Chapter 727: Enrolling in the Witch Academy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 727: Enrolling in the Witch Academy
The Witch Academy.
Using a teleportation spell, I carried Yang Yunhan through space and arrived at the Witch Academy hidden behind the veil of Magic City.
Since I hadn't bothered to pick up an Admission Letter, I had to rely on my own spatial magic to tear through the fabric of reality and bring him directly inside.
Looking at the long-absent gates of the Witch Academy—though they were merely a symbolic landmark—it still felt like the true starting point of the journey.
I hoped the registration was still being held at the Central Plaza.
"The Witch Academy might be located in Magic City, but in essence, it's built on a different spatial plane. Getting in is easy, but getting out... is virtually impossible," I said, looking down at Yang Yunhan after setting him on the ground.
When I first arrived, I had used the one-way ticket provided by the Admission Letter. For him, however... there was no need to be so formal.
Back then, Sister Bai had brought me here and even picked up a mission along the way. I didn't need any of that now. After all... I was a Teaching Assistant.
I walked a few paces, then stopped and looked back at him.
"Aren't you coming? If you think this is some form of silent protest, I don't mind telling you exactly how pathetic your so-called resistance really is."
After saying that, I leaned down to pick up Yulan, who was waiting by my side. "If you stay here, I can't guarantee you won't be picked up by some perverted senior sister and devoured whole once I leave. Furthermore... I should inform you that you've already entered the academy grounds. If you don't follow the enrollment process with me, you won't even have the status of a student. If you get kidnapped and taken somewhere strange—like Sentiment Street—well... hehe."
After a brief internal struggle, Yang Yunhan gritted his teeth and followed.
Seeing how easily he was swayed, I didn't waste any more words on him.
Actually, after dealing with Yang Yunhan, I planned to go out and "recruit" a few more new students.
It wasn't just for my own amusement, though a little fun on the side never hurt.
My primary reason for doing this was to observe the state of "First Witchification" when a Mana Source is applied to an ordinary person.
This would be a massive help in understanding the nature of Mana Sources. At my current level, simply stacking more Mana Sources was just a numerical increase; it didn't hold much practical significance.
However, the body-shaping techniques contained within the Mana Source were incredibly valuable references for me.
If I could integrate those techniques into the Incubation Rebirth Spell and combine them with the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method, I might be able to evolve that spellbook into a different kind of Resurrection Spell—or perhaps something that transcended the very category of resurrection.
I had initially used the Resurrection Spell as a starting point for modifying self-generated mana, but that didn't mean the final technique had to be centered on it. I couldn't let my thinking become rigid; everything was for the sake of the final result.
So, to conduct these "compliant" experiments, bringing a few young boys back to the academy... wasn't really a big deal, right?
As for why I was targeting boys... naturally, it was because Witchification had the most drastic impact on them.
This was a standard part of the enrollment process anyway. It was only natural for me to collect some data along the way.
It hadn't been long since the scores were released and the application system opened. Despite all the chaos, it was still only afternoon.
Yang Yunhan might very well be the fastest-enrolled student of this year. After all, the students following the normal process were still waiting to submit their applications and receive their Admission Letters.
This kind of "student poaching" was a legendary feat that most students could only dream of!
Those who weren't poached begged for it every day, while those who were poached cursed their luck.
Truly, the joys and sorrows of men are worlds apart.
My appearance quickly drew the attention of several people, though it didn't cause a massive stir. There weren't many people passing by the academy gates at this time, and since it was the holidays, who would be hanging around here besides students out poaching freshmen?
More importantly... there were many people in the Witch Academy who imitated me now. White hair had become a common sight.
Furthermore, the news of my "death" had spread far and wide on the Academy Network, so most people didn't immediately associate me with my true identity.
I had to admit, it was a rather strange feeling.
But before we went any further... there was one important thing to do. I stopped in my tracks and pulled out a Mana Source.
I used to wonder how the senior sisters could bear the cost of providing Mana Sources for every freshman they poached.
But now I realized it wasn't that big of a deal.
Poaching was a "high-end game" that only senior sisters with deep pockets could afford to play.
"You! What are you doing now?" Seeing me stop, Yang Yunhan looked at me warily. Although he had long since awakened his Spirit Vision, he lacked the control to use it effectively; through his ordinary sight, he couldn't yet see what was in my hand.
"Hmph~ It's a time-honored tradition of the Witch Academy, of course."
I looked at him playfully, tossing the Mana Source in my hand.
"Sister Xiao Han, what is the tradition of the Witch Academy?" Yulan asked curiously from my shoulder. She truly didn't know; as a Spirit of Fool's Dream, she had never experienced such things.
"The tradition... is for the senior sisters of the Witch Academy to turn the students they've poached into witches." My voice grew slightly heavier at the end as I turned my gaze toward Yang Yunhan. As expected, his expression instantly crumbled. "You should be glad it was me who brought you here. If it were any other senior sister... they wouldn't be nearly as kind."
"You! Stay back!" Yang Yunhan shouted at me, his voice carrying a hint of a plea for help, hoping to attract the attention of bystanders.
"A foolish choice. By shouting like that, you've only made more people look our way. Do you really think they'll help you? What's going on in that head of yours?" I glanced to the side and offered a smile to the students who were watching. They cooperatively smiled back with "I get it~" expressions.
"See? No one cares about your feelings. At most, they'll stop to enjoy the show of what I'm about to do to you."
"You! This academy is a den of monsters! You're a demon!"
"Scream all you want... cherish your current identity while you can. You won't have the chance much longer."
I spoke to Yang Yunhan with total indifference. I no longer cared what he thought; I even found myself enjoying the despair radiating from him. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite desperate enough—it lacked that touch of true hysteria.
But then again, he was a weak person, someone who had always been resigned to his fate. His life was a contradiction. While I was around, he was the pampered darling of the family; after I left, he became the family's punching bag.
But that didn't change the fact that the family was terrible. Even during the stage where he was loved by his parents, that household was suffocating.
"Don't worry. The pain only lasts a moment."
I vaguely remembered that when Sister Bai had inserted mine, she had cast a Deep Sleep spell on me, so I hadn't felt much pain.
"Don't... don't come any closer... AAAAAHHH!"
Before Yang Yunhan could say another word, I shoved the Mana Source directly into his chest.
"Deep sleep. Rest for a while." I followed up with a sleep spell of my own.
My goal wasn't to torture anyone. Physical pain was meaningless, and besides, excessively painful screaming would only interfere with my observations and data collection.
The moment I inserted the Mana Source, the students who had stopped to watch pulled out their phones and began recording. After all, this once-a-year entertainment was a limited-time pleasure.
These videos would likely circulate on the Academy Network for the entire holiday and remain a hot topic well into the start of the semester.
I didn't mind them filming. This was just another hurdle Yang Yunhan would have to face. In the Witch Academy, his—no, her—path was destined to be incredibly difficult.
As the Mana Source settled into Yang Yunhan's body, I activated my subjective cognitive time sense. I watched as the power blooming from that single Mana Source inside a human body became immense!
Because I had been asleep during my own transformation, I hadn't witnessed it firsthand. I only vaguely remembered Sister Bai showing me what happened to a few other boys.
Back then, Sister Bai didn't realize that I actually didn't mind changing genders.
Are there really that many people who care deeply about gender in their daily lives? Once life grinds down your sharp edges, those so-called concerns lose their importance. What matters is learning how to enjoy yourself.
The speed at which the Mana Source converted the body exceeded my expectations, as did the efficiency of the mana utilization.
I used to think that mana only converted into light and heat as it dissipated, which was why the body glowed when a Mana Source was inserted. Looking at it now, the fact that the mana from a single source only produced that much light and heat while doing so much work was staggering.
Furthermore, the way the Mana Source reshaped the body was something I didn't quite understand. It didn't look like a Resurrection Spell; it looked more like a body regeneration spell.
This meant that a single Mana Source, with its limited mana capacity, was achieving better results than the Flesh and Blood Regeneration Spellbook I used to have, which consumed hundreds of points of mana.
How was that possible?
A Mana Source wasn't a spellbook. It was a point of constantly regenerating mana. It didn't have any internal spell frameworks, only... that special structure I had studied before.
Or perhaps my line of thinking was flawed...
Physical transformation might not be something only achievable through resurrection or regeneration spells.
It seemed observing this just once wouldn't be enough.
I waited for a while until Yang Yunhan's condition stabilized. At this moment, he... or rather, she...
She lay slumped on the ground, still wearing her original clothes. After everything she had been through, she looked quite disheveled.
Her originally short hair had grown long, spilling across the ground. Her chest had developed slight curves, and the primary female characteristics were beginning to show.
However, if you looked closely, you could still see traces of her former self.
For now, she possessed a sort of androgynous beauty—not stunning, but the kind of face that would blend into a crowd.
But "the crowd" referred to the students of the Witch Academy. The saying that there are no ugly witches wasn't just a boast. If the current Yang Yunhan were out in the normal world, she would be the type to make people turn their heads as she walked by.
This time, I picked her up properly and used a Cleaning Spell to whisk away the dust before heading toward the registration desk to finalize the enrollment.
I wasn't sure if the process had changed since last year.
With the widespread adoption of Knowledge Seeds, they had replaced many old systems.
However, changing anything in the Witch Academy was a massive undertaking, as many interconnected systems had to be updated simultaneously.
"Hello there~ Bringing in a freshman this early? I thought the application system only opened this morning."
The registration area in the plaza was in the same spot as before, but the person in charge seemed to be different from last year. She was much more talkative and enthusiastic than the previous senior sister. "Hmm? Passed out? These clothes... you gave her a Mana Source already? Must have been a cute boy~ Wait, you look familiar... are you a die-hard fan from the Xiao Han Fan Club?"
"I did give it to him a bit early, but he wasn't exactly a 'cute' boy. He's a boy who needs some serious discipline," I replied with a smile.
"Is that so? Bringing her in so quickly... tell me, have you had your eye on her for a long time?" The registration senior sister seemed to love chatting; perhaps she was just bored at this stage.
"Yes, I've had my eye on him for a long while. I only finally made up my mind today."
"Fair enough~ Since she's unconscious, you'll have to help confirm the student information. What was her original name?"
"Are you already using Knowledge Seeds instead of equipment for registration?" I asked, somewhat surprised. "Her name is Yang Yunhan. Yes, that's the one."
"Of course, Knowledge Seeds are so much more convenient... Wait, what did you say her name was?" The senior sister had been ready to keep chatting idly, but she suddenly froze as if she had seen a ghost.
"Her name is Yang Yunhan. My brother—well, my former brother, I suppose."
"She... you... YOU!" The girl's eyes slowly widened as the realization hit her. She pointed at me, her face a mask of disbelief. "You... you're Teaching Assistant Xiao Han?!"
"Is there really a need to be that surprised?" I sighed, rubbing my forehead. As the girl shouted, everyone in the vicinity turned to look at us.
"You... aren't you... aren't you dead? The... the mentors all said..."
"Did you see me die with your own eyes? The Academy Network has posted so much dirt on me that they've started making jokes about my death now?"
"No... no! I didn't mean it like that!" the girl stammered, panic-stricken.
"If you didn't mean it like that, then hurry up and help my foolish brother—oh, excuse me, my foolish sister—finish her enrollment registration, alright?" As I spoke, I lifted Yang Yunhan by the back of her collar. I had to admit, she felt much lighter now that she was a girl; I could lift her with one hand.
"Yes! Right away! I'll process it immediately!" After such a shock, the girl suppressed her excitement and her urge to chatter.
She had so many questions she wanted to ask this "legend" of the Witch Academy!
But now was clearly not the time.
"Just curious, is the enrollment process the same as last year?" I asked, seeing her hesitant expression.
"Huh? The... the process! It's mostly the same! If you're not sure, I can..."
"Mostly? What about the Knowledge Seeds? Do they still need phones and student cards?"
"Yes, those are still required. Given the academy's situation, some things can't be replaced all at once. As for the Knowledge Seeds... I heard those are distributed during the first freshman class. Apparently, using them requires professional guidance from a mentor to prevent any accidents or waste."
"I see. Thanks~"
"Um... the registration is complete. Do... do you need me to go over the specific steps with you?"
"No need. I already have a good idea." I demonstrated the process information I had gathered via my Identification Art, then turned and left, carrying Yang Yunhan with me.
The moment I walked away, the plaza erupted into a cacophony of whispers and shouts.
It wouldn't be long before the topics on the Academy Network became even more explosive.