Chapter 387 - 272: Zog is a Good Red Dragon

Chapter 387: Chapter 272: Zog is a Good Red Dragon

The auditorium of the Shenke Institute Affiliated Primary School.

Several hundred children, aged 6 to 14, were gathered here.

Although the age gap was large, they were divided into three grades not by age, but by academic level.

The first grade was for those who knew nothing. The second grade was for those who could recognize a few words and count. The third grade was for those with a vocabulary large enough to puzzle their way through a comic book and who also knew addition and subtraction.

For the local children, the third grade was the pinnacle of academic achievement.

There were also a few children who had mastered "high-end techniques" like multiplication and division, but because their numbers were so small, they were also placed in the third grade.

Only starting with the next cohort would the school be able to enroll students into grades based on age.

Although the quality of the student body was far from satisfactory, the curriculum was anything but simple.

In addition to basic language arts and math, the curriculum from the third grade onward included physics, history, and a combined science class covering biology, chemistry, and geography. Students could also choose electives like art, music, and physical education. Finally, there was a course other schools didn’t teach: Introduction to Magic.

Regardless of whether they had any aptitude for Casting, all students had to start with the theoretical foundations.

Zog was confident that through his efforts, the day when Magic enriched every aspect of daily life was not far off.

The Magic classes were taught by Mages from the Zog Group. This was also the first time Lori’s new introductory Magic textbook was being put into large-scale practical use.

Teachers for the other subjects were recruited from other cities with high salaries, so the school was relatively well-staffed.

Zog also made a small contribution to education in Feilin. He introduced the multiplication table and vertical arithmetic, causing the children’s mental and basic written calculation skills to improve by leaps and bounds.

This came as a small mathematical shock to the parents, who hadn’t expected much from the school and figured their children would just learn a few basics.

In a place where adults typically had to count on their fingers and still struggled to solve 6x8, their own children could announce the answer to a "super-problem" like 12x18 after thinking for only a few seconds.

It was almost unbelievably impressive!

It got to the point where rumors spread that the school was performing sinister magical experiments on the children to make them smarter.

In response, others would argue, why would becoming smarter count as a sinister experiment...?

Of course, the school wasn’t using Magic to modify its students. It was simply that this wasn’t a place for ’stress-free education.’

The days were packed with classes, evenings were spent on homework during self-study sessions, and regular exams were held to test their progress.

The children at the school were under considerable pressure, but they were all highly motivated to learn.

They knew all too well what life was like for those who didn’t study hard at school.

Farming, fishing, or working as a child laborer in a Factory.

The three main job markets for local minors.

With such a demanding school life, the nightly Magic Vision time was a rare chance for them to relax.

In the past month, they had already watched 53 recorded episodes of Digital Monster. Today, their viewing would sync up with the Magic Vision Station’s premiere broadcast of the grand finale.

Several hundred cheerful elementary students entered the auditorium, chatting and laughing, but they quickly fell silent.

It was time for their young souls to learn the meaning of heartbreak.

In truth, Digital Monster Adventure wasn’t short on tragic moments, like the fates of Lion Beast and Wizard Beast.

But there was one difference between those famous scenes and the finale: the tragedy hadn’t directly struck the main group of heroes.

On the big screen, the train to the real world slowly started to move. The chosen children sat in the carriage, dejected and silent.

Meimei was hiding at the back of the carriage, covering her face and crying.

Just then, Kong suddenly shouted, "Meimei!"

From outside the train came Balrog’s voice.

All the children rushed to the windows, watching their partners run along the platform, waving goodbye. Balrog was apologizing for not having come to say goodbye to Meimei.

Most of the children in the auditorium could no longer hold back at this point and began to sob quietly.

And at that moment, Balrog stumbled and fell to the ground.

Meimei cried out, her pink hat flew high into the air, and the acapella opening theme cut in at the same moment.

"After an endless dream, in a world devoid of anything..."

The usually uplifting song, in this context, delivered the final emotional blow to the entire audience.

Emotions are contagious.

When one child cried out loud, all the others lost their composure.

Even the teachers, who had watched the entire series along with the students, couldn’t control their emotions. Most of them were young, having only recently graduated. They had said goodbye to their families to come work in the remote North for a high salary.

The scene hit way too close to home.

An atmosphere of sorrow filled the entire auditorium.

On a festival day, a single animated show had made countless viewers across the Continent burst into tears together.

For now, the children were simply upset about the main characters’ separation from their Digital Monsters.

But many years from now, a grown-up child might find themselves alone, late at night, having just finished working overtime. Their boss had yelled at them earlier that day, their salary was meager, and a wave of sadness would wash over them. For some unknown reason, their mind would drift back to the night they watched the finale of Digital Monster.

They wouldn’t remember the specifics clearly, but the image of that hat flying high into the air would be deeply etched into their memory. And they would suddenly realize that flying away with Meimei’s hat was their own lost childhood and innocence.

That moment would be even more painful.

But by then, they would be an adult, unable to have a good cry like they did as a child, for fear of waking their roommate...

Adults always have more restraints.

Just like the teachers in the auditorium now, who quickly composed themselves and began comforting the children.

"It’s all right, everyone. I’m sure the children will get to see their Digital Monsters again."

"But I don’t even have a Digital Monster."