The Exam 2

Before dawn, Steve woke up. Despite his exam not starting until 9 o'clock and him needing only ten minutes to reach the exam location, he was in a rush. He barely put on his clothes and hurried out.

Alex, who was sleeping beside him, smiled as he tried to go back to sleep. "He's a bit slow, but he always manages to arrive on time."

After a few hours, Steve felt a hand shaking him. "Alex, Alex, I need your help. I've discovered something important. I didn't sleep last night, thinking about what you said."

Last night, Steve took his friend's advice and studied the subject from all angles. He believed that despite some money-hungry individuals trying to reduce the number of participants, the institute's responsible examiner was known for fairness and integrity. Therefore, it wasn't logical for some exams to be limited to capturing weak monsters, while he had to fight for a second badge. Suddenly, he jumped out of bed to try something.

He discovered that as soon as he obtained the right task, the exam would become extremely easy. He just needed to fulfill all the task's conditions first.

"Alex, I've discovered two new things about the task."

"Two out of three isn't bad," Alex thought as he listened to his friend's explanation.

"The first one is that the silver charm cannot be stored in the dimensional cube, which means it contains special magic. The second, the hunters weren't asked to keep their badges, which made me think: What if there's another magic in the silver charm? So, I experimented and found that it causes regular monsters to flee from you."

Steve opened his hand, revealing three silver charms, and he was elated. "I got two additional charms from the hunter's tasks."

Impressed, Alex nodded, looking at the charms in his friend's hand. "Excellent, I knew you could use that mind of yours. As a reward, I'll tell you the third thing you missed."

"There's a giant wall between the Earth Dragon Institute and the Dark Forest. It's over ten meters tall. Today's racers won't enter through the main gate. Instead, they'll have to go around the wall to reach the gate overlooking the forest. By using high-level magic techniques, all monsters of level three and higher have been isolated to one area, called the Sixth Area. During the exam, an expert mage will maintain the barrier that separates the Sixth Area from the rest, preventing any high-level monster from escaping."

At 9 AM in the first area, thirty young men gathered. The gatekeeper, a man in his thirties, after confirming the registration of the participants, spoke, "The exam duration is two hours. Anyone who fails to complete the task after the time expires must return to this point. In case of injury, you can tear up your document, and we will locate and assist you. Good luck to everyone."

*Ha ha ha *

As the supervisor continued speaking, a dark-skinned young man burst into loud laughter, as if deliberately making sure everyone heard him. He took a few steps forward, facing the crowd, playing with the silver charm in his hand. He tossed it in the air and caught it again.

"I am Steve Alacanti, and I've decided to be exceptional. I will be the person who stands alone in his class. None of you will pass through here. Leave your badges and go away."

The young men's eyes turned red, and a stream of curses rained down on him from all directions. However, he contented himself with puffing up his chest and throwing the badge high.

"If you want me to force you to tear up your documents, you can have whatever you want."

Suddenly, silence fell, and no one responded this time. In fact, they were actually laughing so hard their stomachs hurt, except for the supervisor, who noticed a young man with white hair at the back, holding a cage in his hand.

'Could he possibly have coated the badge with something and allowed the crow to steal it? To confess, that was the most ridiculous and effective trick to secure the first position. But let's see what he'll do when faced with the real challenge in the midst of the third area.'

Steve was charging like an arrow released from a bow toward the finish line. He spared no effort to win the first place, especially after Alex had informed him about the hidden third secret of the task.

"There's a riddle written inside the document stating that the top performers will receive valuable rewards."

There was a reward for the top ranks. Even before Steve learned about the prizes, he had prepared for the crow and butter trick to ensure the other contestants wouldn't hinder him. But now, knowing about the rewards, he was sprinting towards his goal with all his might.

After a distance, three young men blocked his path. "Oh... look, guys, our first victim has arrived. Don't even think about..."

*Splat, splat, splat*

Before the boy could finish his sentence, glass vials exploded, covering them in a sticky substance. The boys, who had tried to intercept Steve, were primary students from the institute. Despite a rule preventing primary students from meeting the examinees, there were always some violators who sneaked out, trying to take advantage of the newcomers. The institute's elders knew this but pretended otherwise. The world isn't fair, and there will always be someone trying to bully you. It's part of life's test. Also, running through the forest without obstacles would make the exam seem ridiculous.

"Hey, scoundrel, I'll break your legs!" one of the three shouted annoyed, while another rubbed his fingers and tasted the sticky substance before yelling, "Honey! It's honey! Quickly, let's get rid of these clothes, or the poisonous wasps will chase us."

Steve burst into laughter and leaped away, continuing on his path, leaving the boys behind.

At the same time, Alex, who had left the exam area, was contemplating the silly trick his friend had pulled off.