"Do you fear loneliness?"
The voice of the little Raccoon Administrator dropped, its round paws unconsciously rubbing the golden bell on its chest.
It tilted its head, examining Tendo. Complex emotions churned in its amber pupils.
This answer shattered its preconceived notion of a 'powerhouse,' yet it was so logical and reasonable that the Raccoon couldn't refute it.
After a full five seconds of silence, the Raccoon finally spoke again, though its normally cute, infantile voice now held a hint of formality.
"Tendo Simei, actually, according to the normal assessment process, you and Caroline are already considered to have passed."
"Because this assessment was never about testing survival ability; it was about testing whether you could maintain composure and seek out that only chance of survival when faced with danger."
"Of course, all of this is predicated on you inherently possessing the fundamental capabilities required to be an Explorer."
"And you and Caroline perfectly meet these conditions, but—"
Mid-sentence, the little Raccoon Administrator's round face slowly stripped away all emotion, and its amber pupils sharpened.
Immediately after, the black mist surrounding it suddenly began to stir, gathering and swirling around its body like an awakened tide.
"...Someone specifically sought me out before you took the assessment, asking me to test your depth."
Upon hearing this, before Tendo could speak, Caroline said with a cold face, "Who?"
She took half a step forward, shielding Tendo's side. Her wrist terminal projected a light green defensive light screen, and her emerald pupils were full of vigilance.
Looking at Caroline, whose attitude had clearly shifted, the little Raccoon Administrator shook its head, offering no direct answer.
"I apologize, I cannot say, as it is against the 'rules'."
"However, you needn't worry too much about this test, as the result, regardless of what it is, will not affect your assessment outcome."
As it spoke, the little Raccoon Administrator turned to look at Tendo.
"Of course, the decision of whether or not to proceed with this little test is yours. You can refuse."
Tendo, unusually, showed a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"How interesting."
He shed his former air of carelessness, raising a hand to press Caroline's shoulder, gently pushing her behind him.
"Don't worry. It's just an amusing 'little game'."
Hearing this, Caroline remained silent for a moment before obediently retreating further back.
At the same time, the live broadcast of the assessment grounds was completely interrupted, and only Tendo, the others present, and the Dimensional Spectators on Site 13 could know what was about to happen here.
Following this, an invisible Vector Field unfolded around Tendo.
Invisible light patterns spread out from under his feet, covering the entire plaza like ripples on water. They quickly collided with the Raccoon Administrator's black mist in mid-air, creating crackling sounds.
A clear boundary of light and darkness divided the plaza in two, forming a bizarre standoff: one side was frigid black mist, the other was warm Star Energy.
Seeing this, a flash of excitement crossed the Raccoon Administrator's amber pupils, realizing Tendo's decision.
"It seems you've made your choice."
Boom!
As the words fell, the black mist around the little Raccoon Administrator instantly became frenzied.
Like countless twisted black snakes, they coalesced in mid-air, forming the colossal shadow of a claw and reverse-spiked fangs.
Simultaneously, the temperature in the plaza plummeted to freezing point. Tiny white frost even condensed on Caroline's eyelashes. She stared intently at the attack shapes formed by the black mist, and her terminal began furiously flashing warnings.
[Warning! Star Energy fluctuations detected! Calamity-level energy reaction detected!]
This was the true power of the Eternal Nightmare Administrator, far surpassing the strength it displayed when dealing with Chen Kong and his team earlier.
After all, back then, it was merely 'playing,' and not taking things seriously at all.
Facing this terrifying black mist, even from a distance of over a hundred meters, subtle cracks appeared on Caroline's defensive light screen—a sign that energy was being devoured by the black mist.
In contrast, Tendo slightly narrowed his eyes.
He could clearly perceive that the black mist controlled by the little Raccoon Administrator contained a power akin to 'emotional pollution.'
Even a Star Envoy with firm willpower would fall into their own fear-induced illusion if touched by the black mist, making it quite troublesome.
At the same time, Tendo clearly understood the essence of this test. Someone wanted to confirm whether he truly possessed the strength to match or even defeat a 'typical Calamity-level' entity.
Even if he had achieved something similar not long ago at the seaside concert hall, they still wanted to be sure.
As for who this person was... it was likely some 'old-timer' who hadn't left their door much for decades.
"Tendo, its black mist can devour Star Energy and corrupt a part of spell structures."
Caroline's voice came from behind. Her terminal was connected to Tendo's Vector Field, relaying analyzed information about the little Raccoon Administrator.
However, Caroline was well aware of her duty and Tendo's 'pride,' so she asked, "Do you need further analysis?"
Tendo's answer was within Caroline's expectations.
"No need."
Tendo's voice was soft, yet carried absolute confidence.
Although the little Raccoon Administrator was indeed powerful, its current methods were still insufficient to genuinely threaten him.
And the best way to deal with such 'emotional' means was undoubtedly to simply disperse them.
Without resorting to overly flashy techniques, Tendo raised his hand.
Immediately after, a boundless Vector Field began to gather at Tendo's fingertips.
Star Energy Spell—Black Azure.
As if sensing Tendo's intention, the black mist surrounding the little Raccoon Administrator roared with an unknown sound, forming a colossal claw that fiercely swiped towards Tendo.
The force generated by the claw shadow sent shattered stones flying across the ground. Where the black mist passed, even the air was torn with tiny 'fissures.'
And just as the black claw was about to descend upon Tendo, the black Vector light sphere condensed at his fingertip shot out!
The black Vector light sphere collided with the colossal claw formed by the black mist. However, the expected earth-shattering explosion did not occur. Instead, there was only a soft 'pop,' and the giant claw was instantly pierced by the Vector light sphere like a popped balloon, turning into countless black light spots that vanished into the plaza.
Watching his attack being easily nullified by Tendo.
The little Raccoon Administrator showed no surprise; after all, this was merely a simple probing move.
And the result of this probing was quite satisfactory.
Looking at the equally composed Tendo nearby, the little Raccoon Administrator smiled and said, "Tendo Simei, you truly are as interesting as the Chairman General said."
To this, Tendo retorted playfully, "Didn't you just say you couldn't reveal who instructed you?"
The Raccoon Administrator said carelessly, "I didn't reveal anything. You merely guessed it yourself, didn't you?"
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