Chapter 1: The Enrollment Contract

I groggily opened my eyes. Before me lay a desktop, smooth yet chilling to the touch.

Realizing something was amiss, I forced myself to shake off the grogginess. The current situation felt profoundly wrong. Hadn’t I been playing on my phone in bed just moments ago? Was this some kind of dream, transporting me back to my school days?

‘Had I transmigrated?’

The mere thought sent a jolt through me, instantly clearing my mind!

[Achievement Unlocked: Transmigrator. Effect: Spirit +1]

For a moment, I was utterly bewildered, yet I noticed faint text hovering before my eyes. Instinctively, I reached out to touch it, only for my hand to pass right through. It felt utterly ethereal. Cautiously, I scanned my surroundings, observing that no one else seemed to have noticed this strange phenomenon.

It was only as I discreetly looked around that I realized I had a deskmate!

She possessed long, golden hair that cascaded smoothly. Yet, that wasn’t the focal point; what truly captivated me were the slender, pointed ears protruding from either side of her head!

My gaze must have been too intense, for her eyes drifted towards me. The instant our eyes met, I instinctively looked away, realizing it was impolite to stare.

However, that perfectly exquisite face, combined with her distinctive features, perfectly aligned with my fantasies of an “elf”!

‘Could she truly be an elf?’

‘How could elves possibly exist in this world?’

‘Could it be that I hadn’t transmigrated back to my original world at all?’ I observed the classroom’s layout, which indeed differed from my memory. It was now safe to conclude that I had crossed over into another world!

‘So, what should I do now?’

My mind was a complete blank, devoid of any original memories. This left me in a passive, vulnerable state. I didn’t know where I was, who I was, or even my deskmate’s name!

Yet, I couldn’t panic now. I needed to remain calm, at least for a while, and avoid revealing my disorientation. After settling my nerves, I finally noticed a somewhat thick sheet of paper on the desk before me. Unsurprisingly, it appeared to be parchment, covered in a page full of writing I couldn’t comprehend.

My heart instantly seized with panic. I couldn’t even recognize a single character! This was a hellish start to a new life; I might not even be able to speak the language of this world!

In that moment, I even envisioned the fate that might await me. Such an outcome, I knew without a doubt, would be utterly miserable.

Regardless, when faced with uncertainty, the first step was always to calm down. Frustration was an eternal enemy, one that would only lead me to make poor judgments.

Since this paper was before me, and others also possessed similar items, it clearly served some purpose.

Though I didn’t know what it was, it felt like some kind of contract.

The layout was remarkably similar, even featuring a space for a signature at the bottom.

As I pondered the nature of this mysterious object, a strange commotion erupted behind me.

Seated in the very front row, I had no choice but to turn my head and investigate the situation.

The source of the disturbance was a young woman seated further back. The paper on her desk began to glow brilliantly, then, without a breeze, it lifted from the surface and floated before her. Moments later, an unseen flame ignited the parchment, consuming it entirely until not even ashes remained.

As if a signal had been given, many others experienced the same phenomenon. My deskmate was no exception; she picked up a pen and swiftly scribbled something onto the parchment before her.

Soon enough, her parchment also began to radiate a soft glow.

I watched from the sidelines, utterly dumbfounded! This was my first time witnessing supernatural power at such close range!

‘This must be supernatural power!’

‘This is a world imbued with supernatural abilities!’

Hesitantly, I picked up my pen, unsure of what to do.

As if sensing my intention to write, my elf deskmate glanced my way. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on her lips as she watched me with an air of amusement, yet she did not speak.

Naturally, I wouldn’t respond. Not only did I not know the language of this world – a single word would expose me – but since she hadn’t addressed me first, I saw no reason to reply. I also harbored a slight social anxiety, disliking initiating conversations. I much preferred the type of person who was naturally friendly; talking with them was always a pleasure.

However, as more and more people’s parchments burned away, a sense of urgency began to prickle me. I had to act quickly! I, too, needed to do something.

I had secretly peeked at my deskmate earlier; she seemed to have only signed her name.

I looked at the very bottom of the parchment, the designated spot for a signature. But what about the language and script of this world?

‘So… should I use my original script?’

Time seemed to be running out. I picked up the pen and signed my name in the last blank space.

“Yang Yuehan.”

Soon, my parchment also glowed with a white light, mirroring the others’ reactions. The paper then floated upwards, as invisible flames consumed it, reducing it to ash—no, not even ash. It was as if it had never existed.

Following this, a nearly imperceptible beam of light shot forth from where the parchment had vanished, piercing directly into my forehead.

In that instant, a vast influx of knowledge flooded my mind. Simultaneously, something else appeared in my thoughts: the very content that had been written on the parchment!

The characters and symbols that had been incomprehensible moments ago now felt instinctively understood.

‘This is a contract!’

‘An enrollment contract.’

Signing this contract meant voluntarily enrolling in the Witch Academy, becoming a probationary witch…

‘Witch Academy?’

‘Probationary witch?’

‘Wait, was there a mistake? I’m a boy, aren’t I? I couldn’t have transmigrated and suddenly become a girl, could I?’ A strange thrill, nonetheless, stirred within me at the thought.

Yet, my hair was short, and I could distinctly feel that I was indeed male. A wave of disappointment washed over me.

But now another question arose: If I was a boy, why was I able to enter a Witch Academy?

I glanced around the classroom; there were quite a few other boys present.

Still, the contract in my mind explicitly stated that the Witch Academy was for training witches. So, what was I?

‘A Warlock?’

‘That title sounds dreadful.’

While I yearned to understand my current situation, there wasn’t much I could do at the moment. Aside from the contract in my mind, which I now seemed to comprehend despite its earlier inscrutability, my options were limited.

The contract contained a wealth of information.

For instance, upon signing, one would immediately master the Witch Tongue—the language used by witches. The contract itself seemed to have been written in this very language.

Now, I could understand it with the same effortless fluency as my native tongue. Moreover, I knew how to speak the Witch Tongue. Though I hadn’t yet had the chance to utter a single word, I felt confident I could speak it fluidly, albeit perhaps not perfectly, and would require practice.

The contract was extensive. As I skimmed through the information, item by item, a growing sense of regret began to creep in. ‘This isn’t some kind of indentured servitude contract, is it?’

The contract’s constraints would only be lifted upon becoming a formal witch, as slavery was strictly forbidden among witches.

This implied that everything before becoming a witch would be arranged by the academy. ‘Should I be grateful that the academy granted us student status? They could have simply enslaved us all.’

Having roughly finished reading, I now had a basic understanding of the Witch Academy. It was indeed a place for cultivating witches, and we were probationary witches. Only upon becoming a full-fledged witch would one graduate.

The contract also specified that anyone, regardless of gender, could apparently become a witch.

The details, however, were conspicuously absent. There was no mention of how one transformed into a witch, the process involved, or the means.

Yet, this didn’t bother me. I was quite open-minded, even somewhat eager to become a witch. After all, a witch should be a girl, shouldn’t she?

Becoming a witch meant gaining supernatural powers and experiencing the joys of being a girl. Where else in the world could such a wonderful opportunity be found?

Gently, I rubbed my hands together, my impatience growing.