Chapter 754: The New Semester Begins
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 754: The New Semester Begins
"I'm back~ I'm not too late, am I? I ran into some things on the way."
At this point, I didn't care about how troublesome it was to teleport back from the experimental zone. Having resolved the permission issues, I went straight to meet the others.
"Ah... is Xiao Han finally back? I feel like I'm about to collapse from hunger..."
"Let's go, let's go~ To the dining area."
The dining area was just a small section carved out of the laboratory. Because it was easy to "one-click clean," we all used it as our communal mess hall.
After I finished handing out the takeout I’d brought, everyone took advantage of this rare moment of leisure to chat.
However, the first topic most of them brought up was still what they were currently working on.
Specifically, the upper limit of the mana source resonance for the Magic-Refining Remodeling Metamorphic Rebirth Spell.
For most of the people sitting here, vacations or the start of a new semester didn't really make a difference. They were essentially always following their mentors to learn, collaborating with friends, or researching their own projects to prepare for their advancement to Transcendent.
Consequently, many of them didn't even realize the new semester was about to start. Hearing that classes were resuming only made them feel like time was flying.
As for ascending to Transcendent, not everyone was confident. Many actually planned to just graduate normally first and then slowly accumulate what they needed.
Another year had passed, which meant many people here were nearing graduation.
After all, within the Witch Academy, students who achieved graduation during their actual enrollment period were considered the geniuses among geniuses. A significant portion of students who became Transcendent Witches only did so after they had officially finished their studies.
After one's youth, ten years of school life can seem very long, yet also very short.
The vibrant colors of the transcendent world always attract the most spirited youths to squander their prime. By the time someone finally wakes up to reality, five of those ten years might already be gone.
Furthermore, out of those ten years, three are spent in the lower grades. This isn't just a phase for building a foundation; it's the period where one chooses their path in life.
The time it takes to move from confusion to conviction varies for everyone. Going from having a clear goal to actually achieving something isn't a matter of just putting in the years. After all, ascending to Transcendent depends entirely on one's own ability, not seniority.
There was another reason why ordinary people took longer: overcoming the Ley Line Shackles.
The Ley Line Shackles can only be severed after one ascends to Transcendent. Therefore, during the process of seeking that advancement, the influence of the shackles is omnipresent. One's family, relatives, friends, familiar junior sisters, or... a cherished love and a partner...
These are all perfectly normal relationships, yet at the most critical moment, they transform into the most fatal shackles. They strike from a psychological level to break anyone attempting to break free from the world cycle, preventing them from becoming a true... "individual."
One must first overcome them to sever them—that is the truly disgusting part of the Ley Line Shackles.
And if one wants to overcome them, there is a shortcut: complete cognition.
When a person realizes that severing the Ley Line Shackles does not mean a total severance of these relationships, the influence of the shackles diminishes. One only needs to use their subjective consciousness to suppress their primal, instinctive fears to ignore the shackles and ascend.
So... the girls sitting here were all people who understood the Ley Line Shackles very well. They analyzed the causes, understood the principles, and some even minored in psychology to constantly explain the "why" behind it all.
In truth, severing the Ley Line Shackles doesn't require one to abandon all emotions or become cold-blooded, but few can manage to keep the two separate.
Consequently, those who ascend from an extraordinary body to a Transcendent state almost always end up with a few quirks related to "locking away their heart." They might become silent or cold, but in short... their faces become full of "stories."
"By the way, Xiao Han, I saw people on the Academy Network recently saying they witnessed your welcoming clone slaughtering new students," Yi Rui mentioned to me from the side.
As soon as Yi Rui spoke, several other girls who frequently checked the Academy Network chimed in.
"Yeah, yeah, I saw that too! It was spreading pretty fast a while ago, and there were even pictures as 'proof'!"
"But it seems like the people from Xiao Han's fan club suppressed it on the network."
"I really don't get what those people are thinking. Why so much malice toward Sister Xiao Han? They were even saying... the Academy is protecting her and ignoring the 'inhumane massacre' of freshmen."
The more they talked, the more heated the debate became. But no matter what, they all seemed to be on my side. Whether it was blind trust or something else... it actually made me feel quite happy.
However, I had to admit that the things circulating on the Academy Network weren't exactly fake.
"Eh? You all believe I didn't do it?" I took the opportunity to ask my own question.
"Of course! We've spent so much time with you, Sister Xiao Han. We definitely know what kind of person you are~"
"Exactly~ Letting those people smear your name is just awful. I feel like the people in charge of deleting posts and banning users on the Academy Network are just useless slackers."
"Don't be so aggressive. What if I said the Academy Network wasn't wrong, and I really did attack the freshmen?" As soon as I said this, the voices in the room died down. Some even looked at me in disbelief!
"Alright... I'm just teasing you. I did kill them, but those people weren't simple freshmen. They were Players. You haven't forgotten the concept of a Player, have I? When Players enter the Witch Academy wearing the faces of freshmen, I naturally have to exterminate them completely."
"Oh! I knew Sister Xiao Han was being framed!"
"Exactly, Sister Xiao Han's actions need no explanation to others. I apologize for my moment of hesitation just now!"
"If you're apologizing, remember to show your underboob! Otherwise, you have no sincerity!" A girl nearby set down her meal box, her restless hands reaching behind the other girl to suddenly lift her shirt!
"Mind your own business! Sister Xiao Han is a married woman!" The girl whose shirt was lifted turned bright red instantly. She pulled her clothes down with one hand and gave the culprit a sharp knock on the head with the other.
Don't think the blow was too harsh; everyone here possessed transcendent power. That level of force was strictly in the realm of playfulness.
Amidst the joking, however, many realized a problem.
The fact that Players... would actually enter the Witch Academy directly as the new class of freshmen!
Most people in the transcendent academies knew a bit about what Players were: invaders from outside the world who occupied the bodies of people in our world to run amok.
Though their form of power was peculiar, their actual strength wasn't very high.
Only the incident at the Linri Hotel back then had caused a relatively serious impact. At any other time, even if they caused explosions, it was only at a level that transcendent means could easily match.
To some extent, these Players who wielded power and the students of the Witch Academy who could only toss spells were actually fairly evenly matched opponents.
Ultimately, however, they reached the conclusion that the Players weren't worth worrying about.
Setting aside the fact that traces of Players were becoming increasingly rare, the main reason was something they knew very well: this "world invasion" was permitted by the mentors. From the very beginning, those Players were nothing more than a joke.
In other words, the mentors were ultimately backing this situation. Although it was just a guess, they felt it was likely the truth—or perhaps the mentors wanted to use these Players to accomplish certain things.
But none of that had much to do with them. Only the people outside who were constantly jumping around were the ones being affected.
I wasn't particularly interested in the topic of Players either. As the saying goes, the more you know, the less interest you have in such shallow topics.
So, their conversation quickly shifted back to the upcoming welcoming of the new students.
It was, after all, an annual grand event.
Welcoming a brand-new batch of little junior sisters was indeed wonderful. It was also the perfect moment for senior sisters to "change their affections" or, rather, find a new flame!
It was time to give the freshmen a taste of the "Witch Academy shock," letting them know clearly that in this academy, even if everyone is a girl, you still have to stay on your guard.
Many girls were naive enough to lose their chastity on their very first day at the Witch Academy—and that wasn't a joke.
You had no idea how thirsty those senior sisters could be in an all-girls academy, or how "wildly" they played in private.
But here, they were mostly talking about things like club recruitment during the freshman entrance ceremony.
They all belonged to the same club.
However, they rarely recruited freshmen directly; their club followed an "elite-only" path.
Even though they wouldn't be recruiting, as one of the few grand events of the Witch Academy, many of the girls still wanted to join in the fun.
Furthermore, in the past, they would take this opportunity to set up stalls at the Freshman Market to earn some extra pocket money.
Not everyone among them was a "little rich girl." Although the funds for the club—which they joined out of shared interest—were provided by the wealthy members, everyone had a life outside the club. They all had their own research projects to fund.
Moreover, if someone practiced a particularly expensive craft as a side profession, or if their project required a constant consumption of rare experimental materials, no amount of money was ever enough.
For senior sisters, setting up a stall served another purpose: clearing out experimental products or byproducts they had created recently. It would be a waste to throw them away as trash, so it was better to sell them to those in need and recoup some of the costs.
Of course, more than anything, it was a chance to relax and make contact with the outside world. Humans are social creatures, after all. Crowded, lively places instinctively attract more people to join the fray.
At least, that’s how they felt.
"Since we can't finish the theoretical mana source limit for the Metamorphic Rebirth Spell before school starts, there's no need to rush now, right?"
"Of course there's no rush. I never set a specific deadline or time limit for this project. If anything, you all have been so busy you've started treating the lab like your home," I said with a smile, playing along with everyone's expectations.
"Then let's take a break during the first few days of the semester. What do you think, Xiao Han?" Yi Rui suggested. "After all, giving your brain a rest once in a while might bring some different inspiration."
"I don't have a problem with that. Do you all have any plans?"
"Of course we do~ Just make sure you don't show up in the lab and backstab us by working, Xiao Han."
"Don't worry, don't worry~ I won't this time," I said with a laugh. Even if I really did wander into the lab and got caught, it wasn't like they could talk.
But I really did need to give myself a proper vacation.
It was just a bit of a shame that the Expansion Realm was almost closed. Otherwise, the newly developed state of the Expansion Realm would have been perfect for me and Sister Bai to go on a trip.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the day for the new enrollment arrived.
On this day, the Witch Academy held its most grand welcoming ceremony for the freshmen, just as it had at this time last year.
However, this time, the Ley Line Manifestation technology had been replaced by a different technique.
The root network operating system of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
Even though only one vacation had passed, the Omni-Link Main Network Tree within the Witch Academy had already grown robustly under the care of numerous witches, changing visibly every day.
Within a single break, it had grown massive, becoming a landmark-like existence within the academy. Its root network now spanned the academy's main thoroughfares.
It wouldn't be surprising if, before long, the Witch Academy introduced plant technology to renovate its buildings.
After all, alchemy items driven by mana energy were still difficult to popularize, and the consumption of mana wasn't very friendly to freshmen.
Furthermore, the root network of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree could easily interface with the academy's landscaping. Perhaps soon, if a freshman got lost, they could just look at a random blade of grass by the road, connect to the root network, and get directions.
Such a scene was the kind of fantasy aesthetic a transcendent academy—one that transcended ordinary society—ought to have.
Moreover, unlike the Ley Line Operating System and the Academy Network, this didn't overtax the Ley Lines, which would otherwise cause Ley Line Stagnation for a period afterward.
The Omni-Link Main Network Tree only needed to convert Ley Line energy into Ley Energy itself to power its root network. At most, they would just need to build a backup station for Ley Energy conversion. The fault tolerance was incredibly high.
During the freshman enrollment period, I wandered through the temporary market set up for the start of the semester.
Although it was for the new students, the place wasn't strictly for them. Freshmen arriving at a transcendent academy understood nothing and usually only carried ordinary currency, so they could hardly be consumers here. The main force of the market was the senior sisters from previous years.
Consequently, the place was extremely lively, second only to the club recruitment area.
The clubs at the Witch Academy were incredibly diverse. To recruit new members, many clubs would do whatever they could to attract attention—some performed talents, while others handed out interesting little trinkets.
The most eye-catching were groups like the Alchemy Club. Those magical little alchemical toys were truly captivating.
Naturally, within this market, the alchemy stalls were also major points of interest.
This was often where alchemists sold off potions and alchemical items at cost, and there was even the possibility of finding a hidden gem.
I passed by these stalls one by one. I wasn't particularly interested in alchemical items or potions.
Instead, I preferred to wander aimlessly. Compared to buying things, I looked forward more to happening upon people I knew and seeing what they were up to.
After all, that in itself was quite interesting, wasn't it?