Chapter 1: Welcome to the Witch Academy!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Witch Academy!
"Hello~ Is this student Yang Yuehan?"
"This is the Witch Academy Admissions Office. Today is the final day to submit your applications, and I noticed you haven't submitted yours yet. Would you be interested in applying to the Witch Academy?"
I picked up the phone to a sweet, feminine voice. Her tone was alluring as she painted a beautiful vision of the future, sounding very much like a witch tempting someone into ruin.
Well, she probably was a witch, considering she was a teacher from the Witch Academy’s admissions office.
"Hello, hello. Uh... it’s true I haven't filled out my application yet, but... my score is just a tiny bit below your school’s cutoff..." As I spoke, I held up my hand to make the "just a little bit" gesture with my thumb and forefinger, though unfortunately, she couldn't see it.
"Besides, if you know my name is Yang Yuehan, you must know I’m a guy, right? Isn't your school a girls' academy?"
"We are well aware of that. However, precisely because you are male, the Academy lowers the admission threshold for boys. This call is to inform you that if you are willing, you can be admitted directly."
"Huh?"
My eyes widened in disbelief. A girls' school lowering its requirements for boys?
Was it because they were so short on men that they had to recruit extras?
Visions immediately flooded my mind—countless beautiful girls or seductive witches pouncing on male students like hungry tigers... Honestly, it was a little terrifying.
But! I was totally into it!
As for my girlfriend... well... her grades were excellent, already at a level far beyond my reach. Many days of the break had passed, and she hadn't contacted me once. She hadn't even officially broken up with me.
Our last chat log ended with her sending a photo of her transcript and an early admission letter from Afuhemi Academy.
What did that mean?
It meant I should have some self-awareness!
I had enough emotional intelligence to read between the lines.
Afuhemi Academy.
That was one of the Three Top Academies, a level I couldn't even dream of touching.
However, the Witch Academy I was currently talking to was considered one of the top-tier schools right below the Big Three.
It was just that... the Witch Academy had a bit of a bad reputation. I hadn't looked into it much before because I thought it was just a girls' school, and public opinion online these days was busy dragging its name through the mud.
More importantly, the Witch Academy never issued any statements; they just went about their recruitment in silence.
Now it seemed they hadn't filled their quota and were starting to contact bottom-of-the-barrel types like me?
They wouldn't even let the guys off the hook?
Every year, there was a "traditional" event during freshman enrollment: watching the Witch Academy forcibly abduct students and coerce them into joining. There was a reason their reputation was so poor.
As for why they could be so brazen—don't the nations of this world do anything about it?
The answer was simple: they didn't dare. They didn't dare at all!
Perhaps the people of this world were used to it, but as a Transmigrator, I saw things clearly.
Entities like these Academies were definitely outsiders—beings that had barged into this world from beyond. They established academies here to filter for talent and bring them into their fold, leaving the ordinary people behind to maintain basic operations.
Just look at the names of the most famous academies!
One of the Three Top Academies: "Wizard Academy."
It was currently the only human-centric academy. They claimed to follow the philosophy of Wizards to walk the Transcendent path. But I knew the history of this world; there was no soil here for the profession of "Wizard" to grow. It was as bizarre as a cultivation civilization suddenly appearing in a world of magic.
Another of the Three Top Academies: "Holy Angel Academy."
This was founded by the Angel race. The Holy Light faith they spread had become deeply rooted in people's hearts, leading them to worship angels and build cathedrals. Many took immense pride in passing the exams to join the Holy Angel Academy and become part of the Angel race.
The last of the Three Top Academies: "Afuhemi Academy."
To put it another way, the Elf Academy. It was run by the Elves. That was the school my girlfriend got into. Though I was envious, I... I couldn't do anything about it. I could only watch from afar.
What these three academies taught wasn't like the majors in my previous life—studying something just to get a job.
They taught how to master power!
How to achieve the Transcendent!
That was why they were called Transcendent Academies, to distinguish them from the ordinary schools of this world.
This world existed in a state of relative peace. There was only one unified country and one Common Language. Even the government’s power wasn't particularly great, and they lacked any law enforcement agencies that wielded Transcendent power.
Because in this world, if you didn't enter an Academy, you had no way to obtain Transcendent power...
"Student? Are you still there?" The voice on the other end sounded tentative, as if she was already prepared for me to refuse.
"Ah... yes, I'm here. Uh... let me ask one thing. If I don't agree, will your school send people to kidnap me?" I asked, half-joking.
"No. We won't dispatch personnel to snatch you. We usually only do that for geniuses with exceptional talent," she replied with startling honesty, as if she didn't consider me an outsider at all.
I swallowed hard. Was that the kind of thing you just tell people?
Wait, the Witch Academy wasn't even one of the Big Three. If they were this reckless, didn't the other academies try to keep them in check?
People cursed them online, but I’d never seen anyone actually take action against them.
"Hello? Still there? If possible, please forget what I just said. Thank you."
"We are a legitimate academy. We recruit through our own merits; there is no such thing as kidnapping or abduction. Are you still interested in applying to our Witch Academy?" She seemed to feel she had wasted enough time on me, and her pace quickened.
"Huh? Oh! Right! Yes, I'll apply! Definitely!" I said quickly, forcing a smile.
Even if the Witch Academy’s reputation was trash, it was still among the top tier of Transcendent Academies outside the Big Three. If I missed this chance, I’d be stuck going to some Orc Academy or some nameless place known as a "diploma mill."
Even if the Witch Academy was a girls' school, getting in was what mattered. It was all about touching the Transcendent and gaining power; it was just a different path, that's all.
Besides, I was a Transmigrator. I had unique advantages. Even though I didn't have a system or some "Grandpa" mentor as a cheat...
Being a Transmigrator gave me a strange sense of superiority.
And while my overall grades weren't ideal and my Mental Affinity assessment was only "Pan-Affinity," I had a unique understanding of meditation.
My score was basically carried by three subjects: Meditation, Basic Spell Theory, and Elemental Theory.
Meditation was a common method to increase Mental Power.
You just had to close your eyes, maintain a posture, clear your mind, and focus. It was a slow, grinding process. Over time, it improved sleep quality and gave a slight boost to Mental Power.
It was a prerequisite for touching the Transcendent. The strength of your Mental Power represented your level of talent to some extent.
Furthermore, there was one thing I hadn't revealed: I had opened my Spirit Vision instinctively since I was a child!
I didn't know how to describe Spirit Vision. The common saying online was that once Spirit Vision was opened, you could see the "Inner World" that ordinary people couldn't see.
This world was mysterious. The world we lived in was the Surface World, and the world seen through Spirit Vision was the Inner World.
Ever since I transmigrated and became an infant, I had seen a completely different side of this world.
It was only later that I realized this was the Inner World and that I had already opened my Spirit Vision.
Spirit Vision was the threshold for joining a Transcendent Academy. If you hadn't opened it by the time of the College Entrance Exam, you weren't qualified to enter one. Even if you got a perfect score, no Transcendent Academy would accept you; you’d be relegated to an ordinary university to learn a trade and contribute to society.
Even if I ended up at the bottom of the barrel at the Witch Academy, I believed my talent would allow me to go far on the Transcendent path.
It might sound a bit arrogant, but if you don't even have confidence, why bother talking about the Transcendent?
I immediately selected the Witch Academy as my first choice and clicked confirm.
"Um... Teacher, I only filled in the Witch Academy as my choice. Please don't trick me," I reminded her quickly before she could hang up.
"We see it on our end. Congratulations on making the right choice. Welcome to the Witch Academy!"
She congratulated me in a cheerful tone. Before I could say anything else, she hung up, as if afraid I’d change my mind.
The whole thing felt like a dream.
Except for the words "Witch Academy" now sitting in my application slot.
They were efficient; it seemed they were serious.
I stared at the screen, which now displayed "Admitted to Witch Academy," and sighed.
That was fast. It’s not a trap, is it?
But there was no other way. I just had to wait for the admission letter to arrive. Once I had it, I’d pack my bags and leave without looking back.
BANG!
The door behind me was kicked open. I was already used to it.
"It's the last day! Are you just not going to fill out your applications?!" A figure blocked the doorway as a roar followed the kick. "I told you to apply to the Lesser Demon Academy, did you do it? If you apply there, we can at least get 50,000 yuan. With your pathetic scores, what else do you think you can get into? Hurry up, if you won't do it, I'll do it for you!"
"I did it, I did it! Go worry about your precious younger son! What kind of trash is the Lesser Demon Academy? Even if I applied, that 50,000 wouldn't end up in my hands anyway. I’m done with this house!"
I closed the webpage with a flick of my wrist. Without my password, they couldn't see which academy I’d chosen, so I wasn't worried.
"You! You! I think you've gone damn crazy!" My dad pointed at me, but he didn't dare stop me.
When I was little, my parents had actually sent me to a mental hospital. Because of that, they didn't think much of their eldest son.
In this era where childbearing was encouraged, they had naturally chosen to "start a new save file." I currently had a younger brother, and my mom was pregnant again. I didn't know if it would be another brother or a sister.
My dad was also afraid I’d have a sudden episode and hurt someone. After all, I was "congenitally mentally ill."
But I knew better. I wasn't crazy. I knew more clearly than anyone that it was just a side effect of Spirit Vision. Back then, I just hadn't been able to adapt to it yet.