The Adventurer Association's process of reviewing whether an NPC could become an adventurer was an extremely tedious task.
First, an NPC's various attributes had to be determined, followed by compatibility tests for different classes. Only then could a decision be made on whether an ordinary NPC could qualify as an adventurer.
As a result, the testing speed wasn't fast—each person took roughly two minutes to evaluate.
Watching player after player enter the testing room with their chosen NPC in high spirits, only to emerge with dejected faces, the players waiting in line behind couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
"The success rate is way too low. Out of everyone I've seen, only about one in twenty actually succeeded. And even those who did seem to have underwhelming stats. I have no idea how the Zero Wing Guild managed it," remarked a slender male Priest with a refined nose bridge.
"Maybe Zero Wing recruited from NPC adventurers directly. A bunch of guys from my team came by earlier and recommended a batch of NPCs, but only three of them actually qualified as adventurers. Their test ratings were all pretty low too—probably not much potential there," said a tall, burly male Warrior with a worried frown. "Shame none of us in the team hold noble titles, so we can't recruit guards and can't see their specific stats. We can only gauge their general level from the test ratings. I heard the best guard Laughing Wind got was only Iron Rank. I spent ages picking mine out today—if it can become an adventurer, I'd consider that a win."
In the long, winding queue, clusters of players chatted animatedly about Zero Wing's Guard recruitment, each secretly hoping they'd get lucky and hit the jackpot—overnight riches, luxury cars, beautiful women, the works.
This was no exaggeration.
Major guilds were all offering sky-high prices to buy powerful guards in the virtual trading center.
Even Bronze Rank guards were being purchased for around a hundred gold coins, while Iron Rank guards had been bid up to five hundred. Mythril Rank guards commanded ten times that amount—enough in Credit Points to let an ordinary person live comfortably for a lifetime. But as of yet, not even Iron Rank guards had been put up for sale, let alone Mythril Rank.
After just a short while, a Ranger strode out of the testing room with an expression of barely contained excitement, shouting to his teammates, "Haha! We're hitting the Rose Bar tonight—my treat! A round of Ice and Fire Elixirs for everyone!"
The Rose Bar was one of White River City's upscale establishments, and their Ice and Fire Elixirs were a signature drink, hugely popular among players. But the price was no small matter—ten silver coins per cup. Even Elite players only indulged occasionally as a treat; anyone drinking one daily would be broke in no time.
"Nice! What was your test rating? You're feeling generous enough for that?" a teammate stepped forward and asked curiously.
"I qualified as an adventurer, and got a B-rank evaluation in Shield Warrior! The examiner said I'd make a formidable Shield Warrior down the road," the Ranger replied, practically preening.
"That's awesome! The highest rating I've heard about lately was a B-rank too. From now on, our squad's riding your coattails!" an Elementalist exclaimed excitedly.
The surrounding players, upon hearing the B-rank evaluation, were openly envious.
The bold ones immediately tried to snatch away the NPC the Ranger had selected.
But the Main God System already had protections in place—any NPC recommended by a player was safeguarded for ten days, during which no other player could increase their favorability with that NPC. So stealing one was completely out of the question.
Ten days was more than enough for a player to rapidly build deep rapport with an NPC. With enough effort, they could even obtain a noble title and recruit the guard directly.
Generally speaking, to qualify as an adventurer, an NPC needed to earn at least a D-rank evaluation in at least one class.
"B-rank evaluation, huh?" Shi Feng couldn't help but be mildly surprised.
He was a seasoned veteran when it came to the Divine Realm's guard system.
Test evaluations didn't fully determine an NPC's potential—they merely provided a rough range.
It was like an exam where 60 points was the passing grade, and anywhere from 60 to 100 fell within the "pass" band. This test evaluation worked on the same principle.