Chapter 301: A Dream with Abnormal Spell Effects
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 301: A Dream with Abnormal Spell Effects
"Sister Bai, you actually found me!"
I was both shocked and overjoyed by Sister Bai’s sudden appearance. Although it felt like only a short while had passed, so much had happened—separating from her, the Nightmare attacks, the Dream Demon’s assault... and now, our reunion.
"Mm." Sister Bai gave the long blade in her hand a light flick, and the entire weapon dissolved into shimmering points of light.
She quickly rushed to my side. "Xiao Han, are you alright? You scared me to death. When I realized you weren't beside me, I... I..."
"I'm fine, really. See? Everything's okay now." I wasn't quite sure how to comfort her, so I took the initiative to reach out and pull her into a hug.
"Hey, Sister Bai, that strike you made when you showed up was so cool. It’s the first time I’ve seen you like that." After holding her for a moment, I tried to change the subject.
"Oh? Are you jealous, Xiao Han?"
"I definitely am! That slash was amazing! But... I thought you’d use spells. I’ve never actually seen you use magic in a fight before."
"Spells, huh... Perhaps it’s a lingering prejudice. Spells—or rather, spellbooks—I’ve always viewed them more as tools." Bai Yu shook her head as she explained. "Xiao Han, did you ever feel this way when you first encountered spellbooks? That this wasn't what magic was supposed to be? Magic should be knowledge and skills that you learn and master, not a tool you just swap out whenever you feel like it."
"Yes, I felt the exact same way," I nodded.
"So, in a way, I’m a practitioner of Body Arts. My initial thought was that as long as I had a spellbook, I could use magic normally after a bit of practice anyway."
"And... what about now?" I looked at her, asking a question I already knew the answer to. Since she had started taking runes seriously alongside me, the answer was obvious.
"Now, of course, I value spells. There are things you can only see once you reach a certain level. Besides, if a witch isn't proficient in spells and specializes in Body Arts instead, wouldn't people laugh at her?"
"Well, I’d never laugh at you. Sister Bai, when you have time... how about you teach me Body Arts?"
"Why? There’s no need for you to practice Body Arts, Xiao Han. You have such incredible talent for spells; you shouldn't let it go to waste."
"Eh? Don't forget, my mental power has zero affinity~ What kind of 'spell talent' is that?~"
"Xiao Han, you know exactly what I’m talking about."
"But those are just unorthodox methods. You know, Sister Bai, Real Editing Technology is something you can only learn at the Transcendent level. What I’m doing now is just boosting my combat power by a negligible amount."
"Haha, the combat power others work themselves to the bone for is 'negligible' to you?" Bai Yu chuckled, teasing me.
"It’s true, though. The Witch Academy is a place to learn knowledge and skills, not a place to learn how to hit people with tools. At least, that’s how I see it."
"True. If only I had understood that as early as you did." Sister Bai sighed with a hint of lament. "Alright, let’s not waste any more time here. We need to leave quickly; that guy caused too much of a commotion just now."
"Yeah, it was way too loud."
I nodded and followed Sister Bai as we left the area.
"By the way, who was that? Even with the Sleeping Curse breaking out across the various academies, I don't recall any academy having methods like that."
"It was a Dream Demon, the real reason people are dying in this Nightmare Incident. That entity feeds on human energy and even Soul Essence," I explained.
"What? It eats Soul Essence? Doesn't that mean even the Resurrection Spell..." Bai Yu immediately caught the crucial point.
"Pretty much," I said with a nod. For ordinary people whose life essence is still tied to their Soul Essence, it was true. Once the Soul Essence is completely consumed, even a Resurrection Spell is powerless to help.
At that moment, Bai Yu felt a genuine sense of crisis.
"Let's not talk about that. Sister Bai, how did you find me so quickly?"
"Huh? Oh, through a searching spell, of course."
"Eh? There’s a spell for that? Even in a dream?"
"Of course."
"Sister Bai, have you noticed that spells feel enhanced here? When I used a Fireball Spell earlier, I just manually cast it and it was as big as I am."
"Is that so? Then have you noticed that you can cast spells here even without a spellbook, just by using your bare hands?"
"Eh? I actually haven't tried that."
I vaguely remembered that when I tried to manually cast a Fireball Spell before, I could only produce a tiny spark. But now...
After trying again, I discovered that even without a spellbook, simply by using the spell technique, I could manifest a normal fireball!
"It’s true!"
"This place really is miraculous. Or perhaps, this is what I originally expected magic to be—studying it, researching it, using it... If only a world like this actually existed instead of just being a dream."
"Who’s to say it doesn't? Once we have the ability to roam the Void, we can go look for a world like that."
"And then we can try to settle down there..."
"Eh? Why is 'settling down' the first thing you think of, Sister Bai?"
"Well, when you see a beautiful landscape, isn't the first thought whether or not you can live there?"
"I guess so. But if we settle down, we’ll miss out on other, even more beautiful worlds~ As expected, Sister Bai is very steady; you just want a peaceful daily life..."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No~ It’s great, of course. But by the time we have that kind of power, we’ll probably be Senior Transcendent Witches, right? Transcendent Witches have eternal lifespans; we’d get bored eventually."
"That’s fine too. Enjoying it until we’re bored... that would be a long time from now."
"Fair enough..."
I followed Sister Bai as we walked aimlessly, searching for a place that looked safe, while my mind drifted to other matters.
Specifically, the matter of that Dream Demon. It wasn't that I was obsessed with her seductive figure, but rather her ability to travel between dreams and reality.
That ability... reminded me of the dream magic Teacher Ji Niang had shown me. That was a spell only accessible to Transcendent Witches, one that directly replaced clunky Dream Devices.
That spell also seemed to allow travel between dreams and reality, didn't it?
But the Dream Demon seemed even more special.
However, this raised another question: where did this dream correspond to in reality?
The Witch Academy?
Those Dream Demons shouldn't be able to travel between reality and dreams within the Witch Academy. The Dean had said they had blocked them in time, and Abyssal Demons couldn't use dreams to infiltrate the Main World.
It seemed the relationship between dreams and reality was no longer a simple matter of spatial overlapping.
I had underestimated the complexity of dreams.
Then... what was the deal with these ruins?
In a dream, I could usually tell that the creations within were fake; it was easy to distinguish. The information feedback from my Spirit Vision showed that dream creations and real matter were two completely different existences.
I had realized this back during the Dream Exchange Competition.
But here... this place felt as if it truly existed, yet it was also different. I knew perfectly well that my consciousness was in a dream, but the surrounding environment...
Dreams really were mysterious places.
Along the way, we encountered more Nightmares. I had let the previous ones go during my fight with the Dream Demon. Originally, I had wanted to study them and observe the nature of a Nightmare up close, but I hadn't been in the mood then, so I let them flee.
Encountering them again, I simply urged Sister Bai to drive them away. I didn't want her to get sucked into a Script.
Even though... I could already see several Luck Threads on her.
But it was fine... Sister Bai was about to become a Transcendent Witch. Once she severed her Ley Line Shackles, these Luck Threads wouldn't be an issue.
Still, remembering how the Dean told me it was best not to touch Luck Threads because they were troublesome... I was a bit worried that they might hinder her advancement to Transcendent.
More than that, I was curious where Sister Bai had managed to pick up these Luck Threads...
She wasn't a Child of Destiny, nor did she have a Luck Seed. Luck couldn't just appear on her out of thin air; it must have been transferred because of something she did.
But I couldn't exactly ask her directly.
"Hey~ Sister Bai, Sister Bai, in an atmosphere like this, lighting a campfire and waiting for the sun to set, don't you think..."
"Mm... but more than that, I hope you can quickly finish what you promised me. The dream is too dangerous; I can't just let you stay here indefinitely."
"But I have you, Sister Bai~"
"This..." Bai Yu looked at me, two conflicting thoughts clashing in her mind. One part of her wanted Xiao Han to finish her business and go back quickly to avoid danger; the other part wanted Xiao Han to stay like this forever, leaning on her...
"That won't do. I can't protect you forever. What if something happens? Don't gamble with your life." In the end, reason triumphed over desire.
"I suppose you're right... Sorry for making you worry about me like this. Do you think if I hadn't come to the Witch Academy, everything... would be different?"
"There are no 'ifs,' Xiao Han. There are no 'ifs' in this world."
"I was just thinking~ I know there are no 'ifs'... because looking back on the path I've taken, I can't imagine any choice that would have led to a better 'now' than this."
"Is that so? As long as you don't regret it, then everything is fine."
"Alright~ let's not talk about such serious things. It's rare to be in an atmosphere like this. I wonder how we are in the outside world right now. Someone must have noticed, right? Maybe we're both lying in bed."
"True. But Xiao Han, your actions this time were still a bit... reckless. You didn't make any preparations."
"I guess so. But... when you think of something, you just go and do it. Isn't that fine too?"
"It is. So, Xiao Han, have you thought about what to do next? We can't stay here forever. Even this is just a temporary shelter we found."
"Hehe... actually, I don't know what to do about the current situation either... but..."
But I knew what my goal was: to stop the Abyssal Demons from obtaining Luck. And when the Children of Destiny finished distributing the Luck, the Dean would help me sever my Ley Line Shackles. Then, after being excluded by the Main World Consciousness, I would use the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art on Fool's Dream, using the momentum of the Script to completely sever the connection between Fool's Dream and the Nightmares.
Though many parts of this plan weren't things I could do alone—for instance, I still didn't know where the Dean had placed Fool's Dream.
I assumed I would see her when the time was right.
Seeing me pause, Bai Yu understood that the rest was something I couldn't talk about.
"As long as you understand your own goals, that's enough. I'll just stay by your side and watch over you."
"That's why you're the person who puts my mind at ease the most, Sister Bai... I really wish it could stay like this forever."
* * *
The next day.
"Has Yang Yuehan still not contacted you, Sister Tan Han?"
"No... I sent her a message last night... she didn't reply." Tan Han shook her head and sighed.
"How could Sister Xiao Han be like this? From what I remember, she isn't that kind of person, is she?"
"Forget it. Everyone has their own priorities; not everyone likes trouble. We can't force these things. Besides, there's another problem. Lucianne didn't show up either, and I can't reach her now." Tan Han shook her head, trying to calm the indignant girl.
"Lucianne? The one from Sister Xiao Han's class? Is Sister Xiao Han even interfering with her classmates' choices now?"
"It's also possible she was affected by the Sleeping Curse ahead of time..."
"It's not impossible. We don't know how that Sleeping Curse spreads. I heard Lucianne had been visiting her friend constantly. She only came to me because she had no other choice, but looking at it now, there's a high probability she's been caught as well."
"Ah? This..."
"It's fine. At least we're still here."
"Then Sister Tan Han, what exactly are we going to do next? We know nothing about this so-called Sleeping Curse."
"There will be a way." Tan Han checked the time. A moment later, a figure appeared before the group.
"Teacher Lina." Tan Han offered a polite greeting amidst the confused looks of the others.
"Yo~ quite a crowd. Tan Han, it seems your resolve is even greater than I anticipated."
"Yes, Teacher Lina. I'll have to trouble you." Tan Han said. It was only then that the others realized Lina and Tan Han were actually working together!
With the New Student Department Head helping Tan Han with this matter, the group felt a wave of relief. They had the illusion that success was guaranteed.
"I'll handle the Dean's side. The rest is up to you. Honestly, I never thought I'd be messing around with a bunch of kids at my age. Sigh..."
Lina followed them, shaking her head. But in a moment no one noticed, a relaxed glint flashed in her eyes, as if she were simply playing along with them.
They arrived at the infirmary, and it wasn't long before they saw a familiar figure lying there.
"It's Lucianne. As expected, she was already..."
"Wait... wait a second. Is that... is that Sister Xiao Han?"
"What?"