Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 126 - 125: Wait Until the Midterm Exam, and He Will Understand
Looking back at previous classes of third-year high schoolers, a student’s starting level was essentially determined by their Pet Beast’s initial stats at the beginning of the new semester.
After a month of diligent nurturing and resource investment, one could generally predict the rank that student would ultimately achieve.
While Gu Ming taking first place with his Little Cyan Snake was certainly shocking to many...
...what was even more unexpected was Lu You’s rise from obscurity, suddenly leaping into 25th place for the entire grade.
This was a huge embarrassment for many students who had expected to be at the top of the rankings.
These students had Pet Beasts with Three-star or Four-star Potential and were feeding them Elixirs worth more money than Lu You might ever earn in her lifetime. How could they not be green with envy when she achieved such a high rank?
Of course, many people chalked it up to luck.
The monthly exam arena was relatively small, so the chances of running into other contestants were high.
As more students were eliminated, some skilled competitors invariably lost their chance to score high points. They maliciously speculated that Lu You had clearly just gotten lucky and taken advantage of the chaos.
In reality, the majority of Lu You’s score came from her nurturing points.
She had followed Gu Ming’s Cyan Treasure, acting almost entirely in a support role. Occasionally, she needed her Mouse Treasure to use its Earth Shifting Technique or channel its Mana to deliver a Gravity Punch, but for the most part, it didn’t need to engage in close-quarters combat.
At the awards ceremony, the principal made a point of praising Lu You’s outstanding performance and invited her onstage to address the entire school.
This, however, made the girl with severe social anxiety so nervous she was speechless.
She just stood there on stage, trembling and stuttering into the microphone. Her head was bowed, bangs covering half her face. A full minute passed, and she still hadn’t managed to get out a single complete sentence.
It was as if she were a piece of Jell-O, set alight by the audience’s stares, rapidly melting into a puddle. She went limp on stage, leaving behind only the impression of glasses and a hairpin.
Seeing this, the school’s MC didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He took the microphone from Lu You and said:
"Thank you, Lu You, for that... wonderful speech. Next up, could Gu Ming please come to the stage!"
And just like that, the school staff skipped over Lu You’s speech.
She let out a huge sigh of relief, finally able to escape the suffocating stage.
While on stage under the gaze of the entire school, her mind had gone completely blank. She had no idea what she’d even said.
She was so out of it that she didn’t even notice Gu Ming offering a word of comfort as he passed her on his way to the stage.
Gu Ming shook his head as he saw the trembling Lu You.
When he got on stage, he faced a sea of eyes.
Gu Ming could sense the jealousy in most of their gazes, but he didn’t care. For the sake of the reward, it was all worth it.
Gu Ming squeezed the thick red envelope the principal had given him. It felt heavy—filled with cold, hard cash.
But in the system’s eyes, the principal’s gift was actually a reward of 100 Spirit Stones.
This reward of 100 Spirit Stones was nothing to scoff at.
Gu Ming only earned 10 Spirit Stones for a whole month of work at the Pet Beast Store. This was equal to ten months’ worth of wages.
Shortly after Gu Ming left the stage, his class teacher, Ling Jun, found him, just as he’d expected. He told him the principal wanted to have a private word.
Gu Ming knew at once it was about the "genius contract."
’The principal must have done some digging,’ he figured. ’He probably found out that there was no "off-campus enterprise" trying to sign me, so now the school’s decided to up the rewards for the genius contract and lower the future requirements.’
On his way to the office, Gu Ming called Teacher Zhang to come along.
Ling Jun looked a little displeased, but there was nothing the school could do even if Gu Ming refused to sign.
The principal tried to persuade him with painstaking earnestness.
"With your current resources, it will be very difficult for your Little Cyan Snake to make a splash in the international competition."
"You have to understand, during your quest for the elixir, the battles you’ll face will be a hundred times more intense than this monthly exam."
However, no matter how much the principal exaggerated the difficulties, Gu Ming stuck to his guns.
’Right now,’ Gu Ming thought, ’the savings I have with Teacher Zhang can be converted into a decent amount of Spirit Stones. It’s enough for Cyan Treasure’s Cultivation all the way through university.’
’Finishing the international competition first is what’s most important.’
Gu Ming’s attitude was resolute, leaving the principal feeling helpless.
"Principal, if Cyan Treasure can take first place now, it means I’m confident it can place in the top ten in the province for the upcoming midterms."
"Whether I get additional resources or not won’t affect its growth. There’s a limit to how much it can eat and digest each day."
Gu Ming was the picture of confidence in front of the principal, speaking as if he ruled the world, completely dismissing the talented students from other high schools.
The principal could only shake his head as he listened.
’Top ten in the province? I’ll be surprised if he can even make the top three in the city,’ the principal thought.
’Forget it. Once the midterms are over, Gu Ming will understand. If his Little Cyan Snake isn’t even a Two-star, he won’t even see the taillights of the top 100 in a provincial-level exam.’
’Then he’ll realize the importance of the genius contract.’
Seeing the principal wave his hand impatiently, Gu Ming couldn’t help but smile as he left the office.
However, as he pushed the door open, he saw Lu You standing right outside.
The principal’s voice came from behind him.
"Ah, Lu You, you’re here too. Please, come in."
Gu Ming glanced at her, and she looked back at him. Her helpless, fawn-like eyes stirred an indescribable feeling in him.
’She’s hesitating. She doesn’t know whether to sign the genius contract or not.’
’After all, she knows how generous the resources from the contract are, but she also knows it comes with strings attached for her future career.’
’But in her situation, she probably doesn’t have much of a choice.’
’Her family never expected her to get into a Beast Taming University. Even if they knew she had potential now, they couldn’t give her much support. In the end, she has to rely on herself.’
Gu Ming paused at the office door, and Teacher Zhang saw Lu You as well.
He patted Gu Ming’s shoulder. "Leave this to me. You go back and focus on your Cultivation."
Then, Teacher Zhang went back into the principal’s office, and the sounds from within were not exactly harmonious.
Principal: "Teacher Zhang Yunpeng, why are you still here?"
"Principal, I’m also her customized training tutor for the college entrance exams. When discussing a genius contract, she needs professional advice."
The principal was clearly annoyed but couldn’t really say anything.
After all, it was common for teachers to take on side jobs. As her tutor, Teacher Zhang’s request to be present was entirely reasonable.
Hearing this, Gu Ming quietly closed the door.
When Gu Ming got home, he hadn’t even had a chance to tell his parents about his ranking.
His parents had already popped open drinks. The dining table was laden with a lavish feast, overflowing with Spiritual Qi and fragrant aromas.
"Haha, our son’s home!"
"Damn, son! You crushed every other third-year’s Pet Beast! That’s incredible! We have to celebrate tonight!"
Gu Ming was surprised to see that his Fish Tank had also been moved out and placed beside the dining table.
"Dad, why is Ah Kun’s tank in the living room?"
"Haha, the whole family is celebrating, how could we leave out Ah Kun? Here, give these greens to Ah Kun. I boiled them extra soft so even a weak bite can handle it..."
Ah Kun swam around in its Fish Tank. Seeing Mr. Gu laughing as he dropped in food, it was moved to tears.
It had never seen his parents pay it much attention before.
Pigs must be flying; they were treating it like one of the family.
This was a pleasant surprise for both Ah Kun and Gu Ming, and they were very touched.
Ah Kun eats nutritious greens, Mana +1
Ah Kun...
The continuous "+1 Attribute" notifications drew Gu Ming’s attention back to the table.
’Come to think of it, this spread looks incredibly expensive,’ he thought. ’It must have cost more than two or three thousand yuan.’
’What’s more, I haven’t heard them sighing about losing money lately.’
’Could it be? Have those two old gamblers really turned over a new leaf?’
