The preliminary round of the assessment started silently and ended in silence with direct result announcements. Lin Huang now knew that the Hunter Association was quite unpredictable.
"It seems like I must treat this seriously or else I might be disqualified as well…" Lin Huang was finally getting serious about the assessment.
Due to the assessment, the Hunter Association was not opened for business. Lin Huang and the rest walked into the hall from the entrance, and it was empty. There was a short man standing at the information counter in the middle of the hall. The man was less than 1.7 meters, and he had a mustache. He was also wearing a black suit and tall hat with a black walking stick.
"My name is Zhuo Lin, the head examiner for the second round of assessment. First, I would like to congratulate all of you who got through this on the first try," he said to them. Zhuo Lin then looked at the people and raised an eyebrow, "I can’t believe that there are still 10,000 people, Old Xu disappointed me… It seems like I’ll have to decrease that number below 50% in this round…"
Although he said the last sentence in a whisper, all the participants heard him loud and clear. Everyone was getting anxious.
"Don’t worry about what I said," Zhuo Lin stroked his mustache with a sinister look on his face. "Compared to the other head examiners, I’m considered quite gentle. I've never liked violence."
"Isn’t that even scarier…" Lin Huang thought to himself.
Many had puzzled looks on their faces. Apparently, they had the same thoughts as Lin Huang. However, some innocent participants were relieved because they believed what the head examiner said.
"The content of assessment that I have prepared is very gentle," Zhuo Lin proceeded. After a quick look around, he said, "It’s very simple. We’re doing a treasure hunt."
"Hunting for treasures is a basic skill hunters should possess, and it is not limited to Treasure Hunters only. Normal hunters should possess detective and searching skills for items and people. Through this process, many of your abilities will be upgraded and strengthened. This is why we are doing a treasure hunt."
Everyone opened their eyes wide so that they did not miss anything important.
"This is what I want all of you to find," Zhuo Lin said loudly. He then took out a black crystal from his storage space and held it up high.
It was a black crystal size of a thumb and it seemed muddy. It also did not look like a valuable crystal. However, many frowned at its size. An item that was the size of a thumb would be hard to find even if it was placed in a common home. It would take a lot of time to look for it.
"Since we have too many people here and we have limited time, I won’t be passing this around. Come closer to look, do not touch it with your hands. You’re only allowed to look with your eyes." As Zhuo Lin instructed the participants, he took out a jewelry stand and placed it on the stand. He then stood aside. Many rushed to the stand to observe it immediately.
Lin Huang did not move forward. From where he stood, he activated Boundless Vision to observe from a distance. He could see clearly as if it were in front of his face. The black crystal did not look like a mineral crystal, and it did not have the structure of a crystal as well. It seemed more like an amber resin or plastic. Of course, Lin Huang could not be sure about the information as nobody was allowed to touch it. Half an hour later, all the people had seen it at a close distance. When they were not many people around, Lin Huang stood closer and observed the crystal with Boundless Vision. He did not see anything new.
"Alright, since you guys have observed it, you should know what it is by now," Zhuo Lin kept the item. "Now, I’m to tell you what the mission objective is."
The crowded hall suddenly became silent as everyone was afraid that they would miss an important bit of information. They stared at Zhuo Lin without blinking. After all, many of the head examiners in the Hunter Association had the bad habit of not repeating anything they said. If they missed anything, they might not get actual information without risk of being sabotaged if they were to ask other participants.
"The mission is simple. Find the black crystal that I showed you," Zhuo Lin smirked while he looked at the anxious faces of the participants’. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
"The test field includes the entire area of Beixuan City. The item is located inside the city, and don’t waste your time looking for it outside the city. I have placed 5,000 pieces of this crystal within the city. As there are more than 11,000 of you who passed the first round of assessment, more than half of you here will be disqualified."
"The assessment time will be 48 hours. Within 48 hours, you will pass the assessment if you come to me with the black crystal that is exactly the same as the one I showed you."
"I will be waiting in this hall for the next 48 hours. As soon as you find the item, you can pass it to me at any time you want. Even if it is in the middle of the night, just come to me. Don’t worry about my sleep," he explained.
Zhuo Lin finally told them all the details of the second round of assessment. Many of them were frowning when they heard this. To find a crystal that was the size of a thumb in a B-grade foothold was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was more difficult as they would now have to complete it within 48 hours.
"There’s something that I must emphasize. The 5,000 pieces of black crystals have my personal markings etched on them. So if you would like to replicate your own, I’m advising you not to do it. If I find out that any of the crystals do not belong to me, you will be blacklisted and will not be able to join any hunter assessments for the next three years," Zhuo Lin warned.
"Sir, can’t you give us a tip? Otherwise, wouldn’t this all be based on our luck?" A female participant asked. Many of them wanted to ask the same question but none of them had the courage to ask. All of them then looked at Zhuo Lin.
"Of course there’s a tip, and it’s simple - Weed," Zhuo Lin said cheerfully. He then looked at the time and said, "It’s 8:51 a.m. now, let’s round it up at 9 a.m. Within 48 hours, which is before 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow, those who manage to get the crystal into my hand will pass this round of assessment."
"I have given you all the information you need. If you have other questions, solve it yourself. Now, I shall announce the official start of the second assessment!"
All 11,000 participants rushed out of the Hunter Association as Zhuo Lin spoke. After everyone had left, the head examiner of the first assessment walked into the hall.
"That’s quite a crowd, what kind of mission did you give them? They seemed to be rushing," Xu Jinpeng asked while smiling.
"Weed," Zhuo Lin laughed as he said.
"Oh no, why did you do that. What if none of them passed the assessment?" Xu Jinpeng asked. He was shocked and sympathetic to the candidates because knew what Zhuo Lin meant by weed.
"We won't have any new members this year then," Zhuo Lin laughed again.