The Witch's Anatomical Notes

Chapter 73

Godfall Gorge

When everyone from the three towers gathered at this gorge, countless gazes crossed paths in the air.

If looks could kill, the ground would likely have already been littered with corpses from all three sides.

This was the hostility deliberately instilled in the apprentices by their schools, and it was the kind of “healthy competition” the witches were all too pleased to see.

Even the Tower of the Four Sages tacitly approved of this atmosphere.

Just as Fernando and Madam Vine stepped off the airship, three figures shrouded in a terrifying pressure came forward to meet them head-on.

Fernando’s gaze swept over the crowd and abruptly fixed on that last gaunt figure. “Sarah, Servan, it has been quite a long time. And as for you, Rudolph... you old bag of bones who spends every day in the company of aberrations have you not rotted away completely yet?”

These three were the official witches from the Witch’s Cottage and Eternal Silence Blackthorn.

Rudolph was a shriveled old man as thin as a skeleton, with only a few withered strands of white hair on his scalp.

He bared his mouth, which held only two front teeth. “When even the vermin who toy with corpses are still alive and well, how could I dare to die first?”

The two witches, who had both gained their strength by defiling life, glared at each other in open hostility. Their terrifying mental power collided in the void, stirring a fierce wind.

Madam Vine and another witch from Eternal Silence Blackthorn released their magical pressure at the same time, and the scene was on the verge of erupting.

“Everyone,” Sarah from the Witch’s Cottage interrupted at just the right moment, “the apprentices are all watching. Why don’t we send them in first and settle our private grudges later?”

After two cold snorts, the confrontation temporarily subsided. Fernando and Rudolph both withdrew their mental power.

Seeing that both sides still remained tense, Sarah could only step in to act as the host.

She turned toward the gorge and raised her voice.

“I’m sure everyone already knows the location of this tournament... that’s right, it is the Godfall Gorge right in front of you.”

“Due to reasons known to all, the magical energy fluctuations within the gorge are extremely violent. Any witchcraft model above Tier-2 will provoke magical backlash, which is why participants were required to be under Tier-4 apprentice level.”

After briefly explaining the competition grounds, Sarah raised her hand in a gesture.

The tower knights who had been waiting at the side stepped forward to distribute to each contestant a thumb-sized badge.

“The badges in your hands contain a positioning array. If any of you encounter danger, you only need to activate the magical veins within the badge, and we will teleport you out in half a second.”

“Of course, once you leave the arena, you will be considered eliminated, and your badge will remain where it fell.”

“From the third day onward, the boundaries of the arena would gradually shrink toward the center. Any apprentice who remained outside the circle for the duration of an hourglass would be teleported out, though the number of badges they held would be retained.”

“After ten days of competition, we will determine the ranking of the three towers based on the number of badges collected. Then, we will distribute rewards such as magic stones, witchcraft tools, notes, models, and so on, according to individual achievements.”

Everyone was already thoroughly familiar with the competition rules.

So no one raised any questions.

As Sarah lifted her right hand, a massive white barrier enveloped the arena, simultaneously cutting off all interaction between the inside and outside.

At the same time, five powerful official witches raised their hands one after another.

“Oh, one more thing,” Sarah said. “Due to the magical fluctuations within the gorge, there will be a deviation of several kilometers in the teleportation point. Those who have decided on their preferred drop location, come over to receive the teleportation.”

A flurry of discussion erupted at once.

Before long, several groups who had formed teams quickly ran toward the witches of their respective factions.

Entering the arena ahead of others would clearly grant a terrain advantage.

Lucy turned her head and spoke rapidly to the others. “Choosing a teleportation point at the edge will narrow the spread. As soon as we land, regroup along the cliff wall. Avoid conflict along the way just gather first, no matter what!”

In the short time available, this was the fastest method Lucy could think of to regroup.

Meiwa and Nure, who lacked combat power, looked somewhat nervous, and the others also wore solemn expressions.

She glanced toward the silent Olivia. The latter’s lips parted slightly, and she mouthed the words “be careful.”

Along with a flicker of blue magical energy, the seven members of Mead Squad slowly vanished within the array.

...

Deep within the gorge

As the world spun around her, Lucy’s vision went blank for an instant before immediately returning to normal.

Stumbling, she instinctively reached out to steady herself against a withered tree nearby.

Only to discover that the trunk was marked by a face twisted in agony.

“Ghostface Tree!”

This type of enchanted beast was also recorded in Traveling with Migratory Birds.

It was a species of enchanted organism that only grew in Godfall Gorge. According to the conjecture of The Pale Scalpel, these creatures were likely formed from the resentment released by an evil god after its death.

But in terms of life hierarchy classification, they did not even qualify as Level-1 beings. Like ordinary humans, they were categorized as Level-0.

Most of the time, they could only stand motionless in place, waiting for nutrients to be blown into their mouths by the wind.

After confirming it was harmless, Lucy used her scalpel to cut off a small sample and tucked it into her clothes.

Although the Ghostface Tree didn’t appear to have any practical use, that didn’t stop her from collecting a specimen to enrich her collection.

She lifted her gaze to look around.

Dense mist confined her field of vision to within fifty meters, allowing her to barely make out the ring of Ghostface Trees nearby.

“The signal flares are probably useless,” she sighed quietly, rubbing the fireworks hidden in her clothing.

But that wasn’t all she could also feel the violent magical energy fluctuations in the air. This would grant a certain boost to the power of any witchcraft cast here, but at the same time, any spell beyond Tier-2 would almost certainly trigger magical backlash and shred everything nearby into pieces.

While Lucy was surveying the environment, a blue line lit up about twenty meters away.

The line quickly outlined a disc split into upper and lower halves, and a red silhouette emerged between the two halves.

So this was what a teleportation array looked like.

Lucy watched with curiosity from a third-person perspective. For apprentices like them, the teleportation arrays opened by official witches were practically invincible.

As the blue glow faded, the female apprentice from the Witch’s Cottage also immediately noticed Lucy standing less than thirty paces away.

That distance was already within locking range for most Tier-1 witchcraft.

Without hesitation, the Witch’s Cottage apprentice raised her right hand, and a Tier-1 spell model began to form rapidly.

Witch spellcasting had no fixed gestures and did not even require vocal incantation.

However, most apprentices would design a habitual motion or word. This not only helped focus their mental power, but also sped up casting and increased the chance of success.

But it also exposed the process of spellcasting and sometimes the type of spell to the enemy, offering a chance to counter.

In witch duels, that flaw was undoubtedly fatal.

So, ever since Lucy acquired the Gear Staff and formed the habit of raising it to cast, Fernando had repeatedly reminded her how important it was to maintain silent casting.

Just as the Witch’s Cottage apprentice was about to complete her spell model, her mental power at its peak concentration,

a dark green venomous fang sank into her right leg.

The sudden, searing pain made the rather pretty Tier-1 apprentice instantly collapse to the ground. The nearly-completed Tier-1 spell in her hand dissipated at once.

The backlash of the magical energy wave made her froth at the mouth, blood seeping from her seven orifices.

“Not even activating a defensive spell is one thing, but opening with a long-cast Tier-1 attack spell... If I’d aimed for your throat, you would already be dead.”

Although the badge would teleport her to safety in just half a second,

half a second was enough to kill a person.

Lucy walked slowly over to stand before her. “Tell me how many people are in your squad, and what witchcraft you have prepared. If you cooperate, I won’t eliminate you.”

The Tri-Tower Advancement Tournament did not forbid forming teams, so the opponent absolutely could not have been teleported here alone. There were definitely other teammates nearby.

Yet Lucy hadn’t expected that the witch apprentice would, without a moment’s hesitation, pour magical energy into her badge.

As she vanished, she said, “My teammates will make you pay!”

Lucy bent down to pick up the badge stamped with the Witch’s Cottage insignia from the ground.

“Looks like next time, I’ll have to figure out a way to take the badge off them first...”