Chapter 5: How to Become a Grand Mage

"10, 9, 8, Therosha arrives, 7, 6, Emi, come on, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, time's up." Lin Yuan flipped over the magical hourglass and looked at the group of students in front of him, who were all standing askew and out of breath. He nodded with satisfaction. Although only a few students seemed fine, most of them were panting heavily, looking like they were about to collapse. However, all the students from Class 3, Grade 1 had made it to the destination within the time limit, including Vince, who was rather overweight.

"Alright, since everyone has completed the task as promised, I'll treat you all to breakfast. Order whatever you like," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

After gathering early at the academy gate and running a considerable distance, the students were already starving. Hearing Lin Yuan's words, they didn't hesitate to pick up the menus and start ordering.

Seeing the students' eager expressions, Lin Yuan couldn't help but worry about his wallet. Fortunately, the few gold coins Hawk had given him were still mostly intact. Even if the students ordered a lot, he wouldn't be unable to pay.

"Teacher Lin, would you like me to lend you a few gold coins? You can pay me back when you get your salary," Katusha suddenly leaned over and said with a smile.

Lin Yuan shook his head vigorously. "Borrowing money on my first day treating students? That would be so embarrassing. I appreciate the offer, though."

Katusha smiled lightly and didn't say more. She picked up the menu and ordered the most expensive items, one after another, until Lin Yuan's face couldn't help but twitch. Only then did she put the menu down.

"Damn it, I'm glad she's not pretty. Otherwise, she'd be a real enchantress," Lin Yuan silently regretted not being able to refuse her company.

Soon, after everyone had eaten their fill, Lin Yuan gathered the students together.

"Do you know why I asked you all to run here?"

The students looked at each other, shaking their heads. Some even wore expressions of disdain, thinking he must be crazy.

"Let me ask you another question. Why are there so few grand mages?"

The students were even more bewildered. This question had been asked countless times since grand mages first appeared, but no one had ever found a definitive answer. The general conclusion was that grand mages were rare because they were too powerful. If grand mages could be produced in large numbers, humans would be able to challenge the gods.

"Alright, let me ask another question. What do grand mages have in common?"

This time, the students immediately became more enthusiastic, offering a variety of answers. However, the most common opinions were centered around "powerful" and "wise."

"Of course grand mages are powerful and wise. If they weren't, they wouldn't be grand mages. But what I'm trying to say is another common trait among them: they live long lives."

"Big deal..."

"What kind of commonality is that?"

Lin Yuan said seriously, "Don't dismiss it. Do you understand what living a long life means? It means they have more time than others to study magic, which naturally makes them more likely to become powerful."

"But Teacher Lin, the grand mage Finor 300 years ago became a grand mage at the age of 43. He didn't live longer than others."

"How many Finors have there been?" Lin Yuan countered.

Of course, there was only one. Otherwise, the continent's top magic academy wouldn't be named after him.

"Although there have been geniuses like Finor in this world, they are rare and cannot be replicated. Think about other grand mages. How old were they when they became grand mages?"

"I've calculated it. Besides Finor, the youngest among others was 87 when they became a grand mage, and the oldest was 138. On average, it takes until the age of 95 to become a grand mage. And the proportion of grand mages among mages is less than one in a hundred thousand. In other words, if you don't live to 95, the possibility of becoming a grand mage is almost zero."

The students fell silent. What Lin Yuan said was true, but it was a harsh reality for these young people.

"Of course, it's not that you have to live to 95 to become a grand mage. If you're that old, what's the point of becoming one? Since there has been a precedent like Finor, there might be someone even younger than him in the future. Maybe one of you will be that person."

"This is also why I asked you all to run here. Mages are human too. Although magic can improve our bodies and help us live longer once we reach a certain level of study, before that, we are just like ordinary people. If we don't exercise and take care of our bodies, we might not even live to 55, let alone 95."

Lin Yuan looked at the students, who seemed to have grasped his point, and smiled. "Learning and researching magic is not just about studying in isolation. The ability to understand things, the capacity to grasp new knowledge, and a healthy body are all essential. Do you know why the academy offers courses like social studies, economics, and continental history, which seem unrelated to magic? It's actually for the same reason as why I asked you to run today."

"I've already suggested to the academy that we add physical education classes and require them to be held every three days. We need to ensure that every student who graduates from Finor Academy is well-rounded in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. Only then can they become the pillars of society."

Unconsciously, Lin Yuan seemed to have returned to the time when he first became a teacher in his original world, even quoting the five-character classic.

"Alright, I've finished speaking. After talking to you all for so long, I'm parched. I wish I hadn't wasted my juice earlier."

The students couldn't help but laugh. This Teacher Lin was much more approachable than any magic teacher they had ever met.

"Next, you don't need to go back to the academy. I... and Teacher Katusha will lead you to some other classes, which are also the fun activities. Is there anyone who doesn't want to go?"

Of course, there was no one.

After reluctantly paying the bill, Lin Yuan led the students around Winden City and stopped in front of a bustling wooden house.

"Huh? The Mercenary Association? Teacher Lin, why are we here?"

"Of course, we're here to register as mercenaries." Lin Yuan dropped the sentence and strode inside.

As soon as he entered, a wave of sweat and body odor hit him, causing him to wrinkle his nose in discomfort.

The space inside was not small, but it was now packed with all sorts of people... and elves, dwarves, etc... The mix of crowds in this season, where the heat had not yet fully dissipated, was truly unbearable.

The students who followed him in were clearly not used to this environment, each pinching their noses as they walked in. Only Fasno, Zona, and the elf Charle seemed unfazed. Additionally, even Katusha, who was a high-ranking 8th-level mage, did not show any sign of discontent.

Lin Yuan composed himself and squeezed his way to the counter for mercenary registration.

"Hello, I'd like to apply for mercenary status."

"Smack—" A form was slapped onto the counter.

"Fill it out and come back."

"Um... I need 38 forms."

The clerk inside looked up in surprise, muttered something like "Didn't the Haman Academy people just leave?", and then tossed over a stack of forms.

As Lin Yuan distributed the forms to the students, Fasno, Zona, and Charle declined, stating that they were already registered mercenaries.

It wasn't surprising that Charle was a mercenary. After elves were allowed to leave the Forest of Life, they usually chose to work as mercenaries for a while to adapt to human society. Since elves were either excellent archers or Light Mages who worshipped the Goddess of Life, they were very popular among mercenary teams.

However, it was unexpected that Fasno and Zona were also mercenaries. Judging from their attire, their families should be well-off, so they shouldn't need to work as mercenaries for money.

But Lin Yuan didn't have time to ponder further. Just distributing and filling out the forms with the students was troublesome enough, not to mention that he had to fill out his own as well.

Name, race, age, and identity were easy, but Lin Yuan was stumped at the section for magical level. Although he was currently a magic teacher at Finor Academy, he had never been to the Mage Union for verification. Technically, he wasn't even a magic apprentice.

"Just put 'none.' There are plenty of guys like that among mercenaries," Katusha leaned over and said after glancing at his form.

"You seem to know a lot about mercenaries," Lin Yuan asked.

"Of course, you'll find out later."

Ignoring Katusha's mysteriousness, Lin Yuan quickly filled out his form, collected the students' completed forms, and returned to the counter.

"Are you all mages?" The clerk was even more astonished this time. "You're all from Finor Academy?"

Lin Yuan nodded, not quite understanding why the clerk looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Goodness me! Teachers from Finor Academy are now bringing students out on missions. Has the world come to such a pass that even mages have become paupers?"

"Not likely. I only sent my son to study magic so that he wouldn't end up like his old man, risking his neck out front."

"Has that old stick-in-the-mud Hawk finally come to his senses?"

...

Listening to the murmurs and speculations around him, Lin Yuan was both amused and embarrassed. He hadn't expected that bringing his students to register as mercenaries would cause such a stir.

"Who'd have thought that someone would grab so many forms at once? I thought Winden City was about to see the birth of a new mercenary troupe. Turns out it's just those wimps from Finor trying to scrape by. Do they even realize they might end up crying and running back to their mamas?" A clearly hostile voice sounded in Lin Yuan's ear.