A few days later.
Eluard was now tinkering with his magic transmutation by flipping off the switches on three different elements, fire, water, and earth.
"This is more fun than what I have expected it to be."
Although the experimentations wore out his body, the results always elated him to a great degree.
Unfortunately, his fun came to an abrupt end.
[ Special Task: Shopping Spree ]
[ You have recently received a bountiful award but you have yet to utilize it properly. Based on the system's observations, the host is in dire need of attending to responsibilities when it comes to the logistics of the academy. You are not here to only cultivate for yourself. You should be attending to the student's sustenance as well. ]
[ Requirement: Purchase several high-quality magical goods on a marketplace and bring them back to the academy. ]
[ Additional Requirement: Trade your harvests with the merchants/shopkeepers and conduct a profitable deal. ]
[ Optional Requirement: Establish a deep relationship with one of the shopkeepers/merchants in Aludia. ]
[ Rewards: Random Equipment x 1 (Rare) ]
[ Additional Rewards (on completion of optional requirement): Random Equipment x 1 (Epic) ]
Eluard slumped to his seat, rolling his eyes on how stupid his system sounded like sometimes.
"Shouldn't you have given this sort of task a little earlier instead? Why bother administering it out now?"
"Also, what's with this very ambiguous requirement? How would I know if what I purchased is a high-quality material?"
[ Experience is needed to answer your questions rather than this system providing it to the host. ]
[ Also, your accumulated experience in communicating with the natives should now be put to test. ]
[ Lastly, you should bring it to a habit of utilizing your harvest from hunting the demon beasts than letting them stay useless in your inventory. ]
Now that the system told him of this, Eluard realized that the resources of the academy were unsettling for a prestigious academy.
He couldn't only just hand out magic crystals to the students now and then, could he?
There should also be some other materials or items like staves, pendants, or other things useful for the student's magical cultivation journey.
After all, the 'sects' and 'academies' from the novels he read on back on Earth, even the schools he went into while he was a student, provided them with things that they needed for them to develop.
"There's that thing with the pill concoction, and the ingredients the alchemists would require to create the pills…"
He was referring to the raw materials that were used during pill concoction.
Eluard wanted to kick his head for not thinking of these things earlier. It shouldn't have resulted in the system giving him a special task just so that he would be reminded of these responsibilities.
"Maybe I was too focused on enhancing my power that I forgot that I am an academy master who looks out after everything in the Heavenly Magic Academy."
Eluard thought that it might be because there were only a few people here in the academy. If it was the other way around, he might've sensed the irresponsibility he had committed.
He couldn't be blamed for it either. The poor academy master was inexperienced in taking jobs in his past life, much worse when he was put in a very critical position that handled almost everything of a big academy.
Eluard just recently graduated before transmigrating. His mindset heavily leaned on being a student and it wasn't going to change any sooner. Not until the system's new task prompted him to do otherwise.
He was about to go out when he realized another problem.
"System, don't tell me I have to go out with my real appearance in front of the public?"
[ As long as you are careful with your approach, your real appearance will never matter in the public. ]
Eluard nodded his head in understanding, "Now, to which place should I go this time?"
Going into huge cities would quickly gather suspicions from the small and big factions alike. It wasn't like he was going to be overlooked all the time. Rather, he wanted to delay this from happening as long as possible.
'Then at the border villages of the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary I should go then.', Eluard decided.
The Morning Star Empire was a tight spot to go in these days.
Also, the Norva Assili was rather barbaric in their ways, and talking with them without sufficient strength to back his words would prove fatal for Eluard.
On the other hand, the elves were amiable at the very least. Moreover, he already presented himself recently in the elven territory. Taking a stroll in the backyard of a possible ally would allow him to grasp some knowledge of their culture and society.
That way, he could amend his plans suitable for establishing a cooperation with the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
As for the rest of Aludia, they could wait. It wasn't good to move around and possibly alert the Otherworld in the process. The demonic creatures and other hidden enemies might be slyer than Eluard would expect them to be.
…
At the edge of the Leeveria Forest, on a large road.
A merchant caravan was being held by a group of fierce-looking bandits. Strangely, the bandits' eyes were all red as if they haven't slept for a very long time.
On the center of the parade was a luxurious-looking carriage surrounded by five armored men. Inside it was four people with different expressions on their faces.
"Papa, uncle Greywolf will defeat those bad people outside, right?", a little girl hugged a fat man in fear.
Her father gently stroked her hair, "Yes, my dear Lila. Uncle Greywolf will take care of them."
The two people on the other side, one man and one woman, scoffed at this view, "Sir Aurpiel, if you would like us to deal with them…", suggested the man with a sinister-like voice but was stopped by Aurpiel, the little girl's father.
"No need. I don't want the public and my enemies to know of you two for now.", Aurpiel replied. Furthermore, having these two powerful people fight the bandits outside would be considered overkill.
The caravan was protected by armored guards. However, the burly man leading them had his eyes wrinkled in distress.
"Captain, what now? Why are we not attacking them yet?!", shouted one of the guards. These scrubs were only at the level of a tier 2 apprentice knight but their captain seemed hesitant to make a move.
'It's not that I don't want to attack them! We can't fight them!', the captain cursed in his mind.
As a tier 5 anointed knight, he could feel the pressure from these red-eyed bandits. They growled like a demon beast and salivated from their mouths.
He slowly advanced towards them and launched a short-distance attack. His target only smirked and took it head-on. The bandit's left hand was cut off his body but he remained standing still and cackled like a madman.
Small tendrils suddenly emerged from the wound of his detached hand and extended to his left shoulder. It reattached itself and the bandit acted as if nothing had happened.
The captain and his subordinates widened their eyes at this impossibility.
"You cannot dare to compare to us, elf! Surrender now and we might consider sparing your puny lives!", the leader of the bandits announced.
His voice was hoarse and low.
Just as the two groups were about to clash, a jolly and light-hearted voice resounded from the trees on the sides.
"How about you bandits surrender yourselves and I might consider sparing your lives on the process?"
Everyone, even the people inside the caravan, looked towards the source of the voice.
A handsome young human sat atop a tree branch without a care in the world. He was wearing some ragged mage clothes while playing with a stone he picked up somewhere on his right hand.
His hair that reached to his eyebrows fluttered every time he hurled the stone up in the air. It was Eluard on his normal appearance as a human.
"Another idiot thinking he's the savior of the world.", the bandit leader mocked Eluard.
"Well…", Eluard scratched his cheek, "Technically I am…"
He shook his head and smiled, "Since you don't want to surrender, you won't get to live the day it would happen…"
Everyone was shocked by Eluard's prideful reply. This human considered himself as the savior of Aludia, a very daring statement in the eyes of its inhabitants.
The leader of the bandits laughed at Eluard, "Look at this human! You talk big, I'm going to-!"
Before he could finish his words, water gushed out below his feet, launching him high up into the air. Right as he thought he would start to fall, the atmosphere suddenly turned very hot.
He looked down and saw a dragon's head made of flames charging through him at great speed. His skin started to burn into ashes but he ignored it and mocked Eluard again.
"Human, you think this can..."
The bandit leader realized that the regenerative skill wasn't working on his body, 'What's this? Don't tell me that bastard imbued divinity on his spells?! Impossible!'
He could only curse silently as the dragon opened its mouth and chomped him on one bite.
"What? No-!"
His cries of pain were overshadowed by the loud roaring of the flame dragon. The bandits, who felt high and mighty earlier, ran in all directions and scattered in fear.
"Boss didn't survive! The regenerative skill isn't working against this man! Run!", shouted a bandit who was already meters away from the caravan.
When they thought they were safe from Eluard's clutches, the ground in front of them trembled before falling into a pit trap with sharp earthen spikes that were waiting to puncture their fragile bodies to death.
This unusual and overpowered display of skill petrified the guards and the people inside the carriages.
'Na-nameless spell casting, and elemental spell shift! His spells even disrupt the demonic regeneration of those demonized bandits! Who is this person? An archmage at such a young age?!', the man on the center of the caravan beside Aurpiel shouted with great reverence on Eluard.
He was keeping himself from running to the human and asking if he could receive guidance onto the path of magic.
However, Eluard's next words almost made them go crazy.
"Hey, old man! I see that you're a traveling merchant caravan. You want to buy some demon beast materials from me?"
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