Chapter 125: Forced Testing

“Is this the Dark Forest from several decades ago?”

Lin Wei wandered about casually, surveying his surroundings. “It doesn’t seem any different…”

“But Bansaini’s deepest memory is actually this place…” Lin Wei gave a soft laugh. “An off-campus wizard ultimately abandoned by the academy, yet the years he misses most are still those he spent at the academy. What irony…”

Lin Wei’s figure began to blur, then vanished from the spot in an instant.

…

“Bansaini!”

An elderly female wizard glared furiously at Bansaini and berated him. “Your paper is the worst of the six! In the past, I could still understand it. After all, you were inferior to your three senior fellow students, perhaps because you lacked experience. But what about now? You can’t even compare with the newest juniors. Why did you choose me as your mentor in the first place?!”

Young Bansaini lowered his head, his face flushed scarlet. At a loss for words, he merely scratched his head awkwardly.

Several proud-looking young men and women stood beside him, their undisguised contempt plain in the way they looked at Bansaini.

Not far away, Lin Wei stood by the doorway like an invisible man.

“A mentor this responsible would be hard to find in the Dark Forest of today. Apart from my own mentor, Selos, I’ve never heard of anyone else being quite so strict…” Lin Wei clicked his tongue, though no one could hear him. “A strict mentor is an extremely precious resource to an ordinary person. But to a mediocrity… it’s nothing short of torture.”

“Mentor, I’ll definitely work harder…” Bansaini’s voice lacked confidence.

The elderly female wizard let out a deep sigh and waved her hand. “Go back. You don’t need to take part in today’s experiment. Revise your paper and submit it again when it’s finished.”

“Yes, Mentor.”

Without even raising his head, Bansaini hurried out of the room with his back bent.

“A piece of trash with first-rate talent who still hasn’t broken through to become a first-level apprentice. What a disgrace!”

“I really don’t want people knowing he’s my senior…”

The voices of several young people drifted from behind Bansaini. He clenched his fists and quickened his pace.

“All right, stop gossiping and get on with the next experiment!”

The elderly female wizard’s voice cut off their discussion.

…

“I have to prove it!”

Having just stepped out of the teaching building, Bansaini looked up at the pitch-black sky obscured by the shadows of the trees. Gritting his teeth, he muttered to himself, “I’ll prove through my actions that even someone with first-rate talent can become a full-fledged wizard! I will never compromise!”

“An adolescent delusion?”

From a distance, Lin Wei suddenly recalled a term from the world he had traveled from.

“Bansaini, what are you muttering to yourself about?”

A pleasant female voice came from behind him.

The instant Bansaini heard it, his body straightened and he spun around.

A girl with a fair, exquisite face stood before him. Her hair was tied into a braid, and she gazed at Bansaini with a smile.

“I…I…” Bansaini immediately began to stammer. Tiny beads of sweat appeared across his forehead. “I wasn’t saying anything…”

“This…” The instant Lin Wei saw the girl, he was momentarily stunned. “Felinsoya?!”

“No, she isn’t Felinsoya…” Lin Wei came to his senses at once, though he still found it difficult to believe. “They don’t look exactly alike, but she really does resemble her far too much!”

The girl glanced at Bansaini and offered him an encouraging smile. “Don’t give up.”

“Senior Sayer… Did you hear what I said just now?” Bansaini touched the back of his head, growing even more flustered. He hurriedly changed the subject. “Senior Sayer, where are you going?”

Sayer smiled. “I’m graduating. I’ll be leaving here soon.”

“What?!” Bansaini was stunned. “How can that be?! With your talent and aptitude, you could easily remain at the academy and continue your studies. Becoming a full-fledged wizard would only be a matter of time!”

Sayer shook her head. “It’s my own choice.”

“Your own choice…”

For a moment, Bansaini did not know what to say. Their acquaintance had been purely accidental, and they were not close. All along, it had merely been his own one-sided attachment.

“Where are you going?” Bansaini suddenly asked, his eyes filled with absolute determination. At least, Lin Wei had never seen Bansaini look so resolute.

Sayer smoothed her hair and replied, “I’m going to the West Coast.”

“The West Coast?!”

Lin Wei’s brows immediately drew together. When he had entered the Dark Forest Academy, Felinsoya had traveled aboard the same enormous ship as him. She was clearly from the West Coast as well.

“But isn’t that a land of mortals?” Bansaini asked in confusion. “Why are you going there, Senior?”

Sayer did not answer directly. “For certain other reasons.”

Seeing that she had no intention of elaborating, Bansaini could only nod dejectedly.

“You may not have the best talent, but hard work ought to change something,” Sayer said, patting Bansaini on the shoulder. “Remember what you just said to yourself. Even if you cannot prove it to anyone else, you must prove it to yourself.”

Bansaini froze.

Senior Sayer had just patted him on the shoulder—and she had even encouraged him!

“I’m leaving. Perhaps we’ll meet again someday.”

Sayer smiled politely, then turned and walked away.

Only after she had gone a considerable distance did Bansaini finally come to his senses.

He waved desperately at her retreating figure, his eyes misting with tears. Yet he clenched his teeth and could not bring himself to say goodbye.

“I only want to…prove it to you.”

Lin Wei sniffed, his face full of amusement. “If the Core Sphere hadn’t modified the parameters, I wouldn’t have been able to enter Bansaini’s dream. I certainly wouldn’t have witnessed such an entertaining scene…”

“Since youth is so beautiful… I’ll simply leave you with fewer regrets!”

Lin Wei gave a cold smile.

“Core Sphere, continue modifying the parameters. Force Bansaini’s will to change, and make him catch up with that woman named Sayer!”

Lin Wei issued the command.

“Detection complete. The subject’s mental strength has reached its critical stress threshold. Further parameter modification may cause irreversible harm to the subject. Continue?”

The intelligent Core Sphere issued a warning.

“Continue!”

From the very beginning, Bansaini had merely been Lin Wei’s experimental subject for testing witchcraft.

Bansaini looked somewhat despondent. Then, quite abruptly, he felt a voice tempting him from the depths of his heart.

“Go after her…”

“Go after her. Tell Sayer not to leave…”

“Stop Sayer from going. Follow the deepest desire in your heart…”

Bansaini’s entire body began to tremble. He felt himself slipping beyond his own control, his eyes alternating between delight and terror.

“What…what am I supposed to do?”