Chapter 63: An Attempt at Sorcery

Aside from chatting and complaining about their respective studies, the three of them also exchanged their recent plans. Shaded did not mention the Primordial Silver Moon, intending to bring it up only after the final appraisal next week, whereas the doctor had already accepted the academy commission to acquire the Secret-Keeper-grade relic, the [Counterfeited Philosopher's Stone].

Even knowing that this matter was related to the Sage-grade relic, the [God's Gift Box], and the insane plans of the [Mercury Blood] organization, the doctor still intended to get involved. He planned to invite Miss Louisa to join his plan, but strictly warned Shaded not to get involved in this matter under any circumstances, as Ring-術士 battles were bound to break out in the end.

Compared to four-ring and five-ring Ring-術士s, Shaded was still practically an ordinary person.

Miss Louisa's plan for next week was much simpler. Aside from assisting the doctor, she had made up her mind to study at home and absolutely not go out. During the exam season at the end of July, she had to pass at least five exams so that she would have a chance to advance to the fifth grade by the end of the year.

The blonde young lady had already gathered the four different spiritual runes for the four rings and was now just waiting to hold a ritual to connect the sublimation words of lower-tier Ring-術士s, advancing to the fifth ring in one fell swoop. These matters had already been reported to St. Byrons, and the academy would send a mentor to Tobesk this autumn to assist with this crucial sublimation.

Therefore, the exams for cultural and theoretical classes were the biggest obstacles blocking her entry into the fifth grade.

Miss Annette the diviner had still not returned to the city of Tobesk, and Father Augustus had not shown up by the evening of that day, leaving Shaded with no opportunity to ask what the "afterglow of the gods" mentioned by the past outer god actually was.

He did try to mention it once in front of Dr. Schneider and Miss Louisa, but the two of them showed no reaction whatsoever, treating it as some sort of religious metaphor.

"As expected, if this kind of thing could be easily inquired about, it wouldn't match the difficulty level of the corresponding event. Just like simple commissions can't possibly yield very high rewards... Mia excluded."

Shaded comforted himself in his heart and planned to take the time to visit Father Augustus at the Dawn Church in person.

Of course, the priest's absence was not due to some bad luck or accident. Later that day, he had someone deliver a letter to the psychological clinic, explaining that the church had temporarily scheduled a meeting that afternoon to discuss the arrangements for the upcoming Dawn Church Holy Prayer Day activities to be held in July.

The Dawn Church held grand religious celebrations in late July, which was the day with the longest daylight hours. Believers called it "Holy Prayer Day," while heretics called it "Holy Prayer Festival." Therefore, Father Augustus would probably be quite busy over the coming month. An old priest who had participated in countless Holy Prayer Days was, after all, an important organizer for holding such events.

Just like today, when five people should have attended the study group meeting, only three were present—a very common occurrence. Everyone had their own lives and plans, and life was always full of bizarre accidents. This was something Miss Louisa, as a writer, had said.

"Ha, that quote isn't a citation; it's something I came up with myself, written in my short story 'Midsummer Night's Wish'."

The blonde writer said with a hint of complacency.

Upon returning home to St. Deren Square that night, Shaded immediately studied the incantation [Frog's Leap], bringing the total number of incantations he had mastered to six, including three basic ones.

The learning materials for the incantation consisted of the supernatant of ground frog viscera and four complete frog skins, all provided free of charge by Miss Louisa. She even provided more than a dozen air-dried frog legs for Shaded to use as spellcasting materials.

Shaded would have to prepare these things himself in the future, so the doctor advised Shaded that he could clear out a dedicated room in his house for alchemy, potion preparation, and herb cultivation.

Shaded planned to pry open the wooden boards on the first floor after some time to see if there was any space in the basement. On this night, both he and Mia the orange cat had a hard time sleeping through the middle of the night because of the smell of the frog materials.

But at least he had learned the incantation. He applied three-quarters of the supernatant of the ground materials to his two legs, and wrapped his ankles and knees with the four frog skins respectively. Using a steel needle, he pierced his wrapped knees and ankles until they bled, and in this injured state, he chanted the incantation provided by Miss Louisa.

Shaded once again exercised his talent of "being able to understand when hearing and seeing, but unable to speak or write." After reciting those strange syllables, he understood that this was a witchcraft sacrificial method, praying for the help of the slaughtered frogs.

"You kill them and then ask for their help?"

Although he didn't understand this behavior, after enduring the nausea and vomiting sensation, drinking the final quarter of the supernatant, and continuously jumping while injured amidst the feeling of retching, he finally learned this sixth incantation.

"Since you are me, can you help me finish these terrible studies?"

He still had the mood to ask in his heart, but the usual whispering voice of the woman by his ear did not appear this time.

Since he had learned it, he had to give it a try. Shaded cleared the furniture from the living room, leaving enough open space for movement, and while reciting the incantation, he crushed the dried frog legs with his fingers. As the sense of power in his legs gradually became obvious, he seemed to see a cyan halo appear on his legs.

Tossing the frog legs aside casually, as the incantation was completed, he leaped upwards fiercely, his entire body soaring into the air. After completing a 360-degree rotation in mid-air, with a *thud*, his feet landed steadily on the ground.

"Oh! This is truly amazing!"

Shaded thought with a smile. The sense of power had not diminished yet, meaning that the power of the incantation could last for quite a long time. Just as he wanted to try again, he saw the orange cat lying on the sofa staring at him with wide eyes.

Then, Mia stood up on the sofa, tried to jump a few times slowly, and suddenly jumped with great force. The entire orange cat imitated the appearance Shaded had just made, performed a beautiful turn in mid-air, and then crashed onto the sofa.

The sofa was soft, and Mia hadn't jumped very high either. So it struggled a bit and stood up, looking up to see Shaded watching it. Thus, it turned around, backed away from Shaded, and lay down again. The entire orange cat curled up into the corner of the large sofa like an orange cat ball, looking determined to ignore Shaded altogether.

"Well..."

Actually, raising a cat at home brought enough joy to offset the cost of cat food and daily care. At least looking at the money spent on high-end cat food left on the coffee table, although Shaded would be happy, it wouldn't bring this kind of heartfelt joy.

Of course, there were also unhappy things about this night. The smell of the frog skins and supernatant did not completely disappear until the next morning. As for the taste in his mouth, Shaded suspected he would remember it for the rest of his life.