Chapter 42: The Start of the Second Test
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The tense silence grew even heavier when the students heard his words.
His calm face didn't quite match the words he had just spoken.
The rules he stated were basically the same as every year's test, but the students felt a chill run down their spines when they heard them from him.
He had a high reputation in the academy not only because of his past accomplishments, but also because, among all the instructors, he was the strictest.
It had happened before, for various reasons, that students who were right on the verge of passing the test failed,
and in those cases, it was possible for the instructor in charge to assess the situation and decide whether or not to let the student pass.
But every time it had been this instructor in particular, no one ever got the chance to explain themselves.
Even when someone had the most reasonable of explanations, he wouldn't care and would fail them on the spot without much ceremony.
No one said anything about it, because at the end of the day, he was just following the academy's rules to the letter,
but because of how strict he was about it, every year all the students hoped they'd never have to cross paths with him.
Those who didn't know why everyone feared him finally understood, and those who already knew could only swallow their bitterness and curse whoever had decided to put him in charge of today's test.
In the end, no one dared to protest, and just like they were told, everyone lined up and stepped forward one by one to receive their missions.
The missions could vary a lot, from hunting to gathering materials, and they were all assigned completely at random.
It often happened that this would lead many to spend nearly the entire time limit trying to complete their task,
while other times someone might finish in record time because of how easy their mission was.
There was once a case where a student was tasked with finding a certain type of flower, and by chance, that flower was blooming just a few steps away from the starting point of the test.
Many students envied him, and every year since then, lots of them secretly hoped to get that kind of luck.
The first student stepped forward and put his hand into the vase placed in front of him, pulling out a small slip of paper:
> Collect Five Cold Flame Herbs.
He read his mission, and seeing what it was, his expression turned a bit gloomy.
"Next."
Another one stepped forward and, with trembling hands, reached into the vase to pull out a slip, then opened it to see what was written:
> Collect Ten Serpent Grass Leaves.
He let out a sigh of relief, thinking the mission wasn't too difficult.
And so, one by one, they all came forward to get their missions.
Some had expressions of relief, others were happy because of how easy their mission was, and still others had dark expressions and looked like they wanted to find a nearby tree and slam their head against it.
It went on for about ten minutes, and eventually, among the last ones left, it was Zhu Rong's turn. He calmly walked up to the vase and slowly took out a slip.
He looked at it, and upon seeing what it was, a strange expression crossed his face.
'Well… it could've been worse,' he told himself as he stepped aside to make room for the others.
Once everyone had taken their slip, they got ready to head out, and as soon as the elder instructor gave the signal, everyone bolted, splitting up into different directions across the forest in front of them, each heading toward their own objective.
Zhu Rong took his time to gaze at the forest ahead, before letting his eyes settle on a certain point and then started walking in that direction.
By now, everyone else had already moved out, and he was the only one still standing there.
Even the instructors had already left, vanished into thin air.
The students might not be able to see them, but they knew the instructors job was to watch over them and step in if anything went wrong.
Liang Yuexin, who was still in the area near the exam's starting point, saw this and couldn't help but furrow her brow.
'What the hell is this guy doing?'
At first, her intention was to give him trouble, but after the events of the last few days, she decided to leave his fate to chance.
In her opinion, if it was the Zhu Rong she knew, there was no way he would pass, but every time she thought about it, that calm, confident look she saw on his face a few days ago came to mind and made her reconsider her judgment.
At first, she was almost certain he would fail the exam, but now… she wasn't so sure anymore.
***
The area for the second exam was the stretch of forest behind the academy.
It was a relatively safe place, only becoming dangerous if you ventured deeper inside.
The area assigned to the second year students was fairly large but still within the safe range for their level of strength.
As long as the students stayed within the area assigned to them, they shouldn't have encountered any life threatening danger…
At the eastern border of the test area, the sounds of battle rang out.
Some trees had been knocked down, others were damaged with deep gashes along their trunks.
The area was in chaos, and the ones responsible for it were none other than the two figures at its center.
One of them was an imposing creature, standing over three meters tall, its massive body covered in coarse, ash gray fur.
Thick muscles rippled beneath its hide, and from its shoulders and forearms jutted patches of bone-like protrusions.
On its chest and shoulders, deep wounds oozed a dense, dark fluid, clear signs of a fierce battle.
In front of it, the massive body of a mountain bear lay sprawled on the ground, its dark fur soaked in blood and streaked with wounds.
The beast still writhed in agony, trying to get back on its feet with what little strength it had left, but its limbs buckled beneath its weight.
The towering creature advanced with heavy, deliberate steps that shook the ground. Its breathing was ragged, each exhale a deep, guttural growl.
It loomed over the dying bear, watching its futile struggle with cold, animalistic detachment.
Then, raising a massive, clawed fist, it brought it down with a brutal, precise blow.
Crack.
The strike crushed the bear's skull, ending its life instantly.
But the creature wasn't finished.
With both hands, it tore open the fallen bear's abdomen, bone and flesh parting with nauseating ease.
From within, it pulled out a dark, glimmering sphere, the beast core, still faintly pulsing with residual energy.
The moment its gaze landed on the core, a shiver ran through the gorilla's imposing frame.
Without hesitation, it opened its jaws wide and swallowed the core whole.
Immediately, its body began to tremble violently.
A dark gray glow emerged from beneath its skin, pulsing rhythmically like a heartbeat.
The eerie light wrapped around the creature's frame, surging and flickering with every pulse, as if reshaping its very flesh.
Soon that light that had engulfed the beast began to fade, and the figure of the creature became visible once more.
Its muscles were bulkier, its movements heavier but deadlier.
Its claws had turned into jagged, serrated talons, and its eyes now glowed with a sinister light, brimming with predatory hunger.
Even the air around it seemed to grow heavier, as though the brief, savage evolution had raised the beast to a new level of ferocity.
The creature let out a deep, guttural roar that shook the nearby trees before vanishing into the foliage with terrifying speed for a beast of its size,
leaving behind the corpse of its opponent, now unrecognizable.