Chapter 569 - SSS Rank

Chapter 569 - SSS Rank
The Adventurer’s Association’s review of an NPC’s ability to become an Adventurer was a tedious one.
The first evaluation was of the NPC-in-question’s various Attributes, followed by a test for the NPC’s suitability of the various classes. Only after these two tests were complete could the Adventurer’s Association determine whether an NPC was suited to become an Adventurer or not.
In total, each NPC’s review lasted roughly two minutes.
Watching players happily enter the testing room with their chosen NPCs and leave in tears made many of the players in line grow anxious.
“Isn’t the success rate a little too low? Out of the twenty people I have seen enter the testing room, only one came out with a successful result. And even then, the strength of that person’s NPC was only mediocre. It really makes you wonder how Zero Wing managed to obtain such a powerful NPC,” a male Cleric with a pointed nose said, sighing.
“It is possible that Zero Wing recruited an NPC who was already an Adventurer, to begin with. My teammates had already come here to recommend their own NPCs. However, only three of the chosen NPCs became Adventurers, though they received low ratings. They don’t really have any significant potential,” a burly male Berserker complained. “Unfortunately, nobody on my team is even a Baron, so we can’t recruit any guards or see the NPCs’ exact data. We can only confirm their standards based on the evaluation. I heard that the best guard Overwhelming Smile has managed to recruit is only Mysterious-Iron rank. I wonder if the NPC I that spent more than half a day searching for will become an Adventurer? If it’s a success, I’ll make a fortune.”
The players queuing up to have their chosen NPCs tested discussed Zero Wing’s guard, Kite. They all hoped that they could luck out and encounter an NPC like him as well. At that time, luxury cars and beautiful ladies would be within their grasp.
This was not an exaggeration.
The various large Guilds purchased powerful guards through the virtual trade center at astronomical prices.
Even Bronze guards sold for 100 Gold or so, whereas Mysterious-Iron guards sold for 500 Gold. As for Secret-Silver rank, the price would multiply by tenfold. If those Coins were converted to Credits, it was enough to allow an ordinary person to live the rest of their lives without working. However, even now, no one had offered any Mysterious-Iron guards for sale, much less Secret-Silver.
A moment later, a Ranger left the testing room with an excited expression. Loudly flaunting to his own party members, he said, “Hahaha! Let’s head to the Rose Bar! I’ll treat everyone to a cup of Icefire Wine!”
Rose Bar was one of White River City’s high-class bars. Meanwhile, the Icefire Wine was a must-try drink, and it was extremely popular among players. However, the drink was not cheap, with each cup costing 10 Silver. Even elite players only occasionally ordered a cup to sate their addiction. If they drank a cup every day, they would become a pauper very quickly.
“Sure, but what was your test result?” one of the Ranger’s teammates asked curiously.
“My NPC can become an Adventurer. Moreover, he even obtained a B-rank rating for the Shield Warrior’s evaluation! They say he’ll become a powerful Shield Warrior in the future!” the Ranger boasted.
“Lucky! This is by far the highest rating I’ve heard of! Our party’s success will rely on you in the future!” an Elementalist said excitedly.
The watching crowd looked at the Ranger enviously when they heard about his NPC’s B-rank.
They could not help but wish they could snatch the Ranger’s chosen NPC for themselves.
Unfortunately, the Main God System had long since set it so that the NPCs that had been recommended by a player would receive protection. Within ten days, no other player could increase their Favorability with the NPC in question. Hence, it was not possible to steal an NPC from another player.
A period of ten days was enough to allow a player to deepen their relationship with an NPC significantly. If one worked hard, they could even accumulate sufficient Reputation and become a Baron.
Normally, in order for an NPC to become an Adventurer, they needed to receive a D-rank rating or higher on a particular class.
“B-rank rating?” Shi Feng could not help his surprise.
In truth, the evaluation given by the Adventurer’s Association’s test could not completely determine an NPC’s potential. It was only a rough estimation.
It was just like how one would receive a “Pass” on a test, but in reality, the passing mark for the test ranged between 60 and 100 marks. The same principle applied to the Adventurer’s Association’s test.
The test was very general, so the final results would not always be accurate. It could only determine the upper limit of an NPC’s potential, not their actual potential.
Normally, NPCs that received a D-rank would end up a Common guard with limited Growth Potential. These NPCs were not worth the time it took to nurture them as Personal Guards. Only D-rank NPCs who were specialized in certain Attributes could become Bronze guards. However, the chances of finding those NPCs were very low.
In other words, a D-rank NPC’s potential ranged between Common and Bronze rank. However, only after these NPCs became guards would one know their exact Growth Potential.
Meanwhile, C-rank NPCs could become Mysterious-Iron guards.
As for B-rank NPCs, they had a strong chance of becoming Bronze guards and a certain probability to become Mysterious-Iron guards. There was also a relatively good chance for B-rank NPCs to become Secret-Silver guards. Unless one had somehow offended the Main God System in their previous lives, there was almost no chance for a B-rank NPC to end up a Common guard.
Of course, A-rank stood above B-rank.
Extremely few NPCs would receive this rating. Even in his previous life, Shi Feng had never personally encountered an NPC who had received an A-rank.
An NPC with an A-rank was a dragon or phoenix among men.
As for an A-rank NPC’s potential range, it was between Bronze and Fine-Gold rank.
In the past, out of all the NPCs he had recommended, the highest rating he had obtained was B-rank. After recruiting said NPC as his guard, he, fortunately, had ended up with a Secret-Silver guard.
This time, however, Shi Feng already knew Anna’s Base Attributes. Based on his guards’ Attributes in his previous life, Shi Feng was sure that Anna would receive a very high rating.
“Lord Viscount, I apologize for the long wait. Please, follow me,” the test officer said respectfully after glancing at Shi Feng.
A Viscount was already a Grand Noble in White River City. They were far more powerful than ordinary nobles. Not only could they recruit 50 ordinary guards, but they also had two slots for Personal Guards.
Shi Feng nodded and followed the test officer into the testing room.
“Lord Viscount, based on the Adventurer’s Association’s rules, each test will cost you 10 Silver. As my lord is a Viscount of White River City, you can enjoy a 20% discount, so my lord only needs to pay 8 Silver per test,” the test officer explained uneasily as he arrived before the test apparatus.
“Here.” Shi Feng readily handed over 8 Silver Coins, inwardly cursing the Adventurer’s Association.
Magic Crystals powered the test apparatus. How much was a Magic Crystal worth on the market? Moreover, each Magic Crystal could be used dozens of times. Yet, the Adventurer’s Association charged 10 Silver for every test.
In other words, the Adventurer’s Association earned a profit of dozens of times the actual cost. It was far more profitable than any other industry.
However, it was due to the fact players were required to spend money on many aspects of the game that allowed the Coins of God’s Domain to remain extremely rare and valuable.
Following which, Anna walked up to the test apparatus and began her potential evaluation.
Time seemed to crawl by. However, even after two full minutes had passed, the test apparatus had yet to produce a conclusion. On the contrary, due to the test apparatus consuming too much power, the test officer had no choice but to replace the Magic Crystal powering it.
One crystal… Two crystals…
In the end, Anna’s test used a total of five Magic Crystals. At this moment, the test officer had also turned pale.
Meanwhile, the result displayed showed that Anna was suited to become a Summoner, and her rating for the class was SSS-rank!