Assessment, Probing

"He calls himself 'Nine Waters,' and his Profession is 'soldier.' He is impulsive, easily angered, and vengeful, but he is also quite meticulous. He has unique insights into solving puzzles and setting traps using the 'Game Rules.' His potential should be rated from A+ to S-."

"During the actual Game, they didn't see through my identity or purpose, but they did discover that I had been secretly observing them, and this caused me some trouble in the Instance."

"My opinion is: if he were to 'Tier Advancement' through the process, perhaps he could be recruited into the organization."

In a detached villa on the outskirts of Jiang City.

A girl dressed in a swimsuit and draped in a towel sat by the pool, holding a tablet computer in her hand.

Beside her lay a soaked windbreaker and sweatpants.

After saving the file on her tablet, she dragged it into an eleven-person Group Chat to upload it.

Soon, the once-silent Group Chat was suddenly filled with many new members.

[Magician: That's it for the evaluation? Impressive speed! [Thumbs up]]

[Embalmer - Xiao Yun: She's easily angered and holds grudges, so she probably wouldn't join the "Psychology Society," right? After all, the "Psychology Society" killed her.]

[AAA Building Materials Old Wu: But beware of "Order" snatching people away, after all, they are "soldiers"]

[God of Cookery: S-'s "soldier"? No wonder the Psychology Society it so seriously, sending that guy to Jiang City!]

[Magician: Really?! Even a pro like me only got an A!]

[Prisoner: Who do you think you are? You piece of trash who got chased and beaten up by the Sea City Administrator.]

[AAA Building Materials Old Wu: Seriously, should we make an exception and invite him first? Someone with that kind of potential can't possibly succeed without "Tier Advancement," right?]

[God of Cookery: Let's wait a bit longer. With this kind of potential, it might be able to "Tier Advancement" by the eighth Instance... or even the seventh—it won't take more than a month!]

[Magician: I agree with the God of Cookery! [flower emoji]]

[Prisoner: I also think the God of Cookery makes a good point. We can observe him for a while longer.]

[Embalmer - Xiao Yun: There's something that bothers me. Why does he call himself "Nine Waters"? After all, there are rumors that he's also from Jiang City, and might even be the "Administrator" of Jiang City!]

[Magician: I think it's just a coincidence. [Sweating]]

[God of Cookery: If this isn't a coincidence, then we're in big trouble!]

[Braised Carp King: Regardless of whether it's a coincidence or not, let's get to know him better over this period and confirm it. Ideally, we should confirm his Tier Advancement timeline and make sure he doesn't join the "Order" faction.]

Upon seeing the post from someone named "Braised Carp King" whose profile picture was Little Fire Dragon, the girl picked up her tablet again.

[Divine Thief A Nian: That'll have to be more money! This kid was already dangerous enough, and now he's involved with the "Administrator." I can't do this job without extra pay!]

[Braised Carp King: No problem, I'll send you the "Exquisite Gloves" before the next Instance.]

Looking at the information about "Braised Carp King", a smile appeared on the girl's lips.

She turned off the tablet, feeling very happy.

"Great, I actually managed to snag the 'Exquisite Gloves'! Carp really went all out..."

"But that kid really deserves it... I hope he can successfully pass the 'Tier Advancement'."

"As expected, the 'forum' seems to be intentionally concealing information about 'Tier Advancement'."

Lin Yu put down his phone.

After browsing through the forum posts, Lin Yu confirmed one thing...

Although there are many posts and guides in the "forum", it is very rare to find any mention of "Tier Advancement".

Even when it is mentioned, it is only touched upon briefly and not elaborated upon.

On the contrary, many "bounty" requests include posts like "The next Instance is opening a 'Trial', please help me get through it safely."

This only made Lin Yu more confused about what this "Trial" was.

After confirming that he wouldn't find any more information by searching further, Lin Yu turned on his phone.

After thinking for a moment, he sent a message to the contact in his list named "Harmony brings wealth".

"Are you there?"

The Tycoon replied a few seconds later.

"Oh, it's that 'newcomer' who sold a bunch of Item!"

"Congratulations on clearing the second Instance... Are there any more Item for sale this time?"

Lin Yu looked at the Tycoon's eagerly awaiting news and felt a surge of emotion.

He really is a "businessman"; he's so enthusiastic when dealing with "customers."

"Sorry, we don't have any Item for sale this time."

"However, there are some things I'd like to ask you."

Lin Yu edited the message and sent it.

The Tycoon replied quickly.

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"If it's not convenient to discuss things online, you can come to the 'restaurant' to find me anytime."

"But when you come over, be sure to conceal yourself."

Lin Yu looked at the news about "The Tycoon" and pondered for a moment.

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit."

So far, the Tycoon is the most trustworthy "Player" he has encountered.

Although it's late at night, most Player have just returned from the Instance and are unlikely to wander around.

For Lin Yu, this was the best time to be active.

So Lin Yu quickly changed his clothes, put on a mask, and left home.

This time, he didn't ride his own bicycle, but instead scanned a shared bike and went out.

Riding a shared bike wasn't as smooth as riding your own bicycle, and it took Lin Yu some time to get to Changming Street, which he had visited before.

After returning the shared bicycle, Lin Yu walked to the vicinity of the "abandoned restaurant".

Just as Lin Yu was about to try to open the door again, the window on the second floor suddenly opened.

"Kid, come on up."

A middle-aged man in a bright blue suit stood by the window and lowered a hanging metal ladder.

Lin Yu stared at the ladder for a moment, then climbed up using both hands and feet, stepped onto the windowsill, and jumped into the house.

After Lin Yu entered the house, the Tycoon closed the window and Lin Yu took off his mask.

He returned to the luxurious office once again.

The Tycoon turned around, took out some loose tea leaves from a plastic bag from the cabinet, brewed them for Lin Yu, and gestured for him to drink.

"Sit down, kid! What do you want to know? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"You just finished Instance and came running here... What's wrong, did something happen in the Instance?"

Looking at the composed Tycoon, Lin Yu sat on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and then let out a long sigh.

"Something's happened!"

Lin Yu feigned a conflicted and fearful expression and spoke.

"Are you familiar with 'The Marauders' and 'The Freedom Alliance'? They're the two organizations that are banned from the forum in the pinned announcement!"

"I encountered some of their people in the last Instance, and they seemed a bit dangerous... Plus, I offended one of them. Will I get into trouble?"