According to the In-game clock it was 16:37.

I had experienced more than three hours of dungeon diving, but had no idea what time it was in the Real World.

Talk about unsettling.

Once I delivered the Infernium I was awarded the Blacksmithing skill.

I was finally able to repair most metal based gear on my own anywhere.

Durability and wear had not plagued me so far, but eventually that had to change.

I was in for another surprise though.

Darius Fireborn, the Master Blacksmith of the Dwarven settlement attached to Dargoth's Observatory wanted to see my apprentice card.

Apprentices were to get any tutoring for free, including him and his brethren.

They would get reimbursed by the Observatory for their troubles, of course.

Normally that was factored into tuition fees or amended later.

But they had to handle the card in question.

I was again told to not show my card in public.

Darius figured I should take some of his gear as compensation for my troubles.

It was leagues above my current equipment, but nowhere near the best or even middling gear he carried.

I was also wondering why he had armor for sale.

As it turns out, since he collaborated with local leatherworkers,

him strategically adding various materials to their base armor, each sold the result.

Which suited me perfectly, as I now carried a whooping +260 physical / +40 magical damage / +15 accuracy fire sword.

I was amazed, not so much by the physical damage, but raising accuracy to that degree and magical damage required true craftsmanship.

Especially the accuracy.

This was a very well rounded weapon.

I had seen many Weapons in the Den's shop which had +500 and even +1000 damage.

But those beasts held severe accuracy penalties and were extremely expensive.

I also got a a fire combat knife, spear and mace.

And 300 arrows with explosive heads and two belts of throwing knives (24,Fire).

Inquiring about the all fire element Weapons he sheepishly admitted his material costs for them to be negligible.

Though were I to buy them normally I would have paid 100 times his tuition fees.

That was without the armor.

Reinforced leather armor with very high defense, even some against magic,

but unfortunately no further raise to evasion.

The armor was twice as protective at +80 physical / +40 magic / +5 evasion to the old one.

The Infernium I delivered was quite valuable.

He himself had other commitments, the costs for hiring a party to mine enough of that stuff would have exceeded the costs of the gear by far.

In the end he had made a good deal.

He was amazed I returned so early, and alive, for that matter.

Considering I sidestepped more than a few Level 30 Fire Elementals, I had to agree.

One lucky hit had the potential to incinerate me on the spot.

Despite my already ungodly stats for a Level 6 character I lacked the critical mitigation needed for that as of yet.

He told me he had expected me to come back eventually and ask to just pay for the tutoring.

At some point I was tempted to do just that, but became aware of the time dilation taking effect, too, so I figured I could give it a try.

No longer under timeconstraints helped make sneaking far more enjoyable.

I was getting hungry and tired.

I knew I could've forced myself to go on, but chose to eat and rest inside 『Final Immersion Origin』 for the first time.

I was curious how this would work out.

I did not return to the dorms but went to a Dwarven establishment serving meaty dishes and all sorts of ale.

Luckily the Observatory staff had made sure for their apprentices be able to receive non-alcoholic beverages.

I still wanted to get more done today.

Testing my unknown intoxication resist could wait.

After devouring the surprisingly tasty meal and juice

I pushed myself and learned leatherworking, crafting, tailoring and equipment identification.

I had wanted to make some Rings, Bracelets, Necklaces and more.

Will do that tomorrow.

It was almost midnight and I was wondering how sleeping would be in 『F.I.O』.

Flying, I saw the azure blue sky, a few clouds in the distance, Mountains.

Looking down I saw some lesser prey fleeing.

I felt the wind and the rush of excitement being high in the sky.

My wings were strong and unbroken.

Wait.

Wings?

As I woke I became disoriented.

Everything I saw seemed so much less colorful, detailed.

A whole Dimension of perception gone.

I also had a weird notion in the back of my head, I was amused.

Why?

Was that even me?

I pushed back the confusing thoughts and started to focus on learning magic.

Today I'd finally be inducted, my talents unlocked and 『F.I.O』 truly start.

"Oy, anyone up yet?" some rowdy shout from the door.

I was still in bed, rested, refreshed and quite ready to take anything on.

But still shaken.

'Get yourself together, now is not the time to mull over this.'

"Give me a second." I quickly donned my clothes and armor and opened the door.

"Took you long enough, man.

Am Rodbert the 3rd, Level 9 Warmage.

But everyone calls me Roddy.

You do too, 'kay?"

"Pleased to meet you Roddy!"

I introduced myself to the brawny kid which looked like a Highschool American Football player.

He was a good head and a half taller than me.

Bulky, but not yet mature.

Or he could be a farmer, his hands had callouses thick enough to make an elephant envious.

After shaking hands we went on to the induction ceremony.

"Mhm, sure, no need for that though.

Everybody knows who you are, even those who don't yet."

The new term began today.

What a coincidence!

"Whats that, will they single me out and present me like some weird animal?"

He chuckled.

"Yea, sumthin' like dat.

'Course nobody told ya.

The staffs are dying ta present their '*First* First class apprentice in ages!' to everyone.

You be making an impression, with that fancy armor.

A deadly look, the gals will be all over you."

"Can I borrow some Robes?

I don't want to stand out too much."

"Hah, way too late!

Dude, your facsimile is already all over the Observatory.

Some guys made a pretty penny selling it.

Everybody and their aunt will know your mug once the postal courier is in again."

"No! Is there nothing I can do about that?

I am an adventurer.

Getting known at this stage will attract the wrong people!

I am Level 6 for god's sake."

"Huh, sure ya are.

No clue how ya faked your level, but I'm not gonna buy that bull."

"Why should I bother faking?"

"Dunno? You got a deathwish, my fave is a diabolical plan or sumthin'.

Houses will be all over ya, pushing to join 'em."

"Stop it you two!

The ceremony is about to begin!"

A level 12 girl around 17 years with a sharp nose interrupted us.

We had arrived just in time.

Sir Prentigon stood in front beginning his speech.

"Dear students, old and new, as you know, Magic is infinite!

We categorized and limited it for us to use it!

During your first Year you will learn the basics, the 6 Elements we consider essential.

Be aware they are not!

But you ..."

What followed was boring, and I regretted having to endure every last second of it.

An eternity, no just 2 hours and 42 minutes and 49 seconds later it was finally over.

Well, the introduction.

I learned that presenting me came after the awakening of every first year.

"I'll be off, nice meeting you Roddy."

We had to enter a room when called, the first apparently being me.

I felt the stares of everybody present.

A good few dozen people waiting, and way more spectating.

I am sure the First years' introductions were usually far less cramped.

"Welcome First class apprentice, please take a seat while we take turns."

A surprisingly uncomplicated procedure and short intros were given as each respective department head did their thing.

At first I only noticed the *ding* each time they were done,

but as time progressed It felt as if the world was changing.

Colors, details and reflections, everything seemed to shift and swirl.

By the time they were done they intently studied me, apparently waiting for some reaction or just me leaving the room.

"Master Prentigon, honored department heads, may I take my leave now?"

"See, I told you he would ask that, pay up!" Lisara the head of the Red magic division quipped.

"I seem to have misplaced my pouch, please remind me the next time I see you." Cortifex, the Wind Mage and temporary Head of that division replied sourly.

"Please, don't be absurd, that poor boy just went through a process none of you have. And all you can think about is a stupid bet?" Meleen D'favros, the earth department head, a real elf chided the two.

"Easy for you to say, loaded as you are Mil.

This is big money he owes me!

Say Corti, how about I guard you while you get your purse later, that is a good offer.

A beauty like me is rarely seen with slob of your caliber."

"Ugh, do what you must.

Better to get this over with, I am not suffering your taunts forever Beastwoman."

Now that he mentioned it, Lisaras ears were animal like in appearance.

But which animal eludes me.

If she had a tail it did not show with her robe on.

"Please, young apprentice, stay.

We cannot let you leave until the magic in you has settled.

It is not every day that we get to awaken all gifts at once.

Even the last first class apprentice lacked some talents."

Prentigon seemed to overlook the squabble and was focused on me.

"What do I have to do now?

Everything does look kind of weird.

And I may be wrong, but it seems to get worse."

Lucky me, learning magic and then right on to a LSD trip.

Really, there were no limitations for players on which elements they could learn.

Specialize on later, yes, but no limits at the start.

And I never read anything about LSD being supplied.

I think I just tasted Meleens hair, the color gold felt soo rich and textured.

Woozy.

As I opened my eyes again, not a minute of game time later the collected staff were still intently watching me.

Madeen Renuras the White Department Head had seemingly just cast a spell.

Probably on me.

I do feel lucid again.

Yay~!

"How do you feel now?" she asked, worry in her tone and posture.

"Not hallucinating, not unconscious.

I guess quite alright.

Thank you Madam Renuras."

I was picking up some chatter among them.

They were quite fascinated by my quick recovery.

Apparently the spell I had enjoyed was just a simple albeit powerful all purpose heal.

They had expected me to be out for weeks, if not longer.

If I pieced the increasingly fragmented chatter together correctly.

Funny enough, I still had that strange extra sense.

It overlapped with all the others and it felt as I had somehow experienced it before already.

I hadn't noticed before, but was that mole on Thadeusz Rudwarts left cheek always this uneven?

He is the Black Department head by the way, looks the part, too.

But I was quickly distracted by the ... waves of water? ... emanating and pooling around

Arianna Vandenburg, blue head.

Wait, hear head really seems blue-ish.

I was focusing and after a while determined that depending on the control of the person their aura could spill and form effects.

Those are usually not visible, I had seen some of the heads yesterday, heck a few minutes ago there was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen, heard or felt.

The longer this went on the more I learned shaping my new perception to not interfere.

It still took a while to consciously restrain it from affecting my common senses.

I was pretty certain I had a ton of logspam to go through now.

Ah well, I am damn tired again.

"Madam Renuras, kindly please cast that spell on me again."

I interrupted the discussion, and seemingly also the merry atmosphere.

While Madam Renuras just smiled at me and cast 『Full Recovery Lv41』 at me.

How I knew that this was the spell she cast I could not yet tell, or believe I could have mistaken that monster of a spell with a simple all purpose heal.

Anything but simple!

Only a shamelessly high price and the spell's effects were known to players.

"Thank you Madam.

I feel much better now.

Will I get tired again soon?

I really don't want to sleep for weeks before I can learn magic.

Can you help me stay awake?"

If anything she seemed to beam at me even more, while the rest of the assembled staff seemed flabbergasted.

I really wonder what had happened to have broken the happy mood here.

"Of course, but tell me, how do we look to you now?"

"Normal I guess, It was difficult to filter Miss Vandenburg's aura."

"And do YOU feel any different?"

"Why, I think so, yes. It seems difficult to control this new gift, sometimes it feels as if I am using it without realizing it.

Did I just use it?"

"Very astute, indeed you did, and were able to not notice it happening, or did you?"

"Uhm, what did I do? You all seem fine, but I am sorry if I went out of control somehow."

This time Master Prentigon interrupted.

"Well, you most certainly did something all right.

You suppressed the auras of all of us!

Did you really not notice?"

"Ahaha, no I just didn't want to feel all that, so I filtered it, but then felt so tired again."

"He seems a bit fuddleminded, don't you think?

I vote we keep him sedated until his gift has settled, under lock and key as usual.

Everyone in favor lift their hands."

This unkind man was the Time mage Laza Zeebius. He was not strictly a department Head.

His element was not of the basic ones taught at the Observatory, but an advanced one, outside the realm of apprentices.

Without the innate talent for it, mastering Time was almost impossible.

Unlike Lightning for example which can be mastered with sufficient skills in basic Elements.

Albeit I was told that unlocking talents early helps with their growth.

Also, it seems that as soon as you unlock any one element, any others you have an affinity to will unlock on their own eventually.

I passed medical examinations, so they unlocked everything, preventing unforeseen consequences later.

"Ah don't be such a shtick in the mud lazy, its not like he drained us.

I vote against us voting and say we leave him to decide.

Such a shame to do this to every promising apprentice."

That was Lisara, my eternal gratitude will be yours.

"I agree."

Prentigon took control of the situation and glared at Laza Zeebius,

apparently there was bad blood between the two.

"I most vehemently protest!

This is against well working procedures!

Only because of people like you we haven't made them obligatory.

We need to chain him, now! He is far too dangerous!

A bonded and a Full Spectrum Mage, who knows who his bonded is?

We need control and we need protection against his kind.

Remember ..."

What followed bored me to death, some story about bonded wreaking havoc and somesuch.

My Harpy was none of his business, silence key.

Anyhow, despite his vociferous outburst or probably because of it,

nobody was willing to redeem past favors and vote for the Time mage's cause.

Apparently everyone owed him favors.

He also reminded everyone of it, threatening to hold out unless he was given his will.

Childish? Maybe, but in the end still futile.

I was given into Madam Renuras' care and was to wait with her in the back of the room behind something resembling a viewscreen.

She still had to perform her duties and was always moving.

I had to wait quite some time, but only a few joined me.

Unconscious I may add.

The poor talented sods resting on small beds seemed to be the norm for any induction.

All of them received a cast of 『Full Recovery Lv41』 and on not waking were bound in some nasty ritual which I watched each time, trying to burn in as much of it as I could into my memory.

In total we were 8 when it was all said and done.

Each received a cast of 『Full Recovery Lv41』 whenever a new victim was delivered.

I swear I almost started to fear the kind Madam Renuras, she was throwing this insane spell around like candy, and enjoyed it, too!

I didn't relish having to listen to the repeat performance of staff introductions and so on 46 times.

But didn't dare toying with my talents beyond focusing on that abomination of a ritual.

Instead I found the time to look at my logs.

I had received several new skills, obviously.

Outside of the unlocked elements there were several magic related subskills like 『Identify All』 and a plethora of Magic sensing skills.

No changes to my stats except for unlocking my MP display, finally.

MP: 2,740 | +2,100/m | +1,070/m | +228/m

Names of unknown persons and their MP offered themselves instantly now.

Fairly nice, 『Auto-Identify』 at work I guess.

The students I tested this on were all around my level, I needed to test if I'd get names easily elsewhere, too.

Whenever the boring introduction started over I went through my inventory and finally had every questionmark removed.

Which took a while.

I had a stockpile of almost 60 different materials, ranging from ores to spider silk to tree sap and many many others.

I still had some Infernium, though not very much.

Also had a nice variety of Potions at my disposal.

And was happy I had not tested them.

Suffice to say, goblin medicine, if it was medicine, was poison to humans.

But I guess that is what they carried around.

Some of the weapons I sold seemed poisoned, though I wasn't sure at the time.

They just looked iffy, were smelly like the rest so I refrained from using them.

Maybe the equipment was better than I thought, just had no indicator of added effects?

I'd find out.

The Slime Potion was a neat treat, restoring HP/MP and Stamina, not much but certainly very useful in battle if you had some to spare.

"MY!! You look healthy." Madam Renuras' exclamation quickly brought my out of the loot categorization and back to the induction.

"Thank you Ma'am, I do feel indeed quite stable, but we won't know until you stop casting 『Full Recovery』 at me every few minutes."

She snickered.

"Don't worry young one. We will now proceed to present you to the students."

"Just wondering, had I been sleeping like the others here, would I have still been presented?"

"Why, of course! You don't need to be conscious to be seen, do you?"

"I guess not…"

"Now let's see." The bodies of the others started floating, seemingly with a goal of their own, doors started opening and a neat procession of sedate young wizards to be filed out of the room.

"That should do it!" Madam Renuras seemed happy as this was done.

"What will happen to them?"

"They will be in our Infirmary, Jess and the other girls will take good care of them while we wrap this up."

"I see. Will anyone guard them while they float to their destination?"

"No, there is no need for that, you should have seen the spirits I tasked with accompanying them. Did you?"

Her quizzical look made me realize I had clamped down on my extrasensory perception.

I released it for a bit.

I did see the afterimages of what seemed like, people.

"Why do I still see their afterimages Madam?"

"Spirits of this sort do leave a strong impression.

Hone your skills young apprentice, you are very talented in perceiving the other spheres.

Now don't delay any further, you can start asking questions tomorrow."

We went on and got the presentation over with.

Afterwards, it was almost midnight by now, we went to the infirmary.

I hadn't received any more insanely OP heals for the past two hours and felt fine.

I was still to be under observation, for my own sake.

Considering Zeebius might want to perform the ritual shackling on me on his own I readily agreed to remain.