The woman was a mundane, so there was no way she'd catch on to my use of aura. Nothing seemed overtly suspicious, but something felt… off. A little while ago, the train staff were making rounds, handing out free food and drinks. Now, they'd vanished without a trace.
From what I'd gathered, most of the staff were ordinary people—mundanes—so they likely weren't involved in whatever the test was gearing up to be. Leaning slightly toward Black, I murmured, "It's almost time… how's your surveillance going?"
"I think I found a couple of suspicious items imbued with aura," said Black.
It finally made sense to me.
I recognized this exam setup. In my novel, it was one of the hardest tests for the protagonist—a long and grueling arc where he had to track down and appraise aura-infused items. Most were cleverly disguised, either appearing harmless but hiding something malicious or the opposite. Detecting their aura was a challenge in itself.
Not for me though…
I glanced at Black. "If you let me use my ability on your spiders, I could probably appraise them from where we're sitting," I suggested.
Without a word, Black summoned a spider from his sleeve, holding it out for me. I touched it, focusing on channeling my ability. First, I tried Soul Mark, and surprisingly, it worked. Either aura beasts weren't considered fully organic, or it was just one of those quirks of my ability. Encouraged, I continued marking more of his spiders as he spread them around our area.
Black's spiders were tiny and nearly invisible.
I noticed they seemed to possess some stealth abilities—ideal for surveillance. I activated Soul Vision, a technique I'd improvised by combining my vision attribute with the principles of Soul Link.
"The pendant and the coin… those are the nearest aura-infused objects within our radius," I told Black. "Take them. They'll probably be useful for the next exam. Just keep the items close, though; no need to draw attention."
Black gave a silent nod and discreetly moved his spiders, following my advice exactly.
Through the tarot connection, I reached out to Selena, "Selena, do you copy? There's an item imbued with aura hidden nearby. Check the compartment to your left, under the seat three rows in front of you, and one embedded by the window. I have a strong feeling these items will be important for the next exam."
Before she could respond, a loud, booming voice echoed through the train, "Hello~ this is the chairman speaking, mic test, mic test…"
Bob, the chairman, went on, his voice steady and playful over the speaker, "We're going to play the Train Game… rules are simple."
I leaned forward, listening carefully.
"Your objective: The train is filled with various mundane and aura-imbued objects. Hunters must use their Maker abilities to identify, catalog, and analyze the aura-infused items from the mundane ones," he explained. "Be forewarned… some objects are 'cursed' or have misleading auras, which can disrupt perception and lead to mistakes if not carefully handled."
This was it.
Bob's voice droned on through the intercom, "To pass this test, you'll need to imbue your aura onto the item of your choosing to match this frequency—" and a resonant "tnnnng~!" sound filled the cabin before it vanished.
Bob continued, "From here on, a certain skill level will be required. Killing is permitted, but be forewarned… escalation has its consequences. Remember, the items scattered around the train are fixed in number… not all of you can pass this exam! Hahaha! Good luck! Now, on the count of three—"
Around me, hunters stood from their seats, tense and wary, their eyes darting between one another, sizing up who might be a threat—or an easy target. I stayed seated, watching and waiting. There would be enough chaos soon without my adding to it.
Black tossed me the golden coin as he said, "I'll take the pendant."
I examined the coin in my hand. One side bore the relief of a naked woman, while the other showed an eagle and the words "Union Forever." Closing it in my palm, I began channeling the frequency the chairman had just demonstrated. Black mirrored my actions, focusing on the pendant.
"Three!" the chairman's voice rang out.
A flash of light burst before me, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself standing on the sand of a beach resort. Black appeared beside me, looking as surprised as I felt.
"Well, that was easy," he said with a slight smirk. "Seems teaming up with you was the right choice. My spiders wouldn't have lasted long in the chaos back there… my aura beasts aren't exactly built for durability."
While Black might have sounded dismissive, I knew there was no way he was weak. I looked around at our unexpected beachside setting. "Any idea where we are?"
He scanned the area with narrowed eyes. "This is Kaliya Resorts, far south of the Union," he replied. Just then, a mass of shadows began gathering before us, coalescing into a familiar figure.
"Impressive…" the shadowy form remarked. "This is a record breaker. I believe the fifth stage of the exam is only beginning now, yet here you two are."
Black's posture tensed, but his voice was steady. "Who are you?"
I intervened before things got confrontational. "It's one of the Seven Extremes—Silhouette. He proctored the first part of the exam. What are you doing here?"
Though Black kept his composure, he shifted into a subtle stance, ready for anything. Silhouette let out a low chuckle. "I'm here to settle a few things with Bob. My services don't come cheap, and I plan on getting what I'm owed… personally."
Black said, "Then you are irrelevant to me."
Whoa—coming in a little too hot there, my friend.
Black turned to me, all business. "If this is the southern part of the Union… then we must be near the World Wall…"
The World Wall. Giant walls protecting Union land from the Forbidden Region, said to be so high they could be seen from miles away. I squinted, focusing my Vision attribute, and finally caught a faint, blurry line in the distance… like a gray wall.
That was quite far.
Black continued, "How did we even arrive here so… quickly? The capital was so far away. Even if we'd taken a bullet train, I can't imagine reaching this place in less than a day. I don't know if I should be amazed by the Association's resources or appalled by how wasteful they are."
I shrugged, giving a nonchalant explanation. "It's something like a Teleportation Array using science and aura in tandem…" I kept it vague—couldn't exactly go spilling state secrets. Besides, he wasn't the one paying for it.
I glanced up, knowing there should be a satellite above us, responsible for shooting aura beams that facilitated teleportation access. It was called the World Path—a marvel of science and aura.
Silhouette commented, "You have good intuition."
I looked at Silhouette, my tone flat. "What do you want?"
"Just small talk," he replied smoothly.
"Then talk…"
He paused, then asked, "How is Selena doing?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Ah, she's your daughter, right? She's fine."
Silhouette's expression didn't shift. "I see you're well-informed. Tell her I'll still accept her with open arms, and she can come home anytime she wants."
I shook my head. "Why don't you tell her that yourself?"
I felt his gaze despite how he looked. There was a hint of coldness in the way of spoke. "Because I've sworn to never acknowledge her existence until she bends the knee."
I frowned, feeling sweat gather on my brow. Only now did I notice—I didn't have my shadow.
Silhouette's voice cut through the tension. "Pick your words wisely, boy, because I won't be merciful next time."
With a flick of his hand, my shadow slid back into place, as if it had never left.
Silhouette vanished, leaving the air thick with tension. Only then did I notice the people around us—the resort staff, gathered as if to welcome us.
Black was watching me, his expression puzzled. "What are you doing? You've been staring off for a while now. Is there something interesting about that particular female? Or was it the tree?" He slid off his shades and eyed one of the staff members in a swimsuit, busy helping her colleagues decorate the place.
"How long has it been since Silhouette disappeared?" I asked him.
"Around a minute…" Black shrugged. "If he attacked you, I couldn't tell. That's why I opted for a wait-and-see approach."
It seemed Silhouette had distorted my perception of time and used it to attack my psyche. I'd always known the Seven Extremes were dangerous, but seeing Silhouette's abilities firsthand, I realized I'd need to reassess them more carefully.
One of the staff members offered to guide us around the resort, but I declined and instead asked if they had a hot spring. The other hunters would take a while to finish the fifth stage—at least a week, by my estimate, for everyone to be accounted for. That test was more difficult than it looked.
The fact that Selena hadn't managed to pass so quickly, even with her head start, proved just how challenging it was. The getting the 'right frequency' of aura was the most difficult part. Ensuring the item was secured while channeling that complex aura frequency would be a very challenging task.
I submerged myself in the hot spring, feeling the warm water seep into my muscles. I closed my eyes, letting myself unwind. It was my first time in a hot spring, and the experience was strangely refreshing, almost novel.
I dipped my head under the water, letting the warmth wash over me. When I rose up, I saw the chairman, bald and seated across from me as if he'd been there the whole time. That was some freaky speed and stealth.
I took a steadying breath, calming myself down. "How may I help you, chairman?"
"I heard from Stefan that you want to join the Hunting Dogs?"
"Yes, I plan to rise in the Association's ranks in record time," I said, keeping my tone steady.
Bob raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"To contribute—"
He cut me off. "Let's skip the BS and shoot straight. What do you really want from joining the Association?"
I met his gaze, letting the words come out clear and firm. "The destruction of a certain organization that put my wife's and son's lives in danger."
Bob nodded. "That's good enough. The important thing is you don't have ill intentions for the Hunter's Association." He leaned back, giving me a thoughtful look. "Tell me, how is Leora doing? That girl's like a daughter to me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Aren't you, like, three years older than her?"
Bob grinned. "Age doesn't matter when it comes to love!"
I sighed, shaking my head. "You're using that quote in an entirely wrong context—and no, there's no love involved here. That's my wife we're talking about."
Bob grinned. "Monogamy is overrated!"
What the hell?
Only now did I notice he was still wearing his red cape—even while soaking in the hot spring.
I pointed to it. "That cape… can you teach me how to do it?"
While my theoretical knowledge was top-notch, even the best, I knew I still fell short in technique. After all, theory and practice were two completely different beasts.
Bob's eyes gleamed with interest. "You recognized what it is… impressive. So, tell me, what is this cape I'm wearing?"
He was testing me, and I welcomed it.
"It's aura."