Finally, after wasting two notebooks, Wen Wen confirmed that out of all twelve runes, he could only engrave three.
These were the first two runes whose meanings were unclear, and the rune related to ghosts.
Then, Wen Wen looked at the giant egg with burning eyes.
He had never been so eager to obtain something. As long as he could get this giant egg, what did it matter if he couldn't pass the hunter assessment?
If the facility could be upgraded to disaster level, or even if he could possess disaster-level strength in reality, he would truly be at the pinnacle of the superpower world.
Wen Wen remembered that the catalysts for the facility's upgrade the previous two times were the absorption of disaster-level or even higher-level powers by the facility.
So, could this giant egg, a disaster-level containment object, allow the facility to advance again?
Wen Wen was very optimistic about this prospect, and he had even imagined the scene after he possessed disaster-level strength.
Therefore, with a hint of nervousness, he manifested the Disaster Gloves, which, as Wen Wen had expected, developed a longing for the giant egg.
Next, he carefully brought his completely blackened right hand closer to the huge barrier.
Immense energy tried to resist the invasion of Wen Wen's right hand, but the barrier, capable of vaporizing monsters, could not harm the Disaster Gloves in the slightest.
Finally, Wen Wen's right hand stopped amidst the barrier's tremors, and a massive amount of energy began to surge into the Disaster Gloves.
However, after only absorbing for a second or two, Wen Wen sensed that the Disaster Gloves were trying to warn him.
"Warning, why warn... Isn't what I'm doing now what it wants?"
After a brief thought, cold sweat instantly covered Wen Wen's forehead, and he immediately forced the Disaster Gloves to stop absorbing.
Wen Wen mumbled, "My idea is flawed. Why didn't I think of this at all just now!"
It only took a simple thought to realize that the Disaster Gloves were currently absorbing all the energy from this barrier. Once the barrier was drained, this disaster-level containment object would be released!
And even if Wen Wen could not contain the giant egg-shaped containment object, it was because the facility's upgrade might take at least a month, and considering the peculiar nature of the disaster level, it might even take longer.
Of course, it was more likely that even draining it would not be enough to meet the upgrade requirements!
In this case, it would be equivalent to Wen Wen releasing this disaster-level containment object without anyone knowing, which could lead to a major disaster!
Wen Wen, having calmed down, immediately began to analyze his actions. It seemed his thoughts were influenced as soon as he saw this containment object.
"I was filled with thoughts of maximizing profits, wanting the facility to evolve quickly, but I overlooked too many issues... That was very dangerous just now."
Wen Wen looked at the giant egg warily. It should be this thing that was influencing Wen Wen's thoughts, wanting him to release it.
He stood before the giant egg and said ominously, "I don't know if you can understand my words, but since you dare to scheme against me, you will have to pay the price one day. I will come back for you later, release you, and give you a new home. I believe you will like it!"
With that, Wen Wen turned and left.
If he continued to stay nearby, he might be influenced again.
Since this thing could entice Wen Wen to deal with the barrier, it meant it knew Wen Wen had the ability to destroy the barrier. Therefore, Wen Wen was not afraid of exposing himself in front of it.
...
Outside the underground palace, within the base, over thirty demon hunters were resting or entertaining themselves in the base's lounge; they had passed the assessment.
By now, one hundred and fifty-seven superhumans had emerged from the underground palace, but only thirty-two remained here.
Seventy to eighty people had also completed the underground palace mission, but most of them were disqualified due to failing the first two assessments.
The results of the first and second assessments, which required collective analysis by experts, were only released ten hours ago.
The demon hunters were allowed to proceed with the subsequent assessments not because they had passed, but because the content of their assessments required extensive analysis.
Therefore, as long as it wasn't immediately obvious that they would fail, they were allowed to participate in the third assessment.
The failures in the third assessment might have been due to an inability to adapt to the lightless environment, a weakness in dealing with physically powerful monsters, or simply bad luck in encountering multiple disaster-level monsters.
But regardless of the reason, failure was failure.
Whether by luck or by strength, the situations that wanderers would have to face in the future might be much more complex than this. If they couldn't even adapt here, there was no need for them to be wanderers.
Of course, they could try again next year; the Hunter Association did not limit the number of attempts.
After all, in the annual wanderer assessments, the participants helped the association deal with some accumulated troubles...
And at the entrance of the underground palace, a small canopy was set up, with a table and chairs placed beneath it. On the table were snacks such as peanuts, edamame, roasted peanuts, and spicy stir-fried clams.
The blue-haired superhuman and Xun Qing were chatting while drinking small amounts of wine.
Xun Qing let out a peanut-flavored burp, glanced at the time, and sighed, "There are thirteen hours and twenty minutes left until the deadline. There are still twenty-nine people inside, of whom we assigned a cleanup mission to twenty-one, and the remaining eight people..."
"If there are no dark horses among the remaining eight people... then they probably won't come back. I hope they have better luck," the blue-haired superhuman said, spitting out a clam shell.
Xun Qing wiped his hands with a stack of documents and casually flipped through them, saying, "However, there is a young man named Wen Wen here who used 'Ice River's' letter of recommendation. It is said that he reached the assimilation realm in less than a year. It would be a shame if he perished inside. I hope he can give me a surprise."
"There are new talents every year, but very few can become pillars of the association," the blue-haired superhuman said dismissively, having witnessed the deaths of too many rookie demon hunters before he was stationed at this base.
Suddenly, the blue-haired superhuman's eyebrows twitched, and he directly crushed the final clam shell in his mouth, his lips twitching uncontrollably.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Xun Qing asked nervously. With so many dangerous things locked up here, it was crucial that nothing major occurred.
The blue-haired superhuman's expression relaxed. He swallowed the crushed shells and said to Xun Qing, "It's nothing, the barrier just trembled. It's probably that thing trying to get out again. It happens a few times every year, it's not a problem."
Xun Qing then relaxed, and the two continued to chat idly, waiting for the assessment to end.
...