Astralium

Chapter 96: Force Assemble

Early in the morning, the players started logging in in droves, bubbling with excitement over the highly anticipated update. Remarkably, they promptly gathered in the grand auditorium out of their own discretion without being told to by Victor. How surprising.

Because Victor had indeed prepared a speech for his slav— acolytes, he seized the opportunity and went straight to his speech:

“Acolytes, lend me your ears! Thornwood Village has been ravaged. The very soil bears witness...

Chapter 95: Hallucinogenic and Man-Eating Plants

Breaking from his usual routine, Victor didn’t bother to check on the comments from the online community after posting the update. Instead, he rose from his seat and started walking, making his way toward the exit of his office.

“By now, I’ve stopped asking where you are off to,” Lizbeth commented. She was busy at work doing the heavy lifting of the update, especially with the integration of the new streaming platform.

In response, Victor let out a smug smile and said, “...

Chapter 94: Alpha Version 0.4 Update: Bandits Insurgence

[Mission Accomplished!]

[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have tamed and subdued the child of the Queen Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid and become her mommy.]

[The reward (One Elemental Adept lootbox or ten Initiate Attunement lootboxes) has been issued.]

What mommy? Victor creased his eyebrows but chose not to dwell on the matter since it wasn’t important.

Silka was still staring blank...

Chapter 93: Under the Starry Night Sky

“Mind telling me the whole story?” Victor inquired, perking his ear.

“Sure!” She then told him that transferring the money had been successful, albeit it wasn’t without its own challenges.

Victor’s sister — or Simon’s sister in this case — was initially skeptical of the money offered by unknown sources. Even after an elaborate story about it being investment funds that Simon had given his overseas friend in the past, she remained unconvinced, believing it to be a...

Chapter 92: Devising the Most Devious Strategy

“Of course!” Lizbeth exclaimed with conviction, placing her right hand over her chest. “As your assistant fairy, I am committed to supporting you in every way possible. It is my utmost desire to help you in your cause. Didn’t I promise to stand by you even if the whole world turned against you?” Her pupils were locked in Victor’s eyes.

Seeing that she was so serious about this, Victor was moved while chuckling at the same time, amused. “Pfft, hahaha!”

“Hey! My su...

Chapter 91: The Looming Aggression

Graviel, a handsome young man with fiery red hair and an impressive stature, led the way along the path on a horse. Following closely behind him were his fellow acolytes — Dorian, Jared, and Elara — on three other horses. Trailing further back was a long, serpentine formation of hundreds of men clad in battle gear. These were the mercenaries hired from the surrounding cities, as well as some reinforcements sent by their families. A genuinely formidable force that could take down a sizeabl...

Chapter 90: Deep Introspection

Regardless, the recent advancement and the successful test of his new strength had made Victor plunge into deep introspection. Sure, he might have gotten stronger than ever and could now defeat a magical beast the like of Queen Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid quite easily. Yet, in the face of real Elemental Adept rank magical beasts or even an average professor from his old academy, he would still be weak — nothing more than a slightly stronger ant to them.

With the impending threat of his ...

Chapter 89: Successful Dungeon Clearing

There were still about three to five stray Crystalback Tendrilisks roaming other parts of the cavern system. Realizing that they might repopulate the place if left alone, Victor exterminated every last one that he came across. The spectral puppets that he had previously summoned were sent to reexplore the area in case he had missed something, but what he found was quite shocking.

The entire cavern system appeared to be much, much larger than his initial assessment. Beyond the den of the...

Chapter 88: Eradicating the Crystalback Tendrilisks

After a long run into the forest, Victor casually did a few standards of testing of his new Magus abilities. For example, his mana sense, now fully developed after he became an official Magus, allowed him to scan for any living entity within a hundred-meter radius effortlessly. Remarkably, he could detect even the smallest creatures, like an ant walking on a tree a hundred meters away.

But what about my physical prowess?

He deployed his mana sense and discovered a running...

Chapter 87: The Power of an Elemental Adept Magus

Victor had a long dream.

In his dream, he was back on Earth and was about to enjoy a meal with his family. It was a scene from his early college days, a time when life seemed unblemished by complexity. His mother bustled around the kitchen, preparing dishes, while his sister assisted, chopping meat and vegetables. Their laughter filled the air, radiating warmth and happiness, as if no sorrow had ever touched their lives.

Witnessing this familial scene after so long, Victor’s hea...

Chapter 86: Attempt in Advancement

“Tanks, get ready to receive the enemy!” Zero’s voice rang out, commanding and clear.

“Damn! These arachnids are incredibly strong, even though I’ve advanced to Initiate Attunement!”

Unlike the previous invasion, the Lesser Hiveborne Arachnids they faced this time weren’t significantly impaired by the flames. They were true first-stage Initiate Attunement magical beasts, after all.

“Hurry up! I can’t hold them back forever!”

“There are smaller one...

Chapter 85: Preparation for the Dungeon Clearing

The players’ hands-on ability was truly superb.

Merely four days following the release of alpha version 0.3, they had organized themselves into parties on the official website forum to conquer the dungeon. Victor had made sure to provide the essential information like the map as well as the game lore that players like to consume and theorize. For instance, they knew that the dungeon was a nest inside a large cave and was the former nest of the arachnids that invaded the academy.

Chapter 84: The Rise of WorldGate Soft Co.

It was evening at the academy.

As expected, nothing was as smooth sailing as he had hoped, and some peculiar incidents did happen from this batch of players. Among them, Auralise had unexpectedly barged into his office. She loudly insisted on bypassing the typical mundane chores and jumping straight into wielding magic. Her attitude was not entirely surprising, considering that her background was no different than nobles in this world, and it was understandable.

Nonetheless, Victo...

Interlude: The Heiress’ Investment Plan

Monica Caswell, the distinguished heiress of the Caswell family, stepped out of the state-of-the-art gaming capsule with a sense of reluctance. The transition from the enthralling virtual world back to her luxurious yet routine reality struck her with a sense of dissonance. As she stretched her limbs, easing out the stiffness, her thoughts were still awash with the vivid and immersive experiences of the game.

Then, an attendant wearing thin lipstick with a very petite build stepped forw...

Chapter 83: Bloodline Magus

Victor delivered his usual speech to the new players gathered in the auditorium. Even after a month of the same speech being repeated, the excitement exhibited by the new players was the same. From the moment he spoke, all the players closed their mouths and stared at him with bated breaths.

Even though this batch of players was rather unique, they shared the common enthusiasm intrinsic to gamers. Victor then raised his head and glanced around the room. Among the ten players, three… o...

Chapter 82: This Batch of Players isn’t Right in the Brain

“Agh!” Sean winced at a momentary mild pain on his face. Despite being slammed to the wall, the pain was only somewhat unpleasant and fleeting. Still, he was acutely aware that he was being choked from behind and immobilized in a crushing grip.

“Who are you?! Where is this place?” questioned the man behind him, his hold tightening by the second. “Talk, or I will end you here!”

“…Can’t… talk…” Sean managed to tap the man’s wrist. The choke felt professiona...

Chapter 81: Bought Until Sold Out

With the academy now self-sufficient in producing mana crystals, Victor pondered over the surplus. Ten novice-grade mana crystals per day were more than he needed. Selling half to the players for two hundred merit points each seemed to be a feasible idea to enhance their progression and make them stronger more quickly.

Resolved, he listed them in the virtual shop. But then a logistical issue arose — who would handle distribution upon purchase? In the end, he assigned the task to Lizbe...

Chapter 80: I Love This Big Update!

This time, the update was packed with content, and Victor felt it was important to discuss it with the players. He was concerned they might perceive his silence as a lack of diligence in his role as the game’s promotional manager. Following the announcement, he promptly posted the edited dev diary in the forum thread and pinned the posts for easy access.

“Dev Diary #2: Alpha Version 0.3”

“Hello, hello! It is I, your dearest promotional manager here!”

“Apologies f...

Chapter 79: Alpha Version 0.3 Update

Hmm, let’s purchase some seeds to test it out first, then. It was decided that he would buy a few, and this greenhouse just happened to be the perfect spot for planting. To gauge how much would be gotten by a single purchase, Victor bought one exchange of Starfruit Sapling Seeds.

Remarkably, as he did so, the Starlight Absorbing Tree shimmered even more intensely, drawing energy from the night sky. A plant bud swiftly emerged, grew, and blossomed into a cluster of star-like s...

Chapter 78: Magic Botanical Garden

[Magic Botanical Garden is available to be constructed.]

[Please select a location on the map to place the building.]

“Wait, so I can actually choose where to place it down?” Victor had assumed it would appear out of nowhere, just like the Nexus Tower; it appeared that his assumption was wrong.

“Yep!” she affirmed while putting on a cocky smile. “You can place new System buildings wherever you want within the academy proper. In fac...

Side Chapter: The Players’ Little Adventure

In the vibrant light of midday, Michael, accompanied by Locktekei and MsMelody, waited at the edge of the forest for the supplies the headmaster had purchased. It was hot and uncomfortable to stand below the sun for long, so they sought shade under the towering trees. The natural symphony of the forest’s wildlife spoiled their ears, while the picturesque village in the distance pampered their eyes.

Locktekei inhaled deeply and sighed in amazement. “So refreshing… It feels like I�...

Chapter 77: Leveling Up the Academy Grade

Victor leisurely sipped an infused water while browsing through the internet. It had been a day since the players returned from the village, and the official website forum was already filled with threads talking about it and the new NPC. It had come to his attention after Lizbeth, who was sitting floating near his cup, had told him about this.

“Master, this infused water doesn’t have any taste.” Lizbeth stuck out her tongue.

Although Victor didn’t respond, he couldn’t he...