Chapter 819
Chapter 819 - 805: The Candidates
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8 min read
Lu Feng, "Lantern Bearer", 27 years old, a professional of the "Sentry" Department, seemingly also trained in the Runner Department... Probably useless on his own, but has decent team synergy, and has vaguely emerged as the team leader.
Fan Zheng, 19, from Changping State, appears to possess wide-ranging binding abilities, capable of simultaneously weakening several 2-tier Horned Demons, and already has certain combat abilities. The drawback seems to be that he can’t use his powers continuously.
Li Wendiao, the most conspicuous in the battle-professions, not weak in individual abilities...
"...it looks like none of them have passed ahead of time..."
Lu Ping’an noted down each one, as all those whose names and information he recorded were to be further investigated.
The others? Though still undergoing the test, in reality, they were already eliminated.
Surviving long enough to pass? This was also a distraction set up by the main examiners from the beginning.
This time it wasn’t about simply answering questions, but selecting sub-team leaders capable of working in the Exotic Realm. Merely meeting the passing criteria was never enough from the start. If they couldn’t shine...
"...Alright, no need to waste time."
As time went on, this temporary team encountered yet another formidable enemy.
This time, they faced over thirty Horned Demons, a full ten Bat Demons, and the most troublesome was actually a mutated Horned Demon.
He was an entire size larger than ordinary Horned Demons, with two bright red horns continuously ablaze— a variation of the evolved kind known as "Berserk Horned Demon."
His combat power was much stronger than that of ordinary Horned Demons, but that wasn’t the most troublesome part...
"...we’re all going to die if we can’t take down that big Horned Demon!"
Lu Feng had already shouted this out, his head drenched in sweat as he tried to organize a counterattack.
But it was of little use.
The Berserk Horned Demon merely stood silently behind the team, his four human-like arms crossed, ready to watch the humans in front of him perish.
"...A Warlord’s powers, huh? I never expected to meet a fellow professional here."
This Berserk Horned Demon must possess career abilities similar to those of the warlord system, Lu Ping’an felt characteristics like "Team Will" and "Blood Battle Unyielding."
Standing there, he made the Horned Demon obviously stronger, and every counterattack was effortlessly repelled by the "Reserve Team" he commanded.
Yes, he displayed the traits of a battlefield commander, and he had the two biggest Horned Demons as his guards to boot.
"...It’s no good, retreat! Retreat!"
Lu Feng shouted the command to retreat and was the first to start falling back.
Under his orders, professionals began trying to leave the battlefield... Within just a few seconds, several more had withdrawn from the battle, soaked through with Holy Water.
Distress flares shot up into the sky, the examinees had lost the courage to continue fighting.
That was when Fan Zheng stood out again, this time with another wide-range weakening ability... even that Berserk Horned Demon was forcibly bound!
At that moment, Lu Ping’an realized...
"Life-interfering type ability? Huh, not bad, not bad, seems like it forcibly reduces the target’s metabolic function? Freezing the blood..."
Lu Ping’an speculated, but the others in the team didn’t stick around.
They quickly retreated, one faster than the other.
Such a rout obviously could not maintain formation, some were forced out of the battlefield, while others dispersed.
"Finally, finally..."
Barely escaping with her life, Fang Lingguo was gasping for air, feeling miserable all over.
But glancing left and right, she revealed a look of surprise, that scourge of a creature didn’t seem to be around...
"Looking for your junior? I saw him, he seemed to be running slowly, got overtaken..."
Someone sighed helplessly, attempting to comfort the senior, not realizing she was already beaming with joy.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in front of those "eliminated" shining with white light, a young man was circled by a legion of Magic Monsters.
He didn’t use "Holy Water"; could it be that he didn’t want to live...
"A third-tier Berserk Horned Demon, paired with a small legion’s standard force, can be considered equivalent to a fourth-tier combat power standard..."
Facing the slowly encircling Magic Monsters, Lu Ping’an merely opened his work manual and then confirmed certain related matters.
The Berserk Horned Demon, with its ferocious face, spread its sturdy four arms, about to enjoy its first lunch of the day, when it noticed that the "prey" had actually revealed a smile.
"...Uh, sorry, you aren’t out of scope for the test question, but you’ve shown up too early, the exam has just begun..."
In the eyes of the stunned Losers, the youth who was confronting the giant Magic Monster-that being who seemed as insignificant as a chick before a beast-suddenly began to grow bigger and bigger...
The prey turned into the Hunter, "being watched" turned into "looking down from above." The Giant, bowing his head, emitted a mechanical synthesized voice filled with an inexplicable sense of apology...
"...Next time, if there is a next time, come later."
The enormous Berserk Horned Demon didn’t even have time to fight back before it was hoisted up into the air by one hand.
"Right hand" closed, squeezed, the Giant crushed the skull and those fiercely burning horns...then directly tossed it onto the ground, where the lump of flesh fell soft and limp, like a pile of trash.
"The truth tells us, sometimes being too eager at work isn’t always a good thing."
With that, the Giant slowly moved towards the group of Demons, set to dispose of these overly dangerous "garbage" according to the regulations.
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While Lu Ping’an was busy working overtime, another group of people, through the broadcasting system, were learning everything that was happening in the Exotic Realm.
They were the "Workforce" for this occasion, but they were far from the frantic "Examination Committee" and weren’t in a hurry to collect those contestants whose safety period for the Holy Water was expiring.
Sitting together, they were out of step with the bustling surrounding workforce, yet no one came over to stop them.
The reason? At this table, even the weakest was a quasi-rule Big Boss; Lu Ping’an’s old acquaintance, Kun Ba, was among them.
And the one sitting in the middle, who was paying the most attention to the situation inside the examination area, was none other than Rain Elder Huangyv Mountain.
"...It’s been thirty minutes since the ’pressure’ was lifted, the Demons from the second and third underground levels should have come up, the first batch of contestants should have been eliminated by now..."
As one of Changping’s Strongmen, he naturally wouldn’t brood over a mere examination.
However, the results of this exam were directly related to whether he could abandon his "duties" and go to the Exotic Realm to seek further transcendence opportunities.
"Don’t worry, we’re all here, even if the worst comes to pass, we can intervene..."
The consolation of his colleagues offered him a bit of relief.
If he were to leave, it would mean actively shattering this battlefront’s balance.
Once balance is broken, all parties will vie for their interests; the Demon Kingdom below will naturally try to gain more...
"Don’t worry, aren’t there new generations of Decree youngsters? It’ll be fine, they can handle it..."
Once the departure of the old Guardians is confirmed, the beings that have been in long-standing opposition will naturally crawl out to test the mettle of the new defenses.
It’s like throwing a stone into a pond harboring Giant Beasts, waiting to see what happens.
It’s ironic and helpless, the peace brought by Super Weapons often vanishes with the weapon’s disintegration/departure.
"...If it weren’t troublesome enough, why would they bother to offer a prize of the caliber of ’True Words’."
Lu Ping’an had already realized that he was not only the examiner but also one of the examinees.
"Might as well practice for the troubles ahead."
The ground was strewn with pieces of flesh, an opponent of such a level that even the spoils of war weren’t worth collecting.
And Lu Ping’an himself conveniently completed the collection of the "contestants."
— End of Chapter 819 —