"Don’t worry, I’m not very good at direct combat, but my skills aren’t weak."
Seeing Leon looking a bit peculiar in front of her, the woman couldn’t help but smile as she continued talking as if no one else was around:
"The first test is the talent assessment, I might not be able to help you there, but if the second test turns out to be a group battle, I’m confident I can give your combat abilities a boost.
As for the third practical test, although I’m not good at tasks, I’m quite adept at poisoning. If you can help me buy some time, I’m confident I can take down the majority of people here, directly eliminating ninety percent of your competitors."
Feeling the hostile glares rapidly turning towards him, Leon couldn’t help but feel a toothache, knowing this assessment might not go as smoothly as he had hoped.
Dear sister! It’s great to be confident, but when we’re discussing ’conspiracy,’ can’t you do it discreetly?
Sure enough, the woman’s overly blunt remarks quickly drew dissatisfaction from those around.
Accompanied by a slightly contemptuous sneer, the man with horns turned around, his blue eyes scanning the people behind him, sneering disdainfully:
"I thought someone who dared to speak would be impressive, but it turns out just another Level 2 Cleaner? I’m standing right here; try poisoning me."
Upon hearing the man with horns, Armin’s eyes lit up slightly, then he said with a hint of surprise:
"Of course, I..." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꞁire.net
A light shout came from above, interrupting the mundane little conflict. An elderly man with a Pisces emblem on his chest stepped out from the River of Dreams, landing on the ground below.
With the appearance of the elderly man, over four hundred fist-sized colorful bubbles surged down from the River of Dreams, merging like droplets into a larger, hazy realm, enveloping all the Cleaners within.
"Responding: 419 people, Present: 419 people, No one opted out."
Taking a careful look at Leon, the Pisces chairman at the center of the Dream Realm slowly sat on the ground, spreading an animal skin book on his knee, announcing to the more than four hundred odd ones before him:
"In the name of the Pisces chairman of the Clean-up Bureau, I declare the first phase of this promotion assessment, the basic talent test, officially begins!"
With the elderly man’s slightly phlegm-filled announcement, the surrounding hazy realm suddenly sharpened into a tiered classroom capable of holding hundreds.
And the over four hundred standing Cleaners, simultaneously sat down, arms placed on the tables before them, assuming a good student’s posture, forced to gaze at the central podium.
"This test is simple, you just need to start drawing."
After a slight cough, the Pisces chairman sitting cross-legged on the desk pointed behind him at the empty podium, speaking in slow motion:
"Behind me, a large tree will slowly grow, and you need to capture it on paper using the pen given. You don’t have to worry about accuracy, just draw...
Alright, those are the rules for now, go ahead and start!"
Wasn’t this a talent test? What does drawing have to do with it?
After hearing the subject of the first test, the Cleaners looked at each other perplexed, but seeing the Pisces chairman already closed his eyes, clearly not ready to explain, they obediently started drawing...except for Leon.
...Wasn’t there supposed to be a tree?
Holding the feather pen, Leon sat for ages without doing anything, listening to the sound of others scribbling away, seeing the still-empty stage behind the Pisces chairman where not a hint of a tree had grown, he was starting to feel numb.
With nothing there, what was he supposed to sketch at a market?
Being one of those doing nothing when everyone else was, naturally made him stand out. Soon, the ’examinees’ next to Leon noticed his abnormality.
Glancing at the blank paper in front of Leon, the bearer of horns chuckled dismissively, not even bothering to mock Leon, instead turning back to concentrate on drawing his idea of Tree B, using fingers thicker than carrots.
Shouldn’t I... check what he’s drawing?
With anxious perspiration forming, Leon couldn’t resist leaning a bit, sneaking a peek at the horned fellow’s paper.
I’m not cheating, nor intending to copy his answer, merely seeking guidance on the format, hoping to sketch some twigs or branches for form’s sake – even jotting "solution" would be better than a blank page, right?
But disappointingly when Leon took a peek at the horned fellow’s sheet, he didn’t see a tree but rather a monstrosity...
Put simply, what he sketched looked less like a tree and more like a centipede with four hooves and multiple horns.
Even more bizarre was when Leon was caught staring, the hideous ant-like sketch raised its head from the paper, glaring furiously at Leon.
What... is this thing exactly?
Realizing the answer couldn’t be copied, Leon returned to his seat, forced into idleness.
If nothing else, I’ll just scribble something chaotic! I’ll put more effort into the remaining exams.
But as Leon gritted his teeth preparing for action, his right leg was lightly kicked by someone, and the edge of his vision caught sight of a partially filled examination sheet.
When Leon tilted his head with surprise, he received an encouraging look from Armin, filling him with warmth, making the usually plain woman seem rather charming.
Thanks! Armin, I’ll be sure to thank you properly...uh...
Watching the paper painted wholly brown, spirally coiled like a snake emitting a compost-like scent of a lump tree, the gleam of joy in Leon’s eyes dimmed rapidly.
Right then, a dry cough emanated from the podium, and the still-eye-closing Pisces chairman flexed his neck muscles, expressionlessly reminding:
"Adding one rule, you’d best draw what you actually see. If you let your imagination run wild, sketching things unseen, you’ll have your consciousness crushed, expelled from the assessment...so carry on!"
Great, not even allowed to doodle nonsense now.
Knowing instantly who the rule targeted, Leon with a numb feeling sighed, politely declining Armin’s assistance, resigning himself to sit quietly, waiting for the exam’s conclusion with a grim expression.
But unbeknownst to Leon, someone with distinct black-and-white eyes was perplexedly observing his blank sheet through the encompassing Dream Realm, while on stage, with eyes still shut, the Pisces chairman penned a series of question marks on his scroll.
Level 3-Virgin Branch-Food God-Leon Laine
Pre-test: No bodily deviations, mental stability maxed, Score: 100
Test one: Without specific strengths, no clear course of development, unmatched affinity with Star Palace, exceptionless limit... Score: 0? 100?