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Chapter 43: Viya’s First Shadow Screen Experience
The next day.
"Mechanical Magic Dynamics, Philosophy, Genetics of Extraordinary Creatures… What on earth are these subjects?!"
Viya sat slumped on the couch, staring at the mountain of textbooks piled high on the table in front of her. The sheer weight of it all was enough to make her feel suffocated.
Early that morning, a knock on her door had startled her out of bed. Groggily opening the door, she found a solemn-faced janitor standing there. Before she could react, a box taller than half her body was thrust into her arms—and just as quickly, the janitor vanished without a trace.
She initially thought it might be some kind of "surprise" from the school—but this was far from what Viya had imagined. It leaned more toward a shock.
"Not entirely without comfort, though."
At the bottom of the box lay a small case. Pulling out the shadow screen inside, Viya's lips curved into a faint smile.
She’d been craving this thing for ages!
"I think this button turns it on… Hmm, done." Viya spread the instruction manual across the table and began tinkering with the device.
Surprisingly, despite coming from a remote border county where she'd never encountered advanced technology, she managed to figure out how to operate the tiny alchemical artifact within minutes. She even located the entrance to the academy forum.
"Sort by popularity, sort by time… Let’s see what’s been happening lately."
Muttering to herself, Viya clicked on the latest discussion thread.
Naive as she was, she assumed the forum functioned like an online newspaper.
Blue Wagtail: [The Alchemy Club exploded again yesterday—does anyone know what happened?]
I Hate Theory Practice Class: [Probably bought cheap materials. I noticed Professor Mohler looked pretty upset this morning.]
Doesn’t this school get funding?! Viya didn’t understand, but she kept reading anyway.
AAA Paper Writing Services: [The guy above is right—the materials were mine.]
Wait… Is that something you’re supposed to admit so casually? Viya was momentarily stunned by the blatant honesty of the web users.
Blue Wagtail: [I just got back to campus today. Speaking of which, what were you guys talking about earlier?]
What? What is “what”?
Why does everyone here speak in riddles—it’s infuriating! Viya wanted nothing more than to punch through the Magic Web and give the other side a piece of her mind.
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [You know, the one we can't mention directly. Saying their name brings bad luck!]
Blue Wagtail: [Did they recruit a curse specialist Ascender this year?]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [Even scarier than that! You wouldn’t believe what happened in the training field. Six hours straight! That new student challenged the six-armed puppet for an entire afternoon without taking a break.]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [I was worried she’d picked up some nasty curse and collapsed from exhaustion, blood vessels bursting.]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [Now everyone’s saying that newbie isn’t human at all—just a Void Domain monster or an alchemical puppet wearing human skin.]
Blue Wagtail: [Whoa… That’s kinda scary.]
To seasoned forum-goers, such talk was likely just playful banter. These students surely knew that anyone admitted to the academy must have a clean record; they understood Void Domain creatures couldn’t invade reality.
But to Viya, who had no prior exposure to such things—
They’re slandering me!
This is outright defamation!
Viya felt it was time to defend her honor. Slowly, painstakingly, she searched for letters, typing at a snail’s pace.
“Maybe… it’s because she’s particularly gifted.”
After all, the world was vast—who’s to say someone couldn’t wield a sword tirelessly for hours during the lower-ring phase?
After finishing the sentence, she read it aloud softly, ensuring the phrasing was smooth before hitting send.
User1023433: [Maybe it’s just because she’s particularly gifted.]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [That’s not talent—that’s urban legend territory.]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [Where’d this new account come from? Did your old one get banned for something?]
User1023433: [It really is just natural talent.]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [Just? Why are you being salty?]
User1023433: [Not salty. What if she happened to receive a special laureate that gives her endless stamina? It might not be as extraordinary as it seems.]
Swordsmanship Club Recruitment: [Getting defensive, huh? Maybe retake second-year classes—you clearly lack basic knowledge.]
Defensive?! How am I defensive?!
A blush crept onto Viya’s cheeks. She found the person utterly unreasonable, spouting nonsense without evidence.
Dozens of well-reasoned rebuttals formed in her mind, ready to fire like prepared artillery shells. All she needed to do was type them out and ignite the fuse.
But—
“Where’s the W key… and the Y?!”
“Damn it—why are the most commonly used letters spread so far apart?”
The more desperate she became to articulate her thoughts, the harder it was to find the corresponding keys. Unable to compose a full sentence, frustration mounted, making her even clumsier.
Finally, with a resigned chuckle, Viya set the shadow screen gently on the table, fearful of damaging the "luxury item."
She flopped back onto the couch, utterly serene.
---
"Youth truly is a blessing—they fall asleep the moment they lie down."
The amused voice suddenly rang in Viya’s ear, startling her awake.
She recognized that voice instantly.
"There are still three main zones left to unlock… Need to grab those Void Domain blessings too. Can’t leave the Esoteric Sect storyline hanging forever."
Lin Qi sat at his computer desk, stifling a yawn.
His neighbor’s morning renovation work had disturbed his sleep . Logging into the game, he found the protagonist napping peacefully at the save point.
"Let’s unlock all the facilities in the academy first," Lin Qi muttered to himself.
Originally, he’d planned to play a couple rounds of roguelike levels while his energy was still fresh in the morning.
But the problem was, he hadn’t yet unlocked access to the Void Domain. Lin Qi suspected this feature was probably hidden behind later stages of the main questline.
"Right, let’s test the new skill first." Lin Qi opened the skill menu, equipped the newly acquired spell, and pressed the corresponding key.
In an instant, the world transformed. All colors faded, leaving only shades of gray and black. Pure white particles pulsed outward like sonar waves, sweeping over nearby objects.
Color returned, but now certain items around her glowed in different hues.
"Two-second cooldown… Not bad."
So far, none of the spells Lin Qi had encountered consumed mana—they only had cooldowns.
Given that, the role of Half-Knowledge Eye became clear.
Press it while eating, walking, chatting… Use it whenever you’re bored to pass the time.
Who knows? Maybe there’ll be unexpected rewards.
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