Chapter 31: Trapped by Him
Chapter 31: Trapped by Him
Most students at Holy Water High School live on campus, while those who live off-campus enter through the school's South Gate. However, outsiders like Qiao Sang all use the North Gate.
The North Gate was tightly shut, and the security guard in the booth hadn't arrived yet.
Qiao Sang checked the time for the nth time.
8:52 AM.
There were only 28 minutes left until the 9:20 AM assembly time for the Holy Water High School Special Admission Exam.
The expansive North Gate entrance was empty except for Qiao Sang and Fangflare.
Qiao Sang couldn't help but yawn, feeling drowsy.
If I had known, I would have stayed in bed a bit longer...
8:58 AM.
Eight black dots appeared in the sky, moving closer and closer until they landed at the North Gate entrance, stirring up dust.
Qiao Sang struggled to open her heavy eyes.
They were eight Blackbeaks, each about two meters tall.
Their beaks and feathers were entirely black, and they had beautiful black curled tails, making them easy to recognize.
Six men and two women dismounted from the eight Blackbeaks, all around Qiao Sang's age.
"Hello, that will be 8,000 Union Coins in total", one of the men on a Blackbeak said.
"We signed up for the group rate", a girl with a bob and a red headband quickly interjected.
The man glanced at his companion to confirm.
His companion nodded. "Yes, they signed up for the group rate."
"Then it's 7,222 Union Coins", the man said.
"Can you give us a bit more of a discount? We can call you again later if we need a ride back", the tallest of the six men asked.
"Pay for this trip first", the man replied without hesitation.
With that said, they naturally paid first.
After paying, the tallest man asked, "If we call you later, how much of a discount can we get?"
"None", the man answered.
"What?" the tallest man was taken aback.
"No discount", the man repeated.
Everyone was speechless.
...
While this group was chatting and making their transaction, Qiao Sang had already entered Holy Water High School with Fangflare.
At 9:00 AM, the security guard finally came out from the school and opened the gate.
He was literally just on time...
Following the route provided on the Holy Water High School website, Qiao Sang arrived at Venue Three.
There were only four teachers present, and it seemed they weren't taking the Special Recruitment Exam very seriously compared to Hanggang Sixth Beastmaster High School.
"Teacher, I'm here for the exam", Qiao Sang said as she approached.
"Identity card", Sun Boyi said succinctly.
Qiao Sang took out her identity card and handed it over.
"Qiao Sang, from Wencheng Junior High School?" Sun Boyi confirmed, checking the card and information.
"Um, yes", Qiao Sang replied.
Sun Boyi marked a check next to Qiao Sang's name on his paper. "Go sit over there. We'll start once everyone arrives", he said, returning her identity card.
When Qiao Sang moved to the side, Qin Wen commented with interest, "This girl actually bonded with Fangflare."
"People who spontaneously awaken are often full of themselves. It's not uncommon for their first familiar to be something difficult to control. Like Lu You, who was directly admitted to our school, bonded with a Tiny Dragon", Zheng Guoping dismissed.
Qin Wen rolled her eyes internally.
Are they the same?
A Tiny Dragon's temperament is far better than Fangflare's. The only reason it's so expensive and few people bond with it is because it's a Dragon-type Beast Companion.
One bonded with Fangflare out of courage, the other with a Tiny Dragon out of wealth. How can they be the same?
But Zheng Guoping is not someone to argue with; he gets easily agitated, so she didn't bother.
A few minutes later, the group that had dismounted from the Blackbeaks at the North Gate entered the venue and lined up to verify their identities.
The first girl to verify her identity, with a head of bobbed hair and a headband, looked around and then sat down next to Qiao Sang. She greeted him warmly, "Are you also here for the exam? Why didn't you come with us?"
She subtly glanced at Fangflare.
A formidable rival.
Qiao Sang was taken aback, "Why should I come with you? Do I even know you?"
The bobbed-haired girl was surprised, "Didn't you see the message in the group?"
Qiao Sang was even more confused, "What group? What message?"
"The group for all the Special Recruitment students on the Holy Water High School Special Recruitment website", the girl explained. "We agreed to meet at the Oujie Street intersection and come together, didn't we?"
Qiao Sang fell silent for a moment, then said, "I didn't join the group..."
The bobbed-haired girl was speechless, "That's strange. There are nine Special Recruitment students in the group. If you're not one of the remaining ones, who is?"
Someone in the group had once said that experts always make their grand entrance last, and everyone had agreed to arrive last.
Li Yang, the tallest of the boys, later suggested that they all gather together and come to the exam together.
Everyone in the group was a Spontaneous Awakening.
This time, Holy Water High School had five Special Recruitment spots, and they might end up in the same school, so it made sense to get to know each other and build good relationships.
They all agreed to Li Yang's proposal.
It was now 9:19, and with the girl in front of him, the number of people present should be nine. They should all be here.
Could there be a tenth person for this Special Recruitment?
Just as the bobbed-haired girl was about to say something, a startling cry came from behind her.
Turning around, they saw a four-legged creature with a long, thin tail, mostly blue in color with gray-black wings, and a body covered in a thick, armored shell, hovering about three to four meters above the ground. It was a flying familiar, a Kaijia Eagle, a high-level familiar.
Zheng Guoping frowned as he looked at the Kaijia Eagle. Holy Water High School did not allow external familiars to enter. Just as he was about to step forward to stop it, a figure jumped down from the Kaijia Eagle's back.
"Dad, you can go now", the boy waved and said.
The man on the Kaijia Eagle's back nodded, and the Kaijia Eagle flew away.
"Teacher, I'm not late, right?" the boy asked as he approached the group of teachers.
"Lu Liangye, right? You're the last one. You just made it. If you had been two seconds later, you would have been late", Zheng Guoping said sarcastically.
Lu Liangye smiled and said nothing, his eyes unconsciously scanning the other candidates.
Everyone except Qiao Sang understood his meaning.
What do you think? Experts always make their grand entrance last!
Everyone: "..."
How annoying! He's showing off!
Sun Boyi clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention and said, "Everyone is here. Let's start the exam."
"Everyone knows the rules, but I'll go over them again."
"There are ten of you, and you will be competing in pairs. The five winners will advance to the next round, while the five losers will compete against each other to produce one additional winner. These six winners will then be divided into three pairs, and the winners of those matches will be ranked as the top three. The three losers will then compete once more to eliminate one of their own, ultimately leaving five of you to receive the Special Recruitment qualification from Holy Water High School."
Got it.
In other words, it's all about luck.
If you happen to face a strong opponent in the first round, you just have to accept your bad luck.
After all, four out of the five initial losers will be eliminated.
"To ensure fairness, we will draw lots. There are two of each number from 1 to 5, and those who draw the same number will be paired together", Qin Wen said as he took out a wooden box.
Everyone quickly drew their numbers.
"Let's start with number 1. Who drew number 1?" Qin Wen asked.
"It's me", Lu Liangye raised an eyebrow and showed his number.
"Who else drew number 1?" Qin Wen continued.
At that moment, a fair-skinned hand raised in the crowd.
"Me."
It was Qiao Sang.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
