The Sword and The Shadow - Chapter 24 – Bear Hunting

When the admissions office of Witch Academy called, I was stunned—I had been accepted into a school I never imagined I could touch.Yes, I am a boy and it is an all-girls’ academy, but they did not mind, so I saw no reason to object. I had applied secretly, without telling my family, just to take a chance.But as soon as those striking seniors greeted us newcomers—pressing every boy against the wall with a knowing smile—I realized things were about to spin out of control.“Oh, come now, you sweet little freshman,” one of them said smoothly, her voice full of mischief. “Don’t make this difficult for me, your big sis. Swallow this core and transform into a witch like me, alright?”She held the glowing orb before us, half-threatening, half-teasing, almost inviting the new boys to react. It was clear she enjoyed it—the blend of fear and resistance in their expressions. Our unease seemed to be her personal amusement.After all, they only had this opportunity once a year.

In a world where summoners wield the power to call forth vampires, elves, angels, demons, and all humanoid creatures from across the realms, Nathan found himself unable to summon beings except from beasts. However, those beasts are not ordinary beasts. They are divine beings who once stood at the same level, if not higher, than the legendary creatures the world ever knew. Casting his gaze to the left, Nathan sees numerous summoners accompanied by the likes of demon kings, archangels, vampire progenitors, and other legendary beings. Turning to the right, a massive army of alien symbiotes is waiting to attack. There was no fear in his eyes, because standing on his left is a majestic wolf who managed to kill a god, the legendary eight-headed serpent coils on his right, above him is the bird who is glowing like the sun, and behind him is a dragon that once gnawed the roots of the world tree. “Let the war begin.”

Aubree descended the mountain and became the real young miss of the Aubree family in River City.No one in the Aubree family liked this little Buddhist nun who came out from deep mountains. They gave the fake daughter their utmost care while warning the real young miss to discard all ideas of replacing the fake daughter's place.Aubree did not fight. She ate vegetarian food and read Buddhist scriptures every day—void of lust and desires.Her younger brother got caught in a huge lawsuit. Mrs. Aubree went through a lot of trouble to invite the First Lady to plead for mercy only to receive merciless ridicule. “I'll give you a second chance on Master Aubree's account.”Mrs. Aubree, “?”Mr. Aubree's company was in a crisis and was in desperate need of money. In his attempt to gain the richest man's favor, the rich man merely responded with a gaze full of despise. “You tend to take fish eyes for pearls. I think you've developed an acquired taste in your investments.”Mr. Aubree, “?”The fake daughter wanted to ruin the real daughter's reputation at a banquet. Eventually, everyone ended up realizing that the real young miss of the Aubree family was as beautiful as a fairy with a kindred heart.Fake daughter, “?”The crown prince of the wealthy, Qu Feitai, was also a top celebrity in showbiz. Being at the center of attention, he could summon a tempest whenever he wanted.When he participated in a variety show, a frail female guest appeared. She chopped wood with her left hand and pulled noodles with her right hand. Steaming, boiling, and cooking; everything was a piece of cake to her. As someone horrible at maintaining an orderly life, he was dumbfounded.During the live broadcast of the International Junior League finals, his cousin, who was known as a genius in Go, was extremely anxious. On the other hand, the familiar-looking beautiful girl opposite him was calm and composed, ending him in one move.His high-flyer best friend cried to him, “After your goddess transferred over, I can never surpass being in second place anymore.”Qu Feitai, “How many surprises do you have that I don't know about?”Until one day, he actually saw her discussing scriptures and Buddism with a group of old monks at an international Buddhist exchange. As she started to speak of Buddhist Dharma, Qu Feitai panicked…“You keep your six senses pure and saw through the vanity of the world, but I insist on dragging you here for a walk in the mortal realm. Worse comes to worst, you'll ascend to nirvana and I'll end up in hell.”

Silas Blackwood wakes up with a machine in his chest – his missing mother's parting gift to help him survive the war with the Fae. This “system” grants him bizarre abilities: neuromancy (magic of the mind), biomancy (magic of the body), and essomancy (magic of souls and essences). Oh, and it fused a leviathan's mana core into his body. Because why not become part sea monster?At Arcanium University, a military boot camp churning out mage knights, Silas finds himself targeted by rich brats who think being born with a silver wand up their ass makes them special. When they leave him for dead, Silas decides it's time to show these spoiled kids what real power looks like.As Silas grows stronger, he discovers he can upgrade himself by absorbing essences from magical beasts and demons. Just when he thinks he's got a handle on things, Silas learns his mother's alive, and now he's got a new mission: a rescue that'll take him and his friends straight into the depths of Hell.