High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2408: Chapter 629: Credit Exemptions

On the night the final exams were over, Zheng Qing was dragged by Old Yao from the dormitory straight to the dean’s office①.

Initially, he thought the dean wanted to discuss clues related to the Raven with him, but unexpectedly, the old man was just bored while grading papers and wanted to chat—of course, such an excuse would only fool kids—on that day, Old Yao gave him a candid, professional, and constructive lecture, gently yet firmly suggesting he graduate early.

Thinking back to that scene, Zheng Qing inexplicably felt his chances of getting the ”First University Special Contribution Award” increased significantly.

”Not counting the ’Special Contribution Award’, I already have a twenty-point bonus.”

The young cost student carefully placed the feather pen into the pen holder, modestly adjusted his sleeves, seemingly trying to see his calculating fingers more clearly: ”Eighty plus twenty equals one hundred... Two hundred minus one hundred equals one hundred... which means this semester I only need to score another hundred points... No, possibly even fewer, I haven’t accounted for ’waivers’ yet.”

He hurriedly looked up towards the parchment Su Shijun took away.

On the paper were some subjects he listed that could be eligible for credit ’waivers’.

The so-called credit ’waiver’ means that after verification, it’s confirmed that a student possesses sufficient knowledge for certain courses, and hence can be granted the credits for those courses.

According to Old Yao’s earlier advice—relying on his solid foundation in Talisman Studies to rack up credits in related courses—Zheng Qing felt he could have many credits waived.

However, the Upper House Member from the Moon Council seemed to have a different view.

”Too many.”

She shook her head, holding the parchment between her white fingers, making a rustling sound: ”You’ve listed too many ’waiver’ items. Forty-five points, twelve core courses! Ha! Simply ridiculous! The school couldn’t possibly approve so many waivers for you. Even if you memorized one thousand two hundred and ninety-six Basic Runes perfectly, it only proves a solid foundation... No advanced professional course can be mastered with just a strong foundation alone. Moreover, ’waivers’ depend on the teachers.”

Zheng Qing pretended not to hear the witch’s somewhat sarcastic words.

However, he was more concerned about her last statement.

”Depends on the teacher? What do you mean?” The warlock pulled out the feather pen from the pen holder again, tapping it randomly on the parchment, with some confusion in his eyes: ”So even if I’m absolutely fine with a course, if the teacher doesn’t agree to the waiver, I have to retake it?”

”Exactly!”

Su Shijun lightly pushed up her oversized glasses with a serious expression: ”No teacher would easily give up the chance to improve the average score of their class.”

Zheng Qing’s mind spun several times before he grasped what the witch meant.

Indeed, if every excellent student in a class applied for credit waivers, then the average score from the remaining ’mediocre’ students would surely make the teaching instructor frustrated when calculated.

And teaching performance concerns the immediate interests of the teachers.

Jiang Yu, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke with a hesitant tone: ”I’ve heard rumors about people donating loads of gold or precious magic materials to the professors’ labs for ’waiver permission’...”

This is nothing short of bribery!

Zheng Qing immediately understood the unspoken implications in the witch’s words.

Although he wasn’t short on gold at the moment, as Old Yao mentioned in the office that day, as a representative of his mentor, his actions weren’t merely representing himself.

”If there’s really no other way, then we’ll just have to work a bit harder and pick more courses.” The warlock subtly yet firmly dismissed the well-known crooked path.

”Strict conditions don’t necessarily mean there’s no hope. Like I just said, in the end, waivers still depend on the teacher.”

Listening to the dialogue between the two young wizards, Su Shijun slightly smirked, without commenting on Zheng Qing’s statement, and instead tossed the plush bear hanging from her aside, swiping her hand in the air. Instantly, a large mass of tiny dense names appeared in midair, resembling boiling water droplets hopping at the surface, each eager to leap out: ”This is a list of current substitute teachers and professors at First University...”

Amid the ’bouncing water droplets’, Zheng Qing vaguely saw the names Yao XiaoMi and Yi JiaZi, but soon their names were drowned among the other names leaping one after another.

”First, to gain ’waivers’, the teacher you choose must be sufficiently familiar with you to know that your knowledge reserve meets the waiver conditions.” While speaking, the witch snapped her fingers, and a large area of the dense names cleared out, leaving only a dozen or so names very familiar to Zheng Qing.

Most of them were his former professors.

”Can’t we confirm our waiver eligibility through an exam?” Zheng Qing was still a bit unwilling to give up.

”This kind of thinking is a common mistake among most students at Jiuyou, assuming exams can decide everything.” Su Shijun waggled her finger: ”That circles back to the point we discussed earlier—why should those teachers bother to help you get credit waivers and then lower the average score of their class—In other words, why wouldn’t the school let the Divination professors directly determine each student’s score, or further, directly decide if each student can graduate?”

Zheng Qing was speechless.

Indeed, in a certain sense, the simplest method is often the most complicated, with the most side effects.

”Secondly, the teacher you choose should preferably be affluent... literally wealthy.” The witch’s second criterion slightly surprised Zheng Qing. What surprised him even more was that with this criterion, she erased a name he hadn’t expected from that shortlist.

”Teacher Zhang?” The warlock showed an expression of astonishment.

He had thought his Fulu course lecturer was probably the most likely teacher to grant him the most waivers—half of his listed credit waiver courses were hers.

”You think Zhang Huaigu gave you all those bonus credits for nothing?” Su Shijun snorted but without much sarcasm: ”She’s currently focusing on garnering resources to become a High-level Registered Wizard, aiming to groom a ’star student’ in hopes that this ’star student’ will make her teaching resume shine more... Under such circumstances, how could she easily let you go?”

Zheng Qing stared gloomily out the window.

The cold wind, along with drizzling raindrops, hit the window, resembling fine cow hair needles, making a rustling sound on the glass, leaving crooked yet clear water stains.

What an annoying time of year.