Chapter 27: Speculations on Mana Sources
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27: Speculations on Mana Sources
"Yes. Right now, your mental power isn't high enough to mobilize mana, let alone handle the transfer of a mana source. Besides, you only have one to begin with."
"Then how can I learn to mobilize it?"
I pressed further. Since the senior sister said my mental power was the bottleneck, then mental power was the key. Did that mean I needed to practice my meditation even more rigorously?
"There’s no rush. Your teacher will show you during the very first class once the semester officially begins. Learning to mobilize mana is the most fundamental skill for a Prospective Witch." She didn't give me a straight answer, instead passing the buck to a teacher I hadn't even met yet.
"Then... could I get a head start on what the teacher will be covering?" I tried to keep the questions coming.
"The meditation method, of course. Is there any more effective way to increase mental power than a meditation method?"
She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Then, as if remembering something, she added an explanation.
"Oh, I remember now. The meditation method I’m talking about isn't the same as the Theoretical Meditation you’re familiar with. In your first class, the teacher will instruct you in a meditation method exclusive to witches. It turns invisible mental power into tangible mental power threads. Only then will your mental power be qualified to interfere with mana."
I nodded, only half-understanding. Basically, I’d have to wait until school started to learn a new meditation method.
If nothing else, I was quite confident in my grasp of Theoretical Meditation. A new method shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?
"Thank you for telling me all this, Senior Sister..."
"It’s nothing. Anything else?" Her tone shifted slightly as she said this, as if I was asking too many questions.
I got the feeling that if I kept pestering her, she’d get annoyed. It was early morning, after all, and she was being bombarded with questions by a freshman. Her job was registration, not student counseling.
"That’s all. Thank you again!" I took the hint and stopped. After a quick word of thanks, I made a hasty exit.
I didn't go far, though. I found a corner to sit down and process. That conversation had yielded a lot of useful information—like the Academy System on my phone. It had a lot of features I’d have to explore on my own.
Then there was the matter of how to use mana, which involved a new meditation method.
And if I hadn't misheard her, mana sources could be transferred?
That meant a freshman's first mana source was likely transferred to them by a senior.
I had observed the so-called mana source inside me with Spirit Vision, so I knew it contained a massive amount of mana that seemed to recover slowly over time. If mana sources could be transferred...
Then someone with enough resources could theoretically cause the number of mana sources they held to skyrocket. In my current understanding, a mana source represented mana, and mana was transcendent power. In a transcendent world, isn't power everything?
Looking at it this way, a mana source was like a mana bar. The more mana you had, the more spells you could cast, and the stronger you were.
I wondered how the transcendent field ranked strength. Was it as crude as simply counting the number of mana sources?
Surely... it couldn't be that simple, could it?
I pushed these baseless fantasies to the back of my mind. Speculating blindly wasn't going to get me anywhere; the teachers would likely cover these basics eventually.
For now, I needed to worry about my "money-making prospects." If I didn't find a decent way to earn some cash, I probably wouldn't even be able to afford a good lunch.
Even a simple part-time job would do.
Ideally, it would be something flexible with hourly pay. After all, my main goal at the Witch Academy was to study transcendent knowledge, not to spend my life working part-time.
I couldn't lose sight of my priorities.
Of course, making money was also vital at this stage. I wondered if the academy had any financial aid for underprivileged students. Come to think of it, wasn't there supposed to be a subsidy for boys enrolling?
Whatever, I’d look into it later.
I opened the Academy System and began browsing through it carefully.
I could see class assignments and courses—the senior sister had mentioned those—but right now, they were blank or listed as "Unassigned."
That made sense. School hadn't started yet, and the academy probably didn't even know the final count of freshmen reporting in. The discrepancy likely had to do with the "abducted" freshmen.
They couldn't just leave the ones they'd snatched off the streets out of the registries and class assignments, could they?
Seeing that there were no notifications on that front yet, I started looking at the tasks available in the academy's task system.
Upon opening it, I saw that the system was divided into several zones. The most prominent was the "Official" academy tasks. I initially thought the pinned task would be something like volunteering to guide freshmen, but the very first one was a bounty to snatch a student!
The academy had even thoughtfully pinned it to the top. In fact, it was the only pinned task.
The task showed that many people had already accepted it, but it hadn't been completed yet. What kind of person could possibly warrant this kind of treatment?
I tapped on the first task to see the details.
The freshman the academy wanted to "snatch" was named "Tan Han."
Based on the limited information I had, she was the national top scorer—the only one to ever achieve a perfect score. A "Full Score Academic God." Even with my shallow understanding of the College Entrance Exam rankings, I knew a perfect score was a once-in-a-blue-moon event.
That was why even I had heard of her, despite never meeting her.
It had been many years since the last perfect score. No wonder the Witch Academy had posted such a task.
Needless to say, this task had nothing to do with me. I was a freshman just like her; how was I supposed to go "snatch" her?
I’d be better off finding a stable part-time job. If possible, something close to where I lived or near the Central Teaching Area.
After scrolling for a long time, I saw the familiar words "Xinmengli Block." Wasn't my dormitory located there?
Wouldn't that be right nearby?
I tapped the listing. It was a recruitment ad for an apprentice at a bakery. It looked like it had been posted for a while, and they weren't looking for many people. Had they forgotten to take it down?
Even so, I wanted to call and ask. If it was still open, there was no harm in trying.
Besides, learning some baking skills wouldn't be a bad thing. I could try it out in my dorm later. That big villa did have a kitchen, after all. Though I’d only given it a cursory glance, it would be a waste to let it sit there unused.
I efficiently dialed the number and waited for the call to connect.
"Hello? Are you calling about the job?"
A voice came through immediately. Based on the way they answered, this number was likely dedicated to recruitment.
"Yes. I was wondering if you were still—"
"We’re hiring. If you’re interested, you can come directly to the address listed for an interview."
"O-okay. Thank you for your time." I said politely.
"No problem. Bye."
The person hung up so quickly that I couldn't help but worry. Was this a legitimate job?
Then again, that senior sister had said I could report scams for compensation.
With that thought, my confidence returned. It wasn't like I’d lose anything by giving it a shot.