Stepping off the boat, I took a deep breath of fresh air. I couldn't shake the metallic tang of blood from my nose after that brawl on the deck. The docks bustled with activity as the remaining contestants from the other boats disembarked. The Hunter Exam, it seemed, was a pretty big deal.

My eyes landed on a kid, couldn't have been more than fourteen, dragging himself down the gangplank. He wore a green tracksuit top and shorts combo and carried a fishing rod strapped across his back. Weird choice of weapon, but hey, whatever worked. The kid's face was pale, sweat plastering his spiky black hair to his forehead, but his eyes… those were intense. Determined. Like he'd rather die than give up.

I could respect that.

Shaking my head, I turned away, focusing on the task at hand. Noran had mentioned a big tree, something about it being the key to passing this whole thing. I scanned the horizon, past the throngs of people and the colorful stalls selling who-knows-what. And there it was, in the distance, rising above the sprawling city like a green giant—a massive cedar tree, its branches reaching towards the sky.

Time to get moving.

I ignored the stares of the other contestants, their whispers and veiled threats, and headed towards the city gates. Best to avoid any unnecessary confrontations, at least for now. I had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot weirder.

Halfway down a narrow side street, something bounced off the back of my head. I spun around, expecting trouble, but there was no one there. Just a crumpled ball of paper lying on the cobblestones.

I picked it up, smoothing out the wrinkles, my curiosity piqued.

Goddess Mission Milestone 1: Off the boat. Scenario Assessment Level Increased. Checkpoint reached.

Tasks Updated: Continue to participate in the Hunter Exam. Reach the Great Cedar Tree and pass the secret 2nd preliminary: The Stupid Angry Lady Quiz, The Kuroko Test.

The words weren't written in any language I recognized, but somehow, I understood. Like they were appearing directly in my brain, bypassing my eyes altogether.

The paper felt warm in my hand, then it crumbled into dust, scattering in the breeze.

Kuroko Test… What the hell was that supposed to mean? Another test? This whole thing was giving me a headache.

I shrugged. No point in overthinking it. I had my destination.

Adjusting the strap of my bag, I set off towards the towering cedar tree, my gut churning with a mix of apprehension and a strange, unfamiliar excitement.

I walked for what felt like hours. This whole "Hunter Exam" thing felt rigged. The sun beat down on my neck, and my legs screamed for a break. My gut churned with a mix of anticipation and dread. What kinda messed-up challenge awaited me at the end of this road?

Rounding a bend, I came to a dead stop.

A massive desk, crafted from dark wood that gleamed like polished obsidian, dominated the street, blocking my path completely. Behind it sat a woman, her face half-hidden by the wide brim of a straw hat adorned with a single, blood-red feather. Two massive figures flanked her, their faces hidden by ornate masks that covered their features completely. They looked less like guards and more like statues come to life, their very presence radiating an air of quiet menace.

Even from a distance, I could tell this was no ordinary roadblock. This was a test. And these weren't amateurs.

As if reading my thoughts, the woman spoke. "Secret Super Wonderful Two-Choice Quiz!" Her voice was surprisingly melodic, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere.

"Your mother and your lover are kidnapped by a criminal," she announced, her tone light, conversational. "You can only save one. Which one do you save?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. This wasn't about right or wrong answers. This was about something else entirely. Something that made my skin crawl.

"I save them both," I said, my voice resolute.

The woman's lips curled into a knowing smile. "That answer is not one of the possible answers."

"It isn't?" I shot back, refusing to back down. "Then I'll make it possible."

She studied me, her gaze sharp as a hawk's. "So be it. You have chosen."

With a snap of her fingers, a section of the wall behind her slid open, revealing a darkened corridor beyond. The air coming from it felt different. Heavy. Charged with a kind of primal energy that sent shivers down my spine. My danger sense, that new sixth sense, screamed at me to turn back, to run while I still had the chance.

"I'm not stupid," I muttered, more to myself than to her. "That's not the way through."

I tried to edge past the desk, my eyes darting around, searching for another route, an escape.

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"You failed the Path of the Mind, refused the Path of the Soul," the woman's voice echoed behind me. "Only the Path of the Body remains."

She rose from her seat, her movements fluid, almost too fast to track. The robe she'd been wearing fluttered to the ground, revealing polished plate mail beneath. A katana, its blade gleaming wickedly in the sunlight, materialized in her hand as if from thin air.

The two figures flanking her moved in unison.

One moment they were still as statues, then the ground trembled beneath their feet as they strode forward, each hefting a war hammer easily the size of a goddamn TV from beneath the table. Those hammers weren't just for show either. The way those guys gripped them, the way their bodies coiled with barely restrained power, told me these dudes knew how to use 'em.

The first one swung, aiming that monstrous hammer right at my chest. I ducked like I was playing damn limbo, barely getting my head out of the way as the wind from that swing ruffled my hair. The force of it was insane. If that thing connected, it wouldn't just break bones; it would turn me into paste.

Rolling and then scrambling back, I got a good look at my opponents as they approached me with speed. They were huge, their arms thicker than my torso, muscles rippling beneath their robes. Their faces were still hidden behind those masks, but I could see their eyes: cold, focused, predatory.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. This was bad, real bad.

One of the hammers came whistling towards me, a blur of wood and Iron Reinforcements. I dodged by going flat from my crouch, slipping under the blow, and slammed my fist into the guy's ribs. He grunted, barely registering the hit. I tried a leg sweep as I twirled upward, hoping to knock him off balance, but he just planted his feet and absorbed the impact.

Shit. These guys were like walls.

The other hammer came crashing down, forcing me to push off his leg and twist to roll out of the way. The impact cracked the cobblestones, sending shrapnel flying. I scrambled back to my feet, my heart hammering in my chest.

This wasn't working. I couldn't just outmuscle these guys. I had to find another way.

As I got to my feet I focused on their movements, trying to anticipate their attacks, looking for an opening. Each swing was definitely a potential death sentence.

One of the guys swung again, aiming for my legs. I jumped back and onto his hammer, narrowly avoiding the hammer head, which slammed into the ground with bone-jarring force. The ground shuddered beneath my feet.

There it was. My chance.

As the other hammer swung toward me, I jumped off the hammer I was standing on and stepped into his guard, my hand shooting out to push the haft in another direction. It was rough, the wood digging into my palm, but I held my ground and stepped further forward, using all my strength to twist the hammer's trajectory with just the right amount of redirection. The giant mallet head clipped the first guy on the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the ground with a groan.

The other one's eyes widened in shock behind his mask and roared in anger, charging at me with a berserker's fury. I sidestepped his now clumsy attack and ducked under a wild swing, feeling the wind from the hammer whip past my face. He stumbled, overbalanced, and I seized the opportunity.

I slammed my shoulder into his back, sending him careening towards his fallen comrade. He loosened his grip on his hammer which almost flew upward, but a little momentum in a different direction as my palm hit the haft on one side and I pushed it downward on the other and it slammed into his back, I saw the result. It caused his face to smash into the dirt.

I stood there, chest heaving, sweat stinging my eyes. It was over. For now.

I managed to take them down, using their momentum against them, sending them crashing into each other, but it wasn't enough. The woman, her face still hidden beneath that wide-brimmed hat, stepped forward.

"You just had to not answer," she sighed, her voice a whisper of disappointment. "With a weak body like yours—"

That was as far as I was able to hear.

A flash of steel. A cold breeze brushed my cheek.

For a split second, I stood there, confused. Had they landed a blow? I didn't feel anything. Then, my vision tilted, the world around me dissolving into a kaleidoscope of pain and darkness.

I was confused, why the hell was she behind me?!

----------------------------------------

I was back in the hallway, heart pounding, the phantom metallic tang of blood filling my mouth. My body throbbed with a pain that was both familiar and utterly terrifying.

Looking down at the body I knew should have been turned into goddamn mince-meat-

My solid flesh taunted me.