Chapter 9: Defense Against Dark Magic
The following morning, on the second floor of the magic tower, in the classroom designated for the Defense Against Dark Magic course.
“Good morning, apprentices.”
“Good morning, Professor Eva.”
Every Monday from 8 to 11 a.m., all first-year apprentices attended their mandatory course—Defense Against Dark Magic, also known as Wizard Combat.
The class was taught by a formal wizard of White Coral Academy, a First Tier wizard known by the codename “Crimson Witch”—Professor Grace Eva.
Grace Eva was the legitimate daughter of the Eva family, a wizarding lineage from Turin.
She was also a genius who had advanced to First Tier wizard before the age of twenty-five.
Specializing in blood magic, she had trained in Blackbone Grove during her apprenticeship before transferring to White Coral Academy.
As a Level 3 apprentice, she was recommended by the academy to further her studies at the Level 2 wizard gathering place, the “White Tower” in Dordogne, where she advanced to a Blood Wizard and received the codename “Crimson Witch” from the tower.
Once a star wizard, after completing her studies at the White Tower, she chose not to pursue further advancement but instead returned to White Coral Academy to serve as a professor.
…
“Meditation is the process by which a wizard uses spirit power to tap into magic, establishing a soul circuit between the wizard’s tree within their soul and the ecological system of the wizarding world.”
“If the soul circuit is unstable, then even if your spirit power is high and your magic strong, the independent ecological network of the wizard’s tree will struggle to support your advancement to a formal wizard. In the end, you may face a magic surge and soul collapse…”
“Therefore, besides constant meditation and study, combat is also an effective way for a wizard’s internal ecology to quickly adapt to the world’s magic…”
“High magic power doesn’t equate to combat proficiency. Skilled combat techniques and strategies are essential to fully utilize the magic you’ve learned…”
“This world is dangerous; a moment’s carelessness could cost you your life…”
The sound of scribbling notes filled the apprentice classroom.
At this moment, Janna’s attention was particularly focused on the combat platform, where Professor Grace stood.
She wore a blood-red robe matching her ear-length short hair, her tall figure and pale yet sharply defined face exuding a stern demeanor with slightly masculine features.
“Today, as usual, we’ll randomly select a few apprentices to engage in one-on-one wizard duels. Any spell is permitted, but no props may be used… The victor will earn the opportunity to ask a question after class.”
Upon hearing Grace’s words, Janna’s previously calm and focused expression suddenly changed, her eyes gleaming with eagerness.
Just as she was about to raise her hand to volunteer, a task notification sounded in her mind.
[Today’s Task: Complete a wizard duel challenge and achieve victory;
Task Reward: 200 Talent EXP, 800 Skill EXP, and one random reward.]
Upon hearing the task prompt, Janna quickly opened the quest panel in her mind.
As expected, unlike the previous task’s white font, this task’s description was in green.
“A green task—this indicates a higher difficulty level than the last one.”
Over the past six months, Janna had gradually uncovered some patterns of the “Daily Quest System.”
Tasks with white font were considered low-level, while green tasks posed a moderate challenge.
Since her reincarnation, Janna had mostly encountered white tasks; green tasks were less frequent but not rare.
The most notable difference between these two types of tasks, aside from the varying amounts of Talent and Skill EXP, was the quality of the random rewards.
For instance, on the character panel, white tasks typically awarded [+0.1–0.2 points], whereas green tasks offered around [+0.3–0.5 points], sometimes even granting unexpected special character talents.
Janna currently possessed special talents like [Exceptional Memory], [Muscle Control], and [Fair Skin], all acquired over the past six months.
Aside from the third talent, which slightly improved her skin quality, [Exceptional Memory] and [Muscle Control] provided significant advantages.
For example, during her first year as an apprentice, Janna managed to study all six core courses while also taking on “Mykethan” and “Introductory Contract Studies,” thanks to the [Exceptional Memory] talent awarded by the system.
The [Muscle Control] talent not only allowed Janna to execute spellcasting gestures with precision but also enabled her to maintain a perfect yet undetectable “social smile” in interactions with individuals she disliked but couldn’t afford to offend.
“Completing the task not only yields system rewards but also grants an opportunity to ask Professor Grace a question… Overall, it’s a worthwhile endeavor.”
Even in free apprentice courses, asking questions required strict adherence to the “principle of equivalent exchange” among wizards, often necessitating academic credits.
Especially with renowned and powerful wizards like the “Crimson Witch” Grace, the chance to ask a question for free was particularly valuable.
“Is there anyone who wishes to volunteer for the duel?”
“Professor, I’d like to participate.”
As soon as Grace finished speaking, Janna, seated in the front row, along with several apprentices seated further back, quickly raised their hands.
Subsequently, over ten more wizard apprentices followed suit.
“Not bad; you’re more enthusiastic this time compared to last week’s class.”
The classroom housed over a hundred first-year apprentices.
Among them, about half still had their spirit power stuck at 9 points, not yet reaching the threshold for First Tier apprentices.
The remaining half had advanced to First Tier wizard apprentices, but a small portion of them only mastered basic spells like the “Cleaning Spell” and “Levitation Spell.”
For apprentices at this skill level, stepping onto the platform would be self-defeating; even a simple First Tier spell like Acid Spray could pose a significant threat, let alone achieving victory in a duel.
Among the remaining thirty or so apprentices, about seventy percent hailed from wizard families, possessing ample resources and having undergone systematic wizard combat training since childhood, making them formidable opponents.
The remaining thirty percent were non-wizard family apprentices—commoners with no power, influence, or wealth but with commendable talent, managing to be among the first batch to advance to First Tier wizard apprentices.
Among those who raised their hands, some, like Janna, were “commoner apprentices” in need of money.
After all, the opportunity to ask a question to a wizard of Grace’s caliber was “very expensive.”
Even if they didn’t use it themselves, they could trade it with senior wizard apprentices, ensuring they wouldn’t incur a loss.
Of course, there were also a few who simply loved combat and relished the sense of accomplishment from defeating opponents…