Rookie Trial Begins!

Rookie Trial Begins!

January 4th, 7:00 a.m.

Off-road vehicles bearing the West Camp insignia sped past, heading toward the south side of No. 3 Garrison.

It was a vast stretch of abandoned villages, controlled by the Base Defense Division and used as the Rookie Trial grounds for every class of West Camp trainees.

Since there were no rivers or lakes nearby, and the area was swept once every half month, there were not many Ferocious-level Monsters, and they were basically all low-level ferocious monsters.

Screech—

The tires scraped against the ground as the off-road vehicles came to a stop.

The rookies of the 101st Class got out one after another. Looking at the enormous area ahead, enclosed by two-meter-high wooden boards, they felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

Over the wooden boards, they could see several low-rise buildings and the rolling mountain range in the middle.

The largest mountain was called Burial Mountain.

Countless rookie bones had been buried there by low-level ferocious monsters.

All assemble!

A sea of people gathered.

Nearly half the rookies came from the three Elite Classes.

"The only requirement of the Rookie Trial is to survive."

Li Shoudao's gaze swept over the crowd. "The Three Great Organizations will rank you according to your trial performance and select the best candidates. All gains from killing Ferocious-level Monsters will receive an additional 100% bonus as rookie benefits."

"In addition, trainees ranked in the top ten and top hundred will receive extra rewards."

"The top three will receive special rewards."

"First place will receive a personalized set of equipment custom-made by the park's Experiment Building."

"Second place will receive any weapon from the Evolutionist Mall worth up to one million."

"Third place will receive 300,000 in cash."

The rookies erupted into an uproar.

The tense atmosphere was instantly diluted.

Hm?

Wang Ye's eyes lit up.

What generous rewards!

He especially liked the reward for third place.

Simple and unadorned.

"101st Class, 401 rookies."

Li Shoudao's voice rang clearly in every rookie's ears. "I hope that twenty-four hours from now, I'll see every one of you return alive."

"The Rookie Trial begins!"

At Li Shoudao's command, the rookies immediately rushed out.

One beautiful figure was especially eye-catching. Unlike the Rookie Battle Suits worn by ordinary trainees, she wore Water-smooth Tech Clothing. Her hips were round and firm, and a crossbow and dagger hung at her slender, Easily Grasped waist. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

The only Esper in the 101st Class, Yu Shuiqin.

"Judging by those hip and waist curves, what a pity." Wang Ye followed behind the crowd at an unhurried pace.

With his professional eye, this was a multiple-choice question whose answer was not C.

"Ye Ge, shall we go together?" Lu Yong sidled over and asked quietly.

You're so tall. Going with you is even more dangerous than going alone... Wang Ye mocked inwardly.

"Sure." Wang Ye agreed without hesitation.

The Rookie Trial really only offered two choices.

Either stick together and survive cautiously.

Or kill and earn points.

The trainees from ordinary classes basically chose the first option. As long as they survived, that was enough.

As for rankings and assignments, they did not care.

Most Elite Class trainees would take the initiative to attack, choosing to hunt Ferocious-level Monsters until they were injured.

After all, rankings affected selection by the Three Great Organizations and the rewards they received.

And the 100% rookie benefit was quite substantial.

As for competing for the top three...

That was something only super geniuses at the top of the Elite Classes, like Huang Zirui and Yu Shuiqin, were qualified to do.

Did Wang Ye have confidence? He did.

But making the top three would be difficult.

Take Huang Zirui, for example. Setting aside his complete equipment and supply of potions, his physical fitness score of 161 in the Graduation Exam and his publicly listed 148% body evolution rate meant that his genetic evolution was essentially complete. His physical fitness had already reached 399.

He had cultivated an Advanced Evolution Method to proficiency, and with another seven days of training, he was probably only one step away from becoming a Second Order Gene Warrior.

Yu Shuiqin was an Esper who had awakened while still a beginner Evolutionist, one in ten thousand. She was equally unfathomable.

If he gave it a shot, he still had a chance at third place.

But now was not the time.

"Let's go." Wang Ye noticed Yu Haitao leaving from the corner of his eye.

The reason he was acting with Lu Yong was naturally not because Lu Yong was tall and would attract the attention of Ferocious-level Monsters.

It was because he wanted to lower Yu Haitao's guard.

That guy was extremely cautious.

If Wang Ye acted alone openly, Yu Haitao would definitely grow suspicious.

If he discovered that Wang Ye intended to track or approach him, he would probably run far away, perhaps even form an alliance with other trainees to be safe.

The best way to deal with him was to invite him into the trap.

A high-level hunter had to disguise himself as prey.

"Acting together with Lu Yong."

"Pretty smart."

Yu Haitao sneered, putting aside his worries.

He had been afraid that Wang Ye might be hiding some trump card and turn the tables on him.

Now, it seemed Wang Ye really had failed his evolution.

If Wang Ye had the strength of a First Order Gene Warrior, he would not have allied himself with trash like Lu Yong and dragged down his ranking.

He only wanted to survive cautiously?

"Keep dreaming."

*

*

On a country path.

Lu Yong nervously looked around. Despite his towering build, he resembled a frightened rabbit.

"Ye Ge, how about we find somewhere to hide?" Lu Yong suggested.

"Hide where?" Wang Ye asked.

"Find a bigger house?" Lu Yong looked around.

"So it'll be more convenient for someone to ambush us?" Wang Ye said. "If you want to play it safe, the best way is to stay with your back against the wooden board walls surrounding the area. The view is wide, it's harder to get ambushed, and there are Base Defense Personnel outside, so it'll be easier to call for help."

"That's right! Why didn't I think of that?" Lu Yong slapped his thigh in realization.

Wang Ye glanced at him. "Then you'll probably only be fit for a clerical job in the end."

"This..." Lu Yong hesitated.

"Come on. Let's take a look around first. If things don't work out, it won't be too late to play it safe." Wang Ye looked into the distance.

Figures and the sounds of battle had already appeared on several small mountains.

The trainees aiming for rankings had a clear goal—

Head up the mountain!

Those mountains had to be where the most Ferocious-level Monsters were.

But they were also definitely the most dangerous places right now.

Twenty-four hours was a long time.

How many trainees had ever fought continuously for twenty-four hours?

Day and night were entirely different in terms of danger.

The latter half of the Rookie Trial, when night fell, everyone was exhausted, and their combat strength weakened, would be the real test and the period that determined the final rankings.

Slash! Slash!

Wang Ye killed one Mutated Monster with each swing of his blade, going on a killing spree in a farmhouse courtyard.

Behind him, Lu Yong stared dumbfounded.

Was this really the Wang Ye he knew?

"They're densely packed." Wang Ye watched his Potential Points increase by 25 and headed straight for the second-floor terrace, casually killing another one on the stone stairs.

Each West Camp class was spaced half a month apart, so this area had not been entered for half a month. Naturally, there were many Mutated Monsters.

After clearing out one large farmhouse, his Potential Points had increased by a full 45.

That was equivalent to half a Ferocious-level Monster.

Wang Ye did not stop, heading for the second abandoned farmhouse. Behind him, Lu Yong was both nervous and flustered.

An hour later.

Wang Ye's Potential Points had accumulated from 3 points to 3 points.

The equivalent of half a day's hunting in the wilderness before.

"This is the rhythm of taking off!" Wang Ye was ecstatic.

Although killing Mutated Monsters would not improve his ranking, there were plenty of them, and no one was competing with him for them.

He swept through the houses one after another.

After two and a half hours, his Potential Points broke through 10.

Afternoon.

The Rookie Trial had been underway for 6 hours and 45 minutes.

Potential Points: 95→20.

Wang Ye stood in an empty courtyard.

Beside him was a rust-covered electric tricycle and several ugly mutated beasts lying in pools of blood.

He opened his Personal Panel.

Whoosh!

Wang Ye's consciousness settled on the "+."

Within the Consciousness Space, he practiced the Crimson Sun Evolution Method over and over.

Starting from mastery, he continued to gain insight. Training at a speed hundreds and thousands of times faster passed in an instant.

Wang Ye opened his eyes, his body trembling slightly.

His genetic cells underwent drastic changes, his vitality surged, and his muscles became more refined and powerful.

At the same time, his six senses improved. His vision became clearer, and his sense of smell sharper.

The chaos within his Consciousness Space also seemed to have opened up somewhat.

Crimson Sun Evolution Method, initial mastery → major mastery

Wang Ye glanced at the panel.

As a First Order Gene Warrior, his progress had leaped from 28% to 56%.

It had increased by a full 28 percentage points, roughly 70 points of physical strength.

Close to 400!

In terms of physical fitness alone, among the 401 rookies, he was already more or less among the best.

And this was only the beginning!

(End of Chapter)