Instant Casting was the watershed of the witch world.
From this moment on, Wang Yue was no longer a defenseless little girl; she was a witch capable of unleashing devastating destruction with a mere flick of her fingers.
“Splitting Sword’s projectile speed and severing power are among the best for mid-tier witchcraft. It’s an excellent choice as a primary offensive spell. The only drawback is that the casting motion is too obvious, making it easy to defend against…”
Wang Yue flipped through an upperclassman’s textbook. Her highly efficient brain made her learning twice as effective with half the effort. She read at an incredible speed, her memory etching the words into her mind like engravings.
“Besides Splitting Sword, offensive mid-tier witchcraft includes Deep Blue Bite, Shooting Star, White Bird, and so on…”
Witchcraft was a derivative of mana. It existed in various states—violent or gentle, cold or hot—manifesting as different effects.
Wang Yue discovered that witchcraft wasn’t exactly elemental magic, but rather a form of mimetic sorcery.
For instance, the effect of Deep Blue Bite was similar to an arc of lightning, yet it wasn’t true electricity. The electricity mimicked by witchcraft couldn’t pass through a conductor, wouldn’t be blocked by an insulator, and certainly couldn’t form a circuit to power an appliance.
Similarly, the water formed by witchcraft could not quench thirst. It was merely a mimetic liquid… though it could probably be used for an enema.
***
As the Monthly Exam approached, the dormitory building grew lively.
Matcha and Dorothy were racing between the floors, running faster than investigative reporters as they scouted for information.
People from downstairs often came up, feigning enthusiasm while secretly observing. The moment they turned away, they would whip out little notebooks and start scribbling notes in secret.
“Master, we’ve gathered all the intel!”
“Huh?”
“Your opponents for this time!”
“Wait, what?” Wang Yue was utterly confused.
“The Class Competition!”
“Oh…”
Only then did Wang Yue remember the battle-royale-style points tournament that was set to coincide with the Monthly Exam.
The dorms had been assigned upon enrollment.
In Dormitory Building No. 3, the first floor housed Rooms 101 to 120, a total of twenty rooms shared by Classes One through Four, with thirty students per class.
Class Five was on the second floor, occupying six rooms with thirty-six students.
There were 156 freshmen in total.
Class Five had almost no interaction with the other four classes. Even though they were physically close, there was a sense of insurmountable isolation. Students on the same floor often ran into each other in the washrooms, naturally becoming familiar. Between floors, however, there was only a single staircase, and the students didn’t mix; they treated each other like strangers.
The Class Competition would take the top four students from each class—twenty elites in total—to compete on the same stage.
The competition points affected the School Trip and concerned both collective honor and practical benefits. Consequently, the traffic between floors had increased significantly. Students from different classes were scouting one another, keeping a close eye on the “ace” players of rival classes.
“Don’t tell me about this. I’m not participating,” Wang Yue muttered.
“What did you say, Master?” Dorothy thought she had misheard.
“Cough, I mean, I might not necessarily make it into the top four,” Wang Yue quickly corrected herself.
“But Master, there aren’t four people in this class stronger than you!”
“Oh, Dorothy,” Wang Yue interlaced her fingers, speaking with a heavy, earnest tone. “Looking strong doesn’t mean one has actual academic merit. Think about it: there are twelve subjects. Excluding Physical Education, which isn’t tested, there are four main subjects and seven electives. A main subject is worth 100 points, and the electives are combined into a 200-point comprehensive paper, totaling 600 points.
“Instant Casting won’t help me get extra points. Even if I get a perfect score on the witchcraft practical, what of it? If others do a little better here and a little better there, they can easily catch up. Do not underestimate the power of the professional exam grinders!”
Dorothy furrowed her brows. It sounded logical, but something felt off.
It wasn’t that Wang Yue lacked a sense of collective honor. It was simply that out of Lilith, Lulu’anna, and Medeili, two of them didn’t get along with her.
If she didn’t go, the team might have some minor friction, but they could still crush the opposition and win.
If she did go, there would be big problems.
Simply put, her presence wasn’t necessary for victory, but her absence was necessary for peace.
No one would understand such a hidden motive, and saying it out loud would only escalate the conflict. Therefore, she decided to just lie flat and play dead.
“Master, perk up! You’ll definitely make the top four! You have to believe in yourself!”
Seeing her master’s lack of motivation, Dorothy moved behind her and began massaging her shoulders, trying to offer some support.
Mmm… the little maid’s massage is actually quite comfortable.
A day later.
Dorothy burst into the room again and shoved a notebook into Wang Yue’s hands, looking for praise.
“I’ve investigated the Aces of the other classes! Look, look!”
Hard to refuse such enthusiasm, Wang Yue had no choice but to open the notebook and read:
“Oh, Loran Wright, the Ace of Class One. Characteristics: Pale gold, almost white hair; facial features and profile with a classical beauty; slender and tall build, especially the fingers and legs.”
She flipped the page. Hey, there was even a portrait—hand-drawn by Dorothy.
“Is this stick-insect-looking thing her?”
“Don’t worry about the details!”
“The art style is so bizarre, I can’t not worry about the details.”
“She’s very pretty, like a princess from a fairy tale. I was practically mesmerized! Did you know? She’s the daughter of Lord Aurora—a Lantern-Bearer’s daughter!”
“The Flash of Wright?”
“Exactly, that explorer! Oh, right—it’s best not to mention him in front of her. I heard her relationship with her father is a bit strained.”
Wang Yue nodded dismissively. It didn’t matter since she wasn’t going to the competition anyway.
Flipping to the next page, she pointed at a blob that looked like a paramecium. “And this one? Kiana?”
“Leona! The Ace of Class Three. Her eyes are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Slightly pointed almond eyes, a peach-shaped face, a sharp chin… she’s a bit fleshy, with skin so white and soft she looks like a freshly steamed bun. I really wanted to take a bite…”
Dorothy swallowed her saliva and continued, “She has bandages wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She’s often seen in the school’s martial arts hall. They say she’s a master of various combat techniques.”
“I see… and what about this cricket-looking thing?”
“Hehehe, that’s Mavis. A cute and charming little loli, the Ace of Class Four. She’s my good friend, so I won’t reveal her data.”
“You won’t reveal it? Have some class pride, hey!”
Wang Yue kept flipping, but there was nothing left. She blinked in confusion. “Class Two doesn’t have an Ace?”
“Her…” Dorothy’s tone became hesitant. “Her name is Modesty, the Ace of Class Two. When I went to scout her, she just stared at me. For some reason, I felt a chill all over my body, so I didn’t dare investigate further.”
Wang Yue blew a puff of air. Perhaps a troublesome individual, but what did that have to do with her?
She had decided to use Score Control. She would aim for a rank around tenth in the class—maybe even lower. She’d just say she had an off day.
In any case, she wasn’t going.
Dorothy took the notebook back, her thin eyebrows arching slightly as she said proudly, “I’ve realized that even if you took the Aces from Classes One through Four and put them in one team, they might not be able to beat the four of you. No, they definitely couldn’t win.”
“Is that so?” Wang Yue asked, feigning surprise. Inwardly, however, she agreed. With three others roughly as strong as her in one class, a combined team would be ridiculous.
“The strength gap is so wide it’s almost boring,” Dorothy shrugged, her tone laced with disinterest. She rested her chin on her hand. “The only thing that interests me now is the free food on the spectator airships.”
