novelraw Chapter 205: Rapid Completion of the Hunter Assessment
Chapter 205: Rapid Completion of the Hunter Assessment
A new day.
Chen Qi woke up early and changed into a more standard hunter outfit.
A jacket, loose pants, non-slip black boots, and a long tool belt, topped with a black hat.
Plus a set of special pitch-black combat underwear—this was the most common hunter gear in the Witch Sea.
Chen Qi left his bedroom and checked on the Flower Witch’s condition.
Fen was tired, still holding No. 3 Flow while drooling in her sleep...
Sleeping soundly...
He decided not to disturb her since she still had to make potions after waking up... Chen Qi smiled faintly, left a note, entrusted the Deepsea Water Spirits to watch over the house, then departed from the ship, heading to the Hunter Association in Blackore City.
The Hunter Association was not far from the dock, located in the middle of a bustling commercial street.
Chen Qi heard the roaring steam engines on the street, the noisy chatter between hunter couples, and complaints about corpse pieces on the ground causing blockages.The mornings in Blackore City were still as noisy as ever... Chen Qi walked along the commercial street, calling out to the paper boys for newspapers:
“One copy of the White Pigeon Times, one of Witch Times as well, and one of the Meteorological Bureau’s weather forecast...”
He took the newspapers and examined them one by one.
The White Pigeon Times reported on the Blood Blade Pirates and his recent reappearance in the Witch Sea.
“Shocking! After the Black Hunter seized the Ghost Ship! He has returned once more to the Rift Sea! What is his true purpose? Is it to meet the Witch? Or is there a greater conspiracy at play?”
Why was “shocking” so popular here too... Chen Qi skimmed through the paper.
He vaguely heard passing discussions about this matter, praising the Blood Blade Pirates.
Although his reputation was poor, defeating the Black Pig Shark was undeniably great news.
Below the headline was news of another maritime celebrity—Haige, the heir to the Azure Beast, nemesis of the Deep Sea Hunters, who had just recently made a name for himself.
Recently, Haige single-handedly killed a third-tier naval officer and robbed the city lord of Blackore City’s cargo! Extremely arrogant!
Although Haige was only third-tier, this person always managed to dominate the headlines.
Chen Qi vaguely remembered that the White Pigeon Times used to have this guy on their front page multiple times.
This guy’s combat power was absurd, definitely one of the strongest third-tier transcendent beings in the Witch Sea.
However, his luck was somewhat bad—Haige’s timing overlapped with Chen Qi’s activities.
Although Haige’s strength was greater, compared to the arrogant pirate Haige, the newspaper found the Black Hunter’s story more marketable.
Besides that, there was the conflict between the Blood Blade Pirates and the Blackfin Crew.
Due to competition over Rift resources, they had clashed several times already, and a bloody war was about to erupt.
There was also the latest report from the Beiguo Meteorological Bureau. According to their investigation, this Rift Tide was unlike previous ones, showing no signs of weakening.
This Rift Tide might, according to the bureau’s forecast, merge with the once-in-a-century Smiling Moon, causing the entire sea to plunge into madness.
Under the Smiling Moon, even the faintest breath of many monsters was enough to kill thousands.
Besides that, the Witch Times covered new powerful female pirates like the Artillery Specialist Lannie, the Red Braids, and others.
The war between the Blood Blade Pirates and the Blackfin Crew—hopefully, the Blood Blade Pirates can hold on longer; after all, the two pirate crews’ strengths were in entirely different leagues... Chen Qi folded the papers.
“I’ve arrived.”
Chen Qi stopped walking.
Ahead of him stood a huge high-rise building. The Blackore City Hunter Association branch adopted an advanced steel frame structure, its exterior covered with exquisite copper panels. After years of rain and weathering, the whole building looked particularly dilapidated, forming a sharp contrast with the new buildings along the commercial street.
At the Hunter Association’s entrance was a massive bounty board.
Besides some untouchable fourth-tier old monsters, the most conspicuous was him...
Black Hunter, second-tier, bounty of 28 million Shell Coins.
The navy was really generous with money. Why was I placed in the middle position... Chen Qi internally sighed helplessly.
Now, the Blackfin Crew knew he was here. He had to stay as alert as possible in Blackore City.
The Flower Witch’s bounty had even risen to 40 million Shell Coins. The navy must have confirmed that she held some historical secret.
Besides that, there was Black Glove.
As a Blackfin Crew cadre involved in many crimes, his bounty was only 25 million.
Black Glove’s bounty was even lower than mine... Chen Qi checked the bounty board and then headed straight into the Hunter Association’s lobby.
“I’m here to apply for the second-tier hunter’s license.”
The receptionist was a burly, hairy middle-aged man, a third-tier transcendent, equipped with a freshly made “Bear” from the Workshop.
This man was Iron Bear, one of the managers of the Blackore City branch.
Iron Bear glanced at Chen Qi, seeing no luxurious equipment on him, and casually pushed a sheet of paper over:
“Fill out your affinity and profession, the skills you’re good at, and your experience. Kid, these days aren’t like before. The issuing of second-tier hunter licenses is much stricter than you imagine!”
“I understand.”
Chen Qi took the paper.
Being a hunter was a prosperous profession in Beiguo.
Unlike ordinary transcendent beings, hunters were explorers of the Rift and thus required stronger combat and exploration abilities.
Compared to the navy, company members, and pirates, hunters enjoyed more freedom; they didn’t have to be commanded by superiors.
Freedom was the hunter’s creed!
Even if they joined a company, they retained the right to quit.
That said, most hunters, once passing the assessment, unless dead or dismissed, wouldn’t want to leave their companies for life.
Moreover, the ultimate goal for most hunters was still to join a major company.
Most once-free hunters would become the company’s hunting dogs as they grew stronger.
In the Witch Sea, truly powerful and freedom-seeking lone hunters were extremely rare.
The Deep Sea Hunter was famous not only for his legendary strength but also because he was among the few powerful monsters who did not rely on any company.
A profession quite suitable for me... Chen Qi picked up a pen and filled out his information on the paper over the newspaper.
“First-tier chef, second-tier assassin, sole affinity is Lamp...”
Experience was a problem... Chen Qi pondered.
The Hunter Association required experience mostly from tasks issued by the association.
However, he had no experience as a first-tier hunter.
And the Black Hunter matter couldn’t be revealed.
Chen Qi thought for a moment and wrote about his clearance of the No. 8 Train and Dragon’s Roost.
Iron Bear took the paper and glanced over it:
“Not bad, an assassin with Shadow affinity who cleared a D-tier Rift alone. Some skill. But that was before the Rift Tide. Now, your experience is just average, barely enough to board the New World ship.
A top-notch hunter should be bigger! Stronger! Faster!”
Iron Bear flexed his steel-like muscles.
Could you not show off your muscles... Chen Qi frowned.
With the Rift Tide’s arrival, this place that accepted wild transcendent beings was becoming more elite.
After scanning Chen Qi’s experience, Iron Bear finally said:
“Brother, your experience is too thin. I recommend you start from first-tier hunter. Competition for second-tier hunter licenses is extremely fierce now!
Of course, the benefits are better too!!”
Iron Bear detailed some of the hunter benefits and assessments.
First, once obtaining a second-tier hunter license, one gains the right to free intelligence and can purchase rare transcendent items.
Moreover, the license grants priority to hire other hunters.
With better benefits came more complex assessments.
Simply put, there were three tests. The first was a basic aptitude test—fighting a specific monster.
The second was practical combat, needing to defeat competitors to advance.
The third was an assigned mission; completing it officially granted the hunter’s license.
Due to the Rift Tide, the number of second-tier transcendent beings had multiplied, increasing competition more than tenfold!
To select truly strong hunters, the difficulty of assessments increased fivefold!
Also, hunting was a combat-focused freelance profession.
Dying during the tests was quite normal.
Chen Qi was well aware of the Hunter Association’s process:
“No, I’m much stronger than ordinary second-tier transcendent beings. Also, I want to finish the assessment within one day.”
Iron Bear rubbed his ear, thinking he misheard:
“How much? Within one day?”
“Yes, I have some matters to handle, so the sooner the better.”
This kid looked simple but was pretty arrogant! Iron Bear rechecked Chen Qi’s experience and laughed loudly:
“The faster the assessment, the quicker you die. To finish within a day, I’ll only assign you killers.”
The second test was ‘combat.’ Facing powerful opponents, many requested replacements.
Usually, the Hunter Association refused replacements unless someone willingly challenged the renowned freelance transcendent beings.
After confirming Chen Qi’s experience and identity, Iron Bear, with nothing else to do, led him to the association’s outdoor battle arena.
At this moment, several second-tier transcendent beings had already gathered there.
Iron Bear said coldly:
“Many transcendent beings lack basic knowledge, blindly learning multiple breathing techniques and chasing miracle moves. This liberation leads to disordered breathing and a weak body!
Now, many second-tier transcendent beings haven’t even mastered meditation or body forging!”
Iron Bear turned and raised his muscular biceps:
“Kid, although I don’t expect you to master Qi Transformation, I hope you’re not a transcendent lacking common sense!”
He walked to three jars and asked:
“Different adventurers serve different roles in a team. You’re not here for logistics, right? For the first test, inspiration, strength, or speed? Pick one!”
The weakest monster... Chen Qi didn’t hesitate:
“Inspiration.”
“Good!”
Iron Bear suddenly opened the jar and put on a protective shield.
In an instant, a creature sliced through the air, roaring mid-flight.
Iron Bear laughed loudly and began explaining:
“Note, this monster can only be defeated with...”
Bang!
Chen Qi took out his meat saw knife and stabbed it right in front of Iron Bear’s face!
A transparent creature twitched on the blade.
The transparent bug could only be detected with spiritual energy, almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
Iron Bear stared at the sharp blade and took a deep breath:
“Damn!”
The spirit bug could hide its spiritual energy. Usually, to catch it, you had to use sound and trajectory to track it.
But this guy caught the transparent bug’s trace instantly.
Iron Bear whispered softly:
“No wonder his inspiration is Lamp affinity. Such a promising talent. It’s a pity he’s not with the Meteorological Bureau...”
Then he clapped his hands:
“Test passed.”
Chen Qi smiled slightly:
“Please hurry. I’m in a rush to go home for the next test.”
Go home? What did that mean? Did this guy treat the Hunter Association like a low-tier Rift grind? Iron Bear felt insulted.
He couldn’t let him pass so easily. The higher-ups just said to increase the test difficulty... Iron Bear looked around at the second-tier transcendent beings.
This one’s gear was terrible, that one’s agility was poor. Right, wasn’t there a killer boxer?
Iron Bear spread his arms and shouted at a man in the corner:
“Black Fist, come here!”
At Iron Bear’s call, a lean bald man walked up to Chen Qi.
Though skinny, his dark skin was covered with scars and tattoos, each representing defeated opponents.
On Earth, this record would qualify him as a lightweight king.
Iron Bear said:
“Let me introduce the fighter Black Fist! He has a 75% win rate in the second-tier transcendent boxing matches!
He’s also the most skilled Blade affinity fighter!”
Fighter? Chen Qi stroked his chin.
The fighter was the strongest second-tier Blade affinity profession. Blade affinity comprehension, close combat, and Qi learning were all fully enhanced. It also had a skill called Qi Burst.
With appropriate body forging and breathing techniques, this profession could even master advanced Qi application like Qi Transformation at second-tier.
Pure Blade affinity professions were usually very tough.
Black Fist glanced at Chen Qi and said:
“You’re a Shadow affinity transcendent, right? Not good at frontal combat. How about we separate for a while before starting, giving you a chance to ambush.”
Black Fist wrapped his hands in bandages. In his impression, Shadow affinity transcendent beings were all sneaky scoundrels.
He smiled with amusement.
This guy was teasing the newbie again... Iron Bear cleared his throat:
“Our Hunter Association tests practical combat ability. But many people recently have come for assessments, and some rented training bases, so we can’t provide a proper combat arena for you two...
Therefore, it has to be like a sparring match for now... unless you want to wait a few days.”
“No, start like this. I think this place is a good enough arena.”
Chen Qi smiled faintly at Black Fist.
Iron Bear’s eyelid twitched.
Black Fist grinned and made a stabbing fist pose:
“Friend! You should respect, no, fear the Blade affinity!
It’s not rare for a Blade affinity transcendent to slaughter ten peers!”
Breathing technique! Hot Furnace!
His skin instantly became as hot as a burning furnace!
These two were in such a hurry they couldn’t show their professionalism... Iron Bear stepped back and said:
“Begin.”
Black Fist stepped forward swiftly. With Hot Furnace’s blessing, his figure blurred like an afterimage.
Footwork! Afterimage!
Stabbing fists. Ten tips!
With a crackling sound, ten ultra-fast stabbing punches struck Chen Qi’s chest solidly!
But the next second, Black Fist felt a stinging pain in his hand. Under Chen Qi’s clothes, black smoke continuously rose.
The punches were fast but impossible to dodge... Chen Qi watched Black Fist like a hunting wolf.
Black Fist’s breathing technique was Hot Furnace, an intermittent technique. While its burst could rival third-tier transcendent breath power, it came at the cost of breathing interruptions—
Black Fist threw several more punches!
Agile footwork, Phantom Punch!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chen Qi wrapped his Qi around his arm, defending with a bent arm, then seized the moment during Black Fist’s breathing gap to grab his fist.
Then he elbowed Black Fist’s jaw!
“You...”
Black Fist gritted his teeth.
Chen Qi wasted no words.
Taking advantage of Black Fist’s head tilting back, Chen Qi smoothly drew his Collector and fired a shot at Black Fist’s jaw.
Bang!
Black Fist shuddered, feeling a huge shock on his jaw and the bullet passing through his cheek.
This boxing fighter seemed unaccustomed to gunfire... Chen Qi gently pressed the trigger.
Come on, Beiguo was an era of firearms!
Flesh from Black Fist’s cheek fell to the ground.
As Chen Qi’s finger moved on the trigger, Black Fist looked at him silently and raised both hands!
Black Fist, you’re surrendering already?
Is it over?
Iron Bear was stunned; he thought the two were evenly matched.
Looks like we’ve got a really strong newbie in the Hunter Association...
Watching Black Fist raise his hands, Iron Bear glanced at the time.
This guy took even longer than Levin, the noble with all the fancy gear!
His strength was comparable to Levin’s.
Iron Bear cleared his throat:
“Sir, you’ve passed the second test. Please follow me to the meeting room.”