"Monster?"
Hearing that, Tendo smiled, and the golden glow of Immortal-attribute Starlight energy flickered gently in his pupils.
He raised a hand to brush away the rubble on his shoulder, speaking the most inappropriate words in the most relaxed tone.
"I'm not a monster. I'm just an 'above-average' ordinary person."
The New Federation had many geniuses.
Not to mention Caroline, Ye Shenlin, and even Chen Kong and Liu Ma, who were Lesser Children of the Stars—they could all be considered true geniuses.
The Raccoon Administrator had seen many geniuses, including top-tier existence like Enite.
But among all the geniuses it had seen, Tendo was the cream of the crop.
It even felt that someone like Enite couldn't have accomplished what Tendo was doing now at Tendo's age.
Monster—that was its most objective assessment of Tendo.
And when it thought of Enite, the fire in the Raccoon Administrator's purple eye sockets suddenly stagnated, and its body, formed by black mist, became momentarily transparent.
"Ordinary person?"
The Shadow Nightmare's voice carried a heavy echo, and its black mist body trembled slightly.
"Enite said something similar back then."
As the words fell, massive amounts of violent black mist and black lightning erupted from its body.
Immediately after, countless distorted human faces emerged from the black mist, screaming and wailing...
Those were the countless fears it had devoured from humans during its rule over the Black Mist Fallen Zone.
As one of the few Calamity-level Star Beasts aware of the concept of 'sustainable development,' it had forcibly protected all the people in the Black Mist Zone back then.
Its purpose was to ensure they would provide it with an unending stream of fear energy.
Although its motive was not pure, in terms of results, it was indeed one of the few Calamity-level Star Beasts with almost no 'kill records.'
Without rushing to attack Tendo, the Raccoon Administrator lowered its head to look at the golden bell on its neck.
This bell, personally forged by Enite, now emitted a faint golden light—the 'shackle' that sealed 70% of its power.
Back then, when it stirred up a bloodbath in the Fallen Zone, humans called it the 'Source of Nightmares,' until Enite appeared before it and shattered everything with a single punch.
Thinking of this, the Raccoon Administrator raised its hand. Black mist surged from the ground, condensing into dozens of barbed tentacles that attacked Tendo from all directions.
The tentacles rushed in with a sharp whooshing sound, each containing enough power to tear apart an alloy.
"Come on! Let me see your true capability!"
"Enite defeated me with his fist back then. Today, I want to see if you can do the same."
As the words finished, dozens of tentacles attacked with a sharp whooshing sound, like an impenetrable black net, sealing off all of Tendo's escape routes.
The tentacles left scorched traces as they sliced through the air, seemingly tearing space itself.
Caroline watched from a distance, her heart pounding. The alarm on her terminal was a continuous scream.
She wanted to intervene, but seeing Tendo's calm expression, she ultimately chose to watch silently.
She knew Tendo's personality—he would absolutely not allow anyone to rashly step onto his 'stage.'
Sure enough, just as the tentacles were about to land on Tendo, he spoke again.
"Vector... Reversal."
Tendo's voice was calm. An invisible vector field unfolded around him, forming a translucent barrier.
The moment the first tentacle struck the barrier, it was instantly pulverized into fine black light particles, scattering into the air, as if it had hit an indestructible wall.
Immediately after, the second, the third... the sky full of tentacles rushed forward one after another, only to shatter repeatedly, the black light particles showering down like meteors.
Amidst the countless light particles, Tendo's figure darted like a ghost.
He didn't use any complicated techniques, relying solely on the exaggerated physical capabilities enhanced by the Sage Mode, flexibly dodging through the gaps between the tentacles.
Faint golden glowing patterns flowed across his skin. Every push off the ground, every turn, precisely avoided the attacks, his movements as fluid as a magnificent dance.
Seeing this, the Raccoon Administrator's purple eye sockets contracted sharply.
Its tentacle attacks had reached the speed of sound, yet Tendo seemed to anticipate the trajectory, always evading by a hair's breadth.
This extreme reaction capability reminded it of Enite once again.
That man was the same back then, casually dodging no matter how fast an attack it launched.
In the instant the Raccoon Administrator was distracted, Tendo suddenly accelerated!
The ground beneath his feet cracked again. His body turned into a golden meteor, breaking through the last few tentacles and instantly appearing before the Shadow Nightmare.
To the ten-meter-tall Star Beast, Tendo's figure was undoubtedly tiny at this moment.
But it was this seemingly insignificant human that made it feel 'danger.'
Tendo gave it no extra time to think. The golden light in his eyes flared, and all his Immortal-attribute Starlight energy converged on his right fist. The glowing patterns shone blindingly.
The very surface of his fist was causing slight distortions in the surrounding space due to the excessive concentration of energy.
The sheer power was evident.
As Tendo's right fist smashed out violently, time seemed to pause at that moment.
The Raccoon Administrator could clearly see the golden light trails flowing on Tendo's fist, hear the 'sizzling' sound of its black mist body due to fear, and even recall the incomparable, overwhelming sense of suffocation when Enite's punch shattered its main body back then.
In the slow-motion scene, Tendo's fist, carrying golden light, accurately struck the Shadow Nightmare's chest.
This was the location of its Nightmare Star Core, and the core position where Enite sealed it back then.
Boom!
As the Immortal-attribute Starlight energy instantly erupted, a pale golden light burst open from its chest.
The next second, the Raccoon Administrator's massive black mist body was torn open with a huge gap, and countless black light particles dissipated in the glow.
The fear emotions that had been devoured were now transformed into free light particles, scattering into the world.
"Roar!"
The Raccoon Administrator let out a painful yet liberating scream.
Subsequently, its body began to rapidly disintegrate. The black mist around it scattered everywhere as if blown by the wind, and the fire in its purple eye sockets gradually dimmed.
Accompanying the last crisp 'ding' from the golden bell on its neck, its body, along with the surrounding black mist, transformed into countless light particles and appeared above the abandoned plaza.
After the light particles dispersed, a pale golden rune fell to the ground, engraved with Enite's exclusive mark—the proof of passing the assessment.
"Phew."
The raccoon's figure reappeared before Tendo.
It collapsed onto the ground, its round face full of exhaustion, yet wearing a look of relieved satisfaction.
"You passed the test."
Watching the exhausted raccoon curl up into a ball, the glowing patterns around Tendo and the golden light in his pupils faded in synchronization. As the physical burden brought by the Sage Mode receded like a tide, Tendo felt a rare sense of exhaustion.
He leaned on his knees and took two breaths, then walked over and sat down next to the raccoon, smiling, "Just lucky. If you hadn't had 70% of your power sealed by the golden bell, I wouldn't have won so easily."
"What luck?"
The raccoon waved its paw, its padded feet tapping the ground with a soft 'pat.' Its round face was full of openness.
"Whether the power is enough, whether you won or not, it's all part of your capability. If you won, you won. There are no 'what ifs.'"
No sooner had it spoken than a faint blue teleportation light, like gentle running water, quietly washed over their ankles.
At the same time, the power of the Eternal Nightmare domain rapidly dissolved in the light. The dark clouds in the sky were completely blown away.
Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the ruins, casting dappled light spots on the rubble. Even the musty smell in the air faded slightly, warm and bright.
When the teleportation light dissipated, the familiar ceiling of the lounge came into view for Tendo and Caroline.
Since the live broadcast on the holographic screen was briefly suspended during the Raccoon Administrator's private test with Tendo,
Chen Kong and the others had no way of knowing what transpired during the assessment.
As for whether Tendo and Caroline might fail the assessment, they didn't think that way.
But guessing was one thing; knowing was another.
As soon as Caroline stood firm, some people nearby couldn't resist coming up to ask questions.
She looked helplessly at Tendo, only to find the raccoon had already jumped onto the high platform and cleared its throat.
"Quiet!"
The squeaky voice carried the coercion of a Calamity-level Star Beast. The hall instantly fell silent.
Looking at the newly restored order, the Raccoon Administrator raised its paw and pointed at Tendo and Caroline, announcing loudly: "Assessees Caroline and Tendo Simei, the second stage of the assessment is passed!"
After speaking, the Raccoon Administrator turned to look at the other assessees who had passed and remained in the venue.
"Alright everyone, those who passed, follow me. This last stage is just a formality and has no time limit."
"I'll take you to collect the data first. Whenever you feel you've fully grasped it, you can apply for the assessment."
Pausing here, the Raccoon Administrator added: "By the way, this final stage has no limit on the number of attempts, so don't worry if you fail. You can try again."
Hearing this, Chen Kong secretly clenched his fists in the crowd.
By now, he had already understood the entire process of the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Competition and the operational logic of the Heavenly Martial Training Base.
The Explorer Qualification—this was a prerequisite for anyone who wanted to achieve anything in the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Competition.
Without it, you could only be an ordinary logistical staff member, like those living in the Yellow-Rank Training Zone, and would be completely unable to participate in dangerous Fallen Zone explorations.
But Chen Kong's excitement didn't last for more than a few seconds before he thought of Liu Ma, Vivian, and Isabel.
After all, there were four of them when they arrived, but now... only he had made it to the final stage.
"What are you thinking? You look so distressed."
Liu Ma saw what was on his mind, reached out to ruffle his hair, and spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"This assessment isn't a one-time thing! Vivian, Isabel, and I will go back and study. We'll definitely pass it within the adaptation period, at most within half a month."
"You, go quickly and prepare for the third stage. Don't be brooding here."
Chen Kong looked up at Liu Ma's grinning face, and the disappointment in his heart instantly dispersed for the most part.
He nodded forcefully: "Yes! The next time you take the assessment, I'll be your sparring partner!"
"Go, go!"
Liu Ma pushed his back, nodding toward the Raccoon Administrator's direction.
"Don't make everyone wait for just you."
Chen Kong hesitated no longer and quickly caught up with the group.
As he walked through a narrow corridor, he could still smell the faint scent of disinfectant on the walls. The indicator lights on both sides of the corridor flashed every few seconds, reflecting cold light off the floor tiles.
After walking for about five minutes, everyone finally arrived at a spacious conference room. Chairs were neatly arranged around a long table, and several pots of well-growing plants sat on the window sill.
Creak!
The conference room door was pushed open, and an owl admin wearing round-framed glasses walked in.
It carried a thick stack of documents in its arms, with a tablet tucked under its wing. Upon reaching the long table, it carefully placed the documents on the table and pushed up its glasses, which had slipped to the tip of its beak.
"These are the examination materials for the third stage, divided into two books: Explorer Action Guidelines and Fallen Zone Environment and Star Beast Basic Data."
Mid-sentence, the owl admin paused, pointing its wing at its tablet.
"Android Star Emissaries can come to me to apply for data transfer and directly save these materials into their private quantum database."
"As for non-Android Star Emissaries, you will have to read them yourselves. It's recommended that you read them thoroughly before applying for the third stage assessment, as one attempt costs 100 Heavenly Martial Coins."
The owl admin added, its tone slightly serious: "Although there's no limit on attempts, I still advise you to be well-prepared before coming. Don't waste money; Heavenly Martial Coins are not easy to earn."
With that, the owl, holding its tablet, turned and walked out of the conference room, closing the door softly to avoid disturbing everyone.
With a touch of curiosity, Chen Kong picked up a copy of Fallen Zone Environment and Star Beast Basic Data.
The book cover was dark blue, bearing the emblem of the Heavenly Martial Training Base.
He opened the book and quickly stopped at the section for 'Latest Fallen Zone Investigation Records.'
The most recently appeared Fallen Zone was conspicuously labeled 'Isle of Longevity,' accompanied by a blurry satellite image.
The island in the image was shrouded in dense fog, with giant biological outlines vaguely visible along the shore.
Whether it was through anticipation or luck, Chen Kong made sure to remember the words 'Isle of Longevity' after seeing them.
Then, he took a deep breath, opened Explorer Action Guidelines, and began to read it seriously.
There wasn't much time left before the one-month adaptation period ended. He wanted to obtain the Explorer Qualification as soon as possible to ensure that he wouldn't be eliminated later for failing to obtain it.
The sunlight outside the window shone through the glass onto the pages, warm and bright, as if cheering him on for his future new journey.
In contrast to his seriousness, Tendo, nearby, only casually flipped through the books a few times before standing up and addressing the Raccoon Administrator: "Can I take the assessment now?"
The Raccoon Administrator asked curiously, "You finished reading?"
To this, Tendo responded with a smile.
"If it's just the content within the books, then I think... I have finished reading."