Ethan's mind slowly floated back up from the darkness.
The stabbing pain in his soul had faded to a dull ache. His thoughts, which had been spinning like a broken fan, finally started lining up again.
"Senior Ethan," Oliver's low voice came from outside the bag. "Have you made sense of it now? What happened just now?"
Ethan went quiet for a few breaths.
In his heart, he thought, 'What happened? How in hell I know?'
Out loud, his tone was calm.
"Ahem. As I said before, I am a master from my old world," Ethan replied slowly.
That cheap crystal had no way to assess my power. It is normal it collapsed when it touched me."
Oliver blinked.
"So everything happened because it touched you when I fell?" he asked.
He try to recall the scene clearly.
He remembered slipping, and rolling forward.
In that mess, the black sandal had flown out from his bag and hit the crystal first.
While everyone stared at the light, Oliver had panicked and grabbed the sandal, stuffing it back into his bag before anyone noticed.
Now that he replayed the moment, the timing lined up a little too well.
"In short, yes," Ethan said with confidence. "That cheap Crystal tool brushed against my strong soul. Of course it broke."
Oliver looked down at the bag at his waist, eyes filled with respect.
'So Senior Ethan really is a master…' he thought.
The thought made his chest heat up.
If Ethan was truly powerful, then all his talk about knowledge and methods might not be lies.
If he followed Ethan's instructions, he might really have a chance to become the greatest artificer in the kingdom one day.
So what if everyone else looked at him with contempt now and called him a troublemaker?
When he stood at the peak in the future, those same people would line up outside his workshop, materials in hand, begging him to make artifacts.
They would apologize, flatter him, and call him "Master Oliver" with bright smiles.
Just imagining it made his mood lift.
Ethan heard the silence and felt uneasy.
"Oi," he snapped. "Stop daydreaming. We came here to hunt beasts. If you get eliminated in the first test, where will you put my reputation?"
Oliver coughed.
"You are right," he said. "First pass the exam, then think about the future."
Inside the bag, Ethan fell quiet again.
'Just what was that crystal,' he thought. 'This boy checked many times and could not sense any mana in me. So why did it react like I shoved a nuclear plant into it?'
He turned the question around a few times and felt his soul ache again.
There was still no answer.
'Forget it,' he decided. 'No like I could find the answer now."
He cleared his throat.
"Listen, Oliver," Ethan said. "Right now we should still be in the outer area of the Forest of Beasts.
The magical beasts here should not be too strong. You only need to hunt one to pass. It is stupid to die here."
Oliver nodded. "I know," he said.
He adjusted the bag at his waist and started moving through the forest.
The ground was uneven, roots twisting out from under the soil. Fallen leaves muffled his steps.
The trees grew thick and close, blocking most of the light.
From time to time, a distant roar or cry echoed through the forest, making it hard to tell how far anything really was.
Ethan listened carefully.
The more they walked, the more he realized something.
"It is quiet," he said. "You do not see anyone else?"
"I do not," Oliver answered. "Looks like most of them went in other directions."
Ethan snorted in his heart.
'So they all ran off and left the crystal breaker alone,' he thought. 'So stupid, if it's me I will stick with him."
They kept moving.
After a while, another kind of sound reached them.
Metal clashing. ranches snapping.
Oliver slowed his steps. "That sounds like people fighting," he said
Ethan's mood brightened at once.
"Good," he said. "This is a chance."
"A chance?" Oliver repeated.
"Of course," Ethan said with a serious tone.
"They fight the beast. They get tired. They get hurt. The beast gets hurt.
At the right time, you step in, strike once, and take the kill.
Safe, efficient, and it still counts as your hunt. This is called using your brain."
Oliver's expression stiffened.
"…Is that not taking advantage of them?" he asked softly.
"This is called strategy," Ethan corrected him.
"In my old world, people fought for jobs every day.
The ones who knew how to use timing and chances are the ones who climbed up.
The ones who only talked about fairness are still complaining online."
He paused for a moment.
"Besides," Ethan added, "they mocked you outside and blamed you for the crystal.
Think of it as interest. Just do not run straight into the middle of the fight like an idiot. We watch first."
Oliver thought of Cedric's cold gaze, the nobles' disdain, and all the angry eyes pointing at him.
His fingers tightened around the strap of the bag.
"Alright," he said quietly. "If there is a chance… I will not back down."
"That is more like it," Ethan said. "Walk slower. Stay behind cover."
Oliver moved forward carefully, using the tree trunks as cover.
Leaves brushed his sleeves. Branches scraped lightly against his shoulders.
The sounds ahead grew clearer with every step.
The roar of a beast, the dull thud of heavy impacts, Ethan's mind was already spinning.
"You all dared to laugh at me before," he thought darkly. "Now see what will happen."
Through a gap between the trees, Oliver finally saw it.
In a small clearing ahead, a large bear was rampaging, stone-like spikes growing from its back, while several examinees surrounded it, struggling to hold their ground.
"That is a Tier 2 beast," Oliver whispered, eyes narrowing.
"A Black Stone Bear. Why is that here? We are still at the outskirts. Usually only Tier 1 beasts show up here."
Its fur looked like rough stone, and sharp spikes of dark rock jutted from its back and shoulders.
Each step it took shook the ground, leaving deep footprints in the dirt.
Three examinees were fighting it.
Two boys, one girl.
The first boy stood at the front. His frame was solid, his clothes already torn at the sleeves and chest.
Faint light flowed across his skin, wrapping his body in a thin layer of mana.
Every time the bear's paw came down, he met it head-on with his forearms or shoulders, feet digging into the ground as he slid back, but he did not fall.
The second boy moved around the edges like a shadow.
He held a short dagger in his hand. While the bear's attention was on the front, the dagger flashed in from the side, leaving shallow wounds on its legs and flanks.
Before the bear could turn, the boy had already slipped away, switching sides, his steps light and quick.
The girl stood further back, hands raised. Her robe was simple, her face pale from concentration.
"Fire Arrow," she chanted in a low voice.
A thin line of flame formed above her hand, taking shape into a narrow arrow. It shot out with a sharp hiss and buried itself in the bear's shoulder.
The flames did not explode, but they burned, searing the fur and flesh.
The bear roared.
Its stone-like fur blocked most of the damage, but wound after wound kept appearing.
A cut on the leg. A burn on the side. A stab mark on the back. Nothing was deep, but they were piling up.
The tank boy slammed his fist into the bear's paw, mana wrapped around his arm.
"Come on!" he shouted through clenched teeth. "Is that all you can do? Even the chicken at my house is stronger than you!"
The bear's eyes flashed red. It answered with a furious roar and brought both paws down.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest and braced.
There was a heavy impact. He slid several steps back, boots furrowing the ground.
Blood seeped from the corner of his lips, but he gritted his teeth and did not fall.
Behind it, the dagger boy's eyes flashed.
He darted in again, blade flickering. He slashed across the back of the bear's knee.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Before the beast could turn, he had already rolled away, hiding behind a tree on the opposite side.
"Again!" the tank shouted.
"Fire Arrow!"
The girl fired another spell. This time the flame arrow struck near one of the stone spikes on the bear's back.
The impact cracked the outer layer slightly, exposing softer flesh beneath.
The bear's rage rose.