Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Listening to Gordon's impatient complaints, the remaining Examiners exchanged glances, their moods heavy in that moment.
Freyr glanced at the competitors beside him, mentally counting them. There were twenty-four people, fewer than before. However, after two rounds of assessments, the remaining Examiners had shown significant improvement in their abilities.
"Hmm," Examiner Gordon hesitated slightly, mumbling to himself as if he had summarized countless speeches in his mind. Suddenly lifting his head, his eyes shone with a blazing light as he smiled and said, "I see now. It should be like this: congratulations on passing the second round of assessments. I initially thought that not many of you would be able to endure this time, but after my observations, you all performed quite well in this round. Therefore, I have decided to keep you. However, among the more than twenty of you, about fifteen may still be eliminated moving forward."
"Abandon your reckless pride; you are not worthy of it yet. Hold onto hope; the future is yours. From now on, as long as you have the will to survive in your hearts, those reckless desires and laziness will only erode your belief in moving forward and corrode your actions, causing you to become utterly lost in a mundane life. Do you understand?"
For a long time afterward, Gordon explained his grading criteria to everyone, detailing how this remaining group of candidates met his standards. After listening to his explanation, everyone's mood grew heavier. It turned out that this so-called standard of endurance was merely a smokescreen; the true evaluation criterion was the core value.
The so-called value of life refers to two types: sacrificing oneself for the greater good and the type where failure leads to death. The latter type of team leader might treat their teammates' lives as expendable to ensure that tasks are completed quickly. While this approach is never wrong under such circumstances, failing to cherish the contributions of companions and disregarding life and death in completing dangerous missions makes such a leader a moral failure.
In other words, when considering how to protect their companions while cautiously maximizing benefits through minimal sacrifice—even if someone is willing to trade their life for high-risk rewards—only by placing team interests second and increasing emotional bonds can a truly suitable team be formed. A team built on emotional ties will never face the terrifying outcome of internal destruction during mission execution.
Sometimes, during missions—especially high-risk ones—the greatest likelihood of total annihilation for the entire team does not stem from the difficulty of the task itself. Even though these high-risk missions do involve significant death experiences, for a Hunter Team that has already undertaken numerous missions, maintaining caution while confronting danger together can suppress even high risks.
Under such predictive premises, the most likely cause of death remains internal discord among team members—economic issues or even a leader's lack of empathy leading others to their doom while watching from the sidelines. When interests take precedence, nothing is unimaginable. Such scenarios have led to countless failures within the Hunter Association; indeed, there are exceptional cases within the association itself. Consequently, subsequent assessments conducted by the association were designed with thresholds in mind to prevent such exceptional occurrences.
Gordon wore a serious expression before changing his tone. "That’s how it is. However, even so, there are still some unsettling factors among you. I am unclear how some of you managed to pass my assessment, but now that you have succeeded, I won’t emphasize what methods you used or what types of strategies allowed you to break through my assessment criteria. I must commend you for that; however, there will be no next time."
"No next time?" Upon hearing this, Freyr was momentarily taken aback. The phrase "no next time" carried too much meaning for him to explain at that moment.
Noticing that his tone had been overly serious, Gordon instinctively raised an eyebrow and offered a slight smile.
With a demeanor that seemed like a different person, he calmly said, "You've all worked hard. Congratulations on passing. Now, you can disperse and rest. Remember to check the bulletin board at 7 AM tomorrow; the information there is updated regularly, so don't miss the assessment. That's all I have to say. We may meet again in the future."
As he spoke, Gordon vanished without a trace, as if there were a hidden mechanism beneath where he stood. With a press of a button, he could disappear completely.
Some people indeed went to check, and with his departure, the atmosphere changed as there were no longer any examiners present.
"Hahaha, get up! You've all passed! I really didn't misjudge you!"
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.
Freya turned around to see a chubby man with a round face approaching them with a smile. He wasn't someone she knew well, but he wasn't entirely unfamiliar either.
He had mixed a powerful laxative into the drinks distributed earlier, causing over ten people to drop out, nearly putting them in jeopardy as well.
"Ah, that bastard! We should turn him into pancakes!" Xiong Tai muttered angrily.
Once someone developed the habit of grumbling, it was hard to change. Moreover, the fat man had crossed an unforgivable line; any offense related to food was considered a serious crime. Having ruined the drinks and used food for malicious purposes ignited Xiong Tai's desire for revenge.
"Forget it; don't get angry over this kind of person. Let's see what he's up to and respond accordingly," Freya replied from the side as she took out her drink bottle and tossed it into the nearby trash can.
Owen approached and had already observed what had just happened. He was astonished but showed no signs of surprise on his face. With his hands clasped behind his back, he pulled out another can of drink.
"Hey, I just realized that the drinks I gave you this morning were expired. Try this one; it's newly bought. I'm sincerely trying to be friends," Owen said as he handed the drink to Xiong Tai, casting a curious glance at Freyr on the other side.
Freya stood quietly in place, taking out her homemade fruit and vegetable juice from her backpack. The taste was slightly sour, but it was no less delicious than what one would find at a store. It alleviated the aches and pains in her body, and while it wasn't the essence of the drink itself, savoring a tasty beverage during a moment of fatigue felt far better than having a beer to calm down after work.
Although she had never experienced such leisurely moments before, Xiong Tai was engaged in a lively conversation with Owen, even pretending to be quite close as he patted the heavier man's shoulder repeatedly, as if they were true friends.
However, those who understood knew that Xiong Tai was employing a soft approach. The ones who had harmed them, and especially those who had crossed him, would surely face dire consequences.
Owen indeed set aside his previous grievances. Initially thinking that this chubby man could be a useful fool to help clear obstacles for him, the suspicious Owen noticed the sharp change in Freya's gaze and immediately withdrew his words. He sighed and said, "I thought we could collaborate with Brother Xiong, but it seems it's not the right time. Let's discuss cooperation when we meet again; with our combined efforts, great things can be expected." With that, he placed down a new can of drink and left.
Watching Owen's retreating figure, Xiong Tai tightened his lips and forcefully gathered saliva in his mouth before spitting it onto the ground as if he held a deep grudge against the man before him. He muttered under his breath, "Hmph, still trying to deceive us," before heading to the restroom to vomit.
Comment 0 Comment Count