High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1823: Chapter 44: Starting from 50 Points

”Bang!”

Once all the students of Astronomy Class 08-1 entered the room, the narrow door was forcefully closed from the outside, making the room even darker. Especially Assistant Hilda, who was pulling the net hanging from the ceiling, standing in the aisle between the chairs. Her tall and thin figure cast shadows of varying intensity among the rows of candlelight, further heightening the oppressive atmosphere in the room.

”Clang!”

The room shook violently. Even sitting on the long bench, Zheng Qing involuntarily tilted to the left, almost crushing the monitor sitting beside him. Luckily, Jiang Yu was carefully supporting the swaying Li Meng, seemingly unaware of the boy’s slight impropriety.

Assistant Hilda seemed prepared, holding onto the net with one hand, her feet firmly planted like nails on the floor, appearing very steady.

Only the flames above couldn’t fix themselves like the assistant, forced to sway with the right and left motion of the room, causing Hilda’s shadow beneath to waver as if it were the shadow of a kraken on the sea surface, or a hunting octopus.

The shadow at Zheng Qing’s feet was restless—similar to Hilda’s shadow, it was fragmented into many parts under the candlelight, but unlike Hilda’s shadow, it possessed a bit of ’initiative.’

However, this ’initiative’ was deeply influenced by feline instincts, so much so that upon seeing Hilda’s swaying shadows, it always felt a hunting impulse.

”Did any of you hear a buzzing sound behind the wall?” Zheng Qing asked, trying to divert his companions’ attention while cautiously stomping his foot, attempting to warn his shadow that there were other people in the room.

”Sounds like something is being activated?” Xin Fat Man habitually took out his feather pen, then immediately realized the situation and reluctantly put it away.

Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses: ”There’s a clear magical feedback... quite a powerful array.”

”Airplane!” Li Meng struggled in Jiang Yuhuai’s arms, shouting: ”The feeling we had when we entered school on the airplane! Absolutely no mistake!”

Zheng Qing looked at the little witch in surprise.

This time, Jiang Yu surprisingly supported Li Meng’s view: ”If Meng Meng says it’s an airplane, it should be something similar... She is a Spirit Witch and has a sharp sense for these kinds of impressions.”

”My brother said...” Zhang Ji Xin habitually said three words and then received shining looks from the other members of the Absolution Hunting Team. He steadied himself, pinched his chin, thought for a moment, and finally said slowly: ”My brother didn’t say what it is.”

Zheng Qing had an impulse to carve two lines in his brain.

”Clang, clang!”

With the last two violent shakes, the room returned to stability; meanwhile, the ’buzzing’ sound behind the wall became clearer.

Recalling Li Meng’s previous judgment, Zheng Qing guessed that the earlier shaking was due to the airplane’s rapid ascent, and now was the stage of stable flight.

”Safely reaching the trial ground is your first test, you little rascals!”

Hilda shouted, interrupting the young wizard’s speculation. He let go of the net and strode back and forth in the narrow aisle, waving his arms to the left and right: ”This is both an evaluation of your year’s study and a test of your overall qualities!”

”The hard work you’ve put in all year in the classroom, laboratory, hunting ground, and off-campus is for this moment! It will challenge your limits! Measure your caliber!”

”Just as told to you before!”

”You will be tested in teams, deciding ultimate success or failure! Successful, you will continue your life in the First University. Failure, you may consider getting to know some freshmen who just started this September.”

”Don’t waste your year’s efforts!”

”Don’t let down those old folks praying for you outside!”

”And don’t disappoint my expectations for you!”

”Now, take out your trial cards, hold them up in front of you,” Hilda’s gaze swept across the young wizards sitting on both sides, only raising his voice slightly once everyone had taken out the copper plates:

”Recite along with me... ’Sky’s Manifest Thoughts’”

”Sky’s Manifest Thoughts!” Sparse voices echoed in the room.

”Louder!” The assistant roared: ”Concentrate, treat it as your final exam! If the spell works, you should see a base score on your trial card!”

Zheng Qing held the slightly heated copper card between his fingers, indeed seeing a pea-sized number 50 in the center of the triangular badge on the front.

”Who still doesn’t have it?” Hilda quickly walked back and forth in the aisle, his wide robe fluttering like a bat’s wings, stirring cool little breezes: ”Students who don’t see it should squeeze their trial cards and repeat the spell—Sky’s Manifest Thoughts—louder!”

”Sky’s Manifest Thoughts!”

This time, the voices in the room were noticeably louder. However, Zheng Qing noticed many people didn’t join this group, such as Tang Dun, Matthew, Liu Fei Fei, and several companions of the Absolution Hunting Team.

”Subtle yet significant differences,” the young wizard muttered, lowering his head again to inspect the copper card in his hand.

”Everyone’s starting score is fifty!”

Hilda’s voice sounded again, clearly echoing in this small room: ”Each successful completion of a trial adds ten points. Reaching one hundred points ensures the coefficient of practical assessment scores throughout your sophomore year starts at 1. The higher the score, like someone achieving one hundred fifty points, your practical assessment score coefficient for the whole year will become 1.5!”

”Which means, during the final exam, those scoring 70 points in the practical assessment with a coefficient of 1 will still have a final score of 70 points, but those with a coefficient of 1.5 will have a final score of 105 points... This is a great opportunity for students ranking ahead to widen the gap; I hope everyone won’t miss it.”

”What if we fail, sir?” A student bravely interrupted Hilda’s explanation.

”Fail?” The assistant chuckled twice: ”Failing deducts points until it reaches zero... meaning, in the worst case, you lose your practical assessment score for the year. This is also why I mentioned earlier the possibility of being held back due to failure.”

The room audibly heard many gasps.

Zheng Qing could entirely comprehend everyone’s panic—practical assessments generally occupy thirty percent of overall scores, sometimes higher. If three-quarters are directly cut due to this trial, there’s indeed a significant chance of being held back.

He cautiously snuck a glance to the corner of the room.

Only to see Liu Fei Fei tightly gripping Nicholas’s right hand, seemingly more nervous than him. In contrast, the older student with a spell mark on the forehead appeared very steady and even raised his left hand to pat the witch’s shoulder as comfort.

Zheng Qing noticed he wore a strangely shaped ruby ring on his left index finger, shimmering with peculiar colors in the candlelight. The warlock couldn’t help but gaze at it a little longer.