"..."
Watching the Raccoon Administrator, who moments ago insisted on following the rules, instantly blurt out its entire background, many dimensional viewers couldn't help but laugh.
Their gazes towards the Raccoon Administrator on the screen carried a feeling of looking at a "big simpleton."
Counting the Otter Administrator that appeared during the first training session not long ago, there were now two Calamity-level existences in the Heavenly Martial Training Base.
It was strange, however, that unlike the imagined Calamity-level powerhouses, who were expected to have an overwhelming aura upon entry and be clearly different from the common folk, both the Otter Administrator and the current Raccoon Administrator appeared mostly harmless.
While this could be explained by the unique "strong-character art style" of the show, in a realistic setting, it seemed somewhat inconsistent with normal expectations.
After all, the Calamity level was above the Overlord level. Most Calamity-level Star Beasts wouldn't play the so-called "act-like-a-pig-to-eat-a-tiger" game.
As "Kings," what they demanded was absolute submission.
They needed to intimidate other equally unruly Star Beasts within their territory.
On this matter, Tendo, who had briefly reached a stalemate with the Raccoon Administrator in the arena, seemed to have some thoughts.
He looked at the raccoon, which had stood up again, and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, all you 'Administrators' are the defeated foes of the former President, Enite, correct?"
"Uh..."
Hearing Tendo's words, the Raccoon Administrator froze.
Its paw halted abruptly in mid-air, its amber pupils filled with shock, and the fur on its tail bristled up.
While the existence of its kind was not exactly a secret in the New Federation, very few people actually knew about them.
Especially that they were the former "Calamity-level Star Beasts" defeated by President Enite back in the day.
After all, who could accept that the administrator they played around with every day was once a Calamity capable of flattening cities?
With a hint of curiosity, the Raccoon Administrator inquired, "How do you know that? Did Enite tell you?"
Tendo shook his head in response.
Seeing this, the Raccoon Administrator was confused.
"Then how did you find out?"
Tendo took two steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding ruins, and calmly said: "For a group of Calamity-level beings to willingly stay in a training base and act as 'Administrators' instead of claiming territory as kings..."
"They were either forcibly sealed, or they were subdued by absolute power."
Tendo paused, a faint smile curving his lips.
"Considering that when you mentioned 'rules' just now, your tone held no resentment, only reverence."
"Therefore, you couldn't have been sealed; rather, you were subdued by someone and arranged to be here."
"In the current New Federation, who else possesses such strength besides President Enite?"
"So that's it."
The raccoon realized the truth. It clapped its paws, its tone carrying a hint of admiration.
"No wonder Enite always said, 'The most terrifying thing isn't immense power, but a mind that can see through the essence.' You humans do have some tricks up your sleeves."
"But what does this have to do with our test?"
"Nothing, I just found it interesting."
Tendo shrugged, his gaze gradually becoming serious.
"After all, an existence defeated by the President surely possesses more strength than what was just displayed, don't you think?"
The Raccoon remained silent.
It stared at Tendo for three seconds, then suddenly sighed.
"You're right. It's about time I got serious too."
As its words fell, it raised a paw and gently patted the golden bell on its chest.
Ding!
As the crisp chime faded, the raccoon's figure was completely swallowed by a surge of black mist around it.
The black mist was no longer thin but thick like molten ink, rolling on the ground and constantly climbing upwards, eventually reaching a height of ten meters.
As light was absorbed by the black mist, the surrounding ruins quickly sank into an eerie darkness. Only the surface of the black mist glowed with pulsing purple lines, like the blood vessels of a living creature.
Before long, the black mist fully condensed, revealing the true form of the Shadow Nightmare.
Its body resembled a giant bear magnified tenfold, yet it had no physical form. Its body was made of translucent black mist, with fragmented shadows constantly peeling off the edges of its outline and merging back into its interior.
Its head had no facial features, only a pair of eye sockets burning with purple flames.
And within the flickering flames in those eye sockets, one could vaguely see countless distorted human faces flashing by.
Those were the fragments of emotion it had devoured—the prey it had "captured" in the past.
[Name: Shadow Nightmare]
[Level: 4 (Calamity)]
[Traits: Emotion Capture · Weakness Insight · Dream Feeder]
[Note: Formerly the 'Lord' of the Black Mist Sinking Zone, feeding on the fear and despair of living creatures. Later defeated by President Enite, it voluntarily became the examination administrator for the Heavenly Martial Training Base.]
Watching the drastically changed Raccoon Administrator, the bullet screen on Site 13 instantly shifted from "Haha Party" to "Shock Party."
'So, the little raccoon just now was actually this monster?'
'No wonder it can be an examination administrator. With that size and aura, the number of people means nothing to it.'
'Just how strong is the President? He was able to subdue a monster like this so early on?'
After fully revealing its true form, the Raccoon Administrator (Shadow Nightmare) lowered its head to look at the now much smaller Tendo below and spoke.
Its voice was no longer soft and child-like but was like countless people speaking simultaneously, carrying a heavy echo.
"I chose the raccoon appearance after observing humans, because you humans inherently lower your guard by 37% towards fluffy little things. This complies with Enite's requirement of 'not interfering with the lives of ordinary people,' and it wouldn't impact you too much."
As it spoke, the Raccoon Administrator raised its currently enormous paw.
Black, viscous mist slowly condensed at its claw tips.
"Alright, Tendo Simei, now let me see your true strength. After all, someone highly regarded by Enite must be extraordinary."
In response, the smile on Tendo's face grew even brighter.
He could feel that the Shadow Nightmare's Star Energy fluctuations were now ten times stronger, or more, than its disguised form earlier.
And for him, this was precisely the most interesting challenge.
After all, even he wasn't entirely sure what level his own strength had reached and needed a reference point for comparison.
The Raccoon Administrator, with its standard Calamity-level power, was undoubtedly the best candidate.
Thinking this, Tendo looked up at the Raccoon Administrator and slowly removed his black eye-band.
"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed."