The final phase of the assessment was the one-on-one battle. This was the part that truly determined a candidate's future. Excellent combat performance could even make up for a mediocre score in the previous sections.
The candidates were randomly paired by the Guild's central system. When Lin Ke's matchup appeared on the large screen, a wave of murmurs went through the waiting area.
[Candidate: Lin Ke | Pet: Rock Vole] vs. [Candidate: Li Wei | Pet: Flame-mane Cub]
Li Wei was a tall, athletic-looking youth from a wealthy family. His Flame-mane Cub, a C-rank potential pet, was known for its aggressive fire attacks. He was considered one of a strong contender in this year's exam.
Upon seeing his opponent's name, Li Wei let out a confident smirk. "A Rock Vole? Is this a joke? I guess the system decided to give me a free pass to the next round," he said loudly to his friends, making no effort to conceal his arrogance.
His friends laughed along with him. "Congratulations, Wei! You got the bookworm with the pet rock."
Lin Ke heard the taunts but remained unfazed. He gently patted the Rock Vole on his shoulder. "Don't listen to them. Just remember our plan."
"Ji!" The Rock Vole squeaked, its eyes firm with determination.
"Battle Arena 3! Lin Ke, Li Wei, please enter the arena!" the examiner's voice boomed.
Lin Ke walked into the designated arena, a standard 20x20 meter square field. Across from him, Li Wei stood with his arms crossed, his Flame-mane Cub by his side, pawing impatiently at the ground and letting out small puffs of smoke from its nostrils.
"Hmph. A bookworm and a piece of trash. I'll finish this in thirty seconds," Li Wei muttered, his voice full of contempt.
The examiner raised her hand. "Both sides, ready? Battle... begin!"
"Cub, use Ember!" Li Wei commanded instantly, opting for a direct, overwhelming attack.
The Flame-mane Cub opened its mouth and spat out a series of small, crackling fireballs that shot towards the Rock Vole.
The crowd expected the slow Rock Vole to be hit instantly. But Lin Ke's command was calm and swift.
"Right, 0.8 meters. Dodge."
The Rock Vole moved the instant the words left his mouth. It sidestepped with an agility that completely defied its species' reputation, the fireballs streaking past and hitting the ground where it had stood a second before.
Li Wei's eyes widened slightly. "Luck," he scoffed. "Cub, use Fire Claw! Get in close!"
The Flame-mane Cub roared and charged forward, its claws igniting with blistering heat.
"He's closing the distance. A mistake," Lin Ke thought, his mind working like a supercomputer. In his vision, the Gene Editor was analyzing the opponent's every move.
[Subject: Flame-mane Cub] [Action: Charging (Fire Claw)] [Analysis: Subject's left hind leg shows signs of minor strain. Tenses 0.4 seconds before leaping. A predictable attack pattern.]
"Wait for the leap," Lin Ke commanded his pet. "Now. Jump back, spin."
Just as the Flame-mane Cub pounced, the Rock Vole leaped backward, spinning in mid-air to avoid the fiery claws. It landed softly, its position now to the side of its opponent.
"What?" Li Wei was stunned. His pet's attack had completely missed. This Rock Vole was far too agile!
"Now," Lin Ke's voice turned sharp. "Target: left hind leg. Use Rock Throw."
The Rock Vole, in a fluid motion, dug its claws into the ground, flicked up a sharp-edged stone, and hurled it with incredible precision. It wasn't a powerful attack, but it was fast and perfectly aimed.
Clack!
The stone struck the Flame-mane Cub directly on its strained hind leg. The cub yelped in pain and stumbled, its charge broken.
"Impossible!" Li Wei cried out, his confidence finally shattering.
"Don't give it a chance to recover," Lin Ke's inner voice was cold as ice. "Close in. Use Tackle. Target: the same spot."
The Rock Vole shot forward, no longer just dodging but launching a counter-attack. It slammed its hard, rocky body into the Flame-mane Cub's injured leg.
The cub howled in pain and collapsed, unable to stand.
The arena fell into a deafening silence.
The examiner stared at the scene, her mouth slightly agape, before she finally found her voice. "Flame-mane Cub has lost the ability to battle. The winner is... Lin Ke!"
No one cheered. No one could comprehend what they had just witnessed. A "trash" Rock Vole had defeated a powerful Flame-mane Cub in under a minute, using nothing but basic moves and flawless tactics.
Lin Ke walked calmly into the arena, picked up his victorious Rock Vole, and gave it a proud look. "Good job."
He turned and walked out, leaving behind a stunned opponent, a silent crowd, and a group of examiners in the monitoring room who were now frantically pulling up every piece of data they could find on the boy named Lin Ke.