Lev and his group marched towards the Hunters Guild, guided through the streets by Oriana. Dawn had come and gone two hours ago, bringing with it the examination they had been preparing for. Moving through the twisting paths, Lev observed the sprawling district in front of him. Like the Crafting and Merchants districts, Hunters and Adventurers guilds had an entire dedicated district. Pillars were common in all buildings, and still relevant despite being a practice from the old kingdom. White color was in abundance, matching the name of the city.
Oriana didn’t spare any of the Inns or shops a second glance, leading them directly to Hunters Hall. The Guild Hall towered over all the other buildings in the district, with four large floors and an imposing doorway.
Stepping through the double doors big enough to fit giants, Lev witnessed a scene of organized chaos. Clerks ran around with stacks of papers, careful to avoid tripping or running into any Hunter. To the left, neatly arranged tables and chairs were occupied by Hunters of different shapes and sizes. To the right, clerks dealt with people standing in lines in front of the reception tables. Everyone present strode with purpose, not delaying any longer than necessary, creating a steady stream of people entering and exiting the building. Weirdly enough, the boisterous atmosphere with drinks going around Lev expected to see was nowhere to be found.
While Lev and his friends waited beside the door, Oriana moved in alone and asked a clerk where the examinees were supposed to gather. Getting her answer, she once again led them through the city. After 15 minutes of walking, they exited the city through the main gates. Waiting on the side of the wide road were four hunters and 11 boys and girls. The hunters were the same group that had defeated the small wave and let Lev and the other children fight against the goblins. They nodded toward Oriana as she passed, getting a nod in return.
They took their place next to the other examinees and waited for the others to arrive. Within 15 minutes, another four groups had joined them.
“This is getting much bigger than I thought,” Jack noticed, observing the now 21 boys and girls waiting with their guardians. The girl who had fought after Lev was also present, boredom apparent on her face. Less than a minute later, multiple carriage carts pulled by horses moved through the city gates. The animals were brought to Monarch in the refugee ship since it was predicted no animals would live on these harsh plains. Another group of hunters followed the carts, guiding the horses toward the gathered group.
The leader of the approaching group shared a look with a hunter standing by the examinees, prompting the latter to step onto the road and grab everyone’s attention.
“Listen up! My name is Dale, and my team, along with my team and Paul’s team, will be conducting your exam. The specifics of the exam are still a secret, and that is intentional. Using the carts, we will travel to the nearest patch of forest within the plains. Further information will be divulged when we get there.” Having said his piece, Dale moved back to his team and directed the examinees to get in the carts.
Lev and his friends mounted the same cart, as the second team of hunters had brought ten with them. The six occupied carts started moving when all the groups were comfortably situated. Oriana waved at his group, and they waved back.
Looking outside, Lev noticed that he couldn’t make out the edges of the forest region. Despite the lack of obstacles, it was far enough that he couldn’t see it. Lev leaned back into the cart and looked toward the driver. Realizing it was the archer who had oversaw him fight the goblins, he moved ahead and sat close to her. He looked up, only to see her face toward him.
What? I didn’t even feel her move.
“Hey, I just wanted to know how I should address you. Don’t think we ever got your team's names.” Lev asked politely.
The blonde archer smiled slightly. Taking in her appearance for the first time, she had shoulder-length hair and a small stature. Her face was delicate yet stern, creating a beautiful appearance. “The name’s Sara. We wanted to give you kids space to fight by yourselves, so we never got to introductions that day. What’s your name?”
Lev introduced himself and his friends, telling her a bit about their lives when she asked. Before long, the conversation steered back to his first fight.
“What was it like, facing monsters for the first time?” Sara asked, still entirely casual.
“... Exciting, if I'm being honest,” Lev replied truthfully.
That got a full smile to bloom on her face. She examined Lev again and explained. “That is a good trait to have in this field. It may not seem like that at first, rightfully so, because the world is too dangerous to not take very seriously, but that outlook changes everything. Fighting monsters no longer remains a necessity to defend humanity and gives way to something better, something more enjoyable. Hunters who fight for thrill and to push themselves further seem to excel more than others. They fight to fight and to push themselves to the limit, to improve and adapt, to get stronger, and to face even bigger challenges. Just remember that most of the people who hunt for sport often tend to overstep their limits and find an early grave. If you survive till becoming an adventurer, life will have taught you plenty of valuable lessons. Take them to heart and pace yourselves. It takes a certain degree of patience to succeed with that lifestyle. Let me tell you about this team I once met…”
After that, the conversation shifted to her adventures and the type of hunters she had met during her career. Lev had already noticed that the horses were moving far faster than normal animals from his second memories. Identifying their horse, it was level 38.
Makes sense, otherwise no animals would ever survive.
The more the group listened to Sara, the more they realized just how massive the plains were. Despite having super-fast transportation, it still took weeks to go from city to city. Even more mind-boggling was the fact that most cities were present in a straight line, going from the edge of the forest to halfway to the middle of the plains, meaning less than a quarter of the region was properly explored. Whitefall was the last city in the metaphorical line, the last stop before teams left to explore the forest. It also explained the population and unusually high number of hunters and adventurers. Compared to other cities that was, it was just the norm for Lev and his friends.
Seven hours of high-speed traveling later, they entered the White Grove forest. They stopped in a clearing after 10 minutes. The examinees dismounted and separated into groups. Dale walked into the center and clapped to get everyone’s attention.
“Now that we’re here, the first day of the exam will be team-based combat. Each group will be led to a different part of the forest by us, where they will fight monsters. Before sunset, we will all return to this clearing. Those who cannot continue will return here early and wait for others.”
The hunters shared a look before walking in their chosen directions with their groups in tow. Lev noticed that no one went straight down the path they were traveling in their carts.
Something too dangerous for us, probably.
He identified Sara out of curiosity.
[Hunter - ??]
Above level 100 but below 250. Yeah, I doubt anything here can get past her. Should be safe to go all out then, even if we run out of mana.
Lev and his groups once again followed Sara, asking her about what they were supposed to do. Seeing how she refused to answer that question, Lev nodded to Amelia, who started scanning their surroundings with Heat Perception. It was taxing, only made slightly more manageable by one of Kayla’s passives that slightly increased mana regeneration for herself and her allies. For 10 minutes, nothing happened, only Sara changing directions slightly. After another five minutes, Amelia suddenly tensed before holding up five fingers and mouthing the word “wolves” to everyone. Sara nodded approvingly.
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Lev summoned his armor and formed four round barriers, sharpening and spinning their edges. Kayla withheld her buff, saving it for when they needed it. The wolves, thinking that they were still unnoticed, tried to circle them. Jack shattered those delusions when he charged directly towards them with Amelia. Seeing them, the wolves wasted no time and charged toward the running humans. Halfway to them, the rear wolf suddenly fell when a barrier cleaved through its neck from above. Another one barely dodged a second barrier coming in from its right, losing its leg from the attack redirected at the last moment.
Jack reached the lead wolf that immediately pounced and was smashed into the ground by his hammer. Before it could get up, a pointed piece of wood smashed into its skull and ended its life. The remaining two monsters were finished quickly after.
Lev was conflicted. The wolves had tried to circle them, displaying at least some form of intelligence. Monsters were supposed to be entirely mindless. He asked Sara about that.
“I don’t know who taught you that, but monsters have their own instincts similar to animals or humans. To begin with, normal wolves would’ve never survived in this forest because monsters continuously form from mana. If they were animals, they would’ve never attacked us in the first place. It’s easy enough to tell monsters from animals. Don’t worry.” She patiently explained, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Following Sara deeper into the forest, Lev checked his notifications.
[
Your group has slain [Gray Wolf - Level 12]
…
Your group has slain [Gray Wolf - Level 13]
Bladewalker has reached Level 7
5 Free attribute points
]
Lev put three points into intelligence and one into wisdom and perception.
I need to find a balance for all attributes. For every four levels, I will put one level’s worth of points in physical attributes. Should ensure that they don't completely fall behind.
None of his skills had leveled up, so he focused back on his surroundings. A screech pulled his attention above them, where … something was about to pounce on them. It looked like a monkey with four spider limbs. If only the monkey came straight out of a nightmare. Lev and his group tracked its movement, trying to perceive any others in their surroundings. The creature moved from tree to tree with exceptional agility, only to jump straight at them when they didn’t move. Its leap was stopped dead in its tracks by a barrier smashing into its face, sending it tumbling. As soon as it hit the ground, a sharp wooden projectile pierced its chest, and a fireball exploded on its face.
The group stared at the dead monster, marveling at its stupidity. It would’ve posed a great challenge if it had continued to jump between the trees and looked for openings. Instead, it decided to leap a great distance, losing its ability to dodge mid-air.
[
Your group has slain [Thornling - Level 29]
Bladewalker has reached Level 8
Bladewalker has reached Level 9
10 Free attribute points
]
Distributing the points the same way, Lev thought about the last fight. The monster, despite being way higher in level, had died due to a stupid mistake. The thornling, which got its name from the thorny limbs, should’ve been the toughest adversary his group had faced so far. But it gave up all its natural advantages to get to them faster.
If this is how most monsters behave, I can see why waves become extremely dangerous.
They followed Sara for another two hours before visibility started to become an issue. On the way back, Lev checked his notifications.
[
Your group has slain [Gray Wolf - Level 17]
…
Your group has slain [Brown Wolf - Level 19]
…
Your group has slain [Thornling - Level 22]
Incisive Edge leveled up to 2
Bladewalker has reached Level 10
Bladewalker has reached Level 11
10 Free attribute points.
]
Putting five points into his main attributes, he put two points into dexterity and constitution and one into strength. He identified his friends to check their progress.
[
[Warrior - Level 10]
[Warrior - Level 10]
[Mage - Level 10]
]
They had defeated 11 more monsters after the first thornling. The second one proved to be no smarter, jumping at them and getting killed shortly after. Lev still had around 30% of his mana, but Amelia and Kayla were almost completely tapped. Jack was only slightly tired, ready to fight for hours due to his high physical attributes and associated skills. Returning to the clearing, Lev gazed at the spread-out tents and camping gear. Their group was the last to return, no doubt because of Kayla’s passive buffs. Apart from the passive mana regeneration bonus, it also slowly healed everyone in her surroundings while letting them regain their stamina faster. The last passive buff slightly increased the effect of attributes for her allies, except wisdom.
Sara led them to their tents, where they ate a hearty stew. The cook who had made it got the most out of minimal ingredients and made something delicious. Their exhaustion caught up with them shortly after, seeing them all fall asleep in minutes. Lev briefly inspected his status before turning in for the night.
[
Name: Lev
Class: Bladewalker - Level 11
Titles: None
Attributes:
Strength: 32
Dexterity: 35
Constitution: 33
Intelligence: 57
Wisdom: 44
Perception: 44
Class Skills:
Arcane Barrier Manipulation - Level 2
Incisive Edge - Level 2
Whirling Rim - Level 2
Barrier Armor - Level 1
Opportunity - Level 2
Swiftfoot - Level 1
Heavy Lifting - Level 1
Needle Precision - Level 2
General Skills:
Mana Manipulation - Level 10
Identify
]