Chapter 91: Baring Fangs at the System

Three days had passed since Donape live-streamed his inaugural session of Magic Academy: First Semester.

Since that flashy first day, he had kept the VR Capsule lid’s display turned off during his playthroughs, keeping only low-volume external audio active so he could remain aware of the shop’s front counter while submerged inside his VR Capsule.

{Character Status: Jude_007}

- Level: 16 (Apprentice Mage)

- Mana Pool: 763/763

- Circle Rank: 2-Circle (Awakened)

- Known Spells: Thunder Steps (Lv. 2) | God Spectral Current (Lv. 1) | Lightning Strike (Lv. 1)

On paper, his character build looked remarkably powerful for a beginner. However, Donape had hit a wall.

His initial progression had been a breeze. Because he already possessed a deep, foundational mastery over internal Qi, understanding the flow and manipulation of Mana hadn’t been difficult. He had breezed through the initial stages without a single hurdle.

Yet, after forming his second Mana Circle, further progress felt frustratingly distant.

Constructing a third circle around his heart was nowhere near as simple as forming the first two.

In that regard, high-tier Magic shared a fundamental truth with Qi cultivation: advancing to higher realms required more than just the brute-force accumulation of energy—it demanded a true, qualitative breakthrough in personal enlightenment.

Donape’s imagination of magic was profound and vivid, but his actual comprehension and foundational understanding were practically zero. Thus, his progress in learning magic was surprisingly slow—despite him dutifully attending every single class available in the game, even those completely unrelated to the main story quests.

On the bright side, his platform synchronization rate had reached a new high of 32,4%. This meant that any experience, stat gains, or physical conditioning he achieved in-game was reflected almost a third into his real-life body.

Ji-Hong and other regulars had also hit new highs in their synchronization rates, indicating that their virtual training was increasingly manifesting in the real world, although most of them still hovered just below the 20% threshold.

The glass lid of the VR Capsule behind the counter slid open with a soft, depressurizing hiss as Donape sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.

Reaching a bottleneck at the 2-Circle stage was frustrating, but sitting inside the virtual world staring at his static mana pool wasn’t going to trigger an epiphany.

Stepping out, he expected the usual midday lull, only to be met by the vibrant, bustling energy of Origins VR Cafe.

In fact, all 50 VR Capsules were occupied currently, leaving not a single pod available.

"Huh? What happened? When did this place fill up?" Donape asked in confusion.

Previously, he could hear ambient noise through his low-volume external audio feed, but he hadn’t realized the place had hit max capacity.

"Ugh, I don’t really know the full story either," Ga-Eun replied, wiping down a table in front of the counter. "A bunch of new customers said they came because of a viral social media post."

"Ah, Irene’s old post again? That’s great if it’s still pulling in new faces. Or did she post a new one?"

"No, not that one. It’s not Rene. It’s a completely new video. And this one blew up," Ga-Eun said, pulling out her smartphone to show him.

Donape leaned over the counter to take a look.

The post was entirely different from Irene’s previous promotional clips.

This one simply showcased a stealthy recording of the shop’s expanded interior alongside Donape’s high-definition live-stream footage on the big wall monitor:

@CGI_Hater_99: "What movie leak is this?! The rendering on those black dragons is terrifyingly realistic... look at the scales when the light hits them!"

@Netizen_K: "Wait, is this a teaser for a new high-fantasy or AAA game movie? Why is some random guy streaming it on a cafe TV? Who is the old man with the red magic circles?!"

@VisualEffects_Nerd: "I’ve worked in 3D animation for 8 years, and I physically cannot find a single rendering flaw in those dragon explosions. If this is real-time VR gameplay, current tech studios are about to go bankrupt."

@Starfall_Local: "Is this that weird Origins VR Cafe everyone’s talking about? No matter how good the visuals are, they are hella expensive! Better not to fall for this kind of scam promotion."

@RandomScroller: "Yeah, I briefly checked their menu prices, and they’re just ridiculous."

@Uni_Student_Jae: "If a game with graphics like this existed, it would be headline news everywhere. But in gaming circles, there’s zero mention of it. What company even made this?"

That wasn’t the only debate raging in the thread; the store’s impossible layout was also heavily questioned:

@User_Troll99: "Doesn’t the space inside the store look a little odd? I’m not the only one who noticed that, am I?"

@Keyboard_Warrior: "Ugh! I feel a little dizzy looking at the floor space. It’s like a magic pocket—looks tiny from the outside, but huge once you step in. What gives?"

@VR_Nerd_20X6: "Maybe it’s just a wide-angle camera distortion, or the video quality is just bad."

@College_Girl_Fan: "It honestly looks like spatial expansion from a fantasy show or anime..."

As comments poured in alongside endless doubts, the internet’s skepticism remained relentless—for to the logical world, supernatural miracles were nothing more than a dreamer’s delusion.

Donape looked up at Ga-Eun, both of them sharing a look of genuine surprise.

"The online reactions are pretty much the same as before—endless skepticism and accusations of fake CGI," Donape noted, scratching his chin. "So why is this post driving so many people to the shop?"

"Right? What makes this one so different?" Ga-Eun asked, equally baffled as she wiped down the counter.

Donape simply shrugged, having no clear answer.

Regardless of the sudden internet hype, at least half of the fifty occupied VR Capsules were held down by the Baek Family. While Ji-Hong and his usual entourage remained constant, the number of bodyguards Great Guardian Mareum brought along had been steadily increasing by two every single day.

Deciding not to overthink it, Donape pulled out a cold Celestial Sparkle Sprite and an Ethereal Mana Sandwich to enjoy his afternoon snack.

He didn’t bother stressing over the new crowd, choosing instead to let things flow naturally like water. Nor was he particularly anxious about the 100-activation System quest.

After all, the quest carried no harsh penalty for delayed completion. The only real drawback was a temporary pause on shop upgrades—such as expanding pod capacity, adding new menu items, or unlocking fresh game titles.

In the early days, he might have worried about the shop losing its momentum and becoming desolate because of the System. But those were firmly in the past.

As of right now, he had finally cultivated enough real-world magic to withstand the Tyrannical System’s temper tantrums.

Granted, his real-life physical capabilities weren’t quite as godly as his in-game character’s yet, given his synchronization rate in VR Capsule.

Even so, it was more than enough. He was now officially a 1-Circle Mage in reality—capable of activating God Spectral Current to briefly convert his physical body into pure elemental thunder for a few seconds.

And more importantly? He was now naturally immune to electric shocks to a very comfortable degree.

Not only that, but his martial arts cultivation—currently at the early stage of the Bone Forging Realm—served as another solid foundation to guard him against the sheer injustice of the System.

With two distinct internal energies now coexisting within his body, an intrusive thought suddenly crossed Donape’s mind.

Looking up toward the ceiling with one eye lazily closed, he called out casually, "System? What kind of bastard are you, anyway?"

Instead of a standard holographic text prompt, two fierce streaks of lightning instantly fell from the ceiling without warning.

ZAP! ZAP!

It was the System’s signature Divine Lightning—the exact punishment that usually fried Donape whenever the Tyrannical System was displeased with him.

In that split-second window, Donape gritted his teeth and activated God Spectral Current.

A violent electrical clash erupted behind the counter, making the shop’s lights flicker and shower the room with blinding sparks.

Ga-Eun jumped in pure terror, her knees buckling as her face went pale, cold sweat dripping down her neck.

Yet, as the two strikes from above vanished, Donape remained seated comfortably behind the counter. Wisps of white smoke drifted off his clothes, but there wasn’t a single burn mark on his skin—only tiny, crackling arcs of blue electricity still dancing across his body.

’It’s doable,’ Donape thought, clenching his fist as the lingering current faded. ’It still stings... but I don’t have to fear this damn thing anymore.’

"A-Are you okay, Boss Alexander?!" Ga-Eun asked, her voice trembling with lingering fear.

"Ah, sorry to startle you. I just had a breakthrough with my lightning ability," Donape bluffed, holding up his right hand where small, tame bolts of electricity danced harmlessly across his knuckles.

It was much easier to play it off as a martial or magical breakthrough than to explain that the store’s invisible administrator had just tried to strike him down for badmouthing it.

[Mortal, you dare bare your fangs against the Great Me? Just you wait! The Great Me will return to settle this account later!]

[Remember my words—you will deeply regret acting cocky in front of the Great Me!]

After those two frantic interface prompts flashed, the screen dissolved, and no further text appeared.

Donape tilted his head, amused. ’What the hell? Just like that? The System isn’t usually the type to back down after throwing a threat. Well, whatever. Even if it returns with a harsher punishment or stronger lightning, I just need to get stronger than I am now. That way, I can handle whatever bullshit it throws my way.’

Seeing Ga-Eun pat her chest in relief, Donape then turned his attention back to the computer on the counter—and instantly jolted straight out of his seat.

"What the fuck?! 81.1% Synchronization?! In VR Capsule 37?!" he shouted, utterly flabbergasted.