Early Monday morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the lavender curtains, spilling onto the soft carpet of the dorm room.
The air carried the faint scent of lavender from the sleep-aid incense Huli had lit before bed last night.
At this moment, Tunzuo was still immersed in sweet dreams.
In her dream, she was lying on a cloud made of cotton candy, surrounded by cream cakes of various flavors.
Tunzuo, enveloped by sweets, felt incredibly happy.
However, this peaceful comfort was soon shattered.
A violent shaking assaulted her, making Tunzuo feel as if her soul was about to be shaken loose from her body.
Groggily, she opened her heavy eyelids, her blurry vision refocusing several times before she could barely make out the two youthful faces magnified countless times before her.
“Sister Tutu! Get up! The sun is shining on your butt! Today’s first class starts at eight. If you don’t get up now, we’ll be late!”
Sally’s energetic voice rang in Tunzuo’s ears.
She was squatting by the bed, gripping Tunzuo’s shoulders and shaking them vigorously.
The black cat ears on her head twitched slightly with excitement, her large amber eyes sparkling with impatient anticipation.
“It’s seven o’clock… Sister Tutu…”
Huli stood on the other side of the bed, still clutching her tattered teddy bear plushie.
Though her tone remained flat, a clear hint of urgency was now present in her pale blue eyes.
Looking at these two energetic little ones, Tunzuo silently grumbled internally.
Ah, youth is wonderful.
How do these two little witches manage to retain such vigorous energy despite going to bed so late last night?
Are their biological clocks powered by magical gear timers?
Under Sally and Huli’s urging, Tunzuo struggled to get out of bed.
But the moment her body moved, a tremendous force of lethargy, like a swamp, dragged her back into the soft mattress.
The bed Tunzuo lay on seemed to have a life of its own; countless invisible tentacles extended from the mattress, gently but firmly binding her in place.
The mere thought of going to school, of facing dull textbooks and tedious classes, caused the rebellious factors within Tunzuo to erupt completely, engaging in a fierce tug-of-war with her motivation to get up.
“Mmm… I can’t do it… The bed is sealing me… Mmm… Just five more minutes… Just five…”
Tunzuo clung to the bedpost like a sloth, the entire witch resembling a salted fish that had lost all its dreams, utterly surrendering to the battle against sleepiness.
Tunzuo rolled over, attempting to wrap herself in the blanket like a silkworm cocoon, ready to continue her chess game with the Sandman.
“Sister Tutu, you can’t give up! Now is the time for battle!”
Sally shouted, displaying the agility characteristic of felines.
She immediately jumped onto the bed and grabbed Tunzuo’s left hand.
“Huli, grab her right foot!”
Huli understood immediately.
Though her expression remained impassive, her movements were swift and precise as she quickly stepped forward to seize Tunzuo’s right ankle.
“One, two, three, pull!”
The two little witches pulled together with all their might, finally “uprooting” the lazy salted-fish ghost witch from her bed.
“Wah! You two little rascals!”
Tunzuo was forcibly dragged from her warm quilt by Sally and Huli, letting out a cry of reluctant despair.
But in the end, she bowed to fate, swaying left and right as she made her way to the bathroom to wash up.
Standing before the bathroom mirror, Tunzuo’s eyes were glazed over as she brushed her teeth mechanically.
Toothpaste foam clung to the corner of her mouth.
Tunzuo was so sleepy she could barely hold the toothbrush steady.
Her elbow propped on the sink, she was in constant danger of slipping.
The heavy weight of sleepiness pressed down on her like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.
She even felt like she could fall asleep standing up the next second, her soul leaving her body to continue searching for cake in her dreams.
After a simple wash-up, Tunzuo was still unbearably sleepy.
Her eyelids were engaged in a fierce battle, and the entire witch was in a state of half-dreaming, half-waking haziness.
“So sleepy… too sleepy to move…”
Tunzuo yawned while rubbing her bleary eyes. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her.
“That’s right… I’m a ghost witch…!”
Tunzuo abruptly raised her head, a sly smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
She quickly ran back to her room and rummaged through her storage cabinet, pulling out a sturdy hemp rope.
An Lin had packed it in her suitcase for tying up miscellaneous items.
“Little Black, Little White, behold my new invention.”
Tunzuo skillfully tied a tight knot with the rope around her waist.
Then, with a thought, she activated her ghost trait.
Her body instantly became light and translucent, her feet slowly lifting off the ground.
The entire witch began floating in mid-air, like a freshly inflated balloon.
“Perfect.”
Tunzuo yawned, adjusting herself into a comfortable position in the air.
Then, with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of contentment on her face, she floated over to Sally and Huli.
“This way, I can catch up on sleep on the way to class too! Little Black, you hold the rope. Little White, you keep an eye out from the side. Make sure I don’t crash into a tree or get blown away by the wind. Let’s head to the classroom now!”
Sally and Huli stared at the rather bizarre scene before them, first stunned for a moment before their eyes erupted with excitement.
“Wow! Sister Tutu is so clever! This way we can let you sleep while we travel!”
Sally cheered, grabbing the end of the rope and carefully leading Tunzuo out of the dorm like a balloon.
Thus, an unusual sight appeared on the stone-paved paths of the Witch Academy, drawing the attention of many passing witch teachers and students.
Two petite young witches, one on the left and one on the right, were seen holding a rope.
Tied to the other end of the rope was a black-haired, lazy-looking witch floating in mid-air.
The floating black-haired witch had her eyes closed, a strand of glistening drool hanging from the corner of her mouth, clearly sleeping very soundly.
“Who is that? She’s having her roommates lead her around?”
“That looks so comfortable. I want to try it too…”
“Shh, keep your voice down. That’s the new student taken in by Instructor Shirley. I heard she’s a lost witch with very high talent.”
Along the way, Tunzuo’s “ghost balloon” appearance attracted the gazes of countless witch teachers and students.
Some were curious, some envious, and others wore expressions of shock that such a thing was possible.
Facing the pointing and whispering of the witches in the academy, Tunzuo didn’t care in the slightest.
She even smacked her lips twice in her dream, as if dreaming of something delicious.
Soon, the three witches arrived in front of the building for the Social Common Sense class.
Instructor Shirley had already been waiting in the classroom for some time.
When she saw Sally leading a “ghost balloon” into the room, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.
After all, witches were a race with a strong capacity for accepting new things.
“Tunzuo’s… mode of transportation is quite creative.”
Shirley adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, her tone slightly resigned.
“Alright, quickly let Tunzuo down. We’re about to start class.”
Sally reluctantly let go of the rope.
Tunzuo slowly floated down to her seat, let out a long yawn, and finally managed to fully wake up.
Shirley cleared her throat and turned to write today’s schedule on the blackboard.
The Witch Academy’s curriculum was relatively relaxed, with one class in the morning and one in the afternoon, each lasting two hours.
The early teaching period mainly consisted of Social Common Sense, Magic Theory, and Riding.
These three subjects were mixed and scheduled from Monday to Thursday.
Both classes on Friday were Public Practice classes, serving as a summary and review of the week’s lessons through practical combat.
School of Thought Theory classes would only be offered in the later teaching period.
The first class this morning was Social Common Sense.
Shirley stood at the podium, her gaze sweeping over the three students below, her expression turning serious.
“Today, we will be discussing the credit system of witch society.”
Shirley’s voice was clear and forceful, her cadence rich and engaging.
“Witch society places extreme importance on credit. We value the spirit of contracts. Whether it’s a verbal promise or a written contract, once a witch agrees to and publicly acknowledges something, she must be responsible for what she has promised.”
Shirley paused, her gaze lingering on Tunzuo for a moment, making Tunzuo feel somewhat offended.
It must be that An Lin’s fault, she thought.
“If a witch fails to deliver or breaks a promise, over time, that witch will be labeled as ‘unreliable’ by witch society. This not only affects a witch’s social interactions but can also severely impact her social standing. For example, she might be unable to secure loans, which is an extremely fatal blow for many witches who spend money like water.”
Shirley’s explanation made Tunzuo click her tongue in amazement.
She hadn’t expected witch society to have such a rigorous system of credit rules.
It seems I can’t casually agree to any strange requests from witches in the future.
Otherwise, if I can’t fulfill them, wouldn’t I face social death in the Dona Yala World?
After the Social Common Sense class ended, it was lunch break.
The three young witches went together to the cafeteria for lunch.
The cafeteria was bustling with noise, the air filled with the aroma of various foods.
Tunzuo skillfully picked up a tray and went to the serving window, her eyes fixed intently on the rows of tempting dishes.
“Sister, I want that one, that one, and that one. All of them, please.”
Tunzuo selected several of the largest cuts of meat and a few high-calorie desserts, her eyes filled with longing for food.
In no time, a small mountain of meat had piled up on Tunzuo’s tray, accompanied by several desserts and a large glass of high-calcium milk.
Sally and Huli stared dumbfounded at the exaggerated amount of food on Tunzuo’s tray, then looked at their own plates with normal portions and balanced combinations.
They couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the significant differences that existed between witches.
“Sister Tutu, can you… really finish all that?”
Sally asked cautiously, afraid of disturbing Tunzuo’s sacred eating ritual.
“Of course. This is an important way to replenish magical power. My appetite is quite large, you know.”
As she spoke, Tunzuo stuffed a large piece of meat into her mouth, a satisfied and blissful smile appearing on her face.
“After all, appetite represents the upper limit of magical power reserves and the efficiency of magical power conversion. The more you eat, the more talented you are. Instructor Shirley said so herself.”
Tunzuo explained with a serious expression before spearing another piece of meat with her fork.
She opened her mouth wide like a glutton and began eating heartily.
Her bold eating style made the witches passing by couldn’t help but glance her way.
After lunch break, allowing the food in her stomach to digest a bit, Tunzuo, Sally, and Huli went to attend the afternoon Magic Theory class.
The topic of this lesson was the crucial skill for witches: Magical Self-Circulation.
“Magical Self-Circulation is a fundamental skill every witch must master.”
Shirley stood in the center of the podium, her hands forming a seal.
A soft white light appeared in her palm.
“A witch must divide the magical power within her internal magical circuits into two streams. These two streams of magical power flow and operate in different ways. Through the collision and fusion of these two streams, new magical power is generated. This way, even in a low-magic environment, a witch can replenish her magical power and maintain her spellcasting ability for extended periods.”
Instructor Shirley’s explanation made everything click for Tunzuo.
Tunzuo had previously wondered why such a powerful race as witches couldn’t generate magical power internally and needed to absorb it from the outside.
So the trick is here! Tunzuo complained internally.
Such an important skill, and that bad mommy Antuxi didn’t teach it to me.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have suffered so much from hunger on that Wasteland Planet.
Tunzuo strongly suspected Antuxi did it on purpose.
Watching as Sally and Huli had already begun attempting Magical Self-Circulation, Tunzuo felt eager to try as well.
She took a deep breath and, following Instructor Shirley’s method, began to mobilize the magical power within her body.
However, Tunzuo had forgotten one very important thing: her magical power reserves were extremely vast, and it was Shadow Magic originating from the dark side of the universe.
It inherently possessed extreme instability and destructive power.
Thus, under Tunzuo’s full-powered operation, the immense, Grand Witch-level Shadow Magic within her erupted instantly, forming a massive black mist tornado within the classroom.
“Oh no!”
Instructor Shirley’s face changed color as she hastily cast a spell to try and stop it.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Crack—Boom!
Accompanied by a tremendous roar, half of the teaching building was swept into the sky.
Countless pieces of rubble and debris flew through the air.
The witch teachers and students who had been in class inside the building were dumbfounded as they were swept up into the sky before falling back down, screams rising one after another.
Tunzuo stood in the center of the teaching building ruins, looking at the devastation she had caused.
The walls surrounding the classroom had completely vanished, replaced by blue sky and white clouds.
She scratched her head somewhat awkwardly and apologetically before turning to look at Instructor Shirley, whose face had turned ashen.
“Um… Instructor Shirley, did I cause trouble?”
Shirley’s mouth twitched.
Looking at this “young witch” before her who possessed Grand Witch-level magical reserves yet was completely unaware of it, her feelings were mixed.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to remain calm.
“It’s fine… Young witches… blowing up the school is a normal thing… I’m used to it.”
Shirley offered dry consolation.
Though she said this, internally, she silently added Tunzuo to the high-priority watchlist.
This isn’t a young witch; this is a magical nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment!
“It seems my campus life might be more tumultuous than I imagined…”
Under the twilight sky, Tunzuo sat amidst the ruins of the teaching building, watching Shirley and the other witch instructors use restoration spells to repair the building, and sighed inwardly.
Hmm, I blew up the teaching building on the first day of school.
I’m truly amazing!