Chapter 3 The Third Hunter's Assessment
The third young huntress to undergo assessment entered the shooting range and placed the Kamura Helm on her head.
As Li Fan and Xilin watched, the next young hunter to be tested leaned against the railing, his face ashen and his head bowed low, as if he had completely lost interest in the assessment.
"Brother, what's wrong? Are you hungry? I have portable rations here." Li Fan asked with concern.
"Thanks, I'm not hungry. I just feel like I might not pass this re-assessment again," the young hunter said dejectedly.
"How will you know if you don't try?" Li Fan asked, puzzled.
"The first hunter to be re-assessed was Da Zhuang. I practiced arrow gripping with him. I thought it would be easier with Investigator Chu Yan as the instructor..." the young hunter sighed and explained.
Li Fan suddenly understood. Arrow gripping couldn't be practiced alone, so these two likely took turns shooting arrows. They were betting that the assessment wouldn't be too strict. However, Hunter Da Zhuang had failed despite successfully gripping all three arrows. The young hunter using the same tactic was likely to fail as well.
Buzz! Buzz!.... A small insect landed on the young hunter's arm. A flicker of anger crossed his already dejected face. *Slap!* The young hunter swatted it away, leaving a red palm print on his arm.
Buzz! Buzz!.... The insect circled and landed on the young hunter's cheek. The young hunter raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, then despairingly ran his fingers through his hair, looking as if the whole world was against him.
However, Li Fan noticed something unusual. This young hunter and Da Zhuang had both practiced arrow gripping, and Da Zhuang had succeeded in all three attempts. Since this was an exam for promotion to a two-star hunter, they must have passed the one-star assessment, meaning their physical condition and reaction speed were guaranteed.
So, the question arose: why could the hunters grip flying arrows but not hit a small insect? Li Fan quickly realized that this situation wasn't unique to the Monster Hunter world, nor was it limited to insects. Humans are not particularly fast in terms of initial reaction speed. Even the attacks of pet cats and dogs are difficult to dodge when caught off guard. There were many reasons for this difference, but combining it with the effect of the "Insight" skill, Li Fan could only think of one word: instinct.
Could Eudora's advice to "stop thinking" refer to this? Following this line of thought, Li Fan continued to speculate. The "Insight" skill in the game manifested as increased critical hit rate, an effect that was difficult to apply to the real world. If you strike something with a sharper weapon, the greater the cutting force and the higher the damage. It made no sense for critical hit rate to cause a surge in damage. Considering the exam tested reaction speed, this was even further from the concept of critical hit rate. Li Fan felt he was beginning to grasp the theoretical understanding of "Insight."
Unfortunately, time was of the essence. After the previous two hunters failed their re-assessments, Li Fan's name was immediately called.
"Li Fan! You can do it, meow! Go for it!!!" Di Lu cheered loudly.
"Go, Li Fan!" Xilin said, leaning on the railing to cheer him on.
The young hunter handed over the Kamura Helm and offered a word of encouragement before leaving dejectedly. Li Fan put the helmet on his head. This equipment, which was marked with one level of the "Insight" skill in the game, gave him no unusual feeling upon wearing it. He walked to the designated spot in the shooting range, looked at the distance between himself and Instructor Ma Wei, and signaled to Chu Yan that he was ready for the assessment to begin.
Stop thinking, instinct, stop thinking, instinct... These two concepts kept swirling in Li Fan's mind.
Instructor Ma Wei drew his bow, aiming at a spot in front of Li Fan's body. *Whoosh!* The arrow flew straight past him, and Li Fan's outstretched right hand froze in mid-air.
"First arrow! Failed!" Chu Yan announced and made a note in his booklet.
This... is it really possible without anticipating the grip? After experiencing it firsthand, Li Fan truly felt the difficulty of the assessment.
In the blink of an eye, the second arrow was ready. Li Fan felt that perhaps he was paying too much attention to the concept of the "Insight" skill, which led to the failure of its application. He then shifted his approach. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind. *Li Fan, stopping thinking is supposed to be your specialty...*
*Whoosh!* As the sound of the bowstring being released echoed, Li Fan's eyes snapped open.
Buzz! The sound of the arrow cutting through the air seemed to stretch. Everything he saw appeared distorted and warped. All colors bled and spread, like a watercolor painting that had been soaked in water. The only thing moving forward, the arrow, drifted slowly through the air, leaving trails like a high-speed slow-motion video. In the next instant, the distorted and warped objects in his vision quickly returned to normal, and the arrow zipped past Li Fan.
"Uh... Second arrow! Insight applied successfully, but the arrow was not gripped. Failed!" Chu Yan paused for a moment before giving a rare judgment, and the spectators outside the range began to discuss.
"Didn't he apply it successfully, meow?" Di Lu asked, puzzled.
"It's very strange. Usually, if Insight is applied successfully, it's easy to catch the arrow," Xilin also didn't understand.
Li Fan, in the shooting range, looked down at his palm, recalling the strange sensation he had just experienced. *Damn it, I stopped thinking too thoroughly and forgot what I was supposed to do.* Although a bit frustrated, the experience of successfully applying Insight this time brought Li Fan a lot of gains. If the "Insight" skill had to be described, it was like activating monstrous intuitive reactions through wearing armor. This application couldn't increase attack power or speed, but it could provide more buffer time for intuitive awareness. The effect lasted only for a brief moment, but in a fight against a monster, this moment could decide many things.
At the same time, the level of Insight provided by the Kamura monster, according to the game's designation, was only level one. The Emperor Crown crafted from the materials of the Teostra in Rise had three levels of Insight, plus one level of Critical Boost. Li Fan speculated that as the skill level increased, the effect of Insight would surely be enhanced. Having truly experienced the application of the Insight skill, he felt it was worth it even if the assessment failed.
He took a deep breath, relaxed his mindset, and tried to find a balance between will and instinct. *Whoosh!* The last arrow flew towards him, and Li Fan's gaze followed it. As it neared him, the objects in his vision distorted and warped again, and his right hand shot out. Chu Yan saw that with almost no anticipation, Li Fan had firmly gripped the arrow, and the pupils of his eyes suddenly contracted. He then shouted, "Third arrow! Success!"
Applause erupted from outside the range.
"That's great, meow! I knew you could do it!" Di Lu climbed onto the railing and cheered with her paws raised. Xilin, unable to clap while holding the railing, joined in the cheers.
"Next candidate, Xilin!" Chu Yan called out after looking at the list.
Li Fan took off the Kamura Helm and said as he handed it over, "Clear your mind. Don't think about anything other than gripping the arrow."
"Okay, I got it!" Xilin replied confidently, putting on the helmet and repeatedly muttering, "Clear my mind. Don't think about anything other than gripping the arrow. Clear my mind, don't think about anything other than gripping the arrow..."
"I feel like Miss Xilin isn't quite in the right state, meow," Di Lu said with some concern.
"Hmm... perhaps this state is actually an advantage," Li Fan speculated.
"Why, meow?" Di Lu asked, puzzled.
"I think there are two ways skills are activated: one is conscious guidance, and the other is when the body's metabolism is too high or weak, the equipment intrudes on its own, affecting the hunter's behavior. However, the Kamura Helm's abilities are all focused on Insight, so even if it affects you, there are no negative side effects."
"This is possible, meow?" Di Lu looked at Xilin, feeling that it did indeed fit the conditions for equipment intervention. Li Fan hadn't agreed with this before and thought the armor descriptions in the game were a bit too exaggerated. Descriptions like "incarnation of calamity" or "lodging the burning power of stars within oneself, severing all worries" were bizarre. But after experiencing the influence of the Kamura Helm, which was just beginner-level equipment, Li Fan felt these descriptions might not be exaggerated. The impact of a hunter wearing equipment crafted from ancient dragon materials might indeed be as described. Li Fan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
To all the protagonists throughout history, are you truly human? Equipment with negative effects, raging diseases, miasma swamps, fire and ice, lightning and water, paralysis and stun, all endured by the body. Mastering all weapons, confronting ancient dragons head-on, and saving the world from peril multiple times. He used to think the protagonists in Monster Hunter were lacking, but after gaining a deeper understanding of the Monster Hunter world, how could they be lacking? They were all incredibly powerful!
"First arrow! Success!" Chu Yan's shout at this moment interrupted Li Fan's thoughts.
"That's incredible, meow!" Di Lu exclaimed.
"A total of two hunters have passed the first part of the assessment. The second part, the assimilation and adaptation assessment, will begin in twenty minutes. Please be prepared," Chu Yan announced and left the shooting range.
After Di Lu helped Xilin to the side, she was still in a daze. "Did I... really pass?"
"Yes, meow!" Di Lu said, handing her a water bottle.
"No wonder there are rumors of lucky ones in the two-star assessment who pass inexplicably," Xilin realized.
"It can't be entirely attributed to luck. Normally... hunters don't run as hard as you do," Li Fan reminded her.
"Haha, so my preparation paid off. Two-star hunter! Here I come!" Xilin said excitedly.
"Are you that confident about the assimilation and adaptation assessment?" Li Fan was surprised, not knowing that Xilin had equipment for the second part of the assessment as well.
"The pass rate for the assimilation and adaptation assessment at the Kalla Village branch is over 99%. This data was compiled by Jena, so there's no need to worry at all," Xilin informed him.
"That high? Then it seems like a sure thing." If the archery test was to stimulate ability, and they were afraid of hunters preparing too much beforehand, affecting their performance, hence not revealing the assessment details in advance. Then the assimilation and adaptation assessment should be so easy that it wasn't mentioned much. Based on Chu Yan's mention of the concept of assimilation during the teaching, Li Fan speculated that the assessment content should be to test the negative effects of equipment on individual hunters. What equipment would they use for testing? Li Fan felt curious.
After eating some rice balls brought by Xilin and chatting for a while, twenty minutes quickly passed. Chu Yan entered the shooting range carrying an orange-yellow veiled hat. A vibrant orange-red feather swayed in the wind on the left side of the hat.
"It's a Great Horned Owl helmet." Li Fan didn't need to recall the appearance of the equipment; he identified it solely by the swaying Great Horned Owl feather ornament.
"Sorry, Li Fan, the branch's resources are limited, and the Great Horned Owl helmet for the assimilation and adaptation assessment is only the female version. Can you make do with it?" Chu Yan approached and asked tentatively.
"He won't mind, meow! Uh... let's ask Li Fan's opinion first," Xilin answered quickly, then immediately changed her mind, realizing something.
"It's fine, Instructor Chu Yan," Li Fan replied.
"Thank you for your understanding of the guild branch. The second part, the assimilation and adaptation assessment, begins!" Chu Yan announced and walked into the shooting range. The assessment props brought by Instructor Ma Wei were extremely simple. Two wooden chairs and a monster egg, the size of a rugby ball, with blue patterns.
"Xilin, remember to treat us when you become a two-star hunter," Instructor Ma Wei said with a smile. Compared to the serious assessment just now, the atmosphere had clearly relaxed. Most of the spectators had already left.
"I'd like to, but my income doesn't allow it. Buying raw materials for crafting ammo is very expensive," Xilin said helplessly, putting on the Great Horned Owl helmet and sitting on the designated chair. Chu Yan dragged another chair and placed it opposite, then put a straw nest on it, and gently placed the monster egg in the nest.
"Stare at the monster egg for three minutes. If you can resist touching it, you pass the assessment," Chu Yan read out and took out a pocket watch to start timing. The assessment method was basically as he had predicted. It was to test the degree of assimilation's impact on hunters through the negative effects of equipment. If even the Great Horned Owl-level armor caused severe assimilation reactions, and hunters couldn't control it with their will, then wearing higher-level equipment would inevitably lead to more negative problems. The guild not promoting hunters with such constitutions to two-star, besides preventing unknown dangers, was also a form of protection.
Thinking this, Li Fan realized that Xilin's current state was not very conducive to testing. High metabolism combined with weakness could indeed stimulate skill activation, but the negative effects would also increase.
"Uh... what's happening?" Xilin unconsciously found her hands raised in front of her. She quickly pulled them back behind her and pressed them against the back of the chair.
"Endure it. It takes a period of adaptation to wear armor equipment that you're not used to," Chu Yan reminded her. Seeing that Chu Yan and Ma Wei's expressions were normal, Li Fan felt slightly relieved. Two minutes passed. Xilin's forehead was covered in sweat, her teeth were clenched, and her whole body was trembling, as if she were desperately suppressing some impulse.
Could it be that Kankan felt the same irresistible urge when facing a monster egg? Li Fan speculated in his heart.