After they got rid of the lackadaisical young man, Ling Jiu and Li Kai parted. As the rule of the assessment did not encourage team-forming, it was better for them to split up.
Ling Jiu was very ambitious. His goal was not to just pass the test but to make it into the top three as well. He could not afford to get his score dragged down because he was working in a team.
He continued to venture deeper into the zoo.
Inside the zoo were many powerful Direbeasts. After killing the Ironspike Gator and Sableback Gorilla, he encountered a few more Direbeasts, most of which were Class 1 and easily killed.
Soon, he came to a woodland. A pack of wolf-type Direbeasts was hungrily gnawing the corpse of another Direbeast.
These giant wolves were four meters long each. Their silverish white mane looked like steel needles growing on their backs, and the claws on their paws glinted in the light.
"Class 1 Direbeast, the Silverclaw Wolf!"
Ling Jiu knew what beasts these wolves were, and he sneaked over.
These Silverclaw Wolves were Class 1 Direbeasts, but there were many of them. So, Ling Jiu figured that the best way was to catch them unawares. He would have to get close to do that.
As a Level 2 Arcanist, Ling Jiu's attack range was about ten meters, beyond which Arcana manipulation would become less effective.
So he had to get within ten meters from his targets.
However, Ling Jiu had underestimated the Silverclaw Wolves. Before he could get close to them, one Silverclaw Wolf that had been tasked as the lookout spotted him.
With one long howl into the air, the other Silverclaw Wolves stopped eating and looked over.
They were growling menacingly, their silverish claws glinting with warning and murderous vibes.
They just wanted to carry on eating their meal and had no intention of going after Ling Jiu. As long as Ling Jiu left them alone, they would not attack.
Sadly, things did not always turn out as they wished. Instead of going away, Ling Jiu was edging closer and closer.
The Silverclaw Wolves howled and charged at Ling Jiu since his actions had agitated them. As they got closer, they suddenly split up and worked as a team by surrounding Ling Jiu at the center.
It was the wolves' typical hunting technique. A single Silverclaw Wolf was weak, but they could kill a Class 2 Direbeast when they hunted in a pack.
Yet, no matter how clever their plan was, they were just a bunch of paper tigers in front of a being with absolutely superior strength.
Just as the wolf pack inched closer toward Ling Jiu, they felt a horrible force pressing down on them. They struggled to move as their bodies contorted.
Next, sharp earthen spikes jutted out of the ground and hit the Silverclaw Wolves.
As the spikes pierced through their paws, hind legs, and bellies, the Silverclaw Wolves whined in agony.
"Again!"
With a wave of his hand, Ling Jiu summoned a dozen stone spears to pierce through their bodies and nail them dead to the ground.
"Done!"
He snapped his fingers.
...
"That's the superiority of an Arcanist with dual special abilities! Using the Gravity Arcana for a surprise attack, followed by an Earth-element Arcana attack—it is just too lethal!"
"This kid is talented! It's a shame that he has joined Pangu. Hmm, maybe it's all about the penalty for breach of contract."
Many team leaders from the Arcana organizations coveted this talented teenager. They were all thinking of poaching him.
Instructor Bai Yang was feeling the pressure. He knew that these guys were eyeing Ling Jiu. He could almost imagine that the better Ling Jiu performed, the more they would covet him.
Ling Jiu has only signed a C-level contract with the company, and the contract termination fee is only a million. If other companies really wanted him, they could easily convince him to jump ship.
Bai Yang's heart skipped a beat when he thought of this. I have to inform Luo Jia.
...
Ling Jiu had absolutely no idea that he had attracted the attention of different Arcana organizations. After he harvested a dozen Silverclaw Wolf hearts, he continued his journey.
Time flew, and two days had passed.
The Direbeasts have seemingly disappeared from the county city after two days of hunting. I should probably watch out for other contenders; they have been in a frenzy lately!
Lin Jiu was sitting in front of the window on the 29th floor of an apartment and eating freshly grilled barbeque while enjoying the scenery outside.
The assessment had progressed to the ultimate stage. Whether they could pass the test and what position they would achieve depended on how they could make use of the second half of the day.
Hence, everyone was in a frenzy.
Robbery had become common, and getting robbed was also just as common.
To avoid this madness, many candidates had gone into hiding just like him.
I wonder if my harvest is good enough to get me into the top three. Ling Jiu thought to himself.
He was determined to make it into the top three by hook or by crook. Be it the intermediate Gene Arcana secret teqnique, a million bucks in monthly pay, or a mansion, he wanted them all.
Half an hour later, Ling Jiu finished his lunch and took a brief rest before he continued to scan the surroundings. He became notorious because he had robbed too many people during the past two days. People would avoid him like a plague when they spotted him from afar.
So robbery had become more difficult. Ling Jiu could only lie in wait for his prey to show up.
He suddenly heard a fight in the distance. He spied in the sound's direction and saw a few Arcanists fighting on top of a building.
"That's an opportunity!"
Ling Jiu quickly ran in that direction.
...
"He must have collected many Direbeast hearts. Defeat him, and we'll take all of his harvests! Guys, let's do it!"
Four Arcanists were fighting a lion man.
With the head, claws, tail, and fur of a lion and the body of a human, the lion man could stand on two, much like the lion man in mythology.
However, this figure was not a lion man but an Arcanist with a lionization ability.
The lionization special ability belonged to Shapeshift-type Arcana. Once the Arcanist shapeshifted, he or she would have the power, speed, and offensive abilities of a lion.
The four attackers comprised of a Fire-element Arcanist, a Water-element Arcanist, a Wood-element Arcanist, and a Soundwave Arcanist.
These four Arcanists were powerful, and they had tacit coordination with each other. Yet, they were still no match for the lion man.
The lion man was agile, and he could easily dodge the attacks from the Fire-element, Water-element, and Wood-element Arcanists. Only the Soundwave Arcanist could pose some problems to him.
"Attack me? All of you have walked into my trap. I purposely exposed my hiding place to lure idiots like you so that I could take your harvests!"
The lion man burst into laughter as he appeared before the Wood-element Arcanist in a flash and struck him with his claws.
He was too fast. Before the Wood-element Arcanist knew it, he was hit in the chest. Blood spurted out of his mouth while he was sent tumbling back.
"One!"
The lion man sped toward the Water-element Arcanist. Fear and desperation filled his eyes as the lion claws struck him.
The blow sent the Water-element Arcanist flying backward.
"Not good!"
"Run!"
It shocked the Fire-element and Soundwave Arcanists to see how powerful the lion man was. They were thinking about running away, but it was still too little, too late.
Bang!
Bang!
The Fire-element and Soundwave Arcanists became airborne at the sound of two bangs.
"Done!"
The lion man clapped his hands with delight. Anyone who had reached that stage would have either lost everything or collected a lot of Direbeast hearts.
If those four Arcanists possessed any Direbeast hearts, it would be in a large quantity. His tactic of lying in wait was paying off big time now.