Gifts and Practical Combat

Amid the long line of traffic, a police car was stuck in the jam as well.

Its lights were off, so it was clearly not on an emergency call. The people inside even had the leisure to chat.

"Do you know why Gu City University's entrance exam is arranged so awkwardly? First the practical exam, then the interview, and finally another round of practical combat."

"I know that joke. Because after the First Round of practical combat, a lot of people won't need to attend the interview anymore. Arranging it this way reduces the teachers' workload a little."

Stuck in traffic, Lu PingAn, whom Xia Qin had brought to the exam, casually picked up Gu City University's old joke.

Many people who thought they were capable would swiftly be taught a harsh lesson the moment they were sent into the field.

The First Round was relatively simple, but it could make most candidates who were merely trying their luck drop out immediately.

That joke actually had a second half that Lu PingAn casually added.

".And if you take the second round of practical combat before the interview, you might not even still be human by the time of the interview."

The First Round tested hunting. It was hard to score highly, but not hard to pass, and one could give up at any time.

The second round after the interview was practical combat with virtually no upper limit. The opponents were not fixed, and neither were the results.

If someone fought too fiercely, they might not even retain a human shape after the exam. They might go straight from the exam venue to the hospital.

That was why the exam had been split into stages, so candidates would not look too miserable during the interview.

"How did you know that? Did you get along with your new classmates so quickly? That's different from what I heard."

"I asked a Senior Brother to help me train extra. He's a sophomore."

Lu PingAn answered casually. He did not believe Captain Xia Qin knew nothing about his latest situation.

How could someone capable of becoming a Special Task Force captain truly be such an innocent fool?

"By the way, I heard you did pretty well on the exam."

Lu PingAn had done far more than pretty well. Out of a total score of 750, he had scored 730. Most of the deductions had been for the essay and writing mistakes.

Together with his nearly perfect Forbidden Knowledge exam, his converted First Round total was 9.73. It seemed to have placed him within the top hundred.

There was nothing to be done about it. There were too many freaks out there; several people had even scored a full 10.

"Congratulations on passing the first hurdle. Next, a little gift."

As she spoke, Xia Qin did not even turn her head. She casually handed him a brand-new pale-blue baton with a blue silk ribbon tied into a butterfly bow around it.

Lu PingAn's expression immediately became rather complicated.

".A celebratory gift, and you're giving me this?"

"Isn't this exactly what you need? If you don't want it, I'll take it back. Getting police equipment approved is a hassle."

"I want it. And thanks."

The Punishment Type 2 Military Police Electric Baton, abbreviated as the Blue Lightning Rod 2nd Generation, was considered highly practical special military equipment.

It was neither a Taboo Item nor an ordinary police baton. More accurately, it ranked below Pollution Items: an Enchanted Weapon created through artificially controlled pollution modifications.

Because its pollution was weak, it could not itself become a new source of pollution. Its effects were somewhat weaker, but that also meant the cost was extremely low, or even nonexistent.

Lu PingAn had encountered such things before. Those "Novice Sets" that cost two or three thousand apiece were exactly that.

However, the ones used to fleece newcomers were rather unscrupulous. Those Pollution Enchanted Weapons made through one-time "soaking" were incredibly unstable.

Their short-term effects were excessively strong, yet after being used for a while, they would completely "fade." Often, within two or three months, they would be mostly useless.

The materials were poor as well, and they had a habit of failing at crucial moments. They could only be used in Novice Sets to trap newcomers.

This "Blue Lightning Rod," however, might have a rustic appearance and name, but it was completely different from things like "Bloodthirsty Berserker Blade."

"It works just like an ordinary police baton. Press the switch and it discharges electricity. It has special enchantments, so it works against spirits and demonic creatures too. It's very powerful. Don't use it on ordinary people."

This was a newly acquired batch of equipment from the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs. It was far more useful than the previous models and counted as one of the benefits of the reforms.

Captains like Xia Qin were equipped with them directly, while team members like Lei Huo Ren were still waiting for theirs to be issued.

She already had two Forbidden Weapons and had no need for it, so she gave it directly to Lu PingAn.

".Isn't this a little against the rules?"

"Heh."

The Female Captain chuckled and could not be bothered to explain or waste words. If you really didn't want it, then let go of it.

Meanwhile, Lu PingAn was already gripping the baton tightly, modestly protesting as he tucked it into his bag.

"Don't expect it to be lethal if you aren't electrocuting someone with it. Its advantage is that it's especially tough—the kind that even a train can't crush. If necessary, you can use it as a jack or a pry bar. Oh, and don't charge it at my place. I don't want to see an astronomical electric bill. When it runs out of power, give it to me and I'll take it to the station to charge."

Lu PingAn happily held his new toy. Boys always found it hard to refuse weapons like sabers, guns, swords, and staves.

Men could not refuse them either; they just played on a larger scale.

Battleships, mecha, monster girls—some people probably could not quit them for their entire lives.

And right now, Lu PingAn truly needed a weapon to fall back on.

The best thing about quasi-pollution Enchanted Weapons was that they could harm certain polluted demonic creatures that did not take physical damage. They were practically a necessity.

"Why fight barehanded when you can use a weapon?"

Some things, if everyone else had them and you didn't, you were in for a world of trouble.

By the second round of the practical exam, Lu PingAn would likely have to face armed candidates or examiners. Going in empty-handed would put him at a clear disadvantage.

A last-minute purchase? Not only would it be expensive, it would also be unreliable.

The weapon before him was regulated military equipment. Its quality was beyond comparison to the cheap junk sold outside.

The only issue was that, since it was a "short baton," it could only benefit from the all-weapons bonus, not any specialization bonuses.

But now, with the all-weapons bonus, Lu PingAn already felt that he could wield it fairly well.

Beyond his magical plants, he now had more options and could save quite a few points.

"Thanks."

"No need. Just do well on the exam and help me save some face."

The woman was quite straightforward. Since she had cleaned up after Lu PingAn far too many times lately, many acquaintances now linked her reputation to the man before her.

In the eyes of veterans, it was no big deal for Lu PingAn to cause trouble. Who hadn't been a little wild on their way up?

But if he performed too poorly, he would drag down her reputation as the captain of the Special Task Force as well.

".Heh. I won't disappoint you."

Lu PingAn got out of the car. The remaining distance was short, and a mountain road stretched upward before him.

This practical exam was not being held in Gu City University's Secret Realm, because it needed to borrow the rules of another Secret Realm.

".If you find that you can't endure it any longer, or if you are about to be seriously injured or even killed, silently recite 'Rust Knight' and then give up in your heart. If you're worried there won't be time, just shout 'I forfeit,' 'I give up,' or something similar. The battle will stop instantly, and you'll be kicked out immediately. It's just a little embarrassing."

On the vast plaza stood hundreds of enormous statues and towering Stone Pillars. In one corner, the lead director was giving the candidates their final briefing.

Lu PingAn had originally thought they would use Maiden of the Forest's Secret Realm again. After all, for a practical test, what could be more straightforward than a fight to the death?

But that Secret Realm was only Tier 1. Not only could Professionals above Tier 3 not enter, but the upper limit of the magical monsters inside was also too low for it to serve as an assessment.

"The password to enter the Secret Realm is, 'I swear that my battle shall be for the light and shall follow justice.' Once inside, each person will receive a separate room containing magical monsters. After you kill them, an entrance to the next floor will appear. If you can handle it, go up. If you can't, give up and come out."

"Your final score will be based on the time you take and the number of floors you endure. Remember, don't push yourselves too hard. Every year, many people die in the Knight Trial. They die because they stubbornly insist that they 'can still keep going.'"

The Eternal Garrison Knight Secret Realm was the Secret Realm of the knight and god of justice, Rust Knight, in Gu City. Its upper limit was roughly Tier 3 or 4, and it was fairly well known among Gu City's secret keeper circles.

It was used year-round as a testing ground for secret keepers, so it was only natural to use it for this assessment as well.

Those lining up here for the trial were not just prospective Gu City University students. Lu PingAn saw batch after batch of other school emblems.

It seemed that several Training Institutions had treated this place as a free examination venue.

".Why are there so few people? I don't see anyone from the Preparatory Class."

"They aren't taking this test. Taking it would mean voluntarily exposing themselves to contamination, and it would be hard to explain if too many of them died."

Well, that answer was extremely realistic.

But as candidates entered and emerged one after another, the rankings and scoring system outside were constantly updating.

Countless stone pillars stood throughout the plaza, each bearing screens of various sizes.

Those screens were actually broadcasting live combat footage from inside the Secret Realm, from each of those tower rooms!

The teachers busily operated the system, using portable devices to record the trials of outstanding candidates as thoroughly as possible.

In a sense, this was also part of the impression score for the third test's interview.

The screens outside varied in size, and each drew different numbers of viewers.

But Lu PingAn noticed that the subjects displayed on the screens constantly changed. Usually, the better the performer, the larger the screen showing their trial.

"Mad Lion has reached the tenth floor! So fast!"

"Technology University really struck gold this time. A combat-oriented Tier 2 at such a young age."

The various universities were also subtly competing with one another.

There seemed to be no upper limit to the total number of people undergoing trials, but unrelated people had all missed the timing, leaving only the quiet contest between several universities. Ordinary people would not want to be watched by so many people anyway; it would expose too much.

"Looks like it's hard to hide much privacy in this Secret Realm."

That was probably due to the difference between gods. Rust Knight, the god of justice, most revered fair duels in full public view.

On the huge pillars outside the plaza, the day's fastest and highest records were constantly being refreshed. Several academies were using this method to gauge the quality of each other's student pools.

"You can take the test at most three times in one day. Your best result will be converted into points."

By the time Lu PingAn was ready to enter, the fastest record had already reached the thirteenth floor, held by that Mad Lion or whoever he was.

Suddenly, the large screen switched, and a new record appeared.

"It's Li DaoAn! He's already on the Seventeenth Floor!"

Lu PingAn silently glanced over and saw only the back of someone tearing apart a magical monster with his bare hands. So this was that Tier 3? That was seriously absurd.

The line ahead quickly dwindled away. Lu PingAn took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"I swear that my battle shall be for the light and shall follow justice."