"Good stuff..."
Soren muttered, arriving in front of the weapon.
It was a spear that stood out from the surrounding mass-produced steel. The shaft was crafted from dark Ironwood, a material prized for its weight like timber but with the tensile strength of tempered tal. At the end sat a leaf-shaped blade made of Refined Cold-Iron, its edge polished to a mirror finish that seed to swallow the overhead lights of the center.
He reached out and gripped the shaft. The balance was perfect, the center of gravity sitting right where his hand would naturally rest for a lightning-fast lunge.
════════
[Ironwood Cold-Iron Spear]
Rank: D
Price: 35,000 Credits
Effect: High mana conductivity and 15% increased piercing power against beast-type monsters.
Price: 35,000 credits.
════════
’Combined with the armor, the bill is already 55,000 credits.’
Soren tightened his grip on the ironwood.
It was a staggering amount of money for soone who had been scraping by on sli cores just a day ago, but he knew he couldn’t be stingy now.
’55,000 out of 80,000,’ he calculated, his jaw tightening. ’I still have 25,000 left. After setting aside the money for Ethea and Miss Clara... I can still afford a few more things.’
Since he was going to be raiding back-to-back, he couldn’t afford a single day of downti. He turned away from the weapons and headed toward the supply section. He needed consumables.
’I still have those advanced grade healing potions from that investnt. Still, I should buy a few more just in case.’
He kept a ntal tally as he walked.
Like that, he spent the next half hour ticulously browsing the rows of vials and dical kits. He eventually settled on a batch of dium-grade mana and health restoratives, several high-potency stamina stimulants, painkillers, and a handful of specialized antidotes. By the ti he reached the checkout counter and swiped his card, another 10,000 credits had vanished from his account.
’65,000 spent. 15,000 left.’
It was a heavy blow to his savings, but as he stowed the supplies in his bag, he felt a strange sense of stability.
And, with an hour and a half still remaining before his exam, Soren found a quiet corner in the Bureau’s waiting lounge. He pulled out his phone and began researching.
He started with the Second Circle gates located within the city outskirts, mapping out which ones had the highest density of beast-type monsters, his new spear’s specialty.
He then shifted his focus to the Kalmira Elite Hunter Academy.
The articles described it as the city’s premier institution for young Awakened, funded by local guilds and influential families. The sophomores he would be guarding were often from privileged backgrounds, raised on better supplents and coaching than most hunters could ever dream of.
’Geniuses with high specs but zero experience,’ he thought, leaning his head back. ’A recipe for disaster if things go south.’
He couldn’t help but recall the Ironclad Gorge incident. The catalyst for that disaster had been Nick, a kid around the sa age as these students. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with another ticking ti bomb like that during this mission.
Shaking off the grim mory, he forced his focus back to the screen.
Between his research on the Academy and the monsters, he also took a few minutes to look up the promotion exam itself. Most forums described the E-rank test as a "filter" designed to weed out those who had simply gotten lucky in First Circle gates. While others said it was easy as long as you knew your stuff.
Regardless of the conflicting opinions online, Soren kept his focus sharp, closing his eyes to ntally rehearse his forms until the waiting area finally echoed with his na.
"Candidate Soren, please report to Testing Hall B."
Soren stood up, adjusted his gear, and made his way through the sterile corridors. Inside the hall, a middle-aged man with a clipboard and a sharp, no-nonsense gaze waited for him.
"Hunter Soren? I’m Examiner Vahn," the man said. "You’re here for the E-rank promotion. I’ll keep this brief. The exam is divided into three parts. Fail one, and you’re out."
Vahn tapped his pen against the clipboard.
"Part one is the Theoretical Assessnt. We need to ensure you actually know the Bureau’s field protocols and the legalities of gate clearance. It’s a verbal Q&A. Part two is Mana asurent; we’ll verify that your mana quality and output have actually reached the Second Circle threshold."
He gestured toward a heavy, reinforced iron door at the back of the room.
"And finally, part three: Practical Combat Simulation. You will be sent into a controlled environnt where we will release a wave of monsters."
Vahn’s eyes narrowed, searching for a tremor in Soren’s hands. "Understand the terms?"
Soren calmly nodded.
"Then, let’s begin."
Vahn settled into the chair across from him, pulling out a weathered tablet. His sharp eyes never left Soren’s face as he scrolled to the first question.
"First question: What is the first thing you check when entering an unfamiliar gate?"
Soren pondered for a mont before replying. "The mana density and stability. If the ambient energy is fluctuating or feels heavier than the preliminary scan suggested, the gate might be unstable or evolving."
"Correct. Second question: You encounter a corrupted mana-vein within a Second Circle gate. Are you authorized to harvest it for personal gain?"
"No," Soren replied firmly. "Corrupted veins are volatile and require professional purification. Harvesting them without a permit is a cri, as it endangers the hunter and can destabilize the entire gate environnt."
"Good. The third question..."
"..."
The theoretical assessnt continued in a similar fashion.
Vahn threw question after question at him: gate collapses, party disputes, monster corpse disposal protocols, and even a curveball about handling a hunter who attempted to smuggle gate materials. Soren answered each question with asured precision, drawing on both his field experience and the knowledge he gained recently through his research. That mory enhancent return also played a big role in it.
Finally, Vahn set the tablet down.
"Theoretical Assessnt: complete. You’ve achieved a passing score."
Soren exhaled quietly, allowing himself a small asure of relief. One hurdle cleared.
"Now for the second part," Vahn continued, rising from his chair and motioning for Soren to follow. "Mana asurent."
He led Soren toward a sleek, cylindrical chamber embedded in the far wall. It resembled a glass pod lined with intricate silver runes that pulsed faintly with dormant energy. A single palm-shaped indent sat at its center.
"Place your hand on the receptor and channel your mana steadily," Vahn instructed, stepping back to a monitoring console. "Don’t force it. Just let it flow naturally. The array will asure both density and total output."
Soren stepped forward and pressed his palm against the cool surface. He closed his eyes, drawing a slow breath as he reached into his core. The familiar warmth of his mana stirred, flowing down his arm and into the receptor in a steady, controlled stream.
The silver runes flared to life, glowing brighter with each passing second.
Vahn watched the console, his weathered face illuminated by the pale blue glow of the display. Numbers climbed rapidly, stabilizing after a few monts.
"Mana Quantity: 13,756 units."
Vahn let out a low hum, his eyebrows rising a fraction.
"Your capacity is... impressive," He remarked, scribbling a note. "Mana quality is stable, too. You’ve clearly been refining your core properly."
"Mm..." Soren remained silent.
"Part two cleared. Now cos the actual test." Vahn turned and strode toward the heavy iron door at the back of the room, placing his palm against a reinforced scanner. Locks disengaged with a deep, chanical clunk, and the door groaned open to reveal a vast chamber beyond.
Soren stepped through and felt the atmosphere shift imdiately.
The combat hall stretched at least forty ters across, with reinforced alloy plating covering every surface: walls, floor, and ceiling. Deep gouges and scorch marks marred the tal, silent testimony to countless battles fought within these confines.
Overhead, mana-suppression arrays humd softly, containing whatever chaos was about to unfold. A transparent barrier separated the observation deck from the arena itself, behind which Vahn now stood, his hand resting on a control panel.
"This is a live combat simulation," Vahn’s voice echoed through hidden speakers. "There are no safety nets and no intervention unless you’re literally about to die. The monsters released will be authentic Second Circle specins, captured alive and kept docile through suppression collars. Once those collars deactivate, they will attack with full lethal intent."
Soren reached over his shoulder and drew his newly acquired spear. The obsidian-threaded shaft felt solid in his grip, the reinforced tip catching the harsh overhead lights.
"Understood."
Vahn’s hand hovered over the controls.
"You must at least clear three waves. Each wave will be harder than the last. Survive, and you earn your promotion. Fail, and well..."
He didn’t need to finish that sentence.
A heavy chanical whir echoed through the hall as three reinforced panels slid open along the far wall. From the darkness beyond, Soren caught the glint of multiple eyes and heard the low, guttural growls of caged beasts.
"Wave one. Begin."
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