Battle Roar and Shield-Breaking Sword Sweep

Outside.

[Announcement: Ouyang Mi (Candidate No.: 5423) was killed by a monster during the trial!]

[Announcement: Rainbow Squad (3 members) was killed by monsters during the trial! The entire team was wiped out!]

A cold, abrupt announcement came through the loudspeakers on the field.

For a moment.

The entire venue erupted.

"Someone died in the trial?"

"Already?"

The screens for the relevant candidates had gone completely black.

That meant the candidates were dead.

This scene.

Was common in the Job Transfer Trial Entrance Examination over the years. But deaths occurring so quickly still felt somewhat unreal.

Or rather... far too cruel.

At this moment.

King Yama Zhou had already received the candidates' data and read it out expressionlessly from the podium.

"Ouyang Mi (Candidate No.: 5423) encountered a Sewage Poison Crab during the trial and died."

"Trial assessment completion: 0."

"Eliminated."

The teachers and students were stunned.

His completion rate was actually zero.

Judging by the timing, Ouyang Mi had been among the last batch of candidates to enter the trial. In other words, he had encountered a monster attack the instant he entered.

And had been killed outright.

Hiss—

Countless people sucked in a breath.

"This is an A-rank difficulty trial. It's seriously beyond our level."

"Rainbow Squad, three members, wiped out. Mission completion: 17%!"

What a pity.

According to the trial rules, reaching a mission completion rate of 30% would earn a score. Though it was bound to be at the bottom, it would at least count as completing the trial.

"Job Transfer Trial Entrance Examinations have never been a game. Failure means death!" King Yama Zhou concluded with those words.

The principals and teachers felt immense pressure.

The first- and second-year students' scalps tingled.

On the screen.

Ling Zhan was still fighting. These basic skills produced nearly perfect results in his hands!

"If this kid had a job class, wouldn't his future be even brighter?"

Without any prior discussion, every principal and department head had the same thought.

At the same time, they felt deep regret over such wasted talent.

What a terrible waste!

Such an outstanding student was actually a Jobless Freelancer!

Wasteful! Utterly wasteful!

Compared to the candidates who had been wiped out shortly after entering the trial.

Ling Zhan's performance in the trial was far more remarkable.

"Senior Ling Zhan's combat techniques are more than enough for us to study!"

"Yeah, you can tell from his skill variations and combinations that Senior Ling Zhan must train incredibly hard in private!"

"Did you notice? Senior Ling Zhan has stayed calm from start to finish. He never attacks the Defense Mutants, only the ones with lower defense."

"That's Senior Ling Zhan's wisdom. He probably had a plan from the very beginning."

"Why are you still standing there? Get your phones out and record it! If you miss such an amazing fight, it's gone for good!"

After hearing the principals and department heads' evaluations.

The younger girls in the first and second years admired Ling Zhan even more.

The other instructors also agreed strongly with the students.

As teachers.

Their proficiency in combat techniques naturally went without saying.

In the past, whenever they watched their students fight during practical combat classes, they saw countless flaws and mistakes.

Skill usage, combat techniques, skill accuracy—there were flaws in every aspect.

But why could they not see a single flaw in Ling Zhan?

His fluid skill casting, seamless skill transitions, perfect skill coordination, exaggerated footwork... how could an ordinary student possibly achieve that?

Of course.

What shocked the teachers even more was Ling Zhan's absurdly enormous mana pool...

"Only twenty Defense Mutant Sewage Poison Crabs remain now!"

Just then.

A student cried out in surprise.

On the screen.

Inside the silent, pitch-black Water Prison, foul-smelling blood from Sewage Poison Crabs of various colors flowed everywhere, while the corpses of over a hundred Sewage Poison Crabs littered the corners.

They had gone from two hundred down to twenty.

Ling Zhan had done it in less than an hour!

"The key is still how he deals with those Defense Mutant Sewage Poison Crabs. Their defense is even higher than the Blue-named Sewage Poison Crabs from before."

Many people also noticed that Prairie Fire's Burning Effect had stopped working.

The entire Water Prison was bare, and many of its stones had been scorched until they cracked.

Yet countless people still watched in eager anticipation.

They hoped Ling Zhan would achieve something even more dazzling.

The next second.

Ling Zhan moved again!

On the projected screen.

Ling Zhan equipped a shield and a heavy sword!

"That's standard Warrior equipment!"

"What is he planning? Does he want to use a Warrior's methods to kill those Mutant Sewage Poison Crabs with absurd defense?"

"Watch closely. Senior Ling Zhan is about to teach us how to break through a monster's heavy defense!"

"I'm kind of looking forward to this..."

Every spectator present stared unblinkingly at the projection.

Even King Yama Zhou watched the screen in silence.

Inside the trial.

Having already slain one hundred and eighty Sewage Poison Crabs, Ling Zhan held a shield in his left hand and a heavy sword in his right.

The remaining twenty Defense Mutant Sewage Poison Crabs let out shrill cries filled with deadly menace at Ling Zhan.

Their terrifying defense was what had allowed them to survive until the end.

Their rudimentary intelligence told them that this human seemed unable to do anything about their high defense.

So they howled even more excitedly.

Rather than mourning their fallen companions, they were pleased.

With fewer companions, they would not have to fight so fiercely over this human's flesh and blood!

"Hiss, hiss!"

The twenty Defense Mutant Sewage Poison Crabs instantly lunged at Ling Zhan to tear into him.

After switching to a shield and heavy sword, Ling Zhan was naturally slower than before.

But he remained calm and casually tossed twenty round beads from his huge bag.

The twenty beads landed in a straight row.

Crack!

The beads exploded and transformed into twenty enormous mushrooms!

[Hunter Basic Skill: Scent Lure]

[Skill Type: Support]

[Skill Description: An enormous mushroom that emits a fragrance irresistibly attractive to low-level monsters.]

[Note: If the target's level is higher than the Hunter's, the effect of Scent Lure is halved.]

The twenty enormous mushrooms lined up inside the Water Prison, releasing an enticing fragrance.

When the wind blew.

Every monster inside the Water Prison went mad.

To them, these mushrooms were the most delicious food in the world—even more delicious than human flesh!

One Sewage Poison Crab opened its jaws, nearly swallowing half a mushroom in a single bite.

"Battle Roar."

Ling Zhan opened his mouth and released a furious roar, its sound waves spreading outward.

The sudden Battle Roar activated—

[Warrior Basic Skill: Battle Roar]

[Skill Type: Support]

[Skill Description: The Warrior lets out a roar that increases the target's aggro and reduces the defense of nearby targets by 5% for two minutes. Can stack up to three times.]

[Note: If the target's level is higher than the caster's, the duration will be reduced.]

Ling Zhan roared three times in succession!

Three stacks of the negative buff directly reduced their defense by 15%.

The monster swarm was startled.

They stopped eating.

But—

[Monster Trait: Irritable]

The monsters were thoroughly Enraged by Ling Zhan.

Rage:

100+

300+

700+

"Still not enough."

Ling Zhan's gaze sharpened. He put away his shield, drew out his staff, and said without hesitation, "Water Prison!"

The freezing river water on the ground churned, trapping all twenty Defense Mutant Sewage Poison Crabs inside huge bubbles.

He took out his shield again, paired it with his heavy sword, and activated another skill.

"Shield-Breaking Sword Sweep!"

Ling Zhan swung the massive heavy sword in his hand in a wide circle.

Invisible yet heavy sword energy swept across all twenty Sewage Poison Crabs.

However, when the sword energy descended upon the Sewage Poison Crabs, it dealt no damage whatsoever. Their health bars did not even drop!

[Warrior Basic Skill: Shield-Breaking Sword Sweep]

[Skill Type: Support]

[Skill Description: The Warrior swings the greatsword in hand, releasing circular sword energy that sweeps surrounding targets. The sword energy deals no damage, but reduces the defense of targets hit by it by 10% for one minute. Cannot stack.]

[Note: If the target's level is higher than the caster's, the duration will be reduced.]

Their meal had been forcibly interrupted for the nth time.

Rage: 1000+

And their defense had been lowered too!

"This is... fucking ridiculous!!!"