Combat Assessment

The practical assessment was about to begin soon.

Xu Qing put on his combat suit, grabbed his bow, shouldered his quiver, and followed the other prospective fighters under the guidance of the military to the outskirts of a small town.

This small town was the designated location for this practical assessment.

The town was surrounded by barbed wire, with a large number of soldiers patrolling the perimeter, weapons in hand.

Outside the town, Xu Qing and the others could hear the roars of beasts echoing from within; there was no need to guess—the place had undoubtedly been stocked with plenty of monsters for the assessment.

"Listen up, everyone. This practical assessment will follow the same rules as before. It begins at 6:30 PM tonight and ends at 6:30 AM tomorrow, lasting for a total of twelve hours."

"The more monsters you kill, the higher your score. For every monster killed, you must sever its left ear as proof; otherwise, the kill will not be counted."

"Internal fighting is strictly prohibited..."

An officer was explaining the rules of the practical assessment to Xu Qing and the others.

According to the officer, the town was covered in surveillance cameras. Prospective fighters were forbidden from fighting one another, and only those who ranked in the top sixty percent would qualify as official fighters.

In other words, forty percent of the participants would be eliminated.

Hmm, the elimination rate is actually quite low, Xu Qing thought, considering only forty percent would be cut.

Finally, the officer reminded everyone that killing three monsters was generally enough to pass. If scores were tied, the ranking would be determined by the time taken and the severity of any injuries sustained.

Therefore, once the goal was met, one could leave the town early.

If a participant could not defeat a monster and was severely injured, they were to press the distress button on their communication watch; rescue would be dispatched, but that would also signify their elimination.

Three kills to pass. To be safe, I'll aim for four. Yes, that's the plan, Xu Qing decided.

"Alright, all prospective fighters, enter the town and begin the practical assessment!"

Following the officer's command, Xu Qing and the others surged into the town, the group of over a thousand people quickly scattering once they were inside.

The gates closed, and the fighter practical assessment officially began.

Xu Qing picked a direction at random and sprinted off.

The sky darkened quickly.

Xu Qing appeared inside an abandoned house. He knew there were cameras everywhere, so he made an effort to avoid them to keep from drawing attention to himself.

He released his spiritual energy, sensing the situation within a hundred-meter radius.

Got one, a big cat. Xu Qing immediately locked onto a monster. It was a low-tier beast with strength comparable to a primary-level Fighter.

The cat was covered in gray-white fur and was half a meter long, looking like a giant house cat, but its claws were razor-sharp and its movement speed was quite high.

This cat-like monster was known as a Shadow Cat; it excelled in speed, making it difficult for primary-level Fighters to catch.

Xu Qing crept over. The Shadow Cat was crouching on the eaves of an abandoned house, coiled and ready to strike, its pupils glowing with a cold light as it prepared to ambush any human passing by.

There was no one else around, so Xu Qing began drawing his bow from a hundred meters away. At this distance, he was absolutely certain he would hit his mark.

Aim for the head. Xu Qing targeted the Shadow Cat's head and released the bowstring.

A whoosh sound cut through the night, appearing quite abrupt. The Shadow Cat crouching on the eaves seemed to hear it, its ears perking up as it scanned its surroundings.

But the next second, its head was pierced through, and it tumbled off the eaves.

"Hit," Xu Qing said, immediately running over to the Shadow Cat's carcass.

He glanced at the body; the arrow had punched clean through the skull, killing it instantly. The arrow hadn't even remained lodged in the head.

Xu Qing felt it was a bit like hunting; he didn't have any particular reaction. He took out his dagger, severed the Shadow Cat's left ear, and stowed it in his backpack.

Three more to go, and the mission is complete. Xu Qing felt confident.

Following that, Xu Qing used the same method to hunt down a Tiger Mastiff, an Iron-Haired Boar, and another Shadow Cat.

The entire process took him only an hour. With his spiritual energy for perception, he could easily avoid other prospective fighters while searching for his targets, making the task incredibly convenient.

Mission accomplished. Now I just need to wait for the assessment to end. I'll find a place to rest, Xu Qing thought.

He found an abandoned flat-roofed house on the edge of the town, close to the barbed wire fence. Outside, soldiers were patrolling, and searchlights swept across the area from time to time.

Xu Qing felt this was the safest spot; the monsters certainly wouldn't dare approach this area.

Furthermore, the flat-roofed house was partially collapsed, with only a narrow gap for entry. Monsters definitely couldn't squeeze inside, and even if one did come, it would surely make enough noise to alert him.

He squeezed through the crack, set down his bow and quiver, lay down on the floor, and closed his eyes.

While Xu Qing was already fast asleep, the other prospective fighters in the town were busy pitting their wits and courage against the monsters.

At 6:30 AM, a shrill siren echoed throughout the town, accompanied by a man's voice over a loudspeaker: "Time is up. All prospective fighters, report to the town exit immediately."

Xu Qing woke up in the flat-roofed house and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He knew the assessment time was over.

Last night, just as he had expected, no monsters had come to disturb him.

He grabbed his quiver and bow and squeezed back out through the crack.

"Huh?" At that moment, several patrolling soldiers happened to be walking past the spot, catching the exact moment Xu Qing crawled out of the abandoned house.

Xu Qing locked eyes with them, and the scene became slightly awkward.

However, Xu Qing still crawled out at a leisurely pace, then waved at the soldiers, "Good morning."

The soldiers stared at him, unsure whether they should respond; responding felt strange, yet not responding felt impolite.

They were dying to know how Xu Qing had crawled out from inside, and when exactly he had crawled in.

"Thanks for your hard work on patrol, bye-bye," Xu Qing waved his hand and jogged away.

Watching Xu Qing's retreating figure, the soldiers looked at each other, "She... she must be a prospective martial artist participating in the assessment, right?"

"Definitely, didn't you see the combat uniform she's wearing? It's the one issued by our military district."

"How did she crawl out from in there? Doesn't she need to go hunt monsters? She couldn't have stayed in there all night, could she?"

"Maybe the little girl got scared when she saw the monsters and hid. She's quite clever, though, knowing to hide in a place like that. Even if she's eliminated, at least she didn't get hurt."

"That's true. Looking at her, the little girl seems quite young. I wonder if she's even eighteen yet..."

The soldiers chatted back and forth.

At this moment, several officers were sitting at the exit of the small town, using computers to record the assessment results.

Many prospective martial artists walked out, almost everyone covered in blood, with some who had been injured being supported by their friends.