Surviving at the Magic Academy

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She came to visit on the third day after I regained my freedom.

Of course, I still had to manage the Tower and prepare for lectures, but surprisingly, I found myself with plenty of extra time after handling all those tasks. Including sleep, I somehow had four hours of leisure time.

Compared to the time when I barely slept and had to visit the Infirmary to force my body to recover, it was like heaven. I was just getting into my magic book when someone called for me.

It was a call from Doll number 134, which made me try to recall the list of dolls. Who was it again? 134…134… Ah, Kashian! I recognized her during the second treasure hunt when we introduced ourselves, and I learned her identity.

The embodiment of the talent that defeated me, and a powerhouse who reached the second floor just a year after enrolling. Rumor had it that she was studying directly under a professor. Whether that’s true or not, it didn’t change the fact that she was somewhat of an unpleasant presence for me.

Still, I had to go check since I had received a call. She and the Swordsmen occupied three of the empty rooms on the second floor. Excluding the lecture hall and the infirmary, there were a total of eight rooms on the second floor. The fact that they occupied three of them showed their strength.

And no one dared to mess with them. During the second treasure hunt, they tracked down mages with grudges, tearing off limbs and hanging them on pillars. They did that until the lecture was over. After witnessing that, who would dare to treat them lightly?

I was no exception. I knocked on the door of the room where Kashian was located as cautiously as possible. Soon, a fierce-looking face popped out. It was Kashian. She saw me and quickly stepped outside. Following her was the Doll marked with 134.

“Did you call for me, Kashian?”

“Mister, please change this.”

She said, pointing at the Doll number 134. I quickly took control of the doll and started inspecting it. But soon, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion. There was nothing particularly wrong with the doll.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, so what’s the problem?”

She shook her head while pointing at the shoulder, where the doll’s number was engraved.

“If it points like this, I have no idea if it’s mine or not. I don’t like it.”

That was true. All the dolls were made with the same specifications. The only distinguishing mark was the number engraved on their shoulders.

I hadn’t thought about the appearance while making these. I just wanted to escape that hellish job as quickly as possible. To do that, I needed to pump out dolls as fast as I could. And that was the result of focusing on efficiency.

“I’m sorry. I’ve already run out of all the materials, so I can’t create a new doll.”

I said, bowing my head. This was the truth. I had poured all my points into making dolls, so I couldn’t acquire any more materials. After a moment of thought, she extended her hand, revealing a ring on her finger.

“One hundred points.”

“Hmm. It’s true that there are no materials, but I just thought of a way. If I use this Doll number 134 as a base, I think I can create a new doll. Do you have a certain shape in mind?”

I said, smiling. In response, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. It had a rough sketch of a bear that was almost proportional in size for its head and body.

“Can you do something like this?”

She asked. I accepted the paper and closely examined it. It didn’t have any special features; it was merely a bear with a peculiar shape. In fact, changing just the shape was quite simple. Especially when it was just a matter of adding flesh like this.

“Of course. If you wait for about 30 minutes, I’ll quickly bring you a new doll.”

I said, bowing my head as I gathered the drawing and doll. I escorted her back to her room and quickly headed up to the workshop. Then I began to figure out the drawing properly.

The face of the bear was drawn haphazardly with just a few simple lines, and the body was lacking in detail. Overall, the proportions were off, and the legs and arms were drawn too short, giving the bear an awkward, twisted appearance.

But still, the intent of the drawing was clear. It was all about cuteness. This drawing, seemingly done by her, was filled with the desire to express a cute bear. I could feel that from the essence of the drawing.

If that was the case, I had to make the doll to match that.

First, I completely disassembled Doll number 134. After carefully proceeding while paying attention to each part and circuit, I managed to complete the disassembly. This would become part of the new bear doll and start moving again.

Then, I began to create the body. I carefully carved the wood so that it matched the doll parts. First, the torso was established as the center. I carefully connected Doll number 134’s parts to it, reviving its existing functions.

Next were the arms and legs. Just like the drawing depicted, I made very short limbs. They were just long enough that the two hands could barely meet in front of the chest. I attached them to the torso.

And I crafted the head as well. It was nearly the same size as the torso. This head was the core of the doll. Big, round eyes, a tiny mouth, and a little snout that stuck out. I meticulously adjusted every detail.

With all the parts attached, I completed the doll. It had an incredibly awkward body ratio. The head and torso were the same size, while the arms and legs were less than half of that.

But it was cute.

It may have been highly inefficient, but that was what mattered. She must have wanted this kind of shape. As I’d been said, I needed to implement the client’s desires as much as possible in exchange for the points I received.

For the finishing touch, I added monster fur to its body to bring it to life. I intentionally used the fur of both the bear and the monster to make it look as natural as possible. Looking at the completed doll, I was confident it would please Kashian.

I breathed magic into the doll’s heart. As my magic flowed into it, the doll’s Magical Heart began to beat again. It took a clumsy stance. Hmm, there were still some adjustments needed.

After rechecking its functions one by one, I took the doll and headed back to the second floor. Kashian was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me.

When she saw the bear doll waddling down the stairs behind me, her eyes sparkled. She watched its movements until it stood in front of her.

“Is this it?”

She asked, her eyes glued to the bear doll. A satisfied smile spread across her face. I had always imagined making dolls with the perfect proportions, so this was a first for me.

But amidst this inefficiency, a new value had bloomed. It was something I had never considered before. I handed over the control of the doll to her and mentioned a few precautions.

“By correcting the doll like this, a few functions were deleted. There are things it can’t do in this form. Plus, the magic consumption is higher than before, so it shouldn’t be overworked. Otherwise, it’ll stop moving before the day ends.”

“Yeah, I love it. Thank you, Mister.”

She held out her ring. I brought my own ring to it. Magic flowed, and the points shifted. One hundred points, a very satisfactory score. For me, who had already exhausted all my points, it felt like a refreshing rain in a drought.

She took the doll and went back to her room. I too headed back to my workshop. After making that, a new spark of inspiration began to grow. I felt like using this surplus time to create another new doll.

Afterward, she began to flaunt the bear doll in front of others, showing it off with anyone she encountered, regardless of whether they were hostile or friendly. With such natural promotion, others started coming to find me.

In fact, I had anticipated this while decorating her doll. They asked me about the costs of customizing dolls. But I firmly had my price point already established: one hundred points. If I received less than that, Kashian would surely feel uncomfortable. It’s always the first customer who sets the standard for gaining trust.

Moreover, this one hundred points also included the cost of the doll itself. All the dolls I distributed to them were my property. How could I just give that away? The points I had invested were significant. Each one cost at least thirty points worth of resources.

I began explaining this to those who came looking for me, and many shook their heads and left.

It was understandable. It was just changing the appearance of a doll, after all. The functionality remained the same. Who would want to burn a hundred points on that? Even I was puzzled as to why Kashian had spent so many points.

And so, a few more days passed. Kashian kept boasting about the doll, and people came to me but gave up upon hearing the price.

In that situation, the first to request a doll to be customized was Jun.

After acquiring a space-consuming box, he gathered some personal mages and formed a sort of gathering. Most of them were low-ranking, a group that had come together to create their own domain within this Tower. They had barely managed to snag a corner room on the first floor.

But he wasn’t satisfied with just that. Taking advantage of the fact that the prominent families and the Swordsmen and Mages had moved on to the second floor, he seized control of the first floor. The power contained within his treasure made that possible.

After that, he began charging fees to the mages on the first floor who didn’t join his gathering. Most felt burdened by that score and joined him instead.

As a result of that process, nearly half of those attending the lectures ended up belonging to his gathering. Thus, he became the head of another massive force supporting the lectures.

I watched his schemes with great admiration. Just look at his ability to turn every opportunity into his own! That cunning had been evident from the moment he stole the treasure. Despite his quiet and heavy outward demeanor, a fox was hiding within.

Having witnessed all that, I could easily deduce why he had come to see me. Clearly, it was to show off to others. Trying something that no one dared to attempt was the shortcut to gaining distinction.

With such assumptions deeply hidden in my heart, I welcomed him. He was now brimming with confidence. The weak demeanor he had before was entirely gone. He handed me a picture.

“Could you decorate a doll based on this picture?”

I accepted it and inspected it closely. It depicted a beautiful woman. Even though it was just a drawing, her presence was so classy that I momentarily couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“Who is this?”

“It’s a picture of my late wife. She wasn’t a mage, so she passed away a long time ago.”

He smiled bitterly. I too offered a brief moment of silence in respect. He left me the points and the picture.

Returning to the workshop, I looked over the photo again.

The woman in the drawing sat elegantly at a table. She held a teacup in one hand, gracefully sipping tea. The dignified smile on her lips and the calmness in her eyes made her all the more distinguished.

She was a very beautiful and graceful woman. Honestly, I could hardly believe that this was Jun’s wife. He appeared so proud now, but previously, Jun had been in a very pitiable state. He seemed entirely unfit next to the woman in this photo.

But whether it was true or not, that wasn’t really my concern. I had received the points, so I just needed to fulfill the request to the best of my ability.

Unlike when I worked with Kashian, there was no need to adjust the structure of the doll itself. I just needed to analyze the woman’s figure and readjust the doll accordingly.

Using the drawing as a base, I quickly began expressing the woman’s likeness. I put the utmost effort into the face, trying to capture those deep eyes and her tranquil smile that even the drawing radiated.

I began to imitate the texture of the drawing onto the doll’s face. The face of the doll became my canvas as I attempted to recreate the woman’s visage in three dimensions. After a few failures, the woman soon emerged from the drawing.

It was slightly awkward, but it was still the best face I could achieve on the doll. The moment that face was drawn, a faint sense of vitality also began to emanate from the doll.

What would be fitting attire for such a woman? A dress would likely suit her best. That would align quite well with Jun’s purpose and the perfect representation was already in the drawing.

The woman in the drawing was wearing a very elegant dress. The top was tailored to fit her figure perfectly, elegantly revealing her curves, and the skirt flowing below the knees showcased intricate embroidery, creating an even more dignified atmosphere.

I strove to capture as much of that feel as possible with the fabric and leather I had. Of course, due to the limits of the materials, perfect recreation was impossible. However, I managed to complete a dress that closely resembled that shape.

When I dressed the doll in it, even if it wasn’t quite as noble as in the drawing, a sense of dignity was still palpable. The doll, with its eyes closed, exuded a serene calmness as if it were asleep.

I breathed magic into the doll’s heart. The heart began to thump again, and the doll opened its eyes. It was perfect. I moved the doll around. Since I hadn’t made drastic changes, it moved its body very naturally.

However, that alone felt somewhat lacking. The doll’s movements traced very efficient paths. It appeared to be behaving in a way unsuitable for this doll.

So what would be an appropriate movement for this doll? Suddenly, I recalled the bear doll from earlier. It had created value through its inefficient appearance.

Dignity felt similar. When moving inefficiently, a special uniqueness emerged. With that thought in mind, I began to amend the doll’s movements.

I also referenced Aili’s movements while doing so. Among everyone I’ve met so far, she possessed the most graceful gestures.

It had been quite a while since I remembered her. I wondered where she was and what she was doing now, but I couldn’t imagine at all.

Thus, the completed doll radiated an immense sense of dignity. I smiled at it. Surely, Jun would be satisfied with this. And my guess proved spot-on. When he saw the doll, he was overjoyed and left me an additional fifty points as a tip.

And then requests began to pour in.

Seeing Kashian’s bear doll had made hesitant customers change their minds, and upon seeing Jun’s lady, they wanted to customize their own dolls, even offering extra points.

Thus, the points started to overflow.

I couldn’t help but smile happily. I began brainstorming even more ways to sell those dolls.

What if, instead of just changing appearances, I also sold the functionalities attached to them? With that thought, I started adding various functions to the dolls.

Things like moving more often, producing pleasant scents, and changing expressions. These functionalities could be purchased for a small number of points.

While my leisure time dwindled because I was busy customizing dolls, I didn’t mind. Points were being copied. What a wonderful thing this was!

The realization hit me after customizing the fiftieth doll. It had been exactly a year since I arrived at the university.

 

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