Chapter 185: So, It Turns Out I’m an Academic Big Shot at the Witch Academy?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185: So, It Turns Out I’m an Academic Big Shot at the Witch Academy?
The next day.
After personally testing the spell effects yesterday, the results of the Practical Learning Spell were far beyond my expectations. I even discovered that the effects of this spell and potions can actually stack!
So, in the end, am I still unable to escape the fate of popping pills?
Though, I don’t have much of a resistance to "pill-popping" now. After all, Sister Bai told me a lot about potions; frequent use won't have any negative impact on the body, nor will it lead to addiction or dependency. This is especially true for us Prospective Witches. Witchification gradually transforms us into Witches, steadily raising our life level. To our bodies, consuming potions of transcendent power is as mundane as eating or drinking water.
I was busy until late last night, making it one of the few times recently that I didn't go to bed on time.
Because I miscalculated the duration of the potion, my mind stayed in a state of constant excitement, and I couldn't fall asleep.
But it wasn't without reward. I have now basically mastered the five basic Evocation spells I possess. Especially with the foundation of Elemental Theory, I’ve begun to realize why some spells aren't categorized by element but are instead grouped directly under "Evocation." At their core, these spells are essentially the same. If I didn't understand Elemental Theory, I might have thought they were quite different, but now that I understand the principles, looking back, it’s just a feeling of, "Oh~ so that’s how it is." I suppose this is the enlightenment that comes with actual knowledge.
Furthermore, I discovered a great study method yesterday.
It involves that Illusion Clone spell Sister Bai gave me. This spell is incredibly powerful, but it’s also notoriously difficult to control.
I even had a situation where, after falling under the spell's influence, the clone started hitting on me.
This happened because the clone’s behaviors and logic are derived from my own subconscious; my subjective consciousness has a hard time interfering with her.
So, the fact that I ended up hitting on myself... does that mean that deep down in my subconscious, I actually find myself attractive? I even have the urge to flirt with myself!
Moreover, unless it's during a moment of high mental tension and focus like combat—where the body subconsciously obeys itself and the subconscious understands the need to fight—the clone will only act according to its own whims.
But it was precisely because of this trait that I discovered another use for this clone: boosting study efficiency!
During periods of high-intensity learning, she can fully utilize my subconscious to perform "pseudo-double" thinking, mobilizing the brain's full processing power. Plus, she can "benefit" from the buffs provided by my spells and potions!
She coordinates with me with perfect chemistry, even jumping out of my own cognitive blind spots to suggest alternative lines of thought. This is truly taking the Practical Learning Spell to the absolute limit. It’s no wonder that spellbook was expensive enough to make Shopkeeper Xia Li wince. I bet no one ever imagined an Illusion Clone could be used this way, right?
Maybe some people noticed, but it certainly hasn't become common knowledge.
As expected of a spellbook Sister Bai prepared for me. Even if it’s just a standard consumption spellbook, who could look at this effect and not call it the king of cost-effectiveness?
I also found that after doing this yesterday, I’ve grown a bit fond of chatting with myself. Although I end up shutting down the conversation every time, I know myself best; there are never any misunderstandings, so the atmosphere is quite pleasant.
"I say, why are you up so early? According to the Law of Conservation of Sleep, since we stayed up so late yesterday, we should be sleeping in."
"But I feel great. There shouldn't be any matches today, right?"
"Are you joking? You're asking me something you don't even know yourself? How should I know? But the phone vibrated yesterday; there should be an academy announcement."
"Really?"
"Just open it and look, you idiot!"
Amidst the banter with my clone, I opened the academy system. There was indeed a notification.
Upon opening it, I saw the official announcement for the Freshman Top 100 List and the Top 10 contestants. There was a note after the Top 10 list stating there was no actual ranking yet; they were just listed in order. Thus, Tan Han, the class monitor of Class 1, was naturally placed at the very top.
No surprises there.
However, the academy had clearly put some effort into it. The Top 10 weren't just plain names; each was designed with artistic fonts paired with the professional photos we had taken earlier.
Looking at it now, my composition is just overflowing with chuunibyou energy. If I’d known, I wouldn't have struck such a flashy pose.
But clearly, this wasn't the announcement I was looking for. I scrolled up further and finally found the official notice regarding the postponement of the Freshman Competition.
The latest notification explained the participation details for the Academy Exchange Competition.
The contestants representing the Witch Academy in this exchange would be the current Freshman Top 10. Each academy has ten slots.
As of this notice, the number of transcendent academies that had arrived at the Witch Academy was finalized: thirty-three in total.
I skimmed through them; many looked familiar. Quite a few were "affiliated" academies of more powerful institutions.
And among them, I saw... the Lesser Demon Academy.
"It’s... the Lesser Demon Academy. They're mortal enemies, so we can just beat them to death, right? Hehe, given how those Lesser Demons look, won't they actually scare people when they come for the exchange?"
"Don't worry. If we really run into them, they definitely won't be leaving alive."
After a brief look at the academies, I stopped caring. Regardless, these so-called transcendent academies are essentially racial invaders; that’s an unchangeable fact. But this is the world I live in now. No one calls them invaders, and they’ve long since taken root here, becoming a part of this world. There’s no need for me to use the values of my past life to measure their right or wrong here.
This Academy Exchange Competition will utilize the Witch Academy's special Primal Dream for the exchange. To avoid unnecessary casualties and the consequences academies would have to bear post-match, every contestant will enter the dream via dream devices.
The proceedings will be moderated by a Primal Witch within the Primal Dream, and everything within the dream will be a perfect replica of reality.
The specific timing, format, and reward distribution for the Academy Exchange Competition are still under discussion. Further notifications will be sent out by the academy.
As a contestant, I also received a more detailed explanation and a future schedule.
It was good to let me prepare myself.
"Looks decent? At least there are no classes today or tomorrow. Well, I already had a course exemption, so this is great!"
"Better think about what to do these next two days."
I walked outside and took out my flying broom.
"Didn't the notice say? To ensure contestants don't feel out of place during the official matches, they can apply to use the academy's official dream devices for training before the start. Why not go try it?"
"That’s true, but I still want to research more spells. I haven't even fully mastered the basic consumption spells yet—only the Evocation-related ones."
Compared to going to the dream to experiment... I’ve been to that dream before. Although that time was to "adapt" to Spirit Vision, since the dream is being used for a competition, it will definitely be different from my previous experience.
And it’s a total replica of reality. Dream-stuff really is miraculous. This time, there’s even a Primal Witch acting as a judge?
It’s bound to be an exciting competition.
"Then plan it out well. Master the basic spells today, and go to the dream for virtual combat tomorrow to see if you can further adapt and modify the spellbooks during battle."
"True. Let's head to 8401 to continue the research today."
As for why I’d bother going there when I already have a portable Ley Line operating system—it’s for the atmosphere, obviously! They have a more complete Ley Line operating system there, and Teacher Ji Niang is there too. Plus, I don't have to be as cautious as I am in the dorm; I can test spell potency however I want within that solidification spell.
So, I hopped on my broom and flew in that direction. My Illusion Clone was right behind me, hugging my waist tightly. Even though she’s just a formless clone, she’s actually taking advantage of me.
But who told me to spoil myself? After all, who could refuse another "me" who looks exactly the same, gets along great, and can't live without me?
Once I arrived at the experiment building, I intended to stop by Ji Niang’s office to say hello, but I immediately spotted a familiar figure!
"Oh? Xiao Han, you're here?" Teacher Ji Niang turned her head and was the first to speak as she saw me at the door.
"Huh? Oh, right, I'm here," I nodded in response, but my gaze remained fixed on the other person.
Tan Han? Why is she here? Isn't her mentor Teacher Li?
"Good morning, Xiao Han. I look forward to working with you," Tan Han said to me with a smile.
"G-good morning," I replied, feeling a bit awkward. I hadn't expected to see someone who shouldn't be here.
"Oho~ Ohoho~ Look who it is~ It’s Tan Han~ Feeling the pressure yet? My other self, Tan Han is probably here to talk to Teacher Ji Niang about modifying spellbooks. Your poor sense of superiority is about to be overtaken again~ Just like with the Witch Meditation Method!"
Shut up. Tan Han doesn't have her own mentor, so she has to come find Ji Niang? I cursed the clone in my heart, then looked at the two in front of me.
"Um, Tan Han, why are you here?" And what did that "look forward to working with you" mean? I kept that last part to myself.
"Oh, Xiao Tan’s counselor practically came over and begged me to let her precious student join my research group. Now, Xiao Tan is the third member of our research group."
Teacher Ji Niang cleared up my confusion from the side. Her tone was full of smugness. Given the emphasis in her voice, she must have gotten the better of Department Head Lina in some way.
But... Tan Han actually joined our group? This group is just a title! It’s not worth going out of your way to join!
"So, please look after me from now on, Senior Xiao Han."
"Ugh..." Looking at Tan Han’s humble demeanor and hearing that "Senior Xiao Han," I nearly lost my footing!
The contrast was just too much!
"Don't... don't call me senior. I don't really have much skill. Honestly, you didn't really need to join this group, did you?" I scratched my head, responding awkwardly.
"Xiao Han, you're being too modest. This group led by Ji Niang has been making quite a splash lately. The academy has archived several new results in the library's high-clearance area, and your achievements are even being showcased in the relevant sections of the academy system."
"Even though your name is listed second, after speaking with Teacher Ji Niang just now, I realized these were all your own research results. Teacher Ji Niang only provided a certain degree of guidance, along with summarizing, formatting, and publishing the data."
"Eh?" I was confused and a bit terrified. How did I not know about any of this?
I looked at Teacher Ji Niang in a daze, silently asking what was going on.
"Why are you looking at me? Don't you know what you've done? Or did you not realize what your work actually represents?" Ji Niang replied with a smile.
"Also, don't look at me like that. I just helped you organize those research results. I can see your progress very clearly from my end. Otherwise, did you think our group was just a playground for you alone?"
"Ah, well..."
I was stunned for a moment. Teacher Ji Niang had been doing this behind my back without a word... well, not exactly behind my back. I just hadn't paid attention. Ji Niang had been busy and mentioned things about completing results and academy archiving, but I didn't expect there to be a special showcase in the academy system!
"Oho~ You're going to be famous in the academy now~"
"Not even knowing the value of your own research... that’s actually hilarious~"
"Thinking back to your previous research, I really don't know how Ji Niang managed to summarize and publish papers based on that info."
The Illusion Clone beside me was relentlessly mocking me, but I ignored her.
I just silently threatened to unsummon her if she said another word.
"Alright, enough with the 'ah, wells.' Sync your portable Ley Line system data here. Let me see how you've been progressing lately."
"Uh... here."
I handed over the Ley Line system from around my neck. It was filled with my model analyses of the five current Evocation spells, mostly consisting of various notes and model overlays.
But the most important things I’d gained were in my head—things that couldn't be recorded with language, text, or even diagrams.
"How do you like using this portable Ley Line system?" Teacher Ji Niang took the system and put it on. It took a moment for the system to boot up; this couldn't be rushed.
"It’s alright. Pretty convenient."
"Is that so? Then what research have you done with it? Tell me; I haven't synced yet, so I don't know your progress."
"Um... I researched the five basic Evocation spell models I have, but..."
"It’s open... let me see for myself." Ji Niang skillfully opened the corresponding software and quickly scrolled to the models I had made.
"Oh, Xiao Han, you even turned on the anti-peeping lock?"
"Yeah."
"Good awareness. Wait... this model!"
After Ji Niang pulled up all five of my models, she opened all the model layers along with my personal notes. Suddenly, those spellbook models turned into a dense thicket of information.
"Wait, you had this much free time? You didn't just write nonsense in the notes, did you?" Ji Niang randomly pulled up one structure and hid the other information. After seeing the ingenious structures and the concise notes, she couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Tsk... since when did you become so efficient?" Ji Niang leaned back in her chair, then opened the academy library's data archives and began searching.
"Uh... I used potions. And spells."
"Hehe, even Ji Niang is shocked by our results~"
"From now on, we’re dominating the Witch Academy's academic section! We'll handle the research, and Ji Niang will handle the cleanup! Floating World level Spirit Vision is just too useful; even a Transcendent Witch is acting as our assistant! Why aren't you smiling?"
I slapped the still-babbling Illusion Clone back into non-existence. This girl knew exactly how to push my buttons; she really was another me.
"Potions? Spells? Why are you working so hard? It’s not like the academy will collapse without our research." Ji Niang pulled up several more spellbook models and displayed them before me.
"Looks like we're going to dominate the academy's spellbook research section again. Look, these are the spellbook model studies currently archived by the academy—content that currently requires high library clearance. Once your model is refined, error-checked, and formatted, it could completely replace this one. Who knows, you might even have Transcendent Witches coming to your door to ask what a certain structural note means. Hahaha, how interesting."
Ji Niang laughed, then shook her head, finding the scenario both absurd and hilarious, yet entirely possible.
"Alright, enough talk. Xiao Han, take Xiao Tan to 8401 to get settled. I'll be over in a bit. Since you two have nothing to do these next two days, don't be in such a rush."