Chapter 4

Testing Grounds

More than six centuries ago, the people of Thrae only knew how to lead ordinary lives. That was until The Goddess of Thrae blessed her lands with magic and elemental powers. In newfound faith, a new era emerged. And all was well for a short while.

The people turned avaricious and grew a lust for power. Strifes turned into battles, and battles turned into wars. For two centuries, the people of Thrae fought each other. Eventually, what was later known as The Dividing War, ended, and out of the ashes, four major continents rose into sovereignty—the humans of the north, the elves of the east, the dwarfs of the west, and the beastmen of the south.

In another two centuries, the qualms between the races started to abate. Large cities began to rise prominently and opened the opportunity for trading and developments in technology and sustainability. While poverty became less common, the divide between the poor and the rich pronounced itself more increasingly.

23rd day of the 11th Moon, year 659.

The day after purchasing various Skills and equipment, Bellamy was ready to enter the Hunter Alliance's main branch. Its building-site belonged to Farinmore North City Center. The North City Center was mainly composed of authoritarian territories, guard barracks, and Hunter Guilds.

The population was denser in the city centers. Several city guard barracks, Hunter Guilds, and even a few Adventurer Guilds surrounded the whole capital. Together, they formed several defensive fronts that would impede potential threats such as invasions and monster attacks.

Now that Bellamy stood right in front of the Hunter Alliance's main branch building, he was in complete awe. On the news, Bellamy would commonly see Hunters and government officials enter and exit the building. Speeches or announcements were often held here by the top 5 Hunter Guilds and their leaders. Witnessing this place firsthand gave him the impression that he was still small and the world around him vast.

Two colossal metallic doors slid open as Bellamy entered the building. The inside was enormous, and it was only the first floor. The uncountable amount of visitors formed several lines. At the end of the hallway lay several operator booths that took inquiries from the visitors. Various people, mostly human, were also gathering in the lobby.

"Look! That's Flame Flamingo and Poisonous Leaf!" one of them yelled.

Everyone's attention turned toward a human woman dressed in red leather pants, expensive high heels, and pink fur around her neck.

"Hey, everyone!" Flame Flamingo teased as she passed them and gave an alluring wink to the crowd.

Flame Flamingo continued her lively conversation with the man walking next to her. The individual was none other than Poisonous Leaf. He was a human in the top 500 of the official Hunter rankings across Thrae, while Flame Flamingo was in the top 100.

"I heard that they're dating," a human in his early twenties inquired.

"Don't be silly," a stout, middle-aged dwarf scoffed. "There is no room for romance in their line of work."

Dwarven traveling merchants often sold goods and rare items in Farinmore. He most likely visited the Hunter Alliance to pay off his commissions.

"It might be true," a female elf huntress said, directing everyone's attention. "I've visited their Guild, Celsius, on several occasions. They seem to be quite friendly with each other."

The dwarf grunted and left the crowd. Dwarfs habitually had short tempers and mostly cared about gold and rare objects. It seemed he did not wish to continue this tedious discussion.

As Bellamy neared the end line of his queue, he was met by a girl with fluffy, rusty red ears who sat in one of the booths. Other than her ears and protruding tail, she seemed like an ordinary human.

A beastwoman from the Foxy Tribes?

"Please state your business." Her voice was soft and coquettish.

"I'm here to register as an Awakened," Bellamy informed.

"Oh, how pleasant! We always welcome newly Awakened with open arms. Please hold for a few sec!"

After the short greeting, the beastwoman began her work on her handheld computer tablet.

Tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Your name, please."

"Bellamy Aarick."

"Ah, found you. Thanks!"

Tap, tap.

Swipe.

The beastwoman handed Bellamy an identification card she had just scanned on her tablet.

"Please place this ID-card on your person and line up over there."

The Foxy girl then pointed to the elevator area that was packed with people lining up.

"Thank you," Bellamy briefly replied and paused for a moment. "Do you perhaps also know if I'll be able to apply for the Hunter Institution of Farinmore?"

The girl did not seem surprised by this particular question.

"Yes! If you manage to pass our testing grounds with a score above 500, you will be eligible to enter HIF's entrance examinations."

"What's the max score?" Bellamy asked.

"The maximum score is 1.000. Although no one in the last 5 years has gotten a score above 985."

His curiosity was piqued.

"Thanks for your guidance," Bellamy smiled and approached the elevators.

After the applicants, including Bellamy, got off the elevator, they could see numerous people already gathered around a Hunter Alliance instructor. A few went straight towards the crowd showing their boldness, while some hesitated before heading over. Bellamy was not in a hurry and listened in on the instructor's voice while stepping closer.

"Welcome newly Awakened applicants. And welcome back to those of you who are here for a second attempt."

The instructor was a middle-aged human with broad shoulders and an impressively thick mustache. More impressive was his height. He was at least a head taller than any Thraean currently on the testing floor.

"Before staging the tests, swipe your ID-cards and connect your Soul Windows to these machines to confirm your identities as Hunters."

The large man held out his enormous arm, steering everyone's attention to a couple of devices similar to the ones Bellamy had seen in The Hidden Element. As the instructor was currently wearing sweatpants and a white tank top, a few Hunter applicants still had their eyes locked on his riveting biceps.

Bellamy glimpsed at his ID-card and noticed an area that displayed his current Hunter rank: no rank.

"Good," the instructor continued as most participants had confirmed their identities. "You will be arranged into four groups. The Level 0 group, the Level 1 to 3 group, the Level 4 to 6 group, and finally the level 7 to 10 group."

A few security guards were on stand-by. Their equipment and demeanor both suggested that they were veteran Hunters.

"If you are currently above Level 10, you do not qualify to take part in the beginner's tests. Please apply for the intermediate level tests." The instructor glanced at several of the unofficial Hunters. "Our security will escort you out."

The faces of most of these applicants paled in disappointment, while a few showed anger and hostility. However, they did not make a scene and left somewhat quietly.

"With that out of the way, listen closely to my instructions. I will not repeat myself."

The crowd had now split into four areas, yet the instructor's heavy voice was clearly heard across the floor.

"There will be three tests in each group. Each group will have the difficulty setting adjusted to their Levels. Meaning, the Level 0 group tests will be more tolerable than the Level 1 to 3 group tests, and so on. Each test will measure different Hunter qualities."

Bellamy became reassured when not faced with Level 10 Awakeners. The first test was defined as a 'break the object' trial. The second test was a fleetness trial. And the last test was an elemental affinity trial. Each test would grasp the total combat prowess of a Hunter regardless of their Levels. In other words, it would show their potential as future rising Hunters.