Death... and me

Back in Utari City, everyone gathered in the inn after dealing with their own issues. There wasn't much to be said other than that Rean would bring Falangia and Rafatia together when they left. Roan more or less expected that, so he decided not to complain.

The next day, Roan, Falangia, Rafatia, and Luan went to the other side of the island, where the Mercenary Guild's test would happen. As for Rean, he received a message from Tuvaru, the Formation Guild's Guild Master. 'Well, it seems like he can tell me something about the guy from the Sacred Undersea Kingdom, or so I hope.' Rean couldn't think about another reason for Tuvaru's call anyway.

Of course, Roan knew about that as well. 'Since you always do the talking, just try to get access to the teleport formation. Your healing skills and my pills might be of use in this case.'

'Sure.' Rean agreed with him.

As Rean went to see Tuvaru, Roan's group arrived at the Mercenary Guild's testing grounds. Well, Falangia and Roan weren't the only ones who brought kids with them. Pretty much all the Foundation Establishment kids present had their own parents, guardians, family members, or something like that with them. That's because the majority of the participants were under eight years old.

The Mercenary Guild's Guild Master was there once again. He seemed excited to be able to see another batch of candidates going through the test. "Welcome, everyone. I'm the Utari City's Mercenary Guild Guildmaster, Latros. I'll be overseeing your test with a few of our elders here."

"Now then. You should all be curious to know the contents of our test for the kids this time around. This time, all the kids will have to enter the demon beast forest behind me and... hide!"

Everyone was taken aback after hearing that. Hide? The Mercenary Guild's test was usually related to strength, so how come that's the test?

Naturally, Latros noticed the confused expressions on everyone's faces, soon saying, "Come on, it shouldn't be that ridiculous. Strength is indeed very important for a mercenary. However, hiding and waiting for the right opportunity to attack is almost as important. We are mercenaries, so any means to complete our missions is okay if it doesn't affect the Mercenary Guild's integrity."

Latros then raised his hand, and suddenly, hundreds of mercenaries came out of the forest and gathered beside him with the elders. "All of them are mercenaries at the Core and Soul Fusion Realm. Of course, they all have their own set of skills and things like that. During this test, they will be the ones looking for the kids. However, Divine Sense is prohibited. They will have to find all of you using other means."

Luan couldn't help but comment to Roan, "I don't know if I can hide well, dad."

Roan nodded, saying, "I didn't expect it to be a hide and seek test either. I haven't taught any concealing abilities yet." However, he still had some time, so he used a Divine Sense message. Since Rafatia would take part in the test, he included her in the mix. 'Listen well, here's what you two are going to do.'

As Roan taught Rafatia and Luan, Latros continued to explain, "We will wait one hour outside. During this time, no one other than the candidates will enter the demon beast forest. Of course, this demon beast forest has quite a lot of Stage Two and a few Stage Three Demon Beasts, so you'll have to avoid them as well."

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Will there be any other tests after this? It seems way too simple."

Latros shrugged his shoulders as he replied, "We have a total of 14367 kids here. Well, there are some teenagers who are still in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but who cares? Anyways, this is quite a small number considering the over 100 million inhabitants in our Utari City."

Following that, he smiled. "With that being said, I decided that I would let only a hundred kids pass this month's exam. Now then, do you think it'll be easy for your kid to succeed?"

"Wait! They're all kids! Wouldn't their results pretty much be attributed to luck?" Someone else asked.

Roan felt like snorting after hearing that. Sure, some would be lucky enough to maybe make it into the last 100 remaining kids. However, he was absolutely sure that at least 80% or more of the 100 to pass would have their own concealing skills taught by their backgrounds. That person was probably thinking he hadn't taught his kid anything like that, so he wanted it to change. However, there was no way Latros would change the test just because of that.

Sure enough, Roan was right. "Do you really think luck would be the main factor? So naive... anyways, I won't change the test." Latros then continued to explain the rules, "The testing grounds will be the entire demon beast forest behind me. The elders will keep a close watch on its borders as well. So, if any kid tries to leave the forest, they'll be immediately disqualified."

"As always, killing between candidates is prohibited. It's just that the demon beasts in the forest won't care about this rule, so be careful against them. Also, a piece of advice. I wouldn't waste my time battling since that means less time to find a hiding spot. Well, I guess that sums pretty much everything important," he concluded.

With that, Latros gave the signal. "All candidates, you can enter the demon beast forest now. Remember, in one hour, all our mercenaries at the Core and Soul Fusion Realm will enter and look for you. The moment you are found, you are disqualified. We will make a loud announcement that will reach all corners of the forest once there are only one hundred kids remaining. That's all."

Immediately, all the kids and the few teenagers who were still in the Foundation Establishment Realm rushed into the forest. Roan, obviously, looked at Luan and Rafatia and told them, 'Remember what I said. If you do it right, no one will find you without Divine Sense. Well, even with Divine Sense, it might be difficult. Now go!'