Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

Entering the citadel-like building, Felix discovered a new world inside. Instead of the suffocating interior of a fortress, he found a football-stadium-sized library. Floating spiral stairs, made from stone plates, served as a landmark at the center of the large hall.

Above Felix, interior balconies surrounded the floating spiral stairs. As Felix admired the architecture, he noticed two mages climbing the stairs. They knocked a stone plate with their staff, causing it to float toward a balcony on the seventh floor. After getting off, the stone plate returned to its original position.

An elderly woman on the third floor in a gray robe carried a stack of books and walked toward a section of the balcony without a handrail. As she arrived, stone plates automatically floated toward her, extending a path to allow her to cross to the other side of the balcony.

Looking at the scene straight from Harry Potter, Felix wryly smiled. He was reminded once again that he was in a different world.

"This way, junior. Oh, I'm Balam. I'm the dorm master of Storm Tower."

"Dorm master?" Felix had a bad feeling about this. He didn't sign up for taking the exam or living in a dormitory. Instead, he only wished to bring his wife home before the Jack the Ripper knock-off got his hands on her.

"Yes. I'm in charge of managing our tower's exam candidate dormitory. Normally, we only accept candidates with wind elements. But since you have the recommendation of our headmaster, we'll make an exception and take you in."

"…Thank you, I guess. But that's not what I'm here for." Felix tried to explain that he was there for a visit, not to join them.

"That's right. You're not here to work for us."

Felix nodded in agreement.

But Balam continued, "You're here to prove that you're qualified to join the Royal Magi Academy! The Storm Tower is too small for you!"

"…That's not it."

"Of course! Your goal can't be limited to such an academy! For someone as gifted as you, you are destined to become the first Fire Magus of our country! This is just another stepping stone for your great future!"

"Er."

Balam laughed. "You don't have to worry about a thing! Leave everything to us. Be it gold coins, magic crystals, spellbooks, mentors. We'll provide everything and pave your way to great success! When that time comes, just don't forget about us!"

Words flied over his head except one keyword - mana crystals. Felix flinched when Balam mentioned mana crystals. He needed those for his ammunition and wondered if they were free.

"So, what do I need to do?" Felix probed for more information.

"Simple! Your first step is to concentrate on getting into the Royal Magi Academy. We have two weeks to prep you, so we need to hurry."

Expecting free stuff, Felix grinned and stopped asking questions. He followed Balam into the building, looking around.

The library was both similar to and different from the movies, with 100,000 candles providing light. However, all the candles were fixed to chandeliers, tables, and walls—no floating candles here.

Balam stepped onto a spiral stair platform, and Felix joined him. Initially, Felix thought he'd have to climb the floating steps. However, Balam lightly tapped his feet, and the platform detached, floating up by itself.

Being on a floating platform for the first time, Felix lost his balance and fell. He widened his eyes and gasped. "Holy shit, I'm in Hogwarts."

"Hoc-what?"

"Nothing."

Felix and Balam waited for the platform to reach its destination. It brought them to the highest ceiling. From Felix's perspective, it looked like the platform was about the squish both of them with the stone ceiling above.

*WHOOSH*

Magically, Balam, Felix, and the platform phased through the ceiling, revealing it to be an illusion. Felix looked up and found a space without a ceiling. The floor was made of polished stone plates, with pentagram-shaped pillars in parallel formation, supporting nothing yet producing breezy winds that circulated air and dispersed dust.

The platform continued forward, and when Felix peeked below, he saw the citadel he had entered earlier.

"Where are we going?" Felix asked, growing concerned.

"We're already here."

"Huh?"

The platform lifted them 30 feet upward. In an instant, the scenery changed from an empty sky above the fortress to a bustling plaza filled with teenagers and young adults.

Felix looked around in shock. The plaza's floor was made of polished marble, with wooden benches surrounding a large central fountain featuring a marble statue of a gorgeous elf woman welcoming visitors. Behind the statue, wide marble stairs led to a tall stone structure.

Apart from the school-like building with two wings at the center, four condominium-like buildings stood tall on the east and west of Felix's location. To the south, a rectangular structure with symmetrical tinted windows dominated the view, towering absurdly high. Felix roughly counted the floors but stopped when he surpassed 30.

What stunned Felix most was that this place was invisible from below. Even the system map hadn't detected it until he entered. Once inside, the system map updated with dots around him, revealing a mixed reception—red, yellow, and green dots mingled together, making it hard to differentiate friends from foes.

It dawned on him that if the Storm Tower was inferior to the Royal Magi Academy, the real school must be immense. Felix couldn't fathom the mystery and power of this country's mages.

'What am I getting myself into?' Felix thought.

Jessica read his mind and reminded him, <This is nothing compared to what the system can offer you in the future. If I had to compare, this is merely level 60-70ish stuff. Don't be too shocked when a real "Early Game" item drops.>

'Early game? Aren't we already in the early game? I thought level 26 was early game stage.'

<Everything under level 1,000 is merely tutorial. You shouldn't be awestruck by these little tricks.>

'…Got it. I believe you.'

Felix let out a long sigh. Since Jessica bragged about the system, she might really mean it. Real magical things always came from his system, not this world's products.

Meanwhile, Balam smiled and looked at Felix. He introduced the place, "Welcome to the Storm Tower Institution. Here, we treat everyone as equal, whether you were born a commoner, a noble, a slave, or even a fugitive. As long as they show talent, we nurture them!"

Felix rebuked, "You're treating me like some kind of prince though."

Balam laughed, "Your situation is a lot different, junior. You are the first fire mage we've accepted!"

"May I ask why fire mages are so rare?"

"It's actually simple—bloodline."

"Bloodline?" Felix grew curious.

Balam gestured for Felix to follow him and began walking. Felix nodded and walked alongside the middle-aged mage. Balam explained as he led, "Everybody from Dragoon Empire inherits a bit of Goddess Eleanor's bloodline. Although it's weak, it's enough for us to awaken our sense of mana from a young age. By the way…"

After mentioning the goddess, Balam checked Felix's basic knowledge, "Do you know anything about theocracy or Goddess Eleanor?"

"…No."

"I guess general knowledge classes are in order," Balam noted mentally.

…

Along the way, Balam kept asking about Felix's personal information, such as family, birthplace, and how he learned his breathing technique.

Felix, as honest as a Karen Floridian was, lied about everything. He claimed to be an orphan, and his mentor was named "Jessica." However, he added that she was already dead.

They entered the north building, the Storm Tower Institute. According to Balam, about 2,500 mage candidates studied there. As long as their age didn't surpass 20 or they didn't fail the general annual examinations, they were allowed to stay and live there for free. In addition, graduated students were usually first or second-circle wind mages. Only top students finished school with a third circle.

On the other hand, the Royal Magi Academy only accepted second-circle mages under the age of 17. Their graduates always boasted at least the rank of fourth circle.

Felix nodded, understanding why the school was so desirable. However, his real age was 18, and he wondered if he still had a chance.

While conversing, the two walked up the stairs and reached the 7th floor. Upon reaching their destination, Felix entered an office room with Balam.

The room resembled a modern school dean's or superintendent's office, featuring a wooden desk by the glass windows. A pair of sofas were in the middle, sandwiching a glass coffee table. Bookshelves full of thick manuals lined the walls.

In the room, Garudeer was sitting at his desk, watching the scenery through the windows. His followers were also present, sitting on the guest couches and discussing the documents on the coffee table.

As soon as Balam entered, they stopped talking.

"Headmaster, I've brought the candidate you recommended," Balam said.

"Well done. You may leave," Garudeer turned around and smiled at Felix. Felix recognized Garudeer's face. "Welcome, Florida Man. You're early."

Felix deeply inhaled and greeted the elder, "Hello again."

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