Chapter 390: Reverse Summoning Spell
“Stand in the center of the Spell Ceremony?”
Regarding the Academy Head’s suggestion, although I personally felt it was less effective than casting spells while upside down, since it was the Academy Head’s proposal, I naturally had to give it a try. What if it works?
After all, even in the worst-case scenario, I estimated that the Academy Head would not leave me to fend for myself.
At this moment, after making my decision, even Teacher Ji paused her work and came over, seemingly curious about the effects of this spellbook. After all, she had watched me cast it several times, and the consecutive “failures” had indeed piqued her interest in what this spell was about – seeming to succeed yet having no effect.
“Alright, then I’ll give it a try.”
Upon confirming that there wasn’t a better option, I began attempting it the way the Academy Head suggested. Perhaps this Summoning Spell requires the cooperation of the caster during the summoning?
Unfortunately, this spellbook was just created by the Academy Head, and there were no notes inside; it was even in the testing phase, with me as the tester.
After once again channeling magic into the spellbook, it lit up, and a Spell Ceremony illuminated the ground, again manifesting outward from around me. Seeing this scene, I pondered other possibilities.
So far, this was no different from each previous failed attempt. However, since the Academy Head instructed me to stand within this Spell Ceremony, there seemed to be some validity to that.
After all, once this spell is released, the Spell Ceremony arises from beneath my feet; previously, anything summoned might be blocked by me, causing it to withdraw.
Could it be… that staying in the center of the Spell Ceremony is the correct method?
As I mused, my body suddenly jolted!
It was that familiar sensation.
The released spell’s effect… surprisingly acted directly upon me.
“Wait… Academy Head, something’s strange… the spell’s effect has created a connection between me, the caster, and it, somewhat similar to the way the runes connected with me earlier. Is this how Summoning Spells work?” I spoke up at this moment.
After all, I remembered this was a test, and as the tester, I naturally needed to voice all the information I was currently feeling so that the Academy Head could understand what was happening to me; otherwise, onlookers might be left in confusion.
“Regular Summoning Spells do not have this situation, but you must understand that the Summoning Spell you are using is not conventional. It has just been classified as a Summoning Spell; even for interdimensional creature summoning spells, a contract must be signed to establish a connection,” the Academy Head began to explain.
“So what should I do? Should I just wait?” I continued to ask.
“Perhaps… the Thread of Fortune in your hand has given you the answer.”
“Thread of Fortune?”
At this moment, I finally noticed that I had completely focused on the spell itself previously; now looking at my right wrist, the ribbon tied in a bow was slightly vibrating, as if a butterfly was flitting about.
Instantly, the Spell Ceremony beneath my feet seemed to be activated, glowing brightly like the runes in that dream.
“Is it going to recreate that scene from before?” I murmured to myself.
This time… is it going to summon the other party?
Until my whole body was enveloped in magical power, only then did I realize this strange situation; an inexplicable force rapidly ascended throughout my body, making it nearly impossible for me to move.
“I can’t move… This force generated by the spell’s effect is controlling my body…”
“Don’t resist. Opposing the spell’s effect will likely cause the spell to fail, and you will suffer a backlash,” the Academy Head immediately advised as she saw my predicament. Then, she extended her hand, and another spell’s effect enveloped me entirely.
This was a Protection Spell. Amid my tension, I felt what the Academy Head’s spell was; she likely placed this layer of protection on me out of fear that I might encounter an accident.
With the Academy Head’s Protection Spell backing me up, I felt a bit relieved, but I understood that this was not the time to relax. I could distinctly feel a resonance between my consciousness and the spell’s effect, as if my consciousness was inquiring about my needs.
As I contemplated, a golden phantom floated by in front of me. It was a butterfly, transformed from golden luck, which detached from my wrist, fluttering erratically until it vanished into the void at one moment.
At that point… I was stunned and instinctively looked at the Academy Head beside me, who remained completely still, but everything around me seemed to have come to a standstill until… a crisp sound rang in my ears.
Crack—!
The sound of shattering glass echoed sharply, and the reality before my eyes instantaneously shattered into pieces.
Then, my body again fell into a state of weightlessness, as if diving into the deep sea. The faint Protection Spell on my surface resisted the pressure of space, yet I could do nothing.
Everything before me seemed to be moving away; the fragments of reality that had shattered were likewise receding.
I felt like a victim who had fallen into an icy cave, watching the water’s surface and the broken ice cavern recede, light slowly dimming, and my five senses gradually losing external stimulation…
Until a golden butterfly reappeared before me, radiating golden light, forming my only guide in this void space.
With every flap of its wings, it scattered points of light; with each advance, it grew fainter, as if using its life to illuminate the road ahead for me.
However, rather than guiding me merely.
In this void where I was powerless, it seemed to act as a guardian, opening the path to the unknown ahead and guiding me toward my upcoming destination.
At this moment.
Inside the laboratory.
Watching the figure that suddenly vanished from the experimental site, Teacher Ji’s eyes flashed with a moment of panic, but seeing the Academy Head’s calm demeanor, she managed to stabilize herself.
“Where did she go?”
Teacher Ji’s tone carried a suppressed concern, but she still tried to maintain her composure when asking.
“Maybe… very likely it’s the small world pushed over by the Abyss Demon,” the Academy Head replied.
“You knew the effects of this spell from the beginning, right! What kind of bizarre summoning spell is this? How can there be a summoning spell that makes the caster disappear!” Seeing the Academy Head’s calm demeanor, Teacher Ji’s voice betrayed some urgency.
“Calm down, Xi Lan. You’ve lost the reason that a Witch Scholar should possess. Also… weren’t you curious about what this is? I derived it from your Extraordinary Knowledge, and the spell I created is called the Reverse Summoning Spell.”
“Reverse Summoning Spell? What about Xiao Han? Are you sending her to her doom! Do you understand?” Upon hearing that Xiao Han would be sent to an unknown small world inhabited by those Abyss Demons, she immediately began to question.
“The Reverse Summoning Spell has a prerequisite, which is a summoning guide. This summoning spell still consists of the summoner and the summoned both, but the difference is that the control of the summoning lies with the summoned.” The Academy Head looked composed, with no signs of concern.
“As for your worries about Xiao Han’s safety, I actually care even more, but I’ve placed a specially derived Protection Spell on her. If this Protection Spell shatters, I will be able to sense it, which indicates that Xiao Han is in danger.”
“What good is sensing? Isn’t Xiao Han’s safety more important?”
“Don’t rush. I understand the principles of the Reverse Summoning Spell better than you do. Don’t forget, I completed it, and I left a summoning guide. Once this guide is activated, Xiao Han will sense it, so if she wants to, she can be summoned back by me again.” Mei Linde said, showcasing a rune that was the summoning guide rune mark left in the earlier spell.
“But that’s still not safe! That’s an unknown world; that small world has already been invaded by Abyss Demons, turning it into a demon hatching ground!”
“Can’t you try to learn to trust others? Xiao Han is much stronger than you think. In the face of the unknown, she has performed well beyond my expectations, even much better. Whether it’s in the competitive or exchange matches, or during the Ninglan New City incident, I’ve watched her grow bit by bit.”
“…” Teacher Ji fell silent due to the Academy Head’s words. “Then next…”
“Of course, we wait. This is our only chance in the near term; that Thread of Fortune is only sufficient for a one-time guide. Xiao Han needs to figure out the function and general principles of this spell while leaving the guide rune of the Reverse Summoning Spell before she encounters danger that she cannot handle.”
“You should tell her this directly instead of beating around the bush.” Teacher Ji critiqued from the side, clearly dissatisfied with the Academy Head’s behavior, even though the latter was the Academy Head, she still expressed her discontent directly.
“This isn’t important, Xi Lan, this is just a test and training for Xiao Han. It’s a rare opportunity for experience; even if Xiao Han wastes this chance, our Witch Academy’s exploration team should be able to find this world in about a month. Time is not critical for us; we just need to wait.”
“Are you that sure the world Xiao Han connected to by accident is that small world?”
“Of course.” The Academy Head replied confidently.
“Don’t forget, dear Xi Lan, we are in the Main World. Even though it has become a wasteland, it still exists atop the main currents of the Earth Vein. Theoretically, neither the Academy Heads nor the void exploration teams like mine have confirmed that there can be worlds outside the Main World above the Earth Vein. Large worlds cannot exist either because they don’t qualify.”
“Only the Main World is qualified to stand atop the currents of the Earth Vein.”
“That’s why I’m very curious how those Abyss Demons managed to get that small world nearby; maybe it was taken from elsewhere. However, it’s evident that unless manipulated by humans, there shouldn’t be other worlds. Since that thread of fortune can reach the Main World, it indicates that the small world has already entered the Main World’s radiation range in the void, which is the vicinity we have charted. We’ve only observed that world sent by those demons, so the answer is singular.”
“To add, even if Xiao Han discovers another small world, I would be laughing. The traces of my Protection Spell that Xiao Han took over can be pinpointed to that world’s void coordinates, even if it takes me decades or centuries. A world that can remain hidden right beneath our noses is also worth our attention.”
With the Academy Head’s remarks, Teacher Ji next to her was also stunned.
She hadn’t thought that much; after all, she didn’t care how the Main World was. In this Main World, she only cared about this one piece of Extraordinary Knowledge before her. The Main World could provide her with a shelter that the void could not guarantee, and that was all.
Don’t let the normal appearance of Teacher Ji in the Witch Academy deceive you; entering the Main World requires qualifications. Except for a few who leveraged relationships, female witches entering the Main World through sheer skill are all geniuses in the void!
…
“What is… going on…”
After some calm reflection, I began to analyze the current situation. Am I trapped in a spatial passage?
Alongside the sensing of the temporary Protection Spell added by the Academy Head, I could also feel the magical power of that so-called Summoning Spell.
So… experiencing this was entirely due to this spell’s doing!
Moreover, I didn’t dare interrupt this spell; if the magical power ended midway, would I be drawn into a spatial current or something?
I wouldn’t joke around with my life; even if I could use a Resurrection Spell, I couldn’t afford to be reckless.
And… what about the Academy Head?
Academy Head, please rescue me.
This is the first time I’ve seen someone using a Summoning Spell end up getting summoned themselves; what kind of reverse repercussion is this?
The Academy Head wouldn’t have calculated this out, right? After all, this spellbook came from the Academy Head, who must have known at least something about it. Adding to her suggestion that I stand in the center of the Spell Ceremony… I must have been plotted against again…
Such a cruel fate… unable to resist… also a riddle-maker. Is this easy for me?
In fact, at this moment, even though I thought a lot, not much actual time had passed objectively.
Soon, I saw a glimmer of light at the end of this void spatial passage.
At that moment, the silhouette of the luck butterfly, whose outline still remained, completely transformed into golden light points and dissipated before me. Perhaps it felt its mission was accomplished?
At this point, I felt a sense of freedom in my body, as if for the final stretch, I was giving my all to move toward that “exit.” As for what lay beyond, I didn’t know, but it had to be safer than staying in the spatial passage.
“This should be within that young girl’s world,” I muttered to myself.
Recalling the earlier conversations with the Academy Head and Teacher Ji, it would be another world, and that young girl was likely a Child of Fortune from that world.
Facing this unfamiliar world, I needed to be prepared; relying solely on the Academy Head’s protective measure wouldn’t be enough, as I was still unsure what sudden situations I might encounter.
As I stretched one hand out from the end, brushing against solid ground with its edge, my whole body felt like it had found a support point, and without needing to exert strength, the spell’s effect squeezed me out of the spatial passage.
