“All right, my sweet little ducklings!” the instructor boomed as she made her fashionably late entrance. She clapped and a loud sonic boom emanated from her gloved hands, dazing everyone within the large training grounds. Somehow, the loud boom bounced off the walls that surrounded the facility and doubled back in on everyone, intensifying the daze effect.

Messages flooded Sepeti’s vision as his ears rang. He would have read them had he not been so busy fighting the urge to fall over. His head spun as a sudden vertigo took hold of him but he was able to stay on his feet.

“Oh!” the woman gasped, chuckling to herself. It was odd how he was able to hear and understand her despite the ringing that shook his feeble mind. “I forgot you were all little hatchlings. This should help!”

She began speaking in a language Sepeti didn’t recognize and the adverse effect dissipated as if it had never been applied. The ringing disappeared and a pressure he hadn’t been aware of eased off of him. Some of his fellow examinees were busy catching their breaths, heaving as if they’d just finished running a marathon. More than a good amount were picking themselves up off the hard-packed ground and dusting themselves off.

“Now, if I can have your attention, please.” The instructor waved her hands in the air as if any of the attendees would miss her. With her loud voice and her muscular physique, it would have been hard for any of the attendees to not know who or where she was. Sepeti studied the woman and came to the conclusion that she would easily beat his ass. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. He had the sneaking suspicion that a few of his fellow examinees were sizing her up despite her effortless showcase of her superiority.

“As you may, or may not, have been informed, my name is Apolina Tsengette. You may call me Ms. Tsen or Ms. Lina, but you may never call me Apolina. Only my mother was allowed to do that.” She flashed a quick smile. Sepeti noticed that she was missing a few teeth and he instinctively licked at the spot where he was also missing some. “You should have all gone over your syllabi provided by the wonderful receptionists. Due to the size of this class, we will be running this practical in a tournament style. You will all draw numbers and then lots for pairings.”

Ms. Lina waved a hand and a small table with a pair of bowls appeared next to her. Sepeti was intrigued. Either she’d pulled the items out of her inventory, which he’d learned every sapient creature on this planet had, or she was using some sort of summoning magic. If it was summoning magic, he would love to get his hands on the skill. If only to fill out his magic list and satiate the collector within.

“Come come, orderly line. You, the one with the hair, step up and start the line,” she pointed at the nearest examinee, a stocky dwarf-looking guy who was still massaging his temples. She motioned for him to present himself before her and her table. Like a herd of sheep, the rest of the aspiring Hunters fell into a line behind him. “Go ahead, pull from the right bowl first then the left.”

Sepeti fell in behind a tall, broad shouldered man who was busy mumbling to someone in front of him.

“Shit, might not be able to get that ‘Teacher’s Pet’ title,” he murmured to his companion, a short young woman who was swathed from head to toe in black, form-fitting clothes. It was obvious he was trying to keep his voice down but was having a hard time regulating the volume of his voice.

“I’d say,” the young woman said, voice light and airy. “We got less than a five percent chance of beating her in a straight up fight as a team. Even lower if we go at her alone. If we rope in that lanky fucker then, I think, our chances jump up to twenty percent. Let’s see how she runs the practical and we’ll go from there.”

Sepeti wasn’t trying to listen to the couple's hushed conversation. Not actively, anyway. But he’d gained a few levels after his time well spent in the gym and from being able to circulate and focus on strengthening his core. As such, his physical and mental acuity had taken a couple leaps. He wasn’t any smarter, as far as he could tell, but he felt that his physical condition had definitely improved.

The gym had been an unforeseen boon, seeing as he’d learned a couple of the idiosyncrasies of this world's system during his time working on his physical betterment. The one he was most interested in was the fact that learning skills seemed to help with gaining levels. He still had much to learn about the leveling system but he was sure that there were hidden numbers that were arbitrarily increased with each level gained. It was annoying that the numbers weren’t immediately available but he couldn’t expect much more from inept God’s.

“Did you hear about that lanky fucker’s skill count?” The broad shouldered man continued to try to whisper and continued to fail. Sepeti noticed that others in the line were also listening in on the pair's not-so-quiet conversation. “They said he’s got ten skills and he’s only at level fifteen.”

“He’s got eleven,” the short woman corrected. “And he hasn’t hit fifteen yet.”

One of the other examinees snorted as he turned on the couple and bullied his way into their conversation. “That’s bullshit. There’s no way anyone would be able to have that many skills so quickly. Hell, I know a mid-twenty who only has twelve skills.”

“Do you now?” The tall man grinned at the newcomer through his patchy beard. “And you are?”

“Ja-“

“A nobody pleb,” the young woman interjected before the unwanted addition to their conversation could answer. “And a dumb one at that. You go into everything you do half-cocked? I bet you don’t even know who we’re talking about.”

The young man spluttered as his face turned beet red. He took a step back and raised an arm as if to shield himself. He tried to form a retort but it seemed his mouth and brain just weren’t connecting.

“That’s what I thought,” the young woman said, turning to face the other examinee’s who were now facing her and her companion. “By my guess, you’re a fresh level five who picked the Hunters because you didn’t have any skills that could get you into the Artisans and you don’t want to sign your life away to the ‘Keepers. So here you are, taking the Hunters exam’s without putting in any due diligence to learn what your actual chances are of joining the collective or of even doing the basic courtesy of learning about your fellow examinees. Am I right?”

The young woman snorted as she took her time to slowly stare down everyone who had crowded around them. None dared meet her gaze. Sepeti didn’t have to worry about weathering her withering gaze since he was behind the pair.

“Well, here’s the facts for you noobs. Out of the, maybe, one hundred examinees present today, maybe fifteen to twenty percent will be accepted into the collective. Five to ten percent will ‘expire’ either today or tomorrow. Those numbers are skewed toward the top and bottom ends, respectively. If you’re a fresh five who talked yourself into these exams with delusions of grandeur, you better reconsider your options and consider withdrawing before the first rounds of the practical start.”

The young woman spoke with confidence. Enough to make some of her listeners reconsider. Sepeti saw it in their eyes. That flickering flame they’d held wasn’t as bright as before.

Of course, Sepeti wasn’t going to reconsider. He still wanted to join the Artisans but those cards just weren’t going to play his way. Plus, he had the damned forced quest to worry about. The sooner he got hooked up with the Hunters, the sooner he could see about dispensing with the damned mission.

“Um,” Sepeti said quietly. “Can you guys move along? The line moved up and you guys are holding everyone up.”

The young woman and the broad shouldered man jumped away and whirled around at the sound of his voice. Before they landed their weapons appeared in their hands. A pair of wicked looking dagger-edged gloves formed around the young woman’s hands and a large bow appeared in the man’s grip. They both had alarmed looks on their faces.

“Whoa there,” Sepeti held his hands up. He wanted to jump into the nearest shadow but stopped himself at the last moment.

Someone clicked their tongue and a clap emanated from the front of the line.

“Hey, you two! Put those away!” Ms. Lina’s sharp voice cut through the tension that had suddenly formed between Sepeti and the strange pair. “Or I’ll put them away for you.”

Before the pair could react, the sound of glass shattering filled the arena. They let out squawks of surprise as their weapons disintegrated in their hands.

“I’ll give these back to you two after the exam concludes. Now hurry up and draw your numbers and lots.” She snapped at them then pointed at the bowls. The examinees who had been in front of the couple shuffled out of the way. “Everyone fall in. You’re all making this take much longer than is necessary.”

Sepeti felt the eyes of the couple boring into him as he stepped up and drew. The first piece of paper had a hastily scrawled ‘83’ on it. The second piece had a ‘NG’ on it. He wasn’t sure what either of the slips were for other than possibly numbering and grouping all of the examinees. It made little sense the more he thought about it. Was there an opposite ‘83’ that he’d be paired with? Or was there some other numbering convention that the instructor would be using to pair them up for this tournament?

“All right!” Ms. Lina boomed as the last of the examinees pulled their slips. “Everyone gather ‘round like good little goslings. Make sure you can hear me. If I have to repeat myself then I’ll have to raise my voice and you all won’t enjoy me raising my voice.”

Sepeti held back a snort. She was already plenty loud. Could she really get louder?

“Now, this is how we’re going to run this here little exam. The number you pulled is both your designation and the indicator of the order you will be going in. The letter you pulled tells you which group you belong to. There are, approximately, one hundred applicants present today. A nice, round number. Always so easy to work with. That means you will all be splitting yourselves up into ten groups of ten. Find your fellow letters and line up according to your numbers in an ascending order.”

Ms. Lina clapped again and the examinees scrambled to find their corresponding groups. Sepeti peeked at a few of his fellow aspirants slips as he walked by. He oriented himself and figured out which line he needed to be in without expending any energy on needless interactions. Many of the examinees already seemed frazzled from the simple exercise, running back and forth as they tried to figure out their lines and their places in the line.

“What’s your number?” A young woman asked Sepeti as he slipped in the NG line behind her. He noticed how her short brown hair seemed freshly trimmed, hanging right at the top of her shoulders.

“Eighty-three,” he said as he caught a glimpse of her number. She held a slip with a ‘71’ printed on it.

“Oh, ok,” she murmured, voice dropping in volume. Sepeti heard the shaking in her voice and noticed the slight tremble in the hand that still held her number slip aloft.

“First timer too?” He asked. He wasn’t sure why he was asking. Normally he wouldn’t give a single rat's ass about a stranger. Least of all someone who was obviously woefully unprepared.

“Yeah,” she answered between shaky breaths. “Hopefully it ain’t as hard as those two made it out to be.”

She’d been a part of the group that got proselytized at by the odd pair. Sepeti’s memory was slowly getting better with each level up so he at least remembered her face from when he’d glanced over them.

Sepeti grunted noncommittally and nodded. He wasn’t sure what to say and felt that keeping his mouth shut would be better for the both of them.

A rumble shook the training grounds, eliciting a gasp from the examinees as a group of five circular rings rose out of the ground behind Ms. Lina. A pair of masked figures clad in— what Sepeti had learned were — the black and gray uniforms used by direct Association employees appeared out of thin air flanking the rambunctious instructor. Their masks appeared to be made out of an odd leather, devoid of eye and mouth holes, while their uniforms consisted of little more than a gray long-sleeve button up and black pants that looked well worn.

As the rumbling settled, Ms. Lina raised her hands once more as she called for attention. Sepeti got the feeling that she enjoyed being the center of attention.

“No need for alarm, my little dears. These will serve as the arenas for our exam,” she nonchalantly flicked her wrist over her shoulder. “And these two are my assistants for the day. They will serve as referees and judges alongside me, since little old me can’t possibly handle all one hundred of you on my own.”

She snickered weirdly as if she’d just told a joke that no one else understood.

“Now, the rules are simple. We will pair each group up. Here, in ring one, groups A and NG will pair up. Ring two, groups E and N will pair up. Ring three, groups F and M. Ring four, groups H and L. Ring five, groups I and K. Now, chop chop, get yourselves lined up next to your rings and I’ll share the rest of the instructions.”

Sepeti and his group hustled toward the designated ring. The young woman in line before him let out a shuddering breath as they walked. Her anxiety was infectious as Sepeti felt a pit form in his stomach. He scanned the line of opponents, eyeing each one out as he tried to parse his possible opponents. Almost half looked as fresh as the young woman next to him while the others showed some experience. He studied the way they stood, the way they breathed, the way they held themselves. And he came up blank.

He couldn’t parse a single thing just from looking at his fellow examinees, his soon-to-be opponents. All he could gather was that a few of them looked ready to bolt, ready to hang it up. As his line fell into place next to their opponents, Ms. Lina’s loud voice cut through all thought once more.

“This is how we’re gonna do this. First match, you will be facing your direct opposite in line position. So if you’re first in line, you’ll be going up against the opposite first in line. This goes all the way down until the last pair in the line are done with their match. For the second match, the first in line will be matched up with the last in line on the opposing team. The winner of the first match, first position, gets to choose if they will go first or if they defer to their counterpart and then we will alternate from there. The goal is to win two times and secure a place for yourself in the winner's bracket. Lose twice and you are automatically in the loser’s bracket. If you are the odd man out at the end of the…”

Ms. Lina’s instructions began to drone as Sepeti quickly lost interest. He got what information he needed, for now. If he missed anything he’d just have to worry about that later. He released the meditative circulation he’d been holding since arriving in the training grounds, letting out a long breath as he enjoyed the sweet release of mana permeating through his muscles. Gran had shown him a few meditation techniques that he’d incorporated into his own routine. This had, to his surprise, helped upgrade his meditation skill from |Meditative State| to |Meditative State II|. Slowly but surely, he was getting the hang of this world's skill system. It would have probably been a bit faster if he were a little bit smarter.

“Now!” Ms. Lina clapped and this time he was ready to resist the daze effect from the boom. She really liked the word ‘now.’ “The rules of engagement are simple. You win by knocking your opponent down, out of the ring, or forcing them to surrender. Anything goes. You will all have complete access to your skills and magics.”

The instructor waved her hands and pairs of weapon racks materialized before each group. “These are Collective approved weapons. As much as we would like to allow you all to use your own weapons we’ve had… misshaps occur where an examinee brought a weapon that was far above their capabilities to control. These are imbued so that you won’t be able to place them in your inventories. You can choose as many as you like but you’ll have to carry them physically into the ring.”

Ms. Lina gave the groups a flourish and everyone began to move toward the weapon racks before a tall, lanky individual spoke up. “What happens if a participant dies during the exam?”

Sepeti studied the young man. He held himself with confidence, shoulders thrown back as he seemed to tower over everyone else who was in his line. He wasn’t sure if there was a nobility system in this world. Maybe there was, he just hadn’t bothered to remember. He should have paid more attention to Gran’s rambling lectures. This lanky dude looked like nobility. He was probably the ‘lanky fucker’ the strange couple from earlier had been talking about.

“That’s not possible,” Ms. Lina said through a smile that was obviously fake. “The rings are engineered to incapacitate participants who are in danger of losing their life. And we, as your instructors, won’t allow that to happen. Trust me.”

Something about her wording set alarms off in Sepeti’s head. There was the insinuation that everything but death was possible. At least, that’s what he thought. The lanky young man’s lips quivered like he was about to press for more information but the rest of the examinees were restless. A wave of bodies flooded toward the weapon racks as people began to jostle one another for their favored weapons.

Sepeti hung back and observed everyone’s selection. Most chose melee oriented weapons, the standard swords and axes and daggers and mallets. A good amount were shield users, a tool he’d never bothered to learn how to use in his previous life. Another good amount walked away with bows or slings and gloves. The young woman who was in front of him had selected a staff that was taller than she was. His first opponent was a familiar person, standing at the back of their line as they gave their weapons a good once-over.

As the line at the weapon rack dwindled, Sepeti finally made his move. He walked up and grabbed a pair of axes. He shoved them down his belt, which Gran had told him would come in handy. He’d been against wearing a belt since he felt it would hinder his movement. But now that he wasn’t going to be able to utilize his inventory during the exam, it suddenly became much more useful. He also selected a segmented whip, looping it around the head of one of the axes. Finally, he put on a pair of dull-looking cesti.

“Ready for war, ain’t ya?” one of the examinees from the opposing group called out. “Don’t ya think you’re overcompensating for somethin’?”

A nervous chuckle rose from the group as Sepeti walked back to his spot at the back of his line.

“You have the right of it,” the young woman whispered. “I should have grabbed a backup weapon too.”

“These are just for show,” Sepeti deadpanned, trying his best not to get sucked into an unwanted conversation.

“Do you have skills for all those weapons?” The young woman was now turned to him. She was dressed more simply than he was, shoulder length hair now tied into a tight ponytail. She didn’t even have a belt. Sepeti was pretty sure she was going to regret not having a belt. Nevermind the fact that he’d been against wearing one not too long ago.

“No,” he lied. “Just the cesti. I know how to use the whip and axes but they’re just a distraction.”

The visions played non-stop ever since he’d donned the pair of cesti. It seemed that the system considered them an armament and he was pretty sure he would gain a skill just from using them in the exam. He was confident he could use them even without the knowledge boost that was provided by having the corresponding skill.

“Oh, that’s smart. Yeah, I shoulda definitely grabbed a sword or something.” The young woman tightened her grip on the staff. Her breathing grew rapid again. She was definitely an overthinker.

“I think you’ll be fine,” Sepeti said, unsure why he felt the urge to continue the conversation. Was he starved for human interaction? “Your first opponent chose a sword and shield. Just outrange him and aim for the weak spots. I’d say your best bet is to aim for his lead ankle with your very first swing. Force him to think about guarding his whole body rather than just the upper portion. If he comes out in a low stance, then lead with an overhead swing and aim for the very top of his head. Swing hard and fast and make his shield arm numb.”

The young woman’s breathing slowed as she listened to him.

“Got it, ankle first. Overhead if he’s low. Thanks.” She nodded at him and an odd warm-fuzzy feeling bloomed in his stomach. He didn’t like it but it wasn’t unwelcome.

“All righty, my little chicks, let's get this show rolling! First matchups, step into your rings!”

The first matches told Sepeti everything he needed to know about the real setup of the exam. There was no time limit so a few of the first combatants had tried to turtle their way through the initial phases, keeping a healthy neutral zone as a buffer between them. Unfortunately for them, the rings were enchanted to shrink every twenty seconds. The first match ended after two minutes. The ring had grown so small that the pair of examinees ended up tangled in one another's arms, wrestling sloppily as they tried to trip their opponent out of the ring.

Ms. Lina had giggled and claimed she’d “forgotten” about the shrinking enchantment after a few of the early participants raised a fuss about the omission.

The young woman in front of Sepeti stepped into the ring. They’d exchanged names but Sepeti hadn’t bothered to actually remember hers. It was Maggie or Mila or something starting with M. Either way, their short strategy conversation had seemed to instill some confidence into the young woman.

Before her opponent had both feet set, the young woman’s long staff whipped out and thudded against the shielded man’s exposed lead ankle. She kept up the pressure, flicking the staff up and down and biting at every exposed point.

Sepeti had told her that aggression would win this first match. Due to the shrinking arena, aggressive fighters had a distinct advantage as long as they controlled the spacing and pushed the pace.

The woman’s wooden staff moved constantly, flicking back and forth, up and down. She was surprisingly skilled with the weapon. Every time the shielded man tried to open up space and get some breathing room, she was right on top of him. A now familiar chime echoed through the training grounds and the ring immediately shrunk, forcing the shielded man to jump forward and into the path of the staff.

The woman caught him on the knee with a wide swing then kicked his shield, staggering him back toward the shrunken boundary. The man let out a yelp as he fought to stay in bounds.

With a vicious stab, the end of the young woman’s staff caught him in the exposed stomach. He gasped as he was pushed out of the ring, flopping on his ass and bouncing a couple times.

“Winner, Malia G.” the assistant instructor announced. “Next combatants.”

Sepeti found that he was smiling as he passed the young woman. Without thinking, he extended his fist. She was confused by his gesture so she just laid her free hand on it.

“We’ll work on that,” he said as he stepped into the ring. So far, only Malia and two other examinees from their line had won their first match. While this wasn’t a group activity, it was obviously disheartening for the line to see their linemates lose. The woman at the front of his line, a brawny woman who had won her match by hip tossing her opponent out of the ring, raised a fist and nodded at him. He wasn’t too sure how to react so he just nodded and turned his attention to his opponent.

“Well, well,” the tall, broad shouldered man said. It was the man from the odd couple from before. He had chosen, predictable from their previous encounter, a large bow. He also had a pair of shortswords jammed into his belt. “It’s the quiet guy. I was loo—”

Sepeti’s whip lashed out and tangled the man’s lead leg. He pulled and threw the man off balance before dropping the whip and charging. Sepeti launched himself at the staggered man, sailing through the air. Just before they made contact, Sepeti brought his back knee up and drove it into the man’s chest. Sepeti pushed off of the man, kicking with his other leg and forcing the broad shouldered man out of the ring. The man tripped and fell on his back with a loud thud.

“Winner, Sepeti.”