Chapter 125: Aren't I Impressive?

After leaving the Dark Curtain, Han Shuo gave Chester instructions to wait for further news. He did not linger upon exiting the facility, heading straight back toward the Babylon Academy of Magic and Force. As he neared the academy, he got out of his carriage and walked to the graveyard on the back hill, entering the tomb that led to the Death Cemetery.

Instead of passing through into the cemetery, Han Shuo polished his space ring and retrieved the Dagmar fruit, which resembled a human brain. The three fruits had been sealed in a special container; taking one out, he observed it and found its appearance quite plain and somewhat ugly.

Taking a deep breath, Han Shuo sat cross-legged. After a moment of hesitation, he swallowed the fruit, which was slightly larger than a fist. It tasted bitter and was difficult to chew—far less palatable than ordinary fruit.

Once he had finished consuming the entire fruit, Han Shuo immediately began to circulate his demonic arts, steering his demonic energy to condense toward his head. At first, there was no unusual reaction, but after a short while, he began to sense that something was wrong. Strange, vortex-like forces emanated from his abdomen, rising up and swirling toward his brain.

Wherever this vortex-like power passed, it brought a bone-deep, stinging pain. Even with the toughness of his body and the strength of his will, Han Shuo found it nearly unbearable. When this wave of strange power reached his brain, a thunderous roar erupted inside his head, as if hundreds of artillery shells had detonated at once. The sound of "booming" echoed incessantly within his skull.

Accompanying the violent roar was an agonizing pain. After his brain had been developed by his demonic arts, his senses had become incredibly sharp, and he could feel the vortex-like power filling the textures of both his left and right brain hemispheres. Similar to the expansion of his meridians, his brain was being developed in a miraculous way due to the effect of the Dagmar fruit. The process was profound and mysterious; even Han Shuo did not know exactly what was happening as the intense pain completely overwhelmed him.

If this had been an ordinary person, such intense stimulation of the brain would have left them an idiot or a lunatic. The human brain is the most complex thing in the world; any abnormal change within it can cause a person's life to be turned upside down. Such deep, bone-chilling pain would immediately cause a normal person to lose their mind, never to recover. Even someone like Han Shuo, with his iron-willed nerves and the constant protection of his demonic energy, was tormented to the brink of death. Anyone else would have surely perished.

Trembling all over, Han Shuo sat there sweating profusely, his suppressed roars finally erupting uncontrollably. Eventually, the ground beneath him was soaked with sweat. His low growls gradually faded, and his lips trembled just like his body. He maintained this posture for a long time before falling face-first onto the damp earth, instantly losing consciousness.

He did not know how much time had passed when Han Shuo finally stirred. Upon waking, he felt a splitting headache, and his entire body ached. He lifted his head and looked upward, his heart immediately filling with ecstasy. In the dim tomb, he could see the tiny textures on the stone slab several meters above his head with perfect clarity. While his vision had always been sharp, this sensation was magical, so incredible that he could hardly believe it.

As he looked around, his amazement grew. Every object in the dim tomb, no matter how small, was visible in vivid detail. His eyes had become like magnifying glasses; he could focus on a small point several meters away, and it would seem to draw closer, magnifying until he could see it with absolute clarity.

The feeling was extraordinary. Han Shuo understood that this was undoubtedly the effect of the Dagmar fruit. If the fruit could be taken again immediately, he would have swallowed the remaining two right then and there. Overjoyed, he sat and meditated for a while, discovering that his psychic power’s cohesion and flow rate had also improved significantly. This meant that his future speed of gaining psychic power through meditation would increase, and when dueling with others, his recovery speed after exhausting his psychic power would far exceed that of a normal person. This granted him a faster rhythm in both cultivation and combat than ordinary mages.

Delighted, Han Shuo decided not to stay any longer. Sensing the improvement in his psychic power, he decided to advance to the next stage of necromancy. He had already mastered all the basic necromantic spells. With his increased psychic power, he felt confident in breaking through his limitations, and it seemed that graduating from the Necromancy Department as an advanced mage in a short time would not be difficult. He had spent some time studying intermediate spells while recovering from his injuries a few days ago, but he was still unfamiliar with some of the finer points. Now that he was back, it was time to find Fanny for answers.

After crawling out of the tomb, he found the world outside covered in silver; a heavy snowfall had occurred, turning everything into a world of white. A cold wind blew, making his damp body feel chilly. In the snowy landscape, Han Shuo changed out of his wet clothes, standing naked for a moment in the silver world.

Looking out into the distance, his visual range had increased dramatically. If his eyes had functioned like magnifying glasses inside the tomb, they now acted like telescopes, allowing him to see the scenery from incredibly far away. Even the movement of branches on nearby trees was so clear that it made him want to shout in excitement. Although his body was no longer bothered by the changing seasons, he put on a new, thicker set of clothes from his space ring to avoid appearing too strange. He wrapped his body and headed toward the Necromancy Department.

Under the blanket of snow, the scenery had a unique charm. As he walked, memories of Fanny flickered through his mind. However, every time he thought of his current relationship with Emily, he felt a bit hesitant to face her.

Just as he arrived at the Dark Arts Department, a thunderous roar filled his ears. The sound was full of excitement, as if a grand celebration were taking place. Han Shuo was stunned, not knowing what had happened. Because of the many buildings blocking his path, he could not see anything with his enhanced vision. The few hundred meters were quickly covered, and since there was no need to release his demonic soul to observe, he quickened his pace.

The plaza of the Dark Arts Department was packed with students and teachers. There were students from the Dark Arts and Necromancy departments, as well as those from other magic disciplines. Even some knights and swordsmen were mixed in, creating a very lively atmosphere. The massive square was crowded with hundreds of people, and many students on the outskirts were pushing hard to get in. Some unsavory characters were pressing up against female students, causing occasional sharp cries and rebukes.

Han Shuo had intended to use his demonic soul to spy, but he sensed strong magical fluctuations; it appeared a magic barrier had been set up in the plaza. If his soul accidentally collided with the barrier, it might attract unwanted attention. Hesitating, he decided against releasing his soul and instead relied on his sturdy physique to push his way through.

Several Lightning-element mages in front of him glared at him with rage, but Han Shuo ignored them completely, forcing his way through. Their frail frames were no match for his, and he broke through their line with ease.

His extraordinary vision played its part; he spotted Lisa in the distance and immediately pushed toward her. Along the way, people frowned and muttered curses at him.

When he reached Lisa’s side, he saw a lecherous-looking swordsman staring fixedly at her chest, trying to get close to take advantage. Only then did Han Shuo realize that a competitive magic duel was taking place within the barrier, explaining why it had attracted so much attention.

Lisa was focused entirely on the intense duel in the plaza, cheering loudly along with her friends, Amy and Athena, and completely unaware of the lecherous gaze. The swordsman had finally managed to get near Lisa, licking his lips and pressing his body against her.

*Thump!* Han Shuo suddenly appeared, slamming his body into the swordsman and knocking him directly into a group of Wind-element male mages behind them, who cursed the man and dealt him a few heavy blows.

Han Shuo then flashed a smug smile at the swordsman, who had just regained his footing, and stood comfortably beside Lisa, intentionally bumping his back against hers. The swordsman, foiled just as he was about to succeed, looked frustrated and angry. He held up his middle finger at Han Shuo from afar and mouthed, "You cut in line!"

Han Shuo shrugged, looking triumphant, and slowly mouthed back, "So what?"

The swordsman rolled his eyes in resignation and began looking for another target. Just then, Lisa forcefully jabbed her elbow into Han Shuo’s chest, catching him off guard. While such an attack had no effect on him, the swordsman in the distance immediately displayed a schadenfreude expression, excited to see Han Shuo suffer.

"Hmph, another blind fool trying to take advantage, how annoying!" Lisa muttered impatiently. She turned to glare, but upon seeing it was Han Shuo, her expression immediately changed to one of surprise. She quickly asked, "Hey, why are you back? Oh... I didn't know it was you; did I hurt you?"

Seeing the guy in the distance waiting for him to suffer, Han Shuo, despite being perfectly fine, pretended to rub his chest as if in great pain. Lisa was shocked and hurriedly reached out to rub his chest, and because they were so crowded, her actions pressed her against his chest.

The swordsman, who had been waiting for Han Shuo’s misfortune, was left stunned and speechless. Han Shuo flashed a smug smile at him and mouthed, "Pretty good, right?"

The swordsman said nothing more, gave a thumbs-up from afar to show his respect, then turned and pushed his way toward another woman, apparently hoping to replicate Han Shuo's luck.

By now, Han Shuo could see the battle in the plaza clearly. He began watching the duel between the Dark Arts and Light-element students while searching the crowd for Fanny.