https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-Shadow-World-Inferno-Passage-Academy/12582922/
Chapter 46: Lanchi's Thirst for Knowledge
Chapter 46: Lanchi's Thirst for Knowledge
In the dimly lit classrooms of the Shadow World Demon Academy, time seemed to slow down, each second frozen in amber-like eternity. The reddish tablecloth stood out under the faint light, a deep and rich hue that was absurd yet artistic.
In this classroom, light and shadow, brightness and darkness, stillness and motion, all changed with rhythmic precision.
It was evident that the exam had already begun.
Lanchi knew that upon arriving in the Shadow World, the most important thing was to observe and understand his surroundings and situation.
The Shadow World often presented reasonable challenges.
Unless a challenger made a mistake or failed, there wouldn't be any unavoidable or unbeatable situations.
Lanchi's emerald green eyes keenly scanned the classroom, the faint light dancing in his pupils.
Despite his attempts to minimize his movements, he soon noticed several students behaving unruly.
Their eyes shifted, and their heads turned slightly, all indicating their intention to cheat.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice cut through the silent and oppressive atmosphere.
"This is your only warning. Any whispering or cheating will result in immediate disqualification."
It was the voice of an invigilator, like a lion's roar, reverberating through the classroom.
The demon students who had intended to sneak a glance at their neighbors were instantly petrified by this cruel warning.
These almost-caught students quickly lowered their heads, temporarily focusing all their attention on their papers. Their faces wore expressions of terror and tension, and the sweat on their foreheads resembled dew on leaves, trembling as if ready to slide off at any moment.
Even though they already looked formidable and frightening, their strength paled in comparison to the intimidating presence of the demon invigilator.
After a moment, the invigilator resumed the orderly patrol.
However, as the invigilator turned their head, they couldn't conceal the sinister smile tugging at their lips, resembling a caged beast that had been locked up for too long, eagerly awaiting the perfect moment to pounce on its prey.
"..."
Lanchi quietly took in everything, processing the information.
It was quite easy to gauge the strength of the demon students.
Their magical power wasn't exaggerated, mostly second and third tiers similar to Lanchi's and Hiberlian's.
To think that these students were so intimidated by the invigilator, they must be at least fourth-tier or higher.
There was a good chance they were fifth-tier demons.
With two fearsome fifth-tier demons guarding this initial exam, it was clear that brute force wouldn't be an option to get through.
However, Lanchi also noticed a piece of good news—
Hiberlian was sitting to his left, just one empty seat away.
It felt almost like they were back in the Wise Men's Institute, sitting in the back row before they skipped class.
It was as if they had been pulled back from beyond the grasp of death and placed right back in their school classroom.
Hiberlian's appearance hadn't changed much, except for the addition of some demonic traits.
This reassured Lanchi that his own appearance probably hadn't altered drastically, as Hiberlian immediately recognized him during their brief eye contact.
However, Lanchi was puzzled by the fact that Hiberlian, usually calm and rational, now had a rather unpleasant expression on his face.
Moreover, during their eye contact, Hiberlian had quickly averted his gaze, as if he was afraid of being seen in his current demonic form.
"..."
Lanchi lowered his head for the moment, focusing on the items on the desk in front of him.
The parchment bearing the school's emblem at its top resembled a ferocious demon skull, its eyes burning with fiery intensity as if staring at him from another world.
And by its side was an ink bottle made from demon crystals, its mouth rimmed with mithril, filled with ink as black as night, still and heavy with an aura of restrained power.
The quill's feathers were pitch-black, its sharp metal tip glinting in the light, the handle etched with intricate, unknown patterns that reflected a deep, cold red.
It all resembled a set of vintage tools for crafting magical scrolls.
Indeed, this was an exam for Demon Magic Script. The examinee's task was not only to write but also to inscribe, akin to creating a magical scroll.
Without hesitation, Lanchi jumped straight to the last and most challenging question.
Because he had no idea how to answer the previous ones.
Final Question (12 points): Please describe the magical incantations that can be used when handling rare materials, and the effects they can achieve:
1. Cause a magical beast's sharp fur to quickly fall out
2. Alter the color of a magical beast's fur
3. Slightly harden or soften a magical beast's fur
Lanchi took a deep breath as he scanned through the entire exam paper.
He couldn't even answer a single minor question.
Lanchi found the demons' magic peculiar, but he acknowledged its uniqueness as it involved incantation principles that human magic scripts couldn't achieve.
For instance, these three lifestyle magics didn't exist in present-day human magic.
He finally concluded that these questions weren't meant for humans. Even Talia might not be familiar with these ancient demonic spells; the era gap was just too vast, and many civilizations of different races would have gone through discontinuities and disappearances.
But Lanchi wasn't one to give up.
He felt like he had discovered a new continent, and his grip tightened on the parchment paper, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
The last three magics mentioned on the exam paper were something he very much wanted to learn! Since such magic existed in the exam, it meant that the school must teach it somewhere.
If a master magic engineer, proficient in both demon and human magic, could improve upon these ancient demonic magics using modern techniques...
Could it be possible to create a version usable on humans?
Lanchi fell into deep thought, his heart filled with a thirst for knowledge.
His mind began to wander, even envisioning a press conference for a new autumn product...
In our daily lives, we often come across people with unattractive hairstyles, and we may even feel the urge to help them change it.
Obviously, this is a friendly gesture, a noble pursuit of subjective and objective unity in aesthetics.
In such moments, the "hair-styling magic" would be incredibly useful.
As an artist, Lanchi felt it necessary to master this magic, which might be theoretically possible.
He also had to consider if this was his only chance in life - to secretly learn this ancient demonic magic from the exam paper and bring it back to the present world to research new and practical magic with Talia!
So, he had to pass this exam quickly!
For now, Lanchi took advantage of the moment when both examiners were in his blind spot and glanced at Hiberlian.
For some unknown reason, Hiberlian was in a strangely poor state, looking like she was barely holding on.
He didn't have much opportunity to communicate with her at the moment.
He thought he would have to wait until they passed this exam stage before asking Hiberlian if she was alright.
Since that was the case, it was all up to his performance now!
(End of Chapter)
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