Scam

Linfel stepped back into the bustling Mission Hall, a hub of activity for Familiars and Maguses of all ranks. As a Rank C Independent Familiar, he knew he had a two-hour wait after a new mission was posted before he could apply. 'Ah, the options are expanding. I'm still limited to Two Stars Missions, but they're no longer just menial tasks.'

Going through the list, Linfel finally found an interesting one.

-Defensive Diagram Runes test help needed. The chosen Magus or Familiar will play a crucial role in charging the runes as our company puts their resistance to the test. But remember, signing an NDA is a must. We value our secrets as much as you do.-

'NDA?' Linfel had never heard that term before. He quickly took a look in his MCOM inside his Spatial Inventory and found. 'Oh! Non-Disclosure Agreement. I can't talk about the test after I finish the job. Well, I guess it is normal. Everyone has their secrets.'

-Location: Vaxwel Researching Facility...

Linfel quickly took the task and left. At the same time, he sent Alvin a message. 'I'm going to this Vaxwel Facility to complete a task. Let me know if you need something.' And so, Linfel left the Academy for the first time without Alvin.

"Still, this is truly a stark contrast to any city from back in my time...." Linfel murmured as he made his way through the streets. The Academy was located quite close to the city center, so Linfel wasn't far from the Vaxwel Facility either. 

Linfel looked around, curious at everything he was seeing. He would stop here and there to check a few things out of curiosity before continuing. It was then that he was stopped by another Familiar when passing by one of the shops. "Hey there, friend. Why don't you come to have a taste of our company's Magic Energy Gathering Diagram?"

"Hum?" Linfel looked in the Familiar's direction. "You mean the same ones you find in the Academy?"

"Oh!" The Familiar seemed happy to hear that. "So you are a Familiar from the Magus Academy. That's even better. Are you on an errand for your master? You could take a look and then tell him later. I'm sure he would be happy to acquire one of our products."

Linfel pondered a bit. He didn't need a Magic Energy Gathering Diagram to start with. Even if there was a need for one, he could use the Floating Blades Faction's ones for free. "Hum... I already have access to them in my Faction. Besides, I'm on my way to completing an academy task of my own. I'm an independent Familiar."

The Familiar was taken aback. "Independent?! That's quite rare. And the fact you were able to join one of the Academy's Faction is proof of your ability. In that case, you should definitely check it out for yourself. We even have portable devices that you can set up anywhere. It is not like you can take the Diagram Devices in your Faction away with you, right?"

Linfel had to admit the guy was right. "Well, that's true. Perhaps it might be of some use for Alvin. But... I don't have a single Universal Credit to my name."

"That's not a problem at all!" The Familiar was even happier he fished someone. "The Magus Academy influence is huge, so Academy Credits are also accepted outside the Academy."

"Is that so?" Linfel was happily surprised. "That's nice. Universal Credits aren't accepted in the academy, so it is good to see the opposite is possible."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Familiar nodded. "Please, follow me. We have quite a few good products."

"Alright, lead the wa-" 

Yet, before Linfel could even finish his words, someone pulled him back. "He doesn't want anything. Let's go."

Linfel was taken aback, looking at the person who suddenly pulled him away. It just so happened to be Romario, the guy he met back in the Independent Familiar Test. "Oh! Romario! How you're doing?"

"Hey!" The familiar immediately tried to stop him. "Why are you getting the way of our business?"

Romario pushed Linfel to his back and snorted. "Business? That's good, then. Linfel, ask them to sign a clause of quality. That means the equipment they sell you have to last at least a year without breaking, or they will be forced to give your Academy Credits back."

Linfel could only nod. "Errr... sure. Can we sign the clause?"

The Familiar quickly stepped back, though. "Now that I think about it, I don't think we have anything here good enough for Academy Familiars and Maguses like sirs. Have a good day." Immediately, he turned back and went after another target, knowing this one was off.

"What was that?" Linfel was puzzled.

"A scam," Romario answered. "You must be careful. The Academy's Name holds a huge power, and that includes the Academy Credits. They are definitely worth a lot more than Universal Credits in the cities where you can find Magus Academies. That said, a lot of people want to earn a profit on you. To be honest, the devices in this store aren't that bad. It's just that they don't last long. I wouldn't say anything if you were planning to pay with Universal Credits. But using Academy Credits for them is truly a waste since you can only earn Academy Credits in the Academy itself."

Linfel understood. "So that's how it is. Seems like I need to pay more attention. This Clause you mentioned seems pretty good, too. I'll keep that in mind."

Romario nodded. "That's for the best. By the way, where are you going?"

"I could ask the same. As for me, the Vaxwel Research Facility. There is an Academy Task to be carried there," Linfel explained. 

"I see... I saw you in the rankings of the last Field Exam. Seems like you and Alvin even got a promotion to Rank C due to your performance," Romario said. "In that case, let's go to the Vaxwel Facility Together. I'm on my way there too."

Romario and Linfel walked together on the streets as the morning started to pick up. The movement increased more and more as the shops got filled with people. 

"By the way, Romario, where is Calisbin?" Linfel asked. Calisbin was Romario's Familiar, who also took part in the independence test. It's just that he didn't pass in the end. 

"He stayed in the academy to help me with another task," Romario spoke. "Since he didn't pass the independence test, he is still considered my Familiar. So, the tasks he performs are all paid into my own account. Well, simply put, we share the meanial missions for Rank E Maguses and Familiars like us. It's just that I was a little bit luckier this time and managed to be in the Missions Hall when the Vaxwel Research Facility Missions came up." The Vaxwel Research Facility, a sprawling complex of gleaming white buildings and humming machinery, was a hub of magical research and development.

"Oh!" Linfel didn't know. "I thought you were a Rank F Magus. Seems like you guys are quite talented then. So, what is your job there this time? The same as me? Testing Defensive Diagram Runes?"

"Cleaning! Hahaha!" Romario answered straight away with a laugh. Yet, seeing Linfel's confusion, he explained. "You probably are thinking that the Academy already has a lot of cleaning for Rank E anf F members like us, right? However, this cleaning in Vaxwel is different. They pay more because you will be dealing with broken Magic Diagram Runes. You need to be careful in the process, so they pay double what you get from normal cleaning jobs."

"I see..." Linfel also gets paid a lot by Aelua, so he could relate. "Well, the important thing is to get the credits and increase our levels as Maguses and Familiars."

"That's pretty much it." Romario agreed.

They reached the facility, a massive structure that seemed to hold countless researches. Romario gestured, "Our work areas are in different sections, so we part ways here. Stay vigilant, avoid any potential scams like the last one." With that, Romario disappeared into the facility, leaving Linfel to navigate his own path.

'I'll try to give him some help if I can in the future,' thought Linfel for a moment. After that, he went to one of the counters where he should present himself. "Hi! I'm Linfel, a Rank C Familiar from the Magus Academy. I'm here to help with some Diagram Rune Tests."

The attendant nodded. "Ah, yes. We have been waiting for you. Please wait in that room for a moment. It will still take an hour before we need your services. There are a few others coming soon, too."

Linfel knew that. When he took the task, he saw that it was open for at least five Maguses or Familiars. And with the good payment of 500 Academy Credits for a single day job, sure more Students or their Familiars would arrive.

It didn't last long before a Magus from the Academy and his Familiar arrived. They also sat by Linfel's side and nodded at him. Later, another Magus appeared, although he was on his own, without any Familiar by his side. The group quickly increased, surpassing the five Linfel initially thought. 'Well, it did say at least five. There wasn't really a limit to the numbers, was there?'

The group around him were all Level Two Maguses and Familiars. The Red Familiars, especially, highlighted Linfel's presence since he still had his Yellow Color. 'Could it be I took the wrong mission?' Linfel couldn't help but wonder. 

"Thank you for waiting, everyone," someone suddenly said. Linfel turned to the person, a man wearing a uniform from the facility. "My name is Comat, one of the various researches in this Facility. Please follow me. We need to screen you out before we can pass you today's jobs."

"Screen?" Linfel asked back. He wasn't the only one. A few other Maguses and Familiars there were also confused. Obviously, they had come to this place for the first time.

Comat smiled as he walked and guided the participants into the facility. "The tests are quite delicate. The Defensive Runes are just prototypes, so we need to manage them carefully. That means having a good understanding of their intricacies. Not everyone is that good at channeling Magic Energy through the circuitries of a Diagram Rune, especially new ones no one has seen before. That said, we can only employ the Maguses and Familiars who are capable of passing our small test."

Comat entered a big room where one could see many tables with terminals on them. Each terminal had a small plate connected to them. "Please select any of the terminals. They re all identical, so it matters little which one you choose."

The group quickly went to the various terminals. Linfel just took the first one available on the left side, not paying much attention to his position. After that, Comat continued his explanation. "If you look at the plates, there are a few Magic Diagram Runes on them. They are the runes we will use to test your qualifications. We have two requests this time. One is to see your capability to follow the channels of Magic Energy in the runes. The second one is to see how much Magic Energy you can pass through these channels once you manage to follow their path."

Linfel looked at the Diagram Runes. That was his first time messing with them, so he felt quite curious. 'They are indeed very different from the Primordial Energy Runes from the past. However, the channels are easy to understand.'

"Alright, everyone," Comat continued. "Try to run your Magic Energy through the channels in the runes the best you can. The terminals on the side will calculate your attempts and give you a score at the end. The more channels you can use and the more Magic Energy you can drive through them, the better the result will be. Only the best five candidates will work with us in the real runes deeper in the facility. The rest will be sent back to home."

"I think I know these Runes. They are quite expensive." A Magus said. He came here for the Academy Credits and definitely couldn't afford to pay for the runes if they broke.

"There is no need to worry," Comat assured. "Although they are expensive runes, they are made with wide channels and resistant materials. Besides, it is very hard for you to even drive your Magic Energy into all channels at once, let alone fill them with enough Magic Energy to cause any trouble. There is no way you can break them with your pow-"

*Crack, crack, crack...*

Yet, Comat's words stopped as he heard a sound that wasn't supposed to be there. He quickly looked in the sound's direction, just in time to see the reason as his mouth twitched.

*Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof...*

All the runes on a certain someone's table crumbled into dust, creating a little cloud of colored specs of light.

Linfel looked at that. The runes were no more. "Errr... I don't need to pay for them, do I?"