Chen Haoxiang looked at the energetic students and couldn't help but reveal a meaningful smile.
Meanwhile, the homeroom teachers of the senior classes watched the fearless students with expressions of worry.
To speak of it, over ninety percent of the students in this real-world assessment were facing a Star Beast for the first time. As for those who had killed one before, there might not even be five percent.
Chu Chen walked amidst the crowd with a solemn expression, gazing towards the forest.
This real-world assessment might seem simple, but in reality, it is fraught with difficulties.
First is the survival issue. The assessment lasts three days, meaning students need to spend the night in the forest. The forest at night is a completely different concept from the daytime forest.
Next is the issue of Star Power consumption. Carrying any Elixir Pills is prohibited, so recovering Star Power relies solely on absorbing the Star Power slowly from the air. If injured in battle, the strength of the Guardian Beast will be compromised, and hoping to recover combat power quickly is nothing short of a pipe dream.
Finally, there's the personnel issue. Most of the Star Beasts in the forest live in groups, which means hunting them down requires forming a team. And forming a team requires considering lineup composition and whether the team members get along, since this is an individual points-based system, not a group one.
Forming a suitable team is not as easy as it seems.
The difficulties can be roughly divided into four points.
First, team composition. The optimal lineup consists of a tank, strong attack, agile attack, ranged attack, control, healing, and support.
The support role is especially complex, involving detection, weakening the opponent, and enhancing teammates, among others.
Which type of support to select depends on the team's compatibility.
Second, selection criteria. The strength of teammates is also a crucial issue. If strong players team up, they need to hunt more Star Beasts to satisfy everyone's interests. Weak teams lack competitiveness, and mixed teams struggle to meet all interests effectively.
Third, distribution of benefits. This can be said to be the core issue of whether a team can form. Uneven benefit distribution might lead to disunity and a loss of cohesion.
Fourth, the core member, or the team's leader, whose decisions will affect the team's direction.
Meeting these four points is necessary to form a qualified team.
"Old Chu, any thoughts?" Wang Lu came over at some point and whispered.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen recounted his analysis.
Wang Lu nodded thoughtfully upon hearing it.
"Tell me more about the team formation," he said.
Chu Chen replied in a low voice, "Your Angry Wind Elf is a ranged attacker with strong attack capabilities, and Lei Yao is a melee attacker also strong in attacking, which means we aren't short of attack-type Guardian Beasts."
Wang Lu's eyes lit up; he grinned and said, "Got it, leave the rest to me." Saying so, he was about to leave.
Seeing this, Chu Chen quickly shouted, "Don't be hasty, I'm not finished yet."
Wang Lu stopped immediately, turning his head urgently as he said, "Brother, time waits for no one, what else do you have to say?"
Chu Chen, unperturbed, continued, "Lineup composition and teammate selection are equally important. We're not lacking in output; we need to supplement with defense-type Guardian Beasts, healing-type Guardian Beasts, support-type Guardian Beasts, and control-type Guardian Beasts. As for teammates, it's best to choose either very strong or fairly weak ones, not those in the middle."
Wang Lu looked at Chu Chen with a puzzled expression.
Seeing this, Chu Chen explained in a steady tone, "Strong teammates can provide us with more robust support, allowing us to earn more points. Fairly weak teammates are not aiming to enter the Elite Class; they're just here to gain some real-world experience, so they won't compete with us for points. We can distribute more spoils to compensate them. As for those of moderate strength, they have a chance, albeit slim, of entering the Elite Class, but they'll still give it their all to compete for points. However, they don't offer much support, and we'll end up losing a significant number of points."
Wang Lu finally showed an expression of realization, excitedly patting Chu Chen's shoulder, "No wonder you're the one, rest assured, leave the rest to me." With that, he hurriedly went to find teammates.
Seeing this, Chu Chen allowed himself a wry smile. When it comes to brains, Wang Lu is not his equal, but in social skills, Wang Lu leaves him in the dust.
Only a few minutes later, Wang Lu returned with three people.
These three were all classmates of Chu Chen, led by a guy named Li Gang. He was tall, with tanned skin and rugged features, and everyone affectionately called him Gangzi.
In the middle was Wang Xiyue, a tall girl with fair skin and a waist-length ponytail, dressed in fitted sportswear, exuding a youthful and lively energy. Yet she always kept a cold face, like an emotionless machine, earning her the nickname Cold Face.
The last one was named Hou Xin, small and sallow-skinned, clad in loose clothes, looking malnourished, earning him the nickname Skinny.
Chu Chen quickly stepped forward to greet the three of them.
Being classmates, Chu Chen was quite familiar with them.
Gangzi's cultivation talent was comparable to Wang Lu's, and his realm had also reached Eighth Rank Soul Pupil Level. His Guardian Beast was an Iron Armor Giant Lizard, Elite Level Middle Grade, possessing strong defense abilities. Moreover, its large size made it perfect for acting as the team's tank.
Cold Face's cultivation talent was relatively poor, barely reaching Orange Rank Middle Grade, with her current realm at Sixth Rank Soul Pupil Level. Her Guardian Beast was a Spring Tree Demon, Elite Level Lower Grade, possessing some healing and control abilities, but its slow movement required other Guardian Beasts to hold the enemy at bay to be effective in battle.
Skinny's cultivation talent was slightly better than Cold Face's, reaching Orange Rank Upper Grade, but his realm was lower, still at Fifth Rank Soul Pupil Level. However, judging from his aura, he was close to reaching Sixth Rank. This wasn't due to laziness, but a lack of cultivation resources, as evidenced by his malnourished appearance.
Skinny's Guardian Beast was an Earth Rock Rat, Ordinary Level Upper Grade, with weak combat power but strong survivability. More importantly to Chu Chen was its detection ability, able to survey the surroundings within a hundred meters, and extendable threefold in one direction.
After some polite exchanges, Chu Chen straightforwardly said, "Everyone, speak about your goals for this real-world assessment."
The three exchanged glances and fell silent.
Chu Chen knew what they were thinking, so he directly said, "My goal is to enter the Elite Class, striving for a top ranking."
Wang Lu quickly echoed, "My goal is also to enter the Elite Class."
Seeing Chu Chen and Wang Lu's straightforwardness, Gangzi felt he had no reason to hide and said, "My goal is also to enter the Elite Class."
Cold Face followed with a steely voice, "With my realm and strength, entering the Elite Class is a bit difficult. My goal is to gain some real-world experience in preparation for the college entrance exam."
Chu Chen nodded in satisfaction and then turned his gaze to Skinny.
Skinny spoke up in a low voice, "You all know my situation. I won't aim for the Elite Class; my goal this time is to acquire some cultivation resources." Embarrassed, he scratched his head.
Chu Chen showed a pleased expression, glad that each team member had a clear understanding of their objectives, thus saving him lots of explaining.
"Since everyone has their goals, welcome to the team. However, we need to discuss the distribution of benefits beforehand. Agreed?" Chu Chen asked solemnly.
Gangzi and the others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Sorting out the distribution of benefits in advance can prevent many unnecessary troubles and foster better team cohesion.
Seeing their agreement, Chu Chen continued, "The points will go to me, Wang Lu, and Gangzi. Any objections?"
Cold Face and Skinny both nodded in agreement.
Chu Chen went on, "Gangzi, Wang Lu and I have attack-type Guardian Beasts, which makes it unfair in terms of point acquisition. How about we each work to get our own points, and if your points aren't enough to get into the Elite Class, Wang Lu and I will help you earn more?"
Gangzi didn't respond immediately, understanding his tank-type Guardian Beast's lack of attack prowess means battles are fraught with unpredictabilities, making an equal distribution of points impractical.
After some thought, Gangzi finally nodded in agreement.
Seeing his consent, Chu Chen nodded with satisfaction and continued, "All spoils obtained will be divided into nine parts; Wang Lu, Gangzi, and I will each have one, and you two will have three each. For recovery-type Star Treasures, we'll distribute as needed. Agreed?"
The four nodded without hesitation.
"Finally, the last and most crucial point, I want the right to lead the team. Of course, if everyone opposes my decision, we can discuss it further." Chu Chen stated firmly.
Wang Lu agreed immediately without any hesitation.
After some consideration, Gangzi and the others also consented.
With this, Chu Chen officially completed the team formation.