Chinese professors at the Wizarding Academy

"How can you study if you don't eat?"

Gu Chen looked at the unconscious Jim, then touched his tattered robe, which was cleaner than his face.

He glanced again at the drawer, which was cleaner than his own face and contained only a few books.

Finally, I looked up and glanced at Jim, who was fast asleep in bed.

Jim looked young, and was short, even somewhat diminutive.

Her figure could only be described as extremely thin; the exposed shoulders, not covered by the blanket, clearly showed the bone beneath the skin.

"How did you get so hungry..."

"How can I ignore my own students? This is the only chance to break the deadlock."

Gu Chen sighed slightly. If he were a proper student, he wouldn't have to worry about students eating.

Grey Tower Academy provides room and board; whether you're a freshman or an apprentice, all you need to do is study.

However, Jim is now strictly speaking Gu Chen's "material," a "recycled material" registered in the academy.

Then naturally there will be no food to eat.

He's exhausted from studying, so in short, if Gu Chen doesn't go and buy him something to eat and feed him right away...

Then Jim, this "material," will really starve to death.

"Go buy him something to eat."

After hesitating for a moment, Gu Chen's lips twitched, and a struggle flashed across his face.

With a pained expression, he reached into his black robe, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out two shimmering objects.

"Magic stone fragments... are like the currency of this world. Of course, there are also larger fragments or whole magic stones, but that's beyond my current imagination."

"There are only two left."

Two crystal-clear stones lay quietly in Gu Chen's hands, their interiors shimmering with iridescent light, exerting a distinct attraction on him.

Magic flows within it; the precious thing is not the stone, but the magic it contains.

Aside from these two pieces, there's nothing else. Gray Tower Academy won't give you, a low-level wizard in the first stage of the game, any magic stone fragments or benefits. These two pieces were only obtained by Gu Chen donating blood over the past month.

The title of lecturer is a tradition; salary? Don't even think about it!

"Sigh, even teachers are broke..."

Gray Tower Academy uses magic stones as its currency. With magic stones, you can buy almost anything in the academy.

If the price is right, you can even have high-level wizards give you lessons.

But in other words,

Without magic stones, you can't do anything at all...

Aside from basic meals and accommodations provided for new students and apprentices, everything at Grey Tower Academy requires magic stones.

For example, the cafeteria...

"This cafeteria is full of highly nutritious food...it's very expensive."

"I've been here for a month and I still don't dare to eat anything, like the pork rib soup made from the thigh bone of the Moon Demon Wolf. It can not only effectively improve the speed of mental recovery, but also enhance the speed of physical recovery. The price is one magic stone fragment."

Gu Chen recalled the scene when he first entered the restaurant, and he was truly shocked at the time.

The Grey Tower's canteen serves magical cuisine at exorbitant prices. The delicious dishes exude magical power, their irresistible allure almost overwhelming Gu Chen with his primal urges. These dishes not only satisfy the palate but also provide unique effects and replenish magical energy.

The meals for new students and apprentices were supplied daily by the Kingdom of Lorian from outside the country.

You can't buy them; they're all allocated and distributed uniformly by the college.

Gu Chen didn't dare to eat it because it was too expensive...

These two fragments of magic stone were obtained by Gu Chen, who, as a blood wizard, took on various commissions within the school during the first month to see if there was a shortage of any blood, and sold his blood to obtain them.

Inside the cold wooden cabin, the only source of light was a moss lamp on the wall; its eerie green glow should have added to the unsettling atmosphere.

However, the entire room appeared dreamlike under the reflection of the magic stone fragments' light. The eerie feeling vanished as the ghastly green was suppressed by the shimmering light.

This is the light of magic... the most fundamental and powerful force in this wizarding world.

Therefore, it became the most deserved currency.

Gu Chen stared at the two fragments of the magic stone, momentarily stunned.

Some ideas formed in his mind.

"Is this student really worth spending the magic stone fragments I've worked so hard to collect?"

I could simply use him, push him into a corner, continuously gain analysis points, keep him hanging on for a bit longer, and finally drain his blood to obtain "Apprentice's Blood"...

This way, we not only obtained the materials for the Talent Advancement Ceremony, but also the Analysis Points.

Not a single magic stone fragment was used, perfect!

Yes, that's how Gray Tower Academy is. There's absolutely nothing wrong with what he's doing. In fact, you could say that taking on disciples was just a way to activate the "mentor" talent and get feedback.

Each gets what they need; life and death are predestined!

Gu Chen became more and more excited as he thought about it, and even the veins in his neck started to bulge!

Just then, a gust of cold wind blew in from outside the window, letting in a bit of cold air through the not-quite-closed window.

Gu Chen, being a wizard, was naturally unaffected, but Jim, still a mortal in bed, trembled slightly from the sudden gust of wind...

Even with a blanket, you can't escape the cold of December.

"Waaah..."

The boy let out a clear but weak whimper, a sound that interrupted Gu Chen's thoughts.

Following the movement, the blood wizard in black robes instinctively turned his head to look at Jim, who was lying on the bed, his body emaciated.

Then he shook his head violently.

"...How could I have such thoughts?"

"I am a teacher."

"I did have the intention of taking advantage of him, but I also had a responsibility as a teacher."

"They're just two fragments of magic stones! How can you let my students go hungry?"

Gu Chen felt his blood rushing to his head and his heart pounding wildly... His thoughts became incredibly chaotic.

"...Blood extraction!"

As the magic pulsed, the erratic blood flow was drawn out and returned to its proper place; the throbbing blood vessels were smoothed, the bulging arteries were calmed… and the pounding heart returned to its original rhythm.

Thinking began to become rational, and chaos was banished.

If it were just a beginner-level "blood extraction," would Gu Chen dare to use it on himself like that? It would be suicidal, as he would suck himself dry.

But this is now a master-level "blood extraction," and it's been fully understood and mastered through analytical points.

It can not only absorb nutrients, but also perfectly control the amount, the destination, speed, and direction of absorption.

"My mind was affected... and that affected my body, making my blood restless."

"If I hadn't reached the master level... I'm afraid I really wouldn't be able to control my blood so precisely and keep it on the right track."

"Someone's coming."

"Mind-based spells... take effect very quickly, possibly a master-level 'Mind Interference'."

"They're nearby, probably watching me through the window... But the good news is that, according to the 'Complete Book of Basic Spells,' a master-level mental interference spell can only be used for pure interference; the user can only judge whether it's successful by observing its outward appearance."

"I've never offended a mind control wizard..."

"Elisa?"

Gu Chen calmed down a bit, and once his turbulent emotions had subsided, he finally stood up again and closed the drafty window.

They had a pretty good idea of ​​who the attackers were.

Gu Chen's expression remained unchanged, maintaining the same look as before, with a sense of confusion in his eyes.

The instant he closed the door, the confusion in his eyes vanished, replaced by solemnity and seriousness.

It's very cold at Grey Tower Academy tonight.

Gu Chen opened the old wooden door, preparing to head to the Gray Tower Canteen, which was open 24 hours a day.

"With these two fragments, you should buy some magical food that a mortal can handle to help you recover faster. According to the book, there's also a high chance it can improve your mental focus and recovery ability for a period of time in the future."

Gu Chen tightly gripped the two magic stone fragments in his hand, then slipped them into his black robe to ensure that no one could see a single glimmer of light from them.

The cold wind that came rushing in tried to sneak into the wooden house, but it was mostly blocked by his black robe.

Cold air always flows towards warm air; this is a natural phenomenon. Gu Chen certainly didn't want a cold, sterile room or students freezing to death.

Leather boots trod on the moss-covered old stone steps, and a tattered black robe fluttered in the wind.

Just as Gu Chen closed the door of the wooden house, he suddenly coughed violently for no apparent reason, coughing up a mouthful of dark blood that spilled onto the road.

But he seemed completely unconcerned and continued walking toward the cafeteria.

After Gu Chen's figure disappeared into the darkness in the distance, two dark figures emerged from the night from opposite directions.

"Don't worry, my mastery of mental interference... he absolutely cannot detect it."

"Hehehe~ This poor thing even coughed up blood. I bet he tried to forcefully advance his spell level using that piece of trash he got tonight, and ended up getting a backlash from the blood magic..."

The voices were from a man and a woman. The woman's voice was languid and melodious, like a silver snake spitting its tongue, yet it carried a chilling sinister quality.

"I've said it before, this is the fate of those without talent."

"...Stop talking nonsense. I can't interfere for very long. Go in and kill his materials according to the plan. That way, he won't have any chance to defy fate."

"Okay~"