This villain is too popular.

Chapter 382 A Difficult Test, A Video Game Master's Adaptability
[Explorer Qualification Assessment, Second Stage]

"Damn it! They're coming this way!"

In the ruins of Skyradiance City, a passerby woman clutched a Star Energy Topography Device in her hand, her face somewhat pale.

On the screen, countless red dots were rapidly approaching them.

Among these red dots, one huge, blood-red dot was moving at an extremely fast speed.

Before she could react, a howling sound came from outside the ruins.

That was the howl of the Shadow Wolves, with the alpha wolf carrying the oppressive aura unique to Cataclysmic Star Beasts, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Hearing this commotion, a passerby swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "What on earth is this assessment for? Why are they letting even a Cataclysmic Star Beast in? Aren't they afraid something will happen?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the broken wall next to him suddenly collapsed with a loud crash.

Then, a shadow wolf, entirely black, leaped out from behind the ruins, its blood-red eyes fixed on them, saliva dripping from its sharp fangs, corroding small pits in the ground.

While this ordinary shadow wolf posed little threat to them.

But this also means that the wolf pack has caught up with them.

"run!"

Without any hesitation, the female passerby immediately grabbed the male passerby and turned to run.

Star energy gathered beneath their feet, increasing their speed.

But the shadow wolf pack relentlessly pursued the two fleeing prey.

Sharp claws pounded on the asphalt, leaving afterimages as they caught up with the two, leaving deep scratch marks on the ground.

Under such circumstances, the two not only had to dodge the attacks of the star beasts, but also had to be wary of the star energy detectors that scanned them every five seconds.

Under such circumstances, their clothes were already soaked with sweat.

Because they had no chance of passing the test smoothly; just staying alive had exhausted all their strength.

After a frantic escape, the male and female passersby briefly shook off the wolf pack.

The male passerby was hiding behind a broken steel bar, panting heavily.

"So this is the true meaning of 'hide-and-seek'—not only do you have to hide from your pursuers, but also from these deadly star beasts."

[Rest area outside the assessment checkpoint]

Everyone in front of the holographic screen held their breath.

In the footage, the male and female passersby got a brief respite, but everyone understood that this was just the calm before the storm.

Keep in mind that the pursuers haven't shown up yet.

According to the raccoon keeper, they only need to hide for five minutes to pass the test.

But less than a minute has passed, and the ordinary man and woman, who are both at the level of a standard third-level star envoy, have already faced several close calls.

The difficulty of this assessment can be imagined.

"Heavenly Dao, how long do you think they can hold out?"

Caroline looked at the screen, a hint of curiosity flashing in her emerald green eyes.

In response, Heaven spoke calmly.

"3"

"3 minutes?"

Caroline instinctively pressed for an answer.

"2"

Tiandao didn't respond to her words, his gaze remaining fixed on the screen.

Just as Tiandao mentioned '2'.

And just as the number '2' of the Heavenly Dao was written, a crisp 'ding-a-ling' sound suddenly came from the holographic screen.

That was the sound of the golden bell around the raccoon keeper's neck, with a penetrating power that instantly drowned out the howl of the shadow wolf.

"1."

As soon as Tiandao finished speaking, a small figure appeared on the screen.

The raccoon caretaker appeared behind the passerby at some point, gently placing its little paws on his shoulder, its tone slightly teasing.

"I'm sorry, you two have been eliminated."

Before the passerby man and woman could react, a pale blue teleportation light enveloped them.

The next second, the two appeared in the rest hall, their faces pale and panting heavily.

"So fast? And there's more." Chen Kong's eyes widened, unable to believe that the seemingly ordinary male and female passersby, who possessed considerable strength, had been eliminated so easily.

At the same time, he was also shocked by the raccoon keeper's 'speed'.

"The administrator was incredibly fast just now!"

Upon hearing Chen Kong's words, the cameraman turned his lens to the screen above his head, his tone serious.

"It's not about speed, it's about spatial jumps."

"The raccoon keeper's star source should be related to 'space', because I'm pretty sure I didn't capture its movement trajectory at all."

Space jump?
In such an environment, hiding is already very difficult.

Now, there's another pursuer with the ability to jump through space.

This assessment is exceptionally difficult.

With the departure of these two, only Mi Yao remained as the examiner in the arena.

He not only has to face the unknown strength of the pursuer, the raccoon administrator, but also powerful star beasts that could emerge from these ruins at any time.

The pressure is immense.

[The assessment checkpoint is located inside an abandoned shopping mall]

[Remaining time for the assessment: 3 minutes and 25 seconds]

[Current number of people remaining for assessment: 1]

Mi Yao glanced at the notification on his wristwatch and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Sure enough, both of his "random teammates" were eliminated.

But it doesn't matter, he had already prepared to act alone.

Mi Yao put away the handheld game console in his hand, and suddenly an old-fashioned game console appeared behind him.

He then looked around and his gaze fell on a pink toy box on the shelf.

It was a bear-shaped box with cute patterns printed on it, standing out starkly from the surrounding ruins.

Star Source Gaming Master - Hide and Seek!

As Mi Yao activated his ability, silver-gray star energy enveloped his body.

The next second, his figure began to become illusory, slowly merging with the toy box.

A few seconds later, Mi Yao disappeared, replaced by an ordinary toy box.

This box not only looks exactly like the toy box from before, but it also perfectly replicates the dust and minor scratches on the box.

More importantly, Mi Yao's own star energy aura was completely concealed, as if he were truly just an abandoned toy.

【Star Source: Gaming Master (Specialty Series)】

[Ability: Hide and Seek mini-game]

[Effect: Transforms into a real-world object, perfectly replicating its appearance, texture, and environmental traces, while completely shielding itself from star energy and life force. Duration varies depending on the object's complexity (toy box form: unlimited power)]

Mi Yao hid behind the shelf, observing the outside situation through the gaps in the toy boxes.

Gaming Master is a Star Source of the Specialty type.

The effectiveness and power of its star source largely depend on the user.

As soon as Mi Yao learned about the content of this assessment, he chose a suitable game from the vast number of games he had played.

This is also one of the reasons why Mi Yao never lets go of his game console.

Because every time he completes a game, he essentially grants his gaming prowess a special effect.

This will further enrich his methods to deal with any possible situation.

Coupled with Mi Yao's own remarkable talent, he can be seen as a superior replacement for Chen Kong at present.

After all, video game masters and dreamers are, in a sense, the same type of star source.

This can be attributed to the development and use of Star Source, as well as one's own talent and abilities.

Mi Yao is far superior to Chen Kong at this moment.

However, Mi Yao's transformation was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

But the raccoon manager, who is a natural disaster-level figure, is no ordinary person either.

A simple 'transformation' won't fool it.

(End of this chapter)