Chapter 54: The Experiment of Hybrid Creatures

Shadow Forest.

Half a month had passed since Lin Wei had entered the academy, and he had already grown accustomed to his new life. Aside from attending public courses, what he did most often was visit the academy library, using the storage and analysis functions of his intelligent Sphere Core to expand his own reserves of knowledge.

However, the world of wizards seemed to revolve around the principle of equivalent exchange. Apart from a few basic books, all other tomes containing advanced knowledge required the payment of magic stones to borrow—a fact that gave Lin Wei quite a headache.

Still, it was not unbearable. During the assessment of benefits, Lin Wei had been classified as possessing fourth-tier aptitude, granting him ten magic stones for free each month. This was no small sum; some students who assisted their mentors in experiments might not earn ten magic stones in half a year.

Public Course Teaching Hall.

“All right, that’s the end of today’s lesson.”

The speaker was an elderly man with graying hair, large spectacles perched upon his nose, and dressed in a wizard’s robe that resembled a scholar’s gown. Yet none of these trappings lent him any air of dignity or kindness. His slanted, triangular eyes gave him a sinister look, and his unsmiling face made it difficult for anyone to feel any warmth toward him.

Once he finished speaking, the old man gathered his thick stack of books and departed without a backward glance.

Only when his figure had faded into the distance did the students in the classroom begin to file out.

A notebook lay open before Lin Wei, who held a goose-feather pen, seemingly engrossed in taking notes on the lesson.

In truth, it was a mere pretense. From the very start of class, Lin Wei had already instructed the Sphere Core to activate its recording function and would later have the reorganized content transmitted to him.

“Lin Wei…”

The voice belonged to a tall girl, her skin pale and dotted with a few scattered freckles across her face.

“Hello.” Lin Wei looked up. He recognized her; she had arrived at the Shadow Forest a year before him and could be considered his senior, though she did not share the same mentor as Ambis.

The curriculum in Shadow Forest was divided into mentor-taught classes and public courses. Mentor-taught classes were led by the mentor chosen by the student, imparting their own expertise. Public courses, on the other hand, were selected by students to fulfill each semester’s credit requirements. This was why Lin Wei was able to study alongside students from the previous cohort in the same classroom.

“Lin Wei, I didn’t quite understand today’s lesson. Could you explain it to me?” The freckled girl gazed at Lin Wei, eyes bright with anticipation.

There was no denying that Lin Wei’s handsome appearance, along with the resources granted by his fourth-tier aptitude, made him quite the center of attention among the female students. Especially since there were surprisingly few freshmen this year, which made Lin Wei stand out all the more.

Lin Wei glanced at the freckled girl and replied with a gentle smile, “Sorry, I didn’t quite understand this lesson either.”

The freckled girl’s face fell, and she left, looking rather disappointed.

Watching her retreating figure, a smirk of disdain played about Lin Wei’s lips. “The world of wizards is one of equivalent exchange. If you want something from someone, you must offer something truly tempting in return…”

When the classroom was nearly empty, Lin Wei finally rose from his seat.

“I need to visit Mentor Seles today and complete the biofusion experiment from last class,” Lin Wei mused.

…

“You say you want to attempt the biofusion experiment!?” Seles looked at Lin Wei in surprise, scrutinizing him as if to discern whether he was lying.

“Of course,” Lin Wei replied, his face calm, betraying not the slightest trace of anxiety.

“But it’s been less than a week since I taught you that experiment. You should know that, of all your predecessors, the fastest managed to complete it in nearly a month,” Seles said sternly, instantly reminding Lin Wei of his own university professors from before he crossed into this world.

“Let me try, Mentor Seles,” Lin Wei responded, utterly composed.

“Well then…” Seles smiled faintly and made way for Lin Wei at the experimental bench.

Lin Wei stepped forward and donned a pair of white gloves.

“I’ll use a sparrow and a mouse for the biofusion experiment…” he said, moving toward a small iron cage nearby.

Inside, more than a dozen grayish-white mice darted about in agitation. As Lin Wei approached, they grew even more restless, squeaking anxiously. These mice differed slightly from ordinary ones; their fur was glossier, and a faint orange gleam shone in their eyes.

Lin Wei opened the cage and selected the largest of the gray-white mice.

The mouse struggled desperately in his grasp, but its strength was too meager to make any difference.

He tossed it into a transparent tank, then fetched a sparrow the size of his palm from a nearby birdcage.

“Looks like it’s time to begin…” A glimmer of interest shone in Lin Wei’s eyes. “The so-called biofusion experiment is about transplanting an organ from one species onto a completely different one. In my previous world, such a thing would have been unthinkable, yet here, it’s entirely possible…”

Picking up a blade, Lin Wei swiftly sliced off one of the sparrow’s wings with a practiced motion.

The sparrow shrieked in pain and struggled even more violently.

“To ensure the graft remains viable, anesthesia can’t be used…” Lin Wei struck the back of the sparrow’s head with a flick of his finger, knocking it unconscious.

He then opened a small bottle filled with yellow liquid, dabbed a bit on his finger, and applied it to the stump of the sparrow’s severed wing. “I need to stop the bleeding, or the host will die and the transplant will fail.”

Lin Wei placed the detached wing into a vessel of deep blue liquid.

“Now then…” He turned his gaze to the gray-white mouse he had caught earlier.

Sensing Lin Wei’s unfriendly intent, the mouse scurried frantically about the glass tank, clearly terrified.

“Come on, little fellow. Perhaps I can let you experience what it feels like to fly.” A smile crept onto Lin Wei’s lips—he actually felt a flicker of the curiosity and excitement he’d once known in his first biology experiments in his previous life.

“Lin Wei…” Seles watched, deep in thought.

From the very beginning, Seles had quietly observed Lin Wei’s every move. His deft handling, his unflinching nerves—it was entirely unlike a novice.

“Biomutation studies differ from the practice of witchcraft: they require little in the way of magical power, but demand a foundation of knowledge and experience, with formidable mental strength as support. Only then can the full potential of living creatures be drawn out…” A sharp light flashed in Seles’s eyes. “Could it be that Lin Wei is truly a genius in the field of biomutation?”