In this lifetime, close combat really has been the death of me.
Gapar stayed silent for a long while. In the end, he shook his head and sighed.
Honestly, he was grateful for every reward he got from the dungeon. The Carian Greatsword and Gavel of Haima did count as magic, and they did match his goal.
When using the Carian Greatsword, the feeling of condensing magic into a blade was wonderful. It matched his image of how a mage should fight, and in a way it fulfilled part of his dream.
They were also very practical—fast to cast, no chanting required. In the middle of battle, suddenly sweeping out a giant greatsword felt pretty awesome. As for the Gavel of Haima, although he hadn't tried it yet, judging from what he had just seen, smashing a troll to death in one hit wouldn't be a problem.
Anyone else would treasure rewards like these.
But unfortunately, what Gapar really wanted were spells like Firestorm or Frost Summoning—magic that could control the entire battlefield while standing safely in the rear.
Melee magic was nowhere near what he wanted.
"Being this picky… I'm starting to dislike myself," he laughed self-mockingly.
Even if it didn't match his expectations, the Dungeon had at least let him truly experience using magic, and for that, he was still grateful.
Ah, if only he could get a spell that wasn't melee. He'd instantly become the dungeon's biggest fan and praise it everywhere.
With his tastes, he'd probably love spells like Elden Stars or Founding Rain of Stars.
The communications hub was in the second hall he had encountered. He didn't know how many unexplored areas remained, but judging from the puzzle elements and branching paths he had ignored, the explorable area was probably huge—no smaller than Farron Keep.
Gapar decided not to continue exploring. The priority was finishing the Sorting Hat's event and seeing whether that so-called mentor could really be summoned.
If not, how was he supposed to learn magic? Would the Sorting Hat help?
He suddenly wondered—if he broke the Sorting Hat's worldview, would it trigger some hidden storyline?
Nah… that sounded like a good way to get himself killed.
On the way back, new mage enemies appeared. Watching their Glintstone Pebbles made him jealous. At least that was a ranged spell, and its sound-and-light effects had a unique beauty.
He hadn't had the chance to try the Gavel of Haima yet. Without a staff—the usual casting medium—he tried grabbing a mage's staff, but discovered he couldn't use it.
When mages died, their weapons and gear turned to ash, and only one random item dropped as a glowing point of light. It seemed the dungeon didn't want adventurers grabbing monster weapons directly—probably to avoid chaos.
After all, plenty of adventurers were eyeing the Crucible Knight's greatsword.
[You're back. How was the communications hub? Did you finish the task?]
"It really was low on energy. I replaced the power source."
[Excellent. Gryffindor gains one point.]
"What?"
[Nothing. Gryffindor classroom, famous for courage. Your mentor Gandalf is a professor there, so you're a Gryffindor student too. I'm giving you a point in advance. That classroom always loses points for various reasons—raising one before you even join will make you popular.]
The Sorting Hat seemed extremely familiar with everything here and talked endlessly.
[Actually, I think Gandalf fits Ravenclaw better, but he refuses to change. Winterhold and the Clock Tower would be nice too.]
Gapar listened quietly. This was a good chance to learn more about the world.
The hat sounded excited, as if it hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time. Being able to chat with a "student" again—about its beloved magic academy—made it very happy.
A faint sadness rose in Gapar's heart. The hat didn't know the academy and its mentors were long gone, still immersed in past glory.
In a way, knowing less was a kind of happiness.
Knowing too much might mean hearing the call of some deep-sea octopus.
[I've talked too much. Back to business—I'll contact Gandalf now.]
[Doo-ru-lu—]
The Sorting Hat tried again and again, sending messages to who-knows-where, but there was no response.
Gradually, it grew impatient.
[Damn it, what's that old man doing? Experimenting again? A new student arrived and he won't come pick him up?]
He probably can't come… Gapar didn't dare say it, afraid of breaking the hat's worldview.
"How about I walk around first? There's no rush," he suggested.
[You don't understand. When mentors start experiments, they can be busy for years. If you waste years waiting here, won't that ruin you?]
The Sorting Hat not only made excuses for the mentors' disappearance—it genuinely worried about Gapar.
Don't worry. In a few hours I'll be kicked out of the dungeon anyway, he thought. Next time I come back, you won't even remember me.
Pretending to be anxious, Gapar asked, "So what should I do?"
[I have an idea. Study by yourself first.]
The Sorting Hat twisted its body.
[Here, stick your hand into my belly and rummage around.]
Gapar hesitated. As he searched inside, the hat made strange moaning noises, making his expression even more awkward.
Finally, with a satisfied sound from the hat, he pulled his hand out.
A business-card-like object covered in white star patterns appeared in his hand.
[This is your student ID. It can connect to Magical Radiance.]
[Long ago, the Full Moon Queen, Logan, King Solomon, and other great masters created unstable light clusters containing their life's knowledge. That is Magical Radiance, linked to every mentor.]
[Pour magic into it, and the Radiance will transmit your mentor's magical knowledge through your ID. That's how you self-study.]
Gapar nodded. Who would've thought something so plain was so important?
But then another question came—how could it be so easy to obtain a mentor's knowledge?
[However, Magical Radiance only teaches one spell at a time.]
As expected.
[Each spell is a star. As you use and comprehend it, the star gains color. Only when it's fully filled can you learn another.]
That sounded reasonable.
He was about to pour in his limited magic when the hat stopped him.
[Under Magical Radiance, you can immediately use the spell, and your learning speed increases—but there's a condition.]
[If you leave the academy and go somewhere without Radiance, unfinished stars will lose their color. Your understanding and memory of the spell will vanish, and you may even be unable to cast it.]
[Filled stars won't disappear. So I suggest you ignore outside matters and focus on mastering your current spell.]
"…What?"
Gapar froze. Then he understood.
If he left the Dungeon—no, if he left Raya Lucaria Academy—any unfinished spell would vanish.
Meaning, if he wanted magic, he would have to spend a lot of time here.
"How long does it take to learn one spell?" he asked.
[Depends on talent. With Radiance, maybe three or four weeks.]
Three or four weeks?!
He almost collapsed. He couldn't even stay in the dungeon for three or four days—at most twenty hours.
It was impossible to learn magic.
Unless the dungeon suddenly became permanently open, no one could exploit Magical Radiance.
"Tch." Hope was right in front of him, yet impossibly far.
[Alright, inject magic. Gandalf's spell will surprise you.]
Gapar smiled helplessly and poured magic in.
Even if he could only use magic inside the dungeon, at least he could use it.
Suddenly, an image appeared.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky. Below, countless hideous monsters covered the land.
Then a brilliant light pierced the clouds. Under sunlight-like radiance, demonic energy was wiped away, monsters scattering in fear.
In the distance, a gray-robed mage raised his staff.
It was Gandalf.
More vivid than his portrait, his deep eyes were full of wisdom.
Their gazes met, and a spell appeared in Gapar's mind.
[Solar Flare]
Oh—the flash that scattered monsters… wait, Solar Flare?
Flare!?
Gapar stiffly turned to the Sorting Hat.
[Well? What did you learn?]
"Solar Flare…"
[Ah, an excellent spell. Gandalf fused illumination with other mages' techniques. No staff needed—it blinds enemies. You got something good.]
Good news: Solar Flare isn't melee magic.
Bad news: It deals no damage… only temporary blindness.
[Originally it required "ki," but genius Gandalf modified it to use mana instead, at reduced power.]
Gapar raised his hands to his forehead like he remembered from somewhere.
[Wait—what are you doing? Stop!]
"SOLAR FLARE!"
Blinding light exploded across the classroom.
[Ah! My eyes!]
When the light faded, Gapar stood there with his eyes shut, tears forming.
Damn it—he forgot to close his eyes.
His body wobbled; he had overused his mana.
Solar Flare cost more mana than the Carian Greatsword.
"My eyes… it hurts…"
He had just wanted to test the spell—and blinded himself.
[You idiot! I'm angry now. Go wander outside by yourself!]
After that, the hat ignored him. He apologized and left.
His vision was still blurry as he took a right corridor into another maze.
The star on his student ID showed no change. How do you fill it? Just spam spells?
No—you had to truly comprehend them.
The area's magic density was high; his mana quickly refilled.
He cast Solar Flare on a mage enemy—this time with his eyes closed.
Perfect. Their accuracy plummeted.
Watching blinded mages panic, Gapar grinned.
Magic was so fun.
He wandered the corridors tossing flashbangs at unlucky enemies, enjoying himself.
Gapar was playful by nature; he just acted mature in public. Alone, he let loose.
Eventually he realized—he had walked outside?
He left the halls and entered a courtyard at the building's center.
Ahead floated a magical seal.
Below it stood a knight in ornate armor.
[Moongrum, Carian Knight]
No need to say more—defeat him to explore the seal. The knight charged.
Before, Gapar would have met him blade-to-blade.
But times had changed.
Grandpa knows magic now!
"SOLAR FLARE!"