"Oh? They're back, they're back, haha! Just as I expected, they came back after all!"
From the treetop, Babylon's eyes lit up as he caught sight of the returning group in the distance.
"Look at these pathetic people, you can tell what happened just by their appearance. Tsk, tsk, tsk, being selected along with such people is really an insult to me."
"Is it? I don't think you're that smart either."
Just as Babylon was feeling smug, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind, startling him and causing his body to jolt, making him accidentally fall from the treetop!
With the treetop being nearly thirty meters off the ground, and with Babylon's physical condition, falling headfirst would probably leave him severely injured, if not dead.
Babylon could almost feel the excruciating pain of bones breaking and instinctively closed his eyes, shielding his head with his hands.
But...
The expected heavy impact never came.
He seemed to have stopped falling and was now suspended in mid-air?
Babylon cautiously opened his eyes and noticed that his hair was only about ten centimeters from the ground, and he was hanging upside down, with John holding him by the ankle.
"Babylon Elliot, isn't it?"
John glanced at Babylon with a mocking smile and said, "You think you're smart, but did you ever consider ending up in such a sorry state?"
"Jo-John? How did you find me?"
"Do you really think you're the smartest person in the world? People like you are easy to read, not hard to find."
John let go of his grip, letting Babylon's face hit the ground first, making him fall flat on his face.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! If you're going to let go, at least give a warning!"
Babylon pouted, struggled to sit up, and rubbed his face.
"Stop talking nonsense and get back to the team."
John pointed to the neatly arranged group.
Although Babylon Elliot was unwilling to be ordered by John, he obediently got up and rejoined the team.
John then took another look at the group of boys and girls, connecting each name with a face.
"As you can see, this little test has shown that there were no monsters. What I wanted to test was your on-the-spot reaction to unexpected situations. To be honest, I am very disappointed."
John let out a heavy sigh and walked straight to the three people at the front of the team, stopping in front of the girl.
Of course, don't get too excited just yet. As I've said before, my attitude towards you won't change easily. Besides, both you and Alice have far more experience than anyone else here. Achieving this only means you fulfilled your duty, it's far from being exceptional, understand?
So, don't get too complacent."
"Yes, Lord John!"
Strangely, after John's reprimand, Eden's attitude had undergone a complete change. He showed much more respect towards John and dared not speak insolently anymore.
This is probably what they mean when they say a tree needs pruning to grow straight, and a child needs discipline to grow upright, right?
John withdrew his gaze, glanced at the last three-person team, and chose to skip over them directly.
Suddenly being ignored like this would naturally be incomprehensible to anyone, especially for a group of young, hot-blooded teenagers who couldn't help but voice their confusion.
"Lord John, why did you skip over the three of us?"
"Do you really need to ask me that? I clearly told you that the monsters would be released from the clearing in front of the palace, yet the three of you ran to the far edge of the habitat. If this isn't cowardice, then it's sheer stupidity.
Has no one ever told you that the purpose of the guard is to protect those who can't protect themselves? Imagine if there had been a sudden monster attack today. With your actions, I could have chopped off your heads, and no one would have cared."
John's aggressive questioning made the three of them turn pale. They hadn't expected John to have such an attitude, nor did he ask why they went to the edge of the habitat. From the incident itself, John was already extremely disappointed, making any explanation pointless.
"B-but..."
"No buts. You should be grateful I'm in a good mood today. Cleveland, tell them my rule!"
"Without permission, no one is allowed to act on their own, including speaking."
"Exactly, that's my rule. You'd better understand this clearly, or I won't hesitate to punish you harshly. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, right?"
"Y-yes, Lord John, we understand and are willing to accept the punishment..."
Hearing John's explanation, their leader, Kakarot, sighed deeply.
He had initially thought that with so many monsters, it was impossible for all of them to be released near the palace.
This would cause irreversible damage to the commercial area.
That's why they had the sudden idea to go to the edge, planning to intercept the monsters there.
John had to admit that these three had a lively way of thinking.
The only problem was that it was too theoretical.
They understood what to do but not how or why, making them overall more of a liability than an asset, thus failing to meet the standards.
"Now, I've recorded detailed evaluations of all fourteen of you. Elowen will score your performances each time, so if you really want to be chosen, I suggest you start using your brains more."