The countdown hit zero.
For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then the forest shifted.
The forest ahead of him rustled, and a figure stepped out from the undergrowth.
Small. Green. Barely over three feet tall.
A goblin.
It wore nothing but a tattered strip of cloth around its waist. Its dull green skin stretched over a wiry but defined frame, and its long ears twitched at the slightest sound. In its hand was a crude dagger carved from bone, the blade stained dark from repeated use. Blood, dirt, and some other grime which had long since buried its original color.
The goblin tilted its head, then its eyes locked onto him. Yellow, sharp, and filled with mischief.
A low growl slipped from its throat.
Kael let out a quiet breath, rolling his shoulder once to loosen up.
"Of course they'd make them this real…"
Memories surfaced without effort. Goblins were common, weak on paper, usually found within the first ten floors of the Tower. But weak didn't mean harmless. People died to these creatures all the time, not because of strength, but because of how they fought.
They ambushed. They set traps. They fought dirty.
And their blades… they were poisoned.
Extracts from plants, crushed insects, whatever they could find. Even a shallow cut could be enough. The toxin would seep in, slow you down, then they'll finish you off while you struggled to move.
Kael knew all of it. He had lived it.
Fifty floors' worth of experience sat quietly in his mind. Battles against hordes, close calls, the exact rhythm of how these creatures moved and killed. The only thing he lacked now was a body that could keep up.
Still, a faint smile touched his lips.
"Come on then…"
He raised his sword, grip steady. "Let's see the stuff you're made of."
The goblin shrieked and lunged, dagger aimed low toward his midsection. Just like he expected.
Kael didn't rush. He waited.
At the last second, he shifted just enough for the blade to miss him by a hair. The motion was tight and controlled. Then he moved.
A single clean swing.
The goblin's head separated from its body before it even realized it had missed. The body dropped, twitching once before going still.
Kael exhaled slowly, his hand tingling from the impact.
"…Right. No flashy moves."
A faint light flickered as a screen appeared before him.
[First Wave Cleared]
[Next Wave Begins in 10…]
The goblin's corpse dissolved into particles of light, and the forest fell quiet again.
Then two figures stepped out.
This time, they didn't hesitate. Both goblins charged immediately.
Kael narrowed his eyes as they split on approach. One came straight at him while the other curved wide to his left, trying to box him in.
But he didn't give them a chance to succeed. He moved first, stepping toward the one on the left before it could complete its arc. The sudden pressure threw off its timing completely.
A sharp kick to its wrist sent its dagger flying, and before it could recover, Kael drove the pommel of his sword into its temple. The goblin dropped instantly.
He didn't stop.
Using the momentum, he turned just as the second goblin reached him. Its blade came in fast, but Kael caught it on the flat of his sword and pushed it aside, redirecting the strike past him.
Then he stepped in and drove his blade into its side.
The goblin choked and collapsed.
Kael pulled his sword free and let out a breath. "Two down."
The screen returned.
[Second Wave Cleared]
[Next Wave Begins in 15…]
The bodies vanished, replaced by three more goblins.
Kael adjusted his stance, rolling his shoulders again. A small smile crept onto his face.
"…Now it's getting interesting."
The waves continued.
Three became four. Four became five. Each round pushed him harder, forcing him to think faster, move cleaner, and manage his position carefully. He never let them fully surround him, always cutting through their formation before it closed.
At least, at first.
By the eighth wave, his breathing had grown heavier. Sweat clung to his skin, and his limbs felt just a little slower than before.
Eight goblins circled him now, their yellow eyes watching, waiting.
Normally, he would have broken their formation before it tightened.
This time, he was just a fraction too late.
They closed in.
Kael's jaw clenched as they moved all at once. He cut one down, dodged another, but something slipped through.
A sharp pain exploded in his back.
He staggered.
"…Tch."
He turned and cut down the one behind him, but it was already done. The toxin spread fast, far too fast. His limbs grew heavy, his grip weakening as the poison took hold.
Another goblin lunged.
He tried to move, but his body didn't respond in time.
The blade slid across his neck.
Everything went still.
A screen appeared before him.
[Candidate Eliminated]
[Simulation Ending…]
The forest dissolved into light.
Kael's eyes snapped open as the pod hissed and unlocked.
For a moment, he just sat there, breathing steadily.
"…Eight waves."
Not bad. But not enough.
He stepped out of the pod, his gaze briefly sweeping across the room. Some of the other pods were now occupied. It seemed others from his batch had begun finishing their written exam as well.
He looked away.
Didn't matter.
The staff member who had brought him earlier stood nearby, jotting something down on a clipboard before glancing up.
"Come with me."
Kael followed him back to the front desk. The setup was the same as before, a small queue in front of the counter, the same woman seated behind it.
The staff member leaned in and spoke to her in a low voice. She nodded, typed something quickly, and he left without another word.
The woman's gaze remained on her screen for a few seconds before she looked up at Kael.
"Congratulations. You passed the Hunter Exam on your first attempt. Not many manage that. You should be proud."
Kael simply nodded.
Behind him, however, the reaction was different. The people in the queue shifted, whispers starting to spread. Everyone there understood what that meant. Passing on the first try placed him among a very small percentage.
He ignored them.
"All relevant information has been sent to your registered email," the woman continued, sliding an ID card across the desk.
It looked simple, his image and basic details printed on its surface, but Kael knew better. The card was layered with complex magical encoding, making it impossible to forge.
He picked it up, his eyes settling on his rank.
F+.
A small nod followed.
"Not bad."
From what he remembered, the highest achievable rank before awakening was E. This was solid.
Seeing him examine it, the woman added, "This ID includes a one-week rift permit. You can access any rift under the Hunter Guild within your rank or below. Some sections are still incomplete. After your awakening, you can return for reassessment to update your information."
She paused briefly. "Of course, you may keep certain details private if you wish, unless you plan to register as an official Hunter under the Association."
Kael listened, then nodded once.
Standard procedure.
He slipped the card into his hand and looked back at her.
"Where's the nearest rift I can access with my rank?"