Second Trial

--- Chapter 5 ---

After the rough start, I carried my backpack and placed the ice pick into my hoodie's pouch. The voice told me that I had passed the first trial and was eligible to enter the next round.

Those who failed in my bus stared at me in awe.

Yeah, keep staring, like that would help you.

I was about to ask when a bright white light filled my vision. 

"Huh?" What greeted me was a large field of white stone floors. 

Did I get teleported?

Damn, they are mad-serious about the Gifted Young Hunter Program. 

I looked around and saw many kids older than me. 

They should be 10-11 years old. 

However, I did notice some kids are around my age. 

How could I differentiate them?

There is this youthful and naive aura that older kids don't have.

"Hey." Someone approached me from behind.

I glanced back and saw it was a girl. She's three years older than me and has a friendly smile.

She has black hair and red eyes. 

She wore a combat battle suit underneath her long-sleeve brown t-shirt with a panda picture and leather pants. 

Like me, she also brought a backpack. No, it looks like everyone who passed the first trial brought one because we don't have access to inventory yet.

"Do you need something?" I responded casually. 

The girl smiled and replied, "I just want to know your name." 

Yup, she is definitely up to something. 

I played along and answered with my middle name, "Adam."

"What about yours?" 

"Adam? That's a good name." She clapped her hands in excitement. It was so fake. 

"My name is Lily." 

"So, Adam. What's your plan for the Gifted Young Hunter Program?" 

"Well, I'm just going with the flow." I gave her a funny look. 

Girl, you're trying to get info out of me? That's impossible. 

And it's not like I have important information either. 

Lily probably didn't expect my lips to be this tightly sealed and planned something in her young head. She asked me if I wanted to follow her and get to know more people.

Unfortunately, I'm not fond of talking with strangers.

So, I declined her politely. 

I noticed Lily's eyelids slightly twitching at my rejection as she smiled and said it was a shame for me to miss this opportunity. Then, she left with a little huff. 

Weirdly, girls are coming to me one after another. They asked me to join their groups or form a team with them. 

There is also jealousy brewing in the air. I could feel dagger-like gazes pointed at me from all directions. 

Boys, I didn't do anything. 

They are literally coming to me voluntarily. 

'My mother is right. Being handsome is troublesome.' I'm trying to think eccentrically for once.

'Is there a skill that makes me less handsome?'

I patiently stayed on my spot. I counted that there were over a thousand people here. 

"My children, all of you have passed the first trial and entered the second round. You're currently in Block G9, one of many, and could contain 1,200 people."

A motherly voice echoed in the field.

"What was that?" I was still in the dark about the voice. 

"I see... Some of you are still confused. I'm Earth's Consciousness, known as Mother Earth and Raia. I will monitor you throughout the trials and Gifted Young Hunter Program." 

A smart-looking girl raised her hand and asked, "Mother Earth, Raia, may I know what is our next trial?" 

"Your next trial is a race," Raia answered patiently. "All of you will teleport to the rain forest in three minutes and race against each other to reach your destination, the beacon of light." 

"The rainforest is full of wild beasts, so be careful..." 

"One more thing, only sixty people could proceed to the next round from Block G9." 

"Sixty?!" A clamor and panic happened to the children. There are over a thousand people here, but only sixty could pass. That's ridiculous.

Surprisingly, I didn't think much of it.

Sixty? That's better than earlier elimination. 

I breathed to adjust my nerves and raised my hand, "Mother Earth, Raia, may I ask something unrelated?" 

"You still have less than three minutes left. Go on, child, ask your question." 

"Is it possible to awaken the Leveling System early?" I asked calmly. 

Silence struck the field. Everyone looked at me like I was a fool.

What are you looking at, huh? I'm asking the right question here. 

"It's possible." 

I can feel Mother Earth was amused. 

"But you must pass the trials first, and you will get what you want." 

"Thank you for the answer." 

I nodded and closed my eyes, imagining things. My lips curved into a smile because I would do anything to get the Leveling System. 

After that, many people asked Mother Earth random questions. But those unrelated stuff are irrelevant. 

Raia even sounded monotonous when answering them. 

Three minutes passed, and another bright white light filled my vision. 

I got teleported again, and I was in the rainforest this time. 

Pulling my backpack, I pulled some medicine solutions and chugged them immediately.

"Ugh, bitter." I could sense warmth in my stomach. 

"I should ask Grandma to make it milk-flavored next time." 

Those medicine solutions are antidotes and antibiotics, which I needed in this environment. I also applied lotions on my skin, which blocked wild beasts from sensing my heat. 

Daggers, check.

Supply, check. 

Boots, check. 

"Let's go." I secured my backpack and ran toward the east. 

Why east? There is a pillar of light there.

I ran steadily and dodged any mud. 

My eyes and ears are in full observation mode. I have to be careful of wild animals that could camouflage themselves.

Hiss!

A hissing sound entered my ears. I dodged to the right and saw a five-meter-long brown snake charging like a whip.

I rolled on the ground and mumbled, "Phew, it almost got me there. Even with the heat-reducing lotion, the snake still could detect me."

"This kind of snake is poisonous."

"Should I kill it?" 

"No, I should... Nigerundayo~!" I gave the snake a chuckle and kicked a rock at it. 

The snake dodged the rock skillfully, but I was nowhere to be seen a second later.

I sped up using the movement skill my dad taught me and jumped from tree to tree, leaving no trace behind to follow. 

Hehe, that snake is bamboozled.

I did some detours and encountered more wild animals. There are wild monkeys, birds, snakes, and even a tiger.

If possible, I don't want to fight them at all. 

However, I had a deadlock with monkeys earlier and had to kill some of them, which slowed down my movement. 

As I was about to reach my long-awaited destination, I suddenly heard a cry for help. I stopped and turned around, seeing a bleeding older girl in a torn bright pink dress. 

Really?

Who the hell wear a bright pink dress in the fucking rainforest?

Your mouth wasn't even open.

I smirked at the trap and waved, "See ya~!" 

I kicked the ground and left the area quickly, coming toward the beacon at full speed. Eventually, I reached the destination without much problem and wiped my sweat victoriously. 

I stared at the beacon and tapped it gently. 

"Congratulations, Candidate No. 6920, you have passed the second trial and are qualified to enter the next round." 

"I will teleport you back in ten seconds..." 

Mother Earth's voice entered my head again.

Raia, can't I have some privacy? 

I sighed and climbed over the beacon, watching over the rainforest with more visibility. I spotted the trap earlier and shivered because the older girl in a bright pink dress was a decoy attached to the mutated Giant Venus Flytrap.

In fact, the blood on the girl is coming from the prey devoured by the mutated plants. 

It currently had an adult tiger in its mouth. 

The tiger is struggling, but it is useless.

"Damn..." 

"Teleporting back..." 

I returned to the field with a white stone floor and saw only ten kids. Well, they are faster than me. 

"That was definitely something." I sat down to relax my legs' muscles.

None of the kids wanted to talk with me. No, none of them talks with each other. 

I enjoyed the silence and waited until the sixty kids passed.

After thirty minutes, sixty kids stood on the field, including me. 

"Congratulations, my children. Sixty of you have passed and qualified to enter the final trial." 

'Final trial? That was fast.' I commented at the back of my head.

"Your final trial will be battle royal." Raia continued slowly. 

"Ten thousand contestants will participate in this trial, which is a mix of all blocks in Ground Zero, and your ranks will be decided by how long you survive in the trial ground." 

'Ten thousand kids battle royale, huh?' A chuckle escaped my mouth. That was funny. 'Then, again... Raia said survival time determined our ranks.'

'I don't think we would be the only living beings in this trial...' 

'I hope they didn't put crazy shits there.' 

"The final trial will start in five minutes, so prepare yourself, my dear children." Raia added lastly.

"Hey, you. Do you want to form a team?" A shadow abruptly loomed over me.

I turned around and cursed, "Holy..."