Chapter 708 “Request for Subscription” Dark Demon (o?ω?o) (4k words)
Even within the demon territory, not all creatures were dark in attribute.
Flashbugs were a particularly special kind of insect.
They were born in pitch darkness yet possessed light attributes, making them extremely rare and endowed with a very unique ability.
Professor Shylph immediately recalled seeing the insect just by its appearance.
Flashbugs could ignore any barrier and freely move between inside and outside barriers!
When demons invaded Saint Maryann Academy, they had crossed the barrier using flashbugs.
If she had seen the flashbugs back then, she might have been enraged, but now she was much calmer about it.
“Does that book, ‘Into the Abyss,’ even include the method for cultivating ‘flashbugs’?”
Facing Professor Shylph’s inquiry, Angus Jeffrey subconsciously wanted to reply “yes,” but as he opened his mouth, he suddenly froze in place.
Because as he further thought about it, he realized he couldn’t recall anything about the method for cultivating flashbugs.
Thus, he replied, “There should… be, right?”
It should be there; otherwise, where did this “flashbug” magic card in his hand come from?
Angus Jeffrey’s mind instantly skipped over that thought and then instinctively ignored it, urging the flashbug to use its ultimate skill.
…
Dark stood aside, curiously watching the flashbug.
In the afternoon, while patiently waiting for Professor Kazel to remove the “Underworld Fire” from Leesi in the teacher’s dormitory, he took the time to flip through “Into the Abyss.”
Although Professor Metia had hinted earlier not to read it, Dark couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
Of course, he deliberately controlled himself and didn’t look at the specific cultivation methods for those special demons, only skimming the introductory chapters.
The types of demons were indeed numerous, with various special demons being incredibly diverse and interesting.
Some individual demons weren’t particularly powerful, but their special abilities were extremely overpowered.
For example, the “Dark Cell Bug” that Angus Jeffrey had cultivated was an extremely special demon.
And now, this “flashbug”… was also!
However, Dark hadn’t found any related records in the book yet.
But now he saw it with his own eyes—a demon that could easily penetrate the seals set up by the professors!
…
Under Angus Jeffrey’s command, a white light suddenly burst forth from the flashbug, making its semi-transparent body completely transparent in a blink.
Then, with a flash of white light, both the flashbug and Angus Jeffrey vanished instantly.
“He entered the secret passage,” Professor Shylph said with narrowed eyes, whispering softly.
“We should go in too.”
…
Soon after, Professor Shylph temporarily opened a gap at the seal near the entrance of the secret passage, and the group stepped in.
The first to enter the secret passage, Angus Jeffrey, didn’t wander around. He waited until everyone was in before saying, “I found a secret room in the secret passage. It has all sorts of experimental tools. Of course, you’ll need to bring your own materials.”
He tried to keep his tone calm, carefully avoiding provoking the professors’ dislike.
Professor Shylph replied, “Lead the way.”
Her tone was even more subdued.
Angus Jeffrey’s heart trembled, and he lowered his head to walk forward.
As he moved forward, the torches on both sides of the secret passage gradually lit up, illuminating the previously dark passage step by step.
Everyone present knew the secret passage well enough not to be surprised.
But as they continued forward, the professors noticed changes underfoot.
They exchanged glances and, in perfect unison, said nothing, continuing to follow Angus Jeffrey.
In less than three minutes, Angus Jeffrey reached a wall and turned around, saying, “We’re here, inside.”
Then he pressed his hand against the wall and injected mana.
Originally seamless, the wall suddenly revealed three cracks.
These three cracks formed a “冂” shape.
Angus Jeffrey pushed harder, and the door to the secret room swung open!
Outside, everyone could see what was inside.
This secret room was spacious, with only one room from the entrance to the interior.
Angus Jeffrey hadn’t used partitions to divide the space inside; everything was piled together haphazardly!
Dark almost immediately spotted the various materials on the shelves.
The shelves were mounted against the wall, with precious or ordinary materials scattered randomly.
But it seemed Angus Jeffrey had exhausted his resources to create that deck, leaving few materials left on the shelves.
As Dark followed the professors inside, he noticed another larger shelf against another wall that wasn’t visible from the entrance!
This shelf was significantly bigger, with row upon row of glass jars.
The jars varied in size, some as small as a palm, others as tall as two or three meters!
Dark’s pupils dilated as he noticed various body parts floating in some of the transparent jars.
He looked up and met the pair of eyeballs placed on the top shelf, causing his hair to stand on end and his heart to race.
This hidden laboratory made him think of certain mad scientists who liked to conduct biological experiments.
But as he scanned around, he noticed that the professors’ expressions showed no surprise, suggesting that such experimental scenes were commonplace.
Indeed, they were.
Magi needed large amounts of biological materials for their magical transformations, and these materials certainly weren’t all purchased from shops.
Not just the professors, even students mostly obtained their materials by hunting monsters in the dungeon.
Materials obtained from hunting monsters required processing.
For instance, storing some limbs in formaldehyde was similar to what he saw here.
The only difference was that the body parts in the jars were mostly still alive!
Though incomplete, they had vitality.
Similar to the other side, the demonic bodies on this shelf were also nearly depleted.
Angus Jeffrey had indeed exhausted himself to challenge Dark.
He walked to this shelf and said, “These are the demonic bodies I cultivated. None of them are complete life forms.”
The professors nodded slightly and dispersed to observe the entire laboratory.
Angus Jeffrey stood in a corner, feeling somewhat awkward.
He occasionally glanced at the golden-haired youth mixed among the professors, concealing his hatred deep in his eyes.
As Angus Jeffrey’s second consciousness, he hadn’t shared memories with the first consciousness and was unaware that he had already suffered a bitter defeat in the duel during the day.
…
After the professors circled around, they quickly regrouped.
Professor Metia said with slight regret, “Not many new things.”
Apart from the glass jars on the shelves, nothing else in the laboratory piqued her interest.
Professor Lily seemed to share the same opinion, but after circling around, she approached the bookshelf and fully focused on observing the body parts in the jars, occasionally reaching out to touch them, which were blocked by the glass.
“Crack!”
A crack suddenly appeared on the surface of a glass jar.
Professor Lily quickly withdrew her hand, but the thick liquid inside poured out, splashing onto the ground, and the cylindrical object inside the jar fell to the ground.
Angus Jeffrey’s expression changed, and he instinctively wanted to pick up the demonic organ he had painstakingly cultivated and put it back in the jar…
But after seeing the shape of the item, he suddenly stiffened, his foot firmly planted on the ground, unable to move for a moment.
Then he closed his lips tightly, no longer looking at the cylindrical object.
Dark glanced at it and pretended not to see.
The professors acted as if nothing had happened.
Professor Shylph then said seriously, “Jeffrey, how did you discover this secret room? Why did you hide your experiments in the secret passage?”
The originally lively atmosphere instantly turned solemn.
Angus Jeffrey shivered, whispering, “Since it involved demonic experiments, naturally, I needed to find a more secretive place. I was originally planning to build a laboratory in my dormitory, but later, when I unexpectedly cultivated the ‘flashbug,’ I suddenly thought of checking the secret passage and discovered this secret room. I had heard that the secret passage could respond to the expectations of those who enter…”
Professor Shylph stared unblinkingly and said, “It seems you didn’t take the academy’s ban seriously.”
Angus Jeffrey trembled all over, revealing a fake, embarrassed smile.
Professor Kazel had been watching Angus Jeffrey the whole time. Now he sighed, “Although, Jeffrey isn’t lying.”
Angus Jeffrey’s “second consciousness” quickly nodded in agreement.
But Professor Kazel then said, “The secret passage constantly changes. Leaving items there isn’t safe. Since we’re here, we’ll help you move them.”
Angus Jeffrey was stunned for a moment, then nodded woodenly.
…
Angus Jeffrey didn’t leave much material in the secret room.
So soon, they packed up everything that could be taken and left the secret room.
After walking a hundred meters away from the secret room, Dark suddenly remembered something and turned back, injecting mana at the entrance of the secret passage.
Sure enough, the door to the secret room didn’t appear.
He suddenly understood and turned to leave, quickly catching up with the professors.
The professors didn’t ask him anything at that moment. They directly left the secret passage and returned to the infirmary.
“Let’s put these things away first.”
The professors placed the packed items in the ward and then sent Angus Jeffrey back to bed.
Trapped back in his bed, Angus Jeffrey felt utterly bewildered.
But immediately after, his eyelids started fighting each other fiercely.
In just half a minute, his eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Only then did the professors exchange glances, their expressions serious.
“Now…”
“Let’s discuss this outside.”
Professor Shylph interrupted Professor Kazel and led them back to an outer room, setting up a barrier.
Professor Kazel then spoke again, “Jeffrey’s account is vague, but I suspect it’s related to his brain being eroded. In any case, let’s leave that for now. Dark, what did you find?”
Dark spoke, “That secret room wasn’t there when I returned.”
Professor Kazel slowly nodded, “Indeed, that secret room can only be found by Jeffrey himself. We’ll leave the details of the secret passage for now.”
“Leaving everything aside, what do we talk about?” Professor Lily blinked innocently.
Professor Kazel’s face flushed red as he said, “Now we’ve confirmed the existence of the second consciousness and found Jeffrey’s laboratory. After verifying both, I confirm that Jeffrey didn’t lie. He never cultivated a complete demon. That ‘Brain Fluid Demon’ wasn’t cultivated by him.”
“So, there’s definitely a third person involved.” Professor Shylph concluded.
Professor Kazel nodded, “And I suspect that Jeffrey conducting experiments in the secret passage was guided by this third person.”
“Mm, I agree with that.” Professor Shylph nodded.
Professor Metia smiled slightly, “The method for cultivating ‘flashbugs’ isn’t in that book, ‘Into the Abyss.'”
Professor Shylph was stunned, “How do you know?”
Professor Metia’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, “I guessed.”
Professor Shylph took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to hit her, then turned to Dark, “Did you bring the book?”
“Of course.” Dark nodded slightly and took ‘Into the Abyss’ out of his bag.
Without needing Professor Shylph to say more, he immediately flipped through from the bookmarked page.
Due to the rough search, his speed was quick.
In less than a quarter of an hour, he had finished flipping through the remaining pages and raised his head, saying gravely, “No.”
Professor Metia’s lips curled upward, “So, the method for cultivating ‘flashbugs’ is likely provided by the third party.”
Professor Shylph said, “Compared to Macefield and Jeffrey, he seems different.”
Professor Lily’s eyes lit up, “Judging from this, the ‘Brain Fluid Demon’ parasitizing Fern Morse’s brain is probably cultivated by this third party. So, is ‘Into the Abyss’ also his property?”
Professor Shylph said, “He might have been the previous owner before Cameron Macefield.”
Then she looked at Professor Metia and said, “In short, finding him means finding the answer.” Though stated as a statement, it was clearly a question.
Professor Metia smiled again, “Didn’t I tell you? We might take a wrong path or be blinded by the fog ahead.
But there’s no need to worry. There’s only one destination, and the fog will eventually clear. And the true hero will emerge when the fog clears.”
