Chapter 529
As the transport magic fades, the white color in my vision stays.
The floor I'm standing on is made of large squares of glossy white humming mana shielding, and it's far denser than any of the A-Grade shielding I've ever felt before in my life.
I turn my head left and right but see no one at all.
The only thing I see is an empty long stretching plane of mana shielding in every direction.
The sky above me is blue, but as far as I can see on the horizon, the floor below me is flat and white.
I do a scan of my surroundings and find that there are a few other people that have recently transported in and are just as confused as I am.
There are at least 20 people wandering around these empty white flats, but almost instantly, far off to my right side, I sense the presence of over 50 people in a concentrated area.
Ember's geopoint immediately pings his location in my Rising Emperor's Domain, and I can tell he's 10s of kilometers away, much closer to the large grouping of people than I am.
Over 75% of them are over level 500. Some are level 100-200 and there are a few people that are even between level 900 and 975 with golden collars made from the Sun God's Soul energy, just like the one that was around Rodrigo's neck when I sparred with him.
These stronger figures that show up in my enemy detection perception stand very far apart, most likely guarding something, but it's hard to tell exactly what from this distance. All I know is they are between the wandering applicants that have transported in and the 50 or so people inside some massive structure far off in the distance.
It's extremely far away, so I can't fully make out what's inside, but I'm certain this is where I need to go.
It's an eerie environment, seeing no one around me, and the only sound in my ears is the low humming of mana shielding that comes off the floor.
I whisper to myself and turn to walk slowly in that direction.
"Looks like the exams have already begun."
About half an hour passes, and nothing in the visual landscape changes, but I still sense the structure far off in the distance. I decide to turn my walk into a jog, then into a fast run.
Finally, after another half an hour of travel on this flat white surface, an enormous grey structure begins to reveal itself on the horizon visible to the naked eye. It looks like a wall, but there are large spikes and towers that are very blurry on it as well.
I even pass close by a few other applicants, some of which I don't recognize, telling me they're definitely from other regions.
However, I decide to veer off to stay my distance and not interact with anyone until I make it to the destination.
It seems like some people got lucky and spawned in closer to the massive grey wall, while others I'm sure are aimlessly wandering the white open flats too far away to see or sense a route to safety.
A few are flying through the sky to get higher vantage points, and this works for them, as they begin flying in the correct direction once they get high enough.
I just continue forward at a fast pace, speeding up even more, maxing out what should be possible for the level 600 mana control I'm putting out, not worrying about anyone but myself until I make it to the wall.
It takes another half an hour, but I finally see the huge grey stone structure up close.
It stretches about a hundred meters into the air, and there are enormous closed-off arching doorways every few hundred meters along the wall.
Each doorway is guarded by a peak B-Grade hunter, their level nearing 1000, and my guess is that these are the Apex Soldiers that Director Maylack mentioned while we were talking this morning.
Their mana control is impressive, and every one of them has an extreme grade element, along with 2-3 additional skills that are special grade and in some rare cases legendary grade.
They're all very common skills like extreme stat buffs, body hardening, and swordsmanship, just like the status modifications I've seen on other Directors.
This confirms the Association has definitely found a way to transfer these basic skills to their high-level officers, and the process is replicable.
The guard that I approach has a wind magic skill, along with extreme speed and swordsmanship.
His eyes are sharp, has a dark beard cut short, and silver armor shimmering and contrasting with the wall and floor.
He steps forward and lets out a strong aura as I get into visual range and yells out while creating large wisps of wind magic to ripple through the floor and push my feet back.
"Applicant! State your name, Region you come from, and why you desire to become a B-Class hunter!"
His loud voice rings out with the aura and wind magic for a few seconds, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping.
I yell back in return.
"Ray! Ray Anderson. I come from the Bedrock Region. I've come to these exams to gain access to stronger dungeons. Climbing the ranks of the Association, and becoming a loyal soldier like yourself is the only opportunity that will grant me this access to the power I desire!"
The wind magic and mana control aura bash against me for a few more seconds.
I'm roughly 30 meters away from him.
If I was an average hunter, like the applicants that were beside Ember and myself in the Bedrock Region, this amount of wind magic might knock me down. The impressive aura coming off of the soldier at the gate might even make me lightheaded or give me blurry vision while trying to withstand it.
This is definitely some kind of pre-trial testing going on.
The excessive wind magic ceases, but the aura coming off his body stays.
He speaks up again.
"Very good. Please, come this way and present your Hunter's ID. I will grant you access to the facilities."
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He pulls out a black box from a pouch on his waist, and there's a small slit in its top.
He looks down at it, holding it steady in both of his hands, then looks back up to me.
The soldier doesn't say another word, but stares forward. This gives me the notion he wants me to place my ID in that box.
I take a step forward, and the aura around him becomes thicker and thicker the closer I get.
Once I'm within 10 meters, I can feel the pressure would be enough to make an average hunter pass out. If I want to make this interaction look real, I have to think of something to make it believable.
So, I activate my lightning magic and make an orb-like barrier around me that disperses large amounts of the incoming mana.
Static charges hum and crackle off as they collide with waves of his aura, and it cancels out over 90% of the charge. I run forward, pulling my Hunter's ID from my side pocket and throw it forward with exceptionally fine precision.
At less than 5 meters away, there's a clicking sound that triggers the man's offensive aura to disappear.
The Hunter's ID slides right into the slot on the front of the box, and it flashes white.
My electricity-filled aura expands quickly when the attacks cease all of a sudden, but I deactivate my skill as well when the box opens up to present a black wristband inside.
The soldier smiles and presents the box.
"Very good technique, and impressive mana control resistance. Lightning types are pretty rare, I look forward to seeing how far you make it. Please, put this device on your left wrist. It will track your progress throughout the exam."
I take a few steps forward, take the wristband from the case, and click it onto my wrist and a few small letterings pop up on it.
It reads out all of the details that were on that Hunter's ID in white glowing text on the bottom half of the circular display screen, then at the top, there is a larger [00] that appears to be unlit or deactivated.
I assume it will show numbers at some point, ranging from 0-99, but can't figure out why.
I look up from the watch and back to the man, thinking that I'll receive the ID back, but he just closes the box and turns to the stone archway, pressing a silver device.
The center of the door splits open and begins to show what's inside as the man speaks again.
"You will receive your updated ID once the exam is over. Please, make yourself comfortable. Today you will assimilate with your fellow applicants and rest up before the exams begin tomorrow morning."
He motions for me to enter through the stone archway, and I see a long grey cobblestone path.
"Follow the path and you'll make it to the greeting hall."
I step forward onto the pathway and the doors begin to close behind me as I do.
He gives me a professional smile, then presses the sides of the black box and turns back to the never-ending horizon to wait for more applicants to arrive.
The double door shuts with a thud as the heavy stone comes back together and the chirping of birds and smell of honey fills my senses.
The scenery of green trees, flowers, trickling streams, and even docile animals like squirrels and deer roam around on either side of the path.
I walk forward, taking in the view, passing fruit trees, and watching birds fly through the open air.
There is no ceiling to this odd place, I still see the same blue sky above that I did when I first spawned in.
The further I walk away from the stone wall behind me, the more it feels like I'm really walking through the wilderness.
The grey stone path winds through the woods past ponds, flower fields, and mythical-looking swamplands with glowing blue mushrooms.
I don't sense much mana at all coming off of anything here, the only thing I sense is the excess energy floating through the air from the mana shielding outside these walls.
Flowing water, the sweet smell of fresh roses, and the beautiful wildlife continue to amaze me, but my gaze stays focused on the path beneath my feet.
Almost a full 20 minutes pass before the sounds of other humans hit my ears.
Cheers, laughter, music, and conversation flood through the wilderness until I come across its source at the end of the grey path that leads to a large stone castle in the middle of the wildlife.
Another stone archway comes into view, but this time the doors aren't closed.
Vines have grown up the castle walls, and birds have even made nests in some of the crevices in the hand-laid stone. They chirp and fly in and out of the archways to enter and leave the castle as they please.
There are six large archways covering the front side of this castle, opening it up to the outside world, and there are five other grey paths aside from my own that wind through the wilderness in directions far from where I came.
Everyone that was transported into that white abyss-like landscape and made their way to the stone wall all have come to the same exact place.
I see over 50 other people inside, but I can tell they're not all applicants.
There are long tables of food, fancy silverware and glasses, casino-style games being played, bars, stores with neon signs and various pleasure products and luxury items, fresh oxygen-rich air being pumped through the room, and many waiters handing out drinks and food on golden platters.
Once I walk through the gate, one of these men in a tuxedo welcomes me.
"Ray Anderson, I'm glad you've made it all this way. Please, make yourself comfortable. We want to make sure you're well-rested for the exams tomorrow."
He looks toward the back of the room, where over a dozen small closed doors rest through all of the activities taking place. They have all kinds of signs above them, and only two of them on the far sides are labeled [Exit].
"Once you have had your fun, you may leave, but you may stay as long as you like. All goods and services are on the house. The wristband you wear will tell you when you need to arrive at your next exam."
He hands me a drink and walks away before I can ask any questions.
Everything here feels very odd, even his wording feels very off. Next exam? Was that a slip of the tongue meaning I'm being tested right now, or just more nonsense to throw me off?
The bright lights, endless entertainment, and especially the calming nature outside.
This isn't at all what I expected to see when coming here...
Despite this, I walk forward into the crowded luxury lounge to see who has arrived and what I'm dealing with here. Over half of the people in here are employees, working gambling tables, serving food, and escorting guests to private rooms in the back.
Many of the workers are over level 700, while others like the waiter I just met aren't even level 200. I can tell who is a worker and who is an applicant by the wristbands people wear.
Everyone's looks the same, with their region, full name, and a blacked-out [00] on the face.
I walk further in with a tightened gaze and begin to recognize a few people.
There are three other applicants from the Bedrock Region that I see, and they look as confused as I do, as they've just recently entered this place on the other side of the room.
Two other people I see are the water-wielding guards from the Vice Region that accepted the trade deals with Leo a few days ago.
They're both drinking and eating food at a bar.
About two dozen other applicants with strong elemental skills catch my eye, and I see all kinds of locations like Veridian, Silca, and even Raya Region markings on a few applicants' wristbands.
Then a tall woman with strong arms and legs and a spear I recognize as my own craftsmanship catches my eye.
It's a warrior from the Talton Region.
She sits on a white couch alone, eating a plate of delicious-looking meat.
I'm confused as to why she's here, but don't want to ask because that would cause unnecessary problems.
I let out a long sigh and continue to walk through the entertainment around me, scanning people as they come in from the outside wilderness.
I swirl the drink that was presented to me when I entered around in its glass but don't dare to actually sip from it even though I don't sense anything out of the ordinary inside.
When I see an empty table on my way through the cliques of hunters, I leave it on the edge and continue walking through the room toward the most familiar status reading in my mind's eye.
Finally, I make it to one of the less crowded bars with a blue haired woman wielding water magic behind it talking to a single orange haired fire user.
The bar itself is in an awkward corner of the room, and it's not as easily accessible as the others that are all aligned on the center path.
As I approach, he turns his head and makes eye contact with me, waves for me to come and have a seat, then faces the woman again as she points to options on their menu and they continue their conversation.
I walk up and sit down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder.
Then, Ember speaks the moment I take a seat.
"Took you long enough to get here. I was waiting to make my order until you arrived, but now I'm not sure I'm even hungry."
He grins, looks up at the bartender, and shrugs.
"I think our conversation was satisfying enough. Looks like those teleport crystals picked favorites, don't they? I spawned right outside the front gate, it seems some people weren't as lucky."
She nods, then looks at me and shows a professional smile while sliding me the same menu that's in front of Ember.
"Your friend is right. Luck is a much more important skill than most hunter's believe it to be. The fact that you even found this castle in the first place, and so early on is quite a good start. Now please, take a look at the menu. I'm sure you'll be here for a while, and want to rest up, so you might as well find something that interests you."
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