Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 3: A Transmigrator’s Imagination Might Be a Bit Too Overpowered

The manor was eerily silent, a scene of utter chaos.

"Anlina Tazera. A hereditary baron. A second-class wanted criminal under the Order Bureau. Suspected to be involved in multiple missing persons cases in Resa."

Xia Ya yawned, reciting the mission briefing as if he were reading from a manual.

"According to the Fifth Amendment jointly issued by the Military Department and the Order Bureau, as an executor of a bounty mission, I am authorized to exercise enforcement rights within a limited scope after securing sufficient evidence…"

Though Xia Ya continued his routine monologue, Anlina had no intention of listening anymore.

She had recognized the badge pinned to his chest.

The Saint Roland Academy emblem—the top-ranked Beastmaster Academy in the Imperial Capital, leagues above the lesser academies in Resa.

And he wasn’t bluffing. Some senior students of Saint Roland Academy indeed possessed strength comparable to mid-tier Beastmasters and were qualified to be employed by the military, the Order Bureau, or even the church.

Anlina’s eyes flickered as she sized up Xia Ya’s simple, almost plain attire.

If not for that, he wouldn’t have been mistaken for a commoner and lured into the manor along with the others.

"You may be from Saint Roland Academy, but judging by your clothing, you’re probably just a commoner or a low-ranking noble."

"Despite your exceptional Beastmaster talent, you’re limited by a lack of evolution resources and enhancement materials. You’re forced to work under a major faction just to earn a meager wage."

"The children of the truly powerful wouldn’t risk their lives for these dirty bounty missions."

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Anlina subtly shifted her posture, her elegant evening gown accentuating her curves. This time, her voice carried a husky undertone.

"My beast is unique—it doesn’t require expensive transcendent materials to grow. And as a noble, I have long since accumulated vast wealth."

"In exchange, I won’t make things difficult for you. Give me two hours. After that, you can report to the Order Bureau that the mission failed."

"Trust me, a hereditary noble’s entire fortune is worth far more than whatever bounty they’ve placed on me."

Xia Ya raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by how cooperative she was.

Shaking his head, he replied, "What I want isn’t something you can offer."

"How would you know if you don’t ask?" Anlina twirled the dagger in her hand, slicing open the fabric on her shoulder, revealing her snow-white skin and a tantalizing glimpse of her décolletage.

"Perhaps I can offer more than you imagine?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but while your figure is impressive, I don’t have a taste for yanderes."

"They’re fun to watch in anime, but in real life, I think they’re best dealt with through humane disposal."

Xia Ya casually pulled out a tissue.

"Of course, if you can hand over the stone statue you found in your father’s warehouse on the day you turned nineteen years and three months old, I might consider your bribe."

Silence.

For a moment, Anlina was stunned.

Part of her was shocked that he knew about such a seemingly trivial event from years ago—something even she had nearly forgotten.

It was as if he were a deranged stalker. Who knew how much of her personal history he had uncovered?

But more importantly, the fact remained—she could never hand over that stone statue.

Had she not accidentally found that miraculous artifact among her ancestral heirlooms, she, with her mediocre soul aptitude and lack of talent, would never have become a Beastmaster.

And there was no way her Flower Dance Butterfly, a mere Awakening-tier creature, could have evolved into the powerful, soul-devouring Nightmare Butterfly she now possessed.

Once someone had tasted power, they could never let go of the source that granted it.

"So, as I said—you can’t give me what I want."

"To save us both some time, let’s just go through the motions and get this over with."

Xia Ya wiped his mouth with the tissue and glanced at the eerie black butterfly floating silently behind Anlina.

"By the way, you’ve been stalling for quite a while now. Shouldn’t it be finished by now…?"

The moment Xia Ya finished speaking—

A thin veil of black mist began spreading from the Nightmare Butterfly.

Within moments, it engulfed the walls, the dining tables—

And then, it completely swallowed Xia Ya’s figure.

"Finally… it’s done."

Watching Xia Ya disappear into the abyss of black mist, Anlina let out a deep breath, suppressing the weakness gnawing at her soul from using a high-tier Beastmaster skill.

She knew that anyone qualified to take on the Order Bureau’s secret bounties had to be a standout among Saint Roland Academy students.

Even though he looked young, his Beastmaster rank was likely quite high—possibly even stronger than her.

If he had been given the chance to summon his beast and fight head-on, Anlina, who specialized in indirect combat, had little confidence in her chances.

"But in the end, he’s just a student."

"Strong, perhaps, but lacking real combat experience."

Real Beastmaster battles weren’t like the structured arena duels in the academy, where both sides politely summoned their beasts, arranged battle formations, and followed rules forbidding direct attacks on the Beastmasters themselves.

Her Nightmare Butterfly’s greatest strength was its silent, undetectable mental attacks—specifically, its high-tier ability: "Lingering Dream."

Once activated, both she and her beast would be immobilized, but the victim would be trapped in a mental illusion, where their greatest fears would manifest repeatedly until their soul was completely worn down—ultimately devoured.

Simply put, once "Lingering Dream" succeeded, there was only one way out—

A fourth-ring Master-tier Beastmaster could forcibly break free with sheer willpower.

But a third-ring High-tier Beastmaster would have no escape.

And at Xia Ya’s age, reaching the Master tier was impossible.

In other words—she had already won.

Suppressing her exhaustion, Anlina focused her consciousness into the illusion.

The overwhelming pressure Xia Ya had given her was too unsettling.

She needed to watch his soul be devoured to put her mind at ease.

But the moment she entered the illusion—

She saw it.

A massive silver-white structure with sleek, metallic contours, existing in a way that defied her understanding of reality.

Then—

It detonated.

Blinding light and searing heat flooded the world.

A mushroom cloud rose, towering over everything.

Xia Ya stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the colossal Tsar Bomba erupt in the distance, shaking the entire "Lingering Dream" illusion to its core.

He glanced at the flickering, distorted light projections struggling to form another illusion and let out a casual whistle.

"I mean, seriously—"

"Trying to out-imagine a transmigrator? That’s just bullying at this point."