XXX
The fact that Shen hadn't managed to dodge that spit said it all—the beggar's skill level was a notch above his own, which clearly grated on Shen more than the disrespect itself. His face twisted in barely restrained anger as he stepped closer to the scruffy man, his voice low and menacing.
"I'm going to prove to you my skill, you insufferable beggar."
The air around us thickened as Shen's aura began to spread, heavy and oppressive. Typical Fighter aura, but the level of concentration was impressive, even to me. It pressed down on my chest, making it harder to breathe.
Selena grabbed the cuff of my suit, tugging impatiently. Her irritation was clear in the way she shot me a sharp look. I'd dressed up a little for today—sharp suit, clean lines—but Selena hadn't bothered to change out of her clothes from yesterday. Somehow, though, they looked pristine, as if she'd cleaned them with her aura.
"You're too easily distracted," she muttered. "We need to keep moving."
"We'll be fine," I reassured her, but my eyes stayed glued to the confrontation.
Then, as abruptly as it had started, the suffocating aura vanished. Shen's expression faltered, confusion replacing the fury. I spotted the reason—a hand resting lightly on his shoulder.
The hand belonged to a bald man who seemed almost painfully ordinary. His calm, blank expression and unassuming posture gave little away, but I knew better. This was Bob, the president of the Hunter's Association.
Bob was a study in contradictions. For someone in such a powerful position, he looked almost fragile. His aura barely registered, just a touch stronger than mine, which was bizarre considering his rank. The only truly striking feature about him was his bald head—so shiny it was nearly blinding. Maybe that was why he wore that short red cape, though the cape was no less conspicuous. It clashed awkwardly with his simple white shirt and shorts, as if he couldn't decide whether to blend in or stand out.
Despite the ridiculous outfit, there was no denying it—Bob was the most dangerous man here.
"Shen," Bob said, his voice calm and even, "you shouldn't let yourself get provoked so easily. This poor guy's just trying to get you disqualified."
The beggar spun around, anger flashing across his face. "Who's calling me poor?"
Bob didn't miss a beat. "I did."
The beggar froze, his bravado faltering as he glanced nervously at the crowd. After a tense moment, he muttered something under his breath and slunk away, disappearing into the throng.
Selena raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was something."
"Yeah," I agreed, still watching the beggar's retreating figure. Bob had everyone here under control, even with his odd appearance and easygoing demeanor.
The bullet train arrived with a soft hum, its doors sliding open smoothly. Before anyone could board, Bob leapt onto the roof in a single fluid motion. He stood there, surveying the crowd with an expression that was equal parts bored and detached.
"Good job making it this far!" he announced, his voice cutting through the chatter. "I'm Bob. Yes, just Bob. I'm the president of the Hunter's Association, and I'll be your chief proctor for the latter half of the exam."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. Excitement, wariness, and outright confusion painted the faces around me.
"I'll also be participating in the exam," Bob continued, his tone flat, as if he didn't believe the words himself. "Consider it supervision, interference, or support—whatever fits the situation."
Selena nudged me with her elbow. "Looks like it's not just the Spear God we need to keep an eye on."
I chuckled dryly. "Yeah. 'Interesting' just got a new definition."
We boarded the train, and aura Linkers appeared over our heads, indicating assigned seats. I sighed internally when I saw mine. Of course, they were splitting Selena and me up again.
"We can always check in with the tarot cards," I offered as we walked down the aisle.
Selena rolled her eyes. "Or we could just text. No need to waste aura on small talk."
"Fair point," I said, grinning.
I found my seat by the window and sent Selena a quick message. Already seated, and guess who's next to me… Diamond Black. What are the odds?
I glanced at my seatmate. Diamond Black was infamous for his near-obsessive dedication to hunting Devils. He wore a sharp black suit with thin white pinstripes, giving him an even more imposing look. His sharp, calculating eyes met mine, and he spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Author, nice to meet you."
Keeping my expression neutral, I replied, "Just call me Rey."
Diamond Black gave a slight nod, seemingly satisfied, and leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. I resisted the urge to sigh. Sharing a train ride with someone as stoic and intense as him was bound to be… memorable. Diamond wasn't the type for casual conversation or small talk; every word he spoke felt calculated, precise. I couldn't tell yet if that was going to be a problem or a blessing.
"Didn't expect to see you in this exam," he said, his sharp eyes locked onto mine.
I shrugged, mirroring his casual tone. "Figured it was about time. Can't let you have all the fun."
His smirk lingered, unreadable. "Fun, huh? So, are you a repeater?"
"Nah," I replied, keeping my tone light. "Just started. You?"
I already knew the answer. Diamond wasn't in the first half of the exam, and I'd remember someone like him if he were.
"I skipped the first half," he admitted, his voice flat. "The president owed me a favor."
Of course he did. Fuck you, I thought, but outwardly I kept my cool.
"So you're aiming for the gold pass, then?" I asked, even though the answer was obvious.
"Yes." His reply was curt, like he found the question unnecessary.
It made sense. A gold pass wasn't just a prestigious achievement; it was a ticket to greater autonomy within the Association, not to mention access to restricted zones like the Forbidden Region. For someone like Diamond Black—whose entire life revolved around hunting Devils—it was a necessity. The Forbidden Region was where the most dangerous Devils lurked, and it was a place even seasoned hunters feared to tread.
Oddly, his presence felt like a lucky break. If Diamond Black was here, his obsession with Devils meant he'd likely handle any encounters we might face. And frankly, I wasn't ready for a Devil fight. Not yet. Even a single Devil was a nightmare—those things were like walking calamities, each one capable of wiping out an Elsewhere Cult on its own. The thought alone made my stomach churn.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, snapping me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out and smirked at Selena's message:
"Seatmate with Spear God and the damn homeless guy. The homeless dude is flirting with me. I'm stuck in the middle. SAVE ME."
I chuckled and sent her a thumbs-up emoji. She was going to kill me later, but it was worth it.
Diamond noticed my amusement and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged, slipping my phone back into my pocket.
Before either of us could speak, the president's voice crackled over the intercom.
"Hello!? Hello? The bullet train is about to take off—"
A second voice cut in, trying to correct him. "President, we don't 'take off.' This is a train."
There was a pause, followed by Bob's flat, monotone response. "Ah, sorry, my bad… but I like the word 'take-off,' so don't ruin my drift. Anyway, please return to your seats and relax; the super train is about to depart! Also—no killing unless I say so, or you'll be disqualified. Promise!"
The absurdity of it made me snort. "Technically… using the word 'take off' when a train departs isn't entirely wrong," I muttered, mostly to myself.
Diamond, ever the conversationalist, responded with a simple, "Ah, I see."
Such a bland reaction. If Leora were here, we'd be locked in a full-blown debate over the technicalities of train mechanics versus jet engines. Shaking my head, I reached into the inner pocket of my suit and pulled out my trusty sleep mask—a cat-themed one, complete with little whiskers.
Diamond didn't bat an eye. Instead, he reached forward, rummaged through the seat pocket in front of him, and pulled out a Playboy magazine as casually as if it were a newspaper.
I blinked. Somehow, instead of feeling grossed out, I found myself intrigued by his sheer nonchalance.
"You always travel with that?" I asked, unable to help myself.
Diamond's lips twitched in what might've been the faintest hint of a smile. "Why not? Helps pass the time."
Fair enough. I slid the sleep mask over my eyes and leaned back in my seat. "Wake me when the interesting part starts," I said.
The train hummed to life beneath us.
I leaned back, pretending to rest, but my mind was far from idle. Instead, I focused on the Soul Links I'd discreetly placed on several hunters throughout the day. A simple touch was all it took to Link someone, and I'd made sure to tag enough people to have options if things went south. I couldn't afford to be careless—especially not when the air around us was thick with tension, the kind that hinted at trouble brewing just below the surface.
The Soul Links were my safety net. They allowed me to draw on other hunters' aura reserves in a pinch, effectively bolstering my own. But there were limitations. At first, I could only borrow two attributes at a time, and even that had taken months of grueling practice to master. Recently, I'd managed to push the cap to three. Progress was slow, but steady—pretty much what I'd expected given the low density of my aura.
Aura theory was something I'd studied extensively, and the more I learned, the more it aligned with my own experiences. The density of one's aura was both a blessing and a curse. A lighter aura made it easier to awaken attributes but limited the power behind them. Conversely, a denser aura granted raw strength but made it significantly harder to awaken new abilities. Hunters who failed to control their dense aura often ended up with warped or misaligned attributes, a mistake that was nearly impossible to undo.
Most hunters only ever managed to awaken one attribute. I'd seen it happen too often—an inexperienced hunter would overreach, destabilize their aura, and ruin their chances of unlocking more.
But my case was… different. I'd awakened the "Connection" attribute early on, which let me interact with others' auras in ways most hunters couldn't even dream of. Theoretically, this should've allowed me to handle four attributes simultaneously. Unfortunately, it didn't work like that. My borrowing limit remained at three, and activating "Connection" counted as one of them.
The feeling of toggling "Connection" on and off was strange—like detaching a part of myself, using something foreign in its place, and then reattaching it seamlessly when I was done. It was disorienting at first, but I'd gotten used to it. Still, there was so much about aura, and my own abilities, that I didn't fully understand.
This morning, though, I'd discovered something new. Something unsettling.
It seemed my "Connection" attribute had evolved, unlocking a darker capability I'd decided to call Skill Stealer. Borrowing another hunter's attribute wasn't new to me—I'd been doing that for some time now. But this new layer of power allowed me to keep the attribute under specific conditions:
Use Soul Linkto tether my aura to the target.Equalize our aura levels.Maintain the connection long enough.Terminate the original owner.
That's how I'd ended up with "Puppetry," the eerie attribute the assassin had used during the fourth test to control those mannequins. The memory of it still sent a shiver down my spine. I hadn't intended to kill him, but the circumstances left me no choice. And now, his attribute was mine—a grim reminder of the cost of survival in this world.
A sudden prickling sensation tugged at my consciousness. It was Selena, using the tarot card I'd given her as a mental link.
"Hey, I think the fifth test will be… happening here."
I pulled off my sleep mask, scanning the compartment warily. Nothing seemed out of place, but Selena's instincts were rarely wrong.
"Why do you think that?" I replied mentally, keeping my tone calm despite the unease creeping into my chest.
Selena's voice came back sharp and certain. "Look around. Doesn't this setup feel too… controlled? Too perfect? Like they're funneling us into something."
I frowned, my fingers instinctively tracing the Soul Links I'd left on a few nearby hunters. Each one was still in place, a reassuring reminder that I wasn't entirely alone. Still, Selena had a point. The atmosphere in the train car was almost too quiet, too orderly.
Across from me, Diamond Black was still reading his magazine, utterly unfazed. Either he hadn't noticed the shift, or he didn't care.
"Stay sharp," I told Selena. "If you're right, we need to be ready for anything."
Her response was immediate. "Already am. You?"
I smirked, though there was no humor in it. "Always."
~030