The passage closed behind them.

“In this test, you will be divided into three groups of fifty people,” said Vice-Captain Arion.

“Sir!” exclaimed one of the competitors.

“Tell me!” replied Arion, attentive.

“I’m sorry to inform you, but I’m not a learned person!” said the competitor, visibly worried.

“Kratos is another one who has been trained since he was a child. Look at the size of those muscles!” commented Thais, observing the competitor.

“You will be tested in all three categories. This may affect your final score, but as long as you do well in the others, you will still have a chance to pass!” explained Arion, encouragingly.

“So, you don’t have to take the test if you don’t want to?” exclaimed another competitor, in a hopeful tone.

“If you pass the other two, you can skip the test! But I inform you that you will need to write reports on your activities in the army. In the case of people who cannot write, they can give spoken reports!” said Arion, emphasizing the rule. This applies to the first fifty competitors!

The first fifty entered the room.

"What a nice smell!" Kay exclaimed, slowly waking up.

"It's just a matter of time before he wakes up now. Let's leave him in the corner!" Mira said, with a relieved smile.

They sat Kay near the wall and waited.

"Raven stayed behind. I don't want to be in the same arena as her!" Thais said, discouraged.

"Now I'm getting nervous!" Mira said, restless.

"Besides Raven and Kratos, there's Jack, the Slayer, Fiona!" Thais continued, increasing Mira's concern.

"You could not scare her anymore!" Kay commented, now more awake.

Thais let out a startled scream. The competitors looked back, confused.

"If he was awake, he could have spoken!" Mira complained, a little irritated.

Kay picked up her staff and started walking forward.

"Where are you going?" Mira exclaimed, following him.

“It looks troublesome. Let’s go too!” Thais said, following the two.

“We should stay away from problems and not go towards them!” Viviane said, following the group.

“What’s wrong, Kay?” Mira exclaimed, confused.

“Do you want to talk to me?” Arion asked, approaching.

“My senses are confused, but you stink!” Kay said, taking off his glasses and looking at Arion with a displeased expression.

“Huh?” Arion exclaimed, surprised.

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“I’m sorry, my friend is still sleepy. He didn’t mean to offend you!” Mira said, pulling Kay by the arm.

“Wait, Mira. This person smells like a ghoul!” Kay said, frowning.

“Ghoul?” Mira exclaimed, confused.

“Did he notice?” Arion thought, surprised, as he looked at Kay.

“Just give me the order, and I’ll punish this person!” Kratos said, his voice deep, taking a step forward.

“Who’s the gorilla?” Kay exclaimed, surprised. By the way, where are we?” he asked, still disoriented.

The veins on Kratos’ body began to pop out, signaling his irritation with Kay’s comment. Raven, who was nearby, let out a muffled laugh, which made Kratos even more irritated.

“Calm down, Kratos. Your name is Kay, right? Is this your first time taking the test?” Arion asked, trying to calm the situation.

“Test?” Kay repeated, still confused.

Mira quickly disguised herself, trying to divert attention.

“You weren’t the only one who noticed, but you were the first to speak. The words were rude, but you earned points for it!” Arion said firmly. All of our army soldiers here are wearing combat gear. Hiding information from your comrades can be fatal on the battlefield. But not realizing the situation is even worse. Always be alert!” — I'm leaving. I have no interest in the army! Kay said, turning to leave the room.

— Wait, Kay! Mira exclaimed, running after him.

— These two are interesting! Thais commented to Viviane, observing the situation.

— You can only leave when the tests are over. Whether or not you join the army will be decided at the end. And you can refuse if you want! Arion explained, trying to contain the situation.

As they walked, Yuri, still confused, exclaimed:

— What's going on? Did you bring me to this test against my will?

— Sorry, it was my mother's doing... Mira replied, nervous.

— I can't stay away from the village! Kay said, frustrated.

— I know... You have memories of there, but I can't stay here alone! Mira replied, with a pleading tone.

— Nice to meet you, I'm Thais. Thais said, approaching. Why don't you calm down a little? You're drawing the attention of the other competitors.

Kay sighed and sat back down by the wall, visibly uncomfortable.

“After yesterday’s coffee, I don’t remember anything… Was I sleeping?” Kay asked, confused.

“Sorry… Actually, it was my mother…” Mira whispered in Kay’s ear, awkwardly.

“That’s exactly what she would do… I’m going to refuse to come in, but I’ll accept a coffee as an apology!” Kay said, with a slight smile.

“Okay!” Mira replied.

— Coffee? They get along really well... — Thais thought, watching the interaction.

— I didn't introduce myself, I'm Viviane, nice to meet you! — Viviane said, a little embarrassed.

— I'm Kay, nice to meet you! — he replied, friendly.

— There will be three categories: writing, physical and teamwork. They didn't say how many tests will be done in each one, but they've been evaluating our behavior since the moment we walked in here. — Mira explained.

— Really? — Thais exclaimed, surprised.

— Yes! Right now, they're watching us. — Mira said, looking around.

— I thought it was just to prevent fights... — Thais commented, unconcerned.

— Hey, Mira, I'm thinking... If you wear those outfits, you'll end up smelling like a ghoul! — Kay said, teasing.

— I didn't smell anything coming from him. — Mira replied, frowning.

— That's because there wasn't any. Suits don't give off smells. — Viviane explained.

“Is your sense of smell really that good?” — Thais asked, intrigued.

“You have to have good instincts to hunt, I always tell you that.” — Kay said, with a confident tone.

“But wanting me to surpass human instincts is too much!” — Mira muttered, a little irritated.

“He lied. He's the only one wearing a suit! The other soldiers are wearing long clothes, but they don't have the same firmness as the vice-captain with the suit.” — Viviane observed, analyzing Arion.

“And only the vice-captain isn't carrying a weapon.” — Thais added.

“I know you noticed. How about telling them?” — Kay said, looking at Mira.

“I don't know exactly what you're thinking, but there are competitors wearing suits under their clothes. I think they're from the army.” — Mira replied, suspicious.

“Really?” — Thais exclaimed, surprised.

— Three... no, five people among the competitors are wearing costumes. Are they different costumes? The smell they give off is not the same. — Kay commented, wrinkling her nose.

— That many? — Viviane exclaimed, surprised.

— What do they intend by putting people from the army in the competition? — Mira asked, suspicious.

— Stop talking or you'll be left behind! — Arion warned, in a firm tone.

— They've already gone to the test! — Thais said, noticing that the group had moved forward.

— We're left behind! — Viviane lamented, hurrying.

The girls ran to the next room.