Since the new semester began, every single weekly event had been canceled due to ongoing attacks from Rattanfanger.
This series of events caused a major slowdown in both HP and PP earnings for all students at Mistheaven Academy.
Typically, these events helped students boost their scores and compete with each other. Without them, the academy felt much quieter.
The ones most affected by this situation were the first-year students. Second-year students and above had the advantage of carrying over their PP from the previous year, so they weren't short of PP. However, first-year students had no reserves, and this making them anxious.
To calm the nerves of the students and prevent further unrest, the Mistheaven administration made an unusual move. They granted all students an emergency bonus of 300 PP. This was meant to help ease the tension, but it also came with an announcement that a new event was on the horizon.
"Witch Hunt Game?"
Oz noticed a large event poster pinned to the announcement board in the common room. The graphic on the poster was hard to miss. It depicted a witch tied to a stake, flames rising around her as if she were being executed. The event itself was set to take place over a two-week period and would begin the very next day, on Monday.
Oz squinted and carefully read the rules written underneath the poster. His interest piqued as he read the text.
"Oh, this looks just like Mafia or Werewolf Game!"
Oz muttered to himself, recognizing the format of the game almost immediately.
Those were classic party games he used to play with his friends back when he was still in college. They would spend hours strategizing, accusing each other of being the bad guys, and laughing at the absurd outcomes.
A wave of nostalgia hit Oz.
"I miss playing this with Leon. That guy could never escape my provocations. He'd always get tricked into doing something that would get him killed on the first day. Muahaha."
His mischievous laugh echoed through the common room, drawing curious glances from a few nearby Saturn students who were also checking the announcement board.
Unnerved by the strange atmosphere, they backed away slightly from Oz, who was still laughing like a maniac.
In the original Mafia or Werewolf games, the player pool usually maxed out at around 20 people. But in this Witch Hunt Game, the scale was entirely different.
A staggering 2,400 students would be participating simultaneously. The rules had obviously been tweaked to accommodate such a massive number of players, and Oz could already sense the chaos that was bound to erupt.
The announcement board also displayed a realtime list of all Mistheaven students, with their status in the game. This would make it easier to identify players during the event.
Oz kept reading. Every student would receive a special card from the academy, which would assign them a specific role in the game. These cards were unique and could only be read by the individual student to whom they were given. No one else could view the information.
The game featured four main roles: Witch, Saint, Guardian, and Commoner. Each role had distinct abilities and responsibilities within the game.
Every day, all students were required to tap their cards on another student. By 5 PM, any student who received two taps would be eliminated from the game. This was referred to as a "elemination."
If a student failed to vote even once, they too would be eliminated.
For the students assigned the roles of Witch, Saint, or Guardian, the first card tap of the day would count as their vote. Any additional taps will be counted for activating the abilities associated with their role.
Witches, for example, had the ability to eliminate other players. Twice a day, a Witch could tap their card on another student. If that student wasn't another Witch, they would be eliminated at 6 AM the following morning. The catch? Witches couldn't tell if they were targeting another Witch or if their target was protected by a Guardian.
Saints, on the other hand, could tap their card twice a day to gather information. By tapping their card on another student, a Saint would instantly receive that student's role.
Guardians could also tap their cards twice a day. Their role was to protect other students from elimination, but if a Guardian chose to protect a Witch, the Guardian themselves would be eliminated the next morning. It wouldn't be clear whether the Guardian was eliminated because they had been targeted by a Witch or because they had protected one.
The rules further stated that Saints and Guardians couldn't choose the same student twice over the course of the game.
For Commoners, the situation was different. They had no abilities beyond trying to avoid being voted out or killed by a Witch. Their survival depended mostly on luck.
Each day at 6 AM, any student who wasn't eliminated would receive 20 PP as a reward. However, there were bigger rewards for those who played strategically.
If a student successfully voted out a Witch, they would earn 40 PP.
Witches earned 20 PP for each student they eliminated.
Saints would receive 30 PP for correctly identifying a Witch.
Guardians could earn 40 PP if they successfully protected a student from elimination.
Then there was the matter of HP. Hidden within the game was one more special role: the Noble.
Unlike the other roles, the student assigned as a Noble wouldn't know they were one. Their card would identify them as a Commoner, even though they were something more. The first person to vote for a Noble, or the first Witch to eliminate a Noble, would earn 1 HP. Of course, the Saint wouldn't know the difference between a Commoner and a Noble either.
Oz grinned as he finished reading.
"Muahahaha, these rules are so evil. I like it."
His sinister laugh once again echoed through the common room.
—But Mistheaven wouldn't be Mistheaven if there weren't ways to cheat the system.
Oz recalled some information he had received from Sarah. According to her, several extra cards would be scattered around the fifth floor. These extra cards would grant students additional abilities if they were lucky enough to find them.
—Still, this event was supposed to take place in the second semester.
Witch Hunt Game wasn't supposed to be happening this early in the year. This left Oz feeling uncertain about whether the extra cards would be placed according to the map Sarah had given him.
"Instead of worrying about that, I should just ask the event committee directly," Oz thought.
—Who else could it be but the Mothman?
Every time Mistheaven hosts an event, it's always the Mothman who arranges the placement of key items on the fifth floor. Oz was almost certain that they were behind the distribution of the extra cards for the Witch Hunt event.
After nights of observation, Oz had finally managed to locate the Mothman's nest.
Their nest was located in the southern part of the fifth floor, inside a massive aviary. The aviary's walls were high, solid, and seemingly no visible door or entrance of any kind. It was designed to keep intruders out, and so far, it had done its job well.
Anyone foolish enough to try trespassing was swiftly captured by the Mothman and given penalties. Why Oz knew this all too well?
A week earlier, he'd tried to sneak in by flying over the wall using flight magic, but the Mothman had caught him mid-air, and he was forced to suffer the penalty.
"Muehehe, this time I won't be as careless as before."
Oz muttered to himself, recalling his earlier blunder.
This time, Oz had come prepared. He cast the Umbrasilva spell on himself, which made him completely invisible.
The only downside to the invisibility spell was that as long as he remained invisible, he couldn't cast any other spells. Luckily, Umbrasilva allowed him to use Night Sorcery.
Any other type of magic would immediately dispel the invisibility. However, that was a minor inconvenience compared to the benefits of remaining unseen.
He had discovered a few loose bricks on the wall surrounding the aviary. It seemed like someone else had tried to sneak in before him and had loosened the stones in the process. Oz grinned at the thought.
—Thanks, stranger. Muehehe.
With his agility, Oz climbed the wall, carefully avoiding making any noise that might wake the creatures within, even though the Umbrasilva spell also made him noiseless.
When he reached the top, he paused to take in the view. In front of him lay the giant aviary, a sprawling structure filled with oversized birdhouses. It looked almost like a small village, except instead of people, it was home to the Mothman.
During the day, the Mothman were harmless. They slept peacefully, their huge, owl-like bodies nestled in their bird house. Their feathers looked soft, their eyes closed, and their wings wrapped protectively around them.
—They're actually kind of cute when they're sleeping. But at midnight, their red eyes glow like demons as they hunt down students who break the curfew rules.
Oz climbed down the wall and began his stealthy exploration of the aviary grounds.
He moved quickly, knowing that the staff working here wouldn't be able to see him, but still cautious enough not to draw any unnecessary attention.
Several staff members walked around, presumably tending to the Mothman or performing routine maintenance on the aviary. Oz avoided them with ease, slipping through shadows like a ghost.
As he circled around the aviary, he noticed one familiar figure among the caretakers. It was Mr. Tracy, one of the academy's staff.
He was happily brushing one of the Mothman with a large brush, his face lit up with a childlike joy.
"Excuse me, Mr. Tracy."
Oz said quietly as he passed by, knowing full well the professor wouldn't see him.
"Oh, yes, go ahead—"
Mr. Tracy stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he realized no one was there. He spun around, scanning the area in confusion.
"Who was that!?"
Oz chuckled quietly and couldn't resist having a bit of fun.
"Boo, I'm a ghost…"
Mr. Tracy's face paled, and he hastily gathered his tools. Without wasting another second, he ran from the area, leaving his brush behind.
—Muahahaha, sorry Mr. Tracy, but I just couldn't help myself.
Satisfied with his prank, Oz continued toward the western part of the aviary. There, he found a small building that appeared to be an office of some sort.
The room was cluttered with paperwork and maps. Piles of documents covered the desks, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with old records.
On one of the tables in the center of the room, Oz spotted something interesting. A large map of the fifth floor, with several locations marked in red ink. It didn't take long for Oz to realize that this was the updated map for the Witch Hunt event.
—Bingo! This is exactly what I was looking for!
Next to the map, there were several cards laid out neatly in rows. Each card had a number written on it, and Oz recognized them as the extra cards for the event.
These cards would give players unique abilities or advantages during the game. However, there were also several blank cards with no numbers or effects, likely leftovers that weren't being used.
Without hesitation, Oz reached out and carefully swapped one of the numbered cards with a blank card. He chuckled to himself as he completed the switch.
—Don't mind me, I'll just be taking this!
Out of the 50 cards on the table, six of them were blank. It seemed that someone else had already come through and taken a few extra cards before Oz had arrived.
Oz pocketed his prize and slipped out of the office as quietly as he had entered.
*Creeaak*
Oz froze at the sound of the door opening. He turned his head sharply, spotting a staff member quietly making their way toward the stack of cards.
The staff member swapped out one of the numbered extra cards for a blank one. However, they were oblivious to the fact that Oz had already taken all the extra cards with any special effects. What the staff took was a blank card.
After the staff member left, Oz made his way to the door. Just as he reached it, he was startled again as the door swung open, and another staff member walked in, repeating the same process. This one also swapped out an extra card with a blank one.
—Huh. Are all the staff here corrupt? I'm starting to doubt the integrity of Mistheaven Academy.
Finally Oz managed to sneak out through the back door.
—Whoa!
Before he could catch his breath, Oz found himself face to face with a towering Mothman. The creature stood four meters tall, its body covered in dark, glossy black fur. Its piercing red eyes locked onto Oz, despite his invisibility spell.
—My invisibility spell hasn't worn off yet, has it?
Each time Oz tried to sidestep the Mothman, the creature blocked his way. It was clear that the Mothman could see him, even though he was supposed to be invisible.
[Greedy human! You've taken more than you can chew. Don't think you can hide from me! I can see you, even now!]
The Mothman's voice was deep, and it spoke in clear, fluent human language. Its glowing red eyes glared at Oz, seemingly reading his every move.
"Um, sorry Mr. Mothman, I didn't mean to overstep. Hehe, I'll just be on my way now."
Oz laughed nervously, trying to keep things light. If he got caught here, the extra cards he'd painstakingly stolen would likely be confiscated. He couldn't afford that.
[Not so fast. Normally, I would capture a thief like you without hesitation. But you, you're the master of a Karmalith, aren't you? I'll give you a rare chance.]
The Mothman spread its enormous wings, which extended to an impressive ten meters across, casting a massive shadow over Oz. The space around him darkened as the wings enveloped him completely.
In the overwhelming darkness, tiny points of light began to twinkle around Oz, forming constellations. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing.
[Master of Karmalith. Everything in the world holds karma, be it good or bad karma, simply by just existing. But you, I don't see any karma on you. It's as if you don't exist at all.]
The Mothman's voice echoed from all directions, surrounding Oz as if it came from the very stars themselves.
"Uh… I have no idea why that is."
Oz's voice was unsure, and he shrugged, honestly clueless. His otherworldly origin made magic here difficult to fully grasp, and this new information wasn't helping at all.
[Before Star Magic was brought forth by Saint Germain, Karmic Magic was the common practice of magic. Just like Verinomus, it was believed that nothing could live without accumulating karma.]
The Mothman's statement made Oz pause. This was a major revelation.
—Karmic Magic?
He had never even heard of it.
"Wait, but you said I don't have karma? And I've never heard of Karmic Magic before."
Oz felt like a student asking a professor after a lecture, trying to grasp this new concept.
[Karmic Magic is not as versatile as Star Magic, but using it quickly accumulates good or bad karma much faster. Maybe… just maybe, you could wield Karmic Magic without accumulating too much karma. Hahaha.]
The Mothman laughed, amused, as if it had discovered something truly entertaining about Oz's anomalous existence.
[If you ever find a Karmic Magic Tome, come to me. I'll teach you how to use it. Unfortunately, I don't have any to give you at the moment.]
*Whoosh*
The Mothman unfolded its wings, allowing the light of the aviary to return. Oz blinked as his surroundings came back into view.
[Now go on. Feel free to visit me again, especially if you find that tome. Hahaha.]
With a powerful flap of its wings, the Mothman soared upwards, heading toward the largest birdhouse at the top of the aviary.
"Uh, thanks, Mr. Mothman."
Oz didn't waste any more time. He hurried back the way he came, his heart still racing from the encounter.
He passed several staff members who were preoccupied with their cleaning and care for the Mothman.
Not only had he managed to secure the extra cards, but he had also learned something new about the existence of Karmic Magic.
—I'll have to ask master about this when I get a chance.
With the agility of a professional rock climber, Oz climb the wall once more. He reached the top with ease, glancing back to make sure he hadn't been spotted.
*Thud*
He landed softly on the other side, the Umbrasilva spell keeping him hidden from detection. Without it, the sound of his landing would've surely alerted the entire aviary.
"I wonder what the nobles will say when they get the blank cards. Muehehe."
*********
"Barnacles! Tartar sauce! Fish paste!"
Eben cursed loudly, slamming the blank card down on the table with frustration.
He had been expecting a extra card from the Mistheaven staff, but instead, he was handed a useless, blank one.
"Calm down, Eben. We'll get to the bottom of this," Fred said, trying to persuade him.
The room was lit by a chandelier's light, with twelve ornate chairs surrounding a large wooden table.
Fred leaned back in his chair, watching Eben cursing in anger. Aside from Eben and Fred, two other students sat quietly, observing the scene.
One was Edward De Prendick, a fourth-year student from the House of Saturn. He was reading a thick book, his glasses reflecting the chandelier's light. Despite the commotion, he hadn't bothered to look up once.
The other was Ayesha De Vincey, a fifth-year student from the House of Jupiter. She sat with a bored expression, her blonde, curly hair tied into neat pigtails with petite and doll-like in appearance.
The Midas Chamber of Commerce was a prestigious and exclusive club, comprised of the most influential nobles at Mistheaven Academy.
Their mission?
To monopolize power and control the academy's monetary resources and politic. Yet, despite their wealth and influence, today they were faced with an unexpected failure.
"Edward, I need you to take this seriously," Fred said, his voice edged with frustration.
"Half of our members didn't even show up, and now we're being handed blank cards?"
Edward finally looked up from his book, pushing his thick glasses further up his nose.
"Hoarder's HP is still at 58," he said flatly.
"There's been no change in his ranking."
Hoarder was the nickname the Midas members had given to a first-year student who had amassed 58 HP on the Saturn leaderboard. While it wasn't the highest score overall, it was an impressive feat for a first-year, especially since the next closest first-year had only 5 HP.
Because of this, many Midas members suspected that Edward, who was also from the House of Saturn, had something to do with the Hoarder.
"I've been watching this Oliver Twist kid," Edward continued, smirking.
"The Hoarder hasn't gained any more points, even after this kid won the 'flying chair' race. So the Hoarder is likely not him. He's an amusing one, though."
The mention of Oz made Edward chuckle. The fact that House of Saturn now held the record for the fastest flying broom race was a point of personal pride for him.
Fred shook his head, trying to refocus the conversation.
"We need to concentrate on the Witch Hunt Game. Right now, Midas has only secured four extra cards."
Ayesha, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. Her voice was tinged with irritation.
"We had a plan. The 21 staff under our influence were supposed to collect the extra cards from the Aviary before the Mothmen spread them. What went wrong?"
The plan had been for the Midas members to use their influence over the academy staff to retrieve as many extra cards as possible. The staff, bribed or pressured, would collect the cards before anyone else had a chance. However, things hadn't gone as smoothly as they'd hoped.
"We didn't expect someone else to beat us to it," Fred admitted, frustrated.
"Who the hell managed to grab the other 46 cards?" Eben grumbled, still seething.
Even though the nobles had the means to cheat the system, Mistheaven's rules were strict.
No one was allowed to take more than one extra card from the Aviary. Violators would be caught by the Guardian of the Aviary that didn't discriminate between students, staff, or professors.
"It would've taken 46 staff members to gather those cards," Edward said thoughtfully.
"There's no way someone controls that many people."
Eben slammed his fist on the table. "So what now?"
Fred rubbed his temples, clearly irritated.
"We'll use money magic. If we can't collect the cards, we'll bribe the other students. We'll offer them enough PP or money to bring them to our side."
Ayesha nodded in agreement.
"It's our best option right now."
Everyone in the room seemed to accept the plan, but the tension was still high. This was a blow to their strategy, but they weren't about to let it ruin their chances of monopolizing the game.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
The door to the room burst open, and a flamboyantly dressed boy strode in, his hand raised in a dramatic pose.
"I, the great Andrei De Bolkonsky, have arrived!" he declared, his voice echoing through the room.
Ayesha rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Oh, great. Here he comes. I'm starting to think we should ban marriages between cousins and siblings. It's just creating more idiot nobles."
Edward chuckled under his breath at her sarcasm, but Andrei seemed oblivious to the insult.
"Oh, I agree!" Andrei said enthusiastically.
"My brother married my cousin, and now they're constantly fighting."
The room fell silent, the rest of the Midas members exchanging awkward glances. Even Fred, who had been in a bad mood, was left speechless by Andrei's response.
"Right," Fred muttered, regaining his composure.
"Let's just focus on the Witch Hunt Game, okay?"
Andrei, still posing dramatically, nodded in agreement, clearly unaware that he had just made a complete fool of himself.
Fred sighed.
"This is going to be a long long day..."
**********
In the east garden of Mistheaven Castle, a small gazebo sheltered two figures, Oz and Opheila, from the afternoon sun.
The surrounding area was lush and quiet, with only the occasional rustle of wind moving through the trees. The two of them sat across from each other, locked in a game of poker.
"Muehehe. Full house, I won!"
Oz announced with a smug grin, as he leaned over and pulled several small packets of candy towards himself.
Opheila sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
"First time in my life I've never won at poker."
She had tried all of her usual tricks. Normally, she would manipulate her opponents into folding or betting recklessly.
Her magic could sway even the sharpest minds, but for some reason, none of it worked on Oz. It was frustrating. Her streak of losing hand after hand was something she'd never experienced before.
"If the nobles ever find out we're using extra cards for poker, they'll go mad," Opheila muttered.
She picked up one of the cards in the deck. That card had doodles all over it. The cards had been repurposed as poker cards.
"I still can't believe you managed to get 44 extra cards," Opheila said, tossing the card back on the table.
"I only got two extra cards because there are only two Rattenfanger left among the staff. And thanks to the agreement with that Old Hag, I can't recruit or summon any more."
As a Rat King, Ophelia's skills in espionage were top-notch. But this time, she couldn't figure out how Oz had secured such a large number of extra cards, something she was unable to do.
"Muehehe, that's a trade secret," Oz teased
His grin widening as Opheila's frustration grew more.
"Come on, you really aren't going to share your secret with your girlfriend?" Opheila teased back.
She leaning forward slightly with a smirk, her eyes glinting with playful mischief.
"We're just pretending," Oz replied.
Refusing to let her know his secrets.
"I'm under no obligation to share any secrets."
Opheila leaned back, letting out a small chuckle.
"Too bad. But hey, with 46 extra cards, at least we can start farming points without any real issues."
She pulled out a small notebook, flipping it open. Inside, detailed plans filled the pages, listing the strategies and actions they had agreed upon.
The extra cards Oz had shown her earlier had forced her to cooperate. Oz needed her expertise in gathering intelligence, and she needed those extra cards to win big in the upcoming event.
From the information they had gathered, they knew that the total HP available in this event was 300 points. It was the largest HP pool ever released in Mistheaven history, at least in the past decade.
"If we manage to secure at least 50% of that HP," Opheila said, tapping the notebook thoughtfully.
"It'll be the biggest heist in Mistheaven history."
"Even with the extra cards that reveal the nobles' roles, they're only enough to scan about 1,200 students," Oz said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"That still leaves half the student uncovered."
"I'd love to manipulate the other half," Opheila said.
"But that Old Hag's got her eyes on me. I can't use any major spells without tipping her nerve."
Professor Goldilock, or "the Old Hag" as Opheila called her, was constantly monitoring her activities.
"Well, 50% of the students should be enough. We'll brute force the rest. Mistheaven's going to turn into a massacre. Muahahaha."
Oz let out another laugh, this one darker, sending a chill through the air. His laughter was loud enough to send birds flying from nearby branches.
"You know, the more I listen to you, the less you sound like a saint. Even dark wizards would feel insecure hearing that laugh," Opheila joked, shaking her head.
Oz raised his hands as if in prayer, his expression overly dramatic. "I'm a dark wizard with a heart pure as a saint."
Ophelia burst into laughter, barely able to contain herself.
"I call that bullshit," she said, smirking.
She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful before speaking again.
"Hey, about this fake relationship… Maybe we should try the real thing."
Without warning, she leaned forward, cupping Oz's cheeks in her hands. Her face was just inches from his, her breath warm against his skin. She leaned in even closer, her lips pressing softly against his.
Oz froze, his mind going blank as the soft sensation of her lips caught him completely off guard.
"I'm just kidding," Opheila said.
Pulling back with a playful grin, leaving Oz stunned, his heart still pounding from the unexpected kiss.