Chapter 2: Academy Entrance Exam

Somehow, she got through it. The warm water made her forget all her worries. Elisa spent a good hour in the bath. After having properly cleaned herself, she got dressed and went to bed. She needed as much sleep as possible before the exam. Lu'rein Academies' entrance exam: if she wanted to become a hunter, she'd need to get into that school. From then on, the road to Grandmaster became all the clearer. When morning came, she was somewhat rested. After getting freshened up, she packed her things and turned in her room key. It turns out she only had enough money for one night; the rest of her money would go towards the entrance fee. Well, all she had to do was pass, students are given dorms to stay in, her entire future in Lu'rein was riding on this day. The academy was huge, it towered over her as she stood in the entrance grounds. The Academy was by far the greatest there was on Yu'rian; everyone came here to pursue their higher education, whether it was to become a hunter or something else. A lot of people were here to take part in the entrance exam like her, but those who weren't taking part were also here to just watch, as the exam is treated like a sports event, where the entire Empire is watching from a big screen powered by magic stones. When it came down to who would get in, most of the people here would get in. The acceptance rate wasn't that bad, but actually passing the exam? Dreadful. Or so she heard. She joined the mass and mulled around until the exam started, which was a couple of minutes away. Elisa was new, so she obviously had no friends. Her way of passing the time was rocking in place, occasionally waving to people who waved first, and checking her father's pocket watch. She had taken it with her as a charm of good luck, she kept it tucked safely on the inside of her coat. Which was her mother's, it was a little big, but Elisa preferred it this way, plus she looked cool. Once it was time, they rang a tune over the campus for everyone to gather by the stage, where a well-dressed old guy stood behind a podium. " Good morning to you all, potential students!" He opened with almost everyone cheering, " This year's test will be just as grand as the last, but with a twist! You all will be taking part in a series of trials that will test your brain and brawn as a Hunter. The best of you will make it past these and will be tested in dungeons. And here's the twist, those who pass the dungeon portion will be faced with a final test, and that is to face off against your fellow students!" This was met with an even louder uproar, everyone was clearly excited now. He held his hand up for silence and got it immediately. Elisa guessed it was part of his Ego. " Now, we will begin with the first set of tests. You will be entering the forest from the right of the stage, where your Egos will be restrained for the duration you stay in the forest. You will need to find a mana stone hidden by one of the instructors and make your way to the other end by midday, where you will be given the other test. Oh! Keep in mind that five of our instructors have hidden themselves within the forest, too, finding them is worth double that of one mana stone!" The old guy gestured to the five people on stage, who were the instructors. With that, the announcement was over, and they would begin the test once everyone had their wristband. This way, the school can send people for anyone who was still in the forest by midday. " And now, without any further delay, let the exam. BEGIN!" The old guy waved his hand as everyone dashed for the entrance. Elisa held back as she feared getting swept up in the crowd.Once she stepped foot in the forest, she could feel her Ego weaken to the point where it just wasn't there anymore. From what little research she had done before coming here, the Forest of Spirits is famous for being the largest Forest on Yu'rian. It's home to hundreds of animals and spirits, as well as friendly monsters referred to as 'Yokai'. Certain yokai are good but like to mess with people, while the rest are tame and harmless. The only real danger in the Forest is in the far right region, called the Hells Forest. You'll know you're there by how the trees are a bright orange in color, the sky is permanently stuck in an orange haze, and the only other sign of life is the oni and other such monsters. Of course, the exam won't be taking us anywhere near there, it's been designated as a B-rank zone, though Elisa could easily handle herself in there. 10 minutes into the test, and Elisa had found nothing, fortunately for her, the wristband was enchanted to show how much time they had till the first test was over, and she had a good couple of hours. 

As she wandered the forest, she occasionally spotted her fellow test-takers and small animals. About an hour into the hunt, she eventually found a mana stone. She could call it here and make her way to the exit, orrrrr she could try to find the hidden instructor for bonus points. They had sealed away everyone's ego, including her lightning ego, but not her Void Ego! That's right, she had a second Ego! Channelling the smallest amount into her eyes should allow her to perceive certain things not visible to the naked eye. Even with Ego suppression, she could still faintly see them. The Ego can never truly be suppressed, just tucked away. She had been walking for a while now, and time was running out. Elisa was planning on just giving up when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. The Ego of an instructor in the distance, as it was bigger than the students, she guessed the Instructors weren't under the effect of the suppression. He had been hiding in a cave far out of the way. " Man, I can't believe the old man put me up to this. There's no way a student's gonna-" his gaze finds Elisa staring. Her sudden appearance startled him, and he bumped his head against the wall behind him. He lets out a sigh, rubbing his head, " How'd you even find me?"

" I, uh...heard you." The instructor thought about it for a while, but admitted defeat with a shrug. Elisa turned to make her way back, but something caught her eye, well, a few somethings. Further down in the cave were multiple Ego signatures, students. The problem was that, if her knowledge was right, that direction was the Hells Forest. The instructor caught her staring in that direction and used a similar technique as her, infused a small amount of energy into his eyes, and when he saw what she had, he clicked his tongue. " Man, you'd think ominous aura alone would be enough of a warning. I don't have much of a choice now, do I?" he said, rubbing his head again. " You'll have to help me for now."" Huh?"" Oh, come on, don't play stupid now, I know you're more than capable. All you need to do is back me up till the others get here," He didn't wait for a response and began making his way towards the Hells Forest. She followed behind the instructor, the cave opened to the forest border, one side was bright and lush, while the other was dark and desolate. It was like the border to hell. She kept a tight grip on Irakami. Surely, slaying a B-rank monster wasn't that hard?