Facing the headmaster, William could hardly believe his eyes.

  When he arrived at the Headmaster’s Office, he found the headmaster standing behind a grand desk, with a beautifully crafted crimson staff resting atop it. A shimmering sapphire gem crowned its head, and intricate runes etched along its surface grabbed William’s complete attention. No one was more familiar with this particular magic weapon than he was, having once gotten a chance to use it.

  “First off, congratulations on your advancement,” the headmaster began with a dignified smile. “As the first acolyte to reach second-stage Initiate Attunement, I believe it is only right for you to be rewarded.” He gestured to the Pyro staff.

  A hidden achievement!

  William’s eyes widened with a mix of hope and excitement. “Respected Headmaster, you’re giving this magic staff to me?”

  The headmaster nodded. “Indeed, but I never said I would give it for free.”

  Although William’s assumption was correct, learning that the reward had to be paid for left him slightly disappointed.

  “Then…”

  “Well, while free isn’t on the table,” the headmaster continued, “I will let you keep it for a discounted price. Two thousand merit points should suffice—”

  “Sold!” William blurted, on the verge of jumping right for it.

  The last time he was offered this magic staff, the price was a staggering ten thousand merit points. Even though he was one of the pioneers among players, his total merit points didn’t exceed five thousand despite over a month and a half of grinding. An 80% discount for a magic weapon was a no-brainer.

  “Ahem. Let me finish.” The headmaster appeared slightly displeased by his outburst, causing William to feel a bit embarrassed.

  “I apologize, sir…”

  Waving a hand, the headmaster explained, “I, and by extension the academy, give you this reward in the hope that you will contribute a lot to us. To protect the academy like it is your homeland.” The headmaster paused for a few seconds as if to let the words sink into William’s head. “It is a priceless treasure—top-notch even among mid-grade magic tools. By taking this weapon, you will be responsible for taking care of it. The Elemental Staff of Flame will amplify your Pyro spells and serve you well on your path. Use it wisely.”

  Prominence stepped forward, reverently taking the staff into his hands. He could feel the power emanating from it, a tangible force resonating with his own magic. “Thank you, Headmaster. I won’t let you down.” He saluted like a soldier.

  “I’m sure you won’t,” the headmaster replied. “Keep pushing your limits and explore the unknowns. Your progress in uncovering the truth is a beacon for the other acolytes. Now, go and show them what true power looks like.”

  William eagerly nodded, and after paying the merit points, he thanked the headmaster, Astralium, then left the office in awe. He still couldn’t believe what had transpired.

  Zero, Storm, and the others won’t believe what I just got. Hehe, I will surprise them with this. A wide smile crept up on his lips as the thought lingered in his mind.

  The moment Prominence was out of sight, Victor let out a small chuckle. Prominence was entirely oblivious; the whole player base was dancing in the palm of Victor’s hand, just like they had always been. Now that the fish had taken the bait, it would only be a matter of time before the players began speculating about hidden achievements or other incentives to get ahead of the others.

  Once that happened, Victor could take credit for the idea and update the Hall of Fame to add rankings, thereby inciting competition. When players saw the rankings and the fame they brought, they would become motivated to climb higher. As soon as one player achieved a new milestone, others would see it and be inspired to surpass it, which in turn would spark other players. Thus, an endless cycle of ambition and achievement would emerge.

  Oh, I’m such a genius. Without realizing it, a self-satisfied smirk spread across his face.

  Suddenly, a voice interrupted Victor’s train of thought. “There you go again with your ‘I-am-so-evil’ face.”

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  “What? I am innocent,” Victor said, shrugging in an exaggerated display of sincerity. “I rewarded him to encourage others to reach greater heights. While their growth benefits the academy, it’s also good for them. It’s a simple win-win situation.”

  [Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Fair Headmaster]

  [Congratulations on fulfilling the condition (becoming the “fair” headmaster that you should be) for this achievement.]

  [The award (100 academy points) has been granted.]

  Huh, that actually gives me a hidden achievement. Victor raised his brows in surprise. The conditions for getting these hidden achievements sure are random…

  “Yeah, yeah.” The fairy giggled. “So? Have you thought about your next plans? You know, regarding the pocket dimension?”

  “I’m thinking about it, Lizzy.” Victor closed his eyes, shifting his tone to a more serious one. He had previously confided in Lizbeth about the upcoming life-and-death battle with the twin overseers.

  Currently, Victor had a total of 1,220 academy points at his disposal. He decided that for the betterment of the academy, he was going to allocate a portion of these points to purchase more seeds for the Magic Botanical Garden. Another part would be used to acquire potion recipes, such as the Mana Aptitude Enhancement Elixir. Whatever remained after that, he intended to use for his own advancement.

  “Despite the availability of elixirs for purchase, none of them are useful for me,” Victor muttered to himself. Now that he was an official Magus, low-level elixirs were practically useless. Furthermore, he had recently consumed an elixir that enhanced his mana aptitude, rendering further consumption ineffective. In this case, there were not many options available for him.

  Normally, once a recently promoted Elemental Adept Magus stabilized their foundation, they would venture into the world to seek opportunities and rare resources. However, Victor had no time for that luxury. This left him with no other choice but to progress the long way through arduous meditation and self-study.

  Sighing, Victor finalized his decisions and instructed Lizbeth to ensure the purchases were carried out. Then, he returned to his meditation chamber before settling into a cross-legged position, his mind clearing of distractions.

  Just as Victor had expected, the Magus Academy Online official website forum exploded with excitement. The news of Prominence’s promotion to the second-stage Initiate Attunement and the meeting with the headmaster spread like wildfire, igniting speculation about hidden achievement rewards and secret game mechanics.

  Prominence, being the first player to receive a magic weapon, wasted no time in rubbing his newfound status in everyone’s face. This inevitably provoked jealousy among other players, with some, like Auralise, even offering substantial sums of money to purchase the magic staff. However, he rejected each and every offer, knowing full well the true potential of the magic staff. Plus, considering the game’s hidden amity mechanic, selling the magic staff could potentially incur Victor’s wrath.

  Aside from this, KuroUsagi made a post detailing a recent economic update. According to him, the physical store provided players with much greater freedom. In the past, players were compelled to sell their items and resources gathered from the forest through missions at the warehouse. However, with the new update, they could now directly sell these goods at the store, offering a more flexible and convenient option.

  Most importantly, he highlighted that the key to maximizing profits lay in processing items rather than selling raw materials. He emphasized that processed items were worth three to four times more. For instance, instead of selling a whole creature to the store, players could process the creature's parts to gain the greatest benefit. KuroUsagi concluded with a promise to make another post soon that would elaborate on how to exploit the game’s economy further.

  One couldn’t underestimate the hard work of this hardcore player since he found all this in less than a day!

  In recent days, the whole player base began flocking to the village, eagerly accepting missions of all kinds. Even the most mundane tasks weren’t spared. Hardcore players, who usually hunted magical creatures in the forest, were now helping elderly villagers carry wooden wagons filled with grains. Others found themselves using their magic to sweep and clean the streets. Some meticulously fixed broken houses and mended fences around the farms.

  Despite the trivial nature of these chores and their meager rewards, players hardly cared. Those players who were once bloodthirsty in battle now worked side by side with the villagers, sharing laughs and stories as they completed their tasks. The village itself seemed to come alive with this new energy; the previously weary villagers now smiled and chatted with the players. Children ran around with eyes full of awe and curiosity as they watched their heroes perform everyday tasks.

  What mattered most to the players was gaining the trust of the villagers. They competed to outdo one another in helping the community. To be seen as heroes in stories, to be the people the villagers could rely on. And, of course, there was always the hope of unlocking hidden missions that could potentially lead to untold riches.

  Among them, Alfred’s party was busy assisting the old village head with various miscellaneous tasks. They had come to the village to join in on the fun while waiting for another party to qualify for the new dungeon. Just like the others, they were assigned tasks that might seem mundane, but they tackled these chores effortlessly. Perhaps it was because they were used to such work from their days as newbies, or maybe it was something else, but Alfred and his party members felt a natural ease while doing them.

  At first, the villagers (the NPCs) looked awkward and uncomfortable over assigning them tasks. However, after a mission or two, they had grown accustomed to it. What the game promotional manager boasted in his dev diary was apparently not a lie—these NPCs were very human-like and were capable of learning.

  Yet, there appeared to be only four people in their party. Someone was missing.