Staying up late is par for the course for a college student.Staying up late is par for the course for an apprentice mage too.In a university on Blue Star, engineering major Xia Luo pulled an all-nighter. His heart raced, yet he had no plans to sleep—not with his final exams looming the next day.In a royal magic academy of another world, Xia Luo also burned the midnight oil. Dizzy spells washed over him, but he dared not climb into bed, anxious about his mage qualification assessment the following day.Everything went black. Xia Luo's ears roared with a thunderous heartbeat, and waves of nausea doubled over him. When he finally steadied himself, all he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling."Fireball? Mage qualification assessment? I've really transmigrated to another world!" Sifting through the original owner's memories, the former college student Xia Luo quickly accepted his new reality.His name still sounded like "Xia Luo" in this world's tongue. Same name, same late nights cramming for exams, even similar educational stages across two worlds—Xia Luo felt an instant kinship with this stranger, another soul who'd burned the candle at both ends."I wonder if this body's original owner ended up in my world? Hope he doesn't flunk my major courses."The dizziness faded, replaced by surging, uncontrollable excitement—magic!He'd actually crossed into a world of magic!Magic totally trounced his old terrible major back home. Finally, the heavens had smiled on him; failing to switch to CS had led him to a whole new world instead.Yet Xia Luo soon frowned. This world was no "game-like fantasy realm"—mastering spells was grueling, nothing like clicking a button to cast instantly once cooldown ended. He found the original apprentice mage Xia Luo had barely grasped three spells: Fireball, Create Water, and Minor Transmutation, and couldn't even guarantee 100% success with any of them.Even so, Xia Luo ranked among the top apprentices: his magic theory scores were nearly perfect. Nail all three spells in tomorrow's assessment, and he'd become a certified First-Rank Mage of the Imperial Royal Magic Academy. Entry-level among ranks one through nine, sure—but being a spellcaster meant respect. Marching down the street like a tyrant might be over the top, but folks would still tip their hats and hail him as "Master Mage."Xia Luo delved deeper into the memories. "Fireball: proficient, guaranteed success."He'd inherited the original's muscle memory. Channeling his mana and weaving the familiar gestures, a small flame flickered to life at his fingertips. Tiny compared to a full fireball, it burned steadily and obediently—proof of solid foundational skill in Fireball."Create Water: unstable. 30% success rate at best."The second spell proved trickier. A small water orb materialized in his palm, only to collapse and splash moments later. Xia Luo felt a sharp drain on his spirit, and the water barely wet his throat. A second attempt yielded more water, but still less than the required pint—this had always been the original apprentice's weak spot."Minor Transmutation. Need something to test it on."Memories clarified: this low-rank spell had severely limited range and effect, with one critical rule—it only worked on inorganic matter. In this world, that meant substances with no life and no magical energy.Hunting for a test subject, Xia Luo scanned his surroundings. He already knew he was in an apprentice dorm— a rare single room, about the size of a soft sleeper train compartment. Simple linen bed, desk and wardrobe filled most of the space; a bucket and hanging clothes sat by the bay window, with a beige apprentice robe the most eye-catching item. "Just like a lab coat," he mused.Small trinkets on the desk would've been perfect practice—until his gaze fell on an unrolled scroll.Scrolls were a vital part of the world's magical tools.Low-rank spells relied solely on the caster's mana, guided and accelerated by hand gestures. Mid-rank spells required a focus. High-rank spells were far more complex, demanding mana, a focus, and a ritual to complete. As for the legendary transcendent spells...
A scroll is made by drawing the correct magic circle with ink mixed with spiritual substances on paper, leather, or cloth.A scroll can be activated by infusing mana after inscribing the magic circuit; there are also instant-cast scrolls etched with energy-storage circuits that require no further activation from the caster. The most precious of all, however, are learning scrolls.Xia Luo picked it up and examined it closely by oil lamp light. The parchment in his hand had aged to a brittle crisp, but fortunately the intricate patterns remained clearly visible. Unfortunately, neither the original Xia Luo from before the transmigration nor the current one got any response when trying to infuse mana into it."This is the Create Water learning scroll—guaranteed to teach you! I'm graduating soon and don't need it anymore, selling at a steep discount for just sixteen silver coins!" The enthusiastic senior's face at the academy market was still fresh in his mind, yet the only truth from that profiteer had been "graduating soon".It was completely useless! For the next three months, the original Xia Luo had survived on rye bread, swallowing his tears in silence. Even now, in this final hour, one last attempt to figure it out yielded nothing.The old pocket watch ticked past midnight. "Sigh, in this state I'll never pass tomorrow's assessment—or rather, today's assessment!" Xia Luo found a cork that had no matching bottle, and with one casting of Transmutation, reduced it to crumbs.Fireball and Transmutation worked flawlessly, but Create Water was a different story. No matter how hard he pushed, he could never conjure enough water; forcing it only drained him further, and Xia Luo could feel his mana teetering on the brink of exhaustion.Faced with this predicament, a transmigrator knows to reflect on himself—and he must find his cheat ability!"System? System?" He called mentally, to no avail. Swallowing his embarrassment, he tried speaking aloud twice more.No response."Old man? Old lady?" Still nothing.Fine, might as well get some sleep.With his last dregs of mana, Xia Luo recalled his lessons and the original owner's casting sensations. Taking a deep breath, he attempted Create Water once more.Guided by hand gestures and focused visualization, he constructed the Create Water circuit in his mind. The mana within him flowed outward, as if passing through a barrier, and began to drift in an ethereal realm.Snap! Just as his mana and spirit caught a glimpse of a stretch of azure blue, the casting was interrupted. That wisp of mana was lost, like a kite with a broken string.An unqualified failure.Time flowed the same here as in his previous world—the academy bells would ring at six, and the assessment started at nine, leaving him three hours.Xia Luo gave up trying, deciding rest was more important. Perhaps a good rest would restore his state, and a better state would let Create Water flow smoothly."Recharge my energy! Recharge for water!"After blowing out the oil lamp before bed, Xia Luo noticed in the darkness that the unrolled scroll was glowing faintly."Fluorescent ink exists in this world too, huh…" As he thought this, the glow brightened, and his mana began to drain away at a frantic pace!"Damn it, is this activating magic? It won't… blow up… the dorm, will it?"That was Xia Luo's last thought before he blacked out.