This villain is too popular.

Chapter 379, Level 2: Hide and Seek
Name: Ross Stairs

[Description: A cyclical staircase composed of multiple subspaces combined with special mechanical results. Each staircase space is an independent entity and changes according to a certain pattern.]

[Evaluation: A large structure resembling a Rubik's Cube, often used for the protection of important facilities.]

Upon seeing the description of the Ross Stairs, the comments on the 13th station immediately began to scroll.

'So, this so-called Ross Staircase is a type of structure similar to the Ember Base/Infinite City from Season 1?'

'No wonder Lao Tian passed through so easily; what others couldn't see, his Star Eclipse Heavenly Eye could see very easily.'

Is the purpose of the assessment to weed out those who are careless?

"I'm not sure. It seems like this assessment requires more than just being attentive; you also need a certain level of observational skills. After all, no matter how attentive you are, it's useless if you can't spot the clues."

As the comments scrolled by, the anime's camera focused on Chen Kong and the others who were still trapped in the Rose Staircase.

The subspace of the Ross Staircase continued to shift, and in the blink of an eye, the 'Step 12' they had just been standing on had become the 'Step 3'.

At the same time, the invisible star energy patterns on the wall began to recombine rapidly like flowing water, dazzling the eyes.

"Quickly! Now!"

With one minute left in the assessment, Vivian suddenly shouted and charged towards the wall in front of her.

Upon seeing this, Chen Kong and the others immediately followed, taking advantage of the gap in the subspace rotation, and 'whoosh' passed through the wall.

After successfully passing the test, Liu Ma immediately collapsed to the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Phew, this damn assessment was too torturous! I almost got stuck in the space!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong nodded in agreement, secretly rejoicing.

Fortunately, Vivian was there; otherwise, even if they knew the way to pass the level, they wouldn't have been able to seize that fleeting 'spatial overlap point'.

After resting, Chen Kong looked up at his surroundings, his pupils instantly shrinking.

Because the place they were in at that moment was none other than the rest hall where they had started.

[Explorer Assessment Rest Lobby]

"Assessment complete. Number of people who have passed: 11."

The raccoon caretaker, dressed in a black suit, walked from the main gate to the lounge with his short legs, just like when he first appeared.

But unlike before, there were only eleven people left in the lounge.

Without wasting any time, the raccoon keeper's round eyes swept over everyone, his little paws behind his back, like a serious examiner, and he revealed the essence of this strange test.

"Everyone, the rules in the occupied areas are incredibly varied, and some dangerous areas even have multiple rules at the same time."

"To survive in such a place and successfully complete the exploration, in addition to a certain level of strength, you also need to have keen observation skills."

"After all, reality is different from the assessment. If you fail the assessment, you can try again, but if you fail in reality, you will basically be stuck in the occupied zone forever as 'star beast nourishment'."

"So this test will assess your 'observation' and 'judgment' skills, and the opportunity will be fleeting."

No sooner had the raccoon manager finished speaking than Liu Ma, who had long been dissatisfied with the assessment, immediately raised an objection.

"This isn't a test of observation and judgment; it's clearly discrimination."

Liu Ma stood up, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

“You know, not everyone is sensitive to space. For a Enhancement-type Star Envoy like me, perceiving subspace is less useful than fighting Star Beasts. This assessment is completely unfair!” In response to Liu Ma’s question, the raccoon administrator tilted his head and said calmly, “This student, in the world of explorers, there is no such thing as ‘fairness’.”

"Your enemies will not deliberately avoid spatially occupied areas just because you are not good at spatial awareness."

"Survival is about finding that precious opportunity in your own 'discomfort zone'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the raccoon keeper waved his hand.

The next second, the lounge where they were located suddenly began to shake violently.

The surrounding walls, the ceiling above, and the ground beneath my feet are like randomly pieced-together building blocks, constantly being reassembled and iterated.

Soon, the bright lights in the hall disappeared, replaced by metal tunnels filled with pipes, warehouses piled with discarded parts, and simulated jungles overgrown with vines.

In the blink of an eye, they went from the modern lobby to a complex 'parkour maze'.

The raccoon floated in mid-air, looked down at the crowd, and said, "Everyone, the next test is called... Hide and Seek."

"As we all know, the occupied zone is dangerous, not only because of the unknown rules within it, but also because of the powerful star beasts that live there."

"Aside from certain monsters that cannot be measured by common sense, most explorers who enter the occupied zone have only one primary goal: to find a way to get out of the occupied zone alive."

"Therefore, what explorers value more than combat power is actually survivability."

"After all, only the living can bring back valuable information about the occupied territories."

As he spoke, the raccoon took out a bell and hung it around his neck.

"And as long as you can get through this stage, the final assessment will basically be a formality."

"Because the final hurdle is a written test, and you will be given three days to prepare."

"Three days is enough time for you to master and memorize the theoretical knowledge that a qualified explorer should possess."

As soon as he finished speaking, the raccoon shook its bell, and the clear sound of the bell caused faint stellar energy fluctuations to ripple throughout the entire maze.

"The next test will be in groups of three. If you can evade the 'pursuer' (that is, me) for more than five minutes, then you will pass the test."

"Just a heads up, the 'Star Energy Detector' in the maze will scan every five seconds, and anyone caught in the scan will immediately reveal their location."

Although the assessment was quite difficult, Chen Kong couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Because if we only consider combat strength, he is clearly at the bottom among the current group.

However, when it comes to hiding and survival, his Void Pattern can greatly reduce his presence, and the Dreamer can choose the appropriate Star Source to deal with the environment, maximizing his hiding and survival abilities.

Therefore, the second level of hide-and-seek was actually much easier for him than the first level.

If he can't even pass this test, then he's really wasted his 'Sky Pattern' and 'Dreamer'.

"Alright everyone, let's start the grouping now."

"You can form your own teams first, and I will randomly assign any of you who are left out."

"Because of the number of people, in addition to the three three-person teams, there will also be a two-person team."

"As for who will be in this two-person team, we'll have to wait and see how the teams are grouped up later."

(End of this chapter)