Chapter 477: The Joint Final Exam Combat Test Begins
Today is the day of the joint exam.
Even first-year students have reached ten thousand in number, making it impractical for the academy to gather everyone and say anything.
After all, this joint exam is nothing more than a final exam in the eyes of the academy, and the guidance had already been provided by the counselors of each class. Once all students pass through the teleportation spell, they will arrive at their final examination venue for the semester.
Regardless of whether they are excited, anticipating, or even fearful, nothing will change.
If they refuse to participate in this joint exam, they will fail the practical test outright.
Of course, some bet on the makeup exam being simpler and consider refusing to participate, but when they heard that absence would disqualify them from a makeup, they came back with tails between their legs.
At this moment, the young girls are fully armed and waiting to enter the exam hall.
Many students wear the same uniform, which is the loose four-piece set from the Witch Academy. The quality is excellent and, if well-maintained, can last them for many years.
The prices of alchemical items can be quite expensive, which makes them a bit too luxurious for these students; however, they are also an external force that cannot be ignored and are within the allowable scope for this joint exam, so cheaper yet powerful disposable alchemical items have become the best choice.
In fact, due to the intense gossip about this joint exam in the Witch Academy, especially since senior students have also participated in two rounds of inter-school exchanges in one semester, many of the senior alchemists have gathered to provide “fire support” for the new students at cost price.
Initially, they intended to give them away for free since the senior students studying alchemy had plenty of experimental and waste products to clear out. Although many of these were of inferior quality or deemed unusable, they were not completely useless.
However, this large-scale giveaway event was stopped by the academy as it constituted improper gains for new students and was considered disruptive to the joint exam process. Consequently, they had to resort to selling the items at cost instead.
Thus, a considerable number of students appeared fully armed.
As for why they didn’t use storage equipment?
Storage equipment is very expensive, and even if they could afford some small ones, would they still be able to carry a few items if their storage equipment was full?
Cheap and powerful alchemical items… generally belong to the type that is explosive and self-destructing.
So even though these Witch Academy students may not have outstanding abilities, the intimidation they present gives the impression that they are about to plow through the Bobapop Islands.
Thanks to the “selfless contributions” of the senior students, many students find themselves emboldened.
Moreover, as seniors, they are not without their rewards. Let’s not forget that this joint exam is being livestreamed in its entirety!
They have entertainment to watch.
However, this time the stream won’t be able to provide an independent perspective for each individual because there are more than ten thousand students from just the Witch Academy, and most choose to team up, leading to a high level of content homogenization, so this livestream does not feature independent perspectives.
The smallest unit for the livestream is in team format, as this joint exam encourages group action.
As for lone wolves… unless they are spectacular, they may have a free perspective for specialized streaming; otherwise, less remarkable participants usually don’t get much screen time.
Besides these live perspectives, there are also others like god views and exclusive livestreams for significant events.
If any special situations arise during the joint exam, the livestream will follow up as well.
At this moment.
Looking at the enormous teleportation portal, it seems to be supported by a terrifying force that tears through space, with the pre-established rune ritual shimmering with extraordinary brilliance, fine runes flowing across it.
This was the first time these young girls had seen such a scene, witnessing this phenomenon from such close proximity, and soon they would dive into it, a mix of anticipation and anxiety swirling in their hearts, making it hard for them to refrain from moving forward.
“Class 1, prepare to enter the teleportation portal. Class Leader, take the lead; once in the exam hall, temporarily operate as a class unit. Upon arrival, listen to the arrangements of the school teachers on the other side. I’ll reiterate, if you encounter any issues, the first choice should be to seek help from the patrol teachers of our school,” Lina advised Class 1 with her final words of caution. Then, her gaze fell upon Class Leader Tan Han, and without much additional instruction, she merely nodded slightly to indicate for them to proceed.
The entry to the exam hall is organized by class order, so it will take a considerable amount of time for everyone to enter the Bobapop Islands.
Today, technically, doesn’t count as an official joint exam; the preparation time is included.
With Tan Han’s command, Class 1’s cohesiveness was exceptionally high; it’s easy to understand, considering their Class Leader is Tan Han.
Therefore, this class largely consists of Tan Han’s support group, whether due to the class’s atmosphere or genuine admiration, they now identify themselves as such.
At this moment, this group shows no intention of lagging behind, following Tan Han into the teleportation channel, their spirits high like soldiers heading into battle.
But who could say that the place they were heading to wasn’t a battlefield?
When they passed through the spatial tunnel, the sense of separation from the space flickered away from their bodies, and Tan Han, who once possessed the teleportation spell, quickly adapted to this sensation.
Once they were completely away from the Witch Academy, her first reaction was that it was a bit warm here, even though it was still just morning.
Tan Han quickly recalled the information about the Bobapop Islands; this place is located in a tropical zone. Although the sun is not at its peak intensity at this time, the somewhat dry air mixed with the moisture from the sea made the newly arrived girls feel somewhat uncomfortable. Many lamented forgetting to bring sunscreen.
As Tan Han lead a whole class of students through the teleportation portal, her gaze scanned the area for the school teachers mentioned by Lina, seeking out the arrangements.
Her gaze quickly locked onto the four most conspicuous figures at the open port.
At this moment, here, after finally witnessing the opening of the teleportation portal we had set up, the four of us teaching assistants were waiting to guide them.
It had been a while, and we were relieved to finally see them arrive.
“Each candidate that has already entered should not remain in place; please clear the way for those behind you and do not block the main thoroughfare,” Li Feiya was the first to step forward and direct them; her voice wasn’t loud but reached everyone’s ears.
Upon hearing the request, Tan Han quickly reacted and complied. After issuing a command, the entire class cleared the way on the main path directly facing the teleportation portal.
“Wow, is this a whole class? Their discipline is quite good, huh? Did the whole class band together?” Seeing such an efficient crowd, Li Feiya was taken aback and quietly asked us.
She initially thought these people would scatter into a disarray.
However, given the pressing time, I simply responded, “That should be class one’s students; their class leader is Tan Han, and her name itself holds significant appeal.”
“Oh? So that’s Tan Han; how interesting,” Li Feiya exclaimed, revealing strong curiosity.
Meanwhile, I silently ridiculed that this girl hadn’t even recognized Tan Han… how carefree could she be? She hardly has contact with the outside world, right?
But regardless of my thoughts, we quickly took action, guiding them further away to make room for the students coming in behind.
Facing Tan Han’s gaze at this moment, I smiled back, as there was nothing more to say.
Currently, we are not on the main island but one of the thirteen permanent islands.
In this joint exam, the understanding among the academies is that candidates will not be directly deployed to the main island at the onset.
The main island is the place richest in resources and also the most dangerous place. All of the Bobapop Islands are populated with dangerous monsters, and the main island’s level of danger is the highest, making it a must-fight area for all academy candidates.
The main island of Bobapop also has a mountain range, the highest of which is a volcano—a dormant one, but still a volcano.
However, the number of these affiliated islands does not match the number of academies participating in this joint exam, so many academies will have to face their respective opponents soon after landing.
They could either be enemies or temporary allies.
At this moment, with each class entering, the first batch led by Tan Han has already begun planning their strategies. From their performance, it is evident they are operating as a team and utilizing Tan Han as the core for their strategic arrangements.
Tan Han’s decision also makes sense; she intends to treat their “birth island” as a rear base for the Witch Academy.
She has also dispatched students who can ride flying broomsticks to scout this island. They need to confirm whether there are candidates from other academies on their island and which monsters they might encounter. If they run into candidates from other academies, it would be problematic and not suitable for direct conflict. If not, then everything is perfect, and they can directly begin the next phase of their plan, starting to eradicate those monsters.
Tan Han has a very clear understanding of this joint exam and has her own plan. Not everyone in the Witch Academy possesses a license to fly or has a flying broomstick, and even spells that aid in flying or transformation spells that allow flight are quite limited.
Thus, the first strategic issue they face is crossing the sea to the main island, where the true beginning of this joint exam lies; staying on a subordinate island is not going to lead to any greatness.
Once they settle down, they have many issues to address regarding “food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.” They at least need to solve their needs for food, water, and lodging.
However, Tan Han does not feel this to be very challenging. They brought a significant amount of food and water, and even for sustainability, they have small alchemical items for seawater desalinization, which cost quite a bit.
For lodging, they have tents, large ones, and they are enchanted tents since they are on an island of the sea where the weather can change suddenly. Who knows if clouds passing by might start a thunderstorm?
So rainproof and windproof tents are essential.
It must be said that Tan Han’s foresight is commendable because in the distance, there is a low-lying cloud cover pressing down over the sea, sparkling with lightning and pouring rain. Fortunately, that cloud formation is not headed this way but is moving towards another affiliated island, and I silently mourn for the candidates on that island for a second.
In fact, I had some knowledge of this joint exam. The three top academies and the Witch Academy seem to have tacitly agreed that each academy will occupy one affiliated island. There shouldn’t be a second academy on the island, after all, the other academies may be at a disadvantage, but they are not complete fools; no one wants to start off poorly and embarrassingly.
However, four islands have already been claimed, leaving the remaining nine permanent affiliated islands for the rest of the academies to allocate.
If one doesn’t want to face the students from other academies right off the bat, there are eight nearby reefs to choose from, as long as one can accept that it will be submerged at night.
However, such reefs are suitable for sea tribe academies; they can thrive in such conditions, so the sea tribe has a clear advantage in the contest for the main island.
But it must also be considered that terrifying monsters in the sea, aggressive fish, and other factors must be avoided, including the high-temperature regions near underwater volcanoes.
Even if they land first on the main island, they would be the first to face the monsters’ assaults.
Thus, while it appears they hold the advantage, they cannot act rashly. Their best strategy is to recover and wait for other academies to land and draw fire while they seize the resources on the island using the advantages of sea travel.
Of course, they can also leverage the ease of travel over sea to quickly establish cooperation with other academies on different islands.
At this moment, the Witch Academy is still busy with the transport of its students.
Aside from the initial excitement of directing, even when I encounter my former class again, I find myself surprisingly calm; there are hundreds of classes per year, and that is no exaggeration, and they can’t even set up near the teleportation portal.
As we assistants consistently guide the entering class groups, I suddenly notice a massive black shadow floating in the sky in the distance.
Soon, I can see what it is; it’s the life tree of the Aphhemia Forest Elf? I forget sometimes, but during the previous academy exchange competition, those elves descended from this tree. Are they using this method to transport students this time?
Isn’t that a bit inefficient?
But I turned my head back and did not dwell on it; inefficiency is their choice. Rather than concern myself with that, I’m more interested in the fact that Aphhemia Academy, one of the three top academies, is so close to the island where the Witch Academy is located.
Everyone must remember that we assistants arrived on the Bobapop Islands a day early to scout and familiarize ourselves with the method of crossing the false world space since students may voluntarily apply for elimination, and we need to guide them.
During this time, I had also visited other islands and interacted with assistants from other academies, such as members of the Mother God’s Guardian Team from Aphhemia Academy. I could clearly sense the overwhelming pressure they exuded, a terrifying aura that was like a tangible force brought forth by their absolute strength, which indeed frightened me.
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t end up speaking with them, and now I am surprised that they chose to set up so close to us. Aren’t they afraid that the witches would land on the main island first and attack their elves?
At this moment, outside.
The livestream for the multi-academy joint final practical test has begun, with the Witch Academy-led streaming currently broadcasting to other extraordinary academies.
Within the Witch Academy, basically, any senior with free time will not miss this grand event!
Many seniors hope the alchemical bombs they provided will take out how many candidates from other academies; they cannot possibly refuse such fun, can they?
They even wish that this lousy livestream had a tipping feature, but even if the Witch Academy wanted it, they likely couldn’t implement it.
