Depthless Hunger

Kai wanted to run straight for the central shrine and awaken his Class, but he couldn't give in to the impulse. Candidates had already begun forming alliances and they'd run into one another even more as they got closer. They might not be as aggressive as Fhazi and his goons, but others were arriving all the time.

Fortunately, he didn't need to wait long before Tusquo and the other Irunians emerged. One of the women was still stumbling and staring, but otherwise their group seemed to have adapted quickly. When Kai told them about the source of power to the east, they agreed with his assessment and headed off together.

"Do you not have spiritual sight in Irun?" Kai asked. Tusquo was silent for a time, watching the horizon, but he eventually answered.

"It exists, but there is less mana in the air at home. There are other such skills, but they are more difficult to learn. We were sent here in order to awaken talents we could not find in Irun."

"Oh, is that the reason? I guess I never really thought about it."

But Kai was definitely thinking about what Tusquo and the others might be ranked. As soon as he got a chance without looking rude, he opened his spiritual sight fully to examine the other young man.

Name: Tusquo Agyama of Irun

Total Power: 8

Unknown Novice Class: ???

Soul Level: 1

Path of Steel: Iron 1

>

The results were surprising in more ways than one. There were more symbols than anyone he'd seen before, not just Physique and Soul but a "Path of Steel" as well. Apparently it was good for more than just creating weapons. Tusquo was the first candidate Kai had seen with more spiritual strength than him, though an actual fight between them would come down to many other variables.

As for the others, none were as impressive, but none of them were rated zero in any category. Except for the lack of Classes, which prompted another question.

"Do they have Classes in Irun?" Kai asked. "If there's less mana there..."

"That is a more serious matter." Tusquo seemed unwilling to say any more, so Kai was almost glad when they were attacked by a monster not long after.

This one was a twisted boar that drooled blue mana from its jaws. Kai immediately tried to use his new spiritual sight on it, only to feel a confusing muddle of symbols. Just like the scarred veteran had told him might happen. Gunjin had explained that monsters operated by different rules, though Kai hadn't fully understood the explanation before awakening.

Since he couldn't be sure how strong the monster was, Kai began in a defensive stance. The boar charged at him and he spun aside, cutting through its flank... or he tried to. Its knotted fur deflected the strike relatively easily, and it rounded on him the next moment.

His allies struck from multiple sides, but the monstrous boar immediately began kicking and attempting to gore them. Tusquo lunged in and cut deep into its shoulder, and for a moment Kai thought the tide had turned. Then the boar lashed out, slamming its head into him hard enough to send him tumbling.

Tusquo hit the ground heavily, unable to get up before the boar charged at him. Kai tried to intercept and stabbed as deep as he could into the boar's side. This strike made it through the fur, but the boar thrashed wildly. It managed to wrench the sword from his hands, then turned with a bloodthirsty grunt.

Kai realized that he had saved Tusquo, but now the boar was focused on him. Before he could retreat, it was in his face, tusks flashing at him. Without thinking, he grabbed the one aiming for his head. The sharpened point jabbed toward his eye... but he managed to hold it back.

As the beast's head swung, Kai automatically grabbed the other tusk, thinking he could hold the boar in place. A second later, he realized that he was an idiot. The boar didn't feel that much stronger than him, but it had four legs and a lower center of gravity. All he could do was hang on for dear life as it began to toss its head, trying to throw him away so that it could impale him.

Finally a club slammed into the monster's head... but it hadn't been Tusquo.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Focused on the fight, Kai hadn't even seen Fhazi and his group approach. One of his largest goons had a massive stone club now, and that one had dealt the finishing blow. Kai released the boar's tusks, forgetting all about the cuts on his hands. This could turn bad rather quickly.

"That was our kill!" Fhazi emerged from the group and waved as if to brush them away. "The core is ours, but since you helped, we'll let you go. We can fight over cores after we've truly awakened."

Coming in to steal the core was obviously unfair, and Kai ground his teeth, but he realized that they would have to put up with it. There was no profit in fighting Fhazi and the others now, and their group was completely healed. When he looked over his shoulder at the Irunians, they didn't seem eager to fight again.

"Alright, take it." Kai pulled out his sword, then retreated from the corpse. He kept his eye on them, but Fhazi's group let them depart while they searched for the monster core.

While he backed away, Kai took a second look at Fhazi and his goons.

Name: Fhazi Lantrian

Total Power: 4

Unknown Novice Class: ???

Physique Level: G-1

Soul Level: 0

Sacred Armor: 2

>

Immediately he understood why the veterans said you could only rely on magical items for so long. Fhazi's special armor might have doubled his strength as a novice, but it was only worth a tiny fraction of a veteran's power. More powerful mana-using equipment existed, but it wasn't that much more powerful, so the limits to buying power seemed quite clear.

The rest of the group had actually been more interesting. Most were average candidates, but both of the large men were rated as a Physique Level G-3, higher than Kai. Most surprising, the woman who had thrown the needle in the previous fight was at Soul Level 3. None of the candidates Kai had seen were that high, and even some of the veteran fighters weren't.

That made certain what he'd suspected: they were ringers. Anyone could verify if someone had awakened their Class, but there were no rules about other forms of training. Kai wondered just how strong someone could become without a Class, though it would be stupid to ignore your primary source of power. That was probably why even the ringers weren't that much older than the normal candidates.

Combined with physical fitness, the woman actually had a total strength of 10. Either the system wasn't completely accurate about relative power or she had been holding back earlier. Either way, Kai thought that it was smart to avoid the fight. They could resolve things after they'd awakened their Classes.

"We now have two choices." Tusquo's voice broke him out of his analytical thoughts.

"What? Don't we want to go to the center?"

"Yes, but by what path?" Tusquo pointed directly east, then swung his finger to the side. "None of us have perfect vision. Tell me what you see."

Kai squinted as he opened his spiritual sight, though he wasn't sure it did any good. The jumble of power was still quite a long distance away, but there was something else. Various symbols pressed themselves into his mind when he looked toward it, nothing he could quite make out.

What was certain was that there was some kind of structure, and he could see the glimmer of a barrier with his bare eyes. It looked like another small building, so they really only had one option... "We might as well visit," Kai said. "It isn't that far out of our way."

No one objected to that plan. Along the way they spotted two other candidates, who kept their distance, and no monsters. After the boar, the area seemed emptier than he'd expected. Except for a hill nearer the center, there was nothing to look at but their destination.

To his surprise, there was a little house inside the barrier. Not a shrine, not a fort or tower, just a wooden house like any in Monskon City. It even hung out a sign with a crossed flask and branch of flowers, the symbol for a healer. Had they built a whole house just for the sake of the Hunter Trials?

"Be cautious," Tusquo said. "This is almost certainly another test."

As if to contradict him, at that moment a woman emerged from the front door. Kai was mildly surprised: for the first time since he'd started the Hunter Trials, he actually recognized someone.

Juray Phrissan ran an apothecary in the neighborhood near Gunjin's house, so Kai had spoken to her on multiple occasions. She was a woman of about thirty with long brown hair that fell around her shoulders. Instead of her usual stained apron, she wore a jerkin and practical pants. They did nothing to hide her attractiveness - Kai knew that some neighbors gossiped about why she wasn't married yet.

"Well, hello there!" She waved and beamed at them. "You're the first to arrive, and I've been terribly bored!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Juray, but what are you doing here?" Kai stepped forward, despite Tusquo urging him to move more cautiously. "You can't be here for an awakening, can you?"

"Of course not. I'm here to represent the good citizens of Monskon City, who you will be protecting if you join the Hunters Guild." Juray frowned and glanced over the Irunians. "Well, I suppose that isn't as likely for all of you, but you're still welcome to use my services."

"So you're operating a store in the middle of the reserve? Do you sell all your normal potions?"

"They'll only let me exchange healing items for monster cores. However..." Juray gave him a wink. "If you're confident in your skills, I have a little challenge for you."

"Let's d-" Kai cut off when Tusquo raised a hand in front of his face.

"We must remain cautious," he said, still frowning at her. "What manner of challenge is this?"

"I'm not allowed to say," Juray answered. "Do hunters ever know what they'll be called upon to defend? If you accept the challenge you'll face a risky fight, but there will be monster cores in it for you. Say the word and I'll release the seal."

A seal? Kai looked around the house while the Irunians spoke amongst themselves. He didn't see anything unusual within the barrier, but he spotted a large stone plate sitting several paces away. It glowed a little in his spiritual sight, so he guessed that was the source of the challenge.

Tusquo glanced at him, waited for a nod, then turned to Juray. "Very well. We will attempt this challenge."

"Great! I'm a bit curious what will happen myself." She stepped back into the house and Kai heard a sound like a clay pot shattering... and then something much larger shattered.

The stone plate he had seen before broke into wisps of brown mana, revealing a ramp plunging into the earth. Just as he wondered if they needed to enter, a dark shape emerged from the shadows. It was a boar like the one before, grunting and drooling the same mana.

No, not a boar. Dozens of them. They tore their way through the remains of the seal and charged as a single horde.