Among each year's new intake at the Magic Academy, the student with the highest score on the entrance examination was awarded a silver brooch — and as a general rule, such students possessed at least Gold-grade Aptitude.
Beyond that, the Dean, the Vice-Dean, and faculty members with exceptional contributions could each nominate a small number of additional Special Enrollment candidates — though such slots were exceedingly rare.
Grace had earned her silver brooch through sheer, undeniable ability. During the entrance examination, she had fired a single Fireball that blasted clean through three Moonlight Wolves in one shot — a performance so breathtaking it had left the entire crowd speechless. Nobody questioned her Special Enrollment status. After all, casting a spell of that caliber while still classified as a "non-combat unit" was the unmistakable mark of Diamond-grade Aptitude — or, as most people preferred to call it: "the makings of a Grandmaster."
By comparison, Li Fei was far more enigmatic. Following Irena, she was the second Special Enrollment student directly designated by Dean Nicole — and she had spoken at the opening ceremony as the new student representative, which, in some unspoken way, suggested that the Academy valued this impossibly beautiful Eastern girl even more than it let on.
Within a single day, rumors had begun to swirl through the campus. Most of them were absurd enough to dismiss outright — after all, nobody could quite bring themselves to believe that the new student representative, who looked every inch the model of academic virtue and good behavior, could possibly be working as a hostess in some pleasure establishment.
Apparently, no amount of absurdity was enough to quench the student body's boundless curiosity. More than a few students — and even some faculty — had quietly started watching Li Fei's every move.
Rumor had it that several young women who had fallen head over heels for Li Fei at the opening ceremony were already debating whether to pay the Golden Kumquat Tavern a visit, just to see for themselves. What if it was true?
But nobody had anticipated what happened on the second day of term. With all those eyes trained on her, the new student representative gave them all a very clear glimpse of just how exceptional she really was.
New students who had already become Transcendents were placed directly into higher-year classes. And in all six of the first-year classrooms, not a single student had yet set foot on the Transcendent path.
Which meant that the new student representative, at an absolute minimum, possessed Diamond-grade Aptitude…
"No way… Both Special Enrollment students this year have Grandmaster potential?"
"When the Twin Stars first enrolled, I don't think even they were quite on this level…"
"Unbelievable."
The classroom erupted in noise. Every pair of eyes that turned toward Li Fei blazed with renewed intensity — the sons and daughters of nobles and merchant families alike were all rapidly running calculations in their heads, scheming over how best to get on her good side.
Melodia, however, let her brow furrow ever so slightly — a crease so faint that almost no one would have caught it.
The vast majority of new students had been exposed to Meditation techniques before they ever enrolled, and had attempted shallow Meditation sessions under the guidance of experienced Transcendents, laying the groundwork for the path ahead. In their minds, this mysterious and beautiful new student representative was no different — and the notion that "Li Fei had mastered an Introductory Meditation method in a single day" was simply too outrageous for any of them to even consider.
But Melodia had made inquiries about Li Fei with Dean Nicole. She knew for a fact that Li Fei had only received her Meditation grimoire yesterday. To have fully grasped an Introductory Meditation method in a single night — that speed was frankly absurd.
To make matters more puzzling: students with exceptional Aptitude tended to select higher-tier Meditation methods, whose difficulty scaled steeply upward — which meant that a significant portion of Special Enrollment students actually took just as long as ordinary students to complete the introductory stage, precisely because they aimed higher from the start.
Melodia's concern was that Li Fei might have deliberately chosen a low-tier Meditation method, which would explain the ludicrously fast progress. As a Special Enrollment student personally designated by the Dean, Li Fei's file was classified at the highest level — in all of Loxibrook, only Nicole herself had the authority to access it. Even Melodia had no right to look up which Meditation method Li Fei had chosen.
Well… let the Dean worry about that. With Nicole watching over her, could Li Fei really go off the rails?
Relying on her trust in Nicole, Melodia set aside her concerns. She drew out a slender teaching wand, activated the enchantment Detect Lies, and the wand bloomed with a cold, fluorescent blue light.
"You have genuinely mastered the Introductory Meditation method?"
"Yes," Li Fei said with a nod.
The blue light continued to glow, steady and unwavering. Melodia withdrew the wand with quiet satisfaction and dipped her head.
"It seems our Academy has a new star rising."
"I still have a great deal to learn," Li Fei said.
Under the gazes of her stunned, openly envious classmates, the star courtesan struck a pose of flawless, deeply practiced humility.
"Then it's yours."
Melodia gave a light wave of her hand, and a brilliantly glittering crystal floated forward and came to rest in front of Li Fei.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Li Fei accepted the scroll with perfectly composed grace, pressing her lips together firmly — doing her very best not to burst out laughing on the spot.
It's not that I wanted to show off in front of everyone. It's just that a rare spell is simply too irresistible…
"You've earned it."
Melodia let the smile linger at the corner of her mouth as she swept the room with her gaze. "Now — one of you has already taken first place. But don't lose heart, everyone. The second student to master the Introductory Meditation method will also receive a spell as their reward."
Li Fei's unexpected efficiency had forced Melodia to produce yet another prize to motivate the rest of the class — and the effect was immediate. More than a few of the new students sat up straighter, expressions lighting up with eager determination.
"Oh — nearly forgot. Li Fei: plus ten points."
Melodia drained her freshly replenished cup of coffee in one go, then added this as a casual afterthought.
At those words, the envy on her classmates' faces deepened considerably.
Ordinary students entered with ten academic credits in total. Li Fei had accumulated twenty bonus points across just two lessons…
Ignoring the distinctly sour looks being shot in her direction, Li Fei lowered her head and examined the spell crystal in her hands.
Sealed inside was the framework for Fortune Spell, a Tier-2 Nature-alignment spell. Once she had mastered the basics of natural magic, she could attempt to comprehend it — and it was clear that Melodia had put real thought into the choice of prize. This crystal was effectively a spur, pushing students to press forward into higher levels of Transcendent knowledge as quickly as possible.
"Is the Meditation method you learned the one from yesterday?" Irena asked in a low whisper.
For the first time in Li Fei's presence, a look of genuine seriousness crossed Irena's face. That vibrant, lively smile that had never left those luminous features until now was, for once, completely absent.
"Guess," Li Fei said with a sweet, knowing smile.
Irena found her answer in Li Fei's eyes.
Those wide, vivid blue pupils — in them, it was as if a tide ten thousand feet tall had suddenly surged to life.
——
In her office, Nicole sat quietly observing the classroom from afar.
Spread open on the desk before her was a backup copy of the Five Elements Meditation — its pages covered in crooked, erratic handwriting, riddled with misspellings and grammatical atrocities, yet somehow radiating an uncanny, impossible power. The text interpreted Transcendent knowledge in the most extreme, arrogant, almost blasphemous terms imaginable. The very existence of this Meditation method was, in and of itself, a desecration of the Laws.
Nicole had always believed that no second person in the world could ever practice this method. It seemed she had been wrong.
The trajectory of fate she had envisioned had suddenly, without warning, shifted. A girl who should have had no Aptitude whatsoever had, on the rocky and treacherous road of Transcendence, simply taken a running jump — and landed somewhere far beyond where Nicole's plans had ever mapped.
"Bai Mengtian — was this your doing?"
Nicole tilted her head back, legs crossed, and addressed the question to the empty wall before her. "The first step on her Transcendent path should have been guided by me."
"It has nothing to do with me," Bai Mengtian's voice answered, threading its way through layer upon layer of space and arriving at Nicole's ear.
Nicole was silent for a long moment. Then her body began to tremble.
She pressed a hand over her mouth, and a stream of barely-suppressed laughter seeped out between her fingers — until finally she fell back against her chair, shaking with uncontrollable, helpless mirth. "Ah… how long has it been… how long since I last tasted this — this beautiful, uncontrollable chaos."
"But Fei — there's no escaping the palm of my hand, you know."
——
Li Fei absentmindedly closed the door behind her and turned the lock. The crisp click made Melodia glance back, an expression of mild puzzlement crossing her face.
In all her years of teaching, this was the first time she had ever encountered a student who followed a teacher to her office — and then took it upon herself to lock the door.
The star courtesan, realizing she had let an occupational habit slip, stuck out her tongue in a small, sheepish gesture and smiled. "Sorry about that. Force of habit."
Hardly surprising, really — the private rooms where she conducted her business carried a deep sense of intimacy, and Li Fei had developed the reflex of locking the door without thinking, especially when alone with a woman. In those rooms, if a client wanted to order drinks, one press of the button on the side of the sofa would disengage the lock.
"It's fine," Melodia said, settling into the chair behind her desk. She pulled over a spare seat with a casual gesture. "Sit down."
"Mm." Li Fei sat down obediently, looking up with genuine curiosity. "What did you want to tell me, Teacher?"
"Have you mastered Introductory Natural Magic yet?" Melodia asked, even as she gathered her brilliant golden hair into a ponytail with a practiced hand, baring the smooth, fair skin of the back of her neck.
"Mm-hm, mm-hm." Li Fei nodded several times, already half-guessing where this was going.
"As I thought…" Melodia murmured, clearly pleased. She gave Li Fei's shoulder a small pat. "Once a student masters a new area of Transcendent knowledge, they may claim one spell crystal corresponding to that tier — Special Enrollment students receive two."
Spell crystals were Transcendent consumables every bit as valuable as Spell Scrolls. They allowed a Transcendent to comprehend and internalize the spell framework sealed within — though of course, with continued use, the crystal would gradually lose its potency.
"Here is the list of available spell crystals in stock."
Melodia slid a sheet across the desk.
Summon Moonlight Wolf… Terrain Awareness… Summon Sylvan Sprite… Haste… Summon Child of the Jungle…
Li Fei's eyes swept across the dense list of spells, and a warm flutter of excitement rose in her chest, breaking into a visible smile.
Finally. Finally I can learn a proper summoning spell.
It won't be long now — this lady can finally say goodbye to the godforsaken role of melee mage and become a proper spell-caster!
"No rush — take your time. Ask me anything you're unsure about," Melodia said with a warm smile. Then, as if by sleight of hand, she produced an entire collection of glass jars from somewhere. "And what flavor would you like?"
"What are these?" Li Fei asked, genuinely curious.
"Slime, processed and made into a dessert with various fruits. They're actually quite good," Melodia answered. "Personally, I'd recommend the yellow peach or the strawberry."
Slime…
Li Fei had barely spent two full seconds deliberating when Melodia cracked open a jar, tilted her head back, and poured the entire glistening, bouncy confection straight into her mouth in one go.
"You're going to choke yourself, Teacher…" Li Fei gave her a pat on the back, expression genuinely concerned.
She had noticed it before — this mature, strikingly beautiful older-sister of a teacher had a habit of downing her coffee in a single gulp, apparently completely immune to scalding heat. She had not expected the habit extended to food as well.
Melodia chewed with puffed-out cheeks for a moment, then swallowed the slime-based dessert with a decisive gulp and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I was terrified of going hungry as a child — picked up the habit of wolfing things down. Can't quite shake it."
Oh…
Li Fei let her gaze slide — very discreetly — toward the considerable presence that filled out the loose mage's robe, and then further down to the long, generously curved thighs. She opened her mouth. Closed it again.
You really don't look like someone who ever suffered from a lack of nutrition, Teacher…
She swallowed the observation back down unspoken. Li Fei selected an orange-flavored slime jar instead. The texture was excellent — like a firm, clear jelly, clean and fragrant, with just the right amount of springy resistance.
Melodia put away three jars in quick succession before finally wiping her lips with a look of lingering satisfaction and turning to the matter at hand.
"For spell selection, I personally have a strong recommendation: Summon Moonlight Wolf."
"At the Sequence 9 level of combat, as long as you have sufficient casting time and mana, very few enemies can cut their way through a pack of a dozen or more Moonlight Wolves. And at night, you could potentially hold your own against multiple Transcendents on your own."
Oh…
Hearing this, Li Fei's expression became distinctly complicated.
She would have been comfortable staking her life on the claim that nobody in the Magic Academy understood Moonlight Wolves better than she did. The title [Wolf Den Exterminator] glowing in her panel hadn't been handed to her the way a Special Enrollment slot could be.
In Li Fei's personal mental dictionary, Moonlight Wolf was essentially a synonym for walking EXP bag.
"A single Moonlight Wolf isn't much of a threat on its own — especially during the day. A determined ordinary person with no abilities whatsoever could potentially kill one if they were desperate enough," Melodia explained patiently. "But the moment they gather in numbers, the danger increases dramatically. A wolf pack that fights without a shred of self-preservation — those explosive bursts of speed, those razor-sharp claws and fangs — they're capable of dealing lethal damage even to a Transcendent. And that's without factoring in the roughly fifty-percent combat boost they receive when bathed in moonlight."
"All in all, Summon Moonlight Wolf is widely recognized as one of the most practical low-tier spells available — right alongside Fireball and Command Skeleton Warrior."
Li Fei thought it over carefully and had to admit Melodia made a compelling case.
Before she had acquired Dragon's Might, she had only dared to hunt lone Moonlight Wolves during daylight hours, one at a time, using poison-tipped crossbow bolts… It was only after getting the Ogre-bone staff and the Tier-8 spell that she had been able to harvest wolf packs without a care in the world.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Li Fei set down her jar and threw her arms around Melodia's, drawing the teacher's arm snugly against her chest with the practiced ease of a seasoned professional. "And for the second spell — do you have any recommendations?"
She could feel it distinctly — the muscles in Melodia's arm tensed, and her breathing shortened — but after a brief moment of hesitation, the teacher did not pull away.
Weaponizing one's natural advantages is simply good resource management. Melodia got a snuggle that other people pay dearly to queue up for. Li Fei got more attentive guidance in return. This was, by any reasonable measure, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
"Uh — um… for the second spell, um… Summon Child of the Jungle is a solid choice," Melodia said, her composure noticeably unraveling as her voice came out in halting, uneven bursts. "The Children of the Jungle don't have much combat value to speak of, but thanks to their bloodline talent, they can cast the Tier-2 spell Fortune Spell — which is an extraordinarily… uh, an extraordinarily flexible… ah, I mean, an extraordinarily rare spell…"
"No — wait, that's not right either… You've already received Fortune Spell, and given your Aptitude you won't be staying at Sequence 9 for long. In that case, perhaps the buff spell Terrain Awareness — it's one of the most popular spells available, with a practical utility that rivals Tier-2 and even Tier-3 spells."
"But I don't really like buff spells." Li Fei's voice carried a note of mild complaint. She swayed slightly. "Any other options?"
Through the point of contact, Melodia was receiving a rather dramatic firsthand demonstration of a certain breathtaking elasticity. She instinctively pressed her legs together and sat up ramrod-straight. The golden-haired teacher cast a furtive, slightly guilty glance at the firmly closed office door — and the emerald of her pupils flickered with a complicated mixture of anxiety and relief.
Thank goodness the door is locked.
If a colleague were to walk in and find her in this position with a student who had only enrolled two days ago, her career as an educator would, in all likelihood, be over.
She had genuinely meant to pull her arm back. She really had. But the warm, soft pressure against it was simply too distracting to give up.
Melodia averted her eyes from Li Fei entirely and fixed her gaze on the list, going through the spells one by one in a brisk, businesslike tone.
"Summon Hellspawn is another worthwhile option…"
In the Dean's office not far away, Nicole pulled out Melodia's faculty file — the one bearing her magical portrait — and pressed her red ink pen down hard in the column labeled Professional Ethics, adding a fourth bold X.
____
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