"I Became a Witch, but Now Everyone's in Love with Me!"

Chapter 26: Magic Is Always a Money-Burning Profession
 

It’s expensive for a witch to grow up.
Beyond tuition fees, there’s the cost of acquiring rare magic, equipment, and spellcasting tools. For a developing witch, even the daily expenses of studying can be overwhelming.
A witch’s resistance to knowledge infection fundamentally depends on their mental power. The mental coefficient determines how effectively each unit of mental energy can block the effects of that infection.

But mental strength is largely tied to individual talent. While magical power correlates positively, there's a wide range of variation from person to person.
So what about witches with low mental coefficients who want to catch up—or those with high ones who want to learn even faster?
Training mental power is the traditional, long-term solution. But if you want quicker results…

You’ll need to spend money.
The “mental potion” Jiang Cha had been eyeing is one such shortcut.
Technically, anything that speeds up mental recovery counts, but mental potions are the most common—and the most consumed—type.

Their production, at the lower levels, is already industrialized. But raw materials remain scarce, and the demand across the entire witch society is endless. As a result, these potions are often twice as expensive as other similarly industrialized ones.
Put simply:
Jiang Cha couldn’t afford it.
Since she couldn’t buy them from the store, she had only one choice—make them herself. Thankfully, the Potion Club offered ingredients at a 20% discount and allowed unlimited purchases. That kind of savings made brewing her own potions feasible.

So, without hesitation, Jiang Cha picked her next study focus.
“Jiang-chan, don’t do anything so dangerous again. Without external help, there’s a limit to how much knowledge infection the brain can endure over time.”
Dragged to the academy infirmary for a check-up by He Qin, Jiang Cha listened helplessly to her nagging.

Though called a check-up, it was just a scan with a machine. The results came out quickly—classic witch fatigue.
“Overexertion.”
To put it bluntly, she’d pushed herself too hard because she didn’t have enough money for in-game purchases. A single mental potion would’ve fixed it.

And to ensure she could fight the ten battles she had promised, that potion had been generously provided by the ever-wealthy Lina.
Without it, Jiang Cha would’ve needed at least five days of rest before she could study again. In more serious cases, she might’ve missed class altogether.
“Haha… I ran into a little accident while developing my innate magic. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Jiang Cha smiled awkwardly. She regretted her impulsiveness a little, but mostly she was just embarrassed by He Qin’s constant scolding—like being lectured by a granny.

She shot Lina a pleading look.
Sincerely apologetic, completely unrepentant—that was her whole vibe.
“Exactly! All witches overwork. Senior students in the lab drop from exhaustion all the time!”

The golden-haired loli chimed in with a grin, but she did feel a little guilty. As someone born into wealth, she had unlimited access to potions and had never been truly exhausted.
Sure, she studied late every night, but she’d drink a bottle of potion each morning and be refreshed again.
And during the day, she’d nap in class—just like a Chinese high school senior pulling all-nighters and catching up during morning study sessions.

“Well…”
He Qin sighed. She could tell neither of these two had learned their lesson.
But honestly, she was no better. What young witch today actually sleeps early?

She couldn’t afford Lina-level potions, but she could manage the cheaper ones. With just two or three hours of sleep, she could still make things work.
No one had the right to scold anyone. They were all the same—driven and sleep-deprived—so she let it go.
“Qinbao, want to come to the Battle Club with me?”

“Um…”
He Qin hesitated. She wasn’t fond of combat, but she didn’t want to miss out on spending time with her friends either. If it were only once a week…
“Come on! We’ll be a team later. Second-year combat class includes group battles. Better to get used to it now!”

He Qin gave in.
So the three of them headed to the Battle Club together.
To emphasize once again:

Witches are already known for their beauty, and the residents of dormitory D12 were among the most stunning even by witch standards.
But Lina was already well-known at the Battle Club. Despite her popularity, she was seen as socially terrifying and backed by a family no one wanted to cross. Anyone foolish enough to try flirting with her risked being hunted down by the Noyce family—not the formal family, but her many older sisters, both graduates and current students at Aislyn Witch Academy.
Family elders might not intervene, but upperclassman sisters? They absolutely would.

As for He Qin, she kept to herself. Her haunts included the classroom, the market, and the Puppet Club. She was shy and socially anxious, with almost no friends outside her dorm.
And Jiang Cha? She’d only just started school and hadn’t even met all her classmates yet.
That’s why no seniors had dared approach them.

Otherwise, the way they were swarmed today, dorm D12’s door would’ve been trampled long ago.
“Shoo, shoo! Don’t block the way! Go mind your own business!”
It took Instructor Carol to finally step in and drive the crowd off, rescuing them from the chaos.

To be more precise—rescuing He Qin, the socially anxious one.
Lina already knew everyone in the Battle Club. Jiang Cha could hold her own in a crowd. Only He Qin had always avoided Lina’s invitations, mostly because of how terrifying these aggressive women were.
“Yoo~ Surprised?”

As a first-year advisor, Carol knew quite a bit about He Qin.
A star of the Puppet Club, a genius who’d crafted fourth-tier puppets before even entering the academy, and a tactical witch with a complete combat system.
“Good, I’ll reward you later.”

“Hehehe~ Then I want to learn your [Red Sun] spell!”
Lina perked up instantly. She didn’t care for material rewards, but as an ace battle witch from the Shaping Department, Carol’s magic had long caught her eye.
“You’re aiming straight for a sixth-level spell? You’ve got quite the appetite.”

Carol raised an eyebrow.
“It’s fine unless…”
Originally, Lina hadn’t expected much. Sixth-level spells were serious—used as core tactics by full-fledged witches and far too valuable to sell.

Especially [Red Sun], Carol’s personal environmental spell. She wouldn’t sell it, not even for a fortune.
But that “unless”… instantly got Lina’s full attention.
“What is it, Mentor? As long as I can do it!”

Lina was clever—she only promised what she could reasonably achieve.
Her two most valuable possessions were the resource worlds gifted by her family. Trading one had once earned her a rare sixth-level spell. Pricey, but worth it.
At least it saved her from a beating from her red-dragon mother.

“It’s not that extreme. Just win the Witch Cup.”
“The club hasn’t had any good players in years. The first-year team’s lost three times in a row. The last win was when your sister led the team.”
Lina: “...”

You cruel woman, you’re just making things difficult!
“Witch Cup?” Jiang Cha asked quietly.
She could tell how badly Lina wanted Carol’s magic—and knowing Lina, that made her very curious about the event.

“It’s just a school tournament, nothing too serious. I’m just annoyed at Limire Academy being so smug.”
Carol waved it off like it was nothing.
“It’s not as simple as it sounds, Chabao,” Lina sighed. “It’s basically a battle of combat education between magic academies. Even if we win the first-year group, we can’t claim the championship if the other grades lose.”

“Oh? So you don’t have faith in me?”
Casey appeared suddenly, slinging an arm around Lina with a teasing grin.
“Of course I do!”

Lina panicked.
Even if the fourth and fifth years had lost before, she wasn’t about to say that now!
“And what about your sister?”

“Even more faith!”
“...”
It got noisy fast.

Everyone silently agreed not to bring up the Witch Cup again.
Jiang Cha, still new, didn’t know much. He Qin had no interest in fighting. Talking too much would just ruin the mood.
“Looks like your plan failed~” Lina said after they left, nudging Carol with a grin.

“Think that kid can resist temptation?”
Carol looked tired. Her plan was simple—Lina would drag in the other two, and she’d build a powerful first-year team. That would’ve secured a win.
But the golden-haired loli had turned her down flat.

Carol refused to believe Lina hadn’t understood her hint.
“Forget it. We’ll see how things play out. Limire might not have any good players this year anyway.”
With a [N O V E L I G H T] sigh, Carol gave up and just focused on watching the fights.

“These three really are talented. I saw He Qin’s first-year combat class.”
“Her puppet tactics are practically complete. I wonder how a first-year even managed that. Whose disciple is she?”
“You’d be surprised,” said a grinning dark-skinned instructor nearby. “Ever heard of the puppet shop?”

“That retro place? You mean He Qin—”
Casey trailed off, watching He Qin direct twelve mechanical puppets in a war of attrition against Lina.
“She said she wasn’t an apprentice. Do you believe that?”

“Not for a second.”
No master would keep a low-tier puppeteer at their side unless they were training them.
In fact, some high-level puppeteers would pay just to assist someone like that.