Chapter 17 — University Life
Ren picked up the new magic phone he had purchased earlier, after completing all the necessary verifications.
This phone allowed him to access the mage side of the magic net.
He unlocked it and began browsing.
'It seems I can still only access things related to Aurelia Planet.'
Ren noticed that mages were far less active on the magic net than ordinary humans.
They rarely shared details about their private lives, and most were careful not to reveal anything that could expose their locations, habits, or other potential weaknesses.
Instead, the mage side of the magic net was mainly used for practical purposes such as trading, researching magical knowledge, finding missions, and exchanging information.
Ren wasn't particularly interested in any of that.
He had something more important to look for.
Universities.
He searched through the various universities on Aurelia Planet, looking at their facilities, requirements, benefits, available resources, and graduation standards.
Whenever one caught his interest, he searched for more information about it.
There were plenty of videos available as well.
Ren watched virtual tours of university campuses, looked at their architecture and training grounds, and examined the various facilities they provided.
The more he researched, the more he realized that universities in this world were quite different from what he had initially imagined.
They weren't really schools in the traditional sense.
In many ways, they were closer to a mercenary organization.
Students weren't required to attend classes every day or follow a rigid schedule.
Instead, the university provided a platform for them to develop themselves.
If a student wanted to learn something, they could hire a teacher.
The universities had plenty of competent teachers, and because these teachers were part of the university, their fees were considerably lower than what one would normally have to pay elsewhere.
Students could also take missions to earn money.
Universities maintained a steady stream of missions and provided intelligence about them, allowing students to choose suitable missions while reducing unnecessary risks.
There were also resources that were difficult to obtain through normal channels.
Students could purchase rare resources through the university at prices considerably lower than what they would usually find on the market.
Depending on the university, there could also be a large collection of techniques and spells that were difficult to find elsewhere.
As long as a student had enough money, they could simply purchase them.
The same applied to magical crafts.
Students could hire teachers to learn potion making, artifact crafting, formation arrays, spell talismans, and other crafts.
However, having access to a teacher didn't mean someone would automatically become successful.
Ultimately, their accomplishments depended on their own talent and effort.
The university could provide the resources.
The rest was up to the student.
Universities also held various competitions with generous rewards.
There were examinations to monitor students' progress as well, and failing to meet a university's requirements could eventually result in expulsion.
The exact standards varied between universities.
After graduation, a student's results would also affect their future.
Depending on their performance, they could be recruited by powerful organizations, giving them a much smoother path forward.
In short, university life was largely determined by how much effort someone was willing to put into it.
Ren continued browsing.
Because people's talents varied, so did the standards of different universities.
Most universities had graduation requirements of Rank 1 Level 2 or Rank 1 Level 3.
Then Ren found one that caught his attention.
The best university in the capital city of the Elarion Federation.
The capital was called Aethelgard.
And the university was known as Aethelgard Grand University.
Ren carefully went through its information.
Its facilities were excellent.
Its teachers were highly competent.
Its mission network was extensive.
It possessed a large collection of techniques, spells, resources, and magical knowledge.
But what interested Ren the most was its graduation requirement.
Rank 2 Level 1 — Adept Mage.
Ren paused.
'That's pretty high.'
Rank 2 wasn't something to scoff at.
It was the ceiling of Aurelia Planet.
The planet could only produce resources up to Rank 2, meaning the strongest resources available here were only capable of supporting training to that level.
A Rank 2 Level 1 Adept Mage could destroy roughly one square kilometer with a single normal spell.
That was enough power to wipe out a small village with one attack.
And that was only one spell.
Mages possessed an absurdly high mana regeneration speed.
If one went all out and continuously cast spells, the resulting destruction would be far greater.
Ren could easily imagine what that meant.
'So if I graduate from Aethelgard Grand University...'
He would stand at the very top of Aurelia Planet.
A Rank 2 Level 1 mage even possessed enough strength and status to apply for the position of governing a small nation.
The difference between such a person and an ordinary human was enormous.
Even among mages, reaching Rank 2 was an entirely different level.
'The gap between me and everyone else is going to be pretty big.'
Ren wasn't bothered by that.
Quite the opposite.
It meant he would have a place where he could steadily develop for a long time.
There was no reason for him to choose a university with a lower ceiling when he could aim for the best.
Ren opened the application page.
The requirements were surprisingly simple.
He only needed to prove that he had reached at least five times the physical strength of an ordinary human and had awakened a Tier 2 Low-Grade talent or higher.
Ren had already fulfilled both requirements.
He submitted his information.
The university's system verified his physical strength and awakened talent.
A few moments later, the result appeared.
Accepted.
Ren stared at the screen for a moment.
'That's it?'
Apparently, it really was that simple.
There was little reason for anyone to lie about their strength or talent.
The truth would eventually come out.
Once admitted, students were continuously evaluated based on their progress. If someone's results failed to match the talent they had declared, the university could investigate them.
If it was discovered that they had deliberately lied about their talent, they would be immediately expelled.
Their records would also receive a stain that could make their future as a mage considerably more difficult.
Anyone with common sense would understand that lying wasn't worth the risk.
There were even countless videos on the magic net warning young people about exactly this.
Don't lie about your talent.
It was practically common knowledge.
Ren continued browsing through the information.
He soon discovered something else.
Apparently, universities on Aurelia Planet only accepted students with Tier 2 talents and below.
As for those who awakened Tier 3 talent or higher, they were treated differently.
According to the information Ren found, such individuals would be transferred to another planet along with their families for special nurturing.
Ren wasn't particularly surprised.
Aurelia Planet simply wasn't suitable for nurturing people with that level of talent.
Ren closed the application page.
Aethelgard Grand University.
A university with Rank 2 Level 1 as its graduation requirement.
A place where he could obtain missions, resources, techniques, teachers, and everything else he needed for his development.
It was exactly what Ren wanted.
'Not bad.'
His university life was about to begin.