High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2196: Chapter 417: Choices

The division of the Winter Hunting Ground is like a giant purple-skinned onion, with distinct layers from inside to outside.

The innermost hunting grounds are set within the campus, and are managed by lower-grade and some ’self-aware’ students. The school will release simple and common prey in this area, such as Bogut, Kappa, Fire Ash Snake, Red Chain Snake, and others. Without a doubt, conducting winter hunts in these hunting zones is absolutely safe.

Like an onion, the core’s spiciness is not so intense; instead, it has a hint of sweetness. Naturally, the taste of the ’onion’ itself in this area is also the mildest.

As you peel further outward, the onion’s skin becomes thinner, and the spiciness intensifies.

The middle layer lies between the school and the Silent Forest, encompassing Beta Town and some professor-established laboratories near the school. Due to the years of development by Wizards, this area rarely harbors monsters from the depths of Silent Forest. The creatures commonly seen here are those that often interact with Wizards, such as Ghouls, Houdou, Vengeful Spirits, Gargoyles, and others. Comparatively, this area is not quite safe, but most areas are on the edge of the School Guardian Array’s coverage range, so the danger is still low.

The outermost layer is entirely outside the School Guardian Array, having crossed the safety line of the Silent River, and penetrated the edge areas of the Silent Forest—some powerful hunting teams with a tacit understanding with the school even have temporary permission to explore the deeper parts of Silent Forest—in this hunting zone, anything unexpected can happen, ranging from Fire Dragon to Giant, from Unicorn to Chimera, from the reclusive Black Wizard in the forest depths to solitary Bounty Hunters.

Every year during the winter hunt, only hunting teams with school approval can participate in the outermost winter hunt, and they usually receive the highest evaluations. Theoretically, their harvest is also the richest—though, this year may not be as satisfactory.

And beyond the outer layer lies the vast expanse of the Silent Forest.

There, many young Wizards find bustling magic creatures they have only ever seen in books, hidden alongside terrifying traps only heard from the mouths of elders. The air is saturated with the breath of danger and death. Therefore, with each winter hunt, the school organizes varying numbers of patrol teams—centered around the Assistant Team and the School Works Committee—to roam outside the hunting grounds to ensure that no high-risk magical creatures infiltrate, and to prevent any audacious student hunting teams from venturing too far into the forest.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Heavy and broad sounds echoed consecutively from the depths of the forest. Not only did the birds in the woods not fly away but instead hid more securely. Only the snow on the branches fluttered down with the shuddering of the forest, affirming that the young Wizards indeed heard something real.

At the moment the strange noises arose, Zheng Qing had already summoned back the other three Hunters hunting in the outskirts.

Now, the seven hunters of the Absolution Hunting Team had already opened up the most skilled battle array of the Bo Fu Clan, vigilantly surveying their surroundings. The diviners of Absolution were also working with turtle shells, Cao herbs, and divination tokens to diligently divine the origins of those strange noises.

”Chaos, the divination is all chaos.”

After a long while, Xiao Xiao finally took off his glasses, rubbing his sore eye sockets while muttering, ”The divination shows a great danger nearby; instead, going deeper into the Silent Forest would be safer... This completely defies logic... The only explanation is that a powerful Wizard has interfered with the celestial mechanisms, affecting the divination results.”

Zheng Qing caught a handful of snow, extinguishing the small fire pit used by Doctor to burn the turtle shell.

”Don’t worry, the patrol teams from the School Works Committee and Assistant Team are right nearby. They will surely handle that trouble firsthand.” The leader of the Absolution Hunting Team reassured everyone: ”As far as I know, there are quite a few graduating students the school has summoned back in the patrol teams. Even if an entire tribe of Giants trespasses near the forest and causes trouble, they wouldn’t have it easy...”

”Are you ’as far as I know’ or did you need to recount what the Elders told you?” The Fat Wizard rolled his eyes, mumbling in a very low voice.

He still felt disgruntled about the young scholarship student’s recent ’betrayal.’

Zheng Qing glanced at him, pretending not to hear his mumbling.

”What’s our next step then...” Dylan touched his gem cufflink, enquiringly looking to his team leader.

Zheng Qing hesitated, giving Zhang Ji Xin a look.

”I recommend that the hunting team stays put and doesn’t move around.” The Red-faced Male Wizard stroked his chin, slowly offering his opinion: ”The most crucial task for every hunting team is to clear their own hunting ground. As long as we ensure our hunting ground is ’clean,’ this winter hunt won’t encounter mishaps... Even taking a step back, should any danger arise, as long as we are still within our hunting ground, the school wouldn’t allow overly severe situations to occur...”

Saying this, he discreetly pointed to the sky, implying that a Big Wizard serving as the guide might be silently watching their every move.

Zheng Qing’s elderly face blushed, he lightly coughed and awkwardly interrupted: ”How surprising, I thought with your temperament, you’d be leading the hunting team over there to see what’s happening.”

”Everyone’s temperament should cater to rationality; this is an essential quality of a successful hunting team leader.” Zhang Ji Xin analyzed earnestly: ”On another note, if our winter hunt reaches the point of needing the guide teacher’s intervention, it signifies a winter hunt failure, and implies the evaluation of this hunting team would be greatly reduced... And the risks of the Silent Forest depths speak for themselves, rushing into the woods recklessly due to minor curiosity, risks, and rewards are completely disproportionate...”

Then at that moment, from the central formation position, dense smoke suddenly surged from Xin Fat Man’s robe sleeves, engulfing one of his arms in an instant, as wisps of blue smoke interspersed, the faint dance of several orange-red tongues of fire was still visible.

”Damn!”

The Fat Wizard frantically patted the sudden smoking fire, while Zheng Qing immediately nervously directed the others to unblock the remaining magic circuit, deploying the battle array’s first rank status, raising the envelope to ensure the hunting team hadn’t suffered attacks from unknown sources.

”Divination shows normal!”

”Detection spell found no anomalies!”

”No signs of curses!”

”No indications of Black Magic attacks!”

A series of reports sounded in Zheng Qing’s ears, gradually calming his elevated heart, even as he was still confounded, Xin Fat Man abruptly left his post, rushed to Zheng Qing’s side, grabbed his arm, face ashen.

”Linda is in trouble.”

The Fat Wizard said concisely, his entire being turning indigo blue, the wide cloak swelled round, seemingly ready to burst into fragments at any moment: ”I’m going to rescue her!”

”Silence and Think!”

Without hesitation, Zheng Qing flipped open the Law book, casting a calming incantation on the Fat Man. But he regretted it the next moment because the calmer the Fat Man became, the easier it was for him to transform into a Blue Giant.

”Stay calm, keep calm!”

The leader of the Absolution Hunting Team had to signal the other hunters to collectively restrain the nearly rampaging Blue Giant, and simultaneously shouted: ”We are a hunting team, whatever the issue, discuss it well and decide together! Don’t behave like a middle school student!”