High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2279: Chapter 500: The Last Day of 2009

Time passes extraordinarily quickly just before exams arrive.

As the days go by, there are few people in the academy who have the leisure to catch wild foxes for fur shaving or to chase away the crows on the trees. Discussions about the Christmas ball and the ’Winter Hunting Incident’ have gradually shifted to the focus and difficulties of the exams. Besides the fact that there are fewer crows on the trees, most students in the academy have almost stopped paying attention to the news about the Wizards wearing Raven Masks.

The weekend two days after Christmas flew by, and with the arrival of the eighteenth week of school, Zheng Qing’s time in his first semester of the second year at the First University was already running out.

Professors stopped lecturing, stopped unified review sessions, and stopped assigning homework. The classroom became one of freedom yet repression, with the shadow of final exams casting down from all angles, causing anxiety and suffocation. Everyone was granted the utmost freedom, yet everyone also lost the freedom they once yearned for — everyone was the primary person responsible for their own grades — a phrase often repeated by most professors.

Of course, professors weren’t completely idle; as long as they sat behind the podium, a continuous stream of students would come forward to ask questions, as if all the semester’s accumulated doubts had erupted in this short week.

Zheng Qing did not need to go to the podium.

Because he had a desk partner comparable to the Great Encyclopedia, whether it was Curse Studies, Potion Making, Alchemy, Divination, or Magic Script Class; no matter the course or the uncertain knowledge point, as long as he asked Doctor Xiao, an accurate answer would always be found.

For the first time in a long while, Zheng Qing felt his identity as a ’student’ once again — not having to worry about whether the crows in the trees were staring at him or fear someone would thrust a frog at him as he walked the streets. Just focusing on textbooks and exercises every day, such a simple and pure life, he hadn’t experienced for a long time.

Speaking of how this brief purity had impurities that were a bit glaring, it would probably have to be the tabloid news about him that appeared on Tuesday’s ”Ladies in Flowers.” This magazine listed all the hearsay, pairing Zheng Qing with a battalion of ’girlfriends,’ ranging from the Mares of Silent Forest to Mermaids of the Aegean Sea, from Ninfus in Puerto Rico to Little Red Riding Hood in Belgium, from a nun in Atlas’s first year to the female Monitor of Astronomy Class 08-1; there were also historical female ghosts from the Middle Ages and girls under twelve, and so on.

The magazine even boldly included the daughter of the Legendary Wizard and the North District Great Wise Person, Korma.

Zheng Qing suspected that if not to make the draft look slightly more credible, Xin Fat Man might have found some female Giants or Ogres to enhance the article’s tension and drama.

In short, because the content in the report was too shocking and filled with errors, it lacked persuasion, making no one take it seriously, merely serving as leisurely chatter passed over.

It didn’t even cause much of a stir in a few colleges.

”Fatty, with the skills shown in this report, you’re sure to win the ’Golden Feather Pen’ this year.” Zheng Qing closed the magazine in his hand, sincerely praising.

”Hard to say.”

The Fat Wizard had a slightly reserved smile on his face, rare and amiable: ”Last year, I was nominated for a report on the North District of Beta Town, but there are so many nominees each year, and there’s only one ’Golden Feather Pen’... I don’t have any particularly outstanding articles this year... All in all, hard to say, hard to say. As for you, the choice of tactical initiative in public opinion is well chosen this time, probably ensuring that for a long period, no one will care about you appearing in public with other Witches.”

As he said this, he blinked and gestured to the front of the classroom.

The young cost student cleared his throat: ”Hey, it’s all thanks to your excellent writing, as they say, a pen that creates flourishing blossoms...”

”Can the Golden Feather Pen help you score full marks in the Magic Script Class exam?” Zhang Ji Xin’s lethargic voice interrupted the mutual flattery between the two companions: ”Or can some Witch take the exam for you?”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing and Xin Fat Man immediately wilted.

...

The final ’Career Planning’ class of the semester was taken over by the counselors of various classes to explain the specifics of the upcoming final exam schedule to the students.

”Same as last year,”

On the podium, Old Yao bit on a pipe, looking cheerfully at those familiar faces below, waved his hand, and a densely packed table appeared on the blackboard: ”Final exams begin next week, from January 4th to January 18th, stop classes for exams... Your compulsory, elective, specialized courses, etc., exams for different subjects are distributed over different time periods... Especially for elective courses, make sure not to enter the wrong exam room!”

”I emphasize it every year, but every year someone gets confused... Last year there was a student who elected ’Werewolf Totem Studies’ but entered the ’Blood Race Emblem Studies’ exam room, didn’t even look at the questions, boldly scribbled all over the exam paper... Didn’t you think about why, if you’re taking Werewolf Totem, the exam would test you on the evolution of O’Brien family crests?”

”Because the O’Brien family crest had a couple of fangs!” Someone below boldly answered, causing a burst of laughter in the classroom.

Old Yao also laughed.

”So,” he ignored the voice challenging him, emphasizing again, ”make sure to remember the time and location of your exams... I won’t further elaborate on exam discipline, the school’s anti-cheating magic techniques far exceed your sly tactics, and I hope you guys keep yourselves in check... This time, grades hold a significant weight in your upgrade exams, and I don’t wish for any student capable of passing to be forced to repeat a grade due to carelessness or rule violations.”

Saying this, the professor took out a pocket watch and glanced at the time.

”It’s four in the afternoon now.” He said: ”Today marks the last day of 2009, with less than eight hours until the end of the year. I hope you can spare a few minutes in these final eight hours to think about what you’ve done this year, what you missed, and if there’s a chance to make amends next year... Tomorrow is New Year’s Day, a new year is about to begin, and I hope you have a clear plan for your aspirations in the new year and goals for the new semester, which is the original intention of setting up the ’Career Planning’ class...”

The atmosphere in the classroom gradually turned solemn.

Zheng Qing, following the others, nodded and bowed his head, starting to reflect on his actions over the year.

Soon, he abandoned that plan.

Because he realized that if he were to review from the beginning of the year, he had done so much that if he were to review every single thing, he might not finish reflecting until next year.