In the room used for hosting distinguished guests in the Dean's building.
Erza sat on the sofa, looking at the scenery outside the large floor-to-ceiling window. "Hope, Elder Glaston and Dean Hyberion..."
"Yeah, you noticed it too, didn't you?"
Hope said while munching on fruit specially provided by the academy, "Glaston is the former dean. When I used 'Time Arc' on him, I discovered that both his legs are Magic-Powered Prosthetics."
"What a complicated pair of master and disciple."
Erza didn't understand, but Hope had his own insights.
Clashes of ideology have always been this way; they don't care about master-disciple relationships. In his previous world, he had seen biological brothers turn into enemies because of their respective beliefs.
However, the relationship between Glaston and Hyberion was a hundred times better than those brothers.
Now that Glaston was acting as an assistant to Hyberion, he had likely been persuaded by his star pupil through both ideological and physical means.
Hope patted the wide sofa. "Erza, let me help you open your 'second magic source'. Don't worry, I have experience now; it won't hurt much."
"When you say that, could you not make such a lecherous face?" Erza suspected that Hope just wanted to see her lying on the bed drenched in sweat.
But she wasn't going to give Hope that chance.
"Actually, I've already opened my second magic source, so don't waste your efforts."
"Eh—"
Hope's face instantly slumped. He was just thinking about going up to hug Erza when she cried out in pain, but it turned out to be just wishful thinking.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Back then, Wise Dragon Belserion had speculated that Erza had stayed in her mother Irene's womb for nearly 400 years before being born.
Having absorbed nutrients for 400 years was already a massive cheat for Erza. It was perfectly reasonable for her to awaken her 'second magic source' without a teacher.
Since she didn't need it, Hope would have to work on himself.
After greeting Erza, Hope retreated to his room, locked the door tight, and added three layers of soundproofing to the room.
Mainly, when he opened the second magic source for Glaston earlier, that white-bearded old man's screams were absolutely tragic. Hope didn't want such an embarrassing scene to be seen by others.
He had a reputation to maintain, after ones.
Having made preparations, Hope cast 'Arc of Time' on himself.
In an instant, intense pain accompanied by cyan magic patterns spread throughout his body. The pain made Hope gasp with eyes closed, his whole body twitching on the floor.
Unlike Glaston, the time it took for Hope to open his second magic source actually lasted for a full two hours.
But the rewards gained were beyond imagination.
Feeling the vast magical power constantly surging within him, Hope felt that these two hours of screaming like Tom Cat had not been in vain.
The constitution of every Mage is different, and their total magical power varies immensely.
Due to their constitutions, the magic they can use usually only reaches about fifty or sixty percent of the total; powerful Mages can go higher.
The essence of developing the 'second magic source' is to increase the utilization rate of the total magical power to one hundred percent.
Originally, Hope's usable magic accounted for less than five percent of his total magic, which is why his original self was just an ordinary person despite being a Council agent.
But the situation was different now.
As a transmigrator, Hope had used the system to master magic and become a Mage. While magic is being used, it also affects the Mage themselves, allowing their body to adapt to the exertion of magic, which in turn affects the opening of the second magic source.
However, Hope knew too many spells.
This caused his path to opening the second magic source to be full of obstacles, taking a full two hours of brute force to complete.
Feeling the magical power in his body that had nearly increased twenty-fold, Hope was incredibly excited. Now he finally wouldn't go limp after casting a few powerful spells.
Although he still couldn't compare to monsters like Erza whose mana pools were bottomless, compared to ordinary Mages, Hope could only say he had far surpassed them in terms of magic... Time quickly moved to the next day.
The Northern Circular Arena of Mildian Magic Academy.
The surrounding towering stands were filled with students and instructors wearing uniform academy attire. Their gazes toward the center of the arena were a mix of curiosity and undisguised contempt.
"I really don't know what the Dean is thinking. Wild Mages from a guild actually have the nerve to come to our academy for a magic exchange. Isn't this just coming here to make fools of themselves?"
"Don't you agree, Teacher Totomaru?"
A blond boy of about twelve or thirteen, wearing a red top hat, looked at the teacher who had recently returned to the academy for a position, seemingly seeking his agreement.
But Totomaru had a terrible expression. That guy in the center of the arena reminded him of something unpleasant; that kick to the groin back then still gave him phantom pains even now.
Totomaru looked at the blond boy. "Rufus, make sure you watch closely in a bit."
"Watch what closely?" The blond boy was somewhat confused.
"Watch that guy's magic and techniques closely."
Totomaru looked at Rufus with a serious face. "Your 'Memory Shaping' is the Shaping magic with the highest ceiling. If it's you, maybe one day you'll be able to defeat that monster."
Rufus didn't understand, but seeing Instructor Totomaru so serious, he could only agree.
However, what he thought in his heart was that a mere wild Mage wasn't worth such serious attention from the formerly outstanding graduate Totomaru... In the center of the arena, Hyberion's long speech made Hope and Erza drowsy, but fortunately, it finally ended.
"I declare!"
"The magic combat exchange between Mildian Magic Academy and Fairy Tail officially begins!"
"Instructors and students, please sign up in an orderly fashion to challenge these two Mages from Fairy Tail!"
Just as Hyberion stepped off the combat platform, a figure leaped down from the stands and landed lightly.
It was a meticulously dressed red-haired instructor, with two silver stars embedded on the badge on his chest. He raised his chin, hot sparks dancing on his fingertips.
"Barbarians from a guild!"
"Let me, Kyle von Eisenberg, son of Count Eisenberg of the Kingdom of Fiore, and two-star outstanding instructor of Mildian Magic Academy..."
"Too much nonsense."
Hope yawned and casually flicked out a spark, which in an instant turned into a prairie fire covering half the sky, knocking that guy with the long name unconscious on the ground with a single hit.
The clamor in the stands came to an abrupt halt.
Several students who were about to cheer stood with their mouths open, their expressions frozen on their faces.
Hope picked his ear and gave a provocative look at the hundred or so people in the surrounding stands. "My companion and I are in a hurry. All of you teachers and students here should come at us together. Don't worry, the two of us can handle it."
The entire venue was deathly silent.
Then, the shouts of public indignation began to pour in.
Erza sighed and said in a low voice to Hope, "While I don't mind taking them on, you're being too reckless."
"We're going to fight anyway, it's faster if they come all at once."
Hope shrugged indifferently, watching the instructors and students jumping down from the stands. "It's time to peel back the protection of the ivory tower and let them see the outside world."
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