There is a large space underground in the Hunter’s Guild Building, but it’s rarely visited.
"Before the practical examination begins, I have something to explain to you."
The guidance counselor stood in the empty field with his hands behind his back, addressing Yan Luo and Li Xinyue, "Unlike the written test, if you fail the practical examination, you will have to pay the testing fee. If you’re not confident, it’s best to withdraw now to avoid wasting money."
It was obvious that neither Yan Luo nor Li Xinyue were the type to back out.
After the guidance counselor finished speaking, they remained silent, quietly watching him.
The guidance counselor nodded with satisfaction.
Abyss hunting is extremely dangerous, and the environment in the Abyss is completely different from Blue Star. Besides having a wealth of knowledge, a Hunter must be confident in their abilities.
Confidence is the passport through adversity. Without it, it’s difficult to accomplish anything.
The Hunter’s Guild registration exam is designed to weed out those who are blindly confident. Only those who have self-confidence and understand their abilities are qualified to become Hunters.
With hands behind his back, the guidance counselor paced back and forth in front of Yan Luo and Li Xinyue, explaining the testing rules: "Next, you will undergo a physical ability test here, both without and with exoskeleton equipment. After the physical abilities test, there will be tests on equipment maintenance and first aid skills. Once all these tests are done, it will be about evening, and you’ll have to engage in a simulated combat — rest assured, it will be against a replica demon."
"That’s all I have to say. The test subjects have been sent to your smart devices. You can arrange the test sequence yourselves, and conduct the test right here. The test site will automatically record all your data."
How to allocate stamina efficiently is a hidden test, not directly listed in the candidates’ test items but scored by the guidance counselor who is watching nearby.
The practical examination does not prohibit the use of Engravings by candidates; on the contrary, it encourages them to use Engravings.
Only by using Engravings can a candidate fully demonstrate their strength.
However, the guidance counselor was puzzled because Yan Luo had not used his Engraving ability from beginning to end. Could it be that he had not yet performed the Engraving?
Li Xinyue was different from Yan Luo. She used her Engraving ability in events such as sprints, long-distance running, standing long jumps, and high jumps. Her first Engraving made her body more agile.
During the breaks between events, Yan Luo couldn’t help checking Li Xinyue out a bit more.
A faint light penetrated through Li Xinyue’s clothes on her back, faintly revealing an indistinct pattern behind her.
When the Engraving grows to its complete form, the pattern will become complete and bright, much like carrying a wheel of karma. By then, the Engraving will fully integrate into Li Xinyue’s body, allowing her to accommodate a second Engraving.
From what it looked like, it should be the [Gentle Breeze], with related sequences like [Spirit Snake], [Wind Master], [Shadow Dance].
Li Xinyue’s Engraving drew Yan Luo’s envy, as it was something he could never have in his lifetime.
Yan Luo took three hours to complete the physical test, and Li Xinyue was only five minutes faster than him, a gap significant enough to surprise both Li Xinyue and the guidance counselor regarding Yan Luo.
After all, Yan Luo hadn’t used his Engraving the entire time.
The guidance counselor came over, reviewing Yan Luo and Li Xinyue’s files, and said to Yan Luo: "Are you aiming to earn money from abyss hunting to afford the Engraving surgery? If you’re short on money, I can sponsor you. As the son of a sacrificed Hunter, you should have a discount... exemption..."
Mid-sentence, the guidance counselor felt choked, looking at Yan Luo in astonishment, and asked, "You have no Engraving affinity, and your Magic Power adaptation is extremely low?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xinyue also turned her head to look at Yan Luo, shock plainly visible on her face.
Yan Luo nodded, "Yes."
"Then what are you doing here?" The guidance counselor’s tone suddenly became stern.
Yan Luo straightforwardly replied, "To become a Hunter."
The guidance counselor was both amused and annoyed by his answer, pointing at him, unable to speak.
After a while, the guidance counselor finally composed himself, took a deep breath, and advised earnestly: "Yan Luo, I know you’re angry about your parents’ death and want to avenge them. But without an Engraving, you can’t go far on the Hunter path. Listen to your uncle’s advice: go back to Lingquan City, get into a university, which is much better than becoming a Hunter. With your theoretical knowledge, you can excel in other areas."
Yan Luo directly shook his head, rejecting the guidance counselor’s suggestion: "No, I want to become a Hunter. Scoring 203 points was actually a trick; the bonus points for those three questions haven’t been updated in a long time because the research directions for those questions are too obscure and not challenging, so no one’s interested, and that’s how I got the bonus. This is already my limit."
Li Xinyue, who was listening on the side, couldn’t help but purse her lips.
Even though she knew Yan Luo wasn’t mocking her, hearing terms like ’not challenging’ or ’no one’s interested’ somewhat bittered her heart.
The guidance counselor smirked, puzzled: "Without an Engraving, what can you do? How do you plan to conduct abyss hunting?"
"Arm my mind with knowledge and my body with technology!" Yan Luo answered firmly.
The guidance counselor fell silent.
Seeing the situation, Yan Luo’s mind was already made up; continuing to persuade would be pointless.
The guidance counselor sighed, waved his hand, "Forget it, do as you like. I’ve done my part in advising you. If you end up dying in the Abyss later, it’s not my problem."
Then, the guidance counselor pointed at the time displayed by his wristband.
"The current time is 16:32. I’ll give you ten minutes to rest. Ten minutes later, this area will be divided into two parts. You will each face a dangerous-level replica demon on your own. These replica demons have performance metrics identical to the original demons and have superpower capabilities. The test site’s energy core will also feed the replica demons so that they possess deflective shields, just like real demons. You can safely engage in combat with the replicas; they’ll stop just before killing you. But keep in mind, injuries are inevitable. If you can’t handle even this, I suggest you don’t become a Hunter!"
Both Yan Luo and Li Xinyue nodded to indicate they understood.
The guidance counselor separated Yan Luo and Li Xinyue’s positions, and the central line of the test site gradually lifted a towering glass wall, physically isolating them, preventing interference with each other’s battles.
Yan Luo sat on the ground, retrieved a long-barreled shotgun from his backpack, and stroked the barrel with his fingers.
What makes demons terrifying is their ability to possess deflective shields within the Abyss.
Every demon in the Abyss is surrounded by a force field, capable of deflecting high-speed bullets, preventing them from landing. The mightier the demon, the stronger their deflective shield.
Using any form of large-scale weaponry would only expand the Abyss’s encroachment on Blue Star, leaving humanity with the constraint of limiting such weaponry.
Electromagnetic cannons are the highest level of weaponry humanity can deploy against the Abyss, with even rocket launchers needing cautious use, as a slightly higher yield might trigger Abyss expansion.
Stronger demons possess stronger deflective shields, requiring either massive ammunition to deplete the shields or bypassing them for melee attacks.
At close range, demons are still flesh and blood, at most having stronger muscles and swifter reflexes.
Yan Luo breathed steadily, striving to recover his strength. Then, he heard a noise and looked up.
The floor of the test site cracked open, and a tiger-like figure was brought to the surface by a lift platform.
"Swift Panther." Yan Luo stood up, quietly uttering the name of this replica demon’s prototype.
The Swift Panther, with a body like a mature Siberian tiger, yet with formidable short-distance explosive power, ranked high among dangerous-level demons.
Only to see the replica Swift Panther’s eyes light up with red, its agile form instantly lunged, paws hitting the ground, transforming swiftly into a thin line charging toward Yan Luo.
Yan Luo chambered the shotgun, drew out a long knife with his other hand, gripping it tightly, and stood ready.