“Meet me personally?” Victor was curious. Has he discovered that this whole charade is actually real?

  The more Victor thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Thunder had been the only player who had uploaded his consciousness into this world and knew what most others didn’t know. With his exceptional critical thinking and observational skills, if he had made contact with KuroUsagi’s group — and if Victor’s earlier suspicion that they had uncovered the truth about the game’s nature was correct — then it was only natural that Thunder would begin to piece everything together.

  Still… if he really had discovered it, why hadn’t he come to confront Victor immediately?

  Did they come to an agreement and try to stall for time to gather more evidence?

  That seemed to be the most likely explanation. And if that was the case, then the days of pretending were numbered. When that time came, there would be no more playing the fool. No more deflecting questions with vague answers or passing things off as deep lore or game mechanics.

  Fortunately, this exact situation had been factored into his plans long ago — since the very conception of Magus Academy Online. At least, as long as they didn’t broadcast what they learned to the wider player base or Earth’s authorities, there was little to be concerned about. From what Victor could infer, KuroUsagi’s group wasn’t looking to expose him. They were aiming for something else, maybe even a collaboration.

  Whatever. He would take care of this when it came down to it.

  Without dilly-dallying further, Victor stood up and brushed the wrinkles from his Magus robe as he walked toward the door. He took a glance back at Lizbeth, who hovered close by.

  “Going to see her now?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied resolutely. “It’s time.”

  “Mhm. Be careful out there.” She nodded with a smile.

  With a nod, Victor left the office with a confident stride. Outside, the sky above the academy was clear and pale, with morning light illuminating everything. It was quiet now since the players were all logged out due to the ongoing game maintenance, and the busy activity seemed to be a distant dream. It felt as though a forgotten ruin was basking in the calm before a storm.

  Victor took to the air and flew high above the Sanctum. The Thornwood Forest stretched endlessly around the academy, and his eyes turned toward the western sky. Quickly, he pierced through drifting clouds and layers of ambient mana as he shot forward, disappearing into the distant horizon.

  While Victor was away en route to meet Valeria, the official website forum exploded with chatter from enthusiastic players eager to dissect the latest update.

  Hornycrab: “A huge update! Yippee! ??”

  Castlefrost: “Okay, but… am I the only one who realizes that every time we get a new storyline, it comes with the threat of the academy being completely annihilated? Like, why do I feel like the devs are deliberately trying to scare us into defending it?”

  GladiusZone: “Wait, enemies arriving on dirigibles? How are we even supposed to hit those? Our magic cannons barely have range for a few hundred meters. ( o﹃o ) #We’re_doomed”

  Aphrodite96: “Tch, tch, tch. You underestimate me. Naturally, I anticipated airborne threats months ago. Our engineering division has already developed anti-air defense and a net-based trap system. Will unveil it in a demonstration after maintenance. Praise my genius later. ????”

  ButaYaarou: “Reading through to the end really made my blood boil. I can’t believe our little angel went through something so cruel.”

  GiveMeTheNuclearCode: “Who’s calling her your little angel? Lillie isn’t anyone’s property—she’s our goddess! And we must protect her at all costs!”

  Locktekei: “Absolutely agree!”

  SirLaughsALot: “Count me in!”

  Captain Derp: “A Magus force joining the academy? Don’t tell the seven dirigibles that were outside the academy grounds were from the Asteriscus Magus family. No wonder I sensed some crazy powerful presences there…”

  MapleSyrup: “More professors means more departments and more magic to learn! ???Can’t wait!”

  Skylark777: “I wonder if any of those professors are looking for assistants to help them? I’d gladly volunteer so I can learn their knowledge.”

  Prominence: “That Homunculus Grafter is WILD. I just read the dev notes again. You’re telling me we can make full-on chimeras now? Say goodbye to sleep — I’m gonna be cooking beast parts all week.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ButaYaarou: “Yo, I call dibs on crafting a spider-woman hybrid or a furry fox-human hybrid. The world’s not ready for my masterpiece!”

  GiveMeTheNuclearCode: “Not bad! I definitely want a snake-woman hybrid! Imagine creating a beautiful medusa! ??”

  Locktekei: “I’m not as kinky as you two. All I want is a beautiful human homunculus to be my maid. Is that so wrong?”

  SirLaughsALot: “Oh, come on. I don’t know what to say to you degenerates anymore when we just swore to protect our goddess… [I_Give_Up.jpg]”

  Prominence: “Guys, are we still talking about Magus Academy Online, or is this turning into Rule…? Well, you know. (?° ?? ?°)”

  Storm Bringer: “Are you guys so fixated on the homunculi waifus that you missed the most insane part of this patch?! A 4:1 time ratio! This is nuts! At this rate, I’m gonna be more alive in Seraphia than I am on Earth.”

  Prominence: “@Storm Bringer Of course I noticed! But bro, that’s so existentially insane I don’t even want to think about it right now. ??”

  MariaC: “I wonder if I can bring my parents into the game… that way I can literally live with them longer than I ever could on Earth.”

  Squadzell: “Agreed. Since it’s like four hundred new players per real-world day, it should be very easy to gain an invitation into the game than ever… I still clearly remember the day when I could only watch other people play the game. Q^Q”

  ProcrastinatingPanda: “More than that… think about what this means for researchers and intellectuals. With this level of time dilation, people might choose to work in Seraphia to get more done. Dangerous experiments that can’t be run on Earth might be possible there too…”

  Storm Bringer: “That’s what I’m saying! This isn’t just a game anymore. This could change how humanity views work, life, and reality itself!”

  It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the 4:1 time dilation was the most game-changing and controversial addition in this entire update. While players were hyped about new buildings, chimeras, and battles, this one line in the dev diary was already spawning philosophical debates across forums. Some called it escapism refined to an art. Others saw it as the beginning of a digital revolution.

  Still, one thing was for sure: If the time dilation increased any further, the line between game and reality would begin to blur. The world of Seraphia would become the players’ reality, while Earth — the real world — would start to feel like a mere game, a distant dream they logged into only occasionally.

  Zylvern: “Have you guys watched The Orville? In many episodes, there are simulation rooms where all sorts of scenarios — from casual fun to life-or-death battles to even... fulfilling your personal desires — are possible. Now we’ve got something similar inside the game! ??”

  PrimoDos: “Dude, it clearly said that the simulations are only for combat-type training. Chill.”

  Zylvern: “I know. But just imagine the possibilities. You could train, test theories, or maybe one day… simulate entire worlds. If the devs take this further, we’re talking next-gen immersion.”

  MikeIsHandome1000x: “Being able to simulate a whole reality inside a fully immersive virtual reality game is just... insane. This is sci-fi turned real.”

  ButaYaarou: “I want to simulate my waifu, Lady Fufu, and make her live with me forever. ??”

  GiveMeTheNuclearCode: “I wonder if I can simulate, uh, scenarios based on certain literature with a trust-based AI responses... for research purposes. ??”

  WhatIsTheSauce?: “Agreed, brother.”

  SirLaughsALot: “Okay, that’s it. I just talked to a mod. You’re getting a few days’ ban from the forum, bro. Take your Fufu and degenerate fantasies somewhere else.”

  ButaYaarou: “But Furina is five hundred years old… It’s completely legal!!”

  InternetPolice: “I’m on your side @SirLaughsALot.”

  ZeroXScyth: “Let’s punish these degenerates so they don’t misuse the facility.”

  After that, ButaYaarou and GiveMeTheNuclearCode vanished from the official website forum for a few days. Their like-minded friends, Locktekei and Prominence, heaved a collective sigh of relief that they hadn’t been punished as well.

  Still, whether it was philosophical debates about time dilation, wild theories about simulation expansion, or people crossing the line with waifu obsession, the game had once again succeeded in bringing the community together... for better or worse.

  In the midst of chaos, there was unity. Players stood aligned in their determination to protect the academy they had helped build. After all, if the enemy succeeded in destroying the academy, a server-wide reset would be triggered, and everything they had accomplished — their progress, infrastructure, and even cherished facilities — would be lost.

  And that was something no one wanted to see happen.

  As a result, the Star Fortress grand project quickly rose to prominence, capturing the attention of builders, strategists, and military geeks across the server. Even before the maintenance was finished, the entire community rallied to discuss the project, pouring into threads and voice channels to discuss it. The project had truly become a symbol of survival.

  Many players who had previously focused solely on combat or magic development now found themselves diving headfirst into architectural design threads, strategy guides, and community-built 3D mockups. Discussions about optimal fortress geometry, chokepoints, and artillery coverage were trending across multiple channels.

  A military-enthusiast player with the ID “SteelForger” posted a detailed breakdown:

  “If we position the star tips toward the most likely enemy flight paths, we can maximize aerial coverage with fewer magic cannons and air defenses. Combine that with weather-affecting spells, and we’ll turn this place into a death trap for dirigibles.

  “Of course, time is limited. Our top priority should be reinforcing the eastern and southern walls along with the essential infrastructure.”

  A new Discord server called “Star Defense Core” was even formed overnight, made up of engineers, builders, and defense strategists, all brainstorming how best to defend the Sanctum.

  At the same time, guilds began pledging support for specific sectors of the fortress. Some committed to manning and maintaining key defense points, while others trained mobile response teams to intercept breaches during the coming invasion event.

  Lizbeth, naturally, monitored all of this through the system’s backend. As expected, once the right kind of pressure was introduced, the players didn’t just play the game — they lived in it.

  Even during the server’s maintenance window, the community buzzed with more activity than ever. And this was only the calm before the storm. Once the update finished rolling out and the players logged back in, the real storm would begin.

  The Merlin family wouldn’t know what hit them.

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