At the heart of Training Camp at the edges of the East Leaf Wilderness, right at the very centre, they erected a wooden board. Plastered on the surface of the wood were many fluttering pieces of paper, each imparting information on the quest they contained.
A few steps away, fifty trainees jostled with each other, vying to claim the spot directly in front of the board. They cursed and shoved, unwilling to give way to anyone else besides theirself and roommates who they would undertake the mission with.
The Nobles took this as an opportunity to treat the commoners in whatever way they desired. The people with lower status were helpless to do anything. Yet even they didn't cower and doggedly persisted.
Nothing would stop them from obtaining the quests they wanted.
Whereas some members of the nobility sought to take any easy quest because they could not be bothered to aim for a mission with greater difficulty, the commoners did not want to overestimate their abilities and end up failing.
As such, a relatively simpler quest was the way to go.
Nico gritted his teeth as he felt himself squashed inside the large throng. His shoulders were constantly under assault.
'They're all lunatics. Lunatics!'
The boy focused on remaining on his feet. If he were to trip, that might just spell doom for him.
'Getting trampled is one of the worst ways to die. I'd rather go out in blazing glory!'
Henry and Leon were similarly struggling to withstand the chaotic movements of all the trainees.
The young farmer was having a harder time holding on compared to his dwarven friend, who did not suffer too much because of his burly constitution.
Just as Henry was losing all hope, he and the rest of the trainees heard a deep sigh reverberate from the side.
"Enough!" William's voice boomed above the chaotic shouts of his unruly students.
The young teenagers immediately froze. Cold sweat matted their foreheads.
"I had a feeling this was going to happen," the white-haired man rubbed his temples in frustration. "Why can't you eyesores behave for once?"
As William asked the rhetorical question, he couldn't help but sigh for a second time. Why could he not even get a moment's rest?
He inwardly cursed the Transcendents for ending up in this predicament, before speaking with a biting edge in his voice, "In order to make this as fair as possible, none of you will get a look at the missions. Instead, you will line up in your groups whilst I call out a particular mission. If you desire the mission, raise your hand. I will decide any missions in high demand through rock, paper, scissors. Is that CLEAR?"
"Yes, Sir!"
A cacophony of assents rang out from the now meek trainees. They dared not go against their instructor's will.
"Very well, hurry and get in line."
The teenagers quickly did as they were told.
William reached up for the nearest mission and tore it off the wooden plank, with enough force to make even the most steady of trainees flinch.
The white-haired man briefly glanced at the paper, before he swept his gaze across the aspiring youths. A scowl lined his features.
"First mission: Kill three azure-horned rabbits and retrieve their horns. Raise your hands if you would like this mission."
William saw six groups instantly raise their hands.
He motioned for them to split off into three duos and carry out the rock, paper, scissor method. When three winners were revealed, the instructor pit one group against the other, before the winner of that confrontation faced off against the last group.
Soon, a winner revealed themselves.
A group of females from hut number seven wore elated expressions on their faces after acquiring the mission they coveted. The other groups who had aimed for the same quest had dark expressions. They were none too pleased.
William handed the paper with all the quest's contents to the triumphant group. He quickly tore another slip and intoned.
"Second mission: gather some medicinal herbs, namely the five-leaf moonflower. You may raise your hands."
This time many more limbs shot up in the air. The white-haired man internally groaned. At this rate, just deciding on who received what mission would take the whole day.
The same process repeated itself, and eventually, a victor was decided. This time it was the trainees from hut number nine.
"Hunt an Iron-Tusk Boar…"
"An adult deer…"
"A SilverBack Bear…"
William continued to list out the missions one by one and slowly most trainees had received their missions. Albeit different ones than the one, they had desired.
Nico saw that Lucas's cabin was among the groups who had received a quest, specifically the one that involved hunting a SilverBack Bear.
When the man with the gruesome scar had announced what the mission entailed; no hands shot in the air. Every group wore wary expressions, having heard of the Bear's notoriously difficult reputation to kill. Only the haughty Stanburg heir and his fellow noble roommates had the gall to undertake such a task.
Time passed. Nico, Henry, and Leon desperately tried to get their hands on the missions that caught their eyes. Unfortunately, however, they were unsuccessful. Eventually, every other group apart from theirs accepted a mission.
Nico was now extremely worried. What if the quest was out with what they could currently handle?
"The last mission entails hunting down a Shadow Fang Leopard. As you are the only group left, this mission will go to you, hut three."
Nico cursed and shared a glance with the scrawny farmer and burly half-blood. He saw they had expressions that mirrored his own. One filled with…
…anxiety.
The trio from the third hut quickly decided that Nico was the one to go up and accept the mission.
The brown-haired boy cursed under his breath.
'Blazing Fates!'
Now that William had issued them with the hunting a Shadow Fang Leopard, Nico felt the chances of an uneventful trip slowly slip through his fingers.
Not only were the leopards nearly extinct, but they were also masters at not being seen unless they wanted to.
The difficulty of locating their target was almost as high as it could get. The only thing worse was probably having to forage through the core region of the Wilderness… where several powerful Mana Beasts resided.
Once Nico was within touching distance of his instructor, the maroon-eyed boy watched William hand over the parchment that contained detailed information on their quest and target: the Shadow Fang Leopard.
As he was passing the scroll over, the white-haired man leaned forward and covertly whispered, "Meet me in front of the cabins of the Three Ancient Heroes after dinner, alone."
Nico's eyes widened slightly at the older man's words. He gave a firm but brief nod and hastily turned away to prove that nothing suspicious had occurred. The boy walked back to the area where Henry and Leon stood.
William's words echoed in his mind.
Nico couldn't help but wonder why his instructor wished to see him.
'I guess there's only one way to find out.'