As Alex aims his gun at the door, he’s startled when an elderly woman shuffles into the room. She moves slowly toward the bed, taking a full five seconds before she even notices Alex pointing his weapon at her.

“Oh, great. Another junkie, high as a kite, thinking they’re in some kind of weird delusion. Will you stop this nonsense and leave already? Why the hell are you aiming that toy at me, huh? Did you mistake it for a real gun? Trying to fool me? You should lay off the drugs—look where it’s gotten you.”

After a careful look at her, Alex lowers his gun and asks, “Why did you come into my room?”

“Are you dense, young man? It’s 10 AM; that means you need to leave! Either pay up for another night or get out!”

“It’s only 9:30,” Alex counters, glancing at the time on the alarm clock.

“Well, no need to be so precise! Does half an hour really matter? Do this old lady a favor and get out already. I have an early appointment today—a date with this sweet, wealthy man who runs the local bar. Why do you care? I’ve got to finish my rounds faster than usual, so scoot!” the old woman snaps.

Alex grins. “YOU get out. NOW!” he says with a wide smile but in a firm tone.

“Manners are dead with your generation…” she mutters, offended. “It’s a damn shame—no respect for elders! I’ll be back in 30… no, 29 minutes!” With a sigh, she huffs and leaves the room.

“…” Alex is speechless. Well, that was something, he thinks, shaking his head.

He glances at the clock and decides to take one last quick shower. Afterward, he tosses his used towel into the wet shower and grabs the two fresh towels. I didn’t pack enough towels for this mission, so I might as well take these. Maybe that cranky old lady will get blamed for the missing towels, he thinks with a childish grin, plotting his small revenge.

As he leaves the room, though, he feels a twinge of guilt. Am I really stealing towels just to get back at some grumpy old lady working late into her life? What am I doing? I need to get my priorities straight, he tells himself.

Alex heads down to the reception desk and approaches yet another grumpy elderly person, this time a man. “Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where I can find this location?” he asks, holding up the card but not letting go of it.

“I don’t care! I’m not getting paid to be your travel advisor!” the man grunts back at Alex, his tone dripping with disdain.

Tempted to threaten him, Alex instead decides to reason with the guy, feeling an odd sense of confidence from [Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag]. “Sir, can’t you help a poor guy out? I’m on my last leg here, and this is really important to me… Please help me!” he pleads, channeling all his charm with Basic Eloquence lvl 3 and seeing a faint blue flash in his eyes.

With a huff, the man reluctantly gives in and explains, albeit grumpily. “Just follow the street east for a few minutes; it’ll lead you out of the city. You’ll see an extremely wide building surrounded by natural cliffs. There are fences and guard posts—you can’t miss it if that’s really where you’re headed. Though I don’t know why anyone would want to go there… Some other weird folks came asking for the same place a few days back. Looks like they already left, so you’d better hurry.”

“Thank you, old man!” Alex says, genuinely grateful for the directions.

The old man just stares back, and as Alex turns to leave, he hears an exaggerated “AHHHEM.” Alex pauses, confused. Did I forget something? he wonders.

“YOUR TIP, YOUNG MAN!” The man rudely stretches out his hand, demanding compensation.

“I already gave the cleaning lady 2000 Jenny! I told her to split it with you—I’ve got nothing left.” With that, he walks off, wondering why he lied to the old man just to mess with him and the cleaning lady. I did it again… What is wrong with me? I wasn’t this petty even before all this Fantasy Realm stuff started, he reflects.

I’ve been kinda on edge lately, he admits to himself. After everything in the Final Fantasy 9 world, that whole purge nightmare, the twisted tasks from the Tribaio villagers… and now this Hunter exam, where failure actually means death. I feel like I could snap at the next person who even slightly annoys me. A sense of helplessness gnaws at him. Everyone gets unlucky sometimes, but this exam is brutal. Even the best hunters could slip up if they took it a hundred times. How can the system justify killing you on your first or second failure? Only after that can you fail a task and survive… though probably with some penalty from the system. It feels rigged, he ponders.

Deciding against a leisurely stroll, he heads straight to the address. This city’s too massive to explore anyway, and I don’t have any money or a phone. I’d rather get to the exam site early and avoid any screw-ups—I usually mess up the simplest things, he tells himself.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Within minutes, he finally spots the massive structure marking the site for the first Hunter exam.

As Alex heads toward the vast exam site, he spots several checkpoints along the way and arrives at a large gate guarded by armed personnel. Each guard is dressed in uniform and wields a hefty rifle. Tempted for a moment to ambush one of them and snag a rifle for himself, Alex quickly dismisses the idea. Let’s not be an idiot, he thinks, knowing full well that countless hunters are monitoring the exam. Acting out now would be incredibly reckless—and it would be beyond stupid to risk getting booted from the exam for something so petty.

Alright, Alex, mental checklist, he reminds himself. 1. AVOID anyone dangerous from the series, if they show up. 2. DO NOT draw attention to yourself. 3. IGNORE the other players and focus on your own path. These points had been drilled into him repeatedly by Rishi and Tereza, and he wasn’t about to forget them now.

He takes a moment to ready his equipment, knowing he can’t risk openly using his system or making it seem like he’s learned Nen. Anything unusual would attract unwanted attention. From his inventory, he retrieves his [Mr. 5’s .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver], securing it in a holster strapped to his leg. His [Sword of Pluto] and [Shield of Pluto] are both slung across his back—a style he copied from Link, believing it makes him look cooler and more intimidating. Four Annihilation Grenades dangle visibly from his belt. With his weapons, newly modified armor, belt, and cloak, he resembles a cross between a seasoned adventurer and a soldier. His [Visor of Pluto] adds an extra touch to the look; now smaller and barely noticeable, it’s been modified so his hair passes through it, and he can raise the visor over his eyes, giving him a strangely mysterious, almost superhero-like vibe. Altogether, Alex looks imposing, projecting a clear “don’t mess with me” aura.

He also shoulders a backpack he prepared for the exam, stocked with food and basic medical supplies. The pack has an added benefit—it lets him subtly access smaller items from his inventory. By putting his hand inside, he can access the system without anyone noticing, essentially using the backpack as cover.

At the checkpoint, Alex hands his card to the guards, who respond with a nod of approval. “You’re early, and you look well-prepared. I like that very much. I wish you luck during the exam. Follow me through the checkpoint, and if you hurry, you can join the next group,” one of the guards says.

Alex isn’t in any rush, though; he’d rather take his time gathering information about his surroundings. He follows the guard through the checkpoint, who simply points him toward the building at the center of the area before leaving him to continue on his own.

As he walks closer to the structure, he takes in the peculiar landscape—a vast, flat surface with steep cliffs encircling the entire zone. This place is strange… it’s like some colossal mountain range was hammered flat by a giant mallet a long time ago! The ground itself has a strange look, almost as if it’s made of concrete. Why would they go to all the trouble of laying concrete over such a huge area? Isn’t that a waste… wait a second… a bunker. Could this bunker have actually been attacked at some point? The idea begins to piece together in his mind. Maybe this artificial ground is the result of bombing damage. If that’s true, then this place must have endured quite the onslaught, Alex speculates, glancing around with newfound curiosity.

s Alex stands there, staring at the concrete and cliffs, he suddenly hears a voice beside him. “You figured it out too, huh? Interesting location indeed!”

Without turning around, Alex responds, “Yeah, it’s a crazy location! Makes you wonder how old this bunker is and what kind of impact it survived. Thank God weapons like that are banned now, huh?” He finally turns to face the speaker.

He sees a young man, about his own height, with blond hair, blue eyes, and an easygoing, approachable smile. He radiates a bright intelligence that most people would find instantly likeable. Handsome and sharp-looking, he’s dressed in a distinctive purple suit with a bag slung over his shoulder. But Alex isn’t like most people. The sight of this man makes him curse inwardly, a bead of sweat forming on his cheek. FUCK!

The young man seems to notice a slight shift in Alex’s demeanor, despite his best efforts to appear casual. “You can call me Shalnark. What’s your name, my friend?” he says, extending a hand.

FUCK FUCK, Alex thinks, struggling to stay calm. “Hi, I’m Alex. Just your run-of-the-mill knight! I’m aiming to be a weapon hunter, trying to collect as many rare weapons and pieces of equipment as I can. How about you?” he replies, shaking Shalnark’s hand.

Shalnark smiles and answers, “I’m just here for a license. I’ve got a group of friends, and I’m in charge of gathering information… you know how useful a license is for that, right? By the way… do you perhaps… know me? I sensed a slight shift in your behavior when you saw my face.”

Shit, what do I do? I… guess I’ll just tell him the truth! Alex decides.

“Shalnark, right? To be honest… yeah, I’m kind of intimidated by you. My master is an incredibly strong swordsman, and he’s told me to get my license. If I pass, he promised to teach me his secret techniques. You… well, you remind me of him. You give off the same vibe. Honestly, I don’t think I could beat you in a fight, even if you look normal.” Alex speaks honestly, though he sprinkles in a few minor lies. His real reason is 100% genuine—he truly does fear him.

Shalnark studies Alex with a knowing gaze, his eyes seeming to intensify. “No need to fear me, my friend. I just want to get my license quietly. Looks like you’re a rare talent yourself if you can sense that. Smart choice to become a hunter—I have a feeling you’ll not only pass but gain fame pretty quickly! You can trust me on that; I have a special eye for these things,” he says, still smiling innocently.

This guy reminds me a bit of Rishi… almost makes me feel nostalgic. But don’t forget, Shalnark might be one of the kindest and most easygoing members of the troupe, but he’s still deadly as fuck, Alex reminds himself.

“Let’s enter the bunker! Looks like the exam won’t be boring—let’s go in together.”

…shit, Alex thinks, unable to find a reason to refuse. Guess I’m stuck with this budget Super Saiyan for now, huh? He may be a knockoff, but he could kill me in an instant if he wanted to… just one needle or a few seconds in his powered-up state, and I’d be done for, he reasons.