High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 417: Chapter 86: The Snake Biting Its Own Tail_1

The Ouroboros is a magical creature of wonder.

This creature is eyeless, earless, noseless, requires no breath or hearing, and is immobile. It is an oviparous creature that lives in burrows and is not bound by a natural lifespan.

From the moment it is born, it bites its own tail, devouring, growing, and fading — living in this way and entering a long and unending cycle.

In the Modern Wizard World, these magical creatures are found abundantly in the rainforests of West Africa or South America, on the beaches of the Aegean isles and in the foothills of Kunlun-Tanggula.

Smaller Ouroboros are as thin as silkworm threads, less than an inch long. The larger ones are only as thick as a child’s arm, not exceeding three feet long. They have no fangs or claws, and they do not entwine or fight. They do not even possess any aggressive magic.

If one would deem the Ouroboros a fragile magical creature due to these reasons, they would be gravely mistaken.

Thanks to some ancient blessings, in the eyes of mundanes, these magical creatures do not exist — this prevents them from harm born of ignorance. As for wizards, these seemingly ”weak” creatures are seen as feared and respected taboos.

According to legends, the history of the Ouroboros can be traced back to the dawn of time. The second son of the Norse ancient god, Loki, Jormungand, is their distant relative. The West African demigod Edo Fedo is a close friend of theirs in the rainforest, and both the Aztec Quetzalcoatl and the Brahmin Shesha have, to varying degrees, used the image of the Ouroboros in their incarnations.

Moreover, powerful spacetime spells ’Möbius Strip’ and its advanced version ’Klein bottle domains’, require sufficient Ouroboros bone powder mixed in the ink as a fundamental medium during incantation transcription.

The Ouroboros, possessing such remarkable background and abilities, has had its symbol transform into a standalone magical tattoo in the Magical World today. It represents the symbol of ’powerful purification’ and is widely used by many alchemists in their work.

The great Alchemist Thomas Browne once wrote in a letter to his friend:

”...the first day should decide the last, much like a snake’s tail should return to its mouth... they should all end at the birth... what an extraordinary coincidence.”

Mike Gold Cypress Plano, a sophomore at the Alpha Academy, has never studied the many works of Mr. Thomas Browne — this Gemini star of the Alpha Academy is not good at magical alchemy— but this had no impact on him borrowing some elements of Ouroboros when founding the Auspicious Society.

Immortality, cycles, infinite.

Each of these points holds great appeal for this ambitious young wizard.

Although he is from Alpha Academy, this ’fat wizard’ greatly admires the ideologies of other academies.

He praises Jiuyou Academy’s unbiased evaluation of one’s background, admires Starry Sky Academy’s practice-oriented learning philosophy, and believes in Atlas Academy’s motto: Everyone has their own faith. Everyone needs their own faith.

Sepulano’s faith is in rules.

He believes that if everything is handled according to rules, the world would be perfect.

So, when he walks, each step measures ninety-two centimeters; when he eats, he chews each mouthful nine times before swallowing; every day, he uses the toilet at exactly eleven-thirty in the morning, occupying the same stall every time, and after washing his hands, he always shakes them three times before drying them with a paper towel.

Every night at twelve o’clock sharp, he goes to sleep and wakes up promptly at five-thirty in the morning. He strolls around the Alpha Castle, standing under the portraits of those chattering old men, contemplating for an hour.

And most importantly, he does not kill - whether it be insects, beasts, or demons in Sepulano’s eyes, all are the same, all are life worthy of respect.

This has not only avoided alienating other wizards but, unexpectedly, earned the respect of many followers.

One must understand that in this world, the tense relationship between demons and wizards is long-standing. Any indulgence towards demons would be despised by others. However, Sepulano has managed to win this privilege in this ivory tower of the first university with his extraordinary charisma.

At this moment, in the lounge of the Auspicious Society, ten or so core members of the society are gathered around Sepulano, either standing or sitting, listening quietly to the Fat Wizard’s talk.

Like Sepulano, they all have an Ouroboros tattooed on their bodies. Some have their tattoos on their necks, others on their upper arms, and some on their fingers.

The only similarity is that all these tattoos are filled with vibrant colors that real Ouroboros do not have.

”...Friedman’s greatest mistake was his arrogance.”

”Arrogance blinds people.”

”His aristocratic arrogance under the moon led him to give up the lucrative profits of trading with the Fishmen, because he thought the smelly bronze coins should not appear in Alpha Castle.”

”And his Karen family’s arrogance led him to lose his mind after being humiliated by a few young people... Any smart person would not stumble twice in the same pit, but our Duke, has stumbled three times in the same pit.”

A round of light laughter of agreement echoed in the conference room.

One voice in the laughter was particularly harsh - this voice didn’t have the slightest restraint or politeness, but rather seemed a bit wild.

Sepulano couldn’t help turning his head towards the source of the voice.

It was a young man.

Of course, as a sophomore, he had no business calling other wizards ’young.’ But as the founder and the only core of the auspicious society, he had the credentials to look down on his peers or even higher-ranked subordinates.

”Andrew!” The fat wizard raised his arm, spread his stubby fingers, gestured, ”Andrew Taylor... Laughing so happily, do you have any insights you want to share with everyone?”

The break room immediately fell silent.

Everyone lowered their eyelids, silently gazing at the tips of their noses, seemingly trying to find a new world there.

Andrew, however, seemed to have not noticed this at all.

”My apologies, sir!” he exaggerated his open arms, laughing, ”I don’t know what missteps the vampire has made... but hearing about the misfortune of those hypocrites in the Karen family always makes me unable to suppress my inner joy...”

”Indeed, quite rude.” Sepulano squinted at the bright ouroboros snake around Andrew’s neck, gently nodded: ” ...You just joined the auspicious society last month, right... I remember you also donated a hundred jade coins as a membership fee to the society.”

Speaking, the fat wizard’s gaze slid over the magic ring on the finger of the young master of the Taylor family, his face showing an even warmer smile.

”It’s my honour, sir.” Andrew Taylor struggled to bow his waist, showing an uncontrollable smile on his face: ”I am honoured to be an ’Ouroboros Snake’.”

Ouroboros Snake, the unified symbol of the members of the auspicious association.

Because of this same tattoo, Ouroboros Snake has gradually become the synonymous with the ’Auspicious Society’ at First University. Some wizards are drawn to it, while others avoid it. But as long as it does not involve malicious incidents, the First University has always stayed out of these lively interactions amongst students.

That’s why most young wizards attending at First University will join some clubs for protection — many young people always take pride in joining a club that holds high standards.

After all, it’s an investment that can provide long-term benefits.

”Very good.” A hint of approval emerged on Sepulano’s face: ”I’ve just thought of something interesting... Perhaps it would be quite suitable for you.”

Andrew was surprised and abruptly straightened up.

Although earning Sepulano’s respect would be something to brag about, this sudden stroke of good fortune felt incredibly surreal.

Sepulano did not let the young master of the Taylor family ponder for too long.

”The Fresher’s Hunt at this year’s School Hunt... Are you interested in getting involved?” The fat wizard changed posture, making himself even more comfortable on the armchair, then added: ”If I’m not mistaken, maybe you’ll get a chance to give a good thrashing to that newcomer recently admitted to the Karen family in the Fresher’s Hunt... I think this will help in maintaining your happy mood.”

Speaking, he raised his head, his profound gaze firmly fixed on the face of the young werewolf sitting across him.