Chapter 138: Attempting Battle with Simulated Spells
In the sky, I looked down at the place and quickly descended.
Of course, the place below was not my dormitory.
Although I am the type to return to the dormitory whenever I have nothing to do, Teacher Ji asked me to go back in advance, and there probably wouldn’t be many people in the dorm at this time.
Moreover, Class 14 actually had a class today, and it was a practical skills training course.
I had never attended this course before, but Hong Chanyi had taken it and told me about its content, which is simulated practical training.
Specifically, it involves using a special alchemy wand embedded with “simulated spells” to conduct practical training.
Simulated spells do not cause real damage, but the effects are impressive. They can almost replicate the release process of normal spells, and I heard that being hit by a spell can hurt a bit.
The main purpose of this course is to train the awareness and instinct for spell battles, and it also allows for the enjoyment of casting spells without a spellbook.
Hong Chanyi mentioned that the spells in those special wands are varied: Fireball Spell, Wind Blade Spell, Earth Wall, Water Escape, and so on are all quite magical and much more interesting than boring theoretical classes.
She was thinking of dragging me to give it a try, and I actually wanted to try it since the new student competition was about to take place—if I don’t practice, how can that be?
So I took the opportunity to give it a shot.
Although I feel that my reaction ability and adaptability are quite good, the witch transformation efficiency brought by the 56 Magic Sources is indeed terrifying. Besides promoting physical development to a certain extent, improvements in mental power and physique are also very evident.
However, I do have certain shortcomings, such as my mental power being broadly sympathetic, which does not enhance my use of spells. Even now, I somewhat look down on this so-called enhancement from mental affinity.
Even if the opponent has elemental affinity that significantly boosts spell power, I still have modified spells, right?
I rely on technical skills.
After landing, I put my broom away and then picked up the black cat that had been resting on my shoulder.
The summon spell hadn’t disappeared yet. I’m not sure if it’s because I hadn’t made it do any intense battles, but in this state, the spirit cat does not consume much energy. I have to say, holding a well-behaved little cat in my arms is really nice!
Those who see me must be quite envious, right?
Who would have thought this is a spell that consumes ten points of magic power?
Entering the huge practical training hall, the vast and empty interior quickly led me to recognize a few familiar faces.
Currently, I don’t know many people at the academy, probably just classmates from my class, and I can name a few, while I don’t really know anyone from other classes.
“Hey, did I just see that wrong? Is that the class leader?”
“Hmm? Where? No way.”
“Right, the class leader wouldn’t show up here at this time.”
“No, that actually seems to be the class leader!”
“Don’t say… it really is her!”
Finally, someone recognized me, who hadn’t attended classes with them for a while.
Usually, I interact with them in the group, but we don’t meet in reality often.
“Hi～ everyone, long time no see.” I walked over, trying to seem as enthusiastic as possible. “Is this class really so easy for you?”
“Class leader, I didn’t expect you to come to class!”
“What a cute cat～ where did you get it, class leader?”
“Oh, the teacher allowed us to practice freely, so it’s not that tense.”
Immediately, many girls came to ask various questions upon my arrival, and of course, the spirit cat in my arms was naturally more eye-catching than I was.
After a brief exchange where I explained my purpose for being there, many others came over, including Hong Chanyi.
“Sister Xiao Han, how did you come?”
“I came to try practical training, I can’t just wait until the last minute to prepare,” I shook my head as if helplessly.
“Right! Come on, let’s try it together! I told you this kind of practical course should be practiced, and our teacher is easy to talk to,” Hong Chanyi said enthusiastically, pulling me towards the class.
I didn’t refuse and followed her over, briefly meeting with the teacher to explain the situation, after which I received a special wand.
I got a short wand, which indeed looked quite different from mine, and the internal structure resembled that of a solidified spell.
“Hehe～ Sister Xiao Han～ let’s battle this time～ even though you don’t have experience, I won’t hold back!” Hong Chanyi said eagerly.
The commotion drew the attention of many people. After all, the class leader, who is usually hardly seen, suddenly appearing and getting ready for a simulated battle definitely warranted a good watch.
Moreover, recently there have been various predictions about the power rankings in the academy, with Class 14’s class leader unexpectedly not making the list, which upset many.
However, thinking about the fact that our class leader lacks practical experience and has never shown any frightening power made many feel somewhat apprehensive.
Among the crowd, there was also someone particularly concerned about this, and that was Tu Xingyue, who had previously opposed my position as class leader but eventually became the vice-class leader, fulfilling the duties of the class leader when I was absent.
Initially, she was frightened by Teacher Ji’s mention that someone might die in the competition, but now she worked hard in class, trained independently, and practiced practical skills to prove that she is not inferior to others!
Similarly, she is also overcoming her fear of potential death.
Tu Xingyue takes this battle very seriously. She believes that if the opponent does not perform well, she will immediately go to the counselor to have the class leader’s position taken away. If the counselor still refuses to do so, she wouldn’t mind stepping in personally to defeat the opponent once.
At the very least… Tu Xingyue wants others to know that Class 14’s loss was not because everyone is weak, but because the class leader is a weakling.
And all of this hinges on the opponent losing badly. If the opponent is truly a genius, she… she wouldn’t mind enduring first; the feeling of being ridiculed by the whole class is really unpleasant.
During this time, she had finally changed her image in the class, and she didn’t want her thoughtless actions to put her back in an embarrassing position.
“Hehe～ Sister Xiao Han, are you ready?” At this moment, Hong Chanyi was already somewhat impatient and kept asking.
“Hmm… let me familiarize myself with the operation of this wand.” I waved the wand, tried to remember the internal spells, and got accustomed to the setup. However, these spells felt rather lackluster. For someone like me who is used to modified spellbooks, this method of use is too rigid, but it’s still usable.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw Hong Chanyi make a bold move and wave her wand.
“Feel my Fireball Spell!” As she waved her wand, a bright fireball appeared in front of her, following which it shot towards me. However, the speed was not impressive; I simply took a few quick steps to the side and dodged it, even the explosion’s aftermath didn’t reach me.
“Well, my aim isn’t really good… but… Wind Blade Spell! Dual-casting! Hehe! Gotcha!” Hong Chanyi saw that her first fireball missed, and immediately spoke with a face full of helplessness, but her tone quickly changed as her so-called dual-casting, the hidden second spell, the Wind Blade, came rushing at me.
“Isn’t that kind of underhanded, Hong Chanyi? Dual-casting isn’t supposed to work like that; we can’t currently learn genuine dual-casting techniques.”
“Exactly! Hong Chanyi is trash!”
“How embarrassing～”
At this point, Hong Chanyi’s actions indeed drew disdain from onlooking classmates.
However, I wasn’t too panicked; the Wind Blade Spell’s attack speed was much faster than the Fireball Spell.
But before it could hit me, it was blocked by an energy shield.
“Hmm? Huh? What’s going on? Where’s my Wind Blade! I had such a big Wind Blade!” Hong Chanyi, who was just reveling in her successful sneak attack, suddenly found her attack gone, leaving her quite embarrassed!
“Wait! The shield from before, the wand doesn’t have that spell! Sister Xiao Han, you’re cheating!”
“Don’t think I didn’t hear that; you seemed to cheat earlier too, right? Exploiting a bug?” I wasn’t embarrassed by her comment, as these were all means I could use. Certainly, I can utilize them; during the upcoming new student competition, it won’t be this simulated spell we rely on. Being overly dependent on these fake things isn’t good.
So I used this wand just to experience the situation of actual spell battles.
Moreover, the internal structure of this special wand is still quite similar to a spellbook, but fundamentally different. Altering the internal structure is meaningless since this is essentially not a spell but a simulation.
“Fireball Spell coming up～” After a while, a fireball appeared in front of me.
For someone well-versed in fireball techniques, I could naturally sense that this fireball was quite ordinary; once released, it would even completely sever my control over it.
But I’m not picky right now; what I need is experience dealing with real battles, and I don’t need to display overwhelming power to give them confidence regarding our class.
If I set my position too high from the beginning, the burden I would bear would be too heavy.
Also, before the competition, I had no idea whether information about the participating class leaders would be collected by others, so there was no need to reveal my trump cards right away.
After several exchanges with Hong Chanyi, I decided not to continue this tedious, turn-based-like battle.
After all, spells aren’t just about energy manipulation; there are many others, like summoning spells, transformation spells, and even illusion spells.
In the final competition, what I face will be the class leaders from each class; they might have sourced spells from various channels but certainly won’t have just basic spells like Fireball Spell.
Similarly, I also tried testing with other classmates. They are quite concerned about my power since I will represent Class 14 in the trials.
Their concern is entirely reasonable.
While I was resting on the side, someone approached me, blocking my line of sight.
“Hmm… Tu Xingyue? Is there something on your mind?” I curiously asked, putting down the water bottle in my hand.
“You seem quite relaxed. If this is all you can do in practical training, I might as well take your place.” Tu Xingyue looked at my reaction with dissatisfaction, especially given my current carefree demeanor.
“Are you worried about me? I appreciate your concern. However, the class battle will surely not be like this joke now; combat isn’t just about trading simulated spells, and spells aren’t limited to just a few energy manipulation spells you’ve been trying out.”
“Are you… lecturing me?”
“Hmm? Not at all.” I looked up at Tu Xingyue. How did she see that I was lecturing her? I just wanted to express that this practical training isn’t very useful to me.
I excel in various modified spells to respond to various unexpected situations in combat, not in this rigid setup.
“The competition will see one’s own means. I know you’re not satisfied with me, so how about we have a match? A real test, not a simulated spell match.”
“You! You know I can’t cast spells and I have little magic power! You’re bullying me! Don’t think I don’t know how much Teacher Ji cares for you! She must have given you many spells and a lot of Magic Sources—how could I possibly defeat you?” Tu Xingyue was clearly provoked by my suggestion, her frustration erupting at once.
“Since you already know that, you should feel reassured; I will do my utmost.” After hearing her words, I gently reassured her. I naturally understand her grievances. I don’t mind her defiance because if she were the class leader, perhaps she would also enjoy the benefits of being a class leader, receiving spellbooks and Magic Sources. That’s a chance for her to rise.
Now that opportunity is practically predetermined; it would be fake if she didn’t feel upset.
In fact, I really admire girls like Tu Xingyue. She works hard and puts in effort; I even hear about her through Hong Chanyi. Unfortunately, my presence makes her hard work seem like that of a clown.
Moreover, Tu Xingyue is not the unreasonable type; she cares about the class. If I cause conflict with her and create animosity, that would be my fault.
However, the current situation places interests at odds between us, so I also need to show some tolerance.
“Anyway, thank you for leading everyone in my absence to progress. I can’t change the teacher’s decisions, but I believe we can improve together in the future.”
“Hmph! You say it so nicely. I only did what a vice-class leader is supposed to do. But listen carefully! If your performance doesn’t match being class leader, I won’t let you go easily! I swear!”
“Alright, alright～ thank you for your understanding.” I smiled as I watched her walk away.
