Demons and Monsters

Chapter 47: Demons and Monsters

Under the cover of night, the formations began running laps around the track.

There were only eight formations here. In other words, ordinary students didn't need nighttime military training; those who remained were the eight Awakened classes.

The lines changed from horizontal rows to vertical columns, and the big, fat Liu Bufan naturally ended up standing to Jiang Xiao's left.

The relatively tight formation and the clattering footsteps gave Liu Bufan an opportunity.

They would definitely rearrange the lines tomorrow, and Jiang Xiao would be transferred over. Tonight was the perfect chance.

After all, Jiang Xiao's height was what it was. At 172 centimeters, he should be able to move forward several places.

I really wonder what these kids grew up eating. The boys were one thing—at 185 or 190 centimeters, they were still understandable—but what was up with those two girls who were 184 and 188 centimeters tall?

Did you grow up drinking deer milk powder? And was the deer a giraffe? As he ran, Liu Bufan whispered to Jiang Xiao beside him, "See the pretty girl next to me? She's our class flower."

"Which one?" Jiang Xiao's height gave him an advantage in the back row. He glanced to the left and saw the profile of a pretty girl to Liu Bufan's left.

Little thing, she's quite distinctive.

Jiang Xiao took one look before turning his head back. Staring at a girl like that wasn't very polite, after all.

Since Jiang Xiao was standing at the very back, it was quite convenient to look ahead at the pretty girls.

Especially the one at the head of the line. Was she actually a foreigner? "Yi Lena, half Chinese and half Russian. Her father's genes weren't strong enough, though, so you can't see much Eastern influence." Liu Bufan had clearly realized where Jiang Xiao's attention was and helpfully explained, "Don't let her fool you. Her Chinese is even more fluent than ours. She grew up in Huaxia."

"She's unbelievably tall." Jiang Xiao looked away.

Liu Bufan said with a laugh, "I say, buddy, you sure kept us waiting. All eight Awakened classes in the school were eagerly waiting for you to show up. Military training is nearly over, and they all want to see who exactly could make Class 2 hold on to this spot so stubbornly."

"Don't flatter me." Jiang Xiao sighed. "Maybe being handsome really does have its advantages."

Liu Bufan froze for a moment. From those few short sentences, he could tell that Jiang Xiao was cheerful, liked joking around, and seemed easy to get along with.

Liu Bufan then changed tactics and said with a smile, "Hehe, you're absolutely right."

Somehow, that sounded incredibly awkward.

"Brother, you have quite a few Star Slots, right? What Star Techniques do you have?" Liu Bufan asked with a grin.

Awakened were different from ordinary students. They didn't need a long period of time to prove their potential, nor did they need to take any exams.

Once they manifested their Star Maps, everything was clear at a glance.

Among these eight Awakened classes, a very small number of students had obtained their first Star Technique from the Star Pearls distributed by the school when they enrolled.

Most of the children had entered school already possessing Star Techniques.

There were quite a few children who had enrolled with three or four Star Techniques.

There were still plenty of wealthy people across Huaxia. Spending some money to buy Star Pearls from a trading house wasn't difficult.

Of course, for an Awakened, having two to four Basic Skills on their Star Map was about enough. After all, most people were ordinary, and they had around fifteen Star Slots. Keeping four for Basic Star Techniques was already more than enough—nearly a third of all their slots.

In North River Land, the most common and practical Star Pearls were still the White Ghost Star Bead and Lava Ghoul Star Bead. For children who had just begun, one physical and one magic-system Star Pearl were enough to raise their Star Power limit and replenish their consumed Star Power.

As long as a family was even slightly well-off, buying some White Ghost Star Beads and Lava Ghoul Star Beads was relatively easy.

Thus, most Awakened children enrolled with Star Techniques already. It wasn't anything unusual.

But that raised a problem. Once Jiang Xiao revealed his Star Techniques, he would stand out sharply.

Jiang Xiao's problem wasn't the number of his Star Techniques, but their quality.

What Star Techniques did the other children generally have? Green Glow, Endurance, Scorching Flame, and Exploding Flame.

And what Star Techniques did Jiang Xiao have? Blessing, as well as the Decoy he didn't plan to reveal—both were Star Techniques that were extremely difficult to buy on the market.

Green Glow? And the Endurance he didn't plan to reveal? Those could be bought on the market, but Jiang Xiao's Green Glow was Silver Quality rather than Bronze Quality.

Finally, there were Bell Chime and the Bearing Seal he didn't plan to reveal. Those were even rarer Medical Star Techniques, genuine Silver Quality Medical Star Techniques.

Not a single one of the Star Techniques he possessed was normal!

Either they couldn't be bought on the market, or they could be bought but had an unusual quality.

Seeing that Jiang Xiao remained silent, Liu Bufan continued, "Brother, I have nineteen Star Slots."

Jiang Xiao thought highly of Liu Bufan. From the way Liu Bufan had responded to that classmate's barbed remarks earlier, Jiang Xiao knew that this communications officer was more mature than ordinary children.

And after hearing what Liu Bufan was saying now, it sounded like boasting, but in reality, it wasn't.

Jiang Xiao thought for a moment before replying, "I have fewer Star Slots than you, but I'm a Medical Awakened. That's probably why they recruited me into Class 2."

Liu Bufan stopped midstep, pitching forward and nearly falling flat on his face.

"Liu Bufan! Add another lap!" Lei Jin's booming voice rang out.

"Yes!" Liu Bufan hurriedly caught up and said with a laugh, "You sure know how to joke."

"I'm not lying to you." Jiang Xiao replied. Military training would end in three days, and if he wanted to represent the class in the competition, he had to reveal his identity.

Jiang Xiao couldn't go around loudly proclaiming it everywhere. Having Liu Bufan spread the information was a good choice.

"Really a Medical Awakened?" Liu Bufan confirmed again.

Jiang Xiao said, "Yes."

Joy flashed in Liu Bufan's eyes. "Then our classmates are in luck. With so much fighting every day, bumps and bruises won't be a problem anymore."

"Our class doesn't have a Medical Awakened?" Jiang Xiao asked in surprise.

Liu Bufan shrugged. "No."

"What about the other seven classes?"

Liu Bufan answered decisively, "None of them do."

Huh? Eight classes? One hundred and ninety-two Awakened, and not a single Medical Awakened?

Hadn't Han Jiangxue said that one Medical Awakened could emerge from every hundred Awakened?

So much for being one in a hundred. This was nearly one in two hundred.

Jiang Xiao knew that Medical Awakened were precious, but surely they weren't precious to this extent?

Jiang Xiao couldn't help guessing, "There should be some, but they haven't shown any potential yet. After all, Medical Star Pearls are too rare."

"Mm, that makes sense." Liu Bufan nodded.

The two chatted as they finished running laps with the main group, did some stretching, and learned a few grappling techniques under Lei Jin's instruction. They also reviewed some of the free-fighting moves they had learned.

It wasn't until nine o'clock that the formation finally dismissed.

With the help of his enthusiastic classmate Liu Bufan, Jiang Xiao found the supermarket and bought some daily necessities. The school provided bedding, sheets, and such for the dormitories, saving him some trouble.

The two exchanged contact information, and Jiang Xiao finally entered Dormitory Building No. 6.

What puzzled Jiang Xiao was why all the other students were in Dormitory Building No. 1 while he was in No. 6. Had that dark-faced Director Gao assigned him to the wrong place?

The dormitory building was completely empty, with only a few students on the first floor. He had no idea what grade they were in. Perhaps the main group had already been assigned their beds? Was Jiang Xiao going to share a room with strangers by himself?

What a pity. It wasn't a mixed-gender dormitory.

Hmm. Jiang Xiao carried his daily necessities under the scrutinizing gaze of the dormitory auntie and walked toward the room at the far left of the first floor.

Why was the person guarding the entrance an auntie?

He couldn't figure it out.

Jiang Xiao took out his key. The moment he opened the door, a sentence echoed in his heart: This room and everything in it are mine! There were six bunk beds with desks underneath. Although it was a six-person dormitory, it was a single room.

No one lived here? Jiang Xiao happily chose the bed on the inner side by the window and looked outside. He happened to see a couple making out by the roadside.

What a mood killer.

Jiang Xiao immediately turned his head back. There was a desk beneath the bed and a small wardrobe on the right. He took out the bedding, looked around, then stuffed it back inside.

I might as well sleep on the wooden board. I'll wash the bedding tomorrow.

With Star Power enveloping his body, he was in excellent shape.

He had even slept in the Snowfield. What was so difficult about sleeping on a wooden board?

A glow of Blessing descended, leaving him warm all over. The next day, Jiang Xiao got up when the sky was still faintly bright.

It was time to see Jiangbin No. 1 High School at four in the morning!

He wanted to see which demons and monsters were as disciplined and hardworking as he was.

To Jiang Xiao's surprise, he really did end up waiting for four demons and monsters. Thanks to the author Joy for the ten-thousand reward.