Chapter 31: Projection State

Chapter 31: Projection State

After sending her roommate away, Petty came alone to the Academy’s Training Ground. There were special meditation rooms for Mages here, with a high level of privacy. She didn’t have to worry about her summons being exposed, and there was plenty of space.

Previously, they had been busy reporting on their training experience in the Forest of Illusions, so she never had the chance to come here.

“Hoo~” She let out a soft breath, calming her restless mood. Petty began to summon Zheng Yichen. For the past few days, she had been able to feel her Mana increasing—something she had never experienced before!

The source of this enhancement was Zheng Yichen. Although a Summoner’s strength partly depended on their summoned beings improving, once a Contract was formed, whenever they cultivated, an extra portion of power would flow back to her, similar to how Mages practiced Magic Rune Arrays.

Of course, since most Magical Beasts grew stronger by instinct, they didn’t have structured cultivation methods. Also, very few possessed intelligence close to Humans, making it difficult for them to practice Magic Rune Arrays. Those who could were almost always super Magical Beasts.

These had nothing to do with her… But now, Zheng Yichen was definitely continuously practicing. Every day, the Mana feedback from him allowed her to reach her daily cultivation limit without doing anything herself. All she had to do was keep strengthening her Spiritual Power and absorb as much Mana as possible.

Before this, the Mana she accumulated daily through cultivation never even reached half of her limit. Not just her—most students were like that. But now it was different!

Could this… be the so-called “golden finger” from those knight and Mage legend stories?

The day before, Petty had been floating on cloud nine, as if living in a dream. Her family was just an ordinary one. It was already very difficult for commoners to rise up, and getting into Olin Academy had required tremendous effort from her.

It was only today that she snapped out of that dizzy feeling. What she had now wasn’t stable; it could disappear at any time, plunging her back into her old life.

She must communicate well with That Dragon! Staring at the three-dimensional Magic Rune Array materializing before her, Petty made up her mind. She knew her own Talent very well. If she hadn’t formed a Contract with Zheng Yichen, her future achievements would probably have stopped at just Reaching the Tier.

In class, her mentor had repeatedly said not to think one was powerful just because they had grasped a bit of strength. Before Reaching the Tier, all Professionals were novices. Only after Reaching the Tier did the professional path truly begin—and that was just the starting point!

“Hmm? This feeling?” In the Castle, Zheng Yichen, who was holding a large book, shifted his attention to the Exclusive Mark in his Mental Consciousness. Over the past three days, he had mostly figured out this mark.

Not only could it establish a Contract connection with Petty, but each time he practiced Magic Rune Arrays, a small portion of the power flowing into his body would divert into this Exclusive Mark and transfer to Petty.

This diverted portion didn’t affect him much, since he couldn’t absorb all the power flowing into his body anyway.

What he was curious about was how it transferred. Wireless transmission? Maybe that was how Summoners cultivated?

As the fluctuations from the Exclusive Mark intensified, Zheng Yichen felt his consciousness split into two parts. One part remained where he was, while the other part was in a small room where a girl was nervously scrutinizing… himself?

A Projection summons?

Feeling the slight pulling force from the Exclusive Mark, he knew that with just a little resistance, he could counteract this gentle pull, causing Petty’s summoning to fail.

There was no reason to resist. Zheng Yichen let a part of his consciousness sink into it. Not only could he do that, but he could also assist by channeling his Mana into the Exclusive Mark to help Petty with the summoning. However, doing that would probably be equivalent to pulling his main body over, wouldn’t it?

That wasn’t necessary; a Projection was enough.

“Hmm, I’ll take a nap for now. You two go ahead with your work,” Zheng Yichen said to the two Ghost Maids beside him. They were responsible for all the housework in the Castle, meticulously cleaning the interior every day.

The cleaning included himself. Every day, two Ghost Maids would wipe his Scales, which made Zheng Yichen feel quite awkward. Even if he refused, new Ghost Maids would still come to do it the next day.

That’s right, there were many Ghost Maids. Over the past three days, Zheng Yichen had seen seven or eight different faces. They seemed to work in shifts here, and he had no idea how Loris managed it.

Could there be a place in this world specializing in hiring Ghost Maids…?

Success!!

Staring at the solidified three-dimensional Magic Rune Array, Petty’s face lit up with uncontrollable joy, but then her expression fell. The three-meter-plus form that was summoned had actually shrunk tenfold… Even so, her Mana was nearly depleted—ninety percent consumed.

This phenomenon occurred because the strength gap between the Summoner and the summoned being was too large, preventing her from summoning a complete Projection. Zheng Yichen could only exist in this shrunken state.

“This feels weird,” Zheng Yichen muttered, looking at his smaller claws and wings. He twisted his neck and glanced at the flapping wings behind him. His body had become smaller, but perhaps because this Projection body was formed of Mana, flying became much easier. With just a slight flap of his wings and a small amount of Mana, he could stay aloft.

“D-Dragon Lord, please don’t waste Mana recklessly; I can’t take it,” Petty cried out urgently, sitting slumped on the floor as she watched Zheng Yichen casually perform various flying maneuvers in the air. The Mana he was using for flight now was all supplied by her.

“I’ll supply the Mana myself. Is it fine if you cut off yours?”

Petty quickly shook her head. “As long as I maintain the summoning Rune Patterns and the Mana supply isn’t interrupted, it should be fine.”

“Alright then,” Zheng Yichen waved his hand. Maintaining such a small size required almost negligible Mana from him. He was just very curious: his main body was quite far from here, yet the Mana could still transfer without loss… Truly a marvelous power.

He tried reducing the Mana supply a bit. His originally over-thirty-centimeter body shrank further, becoming only about ten centimeters—like a dragon-shaped toy.

Of course, if he increased the Mana supply, his size could immediately expand like an inflated balloon.

“Hmm~ Since the summoning succeeded, take me out for a walk now,” Zheng Yichen said, landing on Petty’s shoulder, his eyes gleaming brightly. Finally, he could directly experience Human society!