High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2145: Chapter 366: Midnight Battle

November 23rd.

Monday.

Favorable, for burial, nothing else should be undertaken;

Unfavorable, for all other things.

Zheng Qing had never felt the old almanac to be so accurate. Upon waking up in the morning, he sadly discovered that his bruised and swollen appearance hadn’t improved at all. His eyes were still as black as they were last night, his nose was blue, and his cheeks were swollen high, making the description ’swollen like a pig’s head’ seem so fitting from afar—today he should be like Dylan, staying in a coffin during broad daylight, doing nothing but snoring.

”Trying to cover up may be even worse if discovered.”

While the young scholarship student was diligently applying pearl cream to his face, Xiao Xiao consoled him: ”You can just step out in a straightforward manner, and if anyone asks, stick to what we agreed upon last night, saying it was magical injuries from hunting team training.”

Looking at his face in the mirror, now ghostly pale like a vampire due to the overuse of cream, Zheng Qing ultimately sighed and washed his face again, hoping Doctor Xiao’s suggestion was right.

Fortunately, no one expressed overly much concern about his facial injuries all the way to the classroom door. Although passersby would occasionally point and whisper, it was entirely within Zheng Qing’s tolerance range.

”Eh? How come you’re also like this?” Duan Xiao Jian exclaimed with surprise when he ran into the bruised and hurriedly walking young scholarship student at the classroom door.

”Uh, last night’s hunting team training, the intensity was a bit high... wait a moment.” Zheng Qing mumbled, barely finishing the explanation he and his companions had cooked up the day before, when he suddenly realized: ”... what do you mean by ’also’? Who else is like this?”

He gestured to his own pitiful face.

Duan Xiao Jian scrunched up his face, scrutinizing the young scholarship student’s appearance, as if he was the one bruised, finally managing a hesitant reply: ”... A lot of people, like our academy’s Zhan Shichen, Alpha’s Peter Greenspan, Andrew, Starry Sky’s Ani Black, Atlas’s Nicholas Dunnigan... they all looked bruised and battered this morning. Some say it’s a prank by goblins, others say students were experimenting with black magic. In any case, since yours is due to hunting team training, a different cause, it should just be a coincidence.”

Zheng Qing had ’heard of’ these names because they mostly belonged to the hunting team circle, just recognizing them without necessarily being able to match faces.

”How do you know so much?” Xiao Xiao squinted at the skinny young man.

Duan Xiao Jian shrugged: ”There’s nothing faster than a rumor spreading in this world... By the way, did you know there was a battle between great wizards in Beta Town last night?”

Having taken a beating, the young scholarship student, who had retreated early to his dormitory, naturally knew nothing about this. However, Duan Xiao Jian was vague, only knowing that a great wizard wrecked quite an area in Beta Town yesterday without any details on the reason or the identity of those involved.

Until just before class, Xin Fat Man hurried back with fresh information.

”This is all insider stuff from the campus newspaper editorial team, don’t spread it around!”

Before speaking, the fat wizard repeatedly exhorted his companions, his expression very serious: ”If Senior Linda finds out, she’ll smash me with her high heels!”

”Why do I feel like you’re anticipating that scene?” Xiao Xiao smirked.

”Stop with the nonsense, get to the point!” Zhang Ji Xin interrupted the doctor’s mockery, looking eagerly at the fat wizard: ”How many great wizards? Where did it happen? What kind of magic was used? Will the campus newspaper report on it in detail?”

The fat wizard glared at the doctor, rolled up his sleeves, and gesticulated exaggeratedly: ”The battle took place last night at around two or three o’clock, the location being Beta Town West District...”

”Isn’t the West District the ’Noble District’? How could there be great wizards going crazy there?” Zheng Qing, still pondering the other ’bruised’ wizards and mulling over whether to inquire about it after class, instinctively asked upon hearing ’West District’ out of the blue.

Beta Town’s West District housed many wizarding families, like the Qingqiu Su Family, Tianmen Zhang Family, the Metropolitan O’Brien, among others, who all had estates there. Because these wizarding families generally had high-level wizards in their ranks, rarely did anyone make a move there.

Zhang Ji Xin was displeased by Zheng Qing interrupting the story, cracking his knuckles sideways.

”How would I know?” The fat wizard laboriously shrugged, spreading his hands: ”I only know that a great wizard destroyed half a block yesterday!”

Hiss!

Zhang Ji Xin drew in a sharp breath and his eyes shone brightly: ”And then? Did anyone see it? Are there any photos? My place is too remote, surely it wasn’t affected.”

”That may not be the case.”

Xin Fat Man shook his head: ”The battle’s center was near Karen’s family’s estate, not far from where you live... According to witnesses, the sound of the fight was like thunder, rumbling for more than half an hour... The midair magical fluctuations were as violent as a hurricane, an azure claw bigger than a house descended from the sky, its nails sharp as peculiar knives, and with just a light grab, it crushed Karen’s family’s estate... Didn’t you notice Matthew didn’t come to class today? I heard that early in the morning, people from the Trident Sword took him away, whether for protection or to assist in the investigation...”

He gestured animatedly, saliva flying, full of excitement as if his open hand was the giant claw falling from the sky last night.

The others all turned to look at the place Matthew usually sat, indeed not seeing the young blood race’s figure there.

”Do you know who was involved?” Xiao Xiao showed some interest.

”How could I?” The fat wizard rolled his eyes, looking as if Xiao Xiao was naive: ”Even though this is Buji Island, a great wizard is a great wizard, ordinary wizards can’t possibly identify their identities... If the school or the Alliance gets involved, it’s possible, but no way will we know those findings.”

”I’d guess it was a Werewolf Clan Elder.” The red-faced male wizard guessed confidently: ”As everyone knows, they’ve never gotten along with the Blood Race.”

”Not necessarily,” the fat wizard shook his head: ”According to the witnesses’ descriptions, rather than being a wolf claw, it’s more likely some kind of bird or dragon creature... Sadly, because the witnesses were of such low caliber, they could only see a vague, illusory shadow, not even distinguishing whether the claw was covered with fine feathers or crystalline scale armor.”

”Indeed... what a pity.”

Zhang Ji Xin lightly pounded the table, sighing regretfully, and subconsciously pulling at his clean wrist as if still wearing a glove: ”If I’d been there...”