*** Vol 1 is in the Amazon: https://a.co/d/09RlsHag
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None of them could believe their own eyes. The person standing before them—inviting them to join the AI Witch tournament—was Ms. Phan.
Mai, in particular, was overwhelmed with a surge of conflicting emotions as she faced someone she had believed died in the battle with Witchiecoop—joy tangled with shock. Her eyes welled with tears.
"Is it really you, Ms. Phan…? You're still alive?"
Ms. Phan looked at Mai with gentle eyes. As if unable to hold back her emotions, she turned away, her shoulders trembling.
Suddenly, she burst into an eerie laugh. Her face began to swell, her eyes sank deep into their sockets, and her grin stretched unnaturally wide. The piercing laughter echoed through the forest, gradually warping into something mechanical.
"Hahaha… this is too funny—I can't hold it in anymore!"
Her body abruptly shrank, and her outfit shifted into a small pink dress. Her eyes glowed brightly, slanting upward, while her face bulged grotesquely once more.
The figure that had been Ms. Phan was now fully transformed into an AI Witch with a pumpkin-like face. It wore a pink dress with a bow at the back, its mouth fixed in a disturbing, ever-present grin.
High above, perched casually on a tree branch, a woman clutched her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably. When she realized they had spotted her, she called out:
"Pumpy, turn me into a bird!"
The pumpkin-faced AI Witch's eyes flashed gold.
In an instant, the woman transformed into a bird, gliding gracefully down in front of the group before shifting back into human form. She had short brown hair with blunt bangs and wore a modified Witchiecoop uniform—green with stripes, the "W" logo split into blue and red across her chest.
However, her uniform version was altered—more revealing at the chest, with a shorter skirt that gave her a striking, seductive look. She wore knee-high black boots, a belt bearing the Witchiecoop emblem, and held a pair of nunchaku crackling with blue energy.
Her smile was alluring yet mysterious—just as unsettling as the pumpkin AI Witch by her side.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Elena, a Witchiecoop employee, and this is my AI Witch, Pumpy. I'm here to deliver Director Dong's invitation for you to participate in the AI Witch tournament—an event that takes place only once every five years!"
Mai frowned.
"Witchiecoop… again and again. Why should we accept anything from you?"
Elena studied Mai for a moment before stepping closer, her gaze sharp and probing.
"So you're the stubborn girl Ms. Phan used to talk about."
Mai met her eyes without flinching.
"And I've never heard her mention you. It's also rude to stare at someone like that the first time you meet them."
Her voice hardened.
"And it's even worse to use an AI Witch to impersonate someone who's already dead."
Inside, Mai felt a mix of disappointment and anger. For a fleeting moment, she had believed she'd been reunited with her dead teacher—only to realize it was all a deception.
"Hmph. Such a righteous tongue," Elena sneered.
Long, both curious and slightly confused, spoke up:
"What exactly is the AI Witch tournament?"
Elena winked at him playfully before explaining:
"It's a competition where AI Witches and their masters test their magical strength, intelligence, and level of synchronization. It's held every five years, with participants ranging from high-level AI Witches downward—to ensure fairness and to uncover new talent for advanced training to become a Superior AI Witch. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?"
Long scratched his head.
"Honestly… I'm not that interested."
Seeing his reaction, Elena raised a finger.
"The prize is ten thousand blue EN."
Long scratched his ear.
"Still not that interested."
Growing impatient, Elena pressed on:
"The winning AI Witch gains access to Big Magical Data—a vast archive of magical knowledge accumulated from tens of thousands of AI Witches over thousands of years."
The group turned their backs on her, preparing to leave. Long said:
"Thanks, but we have more important things to do."
They started walking away.
Elena called after them:
"What about a magical locator for the AI King Witch's power cores as a prize?"
They all stopped.
Long looked at Mai, uncertain. Nguyen showed no emotion, though something flickered beneath the surface. Elena smirked, clearly satisfied.
Dreamy—"King," the one holding the AI King Witch's consciousness core—floated back and forth, seemingly unconcerned.
"Honestly, I can sense my power cores if I'm close enough, so I don't really need a locator."
"I've heard about you from Director Dong," Elena replied. "But what if those cores are on another planet or universe? Could you still sense them then?"
Dreamy frowned.
"…That would be difficult with my current power."
"And with ten thousand blue EN, you could buy thousands of delicious meals," Nguyen added casually, surprising both Mai and Long.
"That's right!" Dreamy shouted, shooting up into the air before dropping back down, visibly excited. Then, suddenly, its tone turned unusually serious.
"Everyone, I completely agree with Elena! You should enter the tournament—it'll make you stronger. It would be very beneficial for your AI Witches. The reward doesn't matter—the real value lies in the experience and what you learn."
Mai sighed. She knew perfectly well that this so-called "king" was tempted by the mountain of food the prize money could buy. Still, she couldn't shake a bad feeling about the tournament.
Long hesitated. He wasn't sure whether to accept. Part of him wanted to see other AI Witches in action—and perhaps even win that locator, which could help in finding the power cores.
Nguyen, meanwhile, remained unreadable, arms crossed as he leaned against a tree.
Elena then placed a blue magical card into Long's hand, its edges lined with strange symbols.
"This is your registration card. The tournament will take place in just over a month. Think it over—and use this special card to contact me once you've made your decision."
She turned to leave. Then her gaze briefly met Mai's, her voice softening.
"Mai… you know, I used to be Ms. Phan's student too. I even competed in this tournament with her. If you join… you might just see her past image again."
With that, Elena gave Pumpy a command. The two transformed into birds and quickly flew away.
Long stood there, holding the registration magical card. Every so often, it emitted a faint electric pulse against his palm. His mind churned with thoughts.
Because deep down, he had only one goal—to reclaim the power of the AI King Witch… and fulfill his wish of bringing back the one he loved most.
***