Chapter 54
Hunt rabbits to gather marbles and exchange them for chips to book a room.
That could be said to be the essence of the 3rd practical exam.
“Let the exam begin now!”
With that, the evaluator who finished explaining the exam shouted loudly.
The examinees standing in front of the fountain immediately started running into the forest.
“Oh, heavens, let’s go too.”
“Let’s. We might fall behind if we stay here.”
“Eunbi, what do you plan to do?”
“For now, I’ll act with you!”
We couldn’t stay there as we were.
We entered the forest.
Ahead of us, other examinees were meticulously searching the surroundings.
Then, a ghost rabbit hiding under a tree stump suddenly popped out.
“There’s the rabbit!”
“You fool! Why would you say that!?”
“Move aside! I’ll catch it first!”
“It’s running away now!”
A brown rabbit with horns.
The ghost rabbit swiftly darted away like an arrow.
The examinees chased after it, but soon, from the other side of the forest, the sound of them losing the rabbit and grumbling could be heard.
“How did it disappear in a flash like that?”
“Why is the rabbit so fast?”
“It’s not a rabbit, it’s a monster.”
Besides their grumbling, similar sounds could be heard from various places.
Everyone seemed to be struggling.
The ghost rabbit was a monster skilled at concealing its presence and hiding.
“Plus, it even uses camouflage.”
I turned my gaze to one side.
Several examinees were approaching the ghost rabbit, tearing at the grass to eat.
Squarely.
The rabbit seemed unaware that it was being surrounded.
And then, it happened.
…Kyuung?
Suddenly, the ghost rabbit’s ears perked up.
Someone who had been distracted eating grass had sensed something.
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“He noticed us! Quickly, catch it!”
“It’s escaping that way! Block it!”
The examinees also understood the creature’s reaction.
They hastily ran out, having stealthily approached.
But the ghost rabbit used its camouflage to blend into the surroundings.
Thus, it concealed its appearance.
“When the ghost rabbit uses camouflage, we must give up on finding it with the naked eye.”
The examinees tried to locate it, but it had already slipped through the encirclement.
I could see the bushes around the examinees shaking.
And not just there…
Rustle!
The bushes in the direction we were in shook one after another.
The guy was trying to pass through where we were.
“He’s come to us on his own.”
I unfolded my detection net.
Even though one couldn’t spot a guy cloaked in protective colors with the naked eye, the detection net, capable of sensing mana’s presence, could easily pinpoint him.
“He’s caught.”
The guy was right nearby.
Rustle!
Immediately after, the bushes in front of me shook, revealing a hole opening from inside out.
It was the guy coming out.
Having sensed the guy through my detection net, I gathered mana at the tip of my foot, measured time, and swept through the air.
Thud!
…Plop!
There was a sensation of something touching the tip of my foot.
A Ghost Rabbit.
It felt like I had brushed its side.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the guy slammed into a wooden pillar.
Kyaah…
[You’ve encountered a monster.]
[Ghost Rabbit (Rank. 01) x 1]
The guy’s protective colors dissipated.
The guy, now visible, had lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.
Thump!
I swiftly ended the guy’s life.
As I pulled out a mana stone, the guy’s body turned into mana particles and disappeared.
“…How small.”
I checked the size of the mana stone.
The mana stone tinged with a blue hue seemed to be only about two fingers in size.
“I wonder how much this is worth.”
It was smaller than the mana stone shown as an example by the appraiser earlier.
Considering that stone was valued at 3Gg, this one wouldn’t likely be valued higher, maybe around 1-2Gg.
“If the value of a mana stone from one Ghost Rabbit is estimated at 2Gg, does that mean one needs to hunt 5 rabbits to get a chip?”
And to secure a room with that chip, even the lowest standard room required catching 50 rabbits.
“For the highest suite room, it would be 250 rabbits…”
Finding Ghost Rabbits wasn’t easy, and amidst the competition among examinees hunting them, it seemed doubtful if one could catch 250 of them.
Moreover, considering the share of the Heavenly Sky, it would require hunting 500 rabbits.
Of course, there was no need to struggle to catch 500 of them.
After all, the passing condition for the third exam was to catch any room, be it standard or suite.
However…
“If you can choose any room, why do different grades require different numbers of chips?”
There is only one thing that can be considered.
The evaluator explained that the 4th practical test would take place in a hotel.
I didn’t know what test would be conducted, but I also didn’t know if the 4th practical test would provide differentiation or discrimination to each examinee based on the room grade.
I couldn’t comfortably book a Standard room right now to pass.
I had to collect chips somehow to be able to book a Suite room.
For that to happen…
“Don’t chase after small rabbits like other examinees.”
It was not easy to find them, and dealing with agile and quick rabbits was inefficient in terms of investment return.
I had to aim for a big win.
Either snatch the chips from other examinees or…
“Hunt the leader of the rabbits.”
The evaluator clearly stated.
In this forest, monsters belonging to up to Rank 2 appear.
If so, there was a high possibility of higher-ranked entities of Ghost Rabbits appearing.
“If it’s that damn crystal.”
Rank 2 monster, the leader Ghost Rabbit.
If that thing could be hunted, it would lessen the burden of collecting chips.
The problem was…
“It seems like I’m not the only one aiming for the leader.”
Some examinees seemed to have reached a similar conclusion to mine.
Those who had stopped hunting rabbits were quietly observing the situation.
They were waiting for the appearance of the leader Ghost Rabbit.
“…”
It seemed like I would have to compete with them to fight the leader Ghost Rabbit.
Meanwhile, even after obtaining the crystal.
After the leader Ghost Rabbit fell, I would become their prey once I obtained the crystal.
Even if I said I had no intention of becoming prey, defending the crystal would be a burden.
I needed a plan.
“I could have hit it earlier…”
At that moment, Goeunbi caught my eye.
She was the one who shot an arrow at the Ghost Rabbit that appeared in the nearby bushes.
However, the sensitive Ghost Rabbit easily dodged it.
Jumping up from its spot, it nonchalantly ate grass as if nothing had happened.
“This time, for sure… Argh!”
Goeunbi seemed to get irritated by the actions of that Ghost Rabbit.
She shot another arrow.
Swish!
The guy seemed to have shot an arrow, calculating the direction the guy was fleeing, but the guy was a step ahead.
Swiftly, the guy who appeared to move to the right turned his body to the left.
The arrow made of mana pierced into the ground on the right.
“Oh, why isn’t it working?”
Go Eun-bi pouted her lips.
She reloaded the arrow on the bow and aimed at the guy tearing off nonchalantly.
I approached her.
“Don’t aim by looking at the feet when you shoot.”
“What?”
Go Eun-bi, who was aiming at the ghost rabbit, looked puzzled.
She looked up at me with a questioning expression.
I reached out my hand over her shoulder and pointed at the ghost rabbit.
“You shot when that guy was about to move to the right.”
“Right. But it seems like he caught on quickly and turned left instead…”
“He was lured into thinking you were aiming right. It was a fake.”
“Ah… A really clever monster.”
“So, to counter those types, it’s good to cultivate a habit of focusing on the eyes before the feet. It’s about reading the eyes.”
“Eyes?”
“Yes, eyes.”
I pointed to my eyes.
Go Eun-bi blinked her eyes.
“Feet might lie, but eyes usually don’t. When any being moves, even for a moment, they tend to shift their gaze towards the direction they intend to move. It applies to animals, monsters, everything.”
“…”
“Shooting the arrow to estimate where the ghost rabbit might flee was a good move. But next time, pay attention to the eyes, not the feet. It’s still there. Reload your arrow.”
“What? Uh, okay.”
Go Eun-bi shook her head in confusion.
Aiming at the ghost rabbit scratching its neck with its foot, she pulled the bowstring.
“Breathe deeply.”
“Phew, phew.”
“From now on, focus on the ghost rabbit’s eyes.”
“Yes, I’m watching.”
“Where do you think it will move?”
“Um… like this?”
“Don’t shoot randomly. Keep observing the guy while paying attention.”
“…”
“A gap will appear eventually.”
“Okay.”
“It might take 1 second, 2 seconds. Even for a moment, the guy will glance at the direction he plans to flee. Aim to shoot at that moment.”
Go Eun-bi is like a sponge-like character.
Following Kang Han-byeol, she has high potential for rapid growth, quickly understanding and grasping things.
So, the advice I would give her is to provide a general direction.
And then…
Swish!
Goeunbi released the bowstring.
An arrow flew.
Thump!
Simultaneously, a Ghost Rabbit leaped.
Dressed in camouflage, as if about to jump left, it swiftly switched direction to the right.
The arrow made of mana…
“Ah! Hit! I got it, Gyunwoo!”
Pierced the Ghost Rabbit’s side.
Instant kill.
The Ghost Rabbit hit by the arrow in mid-air released its camouflage and fell to the ground with a thud.
“Well done, you’ve got skills.”
“Thanks! I feel like I’ve learned something thanks to you!”
“Yeah, don’t forget that feeling.”
Goeunbi seemed so delighted to have hit the Ghost Rabbit.
She grabbed my arm without hesitation and bounced up from her seat.
I chuckled as I looked at her.
Then, I made a suggestion.
“You seem to need your bow, can I help?”
“Yes, yes! Just tell me!”
“Okay, what I’ll do is…”
“Hey… guys? Could you not talk privately without me?”
—
The mana stone of a Rank 1 Ghost Rabbit is set at 1~5Gg.
For special individuals like Ghost Rabbits of the same rank but with different colors, it was 5~10Gg.
So, mathematically speaking, by subjugating anywhere from as few as 10 to as many as 100 Ghost Rabbits, one could pass the test.
Only in a Standard Room, though.
“Are the pass rates looking good?”
“They are coming out decently.”
“Most are in Standard Rooms.”
“Superior Rooms are occasionally there.”
Superior, Deluxe, Premier, Suite.
To book a higher-grade room, one needed to hunt more Ghost Rabbits than that.
For a Suite Room, a minimum of 50 to a maximum of 500.
Naturally, it was a challenge to hunt that many in the competitive arena among examinees.
That’s why most people choose the easy path, not the difficult one.
“Hmm… Most people seem to meet only the minimum requirements just to pass.”
The passing criteria for the 3rd practical exam was simply to obtain a room.
If one simply aimed to pass, there was no need to aim for a high-grade room.
Even by securing the lowest grade room, one could pass.
However, in the end, it would diminish one’s own value.
If one had a brain, they would know.
“Even a little thought would reveal that the 4th exam is related to the room grade…”
“It’s shortsightedness.”
“Even if they know, it might still be the case. It’s hard to collect chips.”
The 4th exam would take place at the foundation of this gate, the Dreaming Hotel.
The difficulty of the exam would vary depending on the room grade.
So, in a way, the 3rd exam was also a test for examinees to determine the difficulty of the 4th exam themselves.
No matter how high their performance in the 4th practical exam, the score difference due to difficulty could not be compensated for.
Examinees who chose lower-grade rooms were, in a way, lowering the evaluation they would receive in the 4th exam.
“This exam evaluates depth of improvement, so I suppose we can’t give high scores like this.”
“That’s also one of the qualities necessary for an excellent hunter.”
“But not everyone turns out like that.”
Of course, very, very rarely.
It’s just the way of the world.
Like Cha Eun-sol of the Circulation Division.
[Room, please. Standard.]
[…Examinee, will you not regret this?]
[No, I just want to rest quickly.]
[Really… You won’t regret it?]
[Room, please.]
Cha Eun-sol was holding out ten chips at the hotel desk.
The evaluators pursed their lips as they watched Cha Eun-sol on the screen.
“Why would that examinee… act like that while carrying a black exam ticket…”
“Indeed…”
“Doesn’t seem to have any regrets?”
“Looks like everything is a bother to him.”
Cha Eun-sol was an exception in this case.
Examinees who accurately understood the essence of the exam were striving to obtain a higher-grade room as much as possible.
Sometimes, without hesitation, even resorting to plundering.
“Look at the mana stone he’s holding!”
“Oh, don’t go there!”
[Give us one each. Okay?]
The size of a marble is not small.
It’s a size that can fit in a pocket.
However, it takes 10Gg of marbles to make one chip.
If you want to exchange for more chips, you need to have more marbles.
As a result, it was difficult to store them and they often attracted attention from examinees.
Also…
[We know you’ve been exchanging chips.]
“Hand them over if you don’t want to get hurt.”
Chips were small and light, making them easy to store.
The issue was that in order to exchange chips, you had to come to the fountain in front of the hotel.
During that process, there were times when examinees hiding in the alleys would attack.
“That guy stole mine!”
“Don’t let that jerk go!”
“Let’s snatch them and divide them one by one!”
However, it couldn’t be considered entirely good to snatch chips from others.
Ultimately, even the examinees who obtained chips had to enter the hotel to get a room.
During that process, they could be retaliated against by examinees filled with resentment from having their chips stolen.
So, the best way was to acquire marbles through legitimate hunting, but realistically, hunting hundreds of ghost rabbits was almost impossible.
Only up to Rank 1.
“Some examinees are just watching instead of hunting in the forest.”
“They must be waiting for that guy.”
“Most of them seem to be from prestigious families.”
“The exam tickets are also green or higher.”
Monsters up to Rank 2 appear in the forest surrounding the Dreamy Hotel.
Among them are Rank 2 monsters, superior to ghost rabbits.
They appear in areas where mana flows densely as the ghost rabbits vanish.
Leading quite a number of subordinate entities.
The value assigned to the marbles of such creatures was at least 20Gg or more.
“Isn’t that value too high?”
“After all, life is a gamble!”
“Isn’t luck also necessary for excellent hunters?”
“…What are you guys talking about? It’s because that creature is that threatening.”
If examinees wanted to book a Sweet Room, the best option was to hunt the boss ghost rabbit that appeared probabilistically.
And at that moment.
“They appeared.”
Finally, as the mana of the ghost rabbits that had accumulated in the air and left remnants was stimulated, it caused a rift in space.
From that rift, the chief ghost rabbit emerged with its subordinate entities.
[Kwaaah!]
“They’re always frightening to see.”
“Monsters that destroy innocence.”
A bipedal ghost rabbit incomparable to the rank 1 ghost rabbits.
A physique with an upper body disproportionately larger than its lower body, and muscular build.
And a scar crossing one eye as if it had been through countless battles.
It let out an enraged cry, as if to settle the grudges of its subordinates.
[Kwaaah!]
“By the gods! I feel sluggish…!”
“Pressure! Get your act together!”
The examinees rushed forward to kill such a being.
However, it was a rank 2 creature.
And a strong one among rank 2 creatures at that.
It was inevitably a formidable opponent for examinees who had just turned 17.
For ordinary examinees.
[Water Dragon Style, Form 7]
Examinee number 1532.
Dogyeonwoo of the Divine Sword Dojang.
He was not an ordinary examinee.
[Lion’s Roar]
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Dogyeonwoo, leaping down from a nearby tree, was engulfed in a blue lightning bolt.
Soon, a spiraling lightning bolt descended upon the head of the chief ghost rabbit.
“…Impressive.”
“He handles wall lightning with ease. Other examinees of the Divine Sword Dojang don’t seem to reach that level…”
An attack that pierced the being’s defenses completely.
With one strike, the chief ghost rabbit vanished.
[One acquired.]
Do Gyenwoo was clutching his crystal in the dispersing chaos of the barrier stones.
“It seems I’ve drawn some aggro.”
“That’s right.”
“Even the examinees who were scared of the boss are coming to their senses.”
“From now on, it’ll be a problem.”
Just obtaining the crystal wasn’t enough.
He had to be able to protect it from the swarming examinees.
The evaluators were watching closely to see how Do Gyenwoo would break through that encirclement.
And then Do Gyenwoo…
“…What?”
The evaluators’ eyes widened.
—
◈
He had acquired the crystal of the Ghost Rabbit Boss.
As a result, examinees were narrowing the encirclement to snatch the crystal.
I had to fight with a crystal that wouldn’t fit in my pocket in hand.
It was going to be burdensome in many ways.
That’s why…
“Go Eunbi!”
“Yes!”
As the examinees focused on me, I called out to Go Eunbi, who was approaching stealthily.
She waved her hand holding a bow to signal her position.
Towards her…
“Take this!”
“What!?”
“…!”
I threw the crystal in my hand.
The examinees, closing in on me, were taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
“Chase, quickly!”
“The crystal is over there!”
The examinees hurriedly turned around to grab Go Eunbi.
But by then, it was already too late.
“Oh heavens! Receive this! My heart!”
…!
Go Eunbi tied the crystal to an arrow and suddenly shot it into the sky.
Swoosh!
The arrow with the crystal soared through the air, swiftly departing its original place.
Drawing an arc, the arrow plummeted beneath a certain tree.
“The heavens must have received it well.”
I chuckled at the sight.
There should be no need to worry.
The young heavens will live up to expectations.
So, I…
“Where should I start collecting chips?”
“…”
“We need to collect quite a lot. So, hand over some chips.”
I must repay the debt to the ghost rabbits.
From now on, I am the leader rabbit.