Everyone noticeably cowed by the Absolute's foreboding summary of the competition to come, the group followed him without any further discussion. Knowing talent, almost everybody was likely busy with some soul-searching, asking themselves the tough questions like whether they really expected to make it, or if they even wanted to.

Thankfully, Yi Qiang was not subject to such doubts - he had already been to hell and back on Earth, and the pain that he went through would not change no matter how much stronger he became. As such, threats of being pushed to the limit no longer fazed Yi Qiang.

Instead, he was excited about the training opportunity this would offer him - his skills always grew exponentially higher in combat, and Yi Qiang had long found the same effect extended to his stats to a lesser degree.

When the group reached the edge of the forest, the Absolute stopped and turned around, somehow managing to look everyone in the eye at the same time with his steely gaze.

He waved his hand, and badges flew out from his sleeve. They sailed slowly enough for everyone to catch them effortlessly, Yi Qiang snatching it out of the air deftly and inspecting it. It was a simple token, cut in an elongated rectangular shape and small enough to fit in his pocket and poke out the sides of Yi Qiang's hand if he grabbed onto it. The design on it was simple as well, the badge's insignia that of a thin, delicately-crafted sword crossed with a crown. The marker itself was brightly colored as well, with a base color of red, a vibrant golden thread used for the coronet, and a shining silver used for the sword.

Yi Qiang spared a glance at the other contestants, a single sweeping look confirming everybody received the same badge as the marksman.

The Absolute began speaking.

"I would be careful with those little things you hold in your hands. They'll be the driving force behind the first stage of the tournament, and will serve you well in the other sections as well. No, they have no magical utilities, but what they will be priceless for the duration of this competition. Why?

"The first stage of the tournament is a free-for-all. For seven days, all of you will be stuck in that forest, left almost entirely to your devices. By the end of those seven days, or, in other words, on the dawn of the eighth day, I will be expecting everyone to return to this exact spot. Those that still have their badge will be allowed to move on to the next stage. Of course, don't expect me to make it all as peaceful as that - with every additional token an individual has, that person will receive a multitude of more benefits in the stages to come. I won't tell you what they are, exactly, but they will be invaluable.

"Oh, also, I would be careful of the beasts that inhabit these parts. The natural environment results in some extraordinary animals residing here, but I'm sure you can handle them. Shoo!"

At his beckoning, everyone but the quick-witted talents stood there dumbly, overwhelmed by the strange way in which the Absolute had chosen to run the tournament.

Of course, Yi Qiang was not one of them and was already up and among the trees the moment the Absolute gestured for them to scatter. While he crouched near the group, keeping an eye on them in the interest of avoiding having to track any more contestants than necessary to procure more badges, he also studied the window that had popped up when the Absolute finished speaking.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Quest Received!

First Stage of the Empire Contest

Participate and pass the first stage of the Empire Contest.

Quest Clear Conditions:

-At least one badge by the end of the allotted time(seven days).

-Return to the quest starting spot by the dawn of the day after time is up.

Quest Clear Rewards:

-Experience.

-Opportunity to move on to the next stage of the competition.

-Additional experience for each badge procured.

This is interesting, Yi Qiang thought. I've never received a quest notification like this. Well, that confirms it - I'm looking to get as many badges as I possibly can these seven days. That experience will be invaluable to getting stronger. It doesn't say how much, though. I suppose I've never received numerical values for experience, strangely. Well, I'll assume it's enough for me to level up a few times - this should be a reasonably tricky quest.

Yi Qiang returned his thoughts to the competition at the sight of everyone regaining their footing and dashing into the foliage. This moment is probably one of the best times to strike.

Like the predator he was, Yi Qiang's sharp eyes caught on to one of the more ordinary young talents, and he exploded into action, harnessing all of his overwhelming Agility to catch up to him in seconds. As Yi Qiang leaped from a tree, gently flying through the air directly above his target, he summoned a bow and sent an arrow flying down. He had shaped the shaft to have a blunt point on its end, such that a successful strike would only bruise at most. As the arrow landed perfectly on the slim man's shoulder, however, the man was still sent crashing into the ground from the force of the attack.

  Yi Qiang landed on his feet lightly, standing next to the downed man. 

 "Your badge, please. I did not have to hit you that gently, so please don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

  Thankfully, it seemed Yi Qiang got lucky and didn't choose to hunt an idiot; the slim man was able to recognize Yi Qiang beat him out of sheer strength and caused no problems as he handed over the badge, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

  Two badges.

 The marksman leaped up once more, comfortably nesting in the branches of the nearest tree. In the interest of taking advantage of the short time everyone had had to adapt to the new rules, Yi Qiang wanted to rob as many badges as possible before people had the chance to get comfortable.

As he sat on a branch, Yi Qiang closed his eyes and focused his senses, specifically his hearing. If he harnessed his honed senses, Yi Qiang held no doubt he would come out on top this round, by a wide margin. Not only was his speed and skills in stealth ideally suited for the forest terrain, but the point of this round was also a perfect match for Yi Qiang's skillset. He was a sniper above anything else, after all, and if he wanted to succeed, all he would need to do was hunt his fellow competitors.

The nearest sign of human life he heard was further into the forest, to his right. The weight of the footsteps and the clumsy running alluded to the man's mediocrity compared to the other participants in the Empire Contest.

Assuming the persona of the ghost of the forest Yi Qiang had long since gained, he took off in his prey's direction, effortlessly catching up to him.

From there, all it took was a powerful blunted arrow down, and Yi Qiang's total badge count became three.

But the day was far from over.