Chapter 82

As he entered the depths of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, he was greeted by the familiar old walls.

Even if it was hidden, his sharp senses could make out the signs of war.

Marks, faint traces of blood, and even the remaining signs of suffering ghosts. The war clearly hadn't stopped at the graveyard above.

But it didn't matter to him; instead, he headed directly towards the Mission Zone, completing the mission he had accepted.

One thing that was clear: there were far fewer acolytes around the academy.

The population had really thinned out.

Even the people manning the mission area had changed and most likely died.

On the other hand, the amount of missions didn't lessen; they even paid more than before.

He wished they had paid as much as before, though he abused the system enough by basically being overleveled, having completed hundreds of these missions.

Just as he was leaving the mission area, he felt a familiar presence instantly recognizing it: "Harry!"

"Nyssa! You are still alive." Harry smiled as he reconized that swollen and veiled figure. If her stench bothered him, he didn't show it.

"You actually still remember me!" Her voice had a tinge of excitement. Even with her low level of talent, and it being a whole year earlier than in the original story, Nyssa had already reached the level of a Rank 2 acolyte.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" He asked confused before adding, "I have been looking for a solution to your problem after all. Like I promised."

"Did you find anything?" She asked with a small hint of hope in her voice.

Harry looked at her for a moment, considering his options, before replying, "I found something. How about you visit me in my room tonight, and I will share what I found?"

"Can Guricha and Dodoria come too?" She asked, not even thinking that he was planning to do something strange to her. After all, she was hideous.

"They are still alive?" Harry asked with surprise.

This was unexpected.

The two of them died originally during the war in the academy and never mattered to the story again.

"Yes barely. We came very close to dying quite often." Nyssa sighed, as she had a remscinding look on her face. "After you notified us about what was happening at the start of the war, we tried to leave the academy, but it was far too late, and the academy had been put under lockdown. And then the war truly started."

"I see. Sorry that I couldn't warn you earlier. I sent my message as soon as I got the confirmation from my professor." Harry shook his head. Well, he could have sent it earlier, but it would have looked strange for him to have this information: "Did anyone else from the Chernobyl Isles survive?"

"No, Beirut and the others all perished during the war. The lower-level Acolytes were all only in supportive roles, while higher-ranked ones had to actually fight. So we were actually quite lucky not to be very talented. But if it had gone on, we would have been pushed onto the frontlines too. You can see that there are not a lot of acolytes around anymore." Nyssa answered.

No wonder she had originally survived the war. While the modifications to her body increased her survivability. It was still nothing in front of Official Magi.

On a battlefield between Magi, Acolytes were nothing more than Cannon Fodder. Food for the Meat Grinder.

"I still have something to do, Nyssa. Visit me later and bring Guricha and Dodoria too." Harry said as he took his leave.

———

After the mission area, he stopped by Krofts Laboratory to meet with his professor.

There he also met his senior Merlin, who had also survived the war since he was one of the people in the academy that also received special protection privileges for his status as a Genius.

Like Harry, he had been absent for the majority of the war but had been called back now.

Harry decided to schedule a meeting with Merlin tomorrow too, on the pretense to catch up and exchange some of their new insights on Potioneering.

Unlike Harry, who had the assistance of the AI chip, Merlin was a genuine genius.

Harry often before the war exchanged information and especially ideas with his senior in order to collect more data.

So it wasn't strange for him to meet with Merlin.

His meeting with Professor Kroft had been far less productive. All the information he receives was something Harry had already.

Be it the common but flawed method of becoming a magus in the South Coast, through Grine Water, or the fact that one could receive Grine Water and Rank 1 spell models through the upcoming event, or even the existence of advanced meditation techniques.

Information he already possessed, but had to pretend he didn't so he could act on his plan.

There are three reasons why he had come to the academy one last time: recruitment of some potential that he didn't want to waste, an incomplete advanced meditation technique, and the final event of the war.

The Advanced Meditation Technique was in the possession of Professor Dorotte, the Skelton that had brought them to the Academy from Chernobyl Isles.

One of the rare few Magi that had actually discovered an advanced meditation technique on his own and used it to advance and didn't need to sign a contract with one of the higher powers.

Dorotte was actually one of the freest professors in the academy, not affiliated with any of the major backers but here out of his own free will.

After all, an organization like the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had more access to resources and knowledge.

And that Skeleton had not only a full advanced meditation technique but even an additional partial one.

Beyond reference purposes, Harry's interest in the full one was limited; after all, it had the nasty side effect of turning the user into a skeleton.

He also concluded it was only a Rank 1 meditation technique, or Dorotte would have joined a higher-ranked organization with his potential.

The partially completed technique was actually more interesting to Harry.

After all, it was quite unique in nature, and you could describe it as a different class specialization, like becoming a Warlock.

While the Warlock was still very close to the classical Magus, the technique in Dorotte's Possession allowed one to become a Branded Knight.

From what Harry knew, it was actually based on knight training methods rather than meditation techniques.

For that technique, he had in fact bought quite a few different Knight Slaves on his way to Extreme Night City to study and examine.

His data collection on Knight Training Techniques is quite extensive. It also had helped a lot that Viscount Jackson not just possessed one Grand Knight Training Method but two and a few Knight ones too.

But to get his hands on the information about branded knights, he needed to use Kroft.

Magi were that petty. They simply look down on Acolytes and don't really trade with them. An Magi only traded with a Magi.

Harry was certain he could actually rip that information out of Dorotte's head, but his experiments on his prisoners until now had confirmed that a magus would notice the intrusion.

And he really wanted to participate in the final event of the war.

A battle inside a secret plane between the acolytes of all three academies involved in this war was an opportunity too good to pass.

After all, Harry knew from the original story that while the Abyssal Bone Forest could only send their remaining acolytes into the battle, the other two factions would send their elites.

Since the war happened at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and the other party consisted of two Academies, which made them stronger, they never had to send out many of their acolytes into battle.

Their Elite was still alive and healthy.

What a devious plan to send their strong Rank 3 Acolytes to finish the remaining ones of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

A plan that they felt really saved on, a huge death trap for Abyssal Bone Forests Acolyte.

But Harry had a completely different view on the matter. For him, it was an all you can eat buffet.

It wasn't the remains of his academy trapped with the elite of the other two Academies to slaugther them.

No.

It was four hundred defenseless Acolytes trapped in there with him until the time limit was over.

These secret plans worked on specific rules, and if there is a time limit, then it couldn't be broken. Sure, with enough strength, it could be broken, but not by Rank 2 or 3 Magi.

They would trap hundreds of elite Acolytes from other academies in there with him, many already ranked 3.

Each possessing the secrets of other academies and their professors, or even the backers of their respective academies.

And their minds were all open to Harry, and he could do whatever he wanted.

But first he had a few meetings to complete and a small shopping tour. There are still quite a few contribution points he could spend; soon he couldn't use them any longer.

So why not now, when everything was so cheap to improve the strength of the acolytes from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy?

He was eager for the upcoming slaughter.

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