely on honing physical combat skills.

The difference is, these sects are way more isolated from the rest of the world compared to mage schools.

Most of them are hidden deep in mountain ranges, far from civilization.

Even so, a few Mupa are so renowned that their names are widely known—and one of those is "Sky Sword Castle."

'I think the heads of Sky Sword Castle have always carried the Hexer name...'

If he wasn’t sure, he could just ask someone who’d know.

"Who’s the current head of Sky Sword Castle?"

Karl turned to Scarlett.

She tilted her head slightly, then answered.

"Bashon Hexer. Why do you ask?"

"......!!"

So his next target was the current lord of Sky Sword Castle.

'...This is gonna be a pain in the ass.'

Finding Sky Sword Castle wasn’t the problem, but how the hell was he supposed to meet someone that high up?

"Guess the hard part starts now."

"...Sorry?"

"Nothing."

Whatever it took, there was no choice but to try.

Even if the next step was meeting an emperor instead of a Mupa lord.

Because this was the only known path back to Earth.

"Looks like I’ve found my next destination."

* * *

Altius Main Branch

The grand assembly hall atop the central tower, usually silent and empty, was unusually packed with people today.

And not just anyone.

Seated throughout the hall were the Elders of the Altius Council, heads of various departments, and at the highest seat, the Vice Dean, Amel Howard, skimming through agenda documents.

Most of the key decision-makers for the school’s major affairs were here.

"The Dean’s been rather scarce lately, hasn’t he?"

Seindal turned his head at the voice behind him.

A middle-aged man with a distinguished beard approached leisurely and took a seat beside him.

It was Deugle, the Head of Intelligence.

Seindal chuckled.

"You, of all people, have no right to say that. Your attendance rate at these meetings is the lowest of anyone. I take it the sun rose in the west today?"

"Haha! Touché. I’ve got no excuse."

The two had been close since their days as regular members, with Seindal having been Deugle’s direct senior, so their camaraderie ran deep.

As they chatted casually before the meeting began, Deugle suddenly leaned in, a glint in his eyes.

"By the way, that young man said to be Jeron’s disciple... Karl, was it?"

"Yes, that’s right. You know of him?"

"Would I be the Head of Intelligence if I didn’t? Especially about someone as exceptional as him."

Deugle stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"There’s quite a buzz about him outside. It might be exaggerated, but I’ve even heard he’s reached 5-circle already. Either way, he’s definitely impressive. I’m keeping a close eye on him."

"Mhm."

Seems he’s doing well.

Seindal nodded with a pleased expression, but Deugle quickly doused the mood with cold water.

"Ah, but that’s not why I brought him up. There’s something troubling that’s come up recently."

"...?"

"It’s not confirmed yet, but it seems Aranhel might be digging into his background."

The sudden mention of that dangerous name made Seindal’s expression darken.

"Why would Aranhel be after that boy?"

"We’ll need to dig deeper to know for sure, but it looks like he’s gotten tangled up with them somehow. He’s a complicated one, always on the move... In any case, protecting our members is part of the Intelligence Department’s job too. I’ll be bringing this up as an agenda item soon, so no need to worry for now."

At that moment, a loud cough echoed from the front.

Vice Dean Amel Howard surveyed the gathered members and spoke.

"Let’s begin the general assembly."

The meeting proceeded with discussions over smaller issues first.

But everyone knew that the real reason they were all here was the final, major item on the agenda.

"A while back, an adventurer sold us some information. He claims to have discovered a large mana stone mine in the Blade Mountains. We sent a few of our people to verify it, and it checks out."

A few gasps spread through the room.

Mana stones—essential resources for crafting magic items.

A mine rich in naturally occurring mana stones was worth more than anyone could imagine.

And the Blade Mountains didn’t belong to any nation.

In other words, whoever found it first owned it.

Of course, ownership meant nothing if you couldn’t protect it, but that didn’t apply to a group like Altius.

There was only one problem.

"But the Blade Mountains... isn’t that where Sky Sword Castle is located?"

A few who already knew the details nodded grimly.

"Exactly. That’s the issue. The mine’s location is... complicated."

"Are you saying Sky Sword Castle is claiming ownership?"

The Vice Dean shook his head.

"It’s not about ownership—it’s about the distribution route. As you all know, the Blade Mountains are the most treacherous range on the continent. Apart from a few ancient paths, it’s nearly impossible to traverse."

"......"

"And wouldn’t you know it, one of those paths to the mine runs right through Sky Sword Castle’s territory. You can see where this becomes a problem."

Sky Sword Castle.

One of the five great martial sects on the continent.

Technically, the Blade Mountains belonged to no one, but by power and longstanding presence, that region was essentially theirs.

No matter how powerful Altius was, distributing mana stones from the mine without dealing with them was impossible.

"So we sent an envoy to negotiate. We made it clear we weren’t disputing ownership or trying to claim a share... but they came back with a different request."

"What kind of request...?"

The Vice Dean let out a dry laugh.

"A sparring match between disciples."

"...?!"

"The location will be Sky Sword Castle. Each side will send twenty members for a friendly duel. The lord of Sky Sword Castle proposed it himself. Regardless of the outcome, as long as we agree to their terms, they’ll allow us to use the route freely."

It was such an absurd proposal that everyone’s expressions turned strange.

"Heh, typical of those martial sect types... But that’s really all?"

The Vice Dean nodded, and the Head of the Magic Division cautiously spoke.

"Could it be that Sky Sword Castle is trying to change its stance? Maybe they’re aiming for fame, hoping to boast that they defeated Altius?"

Some martial sects had already abandoned their isolationist ways, stepping into the world to expand their influence.

If Sky Sword Castle had similar ambitions, this proposal made a certain amount of sense.

"Still, would they really give up such a valuable mine over that?"

"It’s not like they have the means to sell mana stones in bulk. And they probably didn’t want to clash with us over ownership either. Maybe they thought this was a better way to get something out of it."

After some murmuring, the Vice Dean spoke again.

"Whatever their intent, there’s no reason for us to refuse. Do we all agree?"

The Elders and department heads nodded in unison.

If all they had to do was entertain a spar, and they could monopolize the mine—why say no?

"Regardless of what they say, we must win this duel."

"Of course. The Magic Division Head was right—there might be ulterior motives."

After more discussion, they agreed to accept the proposal.

"Now we just need to choose twenty participants for the duel."

"Is there an age limit?"

"They specified young mages under thirty. It’s meant to be a friendly ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) duel among disciples. Elder Hurst, your granddaughter should participate, shouldn’t she?"

Hurst nodded without hesitation.

His granddaughter and disciple, Sharon Rachel, had already reached 4-circle and was rapidly advancing toward 5-circle.

No one in the school would argue she was one of their top geniuses.

"And Grambell, your disciple should join as well."

"Of course."

Grambell, the stern-faced head of the Combat Division, nodded.

His disciple, Remic, had also reached 4-circle at twenty, just like Sharon.

And since he specialized in combat, he was perfect for this duel.

After naming a few more, they decided to select the rest from eligible members of the Combat Division.

"A shame. It would’ve been good if Jeron’s disciple could participate in something like this."

Deugle whispered to Seindal.

He knew all too well that Sharon had once been utterly defeated by Karl.

Seindal gave a small nod, feeling the same disappointment.

"Then this general assembly is concluded. Once we finalize the participants, we’ll hold a brief meeting to determine the full delegation to Sky Sword Castle."