High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 936: Chapter 284 End of the First Semester

The last day of the first semester of the 2008-2009 academic year was January 18th, 2009, which also happened to be a Sunday.

That Sunday marked Zheng Qing’s twentieth since arriving at First University, as well as his twentieth time attending the class meeting of Astronomy Class 08-1.

It was during this meeting that Zheng Qing belatedly realized that he had apparently gotten the dates mixed up.

”The final exams are already over, whether you did well or poorly, the grades are set in stone, with no room for alteration... Of course, if any of you manage to go further than a Big Wizard, travel back in time to this semester, and still have the interest to change your exam papers, then I take back what I just said.”

At the podium, Old Yao held his pipe, smiling as he delivered the end-of-term summary, interspersing his speech with quips that sounded playful but were actually quite cutting.

A subdued, tactful chuckle spread through the classroom.

Xin Fat Man, seated in front of Zheng Qing, couldn’t help but mutter under his breath after hearing Old Yao’s ’of course’: ”If I had that power, after coming back, I’d definitely prioritize getting myself a premium weight-loss pill made by a Big Wizard... or gifting my past self gold as heavy as a Fire Dragon. With money and looks, who would care about exam results...”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing nodded silently, expressing his support.

Next to him, Xiao Xiao closed his notebook and adjusted his glasses, ready to speak.

Zheng Qing, quick as a flash, placed his hand on the Doctor’s shoulder.

”We know, we know, the taboos of time traveling... But with life being so difficult, we surely can’t give up the right to dream,” said the young scholarship student with a bitter-sweet expression.

Xiao Xiao gave him a sidelong glance and said emotionlessly, ”I just wanted to remind Fatso that as a Blue Giant, a sufficient body mass is a precondition for transformation... So weight-loss pills for him are tantamount to poison.”

Zheng Qing took his hand off the Doctor’s shoulder and looked at Fatso with pity: ”Poor child... Perhaps you can only rely on being cute and endearing to scrape by some affection from the opposite sex now.”

Xin Fat Man’s ears twitched, and the skin on the back of his neck slowly turned blue, but he quickly subdued it under Old Yao’s warning gaze.

After withdrawing his gaze, Old Yao continued his unending end-of-term summary:

”... Although the exams are over, your learning journey at First University has only just begun. As the ancients said, ’Review the old and know the new’ and ’Learn tirelessly and without boredom.’ That’s the principle.”

”Learning is a continuous, gradual process that can’t be achieved overnight. The knowledge you learned in school about magic, Spell Formulas, Talismans, potions, divination, Alchemy, and so on must be constantly reviewed and reflected upon daily to be truly mastered. If you think that passing the exams means you’re in the clear, then your future is really done for.”

”Oh, speaking of being done for, I would like to add a few things,” Old Yao said, tucking the pipe into his pocket, and picking up a folder from the podium. He opened it, took out a few sheets of paper, and then, lifting his gaze, swept it over everyone:

”The first matter is about the unwilling labor arranged by the School Works Committee for some students due to inappropriate behavior at the beginning of the term.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing immediately sat up straight.

Like him, everyone, including Xiao Xiao and Zhang Ji Xin, perked up their ears.

Old Yao didn’t beat around the bush, ”Earlier today, the School Works Committee had already submitted the evaluation materials of these students to the Academy and the Student Council and Professor Joint Meeting also issued a response letter. Hmm, the performances of the three students were generally good. The Committee gave them excellent evaluations...”

Zheng Qing clenched his fist, made a forceful downward motion, and silently cheered with a ’yes’.

Zhang Ji Xin, who was sitting diagonally in front of him, wasn’t so reserved. Upon hearing Old Yao say the word ’excellent’, he unapologetically stretched out his hand and gave himself a round of loud applause.

Under his lead, other students in the class also joined in, half-jeeringly, with intermittent clapping.

Professor Yao smiled, paused for a moment until the clapping died down in the classroom, before continuing with a grin, ”That is to say, starting from next semester, you few won’t need to participate in the Work Committee’s tasks... If anyone wants to volunteer, you can sign up with me. If the Committee agrees to take you on, then you can still earn some evaluation points at the end of the term.”

Quiet whispers broke out in the classroom, but no one stood up to sign up on the spot.

After all, the work of the School Works Committee wasn’t that glamorous; it involved a lot of ’menial’ tasks, was time-consuming, involved cumbersome affairs, and offered very limited personal skill development. Even with the incentive of academic credits, it was hardly attractive.

More importantly, the majority of the students ’serving’ on the School Works Committee were considered ’problematic’ by their respective academies. Even with an ’excellent’ evaluation from the Committee, it wouldn’t give people the impression of excellence.

Professor Yao was well aware of the students’ thoughts, so he didn’t dwell on the issue for too long and went straight to the next item on the agenda:

”The second matter, about the students staying on campus during the vacation.”

”This year’s winter break is four weeks long, a total of twenty-eight days, from January nineteenth to February fifteenth.”

”If there are students who don’t plan on going home and want to stay at the school, come and get a stay application form from me after today’s meeting, fill in the necessary information... The monitors have told you all about this before, right?”

”Told...us...before...” A drawn-out and sporadic response sounded throughout the classroom.

Old Yao didn’t mind and nodded, continuing, ”Here, I need to make a declaration in advance... Students who plan on staying on campus will be housed together in one place for accommodation, with entry and exit managed as usual.”

”It could be Jiuyou Academy, or it might be Alpha Castle, etc., all are possibilities. This is both for easier management and to ensure the safety of students staying during the holidays; it’s also because the school will take this opportunity to do maintenance on the various academy’s Defensive Magic Arrays and the dormitories’ spatial structures.”

”During this period, the school will enter a state of complete lockdown... meaning security measures will be stricter than they are now. I believe everyone can understand this.”

”If you can’t accept these arrangements and plan on staying in Beta Town or somewhere off-campus, you’ll need to provide certification from your parents and the landlord... The school will arrange for a tripartite agreement to be signed to ensure your safety off-campus.”

Zheng Qing smacked his lips, greatly satisfied with the school’s foolproof arrangements.

”That’s harsh,” Zhang Ji Xin felt quite the opposite of Zheng Qing. His mood turned gloomy after hearing about the school’s arrangements, ”I was planning on not going home during the winter break and fighting monsters in the Silent Forest... No wonder when my brother heard I was staying at school, he laughed so smugly.”

”Would you dare say that in front of your brother?” Xin Fat Man glanced sideways at Zhang Ji Xin.

”Do you think I’m as stupid as you are?” Zhang Ji Xin shot back without backing down.