[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-118":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257122,4404,"Chapter 118: Seris Magic Academy","above-the-mage-chapter-118",118,"\u003Cp>The carriage rattled off toward the city’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Lady, you’re being far too courteous to Master Gao De.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the carriage, the servant who had always accompanied Jelika spoke in a voice devoid of any discernible emotion: “Regardless of his future achievements, even if he truly becomes a Restoration Master, he won’t offer you much help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The profession of “Restoration Artisan” has a limited ceiling, unlike “Potion Maker,” “Alchemist,” or “Runesmith.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Analogously, the best repairman in the world holds little value to a millionaire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Robo, my servant,” Jelika replied, calmer than the servant, her tone cool: “Not all kindness needs to be laced with self-interest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He repaired my mother’s ‘Lake Heart’ for me—that alone is enough.” Jelika gazed out the window at the scenery slipping past, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I overstepped,” the servant acknowledged without expression, watching his lady whose mind seemed already wandering beyond the window, sighing softly within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, her father, Lord Hains, had long ago offered to send Jelika to Seris Magic Academy, but she had always refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until now—this time, Jelika herself had voluntarily requested to come to Seris Magic Academy for further study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As her personal servant, he understood the reason better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of that previous “accident” that shattered her heart, prompting her to temporarily flee the vortex and come to Shengxi En City, far from Bremen City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, she had no firm plans—you forced her here. With her magical talent, leaving Bremen City to enter Seris Magic Academy isn’t distancing herself from the center of power—it’s the true path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A temporary departure is merely to return stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this world, after all, remains a mage’s world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You will all regret today’s actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no law forbids a woman from becoming a lord, the loyal servant thought silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De ultimately chose to stay at Hains Inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having accepted Jelika’s silver card meant he had already accepted this favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you accept a favor yet refuse its benefits, aren’t you a fool?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far from the airship terminal, Gao De spotted the familiar, affordable “public carriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After asking the staff, he boarded the carriage that passed Hains Inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the silver card, Gao De secured a luxury room for four silver per night, down from eight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also, by virtue of the silver card, borrowed a simple map of Shengxi En City—free of charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he only glanced at it briefly, just to get a general sense of Shengxi En City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De had no intention of spending time studying the city’s geography or customs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His goal this trip was crystal clear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seris Magic Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the start of Frostgold Month each year, Seris Magic Academy opens its admissions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On that day, countless mages arrive at the academy to undergo its trials and seek entry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once admitted to Seris Magic Academy, one ascends instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The academy’s entrance trial imposes only one age restriction: it does not accept mages over thirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that, there are no further limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, as long as you’re under thirty, you may apply every year if you wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone clings to the hope: last year I failed, but maybe this year I’ll qualify? After all, there are precedents of mages passing after multiple attempts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Seris Magic Academy’s admission day is, for young mages in Shengxi En City and nearby towns, an annual festival—thriving with activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a win-win: repeated trials ensure the academy doesn’t miss those who blossom late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For individuals, one failure isn’t a death sentence—they still have a chance to turn things around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, every Frostgold Month, countless mages flood in from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s just like back in my past life, Gao De muttered instinctively upon learning this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Earth, September was always the new student enrollment period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today is Darknight Month 1st; one month remains until Seris Magic Academy’s admission day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Gao De had no intention of waiting until then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rules are made for those who follow them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Jelika and the other two heirs of the Hains family need not abide by this rule—or its timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De lacked such background, but he possessed a “waiver recommendation letter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seris Magic Academy sits atop Seris Peak, outside Shengxi En City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The academy’s name derives from this peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is also known as the Royal Magic Academy, built by decree of Jeross I, the founding emperor of the Kingdom of Sein, and construction began on the same day as the capital, Shengxi En City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is also the only magic academy in the Kingdom of Sein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the kingdom’s founding, it has supplied the majority of high-ring mages to the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In both power and status, Seris Magic Academy stands unrivaled among magical forces in the Kingdom of Sein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly every eligible mage in the kingdom considers admission to Seris Magic Academy an honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the academy’s entrance trials are brutally strict—on average, only a dozen or so candidates pass each year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this refers only to those who enter via the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, Seris Magic Academy enrolls thirty to forty new students annually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest gain entry through “unofficial channels”—young nobles from noble families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This has become an unspoken rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seris Magic Academy spans over three thousand mu, encompassing multiple zones: academic, residential, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most prominent and central structure is the Seris Mage Tower atop Seris Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mage tower symbolizes a mage’s power, wisdom, status, and wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only mages of the fifth ring or higher possess the authority and ability to construct one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It serves not only as a residence but also as a laboratory, library, treasure vault, defensive fortress, dungeon, and teleportation node.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Seris Mage Tower was originally constructed under the direction of the academy’s first headmaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over generations, successive mages of the academy refined it—until the Seris Mage Tower became the academy’s most vital foundation and strongest force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, in the Seris Mage Tower’s conference room, a small meeting was underway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current headmaster of Seris Magic Academy, Xie Er Yin, sat at the head of the table, his brow slightly furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was nearly four hundred years old, yet still appeared as a middle-aged man, no older than thirty or forty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Er Yin had served as headmaster of Seris Magic Academy for over a century.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A century had granted him immense prestige within the academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This headmaster, usually composed and seemingly in full control, now wore this demeanor because two other senior mages in the room were locked in heated argument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1089,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f03e23a591bf0ed98433c486d5902237b7d5cda54ae255d3e094dbbc1bed578b","above-the-mage-chapter-119","above-the-mage-chapter-117",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]