Only one in-game month had passed since the war against the Merlins. The academy was still rebuilding, but morale had never been higher. With each major victory, more players joined the game, and the academy was evolving at an unprecedented rate. Even at this moment, the total number of players had exceeded four thousand and continued to rise with each passing day.

  William — better known by his in-game name, Prominence — could feel that the academy was evolving beyond a mere game hub. With the addition of new professors and assistant professors, it now functioned like a true magic institution — the kind that he had once dreamed of attending as a child.

  He would never have imagined that all of this progress could happen in less than a year. Being part of the first wave of players, he had witnessed the transformation firsthand — from when the academy consisted of only two buildings, to now spanning over three kilometers in diameter...

  It sure filled him with melancholic feelings.

  “Still, my progress toward becoming an official Magus has started to slow down… At this rate, I might not be able to reach the Elemental Adept rank within a year,” he muttered to himself.

  Unlike the relatively straightforward advancement from the first to the third stage, ascending to the rank of Elemental Adept Magus was a far more demanding task. There were several critical steps he needed to complete.

  First and foremost, he had to finish his current meditation level by reaching 100 percent progression. Next, he needed to acquire a high-rank meditation technique known as the Omni-Elemental Fusion Method from the virtual shop, which was priced at ten thousand merit points. After that, he would have to gather an enormous quantity of mana crystals. Lastly, he required a perfect location to make the breakthrough.

  And all of that requires a massive amount of merit points… He sighed. Although he’d gained plenty from recent events and the Land of the Dead expansion, it never felt like enough. To accelerate his progress, he’d burned through a significant number of mana crystals — and even had to sell some on the market to exchange for real-world currency back on Earth.

  Fortunately, his dilemma would soon be solved by the notification screen that appeared before his eyes — and every player in the vicinity.

  [Join the expedition to take over Brightmoon City.]

  [Mission Difficulty: Three stars]

  [Requirement: Second-stage Initiate Attunement]

  [Note: You must follow the orders of your superiors. In the event of death, you’ll still receive additional compensation of half of the total reward]

  [Reward: 250 merit points per day]

  It’s about time.

  Indeed.

  Today marked the first day after the Beta Version 0.5 update, and a new storyline had just been released. The academy grounds buzzed with excitement. Players who met the qualifications were gathering by the hundreds, ready to conquer Brightmoon City.

  Of course, this wasn’t the only mission available. For guild leaders and officers, as well as those who had reached the third stage of Initiate Attunement, there were missions with better rewards. Some involved joining special squads, leading other players, or completing special and military objectives, all involving this one mission.

  Thus, William quickly joined the rest of the guild leaders and their high-ranking members in the grand auditorium for the briefing. The familiar faces of Zero, Storm, Mike, Auralise, and several others filled the room. Even Thunder and KuroUsagi’s group — who hadn’t shown themselves much over the past couple of months — stood to the side, seemingly involved in deeper discussions.

  Strangely, unlike previous updates where a major event would unfold, the headmaster was absent and didn’t deliver his usual speech. Instead, the one overseeing the meeting was a senior professor of the academy and an Elemental Adept Magus — Roland. However, he didn’t make any grand announcements and simply let the players take the lead.

  “All of you have read the update,” Satellite began without preamble. “The Sanctum has decided that it’s time for Brightmoon City to change hands to its rightful owner. The city currently has no functioning lordship, and Lillie arc Brightmoon is the last surviving descendant of the city’s former lord. She has a legitimate claim.”

  William raised a brow. “So we’re not just taking over. We’re installing her as the actual ruler?”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Satellite nodded. “Correct. It’ll be both a political and military operation. Some rogue Merlin forces are still lingering in the city, and there’s the issue of convincing the citizens. This isn’t a raid. It’s a liberation.”

  Zero added, “I agree with the plan, but I feel like Lillie’s a bit too young to be the lord. Some of us will need to serve as her advisors to help run the city.”

  “Ah! I find this plan of conquering a city entertaining,” Auralise quipped.

  “Regardless of that,” Storm interjected, “what we should focus on is how we proceed with taking the city.”

  What Storm said was right. Without taking over the city first, anything they planned afterward would be meaningless, just like putting the cart before the horse. It would be best to brainstorm a strategy to conquer the city with as few casualties as possible, both among the players and the civilians.

  “Of course,” Storm continued, his tone sharpening, “we need to establish a solid chain of command first. This isn’t a dungeon run; this is a siege and an occupation.”

  “Then I suggest we split into specialized squads,” Satellite proposed, arms crossed. “A vanguard unit to handle close-range combat, a logistics unit for resource and supply management at the rear, a support unit in case something unforeseen happens, and a diplomacy unit to negotiate with the citizens. We’ll also need scouts and information gatherers to identify any lingering Merlin loyalists.”

  “Leave diplomacy to me and Domonique,” Auralise offered. “I’ve got connections in the city among the merchants and officials who can help soften the takeover.”

  Auralise still held the dominant status as the premier merchant player in the game. Her forces continued to expand, and she had intentionally established subsidiary guilds focused on mercantile operations, nearly monopolizing the player market. These guilds provided the player base with a reliable channel to trade with Brightmoon City and even neighboring settlements.

  If not for the academy having its own set of prices on many basic things as well as on mana crystals, Auralise and her guilds would have controlled the price of everything.

  Thunder nodded. “Leave the information gathering to me. I’ll use the rats in the slums to make sure no rogue factions undermine the handover.”

  Zero rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “For starters, we should focus on taking over the government buildings, the barracks, and the city gates. If we control those, we control the city.”

  William chimed in, “If we want the citizens to accept Lillie, we’ll have to do more than fight. Once we begin occupying the city, we’ll need to stabilize their daily lives, which includes food, security, and medical aid. We’ll need support programs.”

  All eyes turned to Roland, who stood silently by the window with his hands behind his back. He gave the room a nod of quiet approval but said nothing.

  They continued discussing the strategy in finer detail, carefully planning the occupation and post-occupation phases, ensuring every variable was accounted for.

  At last, Satellite, having naturally taken the role of strategist, clapped once. “All right, I’ll draft the squad structure based on your suggestions and assign roles accordingly. Everyone, prepare your gear and guild members. We’ll move out tomorrow afternoon.”

  As the meeting broke up and players began to form clusters, William gathered with his officers, discussing their guild’s plan. One thing was certain: this would be the first time players were going to attack a settlement rather than defend one, and the prospect was undeniably exciting for them.

  The skies burned orange and violet as dusk settled over the horizon, painting the clouds with streaks of fading light. Four dirigibles soared above the treetops, cutting through the twilight mist like silver spears. At the front of the formation flew the Lunaria — sleek, reinforced, and proudly bearing the insignia of the Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi, shaped like a spiral galaxy encased in a geometric compass rose.

  Behind it trailed three more vessels — once the pride of the Merlin family, now repurposed by the academy. Their hulls still bore faint traces of the old crest, hastily painted over with the Sanctum’s emblem.

  From the outside, the airships moved in calm formation, but within, the decks were alive with organized chaos.

  Players in acolyte robes, marked with pins denoting their squad affiliations, moved about efficiently, checking supplies, confirming objectives, and preparing battle equipment. Dozens of second and third-stage Initiate Attunement acolytes stood near briefing terminals, studying the layout of Brightmoon City and receiving final role assignments. Some faces were tense with anticipation, others lit with excitement. For many, this would be their first operation inside an actual city — not as defenders of a stronghold, but as a liberating force.

  Onboard the Zephyros, the former flagship of the Merlin fleet, several chained figures sat in a reinforced chamber deep within the hull. These were the surviving captives from the Merlin family’s core forces —low-ranking scions, advisors, and even a few mages. Each was bound not just by chains but also by magic seals and suppression collars that rendered them unable to cast spells.

  Their purpose on this journey was simple: to extract every scrap of intelligence possible regarding the internal structure, defenses, and remaining loyalists within Brightmoon City. Strangely enough, they cooperated without resistance. Most likely, it was because the headmaster had cast something on them not long after their capture.

  Meanwhile, seated in the observation room aboard the Lunaria, William stood near one of the observation windows, watching the horizon as Brightmoon City slowly came into view in the far distance. He could already feel the excitement creeping beneath his skin.

  The strategy they had devised to take over the city relied on the dirigibles flying high above the clouds, hidden from view by advanced camouflage spells. From there, the vanguard unit would deploy via sky dive — just as they had done during the previous operation against the slaver camp.

  Satellite’s voice crackled through the nearby bronze communication pipe, firm and clear. “All squads, prepare for final approach. Brightmoon City will be within visual range in ten minutes.”

  Across the decks, tension and anticipation rippled through the players like an electric current. Everyone knew the risks, but no one backed down.

  The true operation was about to begin.

  Volume 1 and

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