Chapter 248: Witch Secret Realm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 248: Witch Secret Realm
Hong Chenyi: Sister Han! You finally popped up! I didn't see you at all after the match ended! Congrats on taking first place in the exchange competition!
Yu Yuetian: Congrats.
Dongli Yiren: Congrats +1.
Guan Qiuling: Congrats +1.
Yang Yuehan: Don't derail the thread. I'm asking if anyone needs me to bring food back?
Hong Chenyi: You should've said something sooner! I wouldn't have gone out to eat. But I guess I can eat a little more. I'll take an order of soup dumplings, with extra vinegar packets on the side.
Dongli Yiren: No, I'm not eating.
Guan Qiuling: Just some regular fried rice. If it's not on your way, don't worry about it; I can just order delivery.
Yu Yuetian: Actually, there are groceries in the villa. I can cook something for you all to try.
Hong Chenyi: Forget it, forget it.
* * *
After chatting with those guys for a bit in the group, I hopped on my broom and headed back. The food they wanted was actually right near where we lived, so it wasn't a long detour. My roommates were actually quite considerate.
"I'm back~" I pushed open the door, only to find that even though it was already night, the lights in the villa weren't on. I flipped the switch with a click, revealing a group of people sprawled across the living room sofas.
"What are you all doing huddled together in the dark? Throwing an orgy?"
"Wooo, Sister Han, save the children! The villa is about to run out of power!"
"Huh?" I looked at Hong Chenyi as she ran over, her words leaving me baffled. "Didn't I tell you where to recharge the villa's energy? There are several of you; even if you only have one mana source each, it should be more than enough, right?"
"But we have to be frugal! I didn't know mana would drain so fast, so I didn't dare use it too much. We even had to go mooch off the power in empty classrooms just to watch your live stream."
"Well, you guys have been living pretty miserably then." I checked the villa's mana meter and saw there were still several units left.
"Yeah, we've been sucked dry by this thing. We don't have a drop of mana left," Hong Chenyi said. "The count on that meter is the very last of our mana."
"You should have told me sooner." I gripped the mana intake port, and the meter began to climb slowly. The speed wasn't fast—at least, it was much gentler compared to the spellbooks.
"By the way, Sister Han, has your mana source reached over a thousand yet?"
"It did just break a thousand, yeah," I nodded.
"That's a given. Xiao Han can even use over-consumption spellbooks, so she's definitely over a thousand," Dongli Yiren chimed in from the side.
"Anyway, now that Sister Han is here, we don't have to be frugal anymore! I'm turning on the Little Ox-Horse right now!" Hong Chenyi skipped over to the smart butler and switched on its charging station.
"Speaking of which, Sister Han, why is this thing called 'Little Ox-Horse'? The name sounds so..." Hong Chenyi asked as she placed the robot-vacuum-like smart butler onto the dock.
"I was too lazy to name it, so I just used the previous name it had when I activated it. If you're curious, you can ask the senior sisters from the previous year—though you'd have to find out who lived here before us first." I shrugged, indicating I didn't know.
"Fair enough... Ahh~ having a mana reserve is so convenient. I'll get started on the food then." Hong Chenyi opened the bags I brought, tossed the fried rice container to Guan Qiuling, and pulled out her soup dumplings from the bottom.
"Xiao Han, you're back so soon?" At that moment, Yu Yuetian walked out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a plate of stir-fried green vegetables.
"Yeah. You... you're cooking? Are you eating alone?"
"Didn't they eat too? And I'm not the only one eating. Dongli Yiren, dinner's ready."
I watched as Dongli Yiren followed the summons into the kitchen. So she was eating with Yu Yuetian...
"I made plenty of food. Guan Qiuling, you should have some too, even if it's just a side dish."
After I finished recharging the mana, I flopped onto the sofa to chat with them. After all, I hadn't seen them for a few days, and I actually missed them a bit.
However, as the conversation flowed, the topic eventually turned entirely toward me.
From their mouths, I learned that I had acquired yet another new title. The original "Myriad Methods Witch" moniker had continuously evolved over the two or three days of the exchange competition. Through word of mouth, it had eventually transformed into the "Calamity Witch."
Fine... it was a bit much for me to wrap my head around. I didn't really care what people called me, but they shouldn't spread rumors about things that didn't exist. That title made it sound like I was some witch who brought about disasters. I'm not that scary, am I?
After we all took turns complaining for a bit, the topic drifted again.
"I'm telling you, Sister Han, that ex-girlfriend of yours was way too much, wasn't she?"
"But... Sister Han, since you have an ex-girlfriend, does that mean you used to be..."
"Is that important? I never said anything about it." I immediately played dead.
"No, Sister Han, if you'd said something sooner, would we have had to act like this? We're all brothers in this dorm!"
"Mhm... yeah, Sister Han..."
"We're in a witch academy now. What 'brothers'? Don't overthink it. I just felt it was time to say goodbye to the past."
"Hong Chenyi... stop talking..." Guan Qiuling whispered from the side.
"I can actually understand Sister Han. After all, her past life... okay, okay, I won't bring it up. But Sister Han, if anything's on your mind, you can always talk to us. We might not be able to solve your problems, but letting it out is better than bottling it up alone. Take me, for example—Sister Han, don't you trust me? Is there anything I haven't told you? I used to be a total simp!"
"A simp?" Guan Qiuling looked at Hong Chenyi, her curiosity written all over her face.
"Oh, fine. I'll tell you guys my story one more time. This was a disaster inherited from my dad's generation!"
Hong Chenyi didn't seem to mind as she recounted her "glorious" deeds regarding Shi Huiyu, who had also been a contestant in the exchange competition.
"I'm telling you, as soon as the competition ended, I asked her out for a meal. Man, it was great. Even though she's not my girlfriend anymore... it's better than having a girlfriend. You have no idea, she even brought up Sister Han while we were eating!"
"And then?"
Guan Qiuling had fully transformed into a gossip-monger. Her usual low sense of existence had completely vanished; I suppose she only acted this way around people she knew well.
"There is no 'and then.' Anyway, I feel like her opinion of me has improved a bit. Regardless, thanks for playing matchmaker, Sister Han!"
"Why thank me? I didn't say anything."
"Sister Han and I are in the same dorm; I'm just basking in your reflected glory! By the way, Sister Han, do you have any plans after this exchange competition? Are you going to keep doing what you were doing before? Seriously, what have you been up to? Were you secretly grinding behind our backs?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," I nodded. "Since I'm exempt from courses, I can't just lie around like a corpse, can I?"
"Sister Han, when you go on your next grind, please take me with you! I want to out-grind everyone else too!"
"I don't think that'll work. Besides, I don't plan on doing the same thing after the competition. I'm planning to change my approach and try something else," I said.
"Then what are you going to do? I can definitely handle it! Look, Sister Han, you're a freshman and I'm a freshman. The gap isn't that big. I can definitely do it too!" After Hong Chenyi finished, she looked at the others. "What about you guys? Say something!"
"At the very least, I won't pester Xiao Han like that," Yu Yuetian spoke up. "Everyone has their own things to do. You shouldn't force others."
"It's not that I don't want to take you. The place I'm planning to go is a Witch Secret Realm. Have you heard of it?" I asked.
"Witch... Secret Realm? What's that?"
"Who cares, it's a secret realm! That sounds like a place with good stuff! Sister Han, I'm begging you, take me with you! I'll cheer for you from the sidelines!" Hong Chenyi pleaded, clinging to me.
"Alright, enough from you." I pressed my hand against Hong Chenyi's head and pushed her away. "You don't even know what kind of place it is, yet you're shouting about going? Aren't you afraid you might die?"
"What? Die? For real? Don't scare me!" Hong Chenyi was startled by my words, but she quickly calmed down.
"It's true. But... speaking of Witch Secret Realms, these are rewards left to the academy by graduated senior sisters. They usually contain things those senior sisters left behind—unused spellbooks, mana sources, even lots of data, notes, research materials, and so on."
"Huh? Then I definitely have to go! I'm exactly what I'm missing—mana sources and spellbooks!"
"Don't be in such a rush. Don't forget what a secret realm is for. It's a trial left by previous senior sisters! Only those who pass the trial can get the benefits. And don't forget, graduated senior sisters are Transcendent Witches. How could the secret realms they leave behind be simple? And even if there were simple ones, do you think anyone would have left them for you?"
"Ah... that makes a lot of sense..." Hong Chenyi sighed, forced to face reality.
But even after facing reality, Hong Chenyi remained determined.
"Sister Han, I still want to go and see the world! Please take me with you! A horse won't get fat without grazing at night. If I just follow the standard path, I'll just be mediocre like everyone else. I don't want to be mediocre!" Hong Chenyi said, death-gripping my leg.
"You... sigh." This was the first time I'd seen Hong Chenyi like this. But since she was so insistent on going, I didn't mind. After all, those who can persevere will always reap rewards.
As for those who can't persevere, they might as well stay in the dorm and keep slacking off. This was also a way to see a person's character.
Those willing to work hard will shine anywhere, but sometimes they just need an opportunity.
Perhaps this was a good attempt to build better relationships with these guys in the dorm.
I had told myself I would say goodbye to the past, start a new life, and change myself by trying to make friends. It was just a pity that progress hadn't been ideal. But now, the opportunity was right in front of me.
"Fine then... but don't you have classes?"
"I don't have classes every day, and even on the days I do, they aren't all day long."
"Xiao Han... could you take me with you when you go?" Yu Yuetian suddenly interjected.
"Hmm?" I looked at Yu Yuetian with a hint of hesitation. She had just said she wouldn't trouble me, so why the sudden change of heart?
"I'm sorry. If it's too much trouble, please ignore my request."
"It's nothing. Actually, I haven't been there either. If you want to go, just let me know. But I should warn you beforehand: a teacher told me about the Witch Secret Realms, and they might not be suitable for you. To go there, you need at least some level of combat ability. Plus, as low-year students, we'll basically be operating at a loss. And there's an entry fee for the secret realms."
"There's a fee?" Dongli Yiren spoke up. She probably felt a bit tempted just now too. But hearing about the money caused such a big reaction—was she out of cash?
After all, I'd seen her working at the maid cafe before. I'd even bookmarked that piece of her dark history.
"The fee isn't very high. If you go with me, I can pay for you."
"As for paying, there's no need to trouble Sister Han with the expense~"
"Are you sure?" I turned to look at Hong Chenyi. "The entry threshold for a Witch Secret Realm is Red Copper. The expensive ones even require Orichalcum. The money we usually use won't work there."
"Huh? Orichalcum? Red Copper? What are those?"
"Those are common transcendent materials. Not just Red Copper and Orichalcum, but also Mithril. But for us, these transcendent materials are very expensive. Our regular money can buy Red Copper, but Mithril and Orichalcum are a different story." Yu Yuetian spoke up to educate the others.
"So... the academy uses a different currency system?"
"No, it's the currency used in the transcendent world. It's not just the Witch Academy; it's common across other transcendent academies as well."
"Well, I'm doomed. I'll just have to sell myself to Sister Han..." Hong Chenyi said with a long face.
"I already said, I'm not short on that kind of money. If you want to try, you can tell me. But once we're there, don't slack off. I don't care if you can't help, but if you're just going with a 'just for fun' attitude, I won't take you again." I gave them a fair warning.
"Mhm! Sister Han, you're the best! When I make it big, I'll definitely repay you!"
"I don't really care how you repay me. Anyway, go and look into Witch Secret Realms yourselves. The Witch Secret Realm Club is related to this; you can find a lot of information by following them. I'll probably go tomorrow to test the waters."
"Eh? So soon? I have classes tomorrow."
"Then I can't help you~ Anyway, I'm going to wash up and sleep. I haven't slept well these past few days. Yawn~ I'm tired. I spent most of the afternoon in the library." As I spoke, I let out a yawn and prepared to head upstairs.
"Sister Han really should sleep more. During the exchange competition, you... wait? Sister Han, what did you just say? You spent most of the afternoon in the library? You're out-grinding us again? Sister Han, I've gotta say, the competition just ended! Everyone else is relaxing, so why are you still grinding?"
"So what if I out-grind you? Great power requires an equal price. Don't just look at my glamorous side." I shook my head and smiled at them.
Watching me go upstairs, Hong Chenyi felt speechless. This was taking "grinding" to a whole new level!
"I... we have a 'Grind King' in our dorm. Don't you guys want to say something?"
"What is there to say? It just means you aren't working hard enough, or you're working in the wrong direction. The fact that Xiao Han is willing to take us says a lot. we need to seize this opportunity." Yu Yuetian looked at Hong Chenyi and spoke seriously.
"Xiao Han didn't have to pay any attention to you at all. But thank you for your effort; we're benefiting from it too. Now, eat some of the food I made."
"I'm not eating that. Do you ascetics not even use salt?"
"It's not advisable for anyone to consume too much salt daily."
"If we go by your logic, half the world's dishes would disappear! Eating one meal would put you in a salt debt for days! You ascetics are truly terrifying."
* * *
By now, I had returned to my bedroom, grabbed my things, and stepped into the bathroom.
I really did need a good bath. As the warm water washed over my body, I looked at myself in the bathroom's reflection. I had to admit, I looked quite alluring right now.
The bathroom really was a great place for contemplating life. The feeling of hot water spraying over you makes it very easy to relax. Once your mind goes blank, you start thinking about the meaning of existence... and my mind was full of the fact that I'd told these guys about my past.
"It's just that I don't have to pretend anymore. Is this what it feels like to let go?"