Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 155 - 148: Graduate with Full Marks in Advance
The broad joints etched their mark upon the land, flinging mud high into the air as the spine whirled rapidly. Within the ring of fused, aberrant vertebrae lay layers of interlocking white bones, forming the scaffolding of this massive creation and supporting its intact core in the center.
The beating heart of the core, a swollen lump of black flesh. Around it clung bright red flesh to the white bones, forming a crimson web, or perhaps, a spider’s nest. Inside the pulsating core, beneath those overlapping undulating tissues, was a curled human figure.
Lyle’s body was enveloped in the flesh that comprised Nia. As if returning to the initial stage of life, he lay dormant within the womb. His body was soaked in a thick mucus which not only acted as a cushion but also extracted Lyle’s Magic Power, powering the speeding creation. This power traveled along the red, muscle-like tissue, dispersing to every nook of the Spine Wheel.
The muscles connecting to the outermost vertebrae constantly contracted and relaxed, keeping the center of mass of the entire Spine Wheel just beneath its main body, like an eccentric wheel perpetually maintaining maximum acceleration. This was why the creation could sustain high speed and continue to accelerate.
Lyle had entered a deathlike dormant state, his consciousness driving the creation forward through Nia’s mental connection. Meanwhile, Nia’s tendrils helped maintain the balance of the massive bone wheel, and in motion, she ceaselessly grabbed and consumed the shattered flesh and marrow as sustenance for the huge energy expenditure caused by the movement.
Overall, this was a highly successful transformation of a creation. Absolute speed, the hard exoskeleton converted into lethal impact, a perfect fusion of strength and velocity.
......
Outside the exam site, the journey of the Spine Wheel continued on the huge stone disk, and the audience had grown nearly numb to the incessant laughter.
The specter of Mr. Astonishment wore a melancholic expression, a stark contrast to the unperturbed Mr. Dragon beside him.
"Mr. Dragon, I’m aware that Plague Doctor is your excellent disciple, but could we ask him to stop? He’s destroying the targets too quickly," Mr. Astonishment said.
"Why should he? If he’s defeating creatures fair and square, why should he stop!"
"The Plague Doctor’s speed is too great. If this continues, by the time he completes a hundred hunting tasks, the other candidates won’t have more than twenty points. Our original passing line was set at sixty. Are we to have every student but him retake the year?"
Failing is failing, what’s there to say!
In the end, Mr. Dragon held back his words. He, of course, knew that the quality of this year’s students was not poor, but when it comes to results, comparison is fearsome. The Plague Doctor’s monstrous creation was truly ahead of its time; who would have thought that a Second Lock student could produce such a powerful Third Lock creation, and then go on a rampage in Newbie Village? Even he was taken aback, almost losing face in his many years of teaching at Andrei Academy. Graduation rates were tied to his Spirit Summoning Studies performance. While he very much wanted to foster the emergence of the only graduate from the Fifth Faction, what about the next year? If the academy reduced funding, recruitment decreased, the Plague Doctor’s future path in Spirit Summoning Studies would also require more cannon fodder and foils, wouldn’t it?
Mr. Dragon weighed his words carefully before replying to Mr. Astonishment, albeit hesitantly, "Perhaps we could modify the test score to the time taken to hunt a hundred creatures, ranking them by the duration?"
"That’s impossible, Mr. Dragon. There will definitely be students who can’t reach a hundred kills. We can’t extend the exam time indefinitely because of them." Mr. Astonishment looked at Mr. Dragon’s white mask, a tinge of envy and jealousy evident in his translucent, shriveled eyes, "Let’s just announce to all the candidates that Plague Doctor has passed early due to outstanding performance. We can showcase his powerful creation to the other candidates, and surely those who have been trampled will have nothing to say. Then, we’ll take the second place’s hundred kills as the end standard for the test."
"It’s possible, but we need to hold a meeting with Mr. Crimson, modify the examination hall rules, and we require the consent of three representatives from the Spirit Summoning Faction teachers."
"I agree." From atop Mr. Dragon’s white coat’s shoulder, a faint bloodstain sprouted like a seed germinating, forming tiny lips, from which came the voice of Mr. Crimson, the representative teacher of the Flesh Sect, "I agree to directly declare the Plague Doctor qualified."
"Mr. Crimson, could you not be so unpredictably elusive? You always make an entrance in such odd ways."
The blood-formed lips wriggled into a small, contemptuous red eyeball, which glared at Mr. Dragon.
"Please, Mr. Dragon, who plays with his bones by nonchalantly pulling one out from his own body, give up your right to complain about me. You clearly already noticed my presence." Mr. Crimson returned to being a leisurely bloodstain, watching the montage of the Plague Doctor ruthlessly slaughtering other creatures collected by Mr. Astonishment and chatting idly with Mr. Dragon, who was equally idle. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Dragon, the Plague Doctor will undertake advanced studies in Spirit Summoning, won’t he?"
"Of course, he’s my disciple after all."
"I’m really looking forward to the day he attends my class. His handling of certain muscle tissues is absolutely perfect, rising to the level of art. I greatly anticipate the day I’ll work with him."
"The Plague Doctor is a doctor; his understanding of life structures may be no less than yours."
"Is that so?" Mr. Crimson’s blood laughed, "That would be wonderful indeed. After all, those fools in Spirit Summoning Studies always think flesh only needs to be in good supply; they don’t care about the surprises different tissues can bring, a bunch of idiots playing with feces in my art class. I truly hope that Mr. Plague Doctor’s medical knowledge will bring me a pleasant surprise."
"Certainly, he has done so already. I have ample confidence that he will bring great surprises to Spirit Summoning Studies, and even to Andrei Academy as a whole."
"I’m waiting with bated breath. Today’s interaction with you is the only one I’ve found satisfactory; at least your filthy mouth hasn’t be prattling on about some foolish lower beings."
"No, you fool, those adorable animals are not for you to conduct bloodletting experiments on, you self-righteous scum!"
Mr. Astonishment didn’t join in the daily exchange with his colleagues, instead, he projected the collected footage onto the giant luminous barrier surrounding the examination area.
"Mr. Plague Doctor, you and your remarkable creations have been recognized in advance. Now, please leave the examination hall immediately, and do not bring further burdens to the other candidates or to us."
Looking at the images flashing in the air, those candidates remembered the fear dominated by the white Spine Wheel; some couldn’t help trembling, as they had been overtaken by this fear twice already due to the excessive speed of their own creations.
