Atavisme

Chapitre 3

"As for what it is, you can choose for yourselves when you get back."

“I…we…”

"Huh? Isn't this enough? You can graduate now, or you can go straight to graduate school."

"No! That's not what we're talking about!" Lou Lifan suddenly stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "That's a monster school! We're both humans! We'd be discovered as soon as we went in! How are we supposed to infiltrate like that!"

Hai Shenlan seemed to have anticipated his question and smiled, "Of course, that's where the content of my lecture today comes in..."

For those who don't understand the principles, it's impossible for spiritual energy to transform into demonic energy or monster energy. However, this is Byte Academy, where practical courses on "qualitative transformation" are offered.

Qualitative transformation wasn't a technology that existed from the beginning, nor was it developed by someone else. Rather, it was a result of Byte's twisted interest. His favorite thing was to discover things that others didn't know, so he loved pushing his body's limits. He wanted to change the structure of his body, and to this end, he studied the similarities and differences between humans, monsters, and demons, from the direction of power and the relationship between power and the body, as well as the process of qualitative change leading to quantitative change. In one instance, he accidentally went astray while imitating the direction of a demon's power, but suddenly discovered that although the structure of his body hadn't changed, the quality of his "qi" had.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [9]: At that time, his "qi" had not yet directly become "demon qi" or "demonic qi" as it is now, but had become a strange mixture of qi. Therefore, he continued to study in this direction, changing his research target from the change of the body's structure to the study of the change of "qi", and finally found the method they use today.

"So, this change... the principal is actually quite talented?" Pei Linhai asked.

The pervert excitedly raised his head.

“If he could put even half his energy into the right path,” Hai Shenlan glared at him, making him lower his head again. “But this method is somewhat dangerous, because no one knows how serious the consequences would be if someone with evil intentions used it for evil purposes. Therefore, this technique can only be learned by those who have passed the strict screening of the Paranormal Association, and can only be used under special permission. But this situation is special. Beren used to come to the academy often and knows the academy’s teachers very well. If we send a teacher, they will definitely be brought back within two days. But we can’t ask people outside the academy to do this, so we can only select from among the students. Your amazing learning ability is exactly what we need, so the other students who are learning qualitative transformation with you today have had all their memories of this erased. And you must be prepared for this when you come back, understand?”

Lou Lifan and Pei Linhai exchanged a glance but remained silent.

"Since you're going to pretend to be a 'demon,' you should do it convincingly. I'll teach you some abilities that only 'demons' can use, as well as some common sense. Don't give yourself away. But time is limited, so I can only teach you the most basic things. As for more advanced techniques, I'll bring you some books and materials, which you'll definitely find useful."

It was already past midnight when Lou Lifan left the principal's office. He was wrapped in a thick coat and hurried along the snow. He wished he could go straight to his warm dormitory as soon as he left the teaching building, but it was too far away, so he couldn't hurry up.

Pei Linhai followed not far behind him, head down, seemingly deep in thought. Lou Lifan walked for a while, then realized Pei Linhai wasn't beside him. He turned around and saw Pei Linhai standing there, one hand supporting his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

"Pei Linhai? Are you going back or not?"

Pei Linhai seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly quickened his pace to catch up with him.

Once inside the room, Lou Lifan asked as he took off his clothes, "What were you doing just now? Were you dreaming?"

“No…” Pei Linhai hung his coat in the closet, sat on the bed and said, “I haven’t asked yet, but couldn’t they have bought the school back in the names of other people in the academy? Why didn’t they do that?”

Lou Lifan stretched his stiff limbs, which had been frozen stiff earlier: "They probably don't want to pay... Who knows how much this school will fetch at auction? Rather than going bankrupt to buy it back, they might as well do this risk-free business and steal it. I think that's what they're thinking."

That made a lot of sense, and it wasn't far off from the truth. However, there was one thing they hadn't asked, and Hai Shenlan hadn't told them. Being forced to sell oneself was shameful enough; if they ended up having to buy themselves back, no one in the academy would be willing to do something so humiliating. Therefore, they would rather steal than do something that would make them lose face.

“But it’s the Demon Academy… I’ve never even seen a demon before,” Pei Linhai sighed.

Lou Lifan paused in his stretching, as if suddenly remembering something, and said, "By the way, it's been a long time since I've seen a monster. I wonder how much their abilities have improved?"

"Ah!" Pei Linhai suddenly shouted, startling Lou Lifan.

"What's wrong?"

"I remember now!" Pei Linhai became very excited. "Teacher Hai Shenlan seemed to have said something during the day... 'That perverted principal is a monster'? I wonder if it's true!?"

"How would I know?" Lou Lifan said with displeasure. "Judging from the current situation, even if we detect demonic energy on him, it doesn't mean he is a demon. Besides, I don't know what method he used, but I have never detected any aura on him before, as if he wasn't even there."

Pei Linhai inexplicably became very happy, pointing to himself with a smug look and saying, "Me! Me too! I thought there was something wrong with my detection..."

"Your detection method is flawed from the start!" Lou Lifan said mercilessly. "You still haven't mastered spiritual perception; you must be relying on spiritual power for detection, right? You think you can detect things with spiritual power that even my spiritual perception can't! Pshaw!"

Pei Linhai shrank back: "I'm sorry..."

“However,” Lou Lifan added, “because of the different nature of the aura, there will be some problems with the ability not being able to communicate after the aura becomes ‘demon’. You must be careful not to use the methods you learned in the paranormal school to release demonic power. Otherwise, it’s a small matter if you self-destruct, but if you also expose my identity, I will not let you off the hook.”

"yes……"

Time was indeed tight. Principal Byte and the Byte Academy auction were scheduled for two weeks later, so Hai Shenlan could only spend one day explaining the issues they needed to be aware of after arriving at the Demon Academy, and teaching them some simple demonic magic to help them overcome a series of bugs that occurred after they became demons—after their "qi" quality changed to "demon," Pei Linhai and the others' bodies would become extremely light, easily toppled by a gust of wind. This was actually a method of levitation using demonic power, but true demons wouldn't use it when they didn't need it, and even if they did, they wouldn't be blown away. This seemed to be an inevitable side effect of the quality changing from "human" to "demon." So before leaving, Hai Shenlan taught them a method to distort gusts of wind using a demonic power field. Now, when they encountered wind, it would brush past them without blowing on them. The reason Hai Shenlan kept moving around during the lesson was because distorting the demonic power field also created gravity, reducing the ability to levitate and making it easier to sink into soft snow. However, as soon as she moved, gravity would be strangely weakened by the distortion of the force field, thus maintaining her levitation ability. Since gravity had little effect on the "demon's" body, being blown away by the wind was no longer a major problem. The real problem now was something else entirely—self-destruction. When using demonic power, they often experienced incompatible self-destruction due to their habit of following the "spiritual power" route, often exploding before their opponents could even attack. Hai Shenlan spent a great deal of effort training them, and getting angry was a common occurrence. Fortunately, she always kept that unfortunate Principal Byte by her side, grabbing him and stomping on him whenever she was angry, so Lou Lifan and Pei Linhai didn't suffer much.

Their undercover mission was a complete secret. They only informed others that they were going on an off-campus internship, so no one saw them off when they left. The two of them, with the desolate setting sun behind them, boarded the aircraft and flew towards their unknown future...

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [10]: Zero Degree Demon Academy. Principal's Office.

A fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl with round cat ears and a long cat tail swaying behind her sat in the principal's chair, smiling as she looked at the man and woman in front of her.

"So, you two are the students who transferred from the Maze Demon Academy?"

“Yes,” the man replied, “I am Pei Linhai, Principal Ireland, hello.”

The girl in black sitting next to Pei Linhai remained silent, not even glancing at her. Ireland's gaze drifted towards her, then landed questioningly on Pei Linhai.

Pei Linhai was a little embarrassed. He reached out and poked the girl with his finger. The girl glared at him fiercely with her beautiful black eyes, and a sharp killing intent shot out from her pupils for a moment, but fortunately she quickly withdrew it.

"I am... Lou Lifan, hello Principal Ireland..."

Why did Lou Lifan turn into a woman? Even he himself didn't know. Some crazy bastard had somehow messed up his gender when secretly adding their data to the Maze Demon Academy's database. By the time they realized it, it was too late to correct, and there wasn't time to fix it. So, while Hai Shenlan was mentally torturing Principal Byte, she was also teaching Lou Lifan how to become a woman and how to use women's cosmetics. Lou Lifan repeatedly threatened to quit, but whenever Pei Linhai heard him say he wasn't going, he would immediately declare that he wasn't going either. Then the perverted principal would cling to both of their legs and cry, driving them crazy and forcing them to surrender.

Ireland smiled: "I understand, thank you for the introduction. So, have you decided which major you want to study?"

The Demon Academy's curriculum is much broader than that of the Supernatural Academy, currently consisting of only eight major departments and sixteen specialized fields. At the Supernatural Academy, students typically choose their specialization two years after enrollment, while at the Demon Academy, students choose their specialization from the moment they enter.

Originally, it didn't matter which major you chose, but it's said that the chairman of the board, Beren, also teaches at the school, and that contract of servitude should be kept by Beren. So they had already planned that they must get into the department where Beren teaches.

Lou Lifan said, "We have already decided to go for the Demonization major."

The "Demonization" specialty is the demonization of demonic power, or the demonic application of demonic power. To be more precise, it lies in the commonality between demonic power and magical power. Although magical power cannot be transformed into demonic power, and demonic power cannot be transformed into magical power, under special techniques, demons can enhance their demonic power to achieve an effect similar to magical power. This is called "Demonization," which allows demonic power to be maximized.

Lou Lifan and the others were very fortunate that Beren's major was magic transformation rather than transformation, because even if they changed the nature of "qi", their own abilities would not change. So if they were put into the transformation major, they would not be able to learn it even after a thousand years. Of course, if they cultivated into demons during this period, that would be a different story.

Ireland leaned back in her chair, her long, sharp nails resting on her cheek, her pure smile carrying a hint of allure: "Alright, since you've decided, it's settled then. Lights!"

A light? What light? Pei Linhai and Lou Lifan were bewildered.

There was a polite knock on the door twice, and something floated in silently. Pei Linhai and Lou Lifan turned around to look, speechless. It was indeed a lamp, an old-looking lantern drifting leisurely towards them.

"Headmaster, did you call me?" The lamp spoke, a deep male voice. This must be the so-called "lamp" monster, right?

“Take the two of them to the Enchanted Academy to familiarize themselves with the environment,” Ireland said, pointing at the person in front of her with her sharp fingernails. “Then take them to Beren.”

The two were surprised to see Beren so soon. Although Beren taught classes in the Demonic Transformation major, he wasn't the department head or responsible for miscellaneous affairs. Moreover, he was the chairman of the school's board of directors. Why would he let them see him so casually?

Unable to voice their questions, the two bid farewell to Ireland and followed the lamp out. A small mishap occurred as they exited. Lou Lifan's dress, which Hai Shenlan had borrowed from a girl—and whether intentionally or coincidentally—wasn't even a "normal" dress, but rather a black witch's specialty, with a long hem that trailed to his ankles, making it easy to step on. As he stepped out the door, he accidentally stepped on his own hem and stumbled forward.

Hearing the noise behind him, Pei Linhai hurriedly reached out to catch it, only to find himself embracing it tightly.

"Hey, you guys..." The principal's office door slowly closed, and Ireland's voice drifted in from the remaining crack, "What exactly is your relationship?"

"We have absolutely no relation!" Lou Lifan shoved Pei Linhai aside and roared. Pei Linhai's head hit the wall, leaving him momentarily dizzy. He roared loudly, but unfortunately, all the doors were already closed, so it was impossible to know if Ireland had heard him.

Lou Lifan felt both angry and frustrated. Being forced to dress as a woman was already infuriating enough, but to be mistaken for having something going on with this idiot...

Pei Linhai saw his gaze and shook his head frantically: It wasn't me! It wasn't my fault! I'm innocent! Don't kill me!

Lou Lifan closed his eyes. Well, although he was angry, it really wasn't his fault…

But not having anyone to vent to is so frustrating!!!

The rekindled flame in his eyes pressed Pei Linhai against the wall, his entire body stiff and frozen.

The Demon Academy is different from the Supernatural Academy; it is not built on the surface but underground, like an anthill with interconnected pathways.

One reason is that most students at the Demon Academy dislike the sun—not because they fear it, nor because they hate it, but simply because they don't like it. Another reason is that since the students at the Demon Academy are all demons, most of their energy must come from the earth, so living underground is naturally the best choice for them.

However, this kind of thing is very uncomfortable for humans. Although Pei Linhai and Lou Lifan changed the nature of their "qi", their nature itself did not change at all. They are still basically "humans", and living underground would not be comfortable no matter what.

After walking down a long corridor and descending three or four floors, the lamp led them to a room of about ten square meters. There was no bed or any other furniture. In the center of the room was a pool of water, crystal clear, with no visible inlet or outlet, only a strange silvery shimmer. Although the water appeared to be flowing, it was impossible to discern how it connected to the outside world. Apart from the lamps on the ceiling, the room was completely devoid of artificial decorations; the floor and walls were bare earth, without any covering.

The lamp said, "Since I do not know your original forms, I can only arrange for you to stay in the water demon's room for now. After I have met with Chairman Bei Lun, I will decide whether you need to be moved to another room."

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [11]: It seems we can't choose a room here... Thinking of the comfortable rooms at the perverted academy, and then looking at this "room" that can only be described as a "cave"... it really makes one's heart sink. No wonder Hai Shenlan specifically told them not to bring extra luggage when they came. It seems that this ascetic lifestyle is what determines it, right? But thankfully, thankfully they are not monsters, so they don't have to suffer here for too long. Pei Linhai and Lou Lifan thought this in perfect unison.

After showing them the rooms, Deng led them to see Beren. The principal's office was on the first floor below ground, while the chairman's office was on the last floor below ground, the thirty-sixth floor. On the way up the stairs, they could see the various scenes unfolding in the open dormitories.

A weasel-faced man was living in a room, digging and digging with his bare hands... Next to the large hole he dug, there were huge piles of dirt. That guy must be a groundhog, right?

In another room, there was a woman gazing at herself in the mirror, quite beautiful, but her head was covered in lilies—no matter how beautiful the lilies, if they covered her head, they lost all their beauty. Behind her was a long lizard tail; perhaps it was a monitor lizard?

In another room, a tall, thin man was coiled up in a tree—yes, coiled up, completely long and thin—and kept spitting out long tongues when he saw them, his yellow eyes flashing with a fierce light—which, according to Deng, was a sign of friendliness, but this friendliness was simply unacceptable to Pei Linhai and Lou Lifan, these two "mortals."

There was another room where no one was, only a room full of climbing vines, with a huge flower in the middle. It is said that it is a mousse flower fairy, and today is the day of her transformation. The flower fairy should be brewing the process of transformation inside that flower.

Each room has a pool of water to some extent, which seems quite practical, since the students in the monster school are all animals or plants who have cultivated themselves. There are very few inanimate or human monsters who have cultivated themselves. Most plant-type monsters cannot drink water with their mouths and can only do so by immersing their entire bodies in the pool. Many animal-type monsters are still used to drinking water while lying in the pool rather than using a cup or anything else, so the pools in the rooms are necessary.

However, Lou Lifan still discovered something strange.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lamp... um, Mr. Lamp," it felt a bit awkward to call him Lamp, "I noticed that all the other rooms seem to be occupied by only one person, so why are the two of us assigned to the same room?"

Throughout the journey, there was only one "demon" in each room, but the two of them were arranged to be together, which seems a bit strange, doesn't it?

The lamp led them down the spiral staircase, its course pausing slightly when it heard his question.

"Hmm... I don't know either." His voice was calm, and because Deng had no expression, Li Fan couldn't tell whether he really didn't know or was hiding something. "When you get to the chairman, you two can ask him."

After transforming into a "demon," their bodies became incredibly light. It was more like they "floated" down the stairs than "walked." So, even after walking down the thirty-sixth floor, Lou Lifan and the others didn't experience the slightest sign of fatigue.

The thirty-sixth floor had only one room, but it had a corridor just as long as the ones above, only without any other rooms on either side. The lamp drifted to the door of that single room and gently bumped against the carved black lacquered door.

"Chairman, the two transfer students have arrived."

"Please let them in." It was a deep, pleasant voice, like some kind of beautiful metal clashing together.

The door opened silently and automatically, the light receding to the side, gesturing for them to enter. It was a truly enormous room—the only word to describe it was "enormous." The entire room was twenty meters high and over fifty meters wide, semi-circular in shape, with over a hundred shelves lining the semi-circular walls, containing at least ten thousand books. A man sitting atop a high scaffold smiled at them. He had grey-blue eyes, thin lips, and grey hair slightly longer than his height that cascaded down his back. He wore a wide, blue robe with gold trim, from which a bushy tail peeked out from the back. He was the chairman of the board of directors of Zero Degree Demon Academy, the one who was going to auction off the principal of Byte Academy along with the academy—well, a demon.

Beren floated lightly down from the high shelf to the ground, where not a speck of dust rose from the unpaved, unconcrete surface.

"Are you two the transfer students this time?" he asked.

"Yes...yes."

Beren's attitude was very amiable, but for some reason, as soon as he opened his mouth, Pei Linhai and Lou Lifan suddenly became nervous, their hearts pounding like drums, and they were sweating profusely.

Beren walked up to Pei Linhai, his grey-blue eyes looking at him calmly: "You are Pei Linhai?"

"Yes!" He was so close that Pei Linhai's bones began to crack and stiffen.