madnovel Chapter 391 : Gathering of Geniuses
Chapter 391 : Gathering of Geniuses
“In all the major casinos, betting has already started—”In addition to predictions about which participants might place in the trials, the registry also included betting odds compiled from various major casinos as of noon yesterday.
In particular, the analysis of the odds for participants in the [Andrew-Gamp Transfiguration Trial] occupied a significant portion of the registry.
“Ranking eighth is actually higher than I expected.”
As a well-known figure in the [Transfiguration Trial], Janna’s introduction in the registry didn’t just list her academic background, wizard level, and talent abilities. It even included her career as an opera performer—and even some baseless gossip.
There were even photo spreads of Janna’s news appearances tucked into the appendix, along with her GG endorsements.
“They even dug up the fact that I’ve grasped a [Law Fragment]—isn’t that a violation of personal privacy?”
Thankfully, throughout the registry, it was always written as “suspected of having grasped,” without any conclusive evidence. Moreover, there was no elaboration on exactly which [Law Fragment] Janna had supposedly grasped—merely brushed over in passing.
“A-grade [Spirit Phase Travel], B-grade [Plant Affinity]… looks like some of the registry’s information is outdated.”
Janna speculated that the reason a newcomer like her—who had never participated in any [Transfiguration Competition] before—could rank in the top ten out of fifty-five participants was mainly due to the rumors that she had “supposedly” grasped a [Law Fragment]. But the real reason was her possession of an A-grade [Witch Talent].
Of course, another part of the reason was that the [Necromancy Group], which had secured the naming rights for the [Glory Arena], had done some behind-the-scenes vote-buying for her.
The purpose of this wasn’t just to increase Janna’s exposure—it also helped build buzz around her as a “newcomer in the field of Transfiguration.”
Whether it was praise or skepticism, any discussion meant traffic. And as long as the traffic continued to rise, both the [Glory Arena] ticket sales and the [Necromancy Group]'s GG marketing would achieve a win-win result...
“Are these the top three predicted by the Mercenary Guild?”
Flipping back a few pages in the registry, Janna saw the three most buzzworthy participants in this year’s [Transfiguration Trial].
Ranked first in popularity was Marquell-Storm, a Third Tier Wizard Apprentice from the Elemental Soul wizard community.
His [Witch Talent] was A-grade [Hurricane Affinity]. He was highly skilled in transforming into various wind-element bird-type magical beasts and was suspected of having grasped a [Law Fragment]. Within the Elemental Soul Academy, he was known as the “Wrath of the Hurricane.”
Ranked second was Louisto-Tulan, a Third Tier Wizard Apprentice from the Tulanus wizard community. His [Witch Talent] was B-grade [Regeneration], and he had awakened the top-tier bloodline [Phoenix], having already grasped the [Burning Law Fragment]. He specialized in transforming into fire and light-element creatures.
Ranked third was Hela-Helheim, a Third Tier Wizard Apprentice from the Mistmarsh wizard community. Her [Witch Talent] was A-grade [Dark Affinity], and she excelled at transforming into shadow and undead creatures. She had frequently appeared in major transfiguration competitions over the past year as a dark horse contender.
“Except for Louisto-Tulan, the other two all have A-grade talents.”
As Janna read the updated information in the registry, her expression grew more serious.
Clearly, to make it into the top three, these participants not only had impressive results in previous transfiguration competitions, but their talents also truly marked them as geniuses among geniuses.
Even though Louisto-Tulan’s [Witch Talent] was only B-grade [Regeneration], the [Phoenix] bloodline he had awakened was said to be one of the top ten bloodlines on the Bloodline-Side.
What’s more, he was the only wizard apprentice clearly listed as having grasped a [Burning Law Fragment].
“If only I could get recordings of their past competitions...”
After quickly skimming through all the participants’ info in the registry, Janna let out a long sigh and slammed the booklet shut.
“All the major wizard communities really are full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. An A-grade talent, which is extremely rare in Turin, doesn’t even seem that uncommon in this trial.”
In addition to the top-ranked Marquell-Storm and third-ranked Hela-Helheim, there was also another wizard apprentice listed in the registry from a large wizard community—Kumbu-Thornspike—who possessed an A-grade [Insect Speech] talent.
Up to now, Kumbu-Thornspike had only participated in one transfiguration-related competition. Although he performed well, the small scale of the event meant his popularity ranking remained relatively low.
Still, compared to Janna—who had zero competition experience—Kumbu-Thornspike’s ranking was significantly higher.
“As expected, apprentices from major wizard communities have broader horizons. Not only do they study hard, but they also know how to pad their résumés ahead of time—”
With that thought, Janna opened her Quest Panel and once again looked at the task rewards section.
[Today’s Quest: Complete a combat training and achieve victory (Completed);
Quest Reward: 200 Talent EXP, 800 Skill EXP, ‘Voice of the Heavens’ character talent enhanced.]
“Didn’t expect that even character talents could continue upgrading through quest rewards.”
The [Voice of the Heavens] was one of Janna’s most practical [Character Talents] acquired early on. Not only had it allowed her to learn sound-based witchcraft, but it also helped her land a job with the Nightingale Opera Troupe and earn her first pot of gold.
So upon seeing that [Voice of the Heavens] had been further enhanced by the System, Janna’s surprise was quickly replaced with joy—
Splash— After putting away the registry, Janna no longer bothered with those pressure-inducing thoughts.
For now, she just wanted to fill up the alchemical massage bathtub, take a hot soak, and meditate to recover—hoping to face the [Transfiguration Trial] in peak condition tomorrow.
“Speaking of which, the food at Taste Bud Storm really is good. If only it were a little spicier, it would be perfect—”
As the hot water filled the alchemical massage bathtub, Janna undressed and sank her whole body into the steaming water.
At that moment, her mind involuntarily drifted back to the local specialty dishes that Goblin Billy had taken them to try a few days ago.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the flavor of Taste Bud Storm’s dishes was the closest to Janna’s preferences since arriving in this world.
Especially when she tried the special dish called “Devil Pepper Stir-Fried Beef”—that extremely familiar taste—
Stirred memories that had long lain dormant in her mind.
“Time really flies. In just over a month, it'll be New Year’s again.”
Watching the silver-white moonlight spill onto the ground outside the window, Janna’s thoughts drifted further and further away with her mood.
‘In that world... is the New Year coming soon as well—’