Surviving the Magic Academy With Just Intelligence Stats-Chapter 40: What Does She See in Him

In the depths of unconsciousness, Ambrose found himself once again suspended in the familiar murky void. The darkness here felt thicker than before, almost viscous, as if it were trying to pull him deeper into its endless depths. As he drifted aimlessly through the oppressive gloom, his thoughts wandered to his last conscious moments – the searing pain of being impaled alongside Hualing, then... nothing.

Time held no meaning in this place. He could have been here for minutes or days; there was no way to tell. Each time he visited this void, he noticed a disturbing pattern – he started deeper than before, the journey to the surface growing progressively longer. A troubling thought crossed his mind: would there come a time when he’d sink so deep that the return journey would become impossible? The idea sent a chill through his incorporeal form.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of floating, the familiar white light appeared above him. Usually, this marked the moment he’d regain consciousness, his mind returning to his physical form. But something was different this time. Instead of awakening, he found himself stepping into an endless expanse of white – not so much a light as an infinite space that stretched beyond the limits of perception. When he turned to look back, the dark void had vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

His mind immediately began working through possibilities. Was he unable to return because his body was no longer viable? No, that didn’t make sense. This space existed within his mind – if he could still think, he wasn’t dead. The more likely explanation was that his physical form was in no condition to house consciousness yet.

Since he wasn’t trapped in the murky depths anymore, Ambrose decided to explore this limitless white expanse. After all, this was where he’d first encountered the fairy who’d granted him the system. As if summoned by his thoughts, a sharp, static-laden feminine voice cut through the silence:

"Dammit! You tricked me! This wasn’t part of the contract!"

Although the voice sounded from afar, thanks to his enhanced perception, Ambrose immediately recognized it as the same voice from the fairy who gave him the system back in chapter 2. Despite the voice’s clarity, he could see nothing in the white void before him. He moved toward the sound, suspecting some kind of cloaking mechanism was at work.

As he drew closer, the voice grew louder until it seemed mere feet away, yet still invisible. One more step forward, and suddenly he felt himself being pulled through what felt like an invisible barrier, the sensation similar to passing through a membrane.

On the other side, he finally saw her – the spirit, no larger than a smartphone, pacing anxiously in mid-air. Her transparent wings caught the omnipresent light, creating prismatic patterns as she moved.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I—" she muttered frantically.

"Umm..." Ambrose attempted to interject.

"Wait! I’m trying to think..." she snapped, before doing a double-take. "Ah! You finally decided to speak. Let me tell you, even though I’ve yet to reach the level of a True species, don’t think that you can..." She paused, finally really looking at him. "Oh, it’s you."

The spirit zipped around him at dizzying speeds, her wings humming like an angry bee. "Hmm, did you also die? Ha! Serves you right!" she mocked.

"What do you mean ’also’?" Ambrose asked, before adding, "Never mind that – are you the one always leaving those snarky remarks in the system overview?"

"Hm! System? Oh! You mean the authority?" She gave a dismissive wave. "It’s better to ask that guy over there, but I wouldn’t bet on him responding."

She pointed to a corner of the space where a figure sat in contemplation. He appeared to be about six feet tall, with pale skin and a slender build that made their gender ambiguous. Ambrose froze in recognition – he had actually seen this person before. The figure looked just like him, an older, more mature version of himself.

As Ambrose stared, the figure opened their eyes, since the figure wasn’t wearing a blindfold like Ambrose was, he could see it. The right eye was golden, containing an actual working clock mechanism that ticked with each passing second, just like Ambrose’s father. The left eye was a deep blue, filled with spinning stars like a miniature galaxy in motion, exactly like his mother.

[Nice to meet you] the figure communicated, their voice resonating directly in Ambrose’s mind. [Or should I say, it was nice meeting you]

Before Ambrose could respond, reality shattered around him. The white void, the spirit, and his mysterious doppelganger all vanished as consciousness slammed back into him. He gasped desperately, his lungs burning as they filled with air. His eyes flew open to find Hualing kneeling beside him, her appearance somehow different than before.

His Mind’s Eye ability activated automatically:

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

[Name: Sun Hualing???]

[Level: C]

[Talent: Blood Knight (Transcendent)]

[Health: 6000/6000]

[Mana: 400/400]

[Strength: 62]

[Stamina: 79]

[Agility: 60]

[Blood Knight’s Oath](Intrinsic) - A profound talent born from absolute loyalty and sacrifice, manifesting in those who have offered their life and blood to their lord. This covenant grants powerful abilities fueled by blood, while binding the knight’s existence to their lord’s life force. (Subskills: [Lord’s Shield](S), [Blood Communion](S), [Crimson Blade](A), [Blood Armor](B), [Vitality Drain](B), [Blood Forge](B))

…

Minghua, now in control of Hualing’s body, studied Ambrose’s frail form with curious intensity. The original Hualing had lost consciousness immediately after healing him, the excruciating pain of awakening their shared talent proving too much to bear. As Minghua observed him, she found herself puzzling over Hualing’s deep devotion, what did she see in him?. He looked almost ethereally delicate, as if a gentle breeze might shatter him like fine porcelain.

"How could she be so devoted to someone so fragile?" Minghua wondered, before catching herself blushing slightly at his delicate features. "Though I admit he is kind of cute," she admitted reluctantly to herself.

The situation stirred memories of her previous life. Although she worked in the Rothschild household, she had never actually encountered a conscious Ambrose. In her timeline, he had remained in an unresponsive state, and she had never witnessed his awakening. Perhaps it had occurred later, but at this point in the original timeline, he had definitely still been unconscious.

A small, satisfied smile played across her lips as she considered how Hualing’s obsession had inadvertently served her purposes. She had actually lied about being able to heal Ambrose through the blood talent – that would have been impossible. But Hualing’s desperate desire to save him had achieved something unprecedented: elevating their nearly-maxed blood talent to the transcendent level. With this newfound power, completing the task THAT person had assigned to her seemed far more feasible.

Her smile faltered slightly as she glanced back at Ambrose. Although she was glad, the talent’s transformation into an oath-type ability complicated matters. Such talents were exceedingly rare and came with binding conditions – harsh restrictions balanced by extraordinary power. Their Blood Knight Talent, for instance, granted them practical immortality as long as Ambrose lived. The catch? His death would mean their death as well.

Observing his weak constitution, Minghua could only sigh in resignation. "I suppose I’ll have to keep him alive at all costs now," she thought, already feeling the weight of her new responsibility. The irony wasn’t lost on her – she was now bound by the same devotion she had questioned in Hualing, though for entirely different reasons.