825 Shadow (1/2)

”You're screaming as if you've run into a ghost.” As a low and unpredictable voice echoed, the door of his dormitory was opened, and a young man with messy hair walked in. His eyelids were bloated, and his blue eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for a long time.

On his back, a pale and fuzzy shadow was stuck to him and floated forward with the feet away from the ground. After it showed up, the whole dormitory suddenly became cold, as if the night of spring turned into a dawn in winter.

Donnie quivered and hurried to put on the long coat that he just took off. ”Sammy, I see the ghost on your back every day. Why would I be scared of ghosts? Besides, if there are really any evil spirits, those teachers of the school of necromancy would be capturing them with great delight.”

Such was the disadvantage of the magic schools, where there was no place for ghost stories. Things were different in the generic schools. For example, after a girl hanged herself in a laboratory, the other students often found that their experiment materials would go missing, or that the materials they badly in need of would appear right next to their hands when they worked alone in the place at night.

Of course, there were other stories in magic schools. For example, rumors had it that the grim old sorcerer who watched over the autopsy room often dissected living people for studies, and it was why he barely came out and always refused everyone who approached his room.

Sammy yawned. ”In that case, why were you screaming so miserably? You are a top twenty apprentice of our grade.”

The ghost hands behind him suddenly stretched like it was made of elastic material. Then, they grabbed the kettle and the cup, poured water, and fed it to Sammy's mouth.

”Even the best apprentices would feel that their brains are exploding when they are faced with all those equations, conceptions, mechanisms, and magic models, even though we're only working on the basics,” Donnie rubbed his temples and complained. It was particularly so when so many theories and equations had Lucien or Evans in them. He only hoped that somebody could travel back in time and kill that guy so that those torturing things wouldn't have been invented.

Thinking about that, Donnie sighed. ”Also, I do not have a Lucidity Necklace or a Stamina Ring. I'm not like you. You have a natural-born Back Spirit, and you have been admitted by the Heidler Magic College in advance for your excellent necromancy skills. For me, I can only count myself, and I cannot fail. It's only natural that I get exhausted and anxious as time goes on.”

He knew his mental status rather well.

Sammy drank a mouthful of water and yawned again. ”Your psychoanalysis is pretty good. It will be better after you unleash your depression.”

Then, he lay on his bed lazily and closed his eyes. ”The Back Spirit can be quite tricky. It absorbs your vitality, affects your status, and… prevents girls from getting close to you. I would've been burnt if I were born during the reign of the Saint Truth…”

As he spoke, he fell asleep, and his breath was barely audible. His Back Spirit lay below him and hugged him tightly.

Donnie looked at his roommate and sighed. What you despise is what I envy and cannot get. After all, if he could become an official sorcerer, none of the female sorcerers would be scared of his Back Spirit.

Sammy mentioned it before that he had a twin brother. However, since his mother's body was damaged near a gap of the World of Souls, one of her babies was already dead before being born.

Calming himself down, Donnie threw aside ”Introduction to Arcana” and ”History of Arcana and Magic” and focused on the exercises to analyze magic models.

Tomorrow, I will have my own Lucidity Necklace!

...

As the intricate and weird spell echoed and the clusters of cold powder slid off, a transparent ray mixed with freezing air was shot out, resulting in thick frost on the throat of the target.

Donnie looked at his work in satisfaction and appreciated Mr. Evans in his heart. After he basically figured out the essence of magic, the functions of many spells had been analyzed and simplified. Otherwise, it would've been impossible for him to shoot out a freezing ray so easily.

”Alright, that's all for today's magic exercise.” The teacher responsible for real-battle magic guidance clapped his hands and dismissed the students.

Donnie hurried to stop and pack his materials. After saying goodbye to Sammy who seemed to be half asleep all the time, he hurried to go to the station outside of the school.

Today was Sunday. There were no classes in the afternoon.

After forty minutes, Bus No. 36 reached Triumph Avenue, and Donnie walked into the Knowledge Bookstore quickly.

”Good afternoon, sir.” Donnie greeted and was too shy to say anything else.