Chapter 286
Chapter 286
Chapter 286
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 286 – This Time, Lan Qi Wasn’t Held Back by Hupe
The special feed supplied to the backstage suddenly felt as if the sound had been cut off.
The entire examination area sank into a deathly silence.
Then—like a dam bursting—shock, excitement, and near-mad cheering erupted, penetrating layers of walls, echoing through the entire examination building. Even Gloria, watching from outside on the screen, felt her scalp tingle.
Now Gloria was absolutely certain: the new Holy Son was someone who carried his own “show effect” wherever he went.
Although the Ba'tian Church had yet to officially declare his identity to the public, allowing people to recognize him as the Ba'tian Holy Son—if the man already presumed to be the Ba'tian Holy Son drew so much attention at the Royal Protos Academy, raising expectations sky-high, only to lose miserably at a critical moment—or worse, get split in half—that would undoubtedly disgrace their Ba'tian branch.
A bounty of 130,000 credits on his head… Even if Gloria herself were inside the exam field, her scalp would still go numb.
It was enough to drive every student into a frenzy.
And anyone the Holy Son met inside the barrier would instantly become an enemy willing to stop at nothing to harm him.
From now on, unless he entered classrooms where powerful teachers were actively enforcing the rules, the ordinary protections of the Academy’s rules would be useless!
Many students would surely seize the opportunity to break the rules for the sake of the bounty.
After all, breaking rules at most led to a teacher’s punishment or the loss of a hundred credits.
Compared to a bounty of 130,000? That price was nothing.
It was worth gambling everything—worth discarding honor—if it meant hunting Zestira at a critical moment.
And the bounty also came with a built-in mechanism—
“For every student eliminated by the wanted target, the total bounty amount increases by 1%.”
Whether or not the other student had hostile intent, if the wanted target directly or indirectly caused another student in range to be too severely injured to continue, the barrier would lock that student’s life force, a teacher would retrieve them, and the bounty would increase.
Although students had signed detailed safety waivers upon admission, the Academy did not want casualties during monthly assessments.
Normally, a strong wanted target might only increase their bounty by a few points per opponent defeated.
But because of the Ba'tian Holy Son’s outrageous starting figure, each person he defeated would increase his price by thousands!
Even if he managed to hold out against several, even a dozen students, the long twelve-hour duration ahead would be a hopeless war of attrition. He would face more and more—and stronger and stronger—enemies!
“His desire to win isn’t particularly strong. I don’t expect him to accomplish much within the Academy’s rules. No matter the method—if he can just protect Zestira until the end of the exam, he’ll have already surpassed my expectations.”
Sigrid spoke indifferently, her understanding of her Holy Son’s role crystal-clear.
After all, this was an away game. The limitations were enormous.
“……”
Gloria restrained herself from commenting further, only watching silently.
As a direct soldier, she should not question the bishop’s eye in choosing the Holy Son.
And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the Ba'tian Church was far too biased in favor of this particular Holy Son.
How could a mere fourth-rank Ba'tian Holy Son possibly last twelve hours and survive until the end of the assessment?
Meanwhile, in the southern testing zone of the Royal Protos Academy.
Ten minutes remained before the official start at nine o’clock.
On the first-floor corridor of a pitch-black building, the carpet patterns of Demon Realm flora shifted occasionally, swallowing footsteps, imbuing the corridor with an endless mystery.
Every few steps, portraits and mirrors on the walls alternated, their eyes seeming to follow passing students, silently bearing witness to the ancient Academy.
After the observation time during preparation, Lan Qi seemed to have already memorized the surrounding structure. Now they were close to their target classroom.
The dim light cast their shadows against the cold marble walls, stretching and shrinking as they moved. Finally, Lan Qi slowed and stopped before a door.
From far down the corridor behind them, several ghostlike shadows had already begun trailing.
At this moment, all students were suppressed by the barrier, unable to fight. Only when nine o’clock struck would the restraints lift.
For those targeting Zestira, rushing in recklessly wasn’t a wise move.
Better to let someone else test the waters first.
“Teacher…”
Zestira didn’t say anything else, only called softly.
Inside, she was already forcing down waves of unease.
For a second-rank like her, the current pressure was far too overwhelming.
The only one she could trust completely was her teacher.
“Don’t worry. I think I’m starting to find the feeling I once had.”
Lan Qi smiled faintly, his tone confident.
Hearing this, Zestira felt a small measure of relief.
The Cat Boss hiding in the shadows, however, felt his heart racing.
He had never seen Lan Qi unleash himself in the Academy, but from every idle chat between Xiu Bao and Talia, he knew—once Lan Qi unchained himself from moral restraints, he would do insane acts of sacrificial merit, and he truly believed the Goddess would praise him for it.
Zestira glanced at the door before them.
From the classroom sign, one couldn’t see the exact contents of the exam; even with observation, one could only guess the broad academic category.
“This should be Magical Beast Cultivation. Teacher, do you know this subject?”
She asked cautiously, clearly worried.
It was a very obscure discipline.
Although most magical beasts in the city were domesticated, they originated from the Demon Realm and still faced prejudice among many Protos.
Not to mention—they were quite dangerous.
“We from the Demon Realm have a natural advantage in this. No problem.”
Lan Qi’s voice brimmed with confidence.
“Alright.”
Zestira felt that ever since arriving in this exam zone, even Lan Qi’s self-perception had unconsciously shifted.
“Zestira, keep watch for me.”
Before entering, Lan Qi stepped into the doorway, as though premeditated, swiftly pulling out the portable card-making toolkit—knife and brush at the ready.
Zestira nodded and shifted slightly, standing at the side to scan the distant corridor.
Lan Qi quickly altered the symbols on the signboard.
“All done.”
He pushed the door open and walked straight inside.
Though crudely made, his technique was absurdly skilled—at a glance, no one would notice anything amiss.
Following him in, Zestira took one last look.
The sign had changed from [Magical Beast Cultivation – Difficulty 3] to [Culinary Arts – Difficulty 1].
Zestira: “???”
Her head throbbed… she lay down in resignation, mentally simulating the rest.