[Next Station, Lagradon….Next station, Lagradon.]
A robotic voice spoke through the microphone and woke Acht from his deep sleep. It has been over 1 day since he left Bluerise city and mounted the bullet train towards lagradon.
The train was surprisingly more advanced than the ones on earth so the trip was comfortable.
The boy shook his drowsiness away and looked through the window. The greenery that filled his eyes throughout the whole trip was nowhere to be found. Instead, he saw massive buildings that pierced the sky and all kinds of advanced structures that filled the streets of the magnificent city. It was a sight to behold.
"There is no comparison to this place with bluerise city." He muttered under his breath as he prepared himself to leave the train.
Lagradon was the capital of Surgia, the strongest kingdom in the lower world. It was a massive city that could compare in size to some countries on earth. This made it one of the biggest economic powerhouses in the whole lower world.
The train soon stopped and Acht left the train. The station was massive and filled to the brim with people. He had never been to a crowded place like this.
'According to the GPS. The hotel should be near the station.' He thought while looking at the device in his hand.
He learned of the existence of smartphones in this world so he bought one since it was very useful.
When he was able to pass the doors, he found himself on a big street. It looked similar to Wall Street or the Champs-élysées on earth.
Acht walked through the streets looking around. He was admiring the human structures around him that almost defied logic with their shapes and forms. It was the most beautiful city he had seen in his life and he saw plenty of them because of his job.
"This should be it." He muttered while checking the phone and comparing the picture with the hotel. It was a very renowned hotel in the city that only accepted the rich and influential people from around the world.
He walked inside calmly and took a look inside. It was as amazing as he imagined, if not even better. The decor, the aesthetic, the atmosphere, and everything else exuded an elegance that no other place could compare to.
He stood for a few seconds looking around before walking to one of the workers. The man who wore butler clothes was standing still like a robot waiting for a customer.
"Welcome to 'Soul Paradise', how may I help you today young sir." He spoke with a calm and polite tone without any change in his expression.
The first expression that Acht had of this butler is that he was strong. Very strong.
'He's stronger than all the people I met except for Scarlett. As expected of the best hotel in the lower world. Even their workers are strong.'
"I'd like to book a room for one week."
The man looked at him for a few seconds before saying, "Perhaps, are you here for the hunter exam young sir?"
Acht nodded silently to his question.
"Then please follow me. We have a special offer for hunter candidates. The hunter association is always on the lookout for the best conditions for her candidates..." He started blabbering about the hunter association while walking to a particular door.
Behind the door was a different section of the hotel that didn't resemble the other part that much. It was slightly dark and gloomy so it made the person in there feel uncomfortable.
"What is this place?" Acht asked with slight confusion. He wasn't expecting to be invited to such a weird room.
The man didn't answer and kept walking until he reached another door. He then looked at Acht and spoke.
"The hunter association told us to say this to some candidates that we choose carefully. Would you like to enter the 'Pre-Hunter exam' competition?" He asked calmly.
"What's that?" Acht asked.
"As the name suggests. The Pre-Hunter exam is a secret part of the hunter exam where talented individuals compete for certain privileges they could get when they become hunters to give them a head start over the other."
"And why did you choose me specifically?" Acht squinted his eyes at the man with a cold look.
"I have been given the right to choose who I offer this special test to and you are one of the candidates who got my attention. So, would you like to participate or not."
'This is very suspicious. I have never heard of this test before. But, why would a butler lie about this?' he pondered for some time before looking at the man again and said.
"I will participate."
"Great! My eyes never betray me. Now, please sign these documents before we could proceed any further."
The man pulled a thick contract from thin air and gave it to Acht along with a pen.
Acht read the contract carefully. It had a prolonged explanation about the danger that this special test had in store for the candidates and that the hunter association had no responsibility if any fatality happened.
Other than that, he didn't find anything suspicious or disadvantageous for him. It was just a warning for him before he accepted.
Then, he signed the paper and gave it back.
"Now. Please follow me." He said as he opened the door and walked inside.
Acht followed him inside. He found himself in an open area.
It was a green plain that extended to as far as the human eye could see. Some gushes of air passed through these plains and moved the grass in a natural dance that could mesmerize the viewers.
What caught Acht's attention was the presence of a hundred people who were standing in the middle of these plains.
They were all young in age, not exceeding 20 years of age.
"Please wait here for a while and another person will explain the first test. Good luck!" The man told Acht before walking away.
Acht took one last look at the butler before walking to the plain calmly with his hands in his pockets.
Everyone looked at him as he passed through but no one bothered to give him a second glance. He saw an arrogant gaze in their eyes when they saw him which gave him a rough idea about what kind of people these young teenagers are.
'Am I the only one here who is 6 or 7 years old.' he thought as he looked around.
Even though everyone there was young, he thought he was the only kid among them.
But, his eyes fell on a particular girl in this crowd of people. She was a blonde girl with violet eyes and a very cute face. She looked as if she was a princess out of a fictional story. Her demeanor along with her looks harnessed many looks from the people around her.
'I guess I'm not alone after all. But, why do I feel like I've seen her before.' Acht pondered quietly as he stood in his place waiting for the start of the test.
The silent place made the atmosphere oppressive and heavy. Minutes passed and no trace of an examiner to be found.
When a few of them were about to complain about the long wait, the sound of a door opening echoed in the place.
Everyone looked at the origin of the sound and there stood a muscular man wearing a casual T-Shirt and jeans. He looked like any stranger you pass by in the streets.
He looked bored as he yawned loudly. He then looked at the papers in his hands and spoke with a lazy voice.
"...Welcome to…Uh…Pre-Hunter exam test….Umm, I should explain the first test, right?...."
His voice was slow and deep carrying a lazy tone that could make anyone hearing it fall asleep.
"Anyway…This is-"
Before he could say anything else, one of the crowd shouted.
"Is that….Thyrus Godfiend…The strongest hunter alive?!!!"
His voice was like a piece of domino that started a huge wave. Everyone started freaking out and shouting.
"Seriously…It's Thyrus…Why is her here…?!!"
"No way!.. Is he really going to supervise our test?!!"
Acht and the blonde girl were the only calm people among the candidates.
Acht recognized the man from his name since he was a very popular character in the book but he wasn't that much of a fan to start screaming like a girl when he saw him.
The shouting didn't stop and that made Thyrus frown slightly. He then lifted his leg slightly in the air and tapped on the ground.
Suddenly, a strong aura erupted out of his body like a volcano. Everyone had to cover their face from the strong gust of wind that came with it.
It was so strong that it almost sent some people flying.
'What the hell is this?!' even Acht was surprised by this show of strength. Such a monstrous aura made him feel as if he had a sharp knife on his neck ready to slice his throat.
"Silence."
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