High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 643: Chapter 312: Cause and Consequences_1

The deep footfalls echoed to and fro in the hallway, creating a feeling of irritation that was hard to suppress.

Zheng Qing trailed behind Old Yao, his expression conflicted.

Just a few minutes ago, the professor’s dialogues were still echoing in his ears.

”... The statistics are out. The Absolution Hunting team has caught the most demons, and you’re the team leader of Absolution, so you now need to come to the stage to accept the award.”

”Although the Hunting Committee members have some minor disagreements about the source of your ’spoils’, your performance was the best among all the hunting teams.”

”There’s no doubt about that.”

”As for that big black cat, it’s better not to bring it on stage with you. It’s not officially part of your team, and its appearance might cause unnecessary commotion... ”

The more Zheng Qing listened to Old Yao’s incessant explanation, the worse he felt.

Blue Bird, swallowed by the Wolf Demon, Xiao Xiao, mangled by the Monkey Demon, and Andrew, dragged into the depths by the Water Demon, all their faces continuously appeared in his mind, worsening the young wizard’s mood.

Finally, when the professor mentioned preparing an acceptance speech, Zheng Qing couldn’t hold back any longer, he interrupted the professor, his voice filled with rage, ”Professor, did you catch that puppet?”

With such a disaster happening, so many people dead, and they still have the nerve to organize an award ceremony? Have these old wizards lost their minds?

Zheng Qing couldn’t help but resent this, his anger growing - feeling angry for having to think about an acceptance speech during such a time? What a joke!

However, hearing his question, Old Yao looked somewhat dumbfounded, ”The puppet?”

The professor repeated the word.

He clearly didn’t expect Zheng Qing to ask such a question.

After a few seconds of pause, the professor finally reacted, pulling out his pipe and biting down on it a few times.

One puff, two puffs, three puffs.

As two streams of smoke billowed from his nostrils, the professor finally chuckled.

”You’re the most obtuse scholarship student I’ve ever met.” He said unclearly with the pipe in his mouth, firmly patting Zheng Qing’s back, chuckling, adding: ”Whether it be the choices you made on the hunting ground or your reaction now, you’re the most obtuse — without equal.”

”But this obtuseness is something that the school, especially Jiuyou Academy, highly values.”

”Without some obtuseness, how can one truly call themselves a ’bookworm’?”

Although the professor seemed to be scolding him, admiration seeped through every word. This just furthered the young wizard’s confusion.

Perhaps noticing Zheng Qing’s expression, Old Yao finally stopped beating around the bush and simply replied:

”There’s no need to catch the puppet. It’s one of the school’s old timers, it stayed here longer than 90 percent of the people here.”

”The newcomer contest was supposed to proceed without any hitch...”

”Was supposed to?” Zheng Qing quickly noticed the professor’s wording.

”Yes, was supposed to.” The professor paused and anger crept back onto his face, ”According to the original plan, you should have been facing various demon challenges within the hunting ground.”

”Flying in the sky, running on the ground, swimming in the water, solitary ones, herd ones, ones proficient in melee combat or illusion technique, etc., should have come in succession, increasing in both strength and number... until death.”

”Only the hunting team that could persist to the very end was our envisioned victor.”

”But, plans will never keep up with changes... the change started because of you.”

”Because of me?” Zheng Qing pointed at his own nose, looking innocent. Meanwhile, he was quite irritated inside. He was kept in the dark, how could he have messed up the hunt?!

”Yes, because of you.” The professor looked at the young wizard from the side, sizing him up before shaking his head and explaining: ”I don’t know why, but during your time in the hunting ground, you attracted nearly all the demons there.”

Zheng Qing couldn’t help but touch his right eye, a trace of gloom in his heart.

But Old Yao’s next sentence dispelled the gloom in his heart, replacing it with an expletive.

”If you were eaten by those demons, it would have been a good thing,” the professor exhaled a few rings of smoke, and said with some regret: ”At least in that case, our newcomer contest could have proceeded normally.”

If I had been eaten by the demons, I wouldn’t let you off even as a ghost.

Zheng Qing thought to himself. But then he became despondent again when he thought about how powerless an average ghost would be against a powerful wizard like Old Yao.

”... Thanks to that big black cat, you ended up surviving.”

”But the demons, our prepared game for you guys, are all dead.”

”What’s the point of a hunting competition without any game?... The other teams were disqualified before it even started. It’s a tragedy.”

”Of course, after the ’Slaughterhouse’ incident - when that big black cat ruthlessly massacred - there were still a few little monsters left in the hunting ground. But these were just a drop in the bucket and were of no use to the other teams.”

”No matter how hard the other teams tried, it would all be in vain as they couldn’t acquire as many spoils as you have.”

”At that time, the people from the Hunting Committee had started a meeting with the school to discuss whether to end the competition early and recall all you rabbits.”

”But...” Zheng Qing added the conjunction in his heart and subtly shrugged his shoulders.

”But,” as expected, Old Yao once again hit the young wizard’s shoulder heavily, exhaled a few puffs of white smoke and snorted, ”but then you went and provoked that demon dragon! —That’s the second twist.”

”You should know that every demon in the hunting ground is registered with the school. Those demons are game that the school has bred, and they’re all marked with our stamps,”\p>

”Additionally, the school sent a team, led by assistant teachers and aided by all registered hunting teams, to ensure that there were no residual Wild Demons in the hunting ground...but despite their thorough check, they didn’t find that demon dragon.”

”The people in charge of checking the hunting ground should all be severely punished!”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing finally understood.

No wonder Old Yao was so angry before, and why Thomas acted like a scared bird.

He finally understood the meaning behind the assistant teacher’s dead expression and his words after seeing him.

”... this means, if you guys had been killed or eaten by that demon dragon in the hunting ground, there would have been no place for you to be buried... unless you call on our school head to rewind time, you definitely would’ve been doomed.”

”So, our meeting was cut short halfway through, and then the school arranged for the assistant teachers to forcibly intervene, terminating the newcomers’ contest in advance.”

The things Old Yao said were more shocking each time.

Zheng Qing listened, his heart felt like it was being trampled on by thousands of rampant llamas. Although many of his doubts were cleared, many more questions arose as well.