CHAPTER 96

Mr. Gordon paused, letting the weight of his words settle over the silent, intimidated students. He let them stew in their fear for a long moment, his gaze becoming firm, sweeping across each and every one of their faces. “Because only in this way,” he continued, his voice a low, powerful growl that seemed to vibrate in their very bones, “can you all grow up more quickly!”

His sharp eyes scanned the room. “I imagine some of you have already heard the rumors, the whispers in the school forums, that this year’s college entrance exam will have some… changes, right?”

A brave student near the front asked, his voice trembling slightly, “Yes, teacher. Could it be… could it be that this change is related to the monsters?”

“Correct!” Mr. Gordon’s voice was deep and powerful, like the tolling of a great bell. “The innate racial talents of the monsters from the Rift Worlds are too strong. A single, random monster often requires a human with a Celestial-rank talent to contend with it on even ground. Take that Direwolf,” he jabbed a thumb towards the cage. “Its individual physique is not as good as an Earth-rank talent's, but when do they ever attack one by one? They move in packs of hundreds! Someone with a talent below Earth-rank would be overwhelmed in seconds. But how many Earth-rank talents are there? Take New Veridia. We might get a few every fifty years. This year was a stroke of dog luck, and three came out at once, but that is completely unprecedented. According to the Global Concord's official statistics, of all the people who awaken each year across the planet, those with innate talents at Earth-rank or above only account for a meager twenty percent.”

He let that number sink in. “Students, what does twenty percent mean? Our Global Concord awakens about ten million young psionicists every year, but those who are truly capable of fighting powerful monsters head-on are only two million of that number. There are three major super-nations on Earth: our Global Concord, the Aethelgard Alliance, and the Russov Federation. Together, with all the smaller nations combined, we can only produce a little over ten million high-potential combatants each year. This number may seem large, but countless geniuses die from accidents or in skirmishes before they can even mature. And those monsters… they reproduce like rabbits or mice, a whole litter of hundreds at a time. We simply cannot compare to their numbers.”

His voice grew heavier, filled with a grim reality. “Right now, the most powerful of their kind are blocked on the other side of the Realm Gates, so we can live a life that is a little more peaceful. But there are still countless beasts below S-rank that were left behind on our Earth, and those require Earth-rank psionicists to eliminate. We are a species living under siege. Humanity has always been at a disadvantage. There is no more time for you to enjoy a peaceful, sheltered childhood!”

“And so,” he said, his voice rising with a new intensity, “here in New Veridia, under the direct operation of Military Commander General Valerius, our city’s college entrance exam will undergo an unprecedented, revolutionary change. You will personally go into the wilderness to hunt monsters. The number and quality of monsters you kill will become your exam score. There will be countless eyes watching your performance—scouts from all the major universities, from the military, from the great Factions. Even if your final score is not ideal, as long as you perform outstandingly, you may still be admitted by them on the spot. Students, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! An opportunity you can grasp with your own two hands!”

“To put it on a larger scale,” his voice boomed with passion, “if this new exam format is a success, our entire country, even the entire world, will follow this model. At that time, all students will be exposed to fighting real monsters in advance. Universities will be able to remove this part of their curriculum and replace it with more substantial courses. The overall strength of our entire human race may be pushed forward by a large margin because of this single change! This is an unprecedented great reform! And you, and our city of New Veridia, will become the trailblazers on this road!”

“The resources given to New Veridia from the central government will become more abundant. Our city will be promoted to a Rank Two or even a Rank One safe zone! We will no longer have to worry about when a beast tide will suddenly threaten our lives. And we, and our families, and our descendants, will live in a very safe, prosperous environment!” It had to be said that Mr. Gordon was a master at rousing people's hearts. He had painted a grim picture, then offered them a path to glory. Many of the students' faces were flushed red with pure, unadulterated excitement.

He looked at their reactions and nodded with great satisfaction. “Alright, unknowingly, five minutes have passed. But it doesn't matter. There will be two practical combat classes every single day. If we can't finish in the morning, we can continue in the afternoon.”

A student, processing his words, caught the key point. “Teacher… you just said… ‘fight’?”

“That’s right,” Mr. Gordon said with a sharp, almost cruel, smile. “From now on, practical combat class will teach you how to use your abilities, and fighting real monsters is an indispensable part of that. This project will also be included in your advanced combat classes.”

Hearing this, the students, whose hot blood had just been stirred up, suddenly felt as if a basin of ice-cold water had been poured directly over their heads, completely extinguishing their fiery passion. This was a live mutated creature. Just looking at the feral hunger in the Direwolf's eyes was enough to scare them silly.

Mr. Gordon, seeing their fear return, played his final card. “The government gives our school's third-year division three mid-grade Aura Gathering Pills every single year. A single pill can speed up your Aura absorption rate for twelve hours. An extremely precious resource. Normally, you must be in the top three of the monthly exams to have a chance. And starting this year, the monthly exams will no longer be about doing papers, but will be changed to fighting monsters. The teachers will score your performance in these combat trials. This result will account for sixty percent of your final college entrance exam score. Finally, the top three performers in the city-wide exam will be selected.”

“An Aura Gathering Pill!” Those who could enter Class One were mostly from powerful and resourceful families. They had naturally heard of the famous pill. The fear in their hearts seemed to be washed away, replaced by a burning ambition. Some were even eager to try their hand against the beast.