Hob and Friz woke up early in the morning, got fresh, and took a bath. Then, they went down to the ground floor next to the reception, where everyone was still waiting for those who hadn't arrived yet.
After some time, Friz walked towards the reception where Dell was standing today.
"Good morning, Dell. Did you procure what I had asked you for?" Friz said, lowering her voice.
"Well, of course. I got a special one for you. It'll work on anything, but it takes 30 seconds to take effect. It can even put a mutated bear to sleep in 30 seconds for sure," Dell said, taking out a bottle with a narrow mouth.
"It looks beautiful!" Friz said in awe of the emerald hue the poison had.
"Beautiful, indeed. But remember, do not touch it directly. It can still be effective for over 18 hours after applying on those darts of yours. This bottle is specially made to release one drop at a time, which will be more than enough to neutralize anything you encounter on this hunt," Dell explained in a low voice.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Friz assured Dell.
After collecting the poison from Dell, Friz returned to stand outside the building to wait for others to arrive. As they waited, Hob saw Amy walking silently towards the reception and taking a box from him, similar to how Friz took her poison not long ago. Not only Amy, but a few more people went ahead and did the same, with no one calling them out, maintaining a certain level of understanding between themselves.
Once everyone was in place, the middle-aged man from the test walked towards them and stopped in front of everyone, waiting for them to stop talking.
Once everyone quieted down, the middle-aged man spoke in a loud voice, "All of you have chosen to undertake a hunt instead of being lambs or killers. I expect you to complete the hunt. Unlike groups 1 and 2, you had time to prepare for this hunt, and I've heard you've all received survival training lessons from Elder Arihant. Therefore, I have high expectations for your group. Do not disappoint me, Elder Arihant, and return alive from the hunt."
"Yes, sir!" everyone responded loudly.
"Good, you all seem motivated, that's good. Now, you have 10 minutes to decide whether you'll form a group or go alone with the lamb you've chosen and register with Dell over here," the middle-aged man said, pointing to Dell, who had come to stand behind him at some point.
Those who had decided to form a group went forward, while the rest hesitated. Some approached others to propose forming a group, like Amy and Geld, who were making their way towards Hob and Friz.
"Hello there, Mr. Hob. I hope you've made your decision about forming a group because this is our last and only chance to do so," Amy said to Hob.
"Before I tell you our decision, may I ask what weapons both of you will be using?" Hob said, looking at Amy and Geld.
Amy froze but quickly regained her composure. She fell silent for a moment before finally speaking, "I... I don't have a weapon with me. I took a spyglass for scouting. As for Geld, he chose a bolas—a rope with two weights at both ends, used to entangle the legs of animals."
"So, basically, neither of you has a weapon but tools that can aid in the hunt. However, we'll also have to hunt two targets instead of one," Hob said, contemplating.
Hob turned to look at Friz, who nodded at him, prompting him to accept the proposal. Hob thought for a moment more before saying, "Alright, we accept. Let's go and register with Dell before time runs out."
Amy was stunned by the decisiveness of Hob but didn't say anything and followed Hob.
Hob approached Dell, who was busy registering teams, followed by Amy, Geld, and Friz.
"Hey, Dell, can you register the four of us as a team? We've just made our decision," Hob said, arriving in front of Dell.
"Of course. Just write down your names on this paper and sign it. I'll take care of the rest," Dell said, handing Hob a paper.
Hob and the rest followed Dell's instructions, and soon they were registered as a group for the hunt, shortly after the 10-minute period ended.
"Now that you've registered with your chosen groups, I'll explain the conditions for your hunt to be considered successful," the middle-aged man said, signaling for signal flares to be handed out to everyone.
"You must hunt 1 monster for every person in group 3 of your team (not including the lambs). You must return with a unique part from the type of monster you hunt for identification, for your hunt to be valid. After you hunt a monster, fire a signal flare, which will be provided to you. When a signal flare is fired, a group of veteran collectors will go to that location. After the hunt, the part you took will be matched with the monster's body. If they match, your hunt will be considered successful," he concluded, signaling with his hands.
"Now that you have everything you need for the hunt, I wish you all the best of luck. Remember, the time limit for the hunt is 3 days. Those who are late will be dealt with separately, depending on the situation," the middle-aged man finished his speech and went inside the building.
Hob, Friz, Amy, and Geld nodded at each other and moved to a corner, not in a hurry to begin the hunt, while most other participants dispersed in different directions based on their plans.
"So, where do you plan to hunt, if I may ask?" Geld asked Hob and Friz.
"We plan to go to the Vine Forest to the north. I assume you both plan to go in the direction your allied group chose from the beginning, right?" Hob said, looking at Amy and Geld.
They both coughed in embarrassment and nodded.
"Well then, let's get going," Hob said, and everyone nodded.