Silence engulfed the room. Everyone just looked at Smiley as if looking at some kind of freak. They didn't know how to react to a maniac who gets turned on by killing humans or seeing them die. They didn't want to show any reaction to his words out of fear and also because they didn't want to offend the hunter association and maybe even revoke their hunter license if they passed the test.
Seeing how everyone was having a difficult time, Smiley didn't want to prolong this any further and said after a small cough.
"Ehem~ To not waste time explaining all the rules~ there is a small book that has all the information about the test, beasts, point distribution for each monster, and other things~"
As he spoke, he made a clicking sound with his fingers, and suddenly, books appeared out of nowhere, floating in front of each person in the room. The books were thick and heavy but they somehow were floating in the air like feathers.
Acht took a look around the book, trying to understand the mechanism of how it was flavoring. But, he didn't see or feel anything coming from the book itself.
'Someone is controlling them.' He glanced around the room briefly. There was nothing suspicious going on so he slowly took the book in his hand and opened it.
The first few pages of the book had some rules in them. Rules such as:'Leaving the premise of the forest will get you automatically disqualified.' and 'Using any type of external help from a party that is not participating in the hunter exam is also prohibited.' and many other rules that didn't seem to be that important.
Then, the rest of the book had pictures of animals with their names and the number of points they give. The book didn't show any type of information about these creatures other than that.
But, there was a part that caught Acht's attention. The book also mentioned 'A trading system'. It meant that there will be some kind of safe points scattered across the forest where people could go and buy necessities with points such as potions, food, materials, and other stuff. It was a very interesting thing to add considering the fact that people will be conflicted. They know that points are precious and so they want to collect as much as they can. But, then starvation and cold weather hit them and they find themselves obliged to buy things with points.
"They know how to play with people's minds." He muttered with an inaudible chuckle.
Acht didn't have time to read it all so he skimmed through it to have a general idea of how this book works and then closed it and looked at Smiley again.
He was resting on his cane in a comic manner while humming some incomprehensible things.
After almost 15 minutes, most of the people present had looked at the book and its content. Then, Smiley finally spoke again.
"Wohoo~ You took your time there~Now, we are almost over~ you can stay here for a maximum of 2 hours before you should start the test~ as for those who are ready~ Off you go~" Smiley explained while pointing at something behind him.
They all looked at it and found what seemed like a hole in the wall. The whole had a weird swirl pool made out of some kind of blue object. It looked just like what people would expect from a magical portal in fiction.
"One last thing~ You will stay in this forest for a month so~ Have a safe trip~" He shook his hand widely in the air before walking to the portal and disappearing again.
After that, chaos ensued. People started going around in all places talking with the others and shouting all kinds of words. There were even some fights between them.
The reason for that is one single rule in the book, 'Creating teams is allowed.'
That meant that anyone could cooperate with another and get the same number of coins. The rule didn't specify how many members the team could have, so it could be made out of 100 people and it will still be allowed.
Such a thing was revealed pretty early so most of the people wanted to join teams to make it easier for them to collect points and also reduce the chances of them getting killed.
As for Acht, he wasn't going to join a team. The last thing he wanted is. A bunch of weaklings slowing him down.
'However, it doesn't seem that I will be alone.' He took a peek at his right side. There, Tania was gazing in his direction with a strong glare as if she wanted to create a hole in his skull.
He didn't even bother to try and ditch her since she will stick to him like glue no matter what he said or did.
"Do you want to join teams?" He asked after a long silence.
When she heard him, a small smile bloomed on her pretty face and she nodded vigorously.
Then, without anything else to do, they made their way to the portal. They didn't have to stay there since they had everything they needed with them.
When they reached the portal, Acht looked at it curiously before extending his hand. His palms touched the blue matter that kept on swirling. It didn't feel like anything in particular, but if he had to describe it then he would say that he felt as if he was lifting extra weight on his hand.
What made him interested in the portal is the fact that it could be linked to one of the lost elements: space. That element doesn't exist anymore so he didn't have any idea how they pulled off such a feat in this day and age.
'Scarlett didn't tell me everything about the lost elements and the descendance war. I should investigate it more when I have time'.
Then, they both passed through the portal together. When they opened their eyes again, the scenery changed completely. What was before a white hall now turned into a huge forest that presented itself magnificently in front of them.
The sun disc was still floating in the middle of the sky, glaring with its powerful rays down at earth like a divine being. The small gushes of air that came and went periodically made the leaves of the trees dance along with it in an almost ethereal way. The sound of birds singing added that beautiful flavor to this holy scenery.
It was a beautiful forest in every possible way and more.
Acht didn't feel it when he fell into a trance, but he woke up from it after some time. He didn't have time to appreciate the forest or he will stay like that the whole day.
Then, he scanned his surroundings. There was a person standing still a few meters away from the outskirts of the forest. In front of this person was a table with some kind of artifacts on it.
The duo made their way to the table and spoke to the person there. He didn't look like an important figure or anything of that sort. He was probably just a worker assigned to give the artifacts to contestants.
"Welcome, will you be creating a team, or are you each on your own?" He asked respectfully. He kept the same serious look.
"We will create a team of two, please."
"Sure, take these and put them close to each other. A notification will appear on the artifact that it detected another device. Just tap on accept and you are a team now. You will be able to see your teammate's position and the number of points they have at that moment. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean you are not allowed to attack your teammates."
Then, he took a small glance at the artifacts and added, "Also, if you lose that artifact or break it then you won't be able to get another one and you are automatically disqualified. Any questions?"
The two looked at each other for a brief moment before shaking their heads.
"Then, if you are ready, please head this way and your test will officially start. Good luck."
Acht and Tania held the two artifacts and made a team for both of them. Immediately, a map of the forest appeared on the object with two glowing green dots on it. It was Acht and Tania's position at the moment.
"I have plans for what we should do so we need to go as deep as we can inside the forest. Follow me." He instructed her with a calm tone and then dashed toward the forest.
Tania looked at his silhouette as it went further and further away from her. She couldn't avert her eyes from him for a good 5 seconds.
"So cool~" She muttered with dreamy eyes before shaking her head and following him immediately. Their journey inside of the forest of nightmares had begun.
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