Genius Mage in a Cultivation World

Sitting at the window, Layn stared at the streets outside. With the greenery still making the most of the entire inner academy just like in the outer academy, the archmage could just stare at the trees and vast patches of grass for eternity.

'I wonder why we didn't have anything like it back in the academy…' Now that Layn thought about it, outside the time when he wandered the world with his teammates, the moment he joined the magic academy was the day when he last saw the beauty of nature.

From the countryside estate of a lesser noble encompassing just three villages and a small town, he moved to what was considered the center of the civilized world and magic research. But as great as the academy was to pursue his interests and grow his talents, as it was located in the very middle of the second district of the capital city, even when standing at the very roof of the massive building of the magic university one couldn't see any undeveloped land.

"Humans are always at odds with nature. For our own comfort, we destroy the place that cradled our race." Muttering to himself, Layn felt a strange sting of melancholy. 'I know that my coming to this time was nothing but an accident… I don't think it would be too bad to just remain here for the rest of my days.'

Looking to the side, Layn saw Irea sitting cross-legged on the bed and diligently cultivating. With her rope being the only thing that covered her body right now, she would look like a girl who failed to obtain a thin, red wrap for Love Holiday (A/N Valentine's day, but its not earth sooooo) and covered herself in a crude string instead. Yet, just the sheer amount of focus reflected on her tightened jaws and eyelids made it impossible for Layn to feel attracted to her at all.

'I guess old habits die hard.' With his thoughts already oscillating around his past in the academy, it wasn't that hard for Layn's memories to force one of the least enjoyable memories he had of that time.

Yet, as strange as anyone else could take it to be, the memory of being surrounded by oiled beauties all sticking their bodies to his naked skin, wasn't something that Layn liked to recall. Because contrary to what others would make of such memory, it was actually one of the greatest tortures Layn ever suffered in his life.

'Yuck.' A shiver traveled down Layn's spine. Just this single memory was enough to bring forth all the agony he was going through whenever he allowed his mind to wander from the wonders of magic to the wonders of the flesh that surrounded the young him. Yet, as devastating as that experience was back then, there was no denying how effective it was for everyone who went through it.

"Are you okay?" Most likely sensing the changes in the atmosphere caused by swings in Layn's mood, Irea opened her eyes and sent him a worried glance. Yet, rather than just lamenting over her partner's thoughts getting darker, she raised the corners of her lips in a mischievous smile before lowering the wraps of rope that covered a part of her chest. "Won't this make you happier?"

Casting a glance at the mischievous actions of the girl, Layn only sighed when yet another bout of extreme pain resurfaced in his brain.

"Don't try to tempt me when either one of us is working. It will only work in the opposite way to what you would expect." Shaking his head, Layn stood up from his seat before turning around. Yet, before he could even make a single step away from the window, his head turned to the side so fast, that it seemed as if Layn was keen on snapping his own neck.

"Irea…" With his eyes glued to the dim outside on the other side of the window, Layn's voice turned grim. "It's starting. Dress up." Spotting the dark shadows flying by the streets and merging with the darkness of the several spots shielded from the setting sun, Layn didn't even need to guess who they were.

'But I can't let them stare at my girl while she's naked, can I?' Asking himself, Layn stopped his absorption of energy from his own rope, before using all its potential to refill his aura. 'In the end, I still can't put myself to rely on this cultivation thing…' Slowly applying all sorts of reinforcement on himself that his now increased pool of mana allowed, Layn tightened his fists. 'I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it. Let's just hope I won't be forced to rely on it.'

Back in Layn's time, there was a certain saying that was born from the records of the life of the greatest swordsman to live at the dawn of the age of cold weapons. His form was pathetic, his moves were slow and anyone was more than capable to kill him. Yet, the saying went in a slightly different way.

"Even a child with a mascot in its hand could kill him… If it killed as many men as he did beforehand!"

Back in Layn's past and in the future of the ancients, this saying referred to the value of experience, something that even raw talent and years of training couldn't equal. But right now, when Layn repeated those words to himself, they bore a slightly different meaning.

Back then, it implied the importance of experience. Yet right now, Layn could only think of it as an encouragement to grow. 'Was his form pathetic? It was. Was his grasp of swordsmanship poor? It was. And so is my form and grasp over cultivation.' Just as Layn was about to discard the option of relying on his cultivation, he suddenly changed his mind.

With his means as a damned archmage, he could dispose of those lurkers with just a single thought. Even though his mana was nowhere near to what he wielded at his peak, he was now more than capable of operating on the middle-tier spells freely. As such, creating a vortex of air that would suck all the oxygen before either repelling it or burning it away only to then attach it to the mouth of unsuspecting future victims of suffocation and 'burnout' was well within Layn's means.

But he opted not to do so.

"I'm ready. What's going on?" Looking to the side, Layn squinted his eyes in satisfaction seeing Irea already in her full gear. Outside of the rope that was still gently outlined underneath Irea's shirt, she switched her usual shirt into simple pants. With a single coat-like robe covering it all, she had more than enough space underneath her outer robe to hide the motions of her hands from anyone attempting to guess her next move.

"I believe the price I asked for… It was a bit too much for them to stomach." Moving back to the window, Layn observed how some of the shadows moved from the dark spots on the other side of the street to the blind spot of his window, blocked by the protruding wall of the Inn they were staying at.

"Are we going to kill them?" Looking to the side, Layn took a long glance at Irea's resolved face. From her clear eyes, the archmage could tell that this question had no deeper emotions or meanings underneath. As if asking if she should go and get some salt from the neighbors, Irea didn't seem to be perturbed by the idea of killing her fellow inner disciples at all.

"Well, that's one way to go about it, but also it's something I assume our real enemies want to happen." Shaking his head, Layn reached for the knob before opening the window all the way out to the point where the hinges the shuts were hanging on started to creak, only to break free from the wooden wall when enough pressure was applied.

"If we kill them, we will lose our lead to where the sanctuary is held. What's more, we won't be able to obtain any leads as to who actually sent those meatshields at us." Speaking with a perfectly normal voice as if not bothered by the fact that the very people he treated with scorn and disregard were listening to him, Layn winked at the girl. "I will keep them alive in order to figure out who is the leader. Then, once we will get rid of the bodies, I will take my sweet time to pick his brain out."

Sitting on the frame of the window, Layn threw his legs to the other side before jumping down from the second level of the inn their room was located at. Landing right in the middle between the group of shadows that still hid on the other side of the street and those who already managed to push further, the archmage hid his hands underneath the same, spacious robe that Irea was wearing while conjuring a set of simple spells under its cover.

"Excuse me guys, but the training of stealth and assassination was scheduled for tomorrow, not today." With two orbs of light containing a precise set of orders making up the middle-tier spell brimming around his hands, Layn pulled them out from underneath his robe.

"Dear, leave some for me." Quickly following suit, Irea jumped down and landed right beside the archmage. Yet, even though they apparently did the same thing, her landing was far more graceful and soft when compared to the murderous thump Layn landed with.

"Sure. Just make sure to leave one alive." Turning to the girl and giving his order in his usual voice, Layn then turned towards the group he was going to face before putting a wide smile on his lips.

"Guys, we cannot let such a mistake to pass. How about you will let us accompany you all to the elders' headquarters so that we can figure out who made the mistake of mixing up your schedules?"

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