"You are in luck," Alastair grinned as he stepped out of the dungeon management office with a folded uniform in hand. "The new prospect for the guild will be trying out today; you can join them for the testing."
"Really?!" Eagan asked, his eyes shining with excitement as he fist-pumped the air.
"Of course, that means you will be testing out with people your own age and with similar skills," Alastair replied. "However, you have to be careful," he warned with furrowed brows. "The test isn't just about killing monsters; all the testers will likely be pitched against each other. So you have to watch out for yourself."
"That's fine by me." Eagan shrugged. "The more experience, the better, right? A dungeon is a place where all things happen; I have to be prepared for the future."
Nodding, Alastair roughened up Eagan's head with his free hand. "Alright, that's the spirit. Go change into this and come to the basement." He instructed and walked away.
Eagan hurriedly changed out of his casual clothes into the blue and black uniform provided to him. Upon his arrival at the basement, he noticed about thirty other people wearing the same uniform as him and five people wearing the blue and gold uniform, which is the actual uniform of the Blue Wolf Guild.
He soon noticed Alastair standing in the other corner of the hall, having a discussion with the guild secretary. Quickly, he joined the prospects, and they all fell in line like soldiers in training.
"As you all know, this is a low-level Dungeon designated to train and test the young and old Hunters of the Blue Wolf Guild." The raid supervisor, dressed in a blue and silver uniform, began, his eyes scanning the faces of the hunters who were there.
"And the reason why you all are gathered today is to test your skills and familiarity with the things you've been taught in the academy." He continued, his voice reverberating all over the hall.
"For this test, we are only going to pick ten of you," he announced, and the young hunters erupted in a murmur. With a glare directed at them, they all kept quiet and continued listening to his instructions.
"Like I said previously, only ten would be picked, and out of ten, only three would be invested in by the guild. The other seven will be admitted into the guild; however, they will climb up like the rest of the guild members," he continued with an evil smirk as he noticed the faces of the participants harden.
"Yes, that's the spirit. As a hunter, you have to be able to work for whatever you want!" He exclaimed. "Now to the main point. The test is simple; all you have to do is kill monsters and bring their right paws or ears to us. The test will last for five hours."
"Each level five monster killed is five points. A monster above level five and below level twenty is ten points." He continued. "Now, the ten people with the highest number of points will be the ones that will be selected."
"There are no rules on how to acquire the points; however, you are not to severely injure or kill a fellow tester."
As the raid supervisor finished his instructions, the room fell silent. Eagan's eyes scanned the others and saw how nervous some of them were. He noticed a few testers eyeing him, their gazes lingering on his face, before looking towards Alastair.
He could imagine the thoughts going through the heads just as much as he could feel their hostility towards him for getting a spot on the test through nepotism.
'The S-ranked Hunter's younger brother that can't even sense mana is here too? I'm sure that's what they are thinking,' he mused with a sigh.
"Remember, this isn't just about killing monsters," Alastair whispered, appearing beside Eagan. "Watch your back. Some testers might try to sabotage others to get ahead."
Eagan nodded, already formulating ways to deal with any potential danger that might stand in his way. "There's no way these little schemers would have been worse than those old devils from my past life," he murmured and clenched his fist.
The raid supervisor raised his hand, and the room fell silent. "Let the testing begin! You have five hours to accumulate points. The dungeon's entrance is through that door." He pointed to a large, steel door at the far end of the hall.
The testers marched forward, eager to start. Eagan joined the crowd, his heart pounding with anticipation. Not only was this going to be the starting point for his comeback in this life, but it was also going to be his ticket to completing the system's task and avoiding the danger of reliving his worst days from his previous life continuously for twenty-four hours.
"Such terrible penalty for failing a mission," he groaned.
As they entered the dungeon, Eagan noticed several testers forming alliances. He saw a group of five, all wearing similar markings on their uniforms.
"Hey, you!" one of them called out to Eagan. "Want to join us? We can take down tougher monsters together."
Eagan observed the group, noting their coordinated movements. He could tell they were all from the same academy from how close they appeared to be.
He considered joining forces, but his past experiences warned him against trusting strangers. Most especially ones that are fighting for the top spot on a ranking system. They always end up backstabbing the outsider in the group.
"No alliances for me," he muttered, veering away from the group.
"Tch, what's so good about having an S-ranked hunter brother?" One of them sneered. "I heard he can't even sense mana. Why is he even here then?"
"Shh! His brother is a major part of the Blue Wolf Guild! Don't mess with him or you might lose your chance at becoming a member!" Another corrected as they watched Eagan walk away.
"Should we tail him? Maybe they've given him a hint on how to pass while doing the bare minimum," another one suggested in a whisper.
"I can hear you, idiot," Eagan snorted as he continued to walk into the dungeon without looking back.
As he ventured deeper, the air thickened with the stench of decay. Eagan's senses heightened, his eyes scanning for signs of monsters.
A faint rustling echoed through the corridor. Eagan drew his sword, its familiar weight reassuring as he got into a defensive stance.
"A green goblin, it's level five" he whispered, spotting the creature.
With swift, precise strikes, Eagan took down the goblin, claiming its ear as proof.
"Five points," he thought, tucking the ear into his pouch.
Eagan continued his solo hunt in the area, purposely steering away from the places where the other testers were gathered to avoid conflict until he was done with the system task.
As he moved deeper into the dungeons, he heard a growl.
The growl echoed through the corridor, sending a shiver down Eagan's spine. He recognised the distinctive sound of an iron-clawed wolf.
The monster he had to kill countless times in his past life as a way to get familiar with hunting.
"Tch, I'm really back in this godforsaken world, and I have to start over from the button nonetheless," Eagan whispered, gripping his sword and tightening it.
He crept forward, senses on high alert. The wolf's red eyes gleamed in the darkness, its iron-tipped claws scraping against the stone floor.
Eagan charged forward, his sword flashing in the dim light. The wolf met him halfway, its claws swiping at Eagan's chest.
Adrenaline coursed through Eagan's veins as he dodged the wolf's claws, his instincts kicking in. He struck at the wolf's exposed flank, but its thick hide deflected the blow.
The wolf retaliated, pinning Eagan against the wall. Its hot and horrid breath washed over him, teeth bared.
With a swift kick, Eagan pushed the wolf back, creating distance. He launched a series of rapid strikes, aiming for the wolf's vulnerable spots.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Eagan landed a critical hit as the wolf fell and died. Eagan let out a shaky breath, his tension easing as he claimed the wolf's paws.
"Ten points," he thought.
As he caught his breath, Eagan realised he'd accumulated 15 points so far. His confidence grew, but he knew the real challenge lay ahead.
Once his mane starts appearing on the test kill ranking, the rest of the group will come to look for him.
"I won't fail," he whispered, eyes locked on the dungeon's depths.
Suddenly, he heard multiple growls coming from the depths of the dungeon. Looking at the source of the growl, he noticed several red eyes glaring at him.
Gripping his sword tighter, he got up on his feet with a hardened expression. "How could I ever forget iron-clawed wolves work in packs?" he muttered as the first wolf lunged at him.