Chapter 136: The Upcoming Freshman Competition
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: The Upcoming Freshman Competition
As the first Freshman Competition drew near, the new students—already yearning for the transcendent—grew increasingly restless.
After about a week, the freshmen had gradually begun to settle into life at the Transcendent Academy.
Though there had been many interludes along the way, they only added a touch of flavor to an otherwise mundane start of the term.
Most of the "entertainment" stemmed from the "abducted" groups. As rumors spread, many people realized that there were actually two such peculiar groups within the academy.
First, there were those freshmen from other academies who had been "abducted" by the senior sisters. Most people had only heard stories about this before, but experiencing it firsthand made them realize just how prevalent the practice was.
Then there were the "boys" within the Witch Academy. By now, they possessed the same physiological traits as girls, but the sense of cognitive dissonance when interacting with them was enough to pique the curiosity of many female students.
Of course, there were also girls who felt a sense of resistance, particularly regarding the housing situation.
After all, it was like a game of Werewolf; the girls never knew which of the friends beside them used to be a boy. Even if they no longer possessed the "tools of the crime," the idea of a lingering male mindset or being seen naked still made some people feel repulsed.
On the other hand, there was a group that seemed even more excited by the prospect.
Naturally, the Transcendent Academy wouldn't change its teaching policies based on these opinions, nor would it actively promote such things. Everything proceeded according to plan.
As for the first competition for the freshmen, although only one person per class would participate, it would still involve battles between over a hundred students.
This event wouldn't just be watched by the freshmen; even the senior sisters would come to join the fun.
Many clubs would also hold various activities during the event. Thus, rather than calling it a competition for the freshman class monitors, it was more like the Witch Academy's annual "festival."
As the main attraction, the competition had even begun to feel like a grand finale, serving as a warm-up for the stages to come.
Spontaneous student-led activities, such as cheering squads and betting pools, were numerous.
Furthermore, various freshman rankings were set to be released.
These included, but were not limited to, the Beauty Ranking, the Popularity Ranking, and the Combat Power Ranking.
There were also many "wild" rankings, such as rankings for the most hilarious students.
Being freshmen, their mastery of transcendent means was limited. Some contestants even relied solely on the solidified spells built into their chest badges to compete.
Generally speaking, however, since they were class monitors, the counselors or teachers would usually grant them spellbooks, Mana Sources, and other resources. Since they were fighting for the glory of their class, they naturally received preferential treatment.
As freshmen who had only recently grasped transcendent power, they were bound to make many blunders. Things like a spellbook failing to cast or a spell blowing up in the user's face were standard occurrences.
In such cases, rather than a boring exchange of spells, someone accidentally blowing themselves up provided much better "entertainment value."
"Infamy is still fame," after all. At least you became known. If you weren't famous, even if you won a few matches, you remained just an ordinary person whom no one talked about. Such unremarkable, mediocre individuals were the true losers of this competition.
Regardless, people only remember the most successful few—or, in extreme cases, only the one at the very top.
Conversely, the biggest failures and the most hilarious individuals would also be remembered.
The academy's current relaxed atmosphere constantly preached the importance of a person's reputation. Mediocrity was the greatest enemy in the vast transcendent world. Only by making people remember your name—whether for good or ill—could you have value. Reputation was everything.
The academy never did anything without purpose. Was this competition purely about fighting?
What was the point of watching freshmen scrap? In previous years, there had even been scenes of girls pulling each other's hair. Was that fun?
Not really.
Any activity should facilitate a leap for an ordinary person or allow a famous person to reach new heights. A person's name is the most common thing; it is so mediocre that a single sheet of paper can print countless names.
But a "title" is different. A title carries the weight of propagation; it is a synonym for a person's reputation and achievements. Many people struggle their whole lives, their existence like dust under the wheels of history, less memorable than a clown.
Of course, this wasn't about turning the transcendent into some sort of idol show; that would be too narrow-minded. Besides, the transcendent world didn't really care for that sort of thing.
Ordinary singing, dancing, acting, or composing were the most mundane of affairs.
But if a person sang and made the sun and moon shine together in resonance with all living things; if a person danced and made the stars whirl and the galaxy tremble; if a person acted and made the world revolve and all creatures feel empathy; if a person composed and made history look like a painting and the future sound like a song...
That would be a transcendent idol, transcending race and barriers, admired by the Myriad Races of the Void. Only such an existence would be qualified to stand on the transcendent stage and say, "I shall humble myself before you all."
But those were the few—the artistry unique to the transcendent.
Returning to the topic of titles, many freshmen would naturally earn their own titles during this competition. These weren't self-proclaimed; they were names recognized by everyone.
Take, for example, Tan Han, the full-score student who had been "abducted" into the Witch Academy this year. She was currently the class monitor of Class 1 and the top favorite for the Combat Power Ranking!
Even before this lively competition had begun, she already had the faint glimmerings of her own titles.
From the initial "Recognized Academic God" to the "Innate Witch" after a single night of meditation, and now to the "Myriad Methods Witch" who had mastered dozens of spells—it could be said that Tan Han would be the ultimate boss of this competition. Anyone who encountered her was destined for early elimination.
Such was the nature of names and titles. Sometimes, titles might even clash. There were plenty of witches who came to blows because they shared the same title, though some managed to coexist peacefully.
Therefore, sometimes a title no longer referred to a specific person or witch, but to a whole group of them.
Many strange clubs had even appeared in the academy.
Clubs like the "Tea Party of Thunder Witches," the "Nest of Explosive Witches," and the "Oolong Witch Mutual Aid Society" were mostly composed of prospective witches who shared the same titles.
Among them, the existence of the "Nest of Explosive Witches" was a miracle.
As the name suggested, Explosive Witches generally had volatile personalities. The fact that they could share a single title without incident was indeed a miracle, largely thanks to the incredibly powerful President of that club.
I, too, was looking forward to this competition and had already begun to prepare myself.
During this time, Sister Bai had come to explain the details of the competition to me, expressing her absolute support. Naturally, I wouldn't let her down.
With the help of Teacher Ji Niang, my number of Mana Sources had reached 56, though my spells hadn't changed much.
After all, I knew that "biting off more than one can chew" was a risk. Ji Niang had asked if I needed any other spells, but I didn't immediately accept. I knew that as I continued to analyze my spellbooks, I would naturally come to possess more of them.
At this stage, I hadn't even fully mastered the spellbooks for the Fireball Spell and the Protection Spell. I felt there was still room for improvement, so I didn't move on.
As of now, even though I only had two spells, my application of the spellbooks had yielded many more methods of use. In terms of utility, it was as if I already possessed dozens of spellbooks.
This was the power of magic modification and derivation.
The more I studied spellbooks, the more I felt that they weren't limitations; they were platforms! A platform that allowed for infinite derivation, provided one had the ability!
The key was simply how to develop this treasure trove. Possessing Floating World Level Spirit Vision was like having the key to this infinite treasure.
When I first began to perceive spellbooks, I had let their intended use limit my understanding of their function. As expected, the higher my cognition grew, the less those rules and boundaries could obstruct me. I also began to understand the purpose behind those boundaries.
It was like a person born into the world who could do anything until they recognized the existence of the law. At first, one might think the law limits too many things, but after continuously understanding those rules, one realizes the meaning behind them.
Spellbooks were much the same. At first glance, they seemed to restrict the freedom of spell development and usage, but in reality, they provided a platform for systematic research into the composition and the unknown of magic.
They defined the path, pointed the way, and mapped out the road ahead. That was a spellbook.
It didn't take the form of a book, yet it bore the name "book" precisely because books were the original vessels for carrying the wisdom and paths of those who came before. Spellbooks served the same purpose.
Currently, I was inside Room 8401, recording the effects of the spells before me.
This was the Protection Spell from my original energy shield.
Originally, this spell created a spherical shield that enveloped my entire body. It had too many restrictions—for instance, the shield had to be a sphere, and it could only be used on oneself.
But now, it had become so obedient in my hands. Partial protection, long-range protection, interception... it was no longer just a self-preserving spherical shield. It had many more uses.
"It seems you've already discovered many possibilities on your own. Are you sure you don't want to study anything else? Your derivation of these two spells has reached a certain depth. If you continue to deepen them, the effects you obtain will become increasingly abstract. Spellbooks have their limits. In your words, you need a larger platform."
Ji Niang walked over and looked at the energy shield before me—which now bore no resemblance to the original spell. A flicker of envy flashed in her eyes, but she spoke nonetheless.
"A larger platform..." I naturally knew what she meant.
Spellbooks also had grades of quality.
Setting aside the distinction between minor spells and standard spells, the spellbooks I was currently analyzing were all spells with internal rituals.
But even among spells, there were superior and inferior ones.
Take the Fireball Spell, for example. It was a spell with normal power that consumed one unit of mana. Naturally, there were spells that consumed ten units, a hundred, a thousand...
With a different starting point came a different platform. They possessed more complex internal rituals and higher energy consumption limits, which naturally resulted in more terrifying power.
Of course, their value would also be far more staggering. If Ji Niang continued to give them to me for free, I would start to suspect she had ulterior motives. Otherwise, I couldn't feel at ease!
The extra Mana Sources among the 56 in my body—weren't they all given to me by Ji Niang?
No one is nice to another for no reason. The fact that she didn't say why and I didn't ask was the most agonizing part of it all.