Chapter 52: Preparations for Departure
Bang—
“I got one too!”
Just as Janna landed, Vivian, who followed closely behind, also maneuvered her wooden horse prop and shattered the second bee sparrow puppet with an Ice Spike Spell.
“What a pity, I almost came in first.”
Thanks to the swift flight of the wooden horse and the advantage of rapid casting with her Ice Crystal Wand, Vivian possessed overwhelming capability against an apprentice-level puppet.
“You can praise me now.”
Seeing Vivian's proud expression as she landed beside her, Janna couldn't help but smile while retracting the butterfly wings behind her.
“You’re indeed impressive. Congratulations.”
“Haha, what would you like to eat later? My treat.”
Hearing such rare praise from Janna, Vivian happily linked arms with her.
“No need. I have some matters to attend to later. You go ahead.”
“Such a killjoy.”
Hearing Janna's habitual refusal, Vivian pouted, but she didn't release her arm and continued to cling to Janna.
“But next time, I can accompany you to the Acorn House and treat you to slug rice cakes.”
“Sure, but let's skip the slug rice cakes. I tried them last time, and they were quite average...”
Bang bang bang bang—
As time passed, the remaining bee sparrow puppets were swiftly taken down one by one by the apprentices who had grasped the technique.
After all, there were quite a few who had advanced to First Tier Apprentice, and many had already mastered the Eagle Eye Spell and Magic Missile in advance.
Without the system's external assistance in accumulating proficiency, Janna wouldn't have been able to take the lead.
“Alright, time's almost up.”
The blood-colored barrier rapidly contracted. As the last bee sparrow puppet was taken down, Grace Eva, who had been silently observing outside the barrier, flew back to the group of apprentices.
“You all performed quite well, exceeding my expectations.”
Although this combination of spells wasn't difficult, hitting the relatively fast bee sparrow puppets with it during initial learning wasn't easy for First Tier Apprentices.
However, with the aid of flight spells and props, the difficulty of this assessment was significantly reduced.
Especially that little witch...
Thinking of this, Grace Eva couldn't help but glance at Janna, who was surrounded by the crowd.
Her impression of Janna initially only extended to “looks good.”
After all, there were many attractive witches, but among humans, few were so beautiful that they showed signs of transcendent charm.
However, beauty doesn't equate to strength.
Possessing only a beautiful exterior without corresponding strength was dangerous for an apprentice.
Especially for those white-clad apprentices without any background, lacking substantial resources in the early stages would make their journey even more arduous.
“Today, anyone who took down a bee sparrow puppet will receive a free answer to one question from me. But it's best to ask during weekdays, not on weekends... Alright, class dismissed.”
“Goodbye, Professor Eva—”
As soon as she finished speaking, Grace Eva silently cast a spell, transforming into a small blood-red bat.
Flapping her wings, she quickly flew out of sight.
“Vivian, I need to go to the Magic Tower. I'll be off now.”
“Alright, remember to take me to the Acorn House for desserts next time.”
“No problem.”
After bidding farewell to Vivian, Janna recited a spell, once again transforming into her butterfly-winged form.
Flapping her wings, she swiftly departed under everyone's gaze.
“As expected, transformation spells are great.”
Watching Janna leave, Vivian couldn't help but feel envious.
Except for special circumstances like today, the academy didn't allow apprentices below Third Tier to use flight props on campus. But there were no such restrictions for flight spells.
“Perhaps I should learn a flight spell too...”
“System, open the Quest Panel.”
[Today's Quest: Take down at least one bee sparrow puppet;
Quest Reward: 100 Talent EXP, 500 Skill EXP, Spirit Power +0.1]
“This time the reward is Spirit Power, not bad.”
After allocating the Talent EXP to the [Soul Projection] talent, Janna closed the quest interface.
“Tomorrow is the day we set off for the Misty Forest. Although we'll be under the protection of Third Tier Apprentices, it's still essential to prepare in advance.”
Although Richard Eva and Soro Flare were courteous to Janna during regular interactions, their politeness stemmed solely from their good upbringing.
In terms of strength, top-tier apprentices like them typically wouldn't interact with lower-year apprentices.
Especially in academies dominated by black witches, such hierarchical relationships were more pronounced.
In certain situations, apprentices from black witch academies could resort to lethal means for minor gains.
While such instances also existed in White Coral Academy, differences in teaching philosophies and school regulations led to varying values.
As a result, apprentices from white witch academies tended to be more orderly and academic in their behavior.
Unless core interests were at stake, the white witch community generally had a good reputation for cooperation.
Of course, it's undeniable that the long-term laissez-faire teaching approach and survival-of-the-fittest environment made black witch apprentices far superior in individual combat skills and experience compared to their white witch counterparts.
“Here we are.”
Lightly landing on the white stone steps at the main entrance of the Magic Tower, Janna retracted her butterfly wings and took out a short, cylindrical can of silverfish from her wizard robe, heading towards the first-floor hall of the Magic Tower.
“Good afternoon, Miss Bell.”
“Oh, it's you.”
At this time, since classes had just ended, there were quite a few people in the first-floor hall of the Magic Tower.
Even around the magical crystal wall, many apprentices were selecting tasks.
“I bought this can of silverfish a few days ago while strolling in Turin. It tastes pretty good, with a chewier texture than the dried silverfish I bought last time.”
“Is that so?”
Due to occasionally having to deal with other apprentices, Black Cat Bell couldn't sleep in as she used to. Her black tail swayed impatiently, but upon hearing about the silverfish, her feline face showed some interest.
“I personally think so. That's why I brought a can of silverfish this time, hoping Miss Bell would try it.”
“Hmm... I've mentioned before, you don't have to specially bring silverfish for me... After all, if others see it, it might not look good...”