Chapter 26

The wind whipped around us as the airship settled onto a rocky plateau, the sheer cliffs of Eagle Forest Mountain looming like jagged teeth against the azure sky. 

Below, a sprawling forest blanketed the slopes, a tapestry of green that stretched as far as the eye could see.

I stepped off the airship, Rem close behind, her hand resting lightly on my arm. 

My gaze swept across the assembled examinees, my mind working overtime.

Something was off.

"This wasn't in the canon," I muttered under my breath, a knot of unease tightening in my gut.

I did a quick headcount, my enhanced senses allowing me to swiftly assess the number of remaining contestants. 

386.

Two fewer than I had anticipated.

Two more lives lost, unaccounted for, swallowed by the chaos of the Hunter Exam. 

I shrugged.

Netero, his wizened face creased with a knowing smile, addressed the assembled examinees.

"Welcome, applicants," he announced, his voice carrying effortlessly over the wind. "We were originally going to bring you to Split Mountain for the next phase of the exam due to Menchi's planned for...enthusiasm."

He turned to hide his head and smirked.

He turned his head back, normal face back in place. "However, with the surprisingly large number of remaining contestants, we've had to make a slight adjustment to our plans."

He gestured towards the forest below. "This is Eagle Forest Mountain. Your task is to find the second tastiest egg in the world. You must find the Golden Eagle Forest Manticore Egg and prepare it for consumption. The eggs are large, and the Manticores who guard them are notoriously territorial and quite dangerous. Be careful."

A murmur of anticipation, laced with a healthy dose of apprehension, rippled through the crowd. 

I ignored the stupidity of the crowd, what did they think the Hunter name came from?

With a final nod from Netero and a "Go on, get the eggs."

The examinees surged forward, eager to prove their worth and secure their place in the next phase of the Hunter Exam.

I glanced at Rem, a confident smile playing on my lips. "Ready for a hunt?" I asked.

Rem smiled back at me. "Always. I've never been to a mountain this tall before! The forest is beautiful and the company," She winked, "Is wonderful."

–

We moved through the forest like phantoms, our footsteps silent against the damp earth.

I activated my enchanted cloak, its subtle hum blending us seamlessly into the dappled shadows.

It was almost comical how loud the other examinees were, their clumsy movements and excited chatter echoing through the trees.

They might as well have been wearing neon signs that screamed, "Free lunch for hungry Manticores!"

"I don't get it," I muttered, shaking my head. "Don't these people have any concept of stealth?"

Rem, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement, leaned in close. "Perhaps they're hoping to attract the Manticores," she whispered. "A more…direct approach to securing the eggs."

"Or they're just idiots," I countered, adjusting our course to steer further away from the cacophony.

Finding a Manticore nest, however, was proving to be more challenging than I had anticipated. These creatures were, after all, a bizarre fusion of eagle, lion, and snake.

What kind of habitat would suit such a creature?

"I think they probably live in caves near a cliff face," Rem suggested, her voice thoughtful. "Snakes like caves, lions like the shade, and eagles like sitting on cliffs. So, it makes sense, right?"

It sounded logical enough, so we spent the next two hours scouring the mountainside, exploring every cave and crevice that met Rem's criteria. 

—

We found nothing.

"Okay, I'm out of ideas," Rem admitted, slumping against a moss-covered boulder. "This whole chimera thing is throwing me off."

I sighed, sharing her frustration. Time was ticking away, and we were no closer to finding the elusive eggs. "Let's just head back into the forest," I said, gesturing towards the dense undergrowth. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

—

Ten minutes later, we stumbled upon a nest.

Not in a cave, not near a cliff face, but nestled amidst a thicket of ferns on the forest floor.

It was a massive structure, woven from branches, leaves, and feathers, large enough to hold a small car.

within it lay a single, enormous egg, its shell a mottled mix of brown, gold, and crimson.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," I muttered, staring at the egg in disbelief.

Rem chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes and a smirk on her face. She looked at me directly in the eyes. "Don't underestimate the power of sheer, absolutely stupid, mentally numbing, dumb luck, Tereda."

I could only nod.

—

Getting that damn egg back up the mountain was more of a hassle than I expected.

It wasn't the weight with our enhanced strength, it felt lighter than a sack of potatoes but the sheer size and awkward shape of the thing.

It was like trying to carry a giant, fragile watermelon the size of two fat people hugging each other.

We ended up taking turns, each of us cradling the egg in our arms, carefully maneuvering through the dense undergrowth and scrambling up rocky slopes.

By the time we reached the testing grounds, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the courtyard.

Most of the examinees had already returned, each clutching their prize- a Golden Eagle Forest Manticore Egg.

I did a quick headcount. 190 remained.

It seemed the swamp and the Manticore hunt had weeded out the weaker contestants.

Rem and I found an empty cooking station and set about preparing the egg.

Boiling it was the obvious choice- simple, straightforward, and less likely to ruin the delicate flavor of the yolk.

An hour later, we were savoring the rich, creamy taste of the egg. It was surprisingly delicious, a delicate balance of savory and sweet that lingered on the palate.

"Damn," I muttered, my mouth full of egg. "That's good."

"Not bad for a giant bird-lion-snake egg," Rem agreed, her eyes sparkling with delight as she chewed.

Curiosity piqued, I turned to Netero, who was observing the contestants with a knowing smile. "Hey, Netero," I asked, "what do these eggs usually go for on the market?"

Netero chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "These eggs are quite rare and highly prized, young Tereda," he explained. "They're typically sold at auction, and depending on their size and quality, they can fetch a hefty sum. I believe the highest recorded sale was around four hundred million Jenny. And none have ever sold for less than three hundred million."

Rem shot up from her seat, her eyes wide with excitement. "Four hundred million Jenny?!" she exclaimed. "We could buy- I don't know what but that's a LOT!"

I grabbed her hand, gently pulling her back down beside me. "Easy there, Rem," I said, an amused smile on my face and in my voice. "Remember the bounty?"

Rem's excitement instantly deflated, replaced by a sheepish smile. "Oh, right," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing a delicate shade of pink. "Sorry. It's just… being a maid for so long, having to save every penny- those money-making instincts sometimes get the better of me."

I squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It's alright," I said, a soft smile gracing my lips. "I get it."

11 more people came in behind us, 201 contestants now, as we all boarded the blimp