High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 397: Chapter 66 The Birth of a Madman_1

What does it feel like to turn into a cat?

That is subject to a great deal of personal interpretation.

For those who are addicted to cats, God has blessed them with the power to rebuild their world through feline interaction. On the contrary, an individual with a healthy self-assessment and life practices might find such a transformation quite... ambiguous.

Zheng Qing rubbed his chin, reflecting upon his vague experience as a feline by day, finding it difficult to articulate.

”Being a cat feels... liberating. Almost as if I had no attachments, free to roam at will.” He hesitated, choosing his words carefully, ”Of course, seeing the world as a cat is... different from a human perspective...”

”Deeper analysis, go deeper.” Xiao Xiao impatiently interrupts Zheng Qing’s pale description and waves his pen, emphasizing, ”Go deeper into your memory, find more detailed, specific scenes... for example, what did you do as a cat today?”

The image of the wooden bench under the shade of the trees came to Zheng Qing’s mind.

As did a charming smile.

And the soft arms holding him closely.

He couldn’t help but blush as he recalled.

”Why the red face?” Xiao Xiao gazes over the edge of his glasses at the scholar in front of him.

”I’m glowing with energy”, blurted Zheng Qing, as if out of sorts.

”Why are you yellow again...” Xiao Xiao’s laughter interrupts him, and he continues the question smoothly.

”It’s the cold wax applied to my skin.” The young scholar inside Zheng Qing finally snaps out of the romantic scene in his mind, looks pleasingly at Doctor Xiao before him and asks, ”What’s the time? Is it mealtime? Want me to bring you your meal?”

”No rush, let’s talk more about your cat activities before we eat...” Xiao Xiao places the brush pen in front of him and leans back, observing the young scholar with obvious interest.

”You’re not one to lie, your reaction then was too strong... which means, you must have done something you shouldn’t... perhaps sneaking into the girls’ dormitory and... seeing something inappropriate?”

”Nonsense!” Zheng Qing springs to his feet like a startled cat.

”That’s indeed inappropriate.” Xiao Xiao strokes his chin, head bobbing in agreement, ”The magic defense in the girls’ dormitories is tenfold that of the boys’; even an ant can’t get in there without an invitation. So, did you turn into a female cat?”

”You’re the female cat!” Zheng Qing retorts with unfounded annoyance, ”From head to tail, I’m a male, a real man!”

Xiao Xiao finally abandons the idea of extracting direct answers from Zheng Qing.

But he hasn’t given up on his plan to gain firsthand insight into the mental modifications one experiences as a result of a transformation.

Flipping open his notebook, he shakes his head, ”I didn’t want to trouble myself, but...”

Zheng Qing eyed him suspiciously, unsure of what the old scholar was up to.

”Ahem.” Xiao sighed. He stops delving deeper into Zheng Qing’s post-transformation experiences and starts systematically introducing information related to transformation magic.

”...Transformation magic is an advanced form of wizardry...”

”...Its complexity stems from the fact that both the process of soul distortion and matter reshaping are involved...”

”Each witch or wizard has unique beliefs and projections deep in their hearts. When these beliefs are brought to reality through magic, they unknowingly guide them to embody an existence that aligns with their will...”

”Whether it’s a mouse or an insect... or a tree standing alone in the wilderness, never moving...”

”Just to clarify, witches and wizards can turn into trees?” Zheng Qing blurts out, ”I remember Professor Yi mentioning in his Transformation Potion Theory class, that I could only transform into...”

”To be more specific, learn to transform into several zodiac animals, some insects, and very few cold-blooded creatures.” Xiao Xiao interrupts, ”Transformation magic that allows the user to become a plant is a rare and ancient spell, the knowledge of which involves a unique faith as well as long-term special cultivation... Those who could do this magic were called Druids in history.”

”Those who self-learn transformation magic would have a broader range of choices.... Some, it is rumored, could make hundreds, if not thousands of transformations in a single day.”

”Using a magic potion to transform will only make you become a specific creature that is consistent with your traits....”

”I’ve never felt like a cat.” Zheng Qing takes a Black Donkey’s Hoof out of the grey bag and toys with it. He stated in a disgruntled voice.

”That’s your problem... Anyway, magic doesn’t go wrong,” Dr. Xiao shrugged his shoulders, refusing to continue the debate. Instead, he patiently continued.

”Going by the ’Law of Soul Conservation,’ in a multi-dimensional environment, the quality of a soul remains constant during the transformation process of a three-dimensional creature, and this value fluctuates around e to the power of 3.04 or 3.05... Because of the inherent instability of these dimensions, this process has no exact numeric value, as yet.”

”...this implies, even if you turn into a cat, your soul quality will not decrease... So, your cat is certainly far superior in intelligence and ability than any common wild cat.”

Zheng Qing nodded repeatedly.

That’s true.

A cat that can understand human speech and has logical thinking capabilities must be exceptionally wise.

Until now, the young scholar felt fascinated listening to all of this.

Xiao Xiao is, after all, a renowned doctor.

His explanation was much more profound than what Professor Yi had shared.

”...Correspondingly, after transforming, although a witch or wizard’s self-perception doesn’t cease — implying that after a normal transformation, the self-preservation instinct remains — but their affiliated aesthetics and preferences would gravitate towards the transformed species.”

”For example, if you turn into a cat.”

”Not just your exterior, but your preferences, and aesthetics too would align close to that of a cat... This is the interaction of the cat’s nature and the human’s.”

”At that moment, even though you hadn’t completely turned into a cat per se, you would feel drastically different from the human you. You wouldn’t be purely human.”

”This is the main reason that the Alliance has classified transformation magic as high-risk.”

”Without a strong soul or a dogged spirit, witches and wizards, before and after the transformation, would be tortured to madness by the split beings.”

”By mundane people’s standards, any witch or wizard who has learned transformation magic is a hundred percent schizophrenic... albeit, with varying degrees of severity.”

Wait, what?

Zheng Qing blinks, weighing the Black Donkey’s Hoof in his hand, contemplating whether to throw it at the face of the four-eyed frog in front of him.

How did he suddenly become mentally ill?