Is the ranking based on the duration of endurance?
After listening to the notification from the Pisces Director and seeing his panel where "Materialism" was as red as the sun, Leon fell silent for a moment, then gratefully glanced at the horned man.
Thanks for your question, buddy. This time I can finally confidently take first place.
And upon receiving Leon’s "favorable" glance, the corner of the horned man’s mouth immediately stretched into a grim smile, accompanied by the threatening smile of the centipede monster ant supporting his body.
Don’t blame me for being ruthless! If you want to blame anyone, blame the fact that the rewards for the top three in this exam are too good to give up!
As the tall and robust horned man stood up, with the oppressive phantom of the centipede monster ant, stepping toward him, a gentle voice came from Leon’s right.
"Swap places with me!"
Turning his exam paper over and placing it face-down on the table, temporarily putting away his own talents, Amien, whose body was instantly eroded by dozens of talents and covered in cracks, quickly walked over to Leon.
Upon reaching Leon first, Amien, covered in charcoal-black burn marks, glanced at the horned man’s paper, then tilted his head and coolly addressed the wary horned man:
"Rudy from Taurus Branch, right? If you want to challenge yourself a bit, I can help you."
There are really a lot of crazies in the Virgin Branch!
Seeing Amien, whose endurance was as abnormal as Leon’s, still maintaining a steady and unwavering voice despite the repeated erosion by dozens of talents, the horned man clicked his tongue in his heart and then stopped approaching.
If it’s about actual combat ability, he was confident to take on anyone in this exam. The problem was that in this first exam, only ’talent’ was the permitted means of attack.
Regarding the strength of talents, the strongest were naturally the "Angel" from the Scorpio Branch and the "Death" from the Aries Branch, with white feathers and sharp grey mist each occupying half of the exam hall, leaving the surrounding Cleaners crying out in agony.
And next below the "Angel" and "Death" was this faceless woman. Those disgusting turbid yellow currents could even open up a large area amid the feathers and mist, then it would be his turn and a few other senior level 2 Cleaners.
Although confident he’s not weaker than her, even if pitting talents, he only slightly falls short, but if she really gave up on exam results to fight to the death, it wouldn’t be worth it.
"Alright, I’ll give you face."
After a thousand thoughts flashed in his mind, the rough and staunch-looking horned man unhesitatingly chose to soften, stopping his advance. Instead, he glanced at Leon, who was blocked by Amien, and provocatively taunted with contempt:
"Heh, the one who claims to easily take first, is just at this level, huh? You... what are you doing?"
Seeing Leon pick up Amien’s exam paper and straightforwardly turn it over, instantly getting swallowed by the turbid yellow currents, the horned man’s pupils shrank, exclaiming in surprise and uncertainty:
"Aren’t you afraid of being..."
After taking a few steps forward and grabbing the horned man’s wrist, Leon’s bizarre face, two parts fox fur, three parts white mask, and five layers of snake scales under various talents’ erosion, slowly blossomed into an unsettling shallow smile.
"Since you’re here, stay a while longer."
Seeing Leon, whose talent had turned his limb into a black ant foot and most of his body soaking in the turbid yellow currents, the horned man’s scalp went numb as if electrocuted, instinctively shaking off his hand.
As one of the top five in the exam hall, the horned man’s strength was indeed astonishing, easily breaking free and even twisting Leon’s wrist despite the dream realm’s suppression and lack of deliberate force.
What made the observing Cleaners have their scalps tingle was that after the twisted wrist healed, Leon acted nonchalantly, going after him and hugging the neck of the centipede monster ant behind the horned man.
Slapping the centipede monster ant with his free hand and stifling the remaining hiss, Leon turned looking at the dumbfounded Amien behind him, tentatively asking:
"Senior Amien? Can your talent handle this?"
What do you mean by this? Could it be...
Glancing at the horned man behind Leon, with handprints imprinted on his neck, Amien paused, then pleasantly smiled.
"Alright... Remember to call stop if uncomfortable!"
Amidst the shocked expressions of all Cleaners in the exam hall, including the Pisces Director, Leon dragged the centipede monster ant back to Amien’s side, forcibly immersing its head in the densest part of the turbid yellow currents and violently scrubbed it up and down.
"Wait! Wait a minute!"
Just as Leon began scrubbing, the horned man, strangled by a strange force, bulged his eyes and screamed in panic, then shouted with a frightened face:
"Damn... glug glug..."
"No no! I beg... glug glug..."
After Leon swiftly scrubbed the centipede monster ant thoroughly in the turbid yellow currents, the twitching horned man covered his mouth, rolled his eyes, and collapsed, falling with a thud under the table.
As his head fell below the table, the centipede monster ant in Leon’s hand slightly trembled, instantly losing its clear form and transforming into a crumpled exam paper.
[Name: Dream Interpretation Scroll - Rudy Taus (Materialized, Secret Technique, Temporary)]
[Appearance: A flexible and smooth paper exam sheet, depicting a fierce-looking centipede monster ant forced to drink an unknown liquid and flipped over]
[Ability: Talent Materialization, Pisces Palace Secret Technique, Temporary Existence]
[Cost: Borne by the practitioner of the Pisces Palace Secret Technique]
[File: After taking on the examination task, the current Pisces Director of the Clean-up Bureau used his "Abnormal Observation" secret technique, with the "Paradise Lost Shard" activating a special dream realm as a carrier, temporarily creating this dream realm entity.
This entity possesses the ability to analyze a user’s talents and grant them materialization power, but only works within the Dream Realm and will disappear once the special dream realm ends]
[Evaluation: Similar to "Materialism" ability, though it lacks the effect of probing underlying information, it offers a more in-depth and thorough analysis and display of abnormalities]
[Contamination Value: 60]
[Through the thorough presentation of Pisces Palace Secret Technique and repeated intense contact, you have obtained massive intel on Rudy Taus, Taurus Branch Cleaner. The heterochromatic badge "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" activated. Original content can be found at novelꜰire.net
Having personally touched Rudy Taus’ materialized talents, you now understand his capability direction, witnessed his ability limits, comprehended its operational rules... Rudy Taus holds no more secrets from you.
Before Rudy Taus fully changes himself with 60 points of Contamination Value, you will have the ability to directly negate all abnormal effects manifested through various means based on this human individual.]