High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1904: Chapter 125: The Shadow Must Be Severed

Lin Yan is also a student of Alpha.

Zheng Qing found a very interesting phenomenon—Alpha’s students are either of noble blood, have outstanding talent, or are very rich.

One of these three conditions is always very prominent.

For example, Sir Friedman, who is of noble blood, has outstanding talent, and is very wealthy, belongs to a very traditional regular triangle existence, thus able to compete for the title of Augustus.

In contrast, Mike Gold Cypress Plano’s talent is too outstanding, like a sharp angle breaking through the extreme, hard-earned a huge fortune, taking an unconventional path, and instead became the biggest winner in this Augustus competition.

Although Lin Yan’s bloodline is not prominent, his talent in making magic potions is outstanding, which has earned him a considerable fortune, giving him the courage to wave jade coins and purchase the Absolution Hunting Team during the first week of school.

Returning to the classroom.

Andrew Taylor belongs to another obtuse triangle different from Lin Yan. His talent is not high, but his family is very wealthy, and his bloodline is acceptable, hence he mingled into Sepulano’s circle, thriving in Alpha Fortress over the past six months, a stark contrast to the embarrassment when he first entered school.

Normally, what should be most valued at Alpha Academy is bloodline, but with Sepulano’s rise and with Lin Yan and Andrew standing out, it’s obvious that some very interesting changes are happening in that prejudiced old castle.

In contrast, the stories happening in the other three academies seem somewhat lackluster.

The students of Jiuyou Academy are still taking exams day after day, the students of Starry Sky Academy still wandering between the Starry Magic Cube and the school hospital every day, and the students of Atlas, aside from chanting, have hardly any other hobbies.

Zheng Qing shook his head vigorously to extinguish those fleeting chaotic thoughts in his mind—possibly due to the side effects of that energy potion just now, Zheng Qing felt his thinking had become particularly active.

”...Student, do you have any questions?”

On the podium, the magical zoology teacher had just finished speaking when Andrew Taylor stood up, using his hoarse, deep voice to ask, ”What about the wizards, Professor? You mentioned earlier that magical creatures need to pay a price to use magic, but wizards also have the ability to use magic, so what is the price we pay?”

”Wizards?”

The young teacher on the podium raised his eyebrows, seeming very pleased that a student brought up this topic: ”This is also a point I need to remind you of specially.”

”You must remember, wizards are wizards; wizards do not belong to magical creatures. We have mastered the skill of casting magic through learning, which is fundamentally different from the innate ability of magical creatures to cast magic... However, you need to note that wizards do pay a price when casting magic, but we, through superior casting skills, have equivalently transferred these costs to other magic materials.”

”For example, yellow paper, cinnabar, array plates carved from obsidian, brass-made talismans, and even the law books you are using, the feather pen you are holding, etc. They bear the backlash of nature for us when we cast magic.”

”Of course, with the development of times, some wizards have ’chosen’ this simpler heritage.”

”For instance, the Blood Race, werewolves, or even ’magicians,’ etc. Consequently, they need to pay the price for their choices. The Blood Race’s sensitivity to sunlight and silver elements, werewolves’ restlessness under moonlight, and magicians’ ’weak control’ over magic and casting ’ceiling,’ among other phenomena, are part of these costs...”

Teacher Gan didn’t know Andrew was a werewolf, so when giving examples, seemed very casual, without any avoidance. Surprisingly, Andrew Taylor also showed enough respect in class, not throwing a fit because of the teacher’s examples.

This is a significant change compared to his behavior in school last year.

That night, during the room chat after lights out in dorm 403, Zheng Qing talked with his roommates about the afternoon’s elective class, and casually marveled at how ’people can grow’ and how the school turned a wild wolf into a hunting dog, so to speak.

Unexpectedly, the other two—Dylan was not in the dorm due to a reversed day-night schedule—were more interested in the words of the magical zoology teacher.

”Andrew’s change is indeed interesting... but I think what’s more interesting is what your Teacher Gan said.”

Xin Fat Man stroked Tuan Tuan, his voice drowned in the short and long purrs of the Fat Cat: ”Your magical zoology teacher’s wording is really particular—it pertains to a specific relationship of orderly inheritance.”

”How so?”

”Bloodline and wealth can be inherited, there’s no need to explain that. As for talent, generally, the descendants of talented wizards will also have similarly outstanding talents... This is also why there are so many families of diviners, alchemists, and potion makers in the wizard world.”

Fat Wizard’s voice resonated in the darkness, analyzing point by point, Zheng Qing seemed to see him placing his hand on Tuan Tuan’s back, counting with his fingers:

”... Alpha Academy selects students not so much based on ’talent’, but rather on ’shadow.’ That’s why they always have the strongest support in the wizard world.”

”That’s not the case.” Xiao Xiao clearly disagreed with the Fat Man’s viewpoint: ”Alpha has just reached an era of change. Remember the discussion we had on the special plane during freshman year?”

Zheng Qing rolled his eyes in the dark.

Who could remember a casual conversation from a year ago?

Perhaps realizing others couldn’t recall, Doctor Xiao kindly added: ”It’s the discussion on tradition and transformation. In my view, tradition and transformation are like the two parts of the Yin and Yang fish; things are always in constant transformation, intensely during the early phase of change, like the sharp part of the Yin and Yang fish, becoming heavier and hard to change in the later phase, like the heavy tail of the Yin and Yang fish.”

”At the end of transformation, the entropy is maximal, it’s rigid, it’s dogmatic, it’s solidified... Then they become newly born traditions. With time, these new traditions will face new transformations again...”

In the darkness, beyond the purring of the Fat Cat, there was another layer of snoring, dimly, probably from Xin Fat Man. It seemed he couldn’t stand Doctor Xiao’s dry and tedious theoretical analysis either.

Zheng Qing felt Xiao Xiao’s voice becoming more distant, more blurred.

In the last moment before completely falling asleep, the mischievous shadow from his afternoon class flashed in his mind, pulling out one last chaotic, firm, yet clear thought from the darkness—Taozhi’s Help can remain, but the shadow must be cut!