"How would you feel if someone rescued you from one danger only to plunge you into another? That's precisely what happened to me. Back on Earth, it was just a typical earthquake, but in this world, it's teeming with monsters and disasters. And, of all places, I transmigrated here. All my excitement vanished in an instant. 'I admit this was my favorite novel, but that doesn't mean I wanted to live in this world.' Yes, this world is far more perilous than humanity has ever encountered. Even the main characters, who are supposed to be the mightiest beings here, met their demise."
I let out a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you eating?"
"Uh, sorry," I replied.
You see, we were having dinner. Ever since I discovered that I'm inside my favorite novel, my thoughts have been consumed by it, overshadowing everything else.
"You're worried about your exam tomorrow, aren't you?"
"Y-yes," I stammered.
'Exam? My goodness, I don't even know what exam you're referring to, old man,' I wanted to retort, but I held back and simply said, "Yes," for now.
"Well, the Hunter Exam is no walk in the park."
"W-What's the Hunter Exam?"
"Really? What's the matter? You're going to take the Hunter exam tomorrow, right? Don't tell me you've forgotten."
My face broke out in a cold sweat.
"No, I mean, I remember. I was just checking if you remembered."
"Oh, even though I'm old, I'm smarter than you, kid. Don't underestimate the memory of an old man."
'Safe,' I thought. I almost got caught. So earlier, when he was talking about the exam, it was about the Hunter Exam? Damn it, I can't even eat in peace. What kind of fake memories did they implant in these people?
"So, is today a special day? All this food looks expensive."
I attempted to change the topic.
"What are you talking about? It's your farewell party, of course."
"cough cough," I almost spilled my food.
"I wanted to celebrate your last day with everyone," the old man added, his voice calm yet tinged with sadness.
Then I remembered from the novel that there was an orphanage where children had to leave once they turned 17. It was an orphanage exclusively for children under 18. After turning 17, they were required to leave the orphanage and find a means to survive. The government issued this order to recruit more children for the national army, tasked with protecting the country from an impending apocalypse. As a result, most of them joined the army after leaving the orphanage, some attempted to enter the Hero Academy after passing the Hunter Examination, a few became hunters, some pursued business endeavors, and those who found no path ultimately met their demise.
After dinner, I retreated to my room.
"So, I have to take the Hunter Exam tomorrow. Well, I'll starve to death if I don't, I guess."
As I sat alone in the room, I mumbled to myself. The Hunter Exam was no cakewalk. Without abilities, it would be nearly impossible to pass, and I was just an ordinary human.
'Wait, ordinary?' I pondered. So far, everything that had transpired was far from ordinary. To confirm, I decided to perform a test.
I took a deep breath.
"Status."
As expected, a blue system screen appeared instantly.
"Hmm, let's see."
=============
Name: Shrey Pradhan
Rank: D
Level: 7
Exp = 270/500
MP = 17
Constitution: [...] (locked)
Class: None
{Stats}:
Strength: 31
Agility: 26
Stamina: 27
Intelligence: 79
Mana: 28
Mentality: 76
{Skills}:
[Swordsmanship (E rank)]
"Not bad," I thought. It was above average, and I was relieved to have a D rank instead of E, like most typical fantasy protagonists. I didn't mean to belittle them; it's just that many stories start with the protagonist as the weakest. While I admired those tales, I didn't want to begin as the weakest, at least not in this world. I was content with my D rank and believed it would give me a fighting chance in the exam.
'My intelligence and mentality are exceptionally high. Could it be because I've read this novel so many times?'
"Well, whatever. I should get some sleep. I need to wake up early."
The next morning, after bidding farewell to the orphanage, I hurried to the exam site. There were nearly 300 to 400 candidates present.
"Please be quiet; the captain will provide a brief explanation about the exam," announced one of the exam volunteers. After a brief pause, a tall, blond man, standing at nearly 6.3 feet, took the stage.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Rover, and I'm your examiner. First and foremost, let me make it clear: this exam will be exceptionally challenging for beginners. It's a five-day survival test where injuries are expected. There will be no medical assistance during the examination, and you could face severe harm. Some may even lose limbs if they're not careful. Volunteers will only intervene if your life is in imminent danger. So, I urge those who aren't adequately prepared not to take the exam. Good luck to all, and let's reconvene after the exam."
Following that, volunteers distributed emergency backpacks to each of us and directed us toward two massive warp gates.
"Listen, examinees. You will all pass through these warp gates, which will transport you to random locations. It's a solo exam, but after surviving for one day, you can form teams with other participants. However, anyone attempting to team up prematurely will be disqualified. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" came the unanimous response.
"Louder!"
"YES, SIR!"
Following that, a female Hunter stepped forward and elaborated on the situation in greater detail.
"All right, then. Boys, please enter the blue gate, and girls, the purple gate. You'll be sent to different locations, but don't fret; the difficulty level is the same for all."
"Then, all female examinees, please select a weapon and enter the purple gate."
The girls made their choices and entered the purple gate, disappearing from sight.
"Now, all male examinees, please choose a weapon and enter the blue gate."
We, too, selected our weapons and entered the gate, only to find ourselves in a solitary forest.
"So, this is what they meant by 'random location.'"
While I had foreknowledge of this, the experience was exhilarating. I was quickly adapting to the situation.
"Let's see what's inside this bag."
Inside, I found provisions for a day, an emergency switch for those considering giving up, two bottles of water, and a digital watch displaying both the time and date.
"Wait a minute..."
I was taken aback because the date on the watch was the same as when most of the main characters in the novel began their exam.
'Does this mean the protagonist is here too?