Chapter 92: The Assessment Begins
“Gee-up—”
The cavalryman dressed in black light armor took the lead on horseback, charging into the road on the wilderness, followed by several horse carriages heading toward Water Gutter Town.
Inside the carriage, the young students either closed their eyes to rest or checked their weapons and equipment. Because it was an extremely crucial assessment, everyone felt a bit nervous and cautious.
At five in the afternoon, the convoy arrived at Water Gutter Town, resting there for the night. Tomorrow morning, they would head to a place about 15 li outside Water Gutter Town for the assessment.
The first floor hall of the inn.
Xilutiya, Mike, Komiya, Karen, and Lei sat together at one table. The other tables were also occupied by students. Everyone was eating a sumptuous dinner and discussing tomorrow’s situation.
Even the students who didn’t know the assessment content now had a general understanding of the process.
“Tomorrow’s first goal is definitely to find a certain thing.” Komiya explained while drinking sweet honey water.
“The second goal is probably to kill a certain First Order monster.”
“As for the third goal, it’s said to be very difficult, and very few people complete it.”
“Sounds not too hard.” Mike said with a full mouth while biting bread.
“A First Order monster, and it’s not hard?” Komiya tilted her head to look at the boy.
“Don’t you remember that day when we were chased all over the forest by that big wild boar, almost having an accident.”
“We hadn’t stepped into First Order back then, so we couldn’t beat it.” Mike swallowed the bread, his speech gradually becoming clearer. He gripped the steel sword on the table, feeling his own strength.
“It’s different now.” His tone carried a bit of steady confidence.
“Sigh, forget it, I won’t talk to you about this.” Komiya shook her head. She would probably be satisfied just taking the first goal.
At her current stage, facing a First Order monster was still very dangerous. If the Phantom Curse Eye didn’t work, she didn’t have Tiya’s physical fitness to escape.
“What about Karen sister?”
“I’ll probably try for the second goal.” Karen thought for a moment and answered.
“Karen sister is a hunter, that’s true.” Hunters have rich experience dealing with wilderness monsters. Even if they couldn’t win head-on, they could use traps and familiarity with habits and weaknesses to find a method to cope.
“Lei.” Komiya glanced at the companion who had been eating silently beside her, feeling that asking him wouldn’t yield any interesting answer.
“Forget it, Lei just do your best.”
“Tiya, what about you?” Finally, Xilutiya, who had been quietly eating, reacted and looked up when her name was called.
“I’ll first see what the three goals are. If I can do them, I’ll try to complete them.” She had just been thinking about how to make a choice if she faced Iona.
Through these days of conversation and chatting, she had gradually understood the importance of this assessment to Iona. If she wanted to revive her family and rescue her family members, entering the secluded forest was the method with the greatest possibility, though it was also a path with considerable danger.
Should she give the opportunity to her? But then, where would her own pursuit and expectations be placed?
“In my heart, Tiya is the most awesome.” Komiya raised her finger, but these words were overheard by people at the next table, who let out some sneering sounds.
They didn’t mock loudly, but the quiet discussions and contemptuous looks still made the group a bit annoyed.
Komiya wanted to rush over to argue right then, but was held back by Karen.
“Forget it, we’ll know the answer tomorrow. Save some energy and strength.”
“Mmm, alright.” Komiya put down her small fist. Actually, she wasn’t really going to fight these people; after all, she couldn’t beat them alone. But swallowing it quietly like this really didn’t fit her style.
Nearby, Mike locked eyes with Suolin at the next table while eating. The two stared at each other across the space for a while, communicating without any words.
This time was when the two would settle things once and for all.
At the last table, Iona wore a short skirt hunting outfit with a dark red base. Under the bright cloth was sturdy leather—this was light armor that combined good looks and practicality, without affecting her agility. In addition, Iona had two swords hanging at her waist, giving her a crisp and swift image.
Tonight, she had no mood to communicate with the students at her table. After finishing dinner, she held a small glass of red wine, seemingly lost in thought, staring blankly.
The students, each with their own thoughts, finished this last meal before the exam and returned to their rooms to rest.
……
The next day, several horse carriages passed through the morning mist and arrived in front of a mountain forest. Then the carriages stopped, and people got off one after another.
“Is this the place?” Viscount Xue Feng was wearing a proper silk formal dress today. He stood in place, gazing far into the mountain forest shrouded in mist.
“Yes, Lord.” A Second Order professional hunter came before him to report. This hunter had a sharp-eyed gray falcon on his shoulder.
“After you notified me the day before yesterday, I gathered nearby villagers to temporarily seal off and block this forest, not allowing outsiders to enter or exit.”
“However, according to the villagers, an adventurer team entered the forest a few days ago and hasn’t come out yet.”
“That’s fine. Thank you for your hard work, Dean.” Viscount Xue Feng raised his hand in thanks, and then this hunter stepped back to continue observing the situation from the side.
Soon, retainers set up a platform on this grassland and placed table and chairs on it, allowing Viscount Xue Feng and Scholar Heide to sit.
Around eight in the morning, part of the mist in the mountains dispersed. A Black Stork flew out from it, circled above the group for a while, and dropped a scroll.
The retainer picked up the scroll and presented it to Viscount Xue Feng.
Soon, the accompanying instructor gathered all the students, first explaining the various rules of the assessment, then began announcing the goals.
“This assessment is very important and particularly dangerous. Anyone who is timid may exit early.” The students looked at each other but said nothing and didn’t exit.
Since they had come here, they had already made up their minds.
“Very well, I will now announce the three goals of this assessment.”
“First goal: Obtain the water from a hidden spring in the mountain forest. It is a Sweet Water Spring, with the spring water shrouded in water mist and having faint Mist Shadow nature.”
“Second goal: Kill an otherworldly monster in the forest, at least a First Order monster.”
“Third goal: On the mountain peak cliff in the forest, a Blood Strange Flower is blooming. Pick it and bring it back. But note that the flower’s position is extremely precarious, highly toxic, and may be guarded by other otherworldly creatures.”
“Bringing back the assessment goal counts as completing the task. If you fail to return midway, it still does not count as completion.”
“Completing one goal will earn Viscount Lord’s reward. Act according to your abilities, because there will be no one to aid you in the forest. Even if you are injured and unable to move, you must wait until three days later when the assessment ends before anyone might come searching inside.”
“Alright, that’s the explanation. If you have any questions, you may ask now.” After the instructor finished speaking, everyone began discussing animatedly.
“Instructor, can we form teams during the assessment to complete the tasks?”
“You can form teams, but your entry positions are determined by drawing lots, so you may not start together.”
“Instructor, if we kill one monster, does it count as the whole small team completing the goal?”
“No, killing one only counts as one person completing the goal. Also, I remind you that this forest is vast and shrouded in mist. Finding even one monster among them won’t be easy.”
“Instructor, for the third goal, might we encounter monsters higher than First Order?”
“I make no guarantees.” The instructor shook his head.
“That means we might encounter particularly dangerous enemies.” The students discussed quietly.
“Last question, Instructor: If we have conflicts in the forest, even attacking each other, what happens?” Someone asked cautiously.
“As long as no one reports it, no one will pursue it.” The instructor gave them a meaningful look.
“This kind of assessment has continued for over a thousand years. The problems you can think of now have countless precedents.”
“I want to tell you that the world is very cruel, and not all environments are as stable and peaceful as in Jiaoshi City. Even if you don’t encounter them in the assessment, you will sooner or later in the future.”
“Protect yourselves well, make cautious choices, and find the right path in complex and ever-changing environments.”
“This will be the dilemma you face for life.”
“Alright, the assessment begins now. Everyone, start drawing lots to choose your locations.”
