Second Exam — Domino! (4)

Chapter 25: Second Exam — Domino! (4)

Hunter believed Aimee had lost only because… there was limited space and a lot of moving hurdles.

And who else other than these women could be those obstacles?

Still… Hunter was now concerned by the problem he couldn't really solve, could he?

'How can I save Aimee?!'

Fortunately for him, Aimee was a capable woman! As she stood up with her strong will carrying her toward the fallen women, Aimee eyed one of them and weakly requested help from her leader…

"Hold her tight."

"Yeah."

Hearing her dry and powerless voice, Hunter felt compelled to silently and obediently listen to her. He ran toward the terrified woman who had weakly retaliated, her strength and skills not leaving a scratch on him.

He tangled his arms around her armor and presented her like a pet to his golden-haired companion.

Aimee unsheathed her sword and instantly drove her blade into the middle of the woman's chest. Her lips bobbed, whispering inaudible skill reserved only for her.

Which instantly took place, for Hunter could see Aimee's bruised and purple chest losing those terrifying colors, as though she was wiping off her wounds and fixing her broken lungs and ribs!

Such a magical and unique experience had stolen Hunter's attention.

Moments later, as Aimee appeared rejuvenated and fine, he darted his eyes to the trapped woman, only to see that her breathing had become erratic.

It seemed she was losing her ability to breathe… her little head becoming purple.

What about her chest? Hunted was immensely curious about it, but he wasn't a person to break a woman's equipment to just peek into her cleavage!

It'd be a different case if she was stronger, thus, forcing him to break her equipment… that could only be a convenient convenience…

"Are you… okay?" Hunter quietly asked his teammate, whose chest was bobbing from exhaustion.

Aimee glanced at him, not caring that her armor was broken, revealing a lot more… "Not in my best shape… but I'll be fine for this second exam. Do you understand it?"

"I do!" Hunter nodded.

Aimee contentedly smiled, "Let's get to the work, then. This time, only two of us will pass."

-

Domino.

It was an exam directly related to the Hunter's Codex, which Aimee was familiar with and enamored by.

Which was why she instantly realized what was going on at the scene, just like the beast woman.

In this messy green land, with nothing but flower monsters on the horizon… and one particular red eagle stranded in the green vines, hunters had only one right answer to pass this exam — free the red eagle, leave him alone and weaken the strength of the flower monsters.

It wasn't as easy as it seemed, however.

The red eagle had been stranded for a while… and the flower monsters were growing in strength with every passing second. Worse, they were approaching the flying monster with their green vines carrying them toward him!

That was why hunters had to bar their way and fight them… or throw sacrificial lambs to stop the green advance, receiving precious seconds to free the red eagle.

'Domino… it's related to the food chain, right? Monsters and animals have been affected by Lucifer's curse, becoming thirsty for blood abominations, but they are still living beings we need in our world. They keep the world, its environment, and the food chain in its proper state! Our job is to not kill them all, but prevent all of them from becoming demons by weakening their numbers…' Hunter thought as he prepared the first sacrificial lamb to stop one of many ravenous flowers.

His thinking process was more or less right.

The second exam began with the domino effect already in place, with the lowest of the food chain growing up in terrifying numbers and strength, thus, breaking the law of the world. Now, the entire part of the spiritual world was littered with green vines and monsters, not giving anyone but them a chance to live here.

As a result, the forest was no longer what it used to be…

Which was obviously wrong.

Red eagles were one of the predators that kept their natural ambitions in check. But for the exam's case, The First Hunter Union lowered the numbers of the flying predators to test the newbie hunter's familiarity with the hunter's codex.

"Let me go! Please! I'll do anything you want! I will even swear to become yours!"

"Not interested in a weak woman… that can only use her body as a bargain. You're so boring with zero opportunities, you know? Don't thrash around!"

"No! Please! I'm a virgin!"

"So what?"

Aimee chimed into their conversation, "Don't talk with them! Break their arms and legs if you can't seize them! All you have to do is throw them at the flower monsters!"

The faces of the other participants became deathly pale.

Could they survive the insides of the flower monsters?

If a man could…

But that man wasn't the same as others!

Which meant only one for them…

The End.

-

"I'll get to the red eagle… you stay here."

"I…"

"I know."

Hunter had noticed that the feat Aimee had done before had sucked nearly all of her mana. She was now moving her limbs with nothing but sheer will… which was more amazing than it sounded.

After all, while mana wasn't similar to blood, its depletion severely impacted the body system. Some people instantly lost consciousness upon losing more than ninety of their mana!

All depended on one's genes and training.

Hunter turned his face away from troubled Aimee and locked his eyes on the red eagle. A green carpeted path with sharp vines and a mass of hurdles was the only obstacle separating him from the monster… and the fin of the second exam.

'I used Death Blow twice… and lost a lot of blood… I probably don't look better than Aimee, which is why she had this troubled but so cute expression. Well, I can move and fight just fine… and green vines aren't the flower monsters themselves!' Hunter convinced himself.

And prepared the last Death Blow of the second exam! He didn't use much blood for this one, for there was no reason for it, and threw a punch forward, forming a narrow frozen path.

He stomped and split all frozen nature before him, drawing himself closer to the red eagle.

The red monster didn't feel happy to see a human before him. He tried to use his wings, beak, and talons to stop Hunter from approaching him, yet he could only whine inwardly as the entangled vines were keeping him in a tight and impossible to escape embrace, rendering all his plans useless.

Hunter chuckled, "I'd love to be in such a tight embrace… but of a woman!"

The red eagle looked at Hunter as though he was an idiot.

Grinning, the silver-haired man used this gap to thrust his hands for the green vines, drawing them taut and splitting them one by one.

In a few minutes, nothing kept the red monster in custody!

Screeching, the red eagle tried to bite at the human, only to see that Hunter was on his way back to the safe zone. Creaking in a prideful example of a red eagle's lineage, the red monster soared to the skies, his red wings kindling in flames, dipping the entire skies in his colors!

As he eyed the silver man and golden woman, the demonic origin within him told him to go for them… but then, his eyes took in the vista of the entire forest littered with green vines and ravenous flower monsters… which triggered the natural instincts of the red eagle.

The instincts he had in his blood: the instincts his kin had long before Lucifer cursed them!

Which could be translated to this sentence — how could those insolent green shits grow this much in my presence?!

Drawing a beautiful and seemingly everlasting arc in the skies, the red eagle changed his trajectory, his beak leading him to the green mess!

He plummeted like a phoenix, dipping into the green mess like a meteorite!

His flames burst in a cloud before spreading in all directions, drowning the green vines in the sea of flames. This fire didn't touch the natural parts of the forest, for the monster was this skilled and advanced, aware of the land he resided in.

His fire spread worse than the famous nineteen disease: the fire in which the red eagle was like a fish in the water.

Flying from one pool to another, he tore and kindled everything with his sharp wings and talons, focusing solely on returning everything to its proper order.

That was only his focus… which rewarded him a few minutes later, for screeches of other red eagles rang out from the horizon.

Descending from the tall and always-seen mountain, more red eagles, all descendants of this fire one, crowded their kin, helping him deal with the disgusting flower monsters.

Which translated to them drawing a picture Hunter would never forget.

A picture that hooked him into the hunter world…

"So many opportunities and beauty… wish I could hold your hand now, Aimee!"

"Sure, why not?"

Aimee extended her hand like the noble woman she was, for a moment giving Hunter an impression she wanted him to kiss her there.

Well, he wouldn't mind that… but for obvious reasons, he didn't want to take his eyes off this beautiful fire spectacle of the natural order.

Quickly taking her soft hand, Hunter squeezed it and retracted his eyes to watch the show, "Now, I have all the beauty I could grasp in this precious moment! What a growth! Haha!"

"Still a cute boy in my eyes…" Aimee whispered back, standing abreast of her team's leader… "But when you screamed my name and took my side, I saw you differently. You made me feel so hot I forgot how to breathe. Not like I couldn't breathe at all."

"What a growth! You're now joking so casually in my presence! What did you see in me?"

"A cute boy with lots of potential."

"I see… well, your wound and scream made me advance, too. At that moment, it didn't matter that you were a beautiful woman, my companion, my friend… I just really wanted to save you. It's the first time I felt like that."

"Thanks for saving me."

"No problem."

[Second Exam — Domino! Safe zone #53]

[Two participants passed — Hunter and Aimee Schwarz Schnee von Beifreiung.]

"How do you even pronounce your surname? It's such a tongue twister!"

"It means I can twist my tongue pretty well, then? I don't see a problem with that."

"…that I too…"

"Let my hand go… or I will be teleported to your room."

Hunter didn't let her hand go!

"Your surname is actually a finger twister!"

"What kind of bullshit is that?"