Surviving the Magic Academy With Just Intelligence Stats-Chapter 39: Awakening

Time crystallized into a single, infinite moment as the coin spun through the air, catching and reflecting fragments of light with each rotation. Meihua’s eyes tracked its every movement with laser-like focus, her mind running countless calculations. Every detail of the flip was etched in her mind, for she had performed all the necessary calculations to ensure her victory. Yet, once the coin left her fingers, the outcome was left entirely to the whims of fate. Rather than feeling nervous, Meihua was exhilarated. The stakes were high—her very life hung in the balance—and that excitement was almost intoxicating. Would it be tails, or heads? Would death claim her today, or would fortune smile upon her?

The coin spun gracefully in the air, turning and turning as if deliberating over its own fate. Every second stretched out, filled with a heavy expectancy, as though time itself were reluctant to decide the outcome. Beside her, the Grim Reaper maintained a tense grip on its scythe, its gaze fixed unwaveringly on the shimmering coin. Even the Spider Queen, although not fully comprehending every nuance of the ritual, had its many eyes glued to the mysterious, airborne object. The moment stretched like warm honey, each rotation of the coin feeling like an eternity compressed into heartbeats.

For what felt like an eternity, the coin danced in the space between chance and destiny before it finally began its descent. In the very next instant, Meihua deftly caught the falling coin in her hand. The Grim Reaper’s grip tightened on the scythe, its dark eyes flickering with anticipation as it awaited the result. The Spider Queen, too, seemed to shudder in nervousness, its attention fixed on the outcome.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she observed their reactions. With deliberate slowness, she opened her hand to reveal the result. "Looks like I won’t be dying this time," she declared, satisfaction evident in her voice as the coin displayed heads clearly for all to see.

The beam balance swung sharply to her side as the Grim Reaper’s shoulders slumped in obvious disappointment. Raising its obsidian scythe, as if acting on a prearranged cue, it swung its scythe toward the Spider Queen. The monstrous creature recoiled in fear, shivering as the chilling swing passed through it. Although not inflicting any visible physical wounds, the attack left an unmistakable, nerve-wracking sensation behind. The Spider Queen could feel its vitality waning—half of its health seemed to drain away in that singular, decisive moment. Earlier, when it had dueled with that crazy girl, it had only suffered a meager loss of 0.5% of its HP; now, it was directly robbed of fifty percent.

With a respectful, almost courteous bow, the Grim Reaper acknowledged them before vanishing—taking both the balance and its watchful presence with it. The chains that had bound Meihua and the monstrous Spider Queen slowly retracted, leaving the two to face each other once again.

In its berserk state, the Spider Queen shed the remnants of fear as quickly as they had come. With a roar of anger, it charged directly at Meihua. As the monstrous form closed the distance, Meihua studied it with a measured gaze and a hint of ironic amusement. "Is it not ready yet?" she mused softly, her mind racing as she attempted to evoke her skill once more.

"I just need one more minute," she murmured, clasping her hands tightly together. She invoked, "Fate Wager!" But this time, nothing happened. Her concentration faltered as she realized she didn’t have nearly enough mana to trigger the skill’s activation. Before she could fully comprehend the gravity of her situation, the monster was upon her. Its massive limb swung wildly, heading straight for Meihua.

…

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Minghua’s urgent voice cut through Hualing’s thoughts. "He’ll really die if you continue!"

In that jarring moment, Hualing snapped back to reality. Her eyes flew open as she noticed Ambrose’s feeble hands weakly pushing against her—as if pleading for reprieve. A flash of memory surged: the first time she bit into Ambrose, there had been a sweet, almost intoxicating scent that had ensnared her senses, and the taste of his blood was so divine she had lost herself in it. Even now, amid the chaos, that haunting sweetness tempted her to repeat the act—but there was no time for indulgence.

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Following Minghua’s guidance, she began stimulating her blood. The sensation started as a spark in her abdomen, a burning seed that quickly spread through her entire body like wildfire through dry brush. But this was merely the prelude to true agony. Her skin began to rupture, splitting apart only to knit itself back together, then tear again in an endless cycle of destruction and renewal. Every nerve ending screamed as it was shredded and reformed, each cycle more excruciating than the last.

In their shared mental realm, Minghua watched with mounting concern. This violent transformation bore little resemblance to her own awakening. She had never seen such a violent talent awakening – had something fundamental changed? She glanced at Hualing’s consciousness form, which writhed in obvious torment. "Just bear with it for a moment, it’ll be over soon," she offered weakly.

"That’s the third time you’ve said that!" Hualing snapped, but her determination never wavered. Her young master’s life hung by a thread – a thread she’d made even more tenuous by taking more blood than necessary. She had to endure, had to succeed, had to save him.

When Hualing finally opened her eyes after what felt like an eternity of torment, she emerged transformed. Her once-short black hair now cascaded to her waist, streaked with silver strands that mimicked her master’s pure white locks. Power thrummed through her veins, a strength unlike anything she’d known before.

She reached out to grasp the crystalline webbing that still pinned them to the tree. The moment her fingers made contact, blood seemed to seep into the material’s very essence. The web dissolved instantly, leaving behind only a fine red powder that the wind quickly carried away.

Rather than collapse, Hualing gathered Ambrose’s unconscious form into her arms in a princess carry. Blood-red petals materialized in the air before her, forming an elegant staircase that she descended with supernatural grace. After gently laying Ambrose on the ground, she activated one of her newly acquired abilities:

[Lord’s Shield](S) - The ultimate expression of a ??? devotion. Once per day, the user can redirect all damage intended for their lord to themselves, regardless of the attack’s nature or power. This ability activates instantly and can even intercept fatal blows. While the damage cannot kill the user due to their ???, they still experience the full pain of the redirected damage and require time to recover based on the severity of the injuries.

A/N - It doesn’t actually have question marks like that, I’m just gatekeeping the name of the talent. Who can guess the talent and rank?