“In the Silent Forest, there are usually only two types of weather that alternate, with the occasional appearance of calm weather...” Black poked the images on the chalkboard with his magic wand, projecting a lifelike topographical map into the center of the classroom.
He scanned the students. Unintentionally, he noticed a small, white haired head in the back row already slumped onto the desk, bobbing up and down as if struggling against an intense wave of sleepiness.
Snap. A piece of chalk flicked from his hand, accurately striking Li Yue just as she was about to faceplant onto the desk. “Try not to be too tense over the next few days. Balancing work and rest is essential. You might encounter danger, but you must believe in your own abilities.”
Li Yue rubbed her forehead, which had a small red patch that felt like it was smoldering. However, her sleepiness had diminished significantly.
“I shouldn't have let Clo drag me into playing card games all night... I'm exhausted... She kept saying our time together is too precious and that we had to play something fun...” Li Yue yawned. In the end, she hadn't quite mastered the game, but she had managed to memorize every representative figure on the cards used by the Church of the Divine Lord.
So sleepy... Li Yue traced Clo’s name on the desk and then gave it a sharp thump.
“Because of the heavy rain, the ground becomes muddy. Faint magical glimmers occasionally flicker in the puddles, where poisonous snakes hide in the water alongside lightning frogs that are constantly sparking with electricity.” Black spoke in detail about the geographical environment of the Silent Forest. A forest with such extreme weather conditions was extremely rare in the exams of previous years.
Because of this, he had specifically set aside a class to introduce the environment. He didn't want many of the first year students he was teaching for the first time to be eliminated because they failed to earn enough points.
“Let me think about what to cover next. The Storm Eye, the Frozen Lake, or...” Black massaged his forehead. Seeing Li Yue starting to teeter again in the distance, he suddenly recalled several incidents recently discussed by the academy’s high level officials. He fell silent for a moment before continuing.
Two hours later.
“In the blink of an eye, the class is over...” Li Yue sat at her desk. Looking at the many biological diagrams Black had drawn with magic on the chalkboard, she let out a yawn that revealed her sharp fangs. She gave the name 'Clo' on the desk—which hadn't faded yet—another light thump before carefully wiping it away.
“Pick up the bullets, buy some food and materials... it seems there's nothing else to prepare.” She walked slowly to the entrance of the blacksmith shop and collected twenty custom silver bullets from the craftsman. As she looked at a silver dagger hanging on the wall, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
“What weapon is that?” Li Yue frowned. Why did this weapon evoke a sudden wave of disgust in her? Her slender finger poked the mithril dagger on the wall. The craftsman paused, then took it down and held it before Li Yue’s eyes.
“This is a ritual dagger, used for drawing magic formations and praying for power from specific deities. Many clerics from the Church of the Divine Lord come to me to have these made. They are crafted from pure mithril.” The craftsman smiled. “Beautiful, isn't it? These runes were engraved according to their requirements. As for why they can be used to pray to gods, perhaps this kind of material is just inherently holy.”
“Holy?” Li Yue let out a disdainful laugh and pocketed her silver bullets. These had special gunpowder added to them, giving them considerable power even without the use of magic.
They just happen to like this kind of thing. Is there any other reason? As for holy? I think my blood crystals are holier. How can a few fancy, dead objects be holier than blood that carries covenants and oaths?
She strolled along the road. The students around her were all discussing tomorrow's exam. Some were full of ambition, while others were listless. They seemed to have little concept of the extreme weather, merely fantasizing that they might achieve enviable results or find some great opportunity like the protagonist of a light novel.
Li Yue only silently prayed that she wouldn't accidentally kill a fellow student by being too heavy handed. She was suppressing most of her magic, which had made her prone to fatigue lately. Otherwise, given her constitution, staying awake for several days wouldn't have been a problem.
She slowly walked home and lay down on the small sofa in the living room, drifting into a light sleep. She entered that long forgotten dream again, looking at the version of herself that was filled with divinity and always wore a smile she couldn't understand. That self wore a black robe, bared her fangs, and looked at her with a doting gaze.
Li Yue froze for a moment, then grinned back at the figure. She raised Death and Rebirth and pulled the trigger against her own skull.
Goodbye, world.
Hello, tomorrow.
Rate on N.U.
