Chapter 61: Heavy
“Everyone, back to your seats, the morning assembly is starting.”
Suddenly, a calm voice emanated from the direction of the lectern, catching everyone’s attention. They saw the man with striking red hair, the same Teacher Number Three whom Yuehai and the others had encountered before.
He held a book in his hand and scanned the entire classroom with a faint yet terrifying aura, causing the students to immediately abandon their curious gazes and sit in their chosen seats.
The classroom was arranged with tiered desks, each accommodating three students. Tyr sat with Diaz and Claude, while Yuehai, Ye Xi, and Neruko could sit together. Despite the spaciousness, the three big men squeezed together, creating an inexplicable warmth.
Teacher Number Three spoke only after seeing everyone quiet down.
“From today onwards, I am the homeroom teacher for both your B group and A group. You can call me Teacher Number Three.”
Teacher Number Three? Most people showed expressions of confusion, but Teacher Number Three showed no intention of explaining, and continued speaking.
“Today’s morning assembly has two purposes. One is to discuss your class schedule. Here is the timetable; please take note of it.”
Teacher Number Three tapped a magical pattern on the lectern, and a detailed schedule immediately appeared on the massive magic shadowstone screen behind him.
There were no dullards among the students; they could all easily memorize the schedule after a glance. Even someone as absent-minded as Neruko could store it directly in her mind.
“On this schedule, if there’s a class you want to attend, come to the classroom at that time. If not, you’re free to do as you please. However, rest assured, this freedom comes at a cost. There will be exams at the end of each month, and those who fail will be expelled immediately.”
“Expelled from the academy!” This frightened everyone. The idea of expulsion was terrifying. Teacher Number Three seemed to sense their thoughts and spoke calmly.
“What is Avalon Academy most famous for? I believe you all knew before coming here.”
Everyone’s expression turned grim. They had indeed heard before coming here.
Avalon’s most famous aspect wasn’t its excellent teaching, prestigious reputation, or the birth of generations of remarkable individuals. It was its terrifying dropout rate.
“Every rose has its thorn. It seems the easygoing life in the academy these past few days has made you all quite comfortable. However, I’m sorry to say, enjoyment and effort must go hand in hand. And if you think this is the peak of pressure, you’re sorely mistaken.”
These words made many hearts skip a beat. Was there something even worse than this?!
Teacher Number Three didn’t beat around the bush. Almost as soon as all the students were fully focused on this side, he spoke at the same time.
“The academy’s newly organized freshman class competition has begun.”
“Class competition?” At such a dire moment, another term they didn’t understand appeared. This sense of ambiguity lingered over everyone’s hearts, refusing to dissipate.
“You freshmen, from the first year, are divided into 59 classes, each with an average of around 2,000 students. The class competition is based on a points system. We’ll explain the detailed plans to you later. What I want to emphasize are the consequences of losing in the class competition.”
Teacher Number Three glanced again at the nearly hundred students in the tiered classroom and spoke calmly.
“A school year is divided into two semesters. The class competition is settled at the end of each semester. The bottom ten classes will have some of their higher-scoring students transferred to other classes, while the rest will be expelled.”
What! Expulsion again! This news startled some students so much that they accidentally stood up from their seats. However, their actions didn’t draw much attention because everyone’s emotions were almost the same.
According to Teacher Number Three’s explanation, expelling five classes in a semester equated to over ten thousand students. By the end of the academic year, ten classes would be gone. Moreover, it seemed that even in the second year, there was no guarantee of safety. Suddenly, an immense pressure weighed heavily on their hearts like a ton of bricks.
“Being prepared for danger in times of peace is an essential consciousness for students, just as the headmaster said during the opening ceremony, lifelong learning is what truly defines a student. Occasionally enjoying life at the academy is indeed nice, but at Avalon, what we value more is your performance. Those who are not satisfied with this system can leave, those who cannot withstand this pressure can leave, and those who feel lacking in confidence can leave as well. Why does Avalon have a high dropout rate? It’s because we have no intention of keeping any student who wants to leave. Even if a student has enough talent to become a deity, if they want to leave, we can let them go. Even the headmaster is not exempt from the possibility of expulsion if they make mistakes. So here, you, you, you, and all of you are treated equally.”
This statement added to the already heavy burden on the freshmen, and for a moment, the entire classroom was filled with a stifling atmosphere.
“Teacher Number Three, I have a question!” At this moment, Neruko’s refreshing voice sounded untimely from the crowd. Everyone turned their gaze toward her, but Neruko seemed unfazed.
“Go ahead,” Teacher Number Three said with a faint smile. This little troublemaker had barged into his office before.
“According to what you’re saying, Teacher, what’s the difference between students who come in with recommendation letters and us?”
“Differences? There are many,” Teacher Number Three smiled as if anticipating this question and continued.
“Firstly, there’s the ‘Five Wheel Flower’ emblem engraved on the heart position of the school uniform. This symbol represents the honor recognized by Avalon. Of course, honor doesn’t put food on the table; I’m well aware of that.”
“Then, there are the benefits. Students with the Five Wheel Flower emblem can enter any public self-service teaching facility for free, can request private lessons from demigods, and have one opportunity per month to interact with a deity. There are many other privileges as well. You can go to the Heavenly Hall later to request a list of benefits for ‘Five Wheel Flower’ students. I’m sure it will keep you entertained for the whole day.”
This statement brought a glimmer of hope to those who entered with recommendation letters, as it seemed to offer a ray of light in their otherwise bleak future. However, for the other students who entered through assessments, the disparity in treatment weighed heavily on them. It left some narrow-minded individuals feeling even more resentful, while even those indifferent to the discrepancies couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
Neruko looked at the classroom, feeling the atmosphere grow heavy once more, and couldn’t help but stick out her tongue. She knew she might have inadvertently worsened the situation.
“Anyway, that’s it for today’s morning assembly. If you have any further questions, you can ask the visiting teachers. While many of them are also new, they should be more knowledgeable than you.”
After Teacher Number Three finished speaking, he left the classroom, leaving behind a group of students with heavy hearts.
Upon hearing this, Yuehai wanted to applaud. He believed that this pressure was necessary to drive them forward. Otherwise, with his personality, he might have been content with the status quo and lacked the drive to progress.
