Chapter 3: Hells Forest

It was exceptionally difficult; for some reason, her Ego remained sealed. The suppressor should only take effect for the spirit half, yet she was blocked out. Elisa had no intention of revealing her second Ego; channelling one's Varalant energy wasn't an uncommon practice, so she could use that as an excuse. She cut down her third monster; if not for the instructor, she would've probably used her second Ego by now. The lost examinees weren't far now. Mr. Instructor was a gun user, and from what she could tell by eye, it was a high-grade pistol. It had been designed so that his energy could be channelled into the gun to be used as ammo; nobody used traditional bullets anymore, only the non-Ego police do. Practically all the old weapons - aside from the sharp ones - have been abandoned since the rebirth. At the clearing, they run into two more instructors, also being accompanied by two students, guess she wasn't the only one who got the bonus points. " You know this is gonna fall on us when the old man finds out," Said the lady instructor, her tone of voice made it abundantly clear she was annoyed. " We'll have to set up a barrier next time. Let's hurry and hope that nobody's hurt," Mr. Instructor led the way. When they reached the students, they had been cornered by a Reverend Oni, who was huge and red. Mr. Instructor made a series of hand gestures that Elisa had no idea what they meant, but his fellow instructors did, as they carefully made their way around the oni. When they were in position, Mr. Instructor shot the oni in the back of the head. The shot made the oni flinch and turn around. Elisa and the other students hung back, using the trees as cover to stay out of the line of sight. They all knew that if the instructors needed help, they would step in. " Damn humans, overstepping your boundaries and now this!?" Its voice rolled like thunder; it shook Elisa's entire body.

" Apologies!" Mr. Instructor yelled back, " It seems some of our students unintentionally wandered into your territory. I regretfully had to shoot you out of concern for them. NOW, if you would allow me to bring them back, we will continue to uphold the boundary, and we can all go back to our daily lives." Mr. Instructor took a cautious step forward; his gun remained at his side, but she could tell that his arm was tensed, ready for when the Oni tried anything. The Oni stared at it, its eyes went from him to the two other instructors. A slow grin crept onto its face, " Nah," Mr. Instructor wasted no time in firing the second it denied them, for a giant monster it was fast, the two instructors managed to get to the students and were making their way back, Mr. Instructor was doing a good job on holding it back, but as soon as it noticed the others it switched targets. Elisa watched in amazement as the oni swung its spiked club at the other instructor and students, only for Mr. Instructor to block the club with his arm. He had layered his body with his energy, using it as a shield. He swung his arm, swinging the club and throwing the oni off, but it recovered fast. The oni swung again, faster as it shattered the ground where Mr. Instructor stood. Not only was he able to evade it, but he also had enough time to land a solid hit to the Oni's head. The other instructors were able to make it back safely; all that was left was for Mr. Instructor to disengage. From where Elisa stood, it didn't look like anyone was gonna come out on top; this would go on for a while. She took a step forward out of the forest. The Oni stumbled back, clearly frustrated, but since his prey had gotten away, he left. Mr. Instructor heaved out a heavy sigh as he made his way to them, " I'll be sure to let the old man know about your contributions to this." The others had already made their way back, but Elisa stayed behind cause she felt bad(plus she needed to make sure she got that bonus).

Both made their way to the exit, and a good number of students had already made it out. They were an hour over the given time for the test, but since there was an emergency, they were still allowed to move on. Of the five hidden instructors, only three were found, including Elisa. And with that, the first challenge had ended. Mic static rings through the air for a second, getting everyone's attention,

" Well done, everyone. It seems that mostly all of you will be moving on to the second phase, and congratulations to the three of you who found the hidden instructors!" They were given an hour of downtime before the second test began. The school had set up a whole area for them with food and places to rest. Upon seeing it, her stomach ached. Elisa grabbed a plate before she rotated around the table. They had set out small, different things, like fruits, deli slices, cheeses, and some sandwiches. She was kinda starving after having skipped breakfast this morning, so she loaded her plate with a few sandwiches and some other things before finding somewhere quiet to eat. The food wasn't bad, as she was enjoying her small meal, she noticed someone walking towards her, and she died internally. He didn't look evil or anything. Elisa preferred to enjoy her hour of free time in peace. Alone. He carefully sat down cross-legged before resting his plate of cheeses and a couple of slices of meat on top of his legs. " SO, you were one of the three who found the hidden instructor, huh?" He asked, she nodded, but he had been expecting a verbal response, " I did."

" Wow! How'd you find 'em?"

" I used my heightened senses," which was partly true. She used her Ego to enhance her sense of sight, and revealing the fact that one is a Duel Ego user is dangerous; she wasn't sure why, but her dad said not to. He held out his hand for a handshake, " The names Dan, you?"

" Elisa," She shakes his hand. " So, what made you wanna take the entrance exam? For me, it was cause my dad had been one, I'd like to follow in his footsteps." Dan said, tossing a small purple fruit into his mouth, his mouth thinning at the sour taste. Elisa thought about it. Why did she choose to become a hunter? " I aim to become the next Grandmaster." Hmm, giving the simplest answer now was wise for now, she barely knew the guy, and telling him her true intentions would probably jeopardize her true mission. He nodded his head in understanding,

" If you don't mind sharing, what's your Ego? I take it those two swords have something to do with them?" He guessed correctly, pointing to her blades resting against her chair. She rested her hand on the hilts of the two, and a crackle of electricity sparked around her hand and the handles. Dan looked amazed, he was an odd one. In turn for Elisa showing her Ego, Dan held his hand out and produced a small flame, but she could feel the heat so warmly, as if it were a massive blaze. "My Ego may seem like a simple flame, but I can make it really hot," he says, letting the flame die. Though making it seemed to have winded him a little, I guess trying to do that still takes a toll. He'd be a useful ally if trained right; his Ego would be an incredible weapon, she'd do well to remember him.

" I trust that you all had a pleasant break? We will now begin the second test." He snaps his fingers, and everyone is now seated in front of a desk with a paper and a pen in front of them. Fortunately, she was allowed to keep her food. Panic began to settle in Elisa. She was not ready for the written portion, despite all the preparation she had put in. This truly was going to be the hardest challenge for her yet.