A few minutes later—thirty minutes to be precise, the whole assessment thingy was finally over.
Out of the twenty-five applicants that had made it through the previous two assessments, only twenty remained standing. The other five had been sent back home in shame after failing to land a single hit on Ben within the one-minute timeframe.
At last, the remaining twenty applicants who were about to become official Hunters stood in front of Ben. His broad smile stretched from ear to ear as he looked at the kids with pride and satisfaction.
"This is the most the association has ever received after the assessments. And it’s nice to know that we still have hope," Ben said warmly, letting his gaze sweep over each of the twenty kids.
"Anyway, we’ve come to the end of the Hunter Association’s assessment, and let me congratulate you personally... Congratulations, you have all become Hunters."
The room instantly erupted. Half of the participants shouted in joy, cheering at the top of their lungs. Some hugged each other tightly, others laughed with relief, and a few even clapped repeatedly with glowing expressions.
The assessment had been brutal, grueling, and mentally exhausting, especially the final one they had just endured, so their excitement was well-earned.
"Your scores, results, and my notes have all been submitted. Within the next hour or so, your official ranks will be determined and distributed to you here, in this very room. For now, rest up, chat, and do whatever you want.
I’ll leave for now and have some food and drinks sent in so you can replenish your strength. When your ranks are ready, I’ll return. Once again, congratulations to you all." Ben’s voice carried a sense of pride as he gave them a final nod before exiting the room, leaving the twenty new Hunters to themselves.
’Yoo mehn! That was hard and crazy for real,’ Max thought with a tired grin as he quietly moved to a corner of the room.
Sitting with his back against the wall, he lowered his head, letting his long, ashen-gray hair fall across his face as his thoughts wandered. Around him, the room quickly became noisy and bustling with chatter and celebration.
’Let’s check my rewards. Status screen.’
A shimmering blue interface instantly materialized before his eyes, glowing softly.
{Race: Draconic Scion}
{HP: 80/100} {MP: 150/150}
{STR: 58} {AGI: 55}
{INT: 41} {Partners: 2}
{Free Stat Points: 5}
’Hmm... this is the first time I leveled up without automatically gaining stat increases. Tch! Figures it wouldn’t be that easy. Now, what stat should I assign these free points to?’ Max thought, tapping his chin lightly.
"Why are you in such a hurry to assign them? Just take your time," Pix advised lazily.
’That’s the point. I realized that I used to dump free stat points in the middle of battle. That made my stats unbalanced and all over the place. So I feel like I should focus on raising a single stat to a solid level before spreading the others.’
Pix groaned. "Getting a single stat too high while the others stagnate will backfire. I’ll advise you to work on two at once. Distribute them based on what you need at the moment. That way you stay versatile instead of turning into a glass cannon."
’Hmm... maybe she’s right,’ Max thought, staring at the glowing numbers on his system screen.
’Okay, let’s see. I’ve been facing faster and faster opponents lately. Some of them moved so quick it looked like they were teleporting. Even the demons are infamous for their incredible speed. If I don’t increase my agility soon, I’ll be left behind in a serious fight.’
So I need to find a way to match that, hence I feel like I should increase my agility stat. The faster I am, the stronger I can make my attacks feel,’ he thought, already coming to a conclusion on what to do.
’This should do it.’ A small grin tugged at his lips as he quickly assigned his free stat points, watching as the numbers shifted.
Max had given three points to his agility and two to his strength. His smile widened faintly as he studied his status tab.
’Much better. With this, I’ll focus on agility until it balances with my strength, and then I’ll raise them side by side. That way, I’ll have a proper foundation. My intelligence stat... well, I’m already intelligent enough, I guess. Except for the fact that I don’t know much about what truly goes on in this world.’
"Like?" Pix asked, her curious voice echoing lightly in his head.
Max let out a sigh. ’Like the fact that I don’t know the demon hierarchy, or the beast rankings, or even how powerful the hybrids and kings are. Without this kind of knowledge, I don’t even know where I stand.’
"Oh." Pix mumbled casually, as if the topic didn’t matter much.
’Oh? Is that all you have to say? Oh? Won’t you tell me what the demon hierarchy actually is and how strong they are? Don’t you think I deserve to know something?’ Max’s tone sharpened, frustration bleeding into his thoughts.
"I’m sorry. That information is locked and classified. Unless you reach a certain stage, race, and power, I can’t reveal any of it. Only then will you gain access to the details you want. As for beast rankings, I know nothing about them," Pix replied with an indifferent tone that only deepened Max’s irritation.
’What certain stage or level of power are we talking about here?’
"Let’s say when you get to level 50. That is when I might be permitted to share everything you’re asking for. Until then, keep striving, young dragon."
Max’s jaw tightened, his head pulsing as he glanced at his status.
’I need to reach level 50? How absurd! How stupid is that? Level 50?! That’s insanely far ahead, and I’m supposed to wait all that time just to get a scrap of tangible information? Who the hell designed you?
Who the hell programmed this damned system to withhold useful knowledge until I’ve practically broken my back climbing through levels? The hell?!’ Max screamed inwardly, his thoughts filled with bitterness and frustration. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked, veins bulging on his forearms as anger surged through him.
But the only response he received was silence. A deep, maddening silence that pressed down on him like a weight.
"Damn it," Max finally muttered under his breath, his voice low, sharp, and filled with suppressed rage as he stared blankly into space.