Chapter 210: Setting the Mountain on Fire...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 210: Setting the Mountain on Fire...
"That witch has truly gone mad."
The elves fleeing in a panic had witnessed the tragedy firsthand.
Just as they thought they were safe—believing the witch hadn't pursued them—they saw a thick plume of smoke rising in the distance.
Wood that hasn't burned completely gives off dense black smoke. It’s actually quite difficult to get living trees to catch fire because of their high moisture content. However, once a wildfire gains momentum, the intense heat bakes the water right out of them. Entire stands of trees become the perfect fuse. Still, the natural spread of a forest fire is sluggish compared to magic; relying on it alone to kill the elites of the various academies would be wishful thinking.
But precisely because the start is slow, I can use my own power to accelerate the process and kick it into high gear.
It was a stroke of luck that I sent that Sea Clan girl back early. If she had been able to use her techniques a few more times, I wouldn't have had the chance to build up this kind of momentum.
At the moment, I was unhurriedly picking out suitable trees and tossing Fireball Spells at them to guide the flames. I was also experimenting to see which version of the Fireball Spell was most efficient for igniting this forest—was it a sustained burn, high intensity, or an instantaneous burst of heat?
During this time, protected by the Fire Element Spirit's Blessing and my Flame Fairy Transformation, I strolled through the woods amidst the roaring inferno, taking stock of my latest spoils.
The loot wasn't just the Life Fruits; besides, those fruits couldn't be used right now anyway—they could only be exchanged for actual resources after the match.
I had a total of nine. No matter how many times I counted, there were exactly nine. It was enough to trigger my inner perfectionist. Logically, they should come in sets of ten, right? Did those girls hide one?
Regardless of whether they actually hid one or not, it provided an excellent excuse to rob them again the next time we crossed paths.
The contents of the stolen storage bags, however, were quite a pleasant surprise.
As expected of a team leader, her storage equipment was packed: recovery potions, healing potions, unknown weapons, armor, strange materials, food, water, and more.
It looked like I’d hit the jackpot this time.
What I valued most were the recovery potions. These were the best; if I had enough of them, I could be even more reckless.
Lest I forget, I still had an Overlimit Consumption Spellbook—something called the Fire Rain Domain. The name sounded intimidating enough, though I hadn't used it yet.
But Tan Han had used the Ancient Remnant Ice King Transformation, which was also from an Overlimit Consumption Spellbook. Presumably, this would be a spell effect capable of influencing the celestial phenomena.
Unfortunately, my Mana Source cap was only a little over a thousand. Using a move like that at full strength would leave me completely drained.
That’s why I valued recovery so much. A Mana Source recovers so slowly on its own; the wait was making me incredibly impatient.
While I was busy snatching resources over here, the commotion over at the Wizard Academy had died down. It was about time.
I checked the academy rankings. The Witch Academy was still the only one with points. There was no need to elaborate on how things were going. I just didn't know if Tan Han and the others had managed to grab the designated resources after they descended. If they lost out on resources just to disrupt the Wizard Academy's ritual, it would feel like a bad trade.
After all, that was a qualification the Witch Academy had earned; the resources were very likely to be Mana Sources or spellbooks.
As the forest fire grew larger, many academies began to realize the gravity of the situation.
However, most of them weren't casters. The majority of those present were Elves or guys from the Beast Academy.
Even for the other academies running around, they might have had ways to extinguish fires, but against a forest fire of this scale, it was like trying to put out a bonfire with a cup of water.
Only the Sea Clan could save them now.
The reason the Sea Clan could form an alliance with the Elves was naturally because their territory bordered the sea.
But if they wanted to help put out the fire now, it would come at a price.
As the perpetrator of this forest fire, I took to the sky on my broom after giving the flames a sufficient boost. I didn't dare drop the Fire Element Spirit's Blessing, though; otherwise, I’d be roasted alive by the rising heat even up here.
As for why I didn't use the lower-consumption Flame Fairy Transformation, it was because that spell couldn't protect my flying broom. The broom was an alchemy item; what if the high temperatures warped or ruined it?
Now that I’d stopped accelerating the fire, even though it had truly taken hold, it still felt too slow in my eyes. The terror of a forest fire lies in its duration; only when it burns long enough does its spread become relatively fast.
But forest fires can last for ten or even twenty days. The exchange competition wasn't going to give me that much time.
Still... who told me I was so resource-rich now? I could practically drink recovery potions like water. It was a pity the exchange competition didn't last long, so I hadn't found many resources yet.
I looked back at the burning forest. How many resources were lost in those flames before they could even be found?
What a waste...
Faced with such a mad act, some people were bound to risk the danger to confront me.
"Yang Yuehan! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"You actually started a forest fire! Are you trying to set yourself against every academy in this competition?!"
The air was thick with curses and fury, as if they were trying to occupy the moral high ground to condemn me.
Their voices were like background music to the fire, where the main melody remained the roaring crackle of the flames, punctuated by the occasional groan of a tree or the thunderous crash of one falling over.
The rules of the exchange competition didn't forbid starting a forest fire, so this was naturally a permitted maneuver.
I didn't bother responding to those demanding to know what I gained from this. I did it because there was no downside for me, and it provided plenty of entertainment.
Destroying the terrain my competitors relied on and threatening the World Tree Mother Goddess they worshipped was just another way to strike at them.
They enjoyed the protection of the World Tree and the home-field advantage the forest provided; therefore, they should do their best to defend it.
In this atmosphere, I really felt like performing a dance. It was just so fitting for the scene. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to dance. Everyone was currently live-streaming; wouldn't it be a riot to offer the audience a performance?
I seemed to have discovered something even more fun than watching those boys' awkwardness after turning into girls at the start of the term.
It was this feeling of being the enemy of the world—and not just being everyone's enemy, but the fact that no one could do anything about me... it was wonderful. Just look at those people in the distance.
Their faces were filled with rage, fear, and disbelief! And terror at the roaring flames beneath my feet!
It was a pity they were so far away; I couldn't see their expressions as clearly as I’d like.
"Come, let me see your Elven Nature Power—the strength of your Elven Magic. Why are you just standing there? Are you really that indifferent? The fire is about to singe your eyebrows~"
"Quick! Have the Rangers contact the Sea Clan at top speed!"
"Everyone else, don't hold back your power on any spells that can help extinguish the fire! The rest of you, come with me to fell trees and create a firebreak!"
The elves naturally weren't going to sit around and wait for death. Indeed, it wasn't as if there were no casters among them. Besides being skilled with bows, Elven Magic was also top-tier. However, faced with such a terrifying forest fire, they were powerless as freshmen.
So, they chose the most direct method: cutting down trees to block the fire's path. The forest on the exchange competition map was massive. Looking at it calmly, the area currently burning was actually quite small. If they could stop it in time, they could at least prevent it from spreading further.
But that was assuming they could stop it in time.
And it wasn't like I didn't exist.
Cutting trees to make a firebreak? They’d have to ask me first. Even if they finished it, what was stopping me from just going somewhere else and starting another fire?
Did they have enough manpower to stop me? If they stopped me here, what about everywhere else?
* * *
Outside, the audience watching the footage of the exchange competition was absolutely electrified. The love for chaos and "lezi" was etched into the very bones of witches, and this was definitely hitting the spot.
Most of the spectators in the arena were senior sisters from the Witch Academy.
The largest central free-commentary view was currently focused on the fire at the foot of the mountain in the Afuhemi Academy region.
"Whoa! Genius! Burn! Burn it all!"
"Yes! Exactly like that!"
"Burn! On behalf of the Flame Witch Club, I declare Xiao Han an honorary member! Cheer for Xiao Han!!"
"Ohhhhh!"
"Burn more, I love to see it!"
"First time seeing Xiao Han so 'hot,' hehe!"
Waves of sound seemed to surge through the stands as the crowd's cheers gradually unified. This level of excitement was even higher than when the Truth Ritual was sabotaged at the Wizard Tower or during the fight for resources.
The most interesting parts were naturally the reactions from Afuhemi Academy, the Elf Academy, and the Beast Academy. The contrast between the two sides created a legendary scene.
Meanwhile, the referee teachers maintaining order on-site were on high alert to ensure no fights broke out between the different academy sections.
The roar of the crowd even drowned out the recently leaked news about Xiao Han's ex-girlfriend.
The Vampire Academy and Demon Academy, never ones to miss out on a spectacle, cheered right along with the Witch Academy. It was a classic case of the guests adding insult to injury.
The Holy Angel Academy, needing to maintain their dignified facade—their "baggage" was too heavy—didn't act too out of line. The Wizard Academy, meanwhile, couldn't bring themselves to be happy; their ritual had just been dismantled, and Tan Han from the Witch Academy had been one of the primary culprits.
The Sea Clan wasn't happy either, as the term "Little Dried Fish" hung over their heads like a persistent dark cloud.
It was a completely one-sided situation. All the academies had thought this was just an exchange competition between freshmen, the time when the gap between them was smallest. That was why so many small academies had participated; their habitual thinking led them to believe that even if they lost, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
But they had almost forgotten about the "cheating" academy that was the Witch Academy.
Although the Witch Academy wasn't one of the Three Top Academies, it was the academy established by the fourth transcendent race of the Main World.
Anyone who had witnessed the terror of a witch would find the mere thought of them spine-chilling.
If the Void outside the Main World was the map for this exchange competition, then what that person named Yang Yuehan was doing was exactly what witches loved to do in the Void.
"She's a natural-born witch." After seeing this, many teachers from the other transcendent academies offered this evaluation.
Ariel, the elf from Afuhemi Academy who had been sharply criticized earlier, was also under no small amount of pressure. She had never imagined she would be so thoroughly insulted by a student.
It was a humiliation. She would be mocked by other teachers, and none would be more shameless in their mockery than the Transcendent Witches of the Witch Academy.
Ariel didn't dare go into that den of witches alone to reclaim her dignity; that would be seeking death.
* * *
Back in the dreamscape.
I looked at the several figures descending from the sky, a hint of curiosity in my eyes.
"Students from the Holy Angel Academy? What’s this? Did you come all this way with such fanfare to offer some guidance?"
I looked directly at them and asked with a smile. I hadn't forgotten what Shopkeeper Xia Li had asked of me. The manager's private stash—wasn't this the perfect chance to take it?