A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
“Well, well, well. That must have taken a while, right?
“Oops, I must have said earlier that leveling up to the next academy grade wouldn’t take much time — clearly, I was mistaken. What I meant is that now there are a hundred incubation pods and a much greater time dilation between Earth and Seraphia; it’s the mortals from Earth who’ll feel that time moves faster, not you. Hehe.
“This minor detail aside, I want to remind you of something more urgent: you have less than twenty years to repair the spatial-temporal formation encompassing Earth. To do that, you’ll need to upgrade the academy several more times to unlock the required buildings — or perhaps become a Nexus Conjurer Magus before then? Obviously, the last one is a rather impossible goal.
“Anyway, let me tell you of an alternative path — one that involves the players on Earth. They’ll need to gain control of the governing powers there and gather the necessary resources to construct a nexus gate of their own. Naturally, there are vital materials that don’t exist on Earth, so you’ll have to provide them from this side. Your job is to figure out how.
“I’d love to tell you more, but sadly, our time is up. Hopefully, the next time you see one of my messages, you’ll be a mighty Nexus Temporal Magus and have figured out a way to provide them with the materials. Remember, I’ve always been watching you all this time!
“Bye then! Toodle-oo!”
And just like that, the message cut off abruptly, leaving Victor sighing and shaking his head at the eccentric nature of the former headmaster.
Still, he couldn’t help but dwell on what she meant when they said they had been watching him all this time. Perhaps the former headmaster was still alive and kicking somewhere… But knowing their eccentric personality, Victor couldn’t count on her being particularly reliable.
“And how am I supposed to figure out a way to provide the materials for Earthlings to construct a nexus gate?” Victor muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Was he really expected to develop a powerful magic formation entirely on his own?
While such formations were not unheard of, they were extraordinarily rare and prohibitively expensive to operate. Even a powerful force like the Arcane Radiance College likely didn’t possess one, mainly because of the immense inefficiency and difficulty involved in building and maintaining it.
That said, Victor wasn’t without advantages. He was a Magus with high elemental affinity in both the Cosmo and Chrono elements — an exceedingly rare combination. With those affinities, he was perhaps one of the very few in the world with the potential to construct such a formation.
But even if he managed to solve the problem of the materials, who would act as his arms and legs on Earth? Although Victor could think of several promising candidates among the players he trusted, there was no guarantee they would follow his orders blindly and dare to do this kind of extreme action. More importantly, involving them in such a sensitive matter would mean revealing the truth behind the “game” — a secret he had worked hard to guard.
If by some unfortunate chance this secret were revealed to the whole world, it would jeopardize Victor’s scheme and potentially cause all nations on Earth to turn him into an enemy, ultimately causing his doom in this world.
There were simply too many risks involved.
“Anyway, there’s no use dwelling on this now.” Victor decided to shelve the matter for the time being. “Lizbeth, let’s head back to the Headmaster’s Office and start drafting the update announcement.”
“All right!” Lizbeth chimed, cheerfully taking her usual spot on Victor’s shoulder.
Whatever the case, there were more urgent things to take care of at hand, like the incoming invasion of the Merlin family.
Magus Academy Online Testing Server Beta Version 0.4 Update Announcement
Major Update:
- New Storyline — “Merlin Family Invasion”
The Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi has made a lot of progress and is now drawing the envy of neighboring Magus factions. And now, a hostile force — the powerful Merlin Magus family — has bared its fangs at the academy, seeking to destroy everything the players have built. It’s time to set aside your differences and unite. Only by working together can you withstand the coming storm. The fate of the academy lies in your hands. - New In-Game Invasion and Prospect
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
With the Merlin family’s elite forces approaching via dirigibles, players must now prepare the academy’s defenses. Build forts, lay traps, and fortify your surroundings across the Thornwood Forest. These enemies won’t be pushovers; they are elite Magi with high combat prowess, capable of overwhelming even organized player groups. Get ready for a real challenge.
- You Want Titles? We Got Titles!
We’ve heard your feedback! Many newer players have been missing out on the exclusive titles that veteran players possess, especially from the earlier batches of players. But don’t worry, we have this covered in this new update!
- Players who maintain an average daily playtime of 6 hours or more during this update period will receive a limited title: “Uniting Under One Banner.”
- Players who participate in the academy’s war against the Merlin family will earn the title “Sanctum’s Proud Acolyte.”
- Players who make a significant contribution during the event may be honored with the rarest title of all: “Legend Among Men.”
- New Faction Joining In
Alongside the looming invasion from the Merlin Magus family, another Magus force — the Asteriscus Magus family — will be joining the academy and establishing themselves as one of the academy’s main pillars. Their Magi have pledged to serve as professors, offering players new opportunities to learn advanced magic and deepen their progression within the academy. - Winter Has Become Harsher
We’re now deep into winter within the game world. Temperatures have plummeted below freezing, blanketing the land in snow and ice. Players, be sure to dress appropriately in thick clothing and consider learning one or two heat-based spells to fend off the cold. Stay prepared for the worst — this weather can be deadly. On the bright side, the harsh climate can be used to your advantage during the upcoming invasion. - Increase in Total Quota for Applicants
The quota for closed-beta players has been set to 4,000 or more. - New Building: “Virtual Combat Chamber”
Introducing a brand-new facility! The Virtual Combat Chamber contains twenty-five individual simulation chambers, allowing players to engage in all kinds of combat scenarios. Each chamber costs 200 merit points per hour of use, but you may share the space with others to maximize your session.
- Upgraded Building: “Nexus Tower”
As you may be aware, the Nexus Tower has been upgraded again in this update and can now incubate up to one hundred players instead of twenty-five per in-game day. This means that even more people will have the chance of becoming eligible.
- Homunculus Grafter Facility
It is now possible for players to create homunculi and even chimeras by gathering and fusing magical beast materials. These powerful creations can serve as guardians and companions that will protect you from anything that comes your way. Note: Usage of this facility comes at a significant merit point cost.
- Accelerated In-game Time Flow
Thanks to overwhelming positive feedback, we intend to take that one step further and increase the time dilation. Instead of 2:1, in-game time now flows at 4:1 compared to real-world time, allowing for more content progression and immersion within each session.
- New Grand Project: “Star Fortress”
Together with the grand project of the Twelve Magus Towers, the headmaster has issued another large-scale project called “Star Fortress.” This outer wall, inspired by real-world star fortresses, will vastly improve the academy’s defenses. Please check the mission list for more details on how to contribute!
Optimization:
- New Dirigible, Enemy, and Artificial Life Forms Models
This update introduces a variety of new models to support the expanded content, like new types of dirigibles, unique enemy designs, and diverse artificial lifeforms such as chimeras and homunculi.
- Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements
Our team has been hard at work, weeding away any pesky bugs and enhancing the overall performance of the game. Your experience in Magus Academy Online will now be smoother and more enjoyable than ever.
Other Changes:
- Update on the Guidelines in Regard to New Changes
In response to the arrival of a new Magus force within the academy and the addition of a significant number of professors and assistant professors, the official guidelines have been revised to version 6.0. These revisions include new rules addressing academic conduct, authority hierarchy, and interactions between players and academy staff. Additionally, new disciplinary procedures have been outlined to ensure proper behavior and smooth integration of all new factions and personnel within the Sanctum.
Please note that the server update will occur from 12:00 EST until 18:00 EST, and you won’t be able to log in during that period of time. This is a major update that will implement a lot of new, exciting changes and features. We appreciate your patience and feedback as we continue to refine and expand the world of Magus Academy Online. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and announcements in the world of Magus Academy Online!
Damn, this is a lot of content to cover. In fact, Victor was sure that this was the first time a major update’s content exceeded more than ten points. He had never imagined that the “game” he created would develop to the point of needing such a massive, feature-packed patch. This kind of periodic major update would put even the most popular games on Earth to shame.
However, Victor was not yet satisfied with just the announcement, so he began drafting the development diary like he always did.
If you are looking for more to read, consider checking out my new series or join my server