Chapter 11: Fragment (Three)

"Why didn't your parents come to the parent-teacher meeting?"

"You don't have any parents?"

……

"Not speaking, are you a mute?"

"Really boring."

"Someone without even parents, acting like a young lady!"

……

The trash in the desk drawer, the bugs in the pencil case, the lost textbooks, the torn-up homework, the scratches on the desk surface, the dirty water suddenly poured down from above……

——Must endure

——I must go to school

——I cannot escape

——I……must gain power, become strong

——But……what does being strong mean? What is the concept?

——Like that person, become a powerful mage?

……

Witch Miss felt very lost inside.

But the school's curriculum remained unchanged: math, physics, chemistry, history, geography, politics, biology.

No one told her what to do.

She had no one to confide in, and no one would give her guidance.

All she had was an empty manor, plus a butler whose mother had prepaid his salary for the next fifty years, and only a few servants.

……

"You, a top-tier Golden Talent?!"

"Scant magic power!? What's the difference from having none!"

"You also want to be a mage?"

……

But after entering senior year, nothing improved.

——Can I really become strong?

Whenever she thought this, her mother's past 'education', past rebukes, and past weak yet ferocious admonitions were like a pair of invisible hands, tightly gripping her throat.

The suffocating pressure and pain would always overwhelm her at such times.

——I cannot stop

——I must become strong, no matter the effort required.

Studying……absorbing knowledge……

Since I lack great power, at the very least I should first fill my mind with knowledge.

Thus, Li Wei watched Witch Miss day after day, burning the midnight oil to read books, learning magic text and understanding the structure and principles of magic circles.

Her already weak body deteriorated further from unrestrained late-night studying.

What's more despairing for Witch Miss was that her days of self-deception didn't last long.

The school's teacher assigned a summoning assignment.

The minimum magic power required to use Summon Familiar magic is 50 points, but she only has 10 points.

To protect student privacy, the school does not publicly disclose students' magic power values.

So the teacher didn't know that her tested magic power being 'scant' meant 10 points.

There's no need to doubt the magic power test result; it's from the magic testing stone left behind in her mother's and that person's studio.

She simply cannot complete this assignment.

——I……can't be a mage anymore?

——No……not possible……

She sat on the sofa, desperately flipping through all the knowledge in her mind.

Finally,

She thought of it.

Witch's blood is the best magical material.

Witch's blood contains a large amount of magic power.

So……could she……

Witch Miss, short on time, immediately began her action.

She didn't tell anyone about her plan, just took a utility knife and went to the most secluded spot in the courtyard.

That night the moonlight was exceptionally clear, with few clouds.

The smell of blood quickly spread throughout the courtyard.

——This is the only gift I can provide.

——This is also the little magic power I can command.

Witch Miss used her own blood as support to unleash the full Summon Familiar magic, offering her blood to summon a creature willing to respond to her.

But.

One minute, two minutes……ten minutes, she still received no response.

Li Wei, who possessed the Magic Path Ultimate Realm, could see at a glance that even if she used Witch's blood as an offering, due to Witch Miss's magic power being too weak, the Summon Familiar circle merely remained open.

Unless a monster voluntarily wishes to be summoned, it cannot sense any information about the summoner before the selection, including the precious gifts she presents.

But Witch Miss does not know this.

As time passes, her vision gradually blurs, and her heart cools from anticipation.

—Why

—Everyone… all of them… are going to abandon me?

Just as Witch Miss decides to turn the utility knife in her hand the other way, the already dim, blood‑colored formation suddenly flares to life.

Blood rises from the ground, slowly enveloping her.

The pain of the blade piercing her skin suddenly vanishes, the dizziness before her eases, and then, with a flash of White Light, a figure appears before her.

……

The scene stops abruptly here, with no continuation.

【Symbiotic perception has ended】

【According to the Symbiotic Contract, both parties may share one ability of the other】

【Because Bai Yan's mana is extremely low, the choice will be placed in Xiaohei·Li Wei's hands】

【Please choose, which skill you wish Bai Yan to share with you】

【Please choose, which skill you wish to share with Bai Yan】

Skill sharing?!

Such a thing exists!

But after a close look, Li Wei discovers that this sharing is not as straightforward as the literal meaning suggests.

First, none of his innate abilities can be shared with Bai Yan.

The reasons are, respectively: his profession does not qualify, his mana is too low, his level is too low, and divine‑granted skills cannot be shared.

Secondly, Bai Yan's 'Shadow Witch's Blessing' also cannot be shared with him.

The reason is that he is neither a pure‑blood witch nor possesses the Shadow Witch's lineage.

Bai Yan's skill, aside from that blessing that makes Li Wei drool, is naturally the 【Shadow】 skill, which is convenient and practical.

But… what should Bai Yan do?

Or rather, the question Li Wei is pondering now is how he can actually help the current Bai Yan.

He never imagined that a witch could be such a dangerous species.

He must conceal the witch's talent, make her realize her own strength without becoming withdrawn, and also make her, now a magician, stronger…

Cat's memories flash rapidly in his mind, and then he fixes his memory onto the recollection just experienced by Witch Miss.

Witch Miss has read countless books, and one of them says:

【Although mana is determined by innate factors, if a strong individual whose mana equals that of high elves or demons repeatedly infuses gentle mana into the body, the capacity of the vessel can slowly expand.】

【However, the mana gap between the injector and the recipient must be at least twenty thousand, and a gap of over one hundred thousand is needed for a noticeable effect.】

A gap of over one hundred thousand is, for most people, nothing short of a pipe dream.

When Witch Miss first read that latter sentence, she slumped onto the table in disappointment.

But… this limitation poses no problem for Cat.

His current mana is 233,333,333, got it!

In other words, purely theoretically, he could, even at lv1, raise Witch Miss's mana to 2k!

Moreover, each level‑up is akin to a sublimation; the stats increase to varying degrees according to the individual's talents and specialties.

When the level is low, pushing one's abilities to the extreme yields greater returns.

Thus, he is fully capable of cultivating a mana‑output monster plus a high‑attack, high‑agility Assassin!

The method exists; now how should it be carried out?

Moreover… what Cat wants to solve is not merely a simple mana issue.

……

While pondering, Cat continuously scratches his own chin with his tail.

When he reaches the sixty‑sixth scratch, he finally thinks of a solution that could be called perfect!