587: Dick in pursuit of perfection

Chapter 586: Dick, Who Pursued a Perfect Pass

Buzz—

The moment Ania left, a rapid buzzing sound echoed in the secret chamber, and hundreds of combined magic arrays began to operate.

Dick did not resist the intrusion of magic power and actively chose to sink into the illusion, his vision gradually becoming blurry.

Outside the secret chamber, Ania and a group of branch masters were fully focused, staring at the holographic projection in front of them, which was Dick's first-person perspective within the illusion.

Everything Dick experienced next would be presented as a 'live broadcast' for all invigilators to view.

'Listen up, if Dick doesn't even pass the first question, then all of your scores will be marked as the lowest...'

In this way, Ania could directly cancel Dick's Class B Special-grade title and bring him back to the Saint Ander Continent for punishment on the grounds of cheating!

Originally, the investigation into assessment cheating should have proceeded gradually, taking at least over a month.

But unexpectedly, Dick proactively proposed to undergo an S-level Elite assessment to prove that he hadn't cheated.

So the current situation is that if Dick fails to pass, it would be equivalent to him voluntarily admitting guilt.

As the Adventurers Guild's auditor, Ania hated any behavior that violated rules and regulations, especially assessment cheating.

At this point, a branch master close to the Suweier Royal Family couldn't help but ask, 'What if he successfully passes the first question?'

'There is no 'if','' Ania sneered, shaking her head. 'In a million years of history, most self-proclaimed extraordinary individuals have fallen on the first question.'

Clearly, Ania believed Dick was one of those self-proclaimed extraordinary individuals, and he would pay a heavy price for it.

[Assessment begins, First Question: 'Certain Death Situation'. Please begin answering.]

As the voice broadcast ended, Dick's vision instantly changed, switching from the pure white secret chamber to a vast flower field, with the sky covered in dark clouds.

'This is... Moon Rose?'

Looking around, Dick found a large number of magic flowers called Moon Roses. This was a harmless medicinal herb, often used to relieve mental fatigue.

'Cough cough... Ugh...'

Suddenly, Dick vomited a large mouthful of blood and knelt on the ground, his aura weak.

In the illusion of the first question, the role he played was a powerful Level 97 Swordsman, but he was severely injured and had no combat power.

'Heh heh, with this broken-down body, if I encounter any danger, I'm afraid I'll...'

Rumble—

A startling clap of thunder rang out.

Looking up, Dick's pupils contracted as he suddenly discovered a Level 99 Black Demon Thunder Dragon circling high in the sky.

It was ravenous, its eyes revealing a fierce glint, and it quickly locked onto the dying Dick.

Roar—

Misfortunes never come singly; a Level 99 Bloodthirsty Demon Tiger roared a hundred meters ahead.

It bared its fangs and claws, its mountain-like giant shadow enveloping Dick, and a chilling killing intent swept over him, as if it would pounce in the next second.

Rustle rustle...

Not only that, a scalp-numbing sound came from behind him again. Dick turned his head and was startled to find thousands of man-eating scorpions rushing towards him.

Perhaps in just a few more seconds, Dick would be swallowed by the scorpion swarm, not even leaving bones behind.

Looking at the certain death situation around him, Dick lightly exhaled and began to ponder a way to break the situation.

Normally, the difficulty of the S-level Elite theoretical assessment gradually increases, so the first question is often the simplest.

Since that's the case, it shouldn't create such... an unsolvable desperate situation. There must be a way to easily break the situation.

Although Ania was displeased with him, she valued rules and regulations more than anyone else and would never deliberately increase the difficulty just to target him.

Understanding this layer of logic, Dick no longer had any worries.

After all, as a top-tier expert, if there was a question that even Dick couldn't solve, it could only mean one thing.

The question is wrong!

Meanwhile, outside the secret chamber, Ania saw Dick standing still, and a cold glint gradually appeared in her eyes.

In her opinion, Dick was stunned by the scene before him and was standing there waiting for death, at a loss.

In pursuit of confidentiality, none of the invigilators present, including Ania, knew the correct answer; everything was determined by the pre-set assessment magic array.

'Hmph, I thought he had great ability, turns out it's just this...??!'

However, before Ania could finish speaking, the System's broadcast sound rang out.

[Congratulations to the candidate for perfectly passing the first question. Time taken: 19 seconds. The second question will begin after a ten-minute break. Please be prepared.]

Dick's vision switched back again, returning to the original pure white secret chamber, and the illusion from just now had completely disappeared.

'Heh heh, as expected, the first question is always the simplest...'

Dick chuckled and shook his head.

What did he just do?

He just squatted down, casually picked a Moon Rose, and threw it into his mouth to chew a few times.

This was the solution to the first question, so simple it was speechless!

What Level 99 Black Demon Thunder Dragon?

What Level 99 Bloodthirsty Demon Tiger?

What hundreds and thousands of man-eating scorpions?

The so-called certain death crisis was all an illusion, a mental interference caused by the Moon Roses. The severely injured Swordsman Dick played was not in any danger at all!

When stimulated, Moon Roses actively release trace amounts of neurotoxins, which generally only make people feel tired and have no other harm.

However, there were over a hundred thousand Moon Roses in the sea of flowers. As heavy rain was approaching, they instinctively released neurotoxins together out of fear.

The high-level Swordsman Dick played was already severely injured and dying, completely defenseless. After inhaling a large amount of neurotoxins, he experienced hallucinations.

His heavily scarred blood vessels and muscles could no longer withstand even a trace of magic power flow. If he carelessly used sword techniques or magic, he would die on the spot from excessive blood flow.

So the correct answer was... to do nothing, just sit down where he was, and close his eyes to rest.

The Moon Roses' mental toxin was very weak. The terrifying hallucinations would last at most five minutes before disappearing on their own.

But what Dick pursued wasn't just correctness, but perfection!

Therefore, he wanted to actively break the illusion. The method to detoxify was to casually eat a Moon Rose, without needing to wait another five minutes.

This first question seemed incredibly simple, but in reality... it wasn't difficult at all either. It mainly tested insight and on-the-spot analysis ability.

Who would have thought that the first question would immediately be an illusion within an illusion? This situation could deceive most people.

As long as one didn't take the Moon Roses seriously, as long as one didn't realize this was a 'dream within a dream', the first question would be a complete failure, turning the fake desperate situation into a real one.

Listening to the sound of the magic array operating inside the secret chamber, Dick's lips curved into a smile, and he said loudly, 'Lady Ania, I request to cancel the break time!'

'...'

After more than ten seconds of silence, Ania's voice finally sounded.

'You must know that each subsequent question will be seamlessly connected. As soon as one question ends, the next will begin immediately. Your mental state will not be able to recover...'

Due to his perfect performance in the first question, Ania's opinion of Dick changed considerably, and her appreciation for talent surged, which was why she said so much.

However, Dick did not appreciate her kindness; he simply didn't want to waste time.

Anyway, the next nine questions would basically be instantly cleared just like the first one. There would be no significant mental exhaustion at all, so naturally, no recovery would be needed.

'I appreciate your kindness.'

'...'

Seeing Dick say this, Ania could only sigh softly. The next second, the magic array's operation speed increased, and a new round of illusion quickly generated.

[Second Question: 'Dilemma'. If the Grand Master of the Adventurers Guild and your parents fall into lava together, which side would you save first?]