The freshman duel was not only a competition between students but also an undercurrent among the teachers' seats.
"Hall, you've got a good seedling this year."
"Yes, our students are no match for Nicole at all."
"You truly teach well."
Listening to the other teachers' envious praise, Hall waved his hand: "The dire nether giant lizard Nicole tamed was provided by his family. I don't deserve much credit."
The alchemy teacher idly fiddled with his mechanical fingers: "With the dire nether giant lizard, Nicole won't have any problems even in the graduation trial. This year's freshman duel—our students have all become foils."
As if confirming this statement, the dire nether giant lizard on the duel stage easily bit through the swordsmanship new student's iron sword.
The swordsmanship teacher Yuna shrugged: "Don't say that. It's about participation."
"Uh…" Eugene awkwardly pushed his brass spectacle frame.
The teachers' gazes drifted to him, and the atmosphere gradually became subtle.
Deep furrows appeared between Hall's brows: "Eugene, your course doesn't have a new student representative this year either?"
"There is!" Eugene searched around the duel stage, then became uncertain, "Maybe there isn't."
"You don't even attend the talent awakening ceremony. How do you recruit new students?"
"Even if I went, no student would be willing to take my course!" Eugene trembled slightly all over, "I don't want students to look at me with the eyes of looking at 'trash'…"
Hall sighed deeply.
He stood up and said loudly to the students: "Let's end it here. All courses' new student representatives have completed their duels…"
Hall was one of the few magic masters in the Norris Kingdom, with extremely high prestige.
As soon as he spoke, the duel stage and below fell silent, afraid of accidentally disturbing his speech.
Except for one student—"Teacher, there's one more."
"I am the general knowledge class's representative."
Among humans who generally stood at 185cm, Jiang Han's 180cm height was not very noticeable. He raised one arm high to show the teachers' seats his position.
Eugene jumped up in surprise: "Jiang Han!"
Jiang Han smiled at him: "Teacher, I'm late. Sorry."
The students recognized Jiang Han, the "celebrity" of the awakening ceremony. They consciously made way for Jiang Han to the duel stage.
The student who had been chatting with Jiang Han earlier nearly dropped his jaw to the ground, looking as if he'd seen a ghost:
"Re-really? There's a general knowledge class representative!?"
Jiang Han nodded in response: "Yes, it's me."
"Calm down, don't go!" The student grabbed him, "That's a dire nether giant lizard! A sub-dragon! Are you going to throw your life away?"
Jiang Han reacted strongly by pulling his arm away: "Don't touch me. I haven't washed my hands yet."
"…?"
The student maintained the grabbing pose, frozen in place.
Hasn't washed his hands?
Is that the point!?
Jiang Han carefully kept his hands away, not letting the hand licked by Dragon Baby touch the students on either side.
He didn't mind Dragon Baby's saliva, but that didn't mean others didn't, right?
"Hiss… hiss…" The dire nether giant lizard's nostrils flared, its eyeballs rolling toward a certain direction below the stage.
"Did everyone see? He is our general knowledge class's new student!" Eugene pointed at Jiang Han, introducing him to the teachers one by one, "His name is Jiang Han! Gah-ha—"
"I have an impression. He's the one who blew up the magic array at the awakening."
"He actually chose the general knowledge course…"
"His talent is just a game. Is he sure he wants to challenge Nicole?"
The teachers carefully scrutinized the new student who had stepped onto the duel stage.
His hair was a rare black, and his facial features were on the softer side. He looked easy to get along with, but his expression was like a burning torch.
Having seen countless strong individuals, the teachers couldn't tell for a moment whether Jiang Han was a soft persimmon or a hidden expert.
"Eugene, your student isn't taking a weapon—going onto the duel stage empty-handed?"
"He's just going through the motions." Eugene tugged at Hall's magic robe, "Hall, you must protect my student. I only have this one student who listens well in class!"
Hall cleared his throat and said loudly: "Attention, all students. I'll emphasize again—
The freshman duel is until the point is made. After recognizing the strength gap, you may directly concede."
His gaze deliberately lingered on Jiang Han for a few seconds before announcing: "Begin the duel!"
The genius new student who awakened beast taming ability vs. the general knowledge class new student who awakened a waste ability.
This duel was the least suspenseful, but in a way, also the most exciting.
The students below were eager:
"I bet the general knowledge class one can last ten seconds."
"Impossible, three seconds at most!"
"Why…"
On the duel stage, Nicole clenched his fists, his gloomy eyes locked on Jiang Han, repeating in a breathy voice: "Why?"
Jiang Han saw Nicole's mouth moving: "Are you talking to me?"
"Why is it that every time, the spotlight gets stolen by you?"
Nicole's voice squeezed through his teeth: "The awakening ceremony was the same, today's duel is the same. I'm clearly the one with the best talent and the strongest strength—why do the teachers and classmates pay more attention to you!?"
This is a puberty cub.
Jiang Han silently concluded. His gaze was as peaceful as jade soaked in moonlight.
Being watched by those eyes, Nicole instantly felt like a petty child throwing a tantrum. His eyebrows stood up in anger:
"I'll prove to everyone right now who is the new student more worthy of attention! Dire nether giant lizard, attack!"
"…Huff."
What responded to Nicole was a rather weak gasp.
"?" Nicole looked down, "Don't be lazy, go!"
The dire nether giant lizard had somehow hidden behind him. Its scales, usually harder than a shield, were flared open, its body so tense it seemed about to launch itself away the next second.
"What's wrong with you?" Nicole pointed at Jiang Han, "The opponent is over there. See?"
This magic beast, which usually squinted at people with cold eyes, had its pupils shrink into two thin slits the moment it saw Jiang Han. Its tail tip curled up bit by bit, freezing into a terrifying hook.
Not only Nicole, but the observing students also noticed that the dire nether giant lizard's state was off.
"It seems… afraid?"
"Impossible. It's a sub-dragon. With its pressure, it can walk sideways in the magic beast forest!"
"Could it be unwilling to obey Nicole's command?"
"Haha, is Nicole going to lose to a 'waste' talent?"
Nicole stomped his foot anxiously: "Go defeat that human, now, immediately!"
Humans who awakened beast taming ability could form contracts with magic beasts and give them commands.
But the dire nether giant lizard's instincts seemed to be resisting this command, maintaining a strange prone posture, motionless.
Jiang Han took a step forward: "I…"
Before he finished, a sudden change occurred.
The dire nether giant lizard took a long breath, flipped its body, four claws facing up, twitching occasionally…
The surroundings erupted in an uproar.
Hall recited a magic incantation and stepped on wind elemental power to fly onto the duel stage, checking the dire nether giant lizard's condition.
"Don't worry." He comforted the stunned Nicole, "This magic beast just fainted."
Below the stage, a student who had just arrived to watch was shocked: "Who knocked out the dire nether giant lizard?"
The students who had watched the whole time were also confused:
"I don't know. The duel hasn't started yet, but it seems already over."
"That black-haired guy's luck is too good. He just stepped onto the duel stage, and the opponent's magic beast had a problem."
"Quiet! Quiet—"
Hall stopped the noise and looked at Jiang Han: "What were you about to say?"
"I concede."
"You…"
"You concede!?" Nicole's voice cracked with a scream, drowning out Hall's volume.
Nicole pointed at Jiang Han with a trembling finger: "You, you're insulting me."
"I don't mean it that way."
Jiang Han politely gestured to Hall and Eugene in the teachers' seats: "Teachers, I'll be going now."
Watching his departing figure, Nicole's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Nicole?" Hall's tone was worried.
"Teacher, I…" Nicole's expression was dazed, "I just had a hallucination."
"A hallucination?"
Hall stared at Nicole for a few seconds, then moved to the dire nether giant lizard beside him. The man and beast were in similarly miserable states.
Humans who awakened beast taming ability could, under certain special circumstances, share senses with their contracted magic beasts—for example, when the magic beast experienced intense emotional fluctuations.
Hall narrowed his eyes thoughtfully: "What did you see?"
"A pair of huge eyes. Especially, especially large—larger than any magic beast eyes I've ever seen."
The more Nicole spoke, the more his voice trembled: "It stared at me threateningly, as if the next time I got close, its flame-colored pupils would erupt with lava and burn me to ashes. Hah, hah…"
Hall's palm patted Nicole's back. After his frightened gasping calmed slightly, he pressed: "When exactly did you see it?"
"Jiang Han took one step toward me."
Nicole's soul hadn't returned yet: "Just that instant, the aura on his hand made me unable to move, and I had the giant eyes hallucination."
The aura on his hand?
Hall gazed in the direction Jiang Han had left, murmuring: "Jiang Han, what secret are you hiding…"
*
Dragon Island
One giant dragon after another flew among the archipelago, busy as a group of diligent bees.
If Eugene saw this scene, he might be shocked to the point of his eyes breaking through his lenses—
The giant dragons were taking out their treasured "babies" from their caves and transporting them to the same cave.
Those "babies" varied: crystals, diamonds, light magic crystal cores, glass beads, copper mirror fragments, and so on. Regardless of value, all these things were sparkling.
Dragons loved shiny things the most.
They were passionate about searching for glowing little items, collecting them in their caves, piling them into a "treasure mountain," and sleeping on top of it.
But now, they were actively taking out their treasures—which they protected like their own eyeballs—and giving them to other caves…
"Awoo wah—wah—"
The young dragon's wails echoed through the clouds.
A dragon rushed into the cave: "I brought fluorescent stones from the dwarf mountain range! They glow even in the dark. Dorian will definitely like them!"
"Quick, quick, bring them here!"
Beside the eggshell, the black dragon responsible for caring for the young dragon looked haggard: "I hope this works this time—"
It grabbed the fluorescent stone with its claw and shook it above the young dragon, who was crying nonstop in the eggshell. Its deep dragon roar was forcibly squeezed into a coaxing tone:
"Dorian, don't cry. It's a pretty fluorescent stone!"
Dragon Baby's tear-filled eyes sniffed at the fluorescent stone.
"Awoo wah wah—" It burst into even louder crying than before.
"That shouldn't be. How can there be a cub that can't be coaxed with shiny things?" The black dragon helplessly threw away the fluorescent stone.
The fluorescent stone rolled into a pile of rare ores. Taking any one of them out, the Western Fantasy Continent would fight over it.
But now, they were merely "failed coaxing attempts" waste.
The black dragon shook the eggshell with the lightest force, like rocking a cradle: "Poor Dorian, are you missing your parents?"
"A, an, Han Han…" Dragon Baby called out a name with a hoarse, unclear voice, over and over.
Not long after, Dragon Baby's crying gradually weakened, and it sniffled, sniffing its surroundings.
As if a comforting scent had appeared, its tail curled around its body, and it nibbled on the eggshell.
The other dragons in the cave were so shocked their breathing nearly stopped.
The cub-raising problem that had given the entire dragon race a headache was solved just like that?
"Han Han? Is there a dragon named that?"
"No, but Dorian only stops crying when he calls 'Han Han.'"
"It's as if a creature appeared out of thin air to help raise the cub…"
"Find him. We must find Dorian's trusted companion 'Han Han.'"
The black dragon gazed firmly into the distance: "No matter what race, no matter where they hide in the Western Fantasy Continent, we must invite them to Dragon Island!"
Author's Note:
———————-
Dear readers, this week updates are every other day: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, one chapter each. Starting next week, daily updates.
Pat pat the readers waiting for updates [pat pat pat]
—
**Chapter 5**
Jiang Han gradually adapted to life in the magic world.
Although there were no electrical appliances here, there were light magic lamps for illumination, water magic arrays that produced water at any time, magic hourglasses for keeping time… living conditions were very convenient.
If there was anything troubling, it was definitely raising cubs—
Dragon Baby was too clingy.
Apart from eating, sleeping, and attending classes, Jiang Han spent most of his remaining time in the APP with Dragon Baby, but it was still not enough.
As long as he wasn't by its side, Dragon Baby wouldn't eat or drink, crying until the heavens and earth darkened.
He had to find a solution.
"Dragon race loves shiny objects. According to records, dragon knights from a thousand years ago would search the deep sea for magic luminous stones to give to their partner dragons…"
Western Fantasy Continent General Knowledge class, Eugene was lecturing here when he noticed the first-row student's expression changing:
"Jiang Han, is there a problem?"
"Anything that's shiny—they like it? Even if it's not valuable?"
"Yes, there's even a funny story in the records about a giant dragon stealing stained glass fragments from a temple. They're really cute big guys, gah-ha!"
Jiang Han, whose entire net worth couldn't scrape together a single silver coin, let out a soft breath.
After class, he confirmed that Dragon Baby in the APP was still sleeping, then walked straight to another classroom.
Although this classroom didn't have as many students as the magic and swordsmanship classes, the front-row seats were all full.
"Hello, teacher." Jiang Han greeted and began looking for a seat.
"Mhm… Hm? Stop!"
The teacher's eyebrows twitched strangely: "Jiang Han? Why are you here?"
"I'm here for class."
"You've got the wrong room." The teacher pointed at the sign on the door, "This is the alchemy classroom."
"I choose to attend alchemy class."
"Do you think I'm stupid!" The alchemy teacher slammed the table heavily, his mechanical prosthetic limb creating a loud noise, "Everyone at the Magic Academy knows you chose general knowledge class."
"Teacher Hall agreed to let me freely choose courses." Jiang Han showed the schedule Hall had given him, with justification, "There's no rule that says I can only choose one."
"…" The teacher's raven-feather cloak rippled in subtle waves.
The students didn't dare make a sound. In the eerie silence, Jiang Han sat down in a less conspicuous seat.
"Forget it, I'll just treat him as auditing." The alchemy teacher brainwashed himself and forced himself to focus on teaching.
"Today we learn the art of alchemy—material transformation. On your desks, I've placed some basic materials…"
As the teacher lectured, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward a certain corner.
Just as Eugene had said, that student listened especially attentively in class.
If he really chose alchemy class, that wouldn't be bad…
"Smack!" The alchemy teacher snapped back to his senses and slapped himself hard with his prosthetic limb, "Focus on teaching! Do you understand what focus means!?"
Students: ?
"The content of today's class is quite simple for students who have awakened alchemy talent. Those who haven't awakened alchemy talent, don't be discouraged either. With the incantation I teach you, you can also complete basic material transformation.
For the rest of the time, practice on your own."
The teacher walked down from the podium, weaving between desks, observing the practice.
The students picked out ores from the materials on their desks and tried material transformation.
The teacher nodded with satisfaction and glanced toward Jiang Han—
Jiang Han picked out a piece of cloth.
"!?" The teacher was greatly shaken.
Alchemy classified materials into strict levels. Advanced materials like ores and metals, which carried natural power, were easy to transform successfully.
Cloth belonged to low-level materials.
At the alchemy teacher's level, he could barely complete transformation between low-level materials, but to transform low-level materials into high-level materials—only legendary-level alchemists could do that.
'Jiang Han, he might be hiding his strength.' Hall's words echoed in his ears.
The alchemy teacher tiptoed closer to Jiang Han's desk, afraid of disturbing Jiang Han's careful cloth-cutting movements.
"A new alchemist is about to appear…" An absurd yet reasonable intuition uncontrollably surged.
Under the teacher's anxious anticipation, Jiang Han took out needle and thread, sewing and mending the cloth, then stuffing it with cotton.
His hands were very skillful. Before long, a cloth doll took shape, with fine, dense stitches.
"Could he be planning to complete the transformation by changing the shape of low-level materials?" The alchemy teacher felt as if enlightened. He continued watching Jiang Han's movements. "Then the next step is alchemy."
As he expected, Jiang Han's lips moved slightly, reciting the alchemy incantation learned in class.
The doll's surface emitted a faint light—the sign of successful alchemy.
"Congratulations, you succeeded!"
The sudden loud shout frightened the whole class.
Everyone watched as the usually steady alchemy teacher transformed into a mountain ape magic beast climbing vines, running crazily to Jiang Han's desk:
"This will become a milestone breakthrough in alchemy history…"
When the teacher saw what Jiang Han held, the ecstasy on his face vanished.
The mechanical prosthetic limb grabbed the doll: "Isn't this still just a doll?"
He unwillingly pinched every part of the doll, trying to find traces of "cloth material transformation": "How could there be no change? You clearly just succeeded in alchemy on it!"
Jiang Han: "I only transformed its eyes."
"Eyes…" The alchemy teacher and the doll stared at each other.
The two ores embedded in the doll's eye sockets had been transformed by Jiang Han into… glittering glass beads.
The glass beads were ground into crystal-like facets, and the reflected light stabbed into the teacher's eyes.
The teacher squinted from the glare: "You transformed ore worth 1 silver coin each into glass worth 1 copper coin a pile. Tell me your reason."
"Because they're shiny."
Jiang Han lowered his head guiltily: "I'm not familiar with their prices…"
"I can see it now. You came to alchemy class just to mooch materials and make this ugly thing?"
The alchemy teacher and the "ugly thing" in his hand stared at each other. From the two glass beads, he read three parts mockery, three parts foolishness, and four parts indifference.
The mechanical prosthetic limb released, and the doll fell back into Jiang Han's hand.
The teacher's raven-feather cloak swung out an arc, leaving Jiang Han a numb back:
"Don't tell anyone you're a student I taught."
The students craned their necks to look at the doll:
"First time hearing the alchemy teacher give such a low evaluation of a student's work."
"Ugly thing? Pfft!"
Jiang Han hid the doll in his clothes, his thumb stroking the cloth: "It was rejected…"
Fortunately, Dragon Baby didn't reject it.
Perhaps because the doll was covered in Jiang Han's scent, Dragon Baby cherished this gift like a treasure.
It bit the doll, hopping around Jiang Han.
"Dragon Baby is great, learning to walk so quickly."
"Whoosh!" Dragon Baby proudly puffed a nostril, its undeveloped short wings fluttering a few times.
"Yeah, you'll be able to fly in the future. Where else can we find a cub as great as Dragon Baby?"
"Whoosh whoosh!" Dragon Baby was praised into floating, pouncing to Jiang Han's hand and licking wildly.
"Were you good today? You didn't cry before I came, right?"
"." Dragon Baby drooped its fleshy wings, guiltily speeding up its licking.
"If you miss me in the future, let it keep you company." Jiang Han picked up the human-shaped doll, "See, two arms and two legs, same as me, right?"
The "crybaby" looked at the doll, then at Jiang Han, tears quickly pooling in its eyes:
"Woo woo?" Han Han doesn't want me anymore?
"Don't cry, don't cry. Of course I'll still come play with Dragon Baby. It's just that when I'm not by Dragon Baby's side, the doll will take my place and watch whether Dragon Baby has been crying."
Jiang Han hugged the young dragon. It had grown to the size of a large dog, filling Jiang Han's embrace.
Dragon Baby had no self-awareness of "being so big," whimpering and nuzzling.
"In the future, every time I come, I'll first ask the doll 'Has Dragon Baby been crying? Has Dragon Baby been a strong cub?' If you've done well, you'll be rewarded with a kiss."
Jiang Han kissed the scales between Dragon Baby's horns: "Just like this."
Dragon Baby's pupils instantly contracted, its claws stiffening as if swearing an oath: "Awoo awoo!" I want to be the strongest cub!
It grabbed the doll, tilting its head to study the two crystal-clear glass beads:
"Woo?" It can really see whether I've been crying?
Jiang Han couldn't help but laugh.
He stared at Dragon Baby's vivid expressions: "Dragon Baby, do you live on the archipelago in the aerial realm?"
Dragon Baby looked confused, gesturing an oval shape: "Awoo." I live in the eggshell.
Jiang Han fell silent, suppressing the corners of his mouth.
Seeing his disappointment, Dragon Baby anxiously clawed at him: "Awoo awoo!" I can live anywhere! Wherever Han Han wants me to live, I'll live there!
Jiang Han soothed: "It's okay, I was just impatient."
The cub's body temperature in his arms was slightly lower than a human's, and the touch of its scales was very real—not at all like playing a game in an APP.
"Cub-Raising APP, I know you can hear me." Jiang Han said in his mind, "Dragon Baby is also on the Western Fantasy Continent, right?"
[You can treat the cubs that appear in the APP as electronic pets.]
Jiang Han hugged Dragon Baby tighter: "I can feel it. It can't just be a string of data. It's real!"
[Beep beep!]
[Warning: Please do not question the information provided by the APP.]
An arrow pointing at Dragon Baby appeared again in the illusory space: [You cannot find it outside the APP.]
[Try as you might.]
*
"Hall, what are you doing?" The alchemy teacher asked.
Hall was fiddling with some stones, faint elemental power glowing on his magic master robe: "Organizing magic recording stones."
"This batch of recording stones is about the dragon race, right? Have dragons appeared?"
"Not yet, but…" Hall lowered his voice, "During the freshman duel, Nicole sensed a powerful pressure from Jiang Han. From his description, it seemed like dragon aura."
"Really? Dragons haven't appeared for hundreds of years. And that student Jiang Han—"
The alchemy teacher thought of the "ugly thing" Jiang Han had sewn in class and couldn't stop shaking his head:
"Don't make him too mysterious. He will definitely disappoint you."
"Is that so." Hall didn't take it in, triggering the magic recording stones one by one, browsing the dragon-related photos within.
"A waste of effort."
The alchemy teacher shrugged and turned to leave, but his peripheral vision caught something, and he abruptly stopped.
"What was that!"
"?" Hall was startled, and a recording stone fell onto the table.
"That one, show that photo again!" The alchemy teacher's tone was urgent, becoming more concerned about this than Hall.
"Why are you so jumpy…"
Hall complained, injecting elemental power into the recording stone.
Magic recording stones recorded images through internal miniature magic arrays.
And they could be activated at any time with magic to read the stored pictures.
Above the recording stone on the table, a picture appeared—
It was a huge magic array composed of complex geometric patterns, mixed with ancient and unfamiliar characters. Even through the recording stone, one could faintly feel the magic fluctuations.
Hall: "This was taken near the Norris Kingdom. It's speculated to be a magic array used by the dragon race to track scents."
The alchemy teacher pointed at the picture, his mechanical prosthetic limb trembling: "In the very center of the magic array, isn't that…"
"That? The photo is too blurry. The human race has never figured out what it is." Hall raised an eyebrow, "Do you know?"
"This outline, this material, these two shiny glass beads… Absolutely no mistake, it's the 'ugly thing'!"
"Ugly thing?"
"Yes, Jiang Han used alchemy to make two glass beads and put them on the doll's eyes."
"Hahaha, how could the 'ugly thing' Jiang Han made appear in a magic array? You're seeing things."
"Hall, believe me, I just saw the doll's appearance with my own eyes!"
"Just now? That's even more impossible."
Hall tapped the recording stone with his finger and said firmly: "This image was taken two hundred years ago."
Author's Note:
———————-