“Chapter 3: This is no terrifying abyss; it’s practically heaven!”

"Chapter 3: This is no terrifying abyss; it's practically heaven!"

"The witch stood behind Fei Yi, ready to support the unworldly new student at any moment."

"Every new student who comes to the Witch Academy from the human world for the first time is usually overwhelmed by the nightmarish scenery before them."

"Some scream in terror, others break down in tears, and there are those who simply can't handle it and desperately want to go home."

"The witch was accustomed to such reactions, even finding amusement in them."

"But strangely, the expression on the face of the skinny girl in front of her was one she had never seen before... excitement?"

"Excitement??"

"The witch thought her view must be obscured by her umbrella."

"She slightly raised the edge of the umbrella, only to see the girl trying hard to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud."

"…" The witch was rarely shocked."

"What’s going on with this child?"

"But the snakes coiled around her arms reminded her that time was pressing."

"The witch could only suppress her curiosity and stamped her foot on the ground."

"The next moment, the sound of rumbling wheels approached from the direction of the castle."

"Thirteen people, tied with ropes like horses, ran respectfully, pulling an elaborately designed carriage."

"These people wore uniform butler outfits, with the familiar inverted triangle symbol embroidered on their cuffs."

"Their eyes lacked black pupils, showing only endless white."

"Any monk present would immediately understand the state of these people."

"These were thirteen soulless beings."

"Despite the bizarre scene unfolding before her, Fei Yi's toes curled in excitement."

"Wait a minute, this scene... she knew it all too well!!"

"If the healing magic of the monks is real, if the cleaning potion that increases cleanliness is real, if everything here is real...!"

"Then what follows must be the sea of white saprophytic flowers, the cursed giant gallows, and the appearance of [Sallyra, the Witch of Great Sins], the guide for newcomers?!"

"Fei Yi rushed onto the carriage without hesitation, even eagerly waving back at the witch who had led her here."

"'Hurry, hurry!'"

"Under the black umbrella, the witch's expression almost cracked."

"Who exactly was leading whom?"

"The snakes swarmed under her dress and disappeared as the witch resignedly folded her black umbrella."

"This was the first time Fei Yi saw her face - young, pale, and extraordinarily elegant and beautiful."

"The girl momentarily forgot to breathe."

"The umbrella canvas slowly tightened along its ribs, then gradually fused into one, twisting around the witch's wrist, transforming into a black serpentine bracelet."

"The witch sat gracefully in the carriage, and the thirteen servants began to run swiftly towards the castle."

"'Sallyra…'"

"'What?' The witch turned her head. Although her pronunciation was odd and unlike the accent of this land, the new student in front of her had indeed just called out her name."

"'Do you know me?' The witch raised her eyebrows, 'I am Sallyra, the Witch of Great Sins from the Abyss, your recruitment tutor for this term.'"

"Fei Yi's mind heated up, feeling a fire rushing from her heart to the crown of her head."

"What she had just blurted out was in Chinese, the language from Blue Star."

"But the witch nodded! The pronunciation of the name was almost the same!"

"It really was her, indeed Sallyra!!"

"Fei Yi's throat turned sour, and she abruptly turned to look outside—"

"As the carriage wheels rolled over the black path and turned the corner, a vast sea of white flowers spread out before her eyes."

"A giant triangular gallows hung upside down above the castle gate, resembling a massive inverted triangle symbol."

"Row after row of people without black pupils moved through the castle, the cold white magic lights like moons in the dark night."

"Exactly the same... completely identical!"

"Fei Yi clenched the wide hem of her dress tightly, her chest heaving with excitement."

"This place is the very starting village of the game 'Dark Continent' that she had grinded for five years, the game she was playing right before her transmigration!"

"She had actually entered the game!!!"

"In 23rd-century Blue Star, 'Dark Continent' was a phenomenally popular holographic online game."

"Set in an ancient European style, it featured light and darkness as two opposing factions."

"Built upon this were nine novel and mysterious professions, combined with storylines and NPCs autonomously generated by the latest AI, offering players a completely different gaming experience with each profession."

"Its novel gameplay, vast and intricate maps and characters, along with a diverse range of professions and job advancement systems, caused an explosion of popularity across the planet on the day 'Dark Continent' was released."

"For over five years since then, 'Dark Continent' dominated the charts."

"Its enduring popularity led to the rise of professional players, leagues, and countless gaming guilds diving into 'Dark Continent', constantly hunting for top-tier equipment and recipes for enormous profits."

"Countless players struck it rich in the game, and Fei Yi was one of them."

"Only she was exceptionally wealthy."

"Because she was the top player in 'Dark Continent'!"

"The No.1 in all nine professions, all registered under Fei Yi's ID!"

"As an unmatched grind lord and whale, Fei Yi spent over two years conquering all the hidden levels of 'Dark Continent', collecting all the equipment and creature compendiums, and even mastering every hidden recipe tucked away in the game."

"She was the undeniable 'All-Knowing' of the game."

"Thus, for the next three years, she became a top-tier professional player in 'Dark Continent'."

"Numerous players and even guilds paid heavily for her to design character growth paths, purchase hidden items, weapons, or potions from her."

"She became the true pinnacle character within the game."

"Now, she had actually transmigrated into the game!"

"Could there be a more divinely favored start than this?!"

"Fei Yi took a long time to calm herself down."

"No wonder she always felt familiar with various places in the town but couldn't confirm her suspicion due to the absence of any prominent landmarks or NPCs."

"Maps as mundane as Niniwei Town are plentiful in 'Dark Continent', numbering in the thousands, so not recognizing them was normal."

"But now, having seen the Witch Academy, the starting village for the witch profession in the game, this place was too iconic for her to miss realizing her situation."

"However, new problems arose immediately."

"First: This wasn’t a game. She was flesh and blood, with no option to respawn. If she encountered bosses or leveling challenges like those in the game, she had only one life."

"Second: She lacked a player panel. Without the ability to level up, how could she use the skills from the game? Her witch account could annihilate a nation with a single move in the game, offering immense security."

"Third..."

"She looked again at her guide, Sallyra, the Witch of Great Sins, who seemed much younger than her game avatar."

"Many details of the castle’s exterior also didn’t match her memory."

"If she had to describe it, the Witch Academy's castle seemed newer, much newer than when she first saw it in the game world."

"It felt like... she had transmigrated before the game's launch."

"Click!"

"The carriage stopped, and several 'butlers' came over to assist her in alighting."

"Fei Yi automatically recalled information about these individuals."

"These soulless shells were also the witches' familiars—[Puppets], albeit the lowest level ones, levels 2-3, and the first line of defense for the Witch Academy."

"They would attack in dangerous situations and serve as servants to the witches in normal circumstances."

"Sallyra looked down from her elevated position, 'We've arrived, new student. Please alight. I believe you wouldn’t want to miss the entrance ceremony, where many new students will be present.'"

"After the ceremony, you'll also need to collect your dormitory allocation and uniform."

Fei squeezed her fingers tightly, cooling her overheated brain.

She agilely jumped out of the car and followed Sallyra into the majestic and imposing castle.

The interior of the castle was even more vast than she had imagined, perhaps due to magic, making the space inside appear extraordinarily grand.

The overall style resembled the opulent cathedrals of the Blue Star, with long corridors adorned every few meters with tall, exquisitely crafted giant vases.

Many automatons quietly cleaned, bowing as Sallyra and Fei passed by.

Walk straight, turn right, ascend three flights of stairs, continue forward.

Fei desperately memorized each path.

The real world didn't have an auto-navigation feature.

Eventually, the two stopped in front of a massive double door.

The thick, rustic door was entwined with withered vines, thicker than a human head. Desiccated yet incredibly robust, they resembled giant serpents.

Sallyra gently waved her hands to the sides, and the vines retracted on their own.

The giant door, reaching up to the ceiling, moved, and a cold, white, but bright light instantly shone through from the inside.

"This was an incredibly spacious and luxurious hall, so grand it rendered one speechless."

"Under windows of peculiar colors hung thousands of glowing white flowers, and countless, strategically placed tall candlesticks burned with candles of various hues."

"Above the black and white checkered floor tiles lay a thick, dark red carpet. Statues of witches bound to gallows stood silently in the center, with a large, warmly burning furnace in front of them."

"Several exquisite armchairs, arranged in a row in front of the furnace, were the designated seats for the academy instructors, but they were currently empty."

"Around the hall, countless black sofas with dark gold trim were arranged in a circle."

"Now, these sofas were filled with girls of varying ages."

"Some, about Fei’s age, displayed expressions of nervousness and panic on their faces."

"Others, slightly older, dressed in neat black robes, seemed much more composed."

"The girls turned their heads at the sound, their gaze intently fixed on the two newcomers."

"‘Good, we’re not late,’ Sallyra gestured for Fei to find a seat for herself while she walked towards the third high stool."

"'Beep-boop!'"

"As she approached, the flames in the furnace suddenly flared up. A thick black mist drifted towards the other armchairs—"

"One by one, legendary witches emerged from the black mist."

"Their appearances and attire varied, but each exuded an incredibly terrifying aura."

"If the monks from Ninihui Town were here, they might have gone mad from fear."

"No servant of the divine could endure the sight before them—a gathering of witches—nothing less than an apocalyptic scenario for them!"

"'But I am amidst it all.'"

Thinking this, Fei Yi took steps towards the only empty seat.

"Perhaps because she arrived earlier than the game's launch, everything here, even the characters, seemed slightly different from her memory."

"Yet, the familiar setting gradually calmed her nerves."

"Next to the vacant seat sat a young girl, exquisitely dressed, her body adorned with sparkling, expensive jewelry."

"Like a feather duster, Fei sat down beside her, causing the girl’s face to instantly scrunch up in displeasure."

"But with Instructor Sallyra already announcing the start of the enrollment ceremony, the girl dared not speak out, only glaring at Fei with all her might."

"Move away! You raggedy chicken chick! Don't you see the Wyatt family crest?!"

"How dare a commoner sit next to the daughter of an earl?! Do you have a death wish?!"

"Fei completely ignored her, focusing instead on the instructors' speeches, occasionally pulling out her balding quill and a thin leather notebook to scribble something."

"Although Fei couldn't understand most of the incantations, she knew how to transcribe them phonetically!"

"She jotted down the pronunciations in Blue Star script, planning to cross-reference them with the two beginner's grammar books she had purchased, to at least understand more than half."

"The girl beside her looked as if she might breathe fire, longing for her servants to be there to throw out this oblivious commoner!"

"But now…"

"Hill Wyatt, the eldest daughter of the Wyatt Earl, clenched her hands tightly as she gazed towards the center of the hall."

"Instructor Sallyra had finished her opening speech, and the black mist coalesced into the names of all the new students and their assigned dormitories."

"The freshmen were paired two per room, followed by their dormitory room numbers."

"I hope for a sensible commoner as a roommate, not the likes of this ignoramus," Hill prayed inwardly, then looked up at her own name—

"Fei Yi Luo? Who is that?"

Upon hearing her name, Fei looked up, about to respond, when suddenly there came the sound of flapping wings overhead.

Countless barn owls flew in from the windows above, each clutching a black cloth bag in their talons.

These ominous-looking birds circled low in the hall, accurately dropping the bags amidst the screams of the new students.

Only after every new student had a bag did they flap their wings and fly out.

Curious, Fei opened the bag to find two sets of robes, two pairs of soft leather boots, and two plain long skirts. All the clothes were black, felt incredibly smooth to the touch, and were clearly made of no ordinary fabric.

Moreover, the bag must have been enchanted, appearing only the size of a sling bag yet neatly containing so much.

She felt a small surge of joy in her heart.

At the orphanage, the clothes were either donations from kind souls or cheaply acquired by the director from waste processing centers. In any case, they were all old and tattered, always chafing her skin red.

Since arriving in this world, she had never worn clothes of such soft fabric.

Clutching the bag tightly, Fei immediately cast aside the matters concerning the girl beside her.

"This isn’t the terrifying Abyss; this is practically heaven!!"