Chapter 693: The Teaching Assistants' "Disaster Day"

The content discussed in the meeting regarding the final joint exam was not extensive.

Or rather, because this joint exam adopted a new model, the rules were not overly complicated in order to obtain the most direct performance and avoid unnecessary trouble.

Overall, it could be described as a PVE(Player vs Environment) monster-grinding game.

It was also a channel for low-grade students to "earn money" during the year.

This was because the prey hunted in this examination belonged to the students.

Although... the meat of those Mutated Beasts in the Expansion Realm wouldn't sell for much money.

Only the special materials infected with energy on their bodies could be used as general alchemy materials, at most a few tens of yuan per catties.

As for the meat... most Mutated Beast meat was inedible for ordinary people.

Even if the high-grade students with immortality could try it, they wouldn't go out of their way to do so.

But this money was already sufficient for students who had significant expenses in the academy and generally didn't have many financial sources.

At least the speed of earning money was faster than working part-time jobs in the academy.

After explaining the Seed of Knowledge and the "power network" established by the Seed of Knowledge in the Expansion Realm, the meeting came to the stage that most Teaching Assistants were most concerned about.

That was... the issue of whether the Expansion Realm would continue to be open.

And the answer was, not surprisingly... closure.

The time during the holiday after the final joint exam was their last period to hand over with the Expansion Realm forces.

“Teacher Lina, is there no room for negotiation on this matter? We have put in so much effort in the Expansion Realm...”

“You have also gained a lot.”

Teacher Lina retorted mercilessly to the girl who stood up due to excitement, leaving her speechless.

This was because what they had gained was far more than they had anticipated!

They were the first batch of "pioneers," enjoying the most primitive, easily acquired resources, formulating the rules and contracts that were most beneficial to themselves, establishing the most profitable groups, and oppressing the most helpless workforce, all built upon the foundation of refugees who only needed food and shelter.

Of course, this was an objective view of their actions.

In their eyes, they were saviors who went there with a noble purpose to rescue them.

They were merely enjoying the freedom from rules on barren land.

Teacher Lina did not argue much with them, because every action a person takes is supported by countless reasons, whether they are grand, righteous, or even twisting the truth.

It didn't matter.

“No need to waste words with me here. All Teaching Assistants participating in the Expansion Realm will withdraw from the Expansion Realm at the last moment of this semester. This was the Witch's Contract we signed at the very beginning, and the duration lasts until the end of the semester.”

Teacher Lina said sternly.

“And for the Teaching Assistants who are willing to participate in the special deployment mission of this final joint exam, the time will be extended to the end of this semester's holiday, which is enough time for you to carry out a handover with the Expansion Realm forces.”

“Sign the contract that was just distributed now. Furthermore, I emphasize that the academy does not compel every one of you to sign the contract, but those who choose not to sign can leave now, and the Expansion Realm will forever be unavailable to you. However, if you sign it but ultimately violate the contract, everything you acquired in the Expansion Realm will be returned to the Expansion Realm intact. The constraint of the contract will ensure that you cannot take even a single Red Copper Coin with you.”

Teacher Lina's strong stance at this moment immediately made many people feel a lot of pressure.

Many people grumbled internally and even cursed softly.

Regarding statements like "not compelled," they essentially had no choice...

But none of this could change the established direction at this moment.

Everyone looked at the contract in front of them.

No one was the first to get up and leave yet.

They also didn't want to leave just like this, because if they left now, the Expansion Realm would truly be completely unavailable to them.

But if they signed this contract... then they would also be in a difficult situation.

It could be said that what was placed in front of them now were two cliffs, and the result of signing or not signing was equally bad.

Just as everyone hesitated, the sound of a contract burning was heard, attracting the attention of many.

Someone had signed the contract!

But when they saw that the first person to sign the contract was the "Yang Yuehan" who was already called an anomaly, everyone who looked over was disappointed.

After all, in their cognition, this person signing had no representative meaning at all. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The other party was completely different from them!

And they were not the same kind of person at all.

But in the next moment, a few more people signed.

They were Lin Yi and Liffia.

Lin Yi saw through it clearly, because she knew she had no choice.

Since she had no choice, what was there to hesitate about?

As for Liffia, she saw that I had signed so quickly and followed suit.

She even signed one step faster than Lin Yi, becoming the second Teaching Assistant in the entire conference hall to sign the contract.

After signing, she looked smug and leaned back comfortably in her chair, as if mocking everyone else for being cowards.

Lina, on the stage, did not mind Liffia's exaggerated behavior.

In fact, at this moment, she rather liked this kind of flighty child.

Immediately after, a few more people, as if having made up their minds, signed the contract.

And among this small group... was Lillianna Elvira.

But even with these people setting the first example, the majority of the people were still hesitant.

This was because the "special deployment" mission in the final joint exam described in the contract was simply too much for them to accept.

It was just as Teacher Lina "mocked" at the beginning of this meeting: some of the Teaching Assistants present, if given a Fireball Spellbook, might not even be able to defeat a low-grade student who also held a Fireball Spellbook.

They had become obsessed with the "false power" created by powerful spells.

And their deployment mission was to participate in this final joint exam as Teaching Assistants, becoming "hunting targets."

They would become rare, additional score-counting hunting targets for this joint exam.

And they would also sign a Restraint Contract after the exam began, unable to use their own power, and only being able to use the unified power network for low-grade students!

This undoubtedly added immense pressure on them!

If they were allowed to retain their original power, they wouldn't be afraid.

Even if everyone hunted them down throughout the entire process, most of them would feel they could directly confront everyone.

But the problem was that they couldn't use their own power.

The power network... that game qualification that was like a Player's.

They also knew a lot about this.

That power was simply too weak.

If they were forced to use this power, they might not even be able to defend themselves.

If they were surrounded, they would have nowhere to run.

Although this final joint exam was designated to cover the entire Expansion Realm, due to their current circumstances, they would at most wander within the Ninglan Area.

Leaving the Ninglan Area was basically equivalent to leaving the "safe zone," and the Mutated Beasts outside traveled in packs!

It was actually more dangerous outside, unless they reached a Sanctuary beyond the Ninglan Area.

But those Sanctuaries outside the Ninglan Area were not covered by the rules they had formulated, and God knew what dangers they might encounter.

It should be noted that those people were basically "Players" with the power network, and they couldn't be dealt with alone.

Moreover... this was not a game that one could quit whenever they wanted.

Therefore, because there were simply too many things to consider, many people found it difficult to make this decision.

To leave sheepishly, or to face the unknown that they dared not confront...

But no matter how many excuses they had, there was only one reason in essence!

That was that they lacked the confidence to maintain their elevated status with equal power.

They had put on the long robes that represented the Teaching Assistant identity and now lacked the courage to take them off.

And at this moment, I had already signed the contract.

I could feel the constraint of this contract attaching itself to my body.

It was a terrifying force that was almost irresistible, a constraint imposed from some "fundamental source" that I couldn't fully recognize.

This was not a "force," but a "willingness" inherent in the contract model.

If this willingness was not present, the contract could not be signed.

After all, due to the nature of the content and the agreements, the Witch's Contract was not as simple as just signing one's name.

If the "willingness" was gone, then it was no longer as simple as a "contract."

I could feel that after this contract was signed, the constraining force immediately began to "delineate" the scope of the restricted power.

First, it was the Magic Power Source, then the Spellbooks, and then... the Grand Spellbooks.

That's right, the Grand Spellbooks were also constrained.

Even the Great Tree of Knowledge, which had become my own ability, was encompassed within the restriction.

But all of this was far from the end.

It even included my Body Cultivation power.

Of course, the Body Cultivation power referred to the power at the Transcendent level.

My own physical constitution, life level, and immortality were not included.

Therefore, all my power, including the Domain, was "forbidden."

All that remained of my Body Cultivation ability were my most basic physical constitution, the Five Senses Enhancement, Heart Sense, and the Time Sense Prototype.

This was because these abilities were not powers, but perception channels.

This contract prohibited all forms of "Transcendent level" power that one possessed, held, acquired, or was augmented by, leaving only the most basic "self" for each person.

This was not surprising.

Witches held Spellbooks and Magic Power Sources.

Elves possessed the Power of Nature and inherited Elf Magic.

Wizards mastered knowledge and held Sorcery Tools to leverage Transcendent power.

Holy Angels were augmented by the power of Holy Light and Angel Halos.

The Beast Academy students had Blood Qi from their internal Body Cultivation... This contract naturally had to accommodate many academies.

I could be no exception.

On this contract, I felt a hint of the "Self-Awareness Sealing Spell" that Big Sis Natalie had taught me earlier.

The powers that were about to be constrained by the contract could belong to me.

As long as I didn't sign the contract, as long as I wasn't "willing," I wouldn't be constrained.

Perhaps this was the wonderful part of the "contract."

And the constraint of this contract would fully take effect the moment the exam began.

For now, I could use my power normally.

This kind of "fair competition" model was indeed a challenge for me.

If we were to say who was the most constrained in this challenge, it would probably be me, wouldn't it?

My gaze met Teacher Lina's.

She looked back at me and offered a faint smile.

I could discern a lot from this smile.

Perhaps within that smile was also a warning directed at me.

I was the person with the shortest enrollment time among those present and the one with the "weakest" accumulation, at least in terms of combat.

Recalling the time I fought Tan Han, I set my combat tone at that moment to be "crushing."

I had tried many methods, from the initial crushing with combat power, to crushing with combat technique, then crushing with tactics, and finally, transitioning to crushing with the mastery of Transcendent techniques.

I admitted that I didn't have much experience, but I accepted this challenge.

This was a test of all-around abilities: tactics, reaction, planning, anticipation... Just thinking about it felt troublesome.

I don't know why, but this particular "care" from Teacher Lina felt somewhat like the excessive concern of a mother who thinks her child is cold.

But I didn't mind.

After all, it was a rare experience.

Wasn't the most precious thing in life the experience itself?

Perhaps Teacher Lina simply wanted me to make up for the regret of missing out on a match with students at the same level as me?

And at this moment, the perspective shifted to the other Teaching Assistants.

The longer the time dragged on, the greater the pressure the atmosphere here exerted on them.

The academy targeting these Teaching Assistants so openly this time had already shown the academy's "dissatisfaction" with the "student Teaching Assistant" group.

This inevitably made them connect the current Teaching Assistants, their external families, and those small maneuvers, and they fully believed this was a "warning."

Perhaps it was a "final ultimatum"?

But no matter what, they had to face the music.

Those who thought they understood, silently signed the contract after figuring things out.

And those who hadn't figured things out were still stuck in their indignation over putting in effort and resources to aid the Expansion Realm, only to be hit with a counter-attack from the academy.

They not only had to surrender the "foundation" they had worked so hard to build, but they also had to embarrass themselves in the final joint exam and even serve as stepping stones for the low-grade students.

But... was that truly the foundation they had built, or their insatiable desires?

Perhaps even they couldn't see clearly.

However, the Transcendent Witches would not fuss over this with them.

Most races that fussed with the Transcendent Witch race had vanished in the Void.

In the Main World... the outcome would likely be similar.

However... the Great Weakening Spell and the constraints of the many Academy Heads and anonymous Witch Scholars were still holding things down for now.

But the restoration of the Expansion Realm was both an opportunity for the Main World and a sign of cracks appearing in the suppression of the Great Weakening Spell.

Finally, as the last person completed the contract signing under the pressure of everyone, this meeting finally came to an end.

No one chose to withdraw, and the Witch Mentors were not afraid of their resentment.

This step was equivalent to completely tearing away the veil covering the "Teaching Assistant" identity within the Witch Academy, crushing the "mindless myth" of the Teaching Assistant identity among many students, and subtly making the students accept the concept that Magic Power Sources and Spellbooks were merely "external tools."

Of course, this was more about providing a "fair" environment and platform, not a privilege.

As long as the current contradictions and opposition were guided, many goals could be achieved at once.

Furthermore, the achievements demonstrated by truly capable Teaching Assistants, if deemed impressive, would also be recognized by the students.

The Witch Academy had developed capriciously and brutally for too long.

Now, the Witch Academy also needed to follow the general trend and weave the order of its own educational enterprise.