Chapter 83

Hearing this, everyone's gaze instantly turned back to the visual projection.

Their instincts told them that something else was about to go wrong.

In the projection, Big Boss turned to face the candidates once more, hands clasped behind his back, wearing his signature sunshine smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the crisis is over for now."

"Th-thank you, Chief Examiner Adult!"

"Yes, thanks to you, otherwise we'd already be out."

"Yes, yes! We almost lost our qualification to compete!"

The candidates were all overwhelmed with gratitude, and a few who had just been chased frantically by the Three-Faced Monster Ball had already kowtowed.

"Cough." Big Boss dry-coughed twice, his gaze sweeping over their faces as he frowned. "You don't think you still have the qualification to compete, do you?"

"Ah?" The candidates, who had just been overflowing with gratitude, instantly petrified.

"Surely you don't think that after the examiner stepped in to save you from danger, you can still continue the exam?" Big Boss put on a surprised expression. "Where in the world is there such a thing as getting something for nothing?"

"But..."

"But, but..."

"We've already tried so hard..."

The candidates looked at each other, their faces turning ashen in unison.

The joy of surviving the calamity was immediately replaced by the agony of losing their exam qualification.

But none of them jumped out to refute Big Boss's words, after all, he was stating the facts.

If it weren't for Big Boss stepping in, many of them might have been struck by that monster ball and suffered heavy injuries.

Not being injured right now was already a great fortune.

That said, accepting failure gracefully was still unrealistic, and almost every candidate wore an expression of unwillingness.

"We've already made it this far," someone whispered. "Does everything have to end like this?"

Seeing their expressions, the corners of Big Boss's mouth curled slightly; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

He smiled at the candidates and rubbed his fingers together. "Hehe, in principle, that's true, but... it seems I'm the only examiner here."

Hearing this, the candidates who had just been in despair lifted their heads once more.

Their eyes were filled with complex expressions of disbelief and longing.

Not a single candidate qualified to take the Full Moon Academy exam was a fool.

Almost everyone caught the subtext in Big Boss's words.

So, they felt utterly surprised—

Wait, you're the Chief Examiner of this exam, openly taking bribes during the assessment, and there's really no problem with that? Has the academic atmosphere of our Full Moon Academy fallen to this point? This isn't the Full Moon Academy we know! But soon, the most quick-witted noble candidates had already stood up. Having followed their parents around since childhood, they were extremely adept at navigating social favors—

While others were still having their worldviews shattered by the academy's true appearance, they had already transformed into Progress Maniacs.

Without the slightest hesitation, they walked up to Big Boss, took out gold coins and Magic Badge Stones from their pockets, and kowtowed. "Chief Examiner Sir, please accept these things!"

"Oh? What is this? Are you trying to bribe me? Do you think I'm a greedy person?" Big Boss glanced at the gold coins and let out a cold snort. "I, as a Chief Examiner, have since ancient times been the most impartial enforcer of the law."

"..." The candidate gritted his teeth, took out a Relic from his pocket, and placed it among the Magic Badge Stones. "These... are just to thank you for saving my life."

"So you're not trying to bribe me?"

"Of course, I'm just... too grateful to you."

"Hmm, not bad, not bad." Big Boss nodded, accepted the candidate's Progress Fund, and patted his shoulder. "Alright, go on. The rest of the exam is still long; take care of your health. I'm optimistic about you."

"Thank you, Examiner Adult, for your concern."

The candidate finally breathed a sigh of relief, his face beaming with joy, and vanished from everyone's sight in a puff of smoke.

He moved so fast, as if afraid that if he left late, he wouldn't be able to leave at all.

The other candidates, watching this scene, were almost petrified.

Not just the candidates—even Lilith, who had been floating beside Big Boss, had her mouth twitching, not knowing what expression to make.

Although she had long known Big Boss would pull off some heaven-defying operation.

But she had never imagined Big Boss's operation could be this heaven-defying.

Posing as an examiner and taking bribes from candidates in the exam hall... and pushing the blame away so cleanly.

What kind of birth and Sword Tomb could produce such a heaven-defying operation method? So this time your Fishing Method wasn't just meant to hook a Magic Dragon Tower Aide, but also to catch the other candidates, right?

And Big Boss didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had done at all.

"If it weren't for me, Big Boss, these candidates wouldn't even have Identity Badges issued. Is there a problem with asking them for a little Progress Fund? Being both a candidate and an examiner, I, Big Boss, wear multiple roles. Isn't it hard on me?" Thus, he wore his signature sunshine smile again. "Anyone else who wants to progress—no, anyone else who wants to repay this examiner's life-saving grace!"

"Let me say this first: stop giving gifts. Money is an external thing."

"I, as a Chief Examiner, have since ancient times been a noble person who views money as dirt."

"Come, don't rush, one by one."—Inside the meeting room of the Sage Academy.

All the teachers and professors were petrified.

They watched Big Boss on the screen collecting Progress Funds from one candidate after another, their veins bulging and their breathing rapid.

The professor sitting in the front row had pinched his philtrum and fainted.

This was only human nature.

Perhaps there was no teacher or Dean of Teaching in this world who could keep their mindset steady upon seeing this scene.

Who could have imagined that Big Boss, bearing the title of Abyss Divergent Path Burier, would actually do such a thing?

Attacking the Chief Examiner and issuing Identity Badges himself was bad enough.

But you actually ran into the exam hall and took bribes from the candidates?

Taking bribes was bad enough.

And it's actually percentage damage?

Nobles pay more, commoners pay less—are you trying to control the wealth gap in the exam hall?

"Cough cough." A professor dry-coughed twice, gnashing his teeth: "That... although Big Boss has strong strength and high talent, don't you think this is going too far? If this continues, the school's face..."

The other teachers were all ashen-faced, not knowing what expression to use to face reality.

No way, Big Boss's operation was simply too defying heaven; even these teachers and professors accustomed to great storms felt it was outrageous to the extreme.

According to common practice, special situations should consult the ancestral system and judge according to past precedents.

But Big Boss's matter is difficult precisely because there is no precedent at all.

Which examinee has the guts to attack an examiner? And which examinee has the guts to impersonate an examiner and collect bribes?

"I propose to cancel Big Boss's exam qualification."

The Magic Academy's Dean of Teaching, Professor Jerryl, knocked on the table, his deep eye sockets gloomy beyond compare.

He is Gail Miss's father, who has already dropped out; although he cannot confirm his daughter has a real connection with "Smiling Face Fusion Mutation" and Big Boss.

But adding some trouble to this brat, Professor Jerryl was still very willing.

Big Boss's glory ahead was too dazzling; he had never found an opportunity, and now finding a lead, naturally he would not let go.

"I disagree." Liuli's eyes flashed with a dangerous light: "Still the same words, no school rule stipulates that examinees cannot collect bribes from examinees."

Jerryl: "..."

The professors: "..."

"I say, Lady Yevgeny, are you serious?" Professor Jerryl's mouth corner twitched: "You should be very clear that such exam rules certainly cannot exist, but—"

"Didn't Dean Full Moon say? Law None Prohibited Is Permitted."

Liuli didn't let Professor Jerryl finish, directly interrupting him: "Big Boss's operations are all within the range allowed by the rules; he is reasonably utilizing the rules, on what basis do we cancel his exam qualification?"

"You..." Professor Jerryl was directly choked, unable to say a word.

"Alright alright, stop arguing." Professor Tifeng of the Sage Academy's Dean couldn't stand it anymore; he sighed: "I propose to directly stop the Second Round."

"Simply send all examinees who haven't lost qualification into the Third Place, and decide the winner with the Third Place."

"Also, add a clause to the Exam Rules prohibiting impersonating an examiner to collect bribes."

Upon hearing this, all the teachers and professors were moved.

Indeed, this Second Round Assessment was interestingly tight, but truly too outrageous.

So many big shots of Tianming Continent are watching here; if this continues, the academy's face will truly be lost.

"Since that's the case, let's vote by show of hands."

"Wait a moment."

Just then, the Full Moon Queen, who had not spoken all along, spoke up; she gazed at Tal standing up in the Visual Projection and furrowed her brow.

"Truly did not expect, a damn worm has mixed into the exam."

"Is that a believer of the Abyss Magic Dragon?"

Chapter Complete