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The Academy's Time Looper

Athen had always lived a solitary life, as without any family or friends, he struggled to survive in his poor, forgotten hometown. The only escape from this grim reality came in the form of tales of magic told by rare visitors from the distant capital. That was, until one day, Athen discovered that magic wasn't just a dream. It was within him. With his newfound power, Athen completed a desperate heist, stealing a priceless diamond. But his triumph was short-lived when he realized the diamond was a fake. Yet... what seemed like a cruel trick turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for the fake diamond held the key to unlocking Athen’s greatest desire: the chance to truly learn magic.

avbutt · ファンタジー
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41 Chs

Above the Clouds

Taking the single bronze coin out of his pocket, Athen approached the high-top tables, glancing at the wall of liquids behind to see what kind of drinks could be made.

In the middle of the inside area, a circle of bar stools alongside a circular high-top table that surrounded the bartender could be seen.

And in the very middle of the circle, a large shelf that went all the way from the ground to the ceiling stood.

The shelf held a variety of different bottles, each one colored a different color and marked with a different name.

Back in his hometown bar, there were a maximum of three bottles, and all of them were the same light orange...not that Athen was complaining, though.

Those light-orange drinks more than sufficed for him.

Looking around, Athen spotted a couple of middle-aged men already sitting with their drinks while reading some newspaper.

Paying them no mind, Athen sat down atop one of the bar stools before placing his singular coin on the bar-top table.

While the bartender began making a drink for another customer, Athen carefully examined the bottles.

Rubbing his hands together, Athen looked at the new types of liquids, immediately making his choice.

As the bartender finished serving his drink and walked around the shelf, toward Athen, an awkward moment of silence ensued.

"..."

Confused, Athen pointed at his copper coin on the high-top table before saying.

"I'll take a mix of whatever's in that strawberry bottle, that sour tequila, and finally, a little passionfruit vodka to top it all off."

Staying completely silent, the bartender gazed at Athen for a moment before asking in a confused tone.

"How old are you, kid?"

Looking at all the other customers gulping down their drinks, Athen calmed himself before saying.

"I don't see why that matters, I'm just placing an order, aren't I?"

Sighing, the bartender pointed at a sign hanging from the ceiling, and following the bartender's gaze, Athen read the sign out loud.

"As per country laws, we will not serve ANY sort of alcohol to those under the age of 18."

"...do you see the problem, now?"

"Can't you make an exception? I'm a paying customer, aren't I?"

Within a few seconds, Athen was back wandering the lower deck, inwardly cursing while looking around for a seat.

Drinking laws, really?

Which dumbass decided to make that a law!?

Heading towards the glass doors that led outside, Athen angrily muttered.

"What happened to this being the land of the 'free' "

Pushing open the doors, Athen allowed the cold breeze to him before walking to the edge where the railing was.

At that moment, a sudden loud sound echoed from a nearby speaker that was attached to the wall.

"We will be taking off now. For the next few seconds, the ride will be somewhat bumpy, but after that, we expect to have no turbulence whatsoever."

Athen already had somewhat of an idea of what was going to happen from the position of the ship next to the open wall in the hangar, but that didn't stop him from curiously peeking over the railing.

As the ground below Athen began to shake, the ship slowly rose in the air before suddenly moving forward.

Thrown backward by the ship's abrupt movement, Athen barely clung onto the railing, watching as the ship got higher and higher in the air.

Covering his mouth desperately as the ground shook even harder, Athen scanned the outside area of the lower deck, suddenly realizing why it was completely empty.

Finally, after a couple of seconds, the ship stopped rising, causing the floor to return to normal.

After recovering for a moment, Athen looked downward, expecting to see the city; however, only a stunning expanse of pure whiteness awaited him.

Hundreds of fluffy clouds, dazzling white under the sunlight, spread out below the ship, blocking Athen's view of the city.

Not all disappointed, Athen spent a few moments simply staring at the beautiful white clouds that perfectly contrasted with the light-blue sky and pure-yellow sun.

Even if he didn't make it to the academy in the end...seeing this might have just made his journey worth it.

Yesterday, he was sleeping on a pile of trash, trapped in an endless cycle of scavenging for money, and today, he was flying above the clouds, as free as one could be.

All of it was because he took a risk.

The bigger the risk the better the reward... and Athen had just hit the jackpot.

Snapping Athen back to reality, the cold breeze once again blew against his exposed stomach, sending shivers through his entire body.

Having seen enough, for the time being, Athen was about to head back inside when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

On the opposite side of the railing stood a figure with jet-black hair cascading down to her waist and striking green and yellow eyes.

Opposite the clouds, her black hair seemed to absorb the incoming sunlight, fluttering under the occasional cold breeze.

Alone, the figure stood with her wands on the railing, not staring at the clouds below but straight ahead at the endless expanse of the light-blue sky.

In contrast to Athen, the figure wore a lavish skirt and top, both colored a pitch-black and adorned with golden-colored buttons.

However, it wasn't her star-striking beauty and fancy clothes that attracted Athen's attention.

It was her change...in personality.

Recalling the figure who had impatiently pushed Athen out of the way and overpaid to get onto the ship, Athen could hardly believe it was the same person.

The figure in front of him seemed so silent and tranquil, not impatient or angry.

Well, whatever had happened, she had paid for his flight, so he wasn't complaining.

Letting the lone black-haired figure be, Athen let go of the railing and began walking towards the doors.

However, before Athen could even reach the glass doors, a sudden voice echoed from behind him.

"So, you're going to be attending Aethelm Academy?"

Turning around, Athen simply nodded his head, prompting a disrespectful snort from the girl.

"I see they're letting anyone in nowadays. To think the number one school for mages would accept a homeless teenager with no training."

Not at all bothered by the girl's harsh tone and words, Athen struggled to keep his laughter from leaking out.

She was the only reason he was on the ship and going to the academy!

It wasn't the academy's fault he was in; it was hers!