hotmtlnovel Chapter 151: Chapter151-The Assessment
Chapter 151: Chapter151-The Assessment
"Elowen, they might not grasp the seriousness of this situation, but you must. This is partly my fault for not explaining it clearly from the start. But it's not too late to explain now.
What is the key to selecting these three candidates? Strength? Yes, but that's not the whole story.
With your current strength, most problems will be resolved when you show up.
But if you encounter issues that even you can't solve, the golems and contract monsters I leave for you will come into play.
So, for those who will sign contracts with these beings, strength is not the main criterion.
What matters is loyalty, courage in the face of adversity, and unwavering willpower and faith.
These are the key factors in determining whether a person is qualified."
John took a deep breath and glanced at the departing figures of Alice and Cleveland, letting out a cold chuckle.
"Alice is too opportunistic, always exaggerating her abilities to elevate herself but lacks the corresponding strength and the ability to handle pressure. When faced with difficulties, she resorts to crying.
As for Cleveland, he's a foolish brute with an overinflated ego and excessive self-esteem. I don't even want to comment further on him. Neither of these two are qualified, and I advise you not to keep such people around.
Elowen, you are now the king of the elves, not the captain of the guard squad you once were. You can be kind and approachable to your people, but you can't rely solely on kindness. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I... I understand, Brother John. I was too soft-hearted."
"Good to hear. In any case, Eden needs further observation. I thought I could solve the monster contract issue on this trip, but it seems three days isn't enough. Here's what we'll do: you look for suitable candidates in the tribe based on certain criteria and gather them for training."
"Training?"
Elowen looked bewildered, clearly not fully grasping John's words.
"Tsk, I told you not to deal with idiots so much that you become one yourself. Training is just a pretext; the real purpose is assessment, to find those with truly high qualities. Let's start with three candidates. Also, put Eden in the mix. If he's truly trustworthy, he'll pass the test."
"That's not difficult, but Master John, I'm unsure about the test contents."
"It's simple. Have you heard of the humanity test? For example, imagine I have a bomb in my hand... you can think of it as an overloaded chant essence that will explode with a strong impact.
Now, if I throw it into a crowd, what kind of reaction would be considered qualified?"
Looking at the slightly naive and immature faces before him, John squinted and smiled, "They all look pretty good."
"After all, they were selected according to your criteria, Master John."
"Don't be too happy yet. You can never fully know someone's true nature just by their appearance. Whether they can make it will require long-term training."
John slowly walked to the front of the group. After pausing to look at each face, he spoke in a serious tone, "I know you might be wondering why you're here. Don't worry, you'll soon find out.
Do you see the iron cage behind me? Inside are fifteen monsters, one for each of you. In ten minutes, I will open the cage, letting the monsters run wild and wreak havoc in the Elven habitat. During this time, I will not intervene unless ordinary citizens are endangered.
Your task is to minimize the damage within two hours and either kill or capture all fifteen spellbeasts. I will evaluate each of you based on your performance.
If anyone has questions, raise your hand now. If anyone wants to withdraw, the same applies."
As soon as John finished speaking, someone immediately raised their hand.
"Before asking your question, state your name. It's basic courtesy. You in the second row, second from the left, what's your question?"
"During the hunt, can we use external assistance? For example, help from the guard squad."
"I won't give you any hints. How you choose to act is entirely up to you. Also, what's your name? Didn't I say to state your name before asking a question?"
"S-sorry, my name is Puck."
"Very well, Puck, you've successfully made a poor first impression. I hope you can redeem yourself with your performance later. Now, who else has a question? You there, what do you want to say?"
"Sir! My name is Fischer Davis! I want to ask, under what circumstances will you intervene during the hunt?"
"If things get completely out of control, such as if you fail to kill or capture a single monster and there are casualties, I will step in immediately. Of course, this also means that all fifteen of you will be deemed unqualified.
So, you'd better give it your all to control the situation as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the consequences will be more severe than just making a bad impression on me.
Now, one last question. Who else wants to ask something? After answering this question, we'll begin.
Eden, what do you want to ask?"
"During the waiting time, can we prepare in advance, such as setting up defenses or blockades?"
"Do as you see fit. As I said, what you do is entirely up to your judgment. I'm only here to clean up any messes you might leave behind. That's all I care about. Alright, Q&A time is over. The ten-minute countdown starts now!"