[Explorer Qualification Assessment, Second Phase]
"Damn it! They're coming this way!"
In the ruins of Tianhui City, the female passerby clutched the Star Energy Topography Instrument in her hand, her face slightly pale.
On the screen, dense red dots were rapidly closing in on them.
Among these red dots, one massive, blood-red light dot was moving extremely fast.
Before she could react, a roaring 'Awooo' came from outside the ruins.
It was the cry of the Shadow Wolf pack, with the alpha wolf carrying the oppressive sensation unique to a Calamity-level Star Beast, making the ground slightly numb.
Hearing the commotion, the male passerby next to her swallowed, his voice hoarse as he said, "What exactly is this assessment doing? Why are they letting in even Calamity-level Star Beasts? Aren't they afraid of something going wrong!"
No sooner had he spoken than the broken wall beside them collapsed with a loud 'Rumble.'
Subsequently, an entirely black Shadow Wolf leaped out from behind the ruins, its blood-red eyes fixed intently on them. Drool dripped from its sharp fangs, corroding small pits in the ground.
Although this ordinary Shadow Wolf would be hard-pressed to pose a threat to them.
It also meant that the wolf pack had caught up to them.
"Run!"
Without any hesitation, the female passerby immediately grabbed the male passerby and turned to flee.
Star Energy condensed beneath their feet, slightly increasing their speed.
But facing these two fleeing prey, the Shadow Wolf pack pursued relentlessly.
Sharp claws stepping on the asphalt road blurred into streaks of afterimages, catching up to the pair's steps and leaving deep claw marks on the ground.
Under such circumstances, the two not only had to dodge the Star Beasts' attacks but also had to constantly evade the Star Energy detector that scanned every five seconds.
With this pressure, their clothes were long since soaked with sweat.
Because let alone passing the stage smoothly, just staying alive had already exhausted all their strength.
After a panicked, desperate escape, the male and female passersby briefly shook off the wolf pack.
The male passerby hid behind a broken steel bar, breathing heavily.
"So this is the true meaning of 'Hide-and-Seek.' Not only do you have to hide from the seeker, but you also have to hide from these deadly Star Beasts—"
[Assessment Stage Outer Rest Hall]
In front of the holographic screen, everyone held their breath.
In the frame, although the male and female passersby had a moment of respite, everyone understood this was merely the calm before the storm.
One must remember that the seeker had not even appeared yet.
And according to the Raccoon Administrator, they only needed to evade for five minutes to successfully pass the assessment.
Yet, less than a minute had passed, and the male and female passersby, who possessed the standard strength of a Tier Three Star Envoy, had already faced danger repeatedly.
The difficulty of this assessment was self-evident.
"Tendo, how long do you think they can last?"
Caroline watched the screen, a hint of curiosity flashing in her emerald pupils.
In response, Tendo spoke faintly.
"3"
"3 minutes?"
Caroline subconsciously pressed him.
"2"
Tendo didn't answer her, his gaze still fixed on the screen.
Just as Tendo said '2'.
And precisely at the moment Tendo's '2' fell, a crisp 'ding-a-ling' sound suddenly came from the holographic screen.
It was the sound of the gold bell on the Raccoon Administrator's neck, possessing a penetrating quality that instantly drowned out the Shadow Wolf's roar.
"1."
No sooner had Tendo's voice faded than a small figure appeared on the screen.
The Raccoon Administrator had appeared behind the male passerby at some unknown point, its small paw lightly resting on his shoulder, its tone slightly playful.
"Sorry, you two. You've been eliminated."
Before the male and female passersby could react, pale blue teleportation light enveloped them.
In the next second, the two appeared in the Rest Hall, their faces pale, panting heavily.
"That fast? And also..."
Chen Kong widened his eyes, unable to believe that the male and female passersby, who were quite strong, were eliminated so easily.
At the same time, he was filled with shock at the Raccoon Administrator's 'speed.'
"...The Administrator's speed just now, was too fast, wasn't it?"
Hearing Chen Kong's words, the cameraman turned his lens toward the screen above and spoke with a serious tone.
"It's not fast speed; it's spatial teleportation."
"The Raccoon Administrator's Star Source should be related to 'space,' because I'm certain I didn't capture its movement trajectory at all."
Spatial Teleportation, huh...
It was already troublesome enough to hide in an environment like this.
Now, add a seeker with the ability to spatially teleport.
The difficulty of this assessment... was uncommonly high.
With these two eliminated, the only remaining assessor in the arena was Mi Yao.
He had to face the Seeker, the Raccoon Administrator, whose strength was unknown, and also the powerful Star Beasts that could emerge from the ruins at any time.
The pressure was immense.
[Assessment Stage - Abandoned Mall]
[Assessment Time Remaining: 3 minutes 25 seconds]
[Current Assessor Count Remaining: 1 person]
Mi Yao looked at the prompt on his wrist device, a cold smirk curving his lips.
Sure enough, his two 'random teammates' had been eliminated.
But it didn't matter; he had long prepared to act alone.
Mi Yao put away the handheld console in his hand, and an old-fashioned arcade cabinet suddenly appeared behind him.
Next, he scanned his surroundings, his gaze falling on a pink toy box on a shelf.
It was a small bear-shaped box with cute patterns printed on its surface, looking completely out of place in the surrounding ruins.
Star Source: Video Game Master—Minigame Hide-and-Seek!
As Mi Yao activated his ability, silver-gray Star Energy enveloped his body.
In the next second, his figure began to turn illusory, slowly merging with the toy box.
A few seconds later, Mi Yao's figure vanished, replaced by an ordinary toy box.
This box not only looked exactly like the original toy box but also perfectly replicated the dust and minor scratches on the box.
More crucially, Mi Yao's own Star Energy aura was completely masked, as if it truly were just an abandoned toy.
[Star Source: Video Game Master (Trait-type)]
[Ability: Minigame Hide-and-Seek]
[Effect: Using a real object as a reference, transform into the corresponding item, perfectly replicating its appearance, texture, and environmental traces. Completely blocks one's own Star Energy and life aura. Duration varies with the complexity of the item (Toy Box Form: Infinite Duration).]
Mi Yao hid behind the shelf, observing the situation outside through the seams of the toy box.
As a Trait-type Star Source, Video Game Master.
The effect and power of its Star Source are largely determined by the user themselves.
And Mi Yao, as soon as he learned the content of this assessment, chose an existence suitable for him from the vast number of games he had played.
Simultaneously, this was one of the reasons Mi Yao never let go of his game console.
Because every time he cleared a game, he gave his Video Game Master a special effect.
This enriched his methods, allowing him to deal with any situation that might arise.
Paired with Mi Yao's own considerable talent, it made him a superior replacement for the current Chen Kong.
After all, Video Game Master and Fantasist were, in a sense, the same type of Star Source.
But in terms of Star Source development and utilization, as well as his own talent and ability.
Mi Yao was more than a cut above the current Chen Kong.
However, although Mi Yao's transformation was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
The Calamity-level Raccoon Administrator was also no ordinary being.
A simple 'transformation' would not be able to deceive it.