The Cornflower Witch

Snow drifted beyond the window. Though it was already March, the chill from the north still swept in intermittently due to the Gale Season. The dining hall blazed with lamplight, casting a warm golden glow.

Sylutia sat on a wooden chair. Her black silk dress draped elegantly over her form, the hem catching a faint golden halo from the flames. Her head tilted slightly to one side, hands folded lightly on her knees, exuding an air of ladylike charm and cuteness. Her bright eyes gazed toward the apprentice speaking in the center.

At that moment, some apprentices sat on tables, others leaned against companions, all watching the figure in the middle recounting his story. Curiosity flickered in their eyes as they listened, and as they did, they recalled their own experiences during this period.

The world among the Western Mountain Range was vastly different from the bustling cities they had once lived in.

The beastmen and other races here were wild, yet they possessed a kind of primal simplicity. They would view outsiders with hostility and caution, but if they earned their trust and acceptance, they would become generous and warm.

The mountain roads were far from safe. If a friend lived far away, being willing to traverse the rugged and dangerous paths to visit you was a deeply moving gesture. Trade caravans would only reach a tribe once every six months, and every arrival felt like a celebration.

Children would curiously examine all kinds of goods, pleading with their parents to buy something. The adults would pack up the spoils from the past half-year, sell them to the arriving caravan, and then purchase various necessities for daily life.

Life here remained unchanged year after year. The news brought by caravan members might be the only way some remote villages could learn about the outside world.

Every story was worth listening to, because aside from the chirping of birds and the calls of livestock, there were no other human voices in the mountains. Even hearing someone boast was a delightful way to pass the time.

The young people in the tribes had feelings that were innocent and simple. If they liked someone, they only had to compete with two or three peers their age. More often than not, as they grew up, they would know exactly who they would end up with—no surprises, no dizzying choices.

Moria recounted how, after saving a pair of sisters, he had been invited to visit their tribe. There, he was warmly welcomed as a guest. During the few days he stayed, he fought alongside the tribe's young warriors, clearing out several monster lairs in the vicinity.

"Because the local tribe trusted and liked me, they handed over a map of the surrounding area that they had explored over the past few decades."

"Thanks to that map, I accumulated quite a few achievements early on." Moria spoke of his gains in the early stages of the assessment.

"After that, I gained the trust of several neighboring tribes and learned more about the local conditions. While helping them solve problems, I also used the intelligence I gathered to hunt down monsters in the mountains."

"However, what really racked up my results was the half-month after the Demon Tide erupted."

"The tribe I was staying with was hit by a concentrated wave of monster attacks. To protect the tribe's residents, I had to fight continuously, rushing from place to place like putting out fires, eliminating the monsters attacking various nearby tribes."

"The most grueling stretch probably lasted three days and three nights without sleep."

"Fortunately, the Demon Tide eventually receded. It was only then that I remembered to count my kills from those days, and only then did I realize how many monsters I had taken down."

"By the time I came to my senses, I had already far exceeded the target number set by the assessment." Moria finished recounting his general experience.

Although there were no earth-shattering twists and turns in his story, the way Moria had built friendships with the beastman tribes gave them plenty to think about. Perhaps everyone had been too focused on personal improvement and results, neglecting many other things.

After Moria finished, it was Imei's turn.

The young woman with coiled braids wore the academy's cloak over a form-fitting ochre mage robe. A spellbook hung from her waist by a copper chain. Stepping into the center, she bowed to everyone first, then began recounting her experiences in a clear, crisp voice.

Overall, Imei relied purely on the rich array of spells she had mastered to complete her mission assessment. She had no lucky encounters, nor did she borrow any external help. She simply used her spells to track, locate, and then eliminate her enemies.

After learning about her experience, many students were surprised by her strength. They remembered that when she first enrolled, Imei was not among the top-tier apprentices—she was barely in the top ten. But after more than a year, she had now surpassed many in the trial assessment, even including one of the Chiefs, Spencer.

Moria's results were understandable given his experiences; everyone felt it was his good fortune. But Imei's performance was a pure display of raw capability.

"Speaking of which, I guess Imei is probably the apprentice in our class most devoted to the path of the mage," a student suddenly remarked.

"The so-called path of the mage means using a wide variety of knowledge and methods to solve problems."

"Unlike others who choose a Staff or an Orb for immediate combat power, she chose a Spellbook. That way, she can greatly expand the scope of her direct spellcasting and also use various spell techniques to support herself. This makes her overall abilities quite well-rounded."

"In the past, academy competitions only tested on-the-spot combat strength, rarely or with difficulty assessing performance in various environments. But the path Imei has chosen undoubtedly gives her a huge advantage in practical assessments, allowing her to surpass those who only focus on improving their combat power."

"That's really true." Hearing this, everyone gradually began to understand some issues.

Rather than spending a massive amount of time and energy pursuing excellence in a single aspect of combat power, it was better to use that time and energy to expand one's knowledge and mastery of methods.

"But come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Chief Hedra use any mage equipment—like a Staff, an Orb, or a Spellbook."

"The Chief is already incredibly strong without them; she probably just hasn't found anything that suits her," everyone discussed. By this time, Imei had already stepped down, and many gazes turned toward the young woman sitting in a corner of the crowd.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Sylutia stood up, walked slowly to an open space among the crowd, then turned around and sat down to begin recounting her experiences.

First, she spoke about relying on her own tracking methods to kill large numbers of monsters and complete her target index. This was similar to Imei, but she was even stronger.

Then, like Moria, she had saved the Azure Horn Tribe and Purple Fern Rampart, gaining a lot of help and feedback in return, learning the whereabouts of many targets. Additionally, during the process of repelling monster attacks, she had killed a huge number of opponents and earned results.

Although her experience combined traits from both, when it came to Sylutia's battles against monsters, it was almost entirely one-sided. There were no struggles or hard-fought battles. So when she described it, she often skipped over the process of killing large numbers of monsters in just a single sentence.

Thus, by omitting these one-sided combat processes, Sylutia's recounting of her experiences was very brief, finishing in about ten minutes.

"Ah, that's just how the Chief is—killing Third Tier monsters is like stepping on ants for her. In one sentence, they all fall down," a nearby apprentice complained.

"She is the Chief, after all. With her strength, this is only to be expected."

After the three of them shared their general experiences, the others also began to talk about what they had seen and experienced over the past month. Everyone spoke one after another, gradually piecing together the landscape and customs of the Western Mountain Range from their stories and words.

"...In the final week, I coordinated with others from the City Alliance to clear out all the monster lairs near Purple Fern Rampart. Combined with the results from the defense battle, that's how I accumulated so many achievements and results." Sylutia closed her eyes in recollection, then opened them after she finished speaking.

"The Chief's plain and unadorned power just crushes everything."

Everyone had already grown accustomed to and familiar with this young woman's uniqueness. They didn't have much interest in the achievements and experiences she described. Instead, they found that the silk dress Sylutia wore tonight perfectly showcased her beautiful figure, revealing a ladylike charm and cuteness rarely seen on ordinary days. As they listened to her recollections, their attention unconsciously drifted in another direction.

"Today's Chief is really beautiful. I wish she would dress like this every day."

"Shh, don't say that. Don't you know the Chief has sharp hearing? If you say too much, she might get shy and never wear this outfit again."

"Oh, that. Hopefully, the Chief pretends she didn't hear that." Their voices faded.

Sylutia, sitting in the middle of the crowd, had already heard them. Though her face didn't flush with embarrassment, she still felt a little awkward. Her gaze drifted away, avoiding the apprentices' eager stares, and her fingers unconsciously brushed over the fabric of her dress, trying to divert her attention.

In the distance, a professor who had just entered the dining hall saw the scene of everyone sitting together and couldn't help but sigh.

"This is the beauty of youth..." He also recalled the lively times when he had been a student, chatting and laughing with his companions.