After the first round of assessment ended, they collected the exam papers.
There was no waiting, they quickly prepared to start the second round of the combat test.
In fact, Tang Yu hadn't planned to eliminate exam takers with this written test—unless someone really messed up such basic questions.
This time, the written test was not perfect and was considered a trial run.
In the future, the assessment could examine some more in-depth issues.
For example, the characteristics and weaknesses of Demonized Beasts, or the abilities of ability users, and so on.
If he truly wanted to weed out certain undesirable examiners, there would be plenty of opportunities in the combat tests that followed.
Lord Tang wouldn't admit that this written test was just for kicks.
At least, some of the questions were very useful.
For example, from the multiple-choice questions involving names in the first question, he could discern whether a person had lived in the Sanctuary for a while, or had only recently arrived.
Hmm, kudos to his own cleverness.
Very soon, those participating in the assessment gathered on the open ground outside the hotel.
Some were nervous, some were eager to try, and others were curious about the content of the assessment.
Ma Jiafeng raised his eyebrows.
He was confident in his own strength.
The written test just now didn't allow him to show his abilities, but this combat test would be different.
"Jiazze, during the combat test, make sure to perform well and show everyone the strength of the Iron Hammer Brothers."
The short and plump Ma Jiazze scratched his head, "But big brother, didn't you say we should keep a low profile, fail intentionally at the end, and avoid joining the Patrol Team?"
The tall and thin Ma Jiafeng stiffened, "Shut up."
After a pause, he asked, "How did you do on the written test?"
The short and plump man looked at him but didn't answer.
Ma Jiafeng asked again.
The short and plump man pointed to his mouth but still didn't respond.
Eldest Ma eventually sighed helplessly and dragged his brother forward.
Chen Haiping was explaining the rules of the combat test, while Luo Zhe stood by, nodding occasionally and uttering a sound of agreement.
"This combat test," he began, "is a confrontation, not between Awakeners but with..."
He pointed to a Puppet standing nearby, with a round body and thick arms.
"Puppets one, which I believe many of you have seen before. Your opponent this time will be such Puppets."
"Depending on the level, the number of Puppets you'll face will vary. Among the exam takers, three are ordinary people. You three will form a group, and as long as you defeat one Puppet without weapons, you'll pass the assessment."
"For first-tier Awakeners, defeating one unarmed Puppet will be considered a pass."
"For second-tier Awakeners, defeating three unarmed Puppets means passing."
"For third-tier Awakeners, you must defeat five Puppets holding blunted weapons to pass."
Many Awakeners exchanged uneasy glances.
They often encountered such Puppets, which at first glance were formidable. Moreover, quite a few had heard from early survivors of the Sanctuary that in one-on-one combat, a Puppet could crush an Awakener.
Even if the Puppet was unarmed, its body was wrapped in iron plating, offering top-tier defense.
With their abilities, even if the Puppet didn't resist, they expected to expend significant effort to dismantle it.
And more importantly...
Seemingly noticing their concerns, Chen Haiping quickly added, "To make the assessment fairer, apart from prohibiting the use of firearms, you are allowed to use your own weapons, or you can use weapons provided by our Sanctuary."
He pulled away a curtain beside him, revealing a rack of weapons in front of the many exam takers.
All kinds of weapons were there.
Knives, swords, spears, axes, staffs, and so on.
The color of the candidates' faces brightened at the sight.
Such weapons would cost thirty Source Crystals in the Sanctuary's market; wasn't their eagerness to join the Patrol Team precisely because new members were issued a set of valuable equipment?
With such Divine Weapons at their disposal, and facing unarmed Puppets, their chances looked good.
Not too difficult, not too difficult at all.
Most breathed a sigh of relief.
After Chen Haiping finished, he looked around and asked, "Any other questions?"
Soon another examiner asked for more details, such as whether defeating a Puppet meant completely disassembling it, or simply rendering it incapable of movement.
Chen Haiping answered several questions one after another.
"Any more questions?" he finally asked.
A weak voice came from the crowd, "Um, what if we get injured in combat?"
The question came from a young man with delicate features. He seemed a bit anxious, conflicted, and scared. After asking his question, he lowered his head completely.
Chen Haiping glanced over and shook his head.
"Injuries are inevitable; the apocalypse is no fairy tale, and the Patrol Team is not a charity. Every member of the Patrol Team must fight against Demonized Beasts. Injury, and even death, are possible outcomes. If you're not mentally prepared, you can wait until the next recruitment to join and take the assessment."
The other examiners burst into laughter.
Tang Yu also shook his head.
Such a person, even if he is an Awakener, with this temperament and this appearance, it is indeed quite rare for him to have survived until now.
This martial trial was destined to eliminate quite a few people.
The delicate-looking young man was not the first, nor would the others, even some with courage and strength, necessarily pass this martial trial.
Tang Yu focused his mind and looked at the map of his Territory in his mind.
It was dotted with yellow and green marks representing the examiners.
Among these people, many were just yellow dots. If they had just come to the Sanctuary, that would be one thing, but among them, there were many who had lived in the Sanctuary for quite some time.
Such people, not even reaching green, some even tinged with red in their yellow.
And they still thought about joining the Patrol Team?
Most of those taking part in the assessment were Awakeners since they would have to fight against Demonized Beasts in the future.
Ordinary people, only three,
These three had a certain level of combat skills and experience, were confident in themselves, and were unwilling to settle for their current situation.
Even if they couldn't go through an Awakening, they still wanted to join the Patrol Team and find a way to become stronger.
These three were the first to enter the arena.
After selecting their weapons, they stood in three positions around the Puppet.
At Chen Haiping's command, the Puppet began to move.
This basic Puppet, with its round body and short legs, might have appeared slow, but in reality, it surprised the Awakeners watching.
The Puppet's legs moved quickly, suddenly drawing close to one of them, and swung its thick right arm down with a thunderous blow.
For an ordinary person, this blow would have caused at least a concussion.
But these three, daring to participate in this assessment as ordinary people, had some notable skills.
In the nick of time, one of them dove to the side, rolling on the ground twice.
The Puppet's thick arm slammed into the earth, kicking up dust.
The other two didn't hesitate but seized the opportunity to attack.
Using the sharpness of their weapons, they left several cuts on the Puppet.
They also didn't act recklessly but waited for the Puppet to attack one of them before the other two struck together.
The battle lasted nearly ten minutes.
When the Puppet lost its combat power, the three of them were completely exhausted.
The observing Awakeners, initially full of confidence, now watched with nervous hearts.
The Puppet's speed and strength were just too formidable!
Especially the power of that punch, even with the physique of an Awakener, they might not be able to withstand it.
Although these three eventually managed to defeat the Puppet,
remember, there were three of them!
In an unarmed situation, the Awakeners were confident they could singly defeat three ordinary people, but it was different with Divine weapons.
With their Awakener bodies, they could withstand an ordinary person's punch but would definitely not be able to block a Divine weapon from the Sanctuary; a mere graze could be fatal.
Under such circumstances, three ordinary people with combat skills had a combined Combat Power exceeding that of an Awakener.
Seeing how hard these three fought, what about themselves?
Many Awakeners swallowed hard, already doubting their assurance.
Some thought deeper, it was said that these Puppets were created by that mysterious Director of the Sanctuary using his Special Ability.
There were many more of these Puppets within the Sanctuary.
Once armed with weapons, they could easily crush them.
In other words, even if all the Awakeners present were bound together, they couldn't beat Director Tang alone.
Moreover, Director Tang could just sit and drink tea, directing the Puppets, and casually flatten them all.
No wonder he could build up a Sanctuary from this ruin and develop it rapidly while they could only aspire to be a mere member of the Patrol Team.
And that was only if they could pass the assessment.