Chapter 624 – Friendly Sparring

Although it had changed from attacking the Witch’s Wilds and declaring war on the witch race to issuing one-on-one challenge letters to individual witches, how was this not another form of venting frustration?

Having lavishly prepared war resources, assembled their subordinate mages, and marched south with great fanfare, only to slink back with their tails between their legs because of a single 《Friendship Rating Reward and Punishment System 1.0 Launch Preview Notice》 from the Dawn Society — it was simply too wasteful and too humiliating.

What were witches, anyway? Nothing more than a group of women who had been lucky enough to obtain magical bloodlines.

If not for the Sorceress appearing out of nowhere, witches would still be living under the shadow of human mages!

The noble mages of both nations conferred among themselves and, by remarkable coincidence, issued new orders to their subordinates — to seek out witches and issue challenges.

The mages, who had been agonizing over their precariously low friendship ratings, had never been so willing to carry out their superiors’ orders.

The Acolytes and Paladin legions by the River of Origin, the mage corps stationed at the five villages along the southern border of the Mage Empire, and the mages en route as reinforcements all dispersed into smaller groups and began seeking out witches to deliver challenge letters.

There weren’t many witches within the Yala Empire, so the Acolytes and paladins went to the edges of the Black Forest to shout and call out, challenging the Necromancer Witches within to come out and accept their challenges.

The mages of the Mage Empire’s Border Mage Corps either flooded into the Duchy of Lance or fixed their eyes on the skies above Emerald Creek Plains, searching for any trace of witches.

Most remarkable of all, the grand Instructors of the Mage Empire’s Imperial Magic Academy — those who had devoted themselves to magical research and mage education — actually collectively stepped forward and issued a new regulation, adding a new extracurricular practical assessment requirement for all mage students in the school: challenge and defeat a witch.

It wasn’t for any other reason — mainly because the Academy’s Instructors had discovered that the Mage Empire had also produced a genius elite mage named Mo Lan who had caused a sensation across the entire school over a decade ago. This Mo Lan had read through every book on the Library Floor of the school’s Mage Tower in just a few years, and then, just as some Instructors noticed her and wanted to take her as their disciple, she left the Academy and never returned.

Not long after that, the Dawn Society began listing various Knowledge Cards about mage Magic — from theory to spell structures, covering everything. It was practically no different from having transplanted the Mage Empire’s entire library collection to the Dawn Society.

The master of the Dawn Society, the Card Sorceress, was called Moira. The vanished student of the Imperial Magic Academy was also called Moira. What more was there for them to not understand?

Having their entire heritage stolen over a decade ago was bad enough, but for a Sorceress who had come to magic late in life to have learned — in such a short time — all that magical knowledge which was protected layer upon layer, where one had to master one level before the next could be unlocked…

The psychic power needed to memorize all the magical knowledge on the Library Floor of the entire Academy’s Mage Tower in such a short time — they simply couldn’t imagine it.

Even for a Sorceress, it was far too outrageous.

They had harbored a grudge about this matter, yet with many rare magical materials only obtainable through the Card Shop, and with the common mages who now supported the Dawn Society growing ever more powerful, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

The Instructors were unhappy inside, so naturally they took it out on their own students.

One Sorceress could learn the entire Academy’s magical knowledge in just a few years, yet their Academy’s proper students couldn’t even fully grasp the magic of a single school of thought. Clearly, they had been working in isolation for far too long.

And so, the students of the Imperial Magic Academy were generously gifted a new extracurricular practical assignment to complete every year.

For Intermediate and Advanced mages, it was manageable enough — with some effort, they could still find Intermediate and Advanced witches to issue challenge letters to.

But for mage apprentices and Beginner mages, it was difficult, because Apprentice witches and Beginner witches simply never left the Witch’s Wilds.

Other races, while not as desperate as the established noble mage factions of the two human empires to rescue their friendship ratings that had already hit dangerous critical levels, also recognized the importance of friendship ratings.

High friendship ratings genuinely saved money and were genuinely worth it!

Just reselling cards for a profit margin alone could fill their coffers to the brim. Maximum friendship ratings granted the same treatment as witches, and unlocking the witch-exclusive Card Shop was like a carrot dangled in front of everyone.

The 《Friendship Rating Reward and Punishment Guidelines and Examples》 stated clearly: harming the lives or personal freedom of Dawn Society members or witches would result in friendship point deductions. However, only fair and just challenges against witches — ones that didn’t endanger the witch’s life — would earn friendship point rewards.

Friendly sparring was the wellspring of strength and progress. With this idea in mind, they urgently reached out to the witches they knew who were around the same magical level as themselves, attempting to engage them in friendly sparring.

Those who had no witch acquaintances chose to seek out nearby witches instead.

For a time, across the world of Valen, witches who hadn’t yet returned to the Wilds were subjected to varying degrees of harassment from other races.

The Sacred Mountains, the Holy City, the Holy Song Lily of the Valley tea restaurant.

Garona, who hadn’t yet had time to set off back to the Wilds, was happily putting her luggage back while excitedly celebrating with the witches who had just arrived.

“The Wilds should be safe now. We don’t need to rush back.”

“Moira’s friendship rating system is absolutely brilliant. When I came here just now, I could feel the Hermits’ attitudes toward me had completely changed.”

“Hahaha! I noticed too! The way they clearly disapprove of us and want to lecture us, but are afraid of being flagged as unfriendly toward witches — the way they’re practically bursting from holding it in is just too funny!”

“It’s also because they’re only obsessed with the Light and haven’t carefully read the attached 《Friendship Rating Reward and Punishment Guidelines and Examples》. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be afraid to even lecture us.”

…

While they were chatting, a voice suddenly came from downstairs — it was Holy Song Lily of the Valley: “Welcome… uh, Hermits and Angels are not permitted inside!”

The witches’ conversation halted abruptly, and they all craned their necks to look downstairs.

Luwen at the entrance waved to them, accompanied by a female Angel. “I’d like to ask — which of you is a Peak level witch? This Angel lady would like to spar with you. Also, I’d like to find an Apprentice level witch to spar with as well.”

“Hello, I’m Liel, a low-ranking Angel. My magical energy level is roughly equivalent to your Peak level for witches.” The Angel smiled and introduced herself to them.

The witches who knew the inside story were momentarily at a loss for words.

What “Liel” — wasn’t that just Miliel?

Had she come here to earn friendship points off of them?

Among the witches, Garona, the only Peak level among them, stepped forward. “I’m Peak level. I accept your challenge! As for Apprentice level witches, they’re all still studying at the Witch Academy. You won’t encounter any of them outside the Wilds.”

At the same time, the dragons who coveted the witch-exclusive Card Shop also began to make their move.

Led by the gluttonous Krotack, they started using various treasures to entice the witches on their Communication Cards, asking them to introduce Peak level, or even Beyond Peak level witches.

(End of Chapter)