Simple Footing

Before long, the three men arrived at their apartment. It was quite basic, a 25-square-meter studio overlooking the sea. There were only two beds—one single and one double. There was also a small bathroom with a shower stall and a white toilet.

Marlon scoffed at the sight. "$1,200 a month for that!?"

Back in the US, you could rent a small villa for that much, or at least a much larger apartment than this one! With the current state of the economy, $1,200 was such a large amount that the experienced white-collar job which would earn this rate simply didn't mesh at all with the picture of the room they'd been assigned. This was more like the apartment someone might rent if they were a poor college student with no other options.

Well, that wasn't too far from the truth in this case…

William turned to Alexandre. "Your instincts were right about the quality of the room. I can hardly imagine what they'd have given us for $600!"

Alexandre replied, "Given how sadistic Hunter Academy has been to us so far, I can't imagine it either. At least there's a window and a nice view, I suppose. Anyway, we'll discuss this later. For now, we need to get back to the others!"

The three left their luggage in the room, except for their Hunter gear, as Jack Blades had , which contained most of their lives, and quickly went back down to join the group, as Jack Blade had requested. They were some of the last to appear on the scene, due to William's encounter in the line. However, nobody knew what exactly to expect next.

Tensions were high. Various voices were murmuring in the crowd:

"I'm scared, now what?"

"Do you think it's like other colleges and you can skip class when you need to?"

"Shit, I forgot my wallet in my room!"

The general tone was one of unease and worry. Even among those who were tough enough to make it this far, it seemed that very few had reached this point without incurring some trauma from the entrance exams.

Finally, Jack Blades appeared once again. "Good! Now that everyone's arrived, we can start our morning run! Just a short thirty kilometers. Those who can't match my pace will lose ten points. Those who can keep up will earn ten points instead! However, once you start, I strongly advise you not to give up halfway. If you do so, you'll not only lose an entire fifty points, but you'll miss out on the opportunity to learn one of the most essential Hunter techniques."

Many students began to panic at once. Running several dozen kilometers was already a difficult task, but the idea of keeping up a high speed over that distance while wearing Hunter equipment—which was often quite heavy—was a horrifying prospect.

Marlon swore several times, kicking a nearby rock. "With this fucking hammer on my back? I think this is the end, boys!"

Alexandre snorted in annoyance. "Shut up! You're a Hunter now. Your body can take it. None of these fools understand that they aren't the same now as when they took the exams. At this point, only your mind will really be put to the test."

William nodded firmly as he listened to Alexandre's words. "Stay focused, guys. Don't forget your goals. We just need to keep up, not break a world record!"

Jack Blades seemed to have gotten bored with all the complaining from people in the crowd, because he raised his voice even higher. "Right, then! Departure in one minute!"

Alexandre thought about his Hunter gauntlets. He didn't know exactly what this test would entail—it was possible that there'd be more to it than a simple run. It might be valuable to have his weapons on his hands, just in case. However, they weighed almost fifteen kilos each, and this would affect his natural running rhythm, at the very least. It'd be easier to run with the gauntlets in his backpack.

Eventually, Alexandre decided that it would be better to play things safe. He put on the gauntlets just as a rifle shot rang out, signaling the start of his first exercise at Hunter Academy.