Chapter 576: Double Good Fortune for Dark Demon (7k)
At this point in the ceremony, only one final step remained.
Professor Kazel carefully observed each student’s face, hoping that someone would be the first to “open their eyes.”
These thirty students below him had all been vetted by him; they possessed sufficient suitability for the “Eye of Truth.”
In theory, they could all successfully open their eyes.
But theory was one thing, and reality was another, often filled with deviations.
Until the results were clear, anything unexpected could happen.
And as the critical moment approached, unexpected events became even more likely.
Professor Kazel had extensive experience dealing with such situations, focusing intently so he could act swiftly if necessary.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, his brows twitched as he turned his gaze toward Third Year Else Kevin.
This third-year student, who had won the “Crimson Star” during Halloween when she was in First Year, was the first to show signs of “opening her eyes!”
Almost immediately after, the golden thread floating above Else Kevin’s head trembled at its tip, then sharply extended downward, touching her forehead.
The golden eye illusion at her brow instantly began to move, as if something tiny like a worm was about to emerge from beneath her skin.
Professor Kazel moved his fingers slightly, becoming even more focused.
But within seconds, the golden eye illusion at Else Kevin’s brow suddenly froze.
Her skin beneath the eye silently split, and a golden sphere, resembling an eyeball, squeezed out through the fissure, merging with the golden eye illusion.
The entire eye transitioned from an illusionary state to a solid form, then imprinted itself firmly on her brow.
Like the vibration of a string, a voice only Else Kevin could hear suddenly sounded. The golden thread atop her head quickly faded away until it vanished completely.
Else Kevin’s golden eye within her brow transformed into a complete “Eye of Truth.”
Her own eyes remained closed, but the “Eye of Truth” opened abruptly, emitting an aura of “Truth.”
In that instant, she “saw” the outside world.
…
“One.”
Professor Kazel nodded slightly, praising Else Kevin’s success.
He then continued to observe the other students—two of them simultaneously showed signs of opening their eyes.
…
In essence, the “Eye of Truth” is a window, and does not vary much in nature.
However, their forms differ.
Else Kevin’s “Eye of Truth,” located between her brows, was the most standard type.
Besides this, there are also types that overlap with the left or right eye.
Even rarer are types that appear in the palm or even the navel.
While these types of “Eyes of Truth” do not affect their function, they may impact aesthetics.
…
Following Else Kevin, more students gradually opened their eyes.
Most of their “Eyes of Truth” appeared between their brows, until Emma Maltis and Sarah Swati showed some differences.
Emma’s “Eye of Truth” overlapped with her left eye, while Sarah’s overlapped with her right eye.
After completing the process, both subconsciously looked towards their classmates in the back row. Upon noticing no signs of their classmates opening their eyes, they curiously looked at the upperclassmen.
Gradually, more than half of the students had opened their “Eyes of Truth.”
The transparent monsters lingering among the students gradually diminished.
Students could see these creatures once they opened their “Eyes of Truth,” but none expressed surprise.
Professor Kazel had explained this in detail beforehand.
These monsters were called “Truth’s Impurity.”
They are impurities of truth.
They can pollute the mind.
But once the “Eye of Truth” is opened, and the connection to the “Door to Truth” is fixed, these “Impurities of Truth” dissipate on their own.
As time passed, more students opened their “Eyes of Truth.”
Suddenly, the temperature in a part of the classroom dropped, and ice crystals began to form in the air.
The students who had already opened their “Eyes of Truth” instinctively looked over.
Sitting there was none other than the brightest star among the fourth-year students at the Mana Academy, the descendant of the “Winter Sage”—Vini Scarlet!
Vini tightly closed her eyes, and the golden eye illusion reflected on her brow took on an icy blue hue.
Ice crystals gradually formed in her brow.
Professor Kazel silently appeared beside her, dispelling the transparent monster behind her with a wave of his hand, his gaze serious.
Despite this, he did not immediately intervene, leaving the situation to Vini herself.
A moment later, Vini’s brow condensed into an icy blue “Eye of Truth”!
This “Eye of Truth,” seemingly made of ice, emitted a cold, eerie aura, something Professor Kazel had never seen before.
This was rare; perhaps it had something to do with his limited samples.
Today was his first attempt at opening so many “Eyes of Truth” at once.
“The ‘Eye of Truth’ should not possess attributes, yet she managed to transform it into a [Ice Eye]. I wonder what unique qualities this ice attribute ‘Eye of Truth’ might have?”
Professor Kazel’s eyes sparkled with intense curiosity.
“Professor, could you stop staring at me?”
A calm voice suddenly broke his concentration.
He quickly averted his gaze, placing a finger to his lips to indicate silence.
Vini Scarlet smiled contentedly, clearly satisfied with her ice attribute “Eye of Truth.”
However, just as she was about to focus on experiencing the effects of her “Eye of Truth,” she sensed something unusual and abruptly turned her head in another direction.
Near the window.
Tom Nixon, another fourth-year student, also displayed signs of opening his eyes.
The golden thread descending from the “Door to Truth” began to turn blood red at its tip.
A drop of black blood squeezed out from Tom Nixon’s brow.
That drop of black blood merged with the golden eye illusion, slowly dyeing it red.
When everything ended, his brow now contained a blood-red “Eye of Truth”!
Blood is not an attribute.
It is a specialized type.
If Vini Scarlet’s “Ice Eye” was already astonishing, Tom Nixon’s “Blood Eye” would cause even more shock.
Yet today’s anomalies did not end there.
Shortly after Tom Nixon opened his eyes, the fifth-year “Fairy Princess” Eruiri Clarissa actually condensed a pink “Fairy Eye”!
“Fairy attribute ‘Eye of Truth’…”
Professor Kazel blinked, feeling as if he had witnessed something extraordinary.
But precisely because of this, the world remained so captivating.
He shifted his gaze from Eruiri Clarissa to the dark figure of Dark Demon at the back of the classroom.
Under such circumstances, he instinctively expected Dark Demon’s “Eye of Truth” to display some anomaly.
But Dark Demon’s eyes remained tightly closed, showing no signs of opening.
He was not anxious and continued observing the other students.
Soon…
As the class was about to end.
Dark Demon’s aura finally changed!
At this moment, only two students in the classroom had yet to open their “Eyes of Truth,” and Dark Demon was one of them.
His thoughts were shrouded in darkness, maintaining a high level of concentration. All his mental energy was focused on a single point corresponding to his brow, quietly waiting for the opportunity to arise.
In his consciousness, time seemed to stand still.
No stray thoughts arose in his mind.
He entered a meditative state, as calm as an ancient well.
After a long period, the opportunity finally presented itself.
That was a flicker of inspiration.
He sensed the appearance of that flicker of “light” and subconsciously pursued it, causing his entire world of consciousness to crack open, allowing more light to pour in.
He immediately realized this was the sign that he was about to open his eyes. Following Professor Kazel’s instructions, he ascended along with the light.
Thus, darkness was thoroughly shattered, and light flooded his vision.
His eyes were still closed, yet he saw the reality outside.
…
At this moment, Professor Kazel’s face could no longer conceal his astonishment.
The students who had already opened their “Eye of Truth” were also extremely surprised.
Even the three who had opened their “Ice Eye,” “Blood Eye,” and “Fairy Eye” felt incredulous.
“How did they do it…”
Similar thoughts almost simultaneously appeared in everyone’s minds.
The students stared intently at Dark Demon’s face, their emotions surging.
Just now, the golden eye illusion projected onto Dark’s forehead moved—it wasn’t extraordinary enough.
Emma and Sarah experienced the same phenomenon when they opened their eyes.
Their “Eye of Truth” moved to their left and right eyes respectively.
However, the golden eye illusion on Dark’s forehead split into two after a brief moment!
Yes…
His “Eye of Truth” transformed from one to two!
No other anomalies, just a simple transformation from one to two.
Reflecting on it, it seemed normal—after all, humans have two eyes… but damn!
Professor Kazel, living his whole life, had never heard of an alchemist being able to open two “Eyes of Truth” simultaneously in historical records!
This was fundamentally different from changes in attributes and characteristics; it involved the most essential change to the “Eye of Truth.”
Professor Kazel looked up sharply: “Indeed!”
The golden thread hanging from the “Door to Truth” became extremely thick!
The anomaly occurring to Dark Demon was incredibly straightforward and brutal.
His connection to the “Door to Truth” became thicker than anyone else’s during the process of opening his eyes.
“Long time no see.”
Professor Kazel rubbed his brow, but a smile appeared on his face.
…
When Dark’s “Eye of Truth” fully opened, the two “Eyes of Truth” overlapping his left and right eyes turned his irises from emerald green to pure gold.
If one didn’t know it was the “Eye of Truth,” some might mistake it for a naturally golden-eyed person.
Afterward, what he first saw was Professor Kazel.
In that instant, a peculiar feeling surged through his mind.
It felt like being in an elevator ascending rapidly to the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower, then suddenly bursting out of the elevator, continuing to climb higher and higher…
He abruptly “closed his eyes,” and upon reopening them, his irises returned to their beautiful emerald green, drenched in sweat.
He quickly understood what he had seen and felt.
Just now, he subconsciously activated the “Eye of Truth” to assess Professor Kazel’s value.
Perhaps there was a limit to Professor Kazel’s power, but in the perspective of the “Eye of Truth,” he stood at an unimaginably terrifying height!
With Dark’s current abilities, he couldn’t measure Professor Kazel’s value.
Using the “Eye of Truth” consumed mana at an unprecedented rate, nearly emptying his body in an instant.
“Professor…”
He instinctively wanted to say something, but noticed the person beside him still had their eyes closed, so he held back.
Professor Kazel sensed his embarrassment and winked playfully at him.
Dark felt somewhat embarrassed, but slowly recalled the sensation of opening his eyes.
He realized his “Eye of Truth” differed slightly from Professor Kazel’s description.
But from his own perspective, he didn’t immediately notice that he had opened two eyes.
Opening one window versus two windows at the same location doesn’t make much difference in what you see.
He couldn’t detect the difference until he compared himself with others.
So he thought optimistically, “Seems like nothing unusual happened?”
…
Eudora Envy remained within her mental realm.
But her mental world was different from everyone else’s.
It wasn’t pitch black; it was a starry night sky.
She tightly closed her eyes, her consciousness beneath the starlit sky, gazing upward without feeling bored or lonely.
Unlike everyone else, she could continue doing this endlessly.
Until a beam of starlight descended from the sky above.
…
“So she is the last one?”
Dark looked around and found everyone had opened their eyes and were mostly looking at him, feeling surprised.
“So I’m the second-to-last to open the ‘Eye of Truth.'”
“Though speed isn’t good or bad, it feels different.”
Dark shook his head and quietly waited for Eudora’s progress.
Such opportunities to observe Eudora’s face without restraint were rare.
Eudora was only twelve years old, the same age as a first-year student.
Her features hadn’t fully matured, still small and cute, with a pink bob.
When she wasn’t talking, she looked like a porcelain doll, making people want to pinch her cheeks.
If she didn’t always seem eager to get close, Dark would enjoy spending time with her more.
“Hmm?”
As he pondered quietly, Eudora’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
He sensed a change in her aura.
“Is it coming?”
He immediately focused and observed closely.
Since he was the second-to-last to open the “Eye of Truth,” he hadn’t seen the exact process before, which he now made up for.
Professor Kazel had also positioned himself next to Eudora.
All the students’ gazes were fixed on her.
Unbeknownst to herself, Eudora stood at the center of the stage.
A star-like glow seemed to flicker on her face.
On the magic card of the “Ritual of Truth.”
On the miniature array.
The “Golden Gate” continued to rotate clockwise.
Light shot from it, illuminating Eudora’s brow, creating a golden eye illusion.
…
“Eudora Envy, the possessor of the ‘Star Eye.'”
Professor Kazel gently shook his wand.
What kind of reaction will occur between the “Star Eye” and the “Eye of Truth”?
…
The golden eye illusion didn’t move left or right.
Eudora’s “Eye of Truth” smoothly opened at her brow.
At first glance, besides the light from the “Eye of Truth” seeming brighter, there were no obvious signs.
This made her eye-opening process seem ordinary.
Compared to the final sequence, it even disappointed some people slightly.
But then, others noticed a change in the atmosphere around them!
More people sensed a different aura.
That seemingly slightly brighter “Eye of Truth” attracted attention, drawing everyone’s gaze.
Gazing through it, they saw countless stars!
“Guh…”
Eudora suddenly let out a stifled cry.
Then her tightly closed eyes suddenly widened, and her eyes took on the color of the night sky.
Pitch-black filled her eye sockets, with stars twinkling within.
Her “Eye of Truth” at her brow flickered intensely.
The fading golden thread suddenly brightened.
Eudora’s eyes unfocused, as if staring into the void.
She opened
The pink lips trembled violently as if trying to say something, but were suppressed in her throat and never spoken.
…
“What’s going on?”
For the first time witnessing this scene, the students couldn’t help but frown and ponder.
Those who had seen it before frowned even deeper.
Professor Kazel’s eyes were heavy with concern.
Dark watched Eudora’s appearance, wanting to stop her, but recalled what Professor Metia had said in class before, forcing him to wait anxiously.
Eudora triggered the “Apocalypse”!
…
The “Eye of Truth” and astrology make an excellent combination.
Diviners have studied this; if one can activate the “Eye of Truth,” they can gain more accurate insights when using astrology to observe the stars.
And diviners can interpret more accurate conclusions from this.
However, at the same time,
the “Eye of Truth” also brings some effects that cannot be argued as good or bad.
For example, it makes it easier to trigger the “Apocalypse!”
The so-called “Apocalypse” is a sudden special divination that is not controlled by subjective will.
Unlike regular divination, the “Apocalypse” does not rely on the diviner’s own abilities.
It often allows the diviner to see things they cannot normally see and make generational-changing predictions.
But the “Apocalypse” is something that cannot be sought out.
How many diviners spend their entire lives trying to experience an Apocalypse without success.
By activating the “Eye of Truth,” diviners can more easily obtain the “Apocalypse.”
However, such uncontrollable divinations are not entirely beneficial.
Because even the “Apocalypse” requires a price.
If a diviner’s price is very severe, then the “Apocalypse” that could appear at any moment becomes like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head, ready to take their life at any time.
…
Eudora was born with the “Stellar Eye,” and was already more likely to trigger the “Apocalypse” due to the additional favor of fate.
Now with the “Eye of Truth,” it will become even easier for her to trigger the “Apocalypse”!
This is good news for “prophecy.”
But it is not necessarily good for the “seer” themselves.
Eudora’s divination requires a price called the “Star of Doom.”
The so-called “Star of Doom” symbolizes an ominous star heralding death.
A seer paying this price would have a “Star of Doom” added to a part of their body with each divination.
The more “Stars of Doom” one has, the closer they are to death.
What is most terrifying is that even the seer themselves do not know the limit of how many “Stars of Doom” they can bear.
It could be one, or it could be two…
This makes every true divination of a “Star of Doom” seer a life-and-death judgment.
Eudora had already paid the price once during her first divination.
At the bottom of her right eye, a golden star had formed.
If this “Apocalypse” completes, she might very well obtain a second “Star of Doom” and face another life-and-death judgment.
Therefore, Dark instinctively wanted to stop her.
However, once the “Apocalypse” begins, it cannot be stopped.
Forcibly interrupting the revelation of fate would bring extremely dire consequences.
Dark could only pray that Eudora could bear enough “Stars of Doom.”
…
Unlike her first divination,
Eudora, after careful guidance from Professor Metia, now possessed the qualities of a proper astrologer.
She did not feel fear from the sudden “Apocalypse.”
Nor did she blurt out the prophecy of the “Apocalypse.”
Only after this “Apocalypse” ended did the dark night sky in her eyes gradually fade away like a tide, becoming clear again.
The “Eye of Truth” between her eyebrows closed and disappeared.
“Haa—”
She took a deep breath, and her expression quickly returned to calm.
Seeing this, Dark instantly let out a sigh of relief.
At least Eudora was still alive at this moment.
This meant she could bear more than two “Stars of Doom.”
Dark did not ask about the prophecy, but instead hurriedly called her over.
Eudora hesitated, lowered her head, blushed, and moved to the seat next to Dark.
Dark turned her body to face forward immediately and looked at her right eye, saying, “Open your eyes wide!”
Eudora obediently widened her eyes.
Two golden stars suddenly flickered at the bottom of her eyes.
Dark’s pupils constricted, and he said, “There are indeed two…”
Eudora lowered her eyelids and whispered, “Actually, there’s no need to worry. Teacher Metia said my life is still long…”
“Is that so? That’s good.” Although Dark was skeptical, he still showed relief.
…
Professor Kazel observed for a while, then suddenly raised his head and clapped his hands. “Alright, today’s ceremony is complete! But activating the ‘Eye of Truth’ is just the first step in mastering alchemy. Starting next month, I will lead you into the world of equivalent exchange.”
As he spoke, he walked back to the podium from the aisle.
The students’ attention shifted from Eudora back to Professor Kazel.
“There’s still some time before class ends. You can raise any questions you had during the activation process, and I’ll try to answer them.”
No sooner had he finished speaking.
Vini Scarlet and Tom Nixon immediately raised their hands.
Professor Kazel squinted and pointed at another student besides them.
Of course, he knew what Vini and Tom wanted to ask.
But it wasn’t suitable to explain in class.
These two students were still young and lacked some caution.
…
The end-of-class bell finally rang.
With Professor Kazel finishing his final explanation, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly relaxed.
Students eagerly began discussing, and some even activated the “Eye of Truth,” treating it like a new toy, constantly assessing the value of objects in front of them as if they wouldn’t stop until their mana was depleted.
Among them, a few quickly packed up their books and followed Professor Kazel to his office, knocking on the door.
“Come in.”
The door was unlocked.
Professor Kazel sat behind his desk, waiting until everyone arrived before having the door closed.
All those whose “Eye of Truth” had shown abnormalities gathered here.
“If you have any questions, come up one by one,” Professor Kazel said directly.
Thus, a post-class tutoring session began.
Professor Kazel’s desk surrounded a small area, making it impossible for people outside to hear anything.
Dark glanced around and prepared to go first.
Besides Vini, Tom, and Eudora, there were a few others in the office.
To clarify the issues involved in the activation process, personal information of the students would inevitably be involved.
Most of those whose “Eye of Truth” had changed were here.
“Junior, let me go first? I have class next.”
Vini Scarlet suddenly spoke, causing Dark to stop.
As a result, he stopped until the very end.
He waited until Eudora finished asking her question, then became the last person to walk to the desk and sit down.
Before he could open his mouth, Professor Kazel directly said, “You want to ask about the difference between one ‘Eye of Truth’ and two ‘Eyes of Truth,’ right?”
Dark nodded. “Yes, Professor.”
Since he couldn’t ask about the cause, he could only ask about the effect.
Professor Kazel smiled and said, “The difference is probably like the difference between a pipe and a canal. Right after you activated the ‘Eye of Truth,’ you used it to look at me, right? Even if you didn’t succeed, you could still see something. Others wouldn’t get any information.”
